Yankees Made Offer To Drew Earlier In Off-Season
The Yankees made an offer to free agent infielder Stephen Drew earlier in the off-season, believed to be for two or three years, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Nevertheless, the report indicates, the Yankees do not appear to be one of the four teams still pursuing the 30-year-old.
At the time of the offer, says Sherman, New York was making offers to multiple players while explaining that they would pull them back as necessary as things developed. Drew hoped at the time to land a bigger deal, and the club ultimately withdrew its offer at some point during its massive outlay on several prominent free agents.
Notably, Sherman's article does not indicate that the Yankees have current interest in Drew, but instead throws more cold water on the idea. (Other recent reports, of course, have said that the team does not intend to pursue him.) Sherman writes that principal owner Hal Steinbrenner called for a halt to spending after signing Masahiro Tanaka, and that the club is "not bending for Drew."
Without Drew, argues Sherman, the club will likely find a mid-season need for a player of his ilk, but will be hard-pressed to acquire one. Sherman presented that situation to Steinbrenner for comment, and his response seems to indicate that the team feels ready to move forward as presently constructed:
"No team is without concerns. We will address those concerns as we go, just as we did in several areas last year. … I am comfortable with our payroll as it stands now. … We have a very good club and we will continue to improve in areas that we see need it; not just in areas that need it on paper. We need to see what actually transpires in those areas and react."
Four Teams Still In On Stephen Drew
Four teams remain in on free agent shortstop Stephen Drew, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN.com. Two of those clubs are the oft-rumored Red Sox and Mets, but the other two remain unknown.
Though several other organizations have been mentioned in the past as hypothetical landing spots, there has not been much in the way of firm reports connecting Drew with alternative destinations. Though Bowden does not indicate the strenght of interest from the two mystery clubs, it bodes well for Drew that his market extends beyond Boston and New York.
Of course, the issue still facing Drew is that none of his apparent suitors appears to have significant urgency to add him, making it difficult to drive up his price. The Mets, for instance, are not willing to pay Drew in the vicinity of the $14.1MM qualifying offer that he already declined, according to a recent report from Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter).
Pirates Still Looking For Left-Handed Bat At First Base
The Pirates are not giving up on the possibility of adding a left-handed-hitting first baseman through trade, reports Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Though efforts to date have not proven fruitful, Pittsburgh is still hoping to find a platoon partner for rigty Gaby Sanchez.
The club is still keeping an eye on how camp plays out for long-rumored target Ike Davis and the Mets. Other possible options — like Justin Smoak or Mitch Moreland — could become available depending upon what happens with the several key free agents that remain.
Though GM Neal Huntington says that he is confident with the club's in-house candidates, including Andrew Lambo, Chris McGuiness, and Travis Ishikawa, none have proven to have an above-average big league bat. And Huntington acknowledged that an addition remains possible. "That doesn't stop us from looking elsewhere," he said. "It's just that now, our bar has been set a little bit higher … If there's something that makes us better, and makes sense for us, we'll still look to do that."
Orioles Still In On Cruz, Morales
Even after giving up a first-round draft choice to add one of the premier free agents still available in starter Ubaldo Jimenez, the Orioles could still sign another player tied to compensation, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN.com. The club remains in on both Nelson Cruz and Kendrys Morales.
Indeed, as executive VP Dan Duquette recently noted (via Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports), "if you do one, I think that makes the second one easier, frankly." In large part, the reason for that stance is that Baltimore would pay a relatively meager price in terms of draft compensation. Having already given up the 17th overall choice and traded the team's competitive balance pick (currently, 33rd overall), the O's would now only need to part with their second-round choice (52nd overall as of today), as well as its slot value of just over $1MM.
According to Rosenthal (via Twitter), the Orioles appear more interested in Cruz than Morales. While both players have their limitations defensively, Cruz is capable of playing the outfield, while Morales is limited to first (or, depending upon who one asks, designated hitter). Of course, the latter offers a switch-hitting option while Cruz only bats right-handed.
