Geovany Soto Tears Meniscus, Out 10-12 Weeks
Rangers catcher Geovany Soto has torn his lateral meniscus and will miss ten to twelve weeks recovering from surgery, reports Jeff WIlson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). He becomes the latest in a series of Rangers to suffer significant injuries.
With Soto on the shelf, free agent signee J.P. Arencibia figures to handle most of the load in the earlygoing, though manager Ron Washington would not commit to giving the starting nod to the former Blue Jay regular. 29-year-old Robinson Chirinos is the only other player that Texas has under contract who comes with MLB experience (just 90 plate appearances).
With roster decisions being finalized in the coming days, it would not be surprising to find Texas in the market for another backstop. As MLBTR's Charlie Wilmoth wrote in reviewing the club's offseason moves, the veteran-laden club is firmly in win-now mode. The group of catchers was already below average, and now looks like it may well need a new addition.
Alex Colome Suspended For 50 Games
Rays pitcher Alex Colome has been placed on the restricted list after being hit with a 50-game PED suspension, the Commissioner's office announced today (story from MLB.com's Bill Chastain). Colome tested positive for the steroid Boldenone.
The 25-year-old righty had been an important part of the Tampa pitching depth. He was expected to open the year at the Triple-A level, but had been considered a candidate for the fifth rotation spot. Colome was strong last year, throwing 70 1/3 innings of 3.07 ERA ball at the Triple-A level and posting a 2.25 ERA in three big league starts before an elbow strain ended his season.
Landing at the fifth slot on Baseball America's ranking of the club's top prospects heading into the season, Colome is said to have made large strides forward in his command and feel. The hurler's durability is the main concern cited by BA.
Brewers Request Release Waivers On Juan Francisco
The Brewers have requested waivers on corner infielder Juan Francisco for the purpose of his unconditional release, tweets team senior director of media relations Mike Vassallo. Any team claiming Francisco would owe him his $1.35MM salary, though the Brewers are only on the hook for 45 days' pay, around $332K. Francisco's impending departure from the Brewers became known yesterday when they cleared out his locker.
Francisco, 26, hit .227/.296/.422 with 18 home runs in 385 plate appearances for the Braves and Brewers last year, playing first base and third base. A left-handed hitter, Francisco faced righties in 91% of his plate appearances. He joined the Brewers via trade last year in June.
Rather than use Francisco at first base this year, the Brewers will put non-roster invitees Mark Reynolds and Lyle Overbay on the Opening Day roster.
Braves Release Freddy Garcia
The Braves announced today they have given righty Freddy Garcia his unconditional release. Earlier this month, Garcia told MLB.com's Mark Bowman he'd retire rather than return to Triple-A. Garcia pitched in five games this spring, allowing nine earned runs in 17 innings. He would have earned $1.5MM had he made the Braves' Opening Day roster.
Garcia, 37, posted a 4.37 ERA, 5.2 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 2.02 HR/9, and 41.9% groundball rate in 80 1/3 innings for the Orioles and Braves last year. The Braves lost Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy this year to Tommy John surgery, and have also placed Mike Minor and Gavin Floyd on the DL. Minor and Floyd hope to be activated in April and May, respectively. The Braves seem to be planning to open the season with a four-man rotation of Julio Teheran, Alex Wood, David Hale, and Gus Schlosser, with Ervin Santana joining the mix around the season's second week.
Tigers Sign J.D. Martinez
The Tigers announced they have agreed to terms on a minor league deal with outfielder J.D. Martinez and he has reported to minor league camp. The Astros removed Martinez from their 40-man roster in November, and released him on Saturday.
Martinez, 26, hit .251/.300/.387 in 975 plate appearances for the Astros spanning the 2011-13 seasons. Three years ago, Baseball America ranked Martinez sixth among Astros prospects, suggesting he profiled as a second-division regular. The Tigers can use the depth, having lost Andy Dirks to back surgery possibly until June.
Astros Release Cesar Izturis
Infielder Cesar Izturis did not make the Astros and will opt out of his deal with the Astros, tweets Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. Izturis is one of many veterans subject to tomorrow's $100K retention bonus deadline, so the Astros would have released him by then anyway. The 34-year-old glove man tallied 142 plate appearances with the Reds last year, hitting .209/.259/.271. One claim to fame: he was traded for Greg Maddux at the 2006 trade deadline.
