East Notes: Mets, Orioles, Price
The Mets currently appear likely to go with Ruben Tejada at shortstop, MLB.com's Anthony DiComo writes. "The same three alternatives exist: sign a free agent, make a trade or go with what we have, subject to probably bringing in a backup to Tejada," says GM Sandy Alderson. "I'd say right now, it's probably more likely that we will go with Option C, which is Ruben at shortstop with the addition of a backup." That means the Mets appear unlikely to sign Stephen Drew. Here are more notes from the East divisions.
- The Orioles have not yet upgraded at designated hitter, MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli notes. They're still interested in Kendrys Morales, but don't want to part with the draft pick it will cost to sign him. If they don't end up signing Morales, they could just platoon Nolan Reimold and Henry Urrutia, while sometimes freeing DH up to provide other players with days off from fielding.
- Curtis Granderson of the Mets and Ubaldo Jimenez are likely to be the biggest busts of this year's free-agent class, various GMs tell ESPN's Jim Bowden (Insider-only). One GM cites Granderson's home run total will drop in Citi Field, and another says Jimenez's inconsistent delivery will be an issue.
- The Diamondbacks or Mariners would be the best fit for the Rays' David Price, GMs tell Bowden. Arizona could sign Price long-term and has the talent needed to get the Rays to part with him, one GM says.
Mariners Likely To Hire New President From Within
The Mariners will likely choose a new president from among their internal candidates, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. A report yesterday indicated that the Mariners could consider Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa, but that may not be the case. The team will interview two internal candidates next week.
It's unclear which internal candidates the Mariners might consider, but Johns suggests that the possibilities could include executive vice president of business operations Bob Aylward, executive vice president of finance Kevin Mather, executive vice president of legal affairs Bart Waldman and vice president of marketing Kevin Martinez. Departing president Chuck Armstrong will finish working at the end of the month, and the Mariners plan to have a replacement ready by then.
Stephen Strasburg, Nationals Avoid Arbitration
The Nationals have announced that they've agreed to terms with pitcher Stephen Strasburg, avoiding arbitration. CBS Sports' Jon Heyman tweets that Strasburg will make $3.975MM next year. He can also earn up to $125K in performance bonuses, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post tweets. Strasburg is represented by Scott Boras.
MLBTR projected Strasburg would make $3.9MM in his first trip through the arbitration process. He also made $3.9MM in 2013 in what was effectively the final year of the Major-League contract he signed when the Nats drafted him in 2009. The Nationals control Strasburg's rights through 2016. The righty posted a 3.00 ERA, 9.4 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 183 innings in 2013.
Justin Masterson, Indians To Discuss Extension
The Indians and starting pitcher Justin Masterson will soon discuss a multiyear deal, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer reports. We project Masterson will make $9.7MM in his final year of arbitration eligibility this offseason, after which he is eligible for free agency.
GM Chris Antonetti said last month he would like sign Masterson for the long term. Hoynes notes that Masterson's agent, Randy Rowley, indicated at the time that he wanted to see how the market for free-agent pitching developed. With Masahiro Tanaka's situation stalling pitching signings, Rowley may not have gotten the information he hoped to receive, but Masterson and the Indians are set to exchange arbitration figures next Friday. Hoynes notes that the Indians have not undergone an arbitration hearing with a player since 1991.
MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggests that a five-year deal for Masterson might cost the Indians somewhere between $65MM and $85MM. With a salary near $10MM all but set for 2014 and Masterson being eligible for free agency as a 29-year-old after that, such a deal would likely be in line with his market value. Masterson posted a 3.45 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 193 innings last season.
Orioles Re-Sign Alexi Casilla
The Orioles have announced that they've re-signed infielder Alexi Casilla to a minor-league deal with a spring training invite. The O's declined their option on Casilla in November after he hit .214/.268/.295 in 125 plate appearances last season.
Casilla, who can play shortstop, second base and third base, could be a candidate for a bench job in Baltimore in 2014. He has a lifetime .248/.302/.332 line in parts of eight seasons, seven of them with the Twins.
Yankees Sign Matt Thornton
3:50pm: Thornton will earn $3.5MM in each year of the deal, and his contract does not contain any bonuses, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter).
3:15pm: More than three weeks after the initial agreement was reached, the Yankees have officially announced their two-year deal with left-hander Matt Thornton. The longtime White Sox hurler will reportedly receive a $7MM guarantee. Thornton is represented by Diamond Sports Management.
Thornton, 37, pitched to a 3.74 ERA with 6.2 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 50.2 percent ground-ball rate in 43 1/3 innings for the White Sox and Red Sox in 2013. Opposing left-handers hit .235/.267/.370 in 89 plate appearances against Thornton last season. Though Thornton's once-blazing fastball has been in a steady decline since 2010, he still averaged a healthy 94.2 mph on his heater in 2013.