Braves Release Mat Gamel
The Braves have released utilityman Mat Gamel, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Gamel, who was trying to work back from a pair of ACL surgeries, apparently reinjured his knee last week during personal workouts.
Once a highly-regarded prospect, the 28-year-old hooked on with Atlanta when his career never took off in Milwaukee. He has consistently hammered pitching in the upper minors, but never yet had the chance to be a big league regular. Set to become the Brewers first baseman last year, Gamel instead suffered his second ACL tear and missed the year.
Indians Avoid Arbitration With Justin Masterson
1:32pm: Masterson receives a $9.7625MM salary, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, placing him slightly below the midpoint between his figure and the club's figure.
1:25pm: The Indians and Justin Masterson have reached an agreement on a one-year deal to avoid an arbitration hearing, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (on Twitter).
Masterson, who turns 29 in a month, is the last of the Indians' arbitration eligible players to resolve his case. The team went to hearings with right-handers Vinnie Pestano and Josh Tomlin (their first hearings since 1991), with Cleveland winning both cases.
Masterson told Bastian within the past hour that he and the Indians were "really close" on a one-year deal to avoid arbitration. The right-hander posted a 3.45 ERA in 193 innings with 9.1 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 58 percent ground-ball rate that led all qualified big league starters. He filed for an $11.8MM salary while the Indians filed at $8.05MM, as can be seen in MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker. This will be his final year of team control before he is eligible for free agency.
With Masterson's case now resolved, the only two unresolved players in baseball are Homer Bailey and Brandon Belt, though Bailey is said to be "on the one-yard line" in extension talks with the Reds.
Indians, Masterson Closing In On One-Year Deal To Avoid Arbitration
The Indians and Justin Masterson are making progress on a one-year deal to avoid arbitration, the right-hander told reporters, including MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (Twitter link). Masterson said that the two sides are "really close" to an agreement, and he's hopeful that he won't need to catch a flight to attend his arbitration hearing.
Masterson, Homer Bailey and Brandon Belt are the only remaining players whose arbitration cases have not been solved. Bailey is said to be nearing a six-year, $100MM deal with Cincinnati, but Masterson and the Indians don't sind like they'll be striking such a pact. The soon-to-be 29-year-old posted a 3.45 ERA in 193 innings with 9.1 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 58 percent ground-ball rate that led all qualified big league starters. He filed for an $11.8MM salary while the Indians filed at $8.05MM, as can be seen in MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker.
Minor Moves: Buddy Carlyle, Brett Carroll
Here are today's minor moves from around the league…
- The Mets announced that they've inked right-hander Buddy Carlyle to a minor league deal. The 36-year-old last appeared in the Majors in 2011 with the Yankees and has a career 5.58 ERA in 253 1/3 innings. Carlyle, who did not receive an invitation to Major League Spring Training, spent 2013 with the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate and posted strong numbers: a 3.86 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 56 innings of relief.
- Speaking of the Blue Jays, their Triple-A affiliate announced that it outfielder Brett Carroll has been signed to a minor league deal. Carroll didn't receive an invite to big league Spring Training. The 31-year-old was set to play for the Atlantic League's Lancaster Barnstormers as recently as last week but will now head to Buffalo instead. Carroll slashed .222/.328/.404 in 89 games for the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate in 2013. He last appeared in the Majors with the Nats in 2012.
Red Sox Sign Francisco Cordero
TUESDAY: There's no opt-out clause in Cordero's minor league deal, tweets Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
MONDAY: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that Cordero's base salary upon making the team would be $1MM.
SUNDAY: The Red Sox have signed Francisco Cordero to a minor league deal, according to John Tomase of the Boston Herald (on Twitter). The former closer last appeared in the majors in 2012 with the Astros.