Indians Release Aaron Harang
Righty Aaron Harang asked for and was granted his release from the Indians, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The move was expected after Harang was told yesterday he would not make the team's Opening Day roster. Even if Harang was willing to go to Triple-A, the Indians likely would have released him rather than paying the $100K retention bonus.
Harang, 36 in May, signed a minor league deal with Cleveland in February and allowed two runs in nine innings this spring. The veteran posted a 5.40 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 1.63 HR/9, and 36% groundball rate in 143 1/3 innings for the Mariners and Mets last year.
Red Sox Aiming For Lester Resolution By Opening Day
Red Sox GM Ben Cherington is focused on resolving Jon Lester's contract one way or another this week prior to Opening Day, he told reporters including WEEI's Rob Bradford. Though Lester has indicated a willingness to continue contract talks during the season if the two sides are close, Cherington prefers to wrap things up before the Red Sox open their season in Baltimore a week from today.
Lester, 30, is eligible for free agency after the season.
Pirates, D’Backs Have Discussed Didi Gregorius
The Pirates have had trade talks with the Diamondbacks about shortstop Didi Gregorius, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Last Wednesday, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reported the D'Backs were making Gregorius available in trade, after Chris Owings won the team's starting shortstop job. Rubin wrote that the Diamondbacks seek an MLB-ready starting pitcher to offset the loss of Patrick Corbin.
Rubin implied potential interest from the Mets, and now we have another possible suitor in the Pirates. The Pirates enter the season with Jordy Mercer atop their shortstop depth chart, with top prospect Alen Hanson likely ticketed to return to Double-A. Though he's not Major League ready, the Pirates have a pitching prospect who's fairly close in Nick Kingham. Easier to acquire would be Jeff Locke, who will begin the season back at Triple-A, with, as he tells Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "a bit of a chip on my shoulder."
Aside from the Mets and Pirates, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports lists the Reds, Tigers, and Yankees as teams the D'Backs "have thought of as possibilities" for Gregorius.
White Sox, Quintana Agree To Five-Year Extension
The White Sox have locked up lefty Jose Quintana to a five-year deal worth at least $21MM, announced the team. The guaranteed money in the deal is contingent on Quintana's arbitration status: $26.5MM if he qualifies as a Super Two after 2014, and $21MM if not. Quintana will have two years and 133 days of Major League service after 2014, which would have qualified him for Super Two in two of the last five years. The deal includes club options at $10.5MM for 2019 and $11.5MM for 2020. A White Sox press release has the full salary breakdown. Quintana is represented by MDR Sports Management.
Quintana, 25, broke out last year with a 3.51 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 1.04 HR/9, and 42.5% groundball rate in 200 innings. "Jose quickly has established himself as a quality major-league starting pitcher, and along with Chris Sale, we expect him to be an important piece of our rotation for the foreseeable future," said White Sox senior vice president/general manager Rick Hahn in the statement. Sale, 25 this month, is potentially under team control through 2019.
Quintana has taken an interesting path to this $21MM+ deal. Signed by the Mets out of Colombia for $40K in 2006, he was eventually released for a violation of the Minor League Baseball drug policy. The southpaw signed with the Yankees, but never ranked among their top 30 prospects as ranked by Baseball America. The Yankees offered Quintana a minor league deal after 2011, but White Sox scouts Joe Siers and Daraka Shaheed "made him stand out on the six-year free-agent list," Hahn told Joel Sherman of the New York Post in June 2012. The Sox separated themselves by offering a Major League deal, and now they have a rotation mainstay.
Quintana's contract falls squarely between the last two deals done for one-plus service starting pitchers, as you can see in our Extension Tracker. In November, the Rangers' Martin Perez signed a four-year, $12MM deal with three club options, which was in line with previous deals for pitchers in this service class. In February, however, the Braves gave Julio Teheran a six-year, $32.4MM deal that included only one club option. Quintana and Teheran have similar career ERAs (3.61 and 3.44), but Quintana has pitched 336 1/3 innings to Teheran's 211 2/3. Perhaps the discrepancy is because Quintana never enjoyed Teheran's status as a top prospect, or perhaps Teheran's deal simply didn't reset the extension market for this service class as some speculated.
MLB.com's Scott Merkin first broke news of the extension, with Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com providing the salaries. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.