Heyman On Lee, Cabrera, Wells, Pujols, Hamilton
Owner Chuck Greenberg and the Rangers were slower to offer Cliff Lee a competitive deal than other interested clubs, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Lee's camp wanted to keep the Rangers involved in the bidding, though they started with a 'lowball' offer before offering $100MM and, eventually, even more. The Rangers justified their lower offers by pointing out that Texas has no state income tax, but Lee asked around and determined that he wouldn't save that much, since he lives in Arkansas.
Talks between Lee and the Phillies broke off twice before the sides reached an agreement. If the Phillies hadn't completed the deal, the Yankees would have been seen as the favorites to sign the lefty, according to Heyman. Here are the rest of his rumors:
- One GM says Orlando Cabrera isn't being reasonable. "I don't think he gets the position he's in," the GM said, alluding to the lack of job openings remaining for the shortstop.
- The Rangers didn't show serious interest in Vernon Wells, according to Heyman.
- Executives around the game believe that Albert Pujols will sign an extension with the Cardinals. If the sides don't reach a deal by Spring Training, Pujols will be a free agent after the season, in which case the Cubs may be "best positioned" to pursue him, in the opinion of one executive.
- The Angels are still interested in signing or trading for a leadoff hitter. Scott Podsednik is out there, and could be a fit in L.A.
- One executive believes the Rangers will lose to Josh Hamilton if the sides go to an arbitration hearing. Heyman hears that the Rangers won't bring up Hamilton's history of substance abuse in a hearing. Keep track of all the remaining arbitration cases using our Arb Tracker.
Rangers Sign Dave Bush
The Rangers have signed Dave Bush to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, tweets Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. In a different tweet, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick informs us that Bush's base salary will be $1MM if he makes the club, with another $1MM in incentives. The Indians and Mets also expressed interest in the long-time Brewer.
Bush, who turned 31 last November, owns a career ERA of 4.66 that's backed up by his peripherals (4.64 FIP, 4.47 xFIP). Last season, he hurled 174 1/3 innings of 4.54 ERA ball in the Brewers' rotation, where he's spent the past five seasons. If he makes the club, Bush will return to the AL for the first time since 2005, when he pitched in Toronto (the club that originally drafted him).
While he's never had an overpowering fastball (88.4mph career average), last season saw his velocity dip to an average of 86.5. His normally strong command (2.33 BB/9 career) diminished as well, as his walk rate jumped to a career-high 3.36/9. Bush will need to re-establish his precision and improve on his career 1.3 HR/9 in order to thrive in a hitters' environment such as Texas.
Rangers Sign Ruiz, Taubenheim
The Rangers have added a pair of players on minor league deals, inviting one of the two, Jose Julio Ruiz, to Spring Training. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan tweets news of the Ruiz signing, while Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas writes that right-hander Ty Taubenheim also inked a minor league contract with the club.
Ruiz, 25, signed with the Rays last summer, spending the remainder of the season in the minors. Tampa Bay released the Cuban first baseman in November rather than committing to a four-year, $4MM deal by a November 15th deadline. While Ruiz didn't display much power during his time in the Rays' system, he did hit .331/.416/.468 across two minor league levels.
Taubenheim, 28, has seen major league playing time for the Blue Jays and Pirates. The righty, who spent 2010 in the Phillies' system, has posted a 5.09 ERA in 46 career innings, pitching in the bigs most recently for Pittsburgh in 2008.
Rangers Avoid Arbitration With Mike Napoli
The Rangers have avoided arbitration with Mike Napoli, agreeing to a one-year, $5.8MM contract with the catcher/first baseman, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan (via Twitter). Napoli is represented by Brian Grieper.
The deal concludes a whirlwind eight day stretch for Napoli. He and Juan Rivera were sent to the Blue Jays in exchange for Vernon Wells on January 21, and then four days later was flipped to the Rangers in exchange for Frank Francisco. Napoli submitted a $6.1MM arbitration number to the Angels before the initial trade that was countered by a $5.3MM offer from the Halos, so Napoli's new deal with Texas nets him a bit more than the midpoint. Napoli still has one year of arbitration eligibility left as a Super Two player.
The Rangers' only remaining arbitration-eligible player is the one with the most interesting case: Josh Hamilton. You can get updates on Hamilton's case on the MLBTR ArbTracker.
Rangers, Daniels Negotiating Extension
The Rangers are negotiating a contract extension with general manager Jon Daniels, writes Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com.
Rangers president Nolan Ryan said on Jan. 20 that he expects Daniels' extension to be finalized before Spring Training, Durrett notes.
Daniels' current contract, negotiated with former Rangers owner Tom Hicks, expires after the 2011 season. That contract includes an opt-out clause in the event that ownership changed hands — which it did — but Daniels has insisted that he's happy with the Rangers and wants to remain with them.
Daniels was the youngest GM in baseball history at 28 when he originally signed on with Texas following the 2005 season. He has helped bring the organization to prominence, culminating in a World Series berth in 2010.