Cordero underwent surgery to his non-throwing shoulder early in 2013 and was said to be targeting 2014 for his big league return. The 38-year-old posted a 7.55 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, 2.06 HR/9, and 39.6% groundball rate in 39 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays and Astros in 2012. He lost the Jays' closer job in May of that year, was traded to Houston in July, and was released by the Astros in September after hitting the DL with a toe injury. Cordero owns a 3.38 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 over the course of 824 2/3 career innings.
Reactions To The Ubaldo Jimenez Agreement
After a quiet offseason for the Orioles, the team pounced in mid-February, officially announcing a three-year deal for righty Suk-min Yoon yesterday but more significantly (from a financial standpoint, at least) agreeing to a four-year, $50MM contract with Ubaldo Jimenez. Baltimore surrendered the No. 17 pick in this year's draft to issue the largest contract for a pitcher in franchise history. Some early reactions and fallout in the wake of the Jimenez pact…
- Deep down, the Indians never really wanted Jimenez back in Cleveland, writes Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. While the team admired Jimenez's work ethic and felt he was a positive presence in the clubhouse, they didn't feel his wild performance swings were worth the trouble. Hoynes points out that it's a bonus that Baltimore landed Jimenez, because their forfeiture of the No. 17 pick allows Cleveland to move from No. 22 overall to the No. 21 overall pick in the first round.
- ESPN's Keith Law writes that despite the associated risk, the contract is a win for the Orioles (ESPN Insider required and recommended). He feels the $12.5MM annual value can end up being a bargain for a pitcher that at times shows three pitches which grade as a 60 or better on the 20-80 scale. Additionally, it allows Kevin Gausman to work on the consistency of his slider in the minors, which he will need in order to thrive as a Major League starter.
- Law's colleague Buster Olney reports that the Orioles upped their offer from three to four years under the belief that the Red Sox and Blue Jays were both aggressively pursuing Jimenez. However, his sources indicate that neither club actually made an offer (Insider required). Olney points out some risks, such as Jimenez's struggles in limiting the running game, and he also opines that the O's should be more willing to lose further draft picks by pursuing Nelson Cruz, Kendrys Morales and perhaps even Stephen Drew.
- MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli runs down what the Jimenez signing means for other pitchers in the organization. Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen and Miguel Gonzalez are locks (health-permitting), she writes, but Yoon, Bud Norris and out-of-options Zach Britton will battle for the fifth slot. Gausman is almost certainly ticketed for the minors, she writes. Ghiroli also reports that manager Buck Showalter said he prefers an everyday DH and that the best deals often happen in late spring, suggesting that someone such as Morales could be a fit after all.
- The Jimenez signing should help to discredit the feeling that Orioles owner Peter Angelos is not willing to spend to win, writes the Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck.
- The Sun's Eduardo A. Encina writes that the Orioles' recent international signings made it slightly easier for executive vice president Dan Duquette to surrender the No. 17 pick, as he felt the club added some additional high-upside talent with those moves.
- Jimenez turned his career around by relying less on his fastball and more on his offspeed stuff — most notably his splitter, writes Eno Sarris of Fangraphs. Jimenez entered the 2013 season having thrown his split just three percent of the time over his career but threw it 14 percent of the time in 2013 with a 17 percent swing-and-miss rate, which helped offset his diminished velocity. If that trend continues, the $12.5MM annual value can be a bargain, Sarris concludes.
- The Orioles and Jimenez have been working on this deal for a long time, but things came together quickly yesterday when Baltimore conceded and added a fourth year, writes MASNsport.com's Roch Kubatko.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that with Jimenez and Matt Garza each landing four-year, $50MM contracts, Ervin Santana's agents now have a great deal of pressure in trying to match that figure. Sherman also spoke to an executive who called Jimenez the "ultimate crapshoot," noting that Baltimore could be getting a star or a bust. That same exec wondered if Jimenez will struggle facing more patient lineups in the AL East (Twitter links).