Week In Review: 3/16/14 – 3/22/14
Here's a look back at this week at MLBTR:
Key Move
- The Red Sox agreed to terms with DH David Ortiz to a one-year extension for 2015, with options for 2016 and 2017.
Traded
- Tigers traded P Jose Alvarez to Angels for SS Andrew Romine
- Phillies traded C Koyie Hill to Nationals for a PTBNL or cash
- Royals traded INF Brandon Laird to Nationals for a PTBNL or cash
Retired
Claimed
- Orioles — 3B David Adams from Indians (link)
- Blue Jays — OF Matt Tuiasosopo from Diamondbacks (link)
- Athletics — P Kent Matthes from Rockies (link)
Designated For Assignment
- Orioles — RP Kelvin De La Cruz (link)
- Dodgers — RP Javy Guerra (link)
Outrighted
- Twins — SP Vance Worley (link)
- Brewers — 1B/OF Sean Halton (link)
- Phillies — INF Kevin Frandsen (link)
Released
- Astros — OF J.D. Martinez (link)
- Indians — RP David Aardsma (link) and OF Jeff Francoeur (link)
- Blue Jays — P Luis Perez (link)
- Giants — INF Tony Abreu (Giants requested release waivers — link)
- White Sox — P Mitchell Boggs (White Sox requested release waivers — link)
- Angels — INFs Carlos Pena, Chad Tracy (link)
Returned
- Phillies — returned Rule 5 pick P Kevin Munson to Diamondbacks
Opted Out
- Mets — RP Kyle Farnsworth (link)
- Royals — C Ramon Hernandez (link)
- Angels — C Yorvit Torrealba (link)
- Red Sox — RP Jose Mijares (link)
Key Minor-League Signings
- Orioles — RP Luis Ayala (link) and INF Brett Wallace (link)
- Padres — RP Hector Ambriz (link)
Cafardo On Davis, Hanrahan, Worley, Hill
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders why pitchers seem to be hitting the disabled list at a higher rate throughout the minor and major leagues. Not only are young pitchers including Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy, Jarrod Parker, and Bruce Rondon undergoing Tommy John surgery this spring, but Medlen and Beachy are actually having the surgery for a second time. “I think pitchers are getting abused at a younger age,” Hall of Famer Tom Glavine told Cafardo. “Most of them are max-effort guys, so it reaches the point where the stress finally causes a breaking point.” More from today's column..
- The Mets do not anticipate a deal involving first baseman Ike Davis. The Mets resumed gauging interest in Davis last week but so far, no inquiries have really blown them away. The Orioles are still among the clubs with interest.
- Joel Hanrahan has shifted his training base to Tampa, moving toward his first showcase for teams, which should happen shortly. The Red Sox have some interest in bringing back Hanrahan, but with teams like the Tigers, Orioles, and Yankees in need of back-end relievers, he probably won't wind up back in Boston.
- Twins pitcher Vance Worley, who is out of options, was placed on waivers Friday, then outrighted to Triple-A when he cleared. Minnesota may still deal Worley and a return to the Phillies would not be out of the question.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Davis, Australia, Orioles
On this date in 1990, Howard Spira was arrested for extorting money from Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Steinbrenner was alleged to have paid the Bronx gambler $40K to dig up dirt on outfielder Dave Winfield. Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..
- Reviewing The Brew interviewed Brewers outfielder Khris Davis.
- Inside The Zona goes down under.
- Camden Depot says J.J. Hardy will walk and the O’s should probably let him go.
- Hidden Vigorish is worried about the Pirates shopping outfielders Jose Tabata and Travis Snider.
- A’s Farm checked in with A’s special assistant Grady Fuson.
- Pinstripe Pundits celebrates Mr. March.
- Blue Jays Musings sees the rotation getting a little clearer in Toronto.
- The Baseball Stance feels that Francisco Cervelli is more valuable as backup than trade chip.
- Outside Pitch ranks their top five trade candidates for the 2014 season.
- Climbing Tal’s Hill talks Tommy John.
- MLB Reports weighs the pros and cons of the Tigers signing Stephen Drew.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
Jurickson Profar Out 10-12 Weeks
The Rangers have announced that infielder Jurickson Profar will miss 10-12 weeks with a muscle tear, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. The Rangers would prefer to look internally for a replacement, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The Rangers' big offseason trade of Ian Kinsler for Prince Fielder and cash was based on the idea that Profar, once one of baseball's best prospects, would take over at second base. Now, though, the Rangers will need to turn to a backup plan. The Rangers do have an excellent second base prospect in Rougned Odor, but he just turned 20 and has played only 30 games above the Class A+ level.