The Yankees were in need of a lefty reliever after losing Boone Logan to free agency. Logan inked a three-year, $16.5MM contract with the Rockies, meaning the Yankees were able to secure his presumable replacement for less than half the price. The Yankees' bullpen will have a new look to it in 2014, with David Robertson currently in line to take the ninth-inning reins from Mariano Rivera and the departures of Logan and Joba Chamberlain.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has been heavily active on the free agent market, signing Jacoby Ellsbury and Brian McCann to mammoth contracts, re-signing Hiroki Kuroda and also adding veterans like Thornton, Kelly Johnson, Brian Roberts and Brendan Ryan to low-cost contracts.
Jack Curry of the YES Network first reported the contract and the terms (on Twitter).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Masahiro Tanaka
3:07pm: John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle hears that Tanaka's initial preferred cities are Los Angeles, New York and Boston (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, Nightengale softens his stance in a pair of new tweets, noting that the Dodgers confirmed their interest but don't want to spend "wildly" or do anything crazy with their bid in order to land Tanaka.
1:04pm: While team president Stan Kasten said in a radio interview yesterday not to predict the Dodgers to land Masahiro Tanaka, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (via Twitter) that the Dodgers have made it known that they will go "all out" to sign the Japanese ace and "certainly won't be outbid."
Of course, because of the new posting agreement between Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball, signing Tanaka is no longer simply a matter of outbidding your opponents. Any team that wishes to pay the $20MM posting fee can negotiate with Tanaka as if he were a free agent, and the team would only lose that $20MM if an agreement between the two sides were to be reached. In other words, virtually any team in the Majors can afford to negotiate with Tanaka, and he could have preferences beyond signing for top dollar.
We've heard a great number of teams connected to Tanaka over the past two days, as the right-hander is in Los Angeles at this time meeting with teams face-to-face. In the past 24 hours alone, the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Angels, Dodgers, Cubs, White Sox, Blue Jays and Indians have all been linked to Tanaka.
Adding Tanaka to the mix would give the Dodgers a potentially unrivaled rotation in terms of dominance, as he would join Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-jin Ryu and Dan Haren. The addition of Tanaka would seem to push Josh Beckett and Chad Billingsley out of the picture for the Dodgers, though both dealt with injuries in 2013. Billingsley isn't expected back until summer after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Mets Sign Taylor Teagarden
FRIDAY: Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (on Twitter) that Teagarden will earn $725K if he makes the Major League roster and can earn $25K for appearing in 60 and 80 games. He can also opt out of his contract if he's not in the Majors by June 15.
MONDAY: The Mets announced that they have signed catcher Taylor Teagarden to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. The 30-year-old Teagarden is a client of the Boras Corporation.
Teagarden, a former third-round pick and Top 100 prospect (per Baseball America) has spent time at the Major League level in each of the past six seasons. He's totaled 518 plate appearances between the Rangers and Orioles in those eight seasons, producing a .206/.266/.390 batting line with 20 home runs. With the Mets, Teagarden figures to compete with Anthony Recker to serve as the primary backup to Travis d'Arnaud, who should be New York's everyday catcher in 2014.
Diamondbacks Claim Santos Rodriguez
The Diamondbacks announced that they have claimed Santos Rodriguez off waivers from the White Sox. The 6'6" left-hander was designated for assignment last week in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Scott Downs.
Rodriguez's 2013 was a tale of two seasons, as he dominated at the Double-A level (2.35 ERA, 25 strikeouts, 14 walks in 23 innings) but was roughed up upon his promotion to Triple-A (7.30 ERA, 36 strikeouts, 27 walks in 24 2/3 innings). Big strikeout numbers and shaky command have been the norm for Rodriguez throughout his minor league tenure, as he's posted a 10.7 K/9 mark and 5.6 BB/9. Baseball America ranked him 21st or better among White Sox prospects prior to the 2009-13 seasons.
Royals, Brett Hayes Avoid Arbitration
The Royals have announced via press release that they have avoided arbitration with catcher Brett Hayes by agreeing to a one-year deal. Hayes will make $630K with another possible $20K in performance bonuses, according to the Associated Press. Hayes is a client of TWC Sports.
Hayes, 30 next month, batted .278/.278/.611 with a homer in 18 plate appearances for the Royals in 2013. The longtime Marlin batted .233/.279/.480 in 298 plate appearances for the Royals' Triple-A club last season, and his 17 homers at the Triple-A level were the second-most from any catcher in the Pacific Coast League. That speaks to the pop Hayes has in his bat, as does his career .154 isolated power mark (slugging percentage minus batting average).
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected Hayes to earn $900K in 2014. He will have competition in the form of Francisco Pena and Ramon Hernandez in Spring Training, but Hayes figures to be the primary backup for Salvador Perez.
The Royals now have seven remaining arbitration eligible players: Luke Hochevar, Greg Holland, Eric Hosmer, Emilio Bonifacio, Aaron Crow, Tim Collins and Justin Maxwell.