Tigers, Miguel Cabrera Begin Extension Talks
The Tigers have begun discussing an extension with Miguel Cabrera, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports writes. Morosi emphasizes that the talks remain preliminary, and there is little urgency, since Cabrera is not eligible for free agency until after the 2015 season.
Cabrera is currently signed to an eight-year deal worth $152.3MM. He will make $22MM both this season and next. He turns 31 in April and is eligible for free agency shortly before his age-33 season. His age might make it somewhat tricky to find common ground on a deal. Last year, ESPN's Jayson Stark asked agents and executives what a Cabrera deal might look like, and they speculated that he might get anywhere from three to five years. Morosi suggests Cabrera's representatives at Relativity Baseball could compare Cabrera to Albert Pujols and argue Cabrera should get an even bigger contract than Pujols' ten years and $240MM, but that may be unlikely, due to Cabrera's age and the fact that the Pujols contract is widely perceived to be a problem for the Angels.
Minor Moves: Tsuyoshi Wada
Here are today's minor moves from around the league.
- The Cubs have released pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada, MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo tweets. The Cubs signed him to a minor-league deal in December. Previously, Wada had been signed to a two-year deal with the Orioles, although he missed almost all of his first season due to injury and pitched only in Triple-A the following season, never appearing in a big-league game.
Added To The 40-Man Roster: Sunday
Between now and Opening Day, several minor league signees will win jobs with their clubs and earn 40-man roster spots. Here are today's additions:
- The Brewers have announced Mark Reynolds and Lyle Overbay made their Opening Day roster as a first base platoon. Both signed minor league deals within a three-day span in late-January. Reynolds will earn $2MM plus incentives while Overbay, in his second tour of duty with Milwaukee, will bank $1.5MM plus incentives. Reynolds leads the team in RBI's this spring while Overbay, mired in an 3-for-30 slump (all three hits coming after news of his promotion broke) is valued for his defense. Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the Brewers still have yet to make an official announcement regarding the status of Juan Francisco, who lost out to the veteran duo and cleared out his locker yesterday. The Brewers now have a full 40-man roster, but a spot could be cleared pending the outcome of Francisco's situation.
- With Craig Gentry being placed on the disabled list by the A's, Sam Fuld is expected to make the club as the fourth outfielder, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser. Fuld, whose minor league contract signed in February contained opt-out dates of this week and June 1, will earn $800K plus incentives. The A's will have to clear a 40-man roster spot before adding Fuld.
- The Cardinals have outrighted right-hander Angel Castro off their 40-man roster to create room for fellow right-hander Pat Neshek, tweets Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. Neshek will earn $1MM from the deal he signed last month. Castro signed a Major League pact with the Cardinals last December after spending 2013 with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate posting a 3.48 ERA, 7.0 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 in 19 starts and six relief appearances. Castro was one of several players mentioned by MLBTR's Tim Dierkes in his examination of the trend in signing six-year minor league free agents, with little to no MLB experience, to Major League contracts.
Sandoval Wants Pence-Type Extension From Giants
3:45pm: Vasquez tells CSNBayArea.com's Andrew Baggarly the Giants made a three-year offer in the $40MM range on Friday, which was rejected out of hand. Vasquez will remain in Arizona through the Giants' season-opening series against the Diamondbacks and is open to continuing negotiations, but he doubted anything will happen before Opening Day. "I don’t think in 24 hours they’ll jump from three years to five or six," Vasquez said. "But I know for sure that after the All-Star break, if nothing happens, then it’s on to free agency."
2:36pm: Pablo Sandoval's agent, Gustavo Vasquez, told the Giants on Saturday his client wants at least five years and no less than the $90MM the club gave Hunter Pence in his extension last September, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francico Chronicle. As a result, the Giants do not expect to come to terms on an extension before Opening Day. Schulman writes Sandoval's camp is still formulating a strategy as how to approach talks from here: negotiate in-season or opt for free agency, if they can’t strike a deal before Opening Day.
"I don’t know anything about it," Sandoval said about the extension discussions. "I’m focused on baseball. I leave all that to my agent."
President and CEO Larry Baer has indicated in the past there's the entire season to work out a deal with Sandoval. GM Brian Sabean had said he would be open to a contract extension based on what the 27-year-old looked like in Spring Training because of all the work he did over the winter to get into shape. Sandoval, who has battled weight and conditioning issues throughout his career, spent time on the disabled list last year for a foot strain, but still managed his highest games played total (141) since 2010. Kung Fu Panda hit .278/.341/.417 with 14 home runs in 584 plate appearances in 2013, but with the lowest isolated power mark of his career.
Kyle Farnsworth Opts Out Of Mets Contract
3:20pm: Alderson confirms Farnsworth has been released, but could be re-signed in a couple of days, tweets Rubin. MLB.com's Anthony DiComo tweets the Mets tried to re-sign him today, but there may be interest from another club.
1:20pm: Rubin tweets a source tells him Farnsworth and the Mets are in talks presumably discussing a minor league deal with an in-season opt out.
11:47am: Kyle Farnsworth has decided to exercise the out clause in his contract with the Mets, agent Barry Meister told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The reliever was informed by GM Sandy Alderson and assistant GM John Ricco earlier today that he would not be on the Opening Day roster.
"The Mets gave him every opportunity and we are very appreciative of the way Sandy and John handled the situation," Meister said.
Farnsworth, 38 in April, spent last season with the Rays and Pirates, posting a combined 4.70 ERA with 6.6 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 45.5 percent ground-ball rate. ERA estimators such as FIP (4.14), xFIP (3.73) and SIERA (3.64) all feel that Farnsworth was better than the 4.70 mark indicates. However, he also posted his lowest K/9 rate since his rookie season in 1999 and his 92.6 mpg average in fastball velocity was a career-low.
Edward Creech contributed to this post.
Tigers, Scherzer Done Talking Extension For Season
3:00pm: Morosi tweets the Tigers' offer was for six years and $144MM, identical to Cole Hamels' 2012 extension.
1:07 pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports also spoke with Boras and the agent indicated both sides were active in talks and there was a price point at which Scherzer would have said yes, but he declined to disclose the details of his proposal to the Tigers (Twitter links).
12:25 pm: Scott Boras tells ESPN.com it wasn't Scherzer who rejected the extension offer, but the Tigers. "Max Scherzer made a substantial long-term contract extension offer to the Detroit Tigers that would have placed him among the highest-paid pitchers in baseball, and the offer was rejected by Detroit,'' Boras said. "Max is very happy with the city of Detroit, the fans and his teammates, and we will continue negotiating with the Tigers at season's end."
10:58am: An industry source told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that the Tigers' offer to Scherzer was for a slightly lower figure than the $25.7MM per year that Justin Verlander received in the extension he signed last spring. However, the deal still would have placed Scherzer among the top six highest-paid pitchers in baseball in terms of average annual value.
That means that the offer would have averaged at least $24MM a year. The only pitchers currently earning that much or more are the Clayton Kershaw ($30.7MM per year), Verlander ($25.7MM), Felix Hernandez ($25MM), Zack Greinke ($24.5MM), C.C. Sabathia ($24.4MM), Cliff Lee ($24MM), and Cole Hamels ($24MM).
It's worth noting that there's no word yet on how many years the Tigers offered Scherzer or whether there was an opt-out clause in the final proposal.
8:11am: The Tigers announced that Max Scherzer has rejected the Tigers' latest extension offer, meaning that talks between the two sides are done for the season. The pitcher has made it known that he would not negotiate a new contract during the 2014 season.
"This can be a major distraction," Scherzer said back in February. "I understand I have a chance to secure my future here with the team. I want that to happen. But at the same time, I’m not going to drag negotiations out into the season."
The Tigers' release indicates that the club made a "substantial, long-term contract extension offer…that would have placed him among the highest paid pitchers in baseball." Moving forward, they say, there will be no further talks during the year.
Scherzer, a Scott Boras client, will play out his last arbitration-eligible season on a one-year, $15.525MM deal that broke the record for a raise by a five-year service time pitcher. The 29-year-old was stellar last season, posting a 2.90 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 214 1/3 innings. With Clayton Kershaw locked up and taken out of the 2015 free agent market, Scherzer will now stand as the premier pitcher next winter.
While no one can reasonably use Kershaw as a comparable, his new seven-year, $215MM deal with the Dodgers certainly raises the ceiling for top starters like Scherzer. As our own Jeff Todd noted in January, Masahiro Tanaka's seven-year, $155MM deal ($175MM when including $20MM posting fee) could have been relevant to Boras' case.
Edward Creech contributed to this post.