For a comprehensive look at all of Daniels' moves as a GM, check out our Transaction Tracker.
Olney On Mets, Young, Figgins
The fallout continues from the Mets' announcement on Friday that a portion of the team is up for sale, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com. Here's Olney's take, as well as some other items of note …
- The Madoff scandal could prove to be a turning point in Mets history if it leads to a change in the team's ownership. The financial implications go a long way toward explaining why the Mets' baseball-operations staff has been on a shorter payroll leash since the signing of Jason Bay, and one has to wonder how long the Mets will be operating in that mode as the legal process plays out. To that end, signing a big-ticket free agent like Albert Pujols in the near future would be difficult. Finally, was new GM Sandy Alderson aware of the Mets' financial standing when he took the job?
- Rangers president Nolan Ryan and manager Ron Washington are on record as saying that Michael Young will be with Texas on Opening Day, as Young is well-liked by the organization and will be useful in the super utility role. Both the Rangers and Rockies say that trade talks regarding Young have not been rekindled.
- The Athletics' rumored pursuit of Chone Figgins makes sense if you consider that he fits Oakland's preference for acquiring players who are fast and defensively sound. To boot, Figgins would cost the A's only about 60 percent of what they were willing to spend on free-agent Adrian Beltre, who signed with the rival Rangers. Olney interprets Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik's comment that Figgins is the Mariners' third baseman as a, "no comment."
New York Notes: Mets, Cashman, Rangers
The Wilpons announced that they're willing to sell a minority share in the Mets and the Yankees are making news today, too. Here's the latest:
- Fred Wilpon says the Mets are talking about selling 20-25% of the team, according to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times (on Twitter).
- Jeff Wilpon says Citi Field and SNY are not for sale, according to ESPNNewYork's Adam Rubin (Twitter link).
- Brian Cashman didn't want to sign Rafael Soriano for $35MM in guaranteed money, but that doesn't mean he wants to leave New York. As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains, Cashman likes New York and is likely to stay there.
- Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg suggested earlier in the week that Texas helped Philadelphia sign Cliff Lee and Yankees president Randy Levine didn't take kindly to those remarks. He told Jon Heyman of SI.com that Greenberg is "delusional" and pointed out that the Rangers have benefitted from revenue sharing, or to borrow Levine's word, "welfare."
Heyman On Pettitte, Millwood, Molina, Wandy
Yankees people seem a bit more optimistic about the potential return of Andy Pettitte, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. They’ll consider alternatives such as Kevin Millwood, but only after hearing from Pettitte. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors:
- The Indians and Royals remain possibilities for Millwood.
- One rival executive doesn’t think the Bartolo Colon signing means much for the Yankees. "There is no real risk. But there is no real reward, either," the executive said.
- Bengie Molina might consider returning for “special opportunities,” Heyman writes.
- The Rangers and GM Jon Daniels have started discussing a contract extension and Rangers people expect a new deal for Daniels, whose current contract expires after the 2011 season.
- One competing executive believes the Astros overpaid for Wandy Rodriguez. I don’t mind this deal for the Astros, since solid left-handed starters aren’t cheap or easy to find and Rodriguez was about to hit free agency.
Spanish Links: Garcia, Belaguer, Rangers
Links in Spanish as the 2011 Caribbean Series inches closer…
- The White Sox may be considering Freddy Garcia, but Garcia had a different team in his sights when he spoke yesterday with Israel Pacheco Velásquez from the Venezuelan paper Meridiano. "My preference is to be with the New York Yankees, and it's not unreasonable to have that in mind, because I've demonstrated that I can be useful," Garcia said. "A team like New York would be ideal for my age, [as would ] playing in a successful, media-heavy, demanding division. Without doubt it would be an inspiration." Garcia's only previous sojourn to New York came in January 2009, when he signed with the Mets, only to be released in April after a disastrous spring. Garcia insists the team simply never gave him a chance, but his successful 2010 campaign should guarantee a longer leash. Garcia said he plans to sign soon, no matter the team.
- The Marlins have had discussions internally about signing Cuban outfielder Yasiel Balaguer, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. The 18-year-old has worked out for the Cubs and had a recent tryout for the Mariners rained out, reported Michael Miller at the Miami New Times yesterday. However, lest we get ahead of ourselves, Balaguer's agent Carlos Perez at Miami Sports Consulting informed El Nuevo Herald's Jorge Ebro that Balaguer has yet to be unblocked by the State Department after defecting in November.
- The high percentage of Latino players on the Rangers' roster helps the team to maximize on the potential of its prosects, general manager Jon Daniels told Julio E. Castro at the Dominican paper El Caribe. "[Latino players] are the ones that are in charge of advising our prospects, especially those from the Dominican Republic," Daniels said. "Thanks to them, we were able to advance to the World Series last season, and this year, they're key to our goals once again." The Rangers' current 40-man roster includes eight Latino players, down from 12 on last season's roster. Vladimir Guerrero noted last year that the Latino "heart and soul" of the team and its Spanish-friendly clubhouse were key attractions to him as a free agent.
AL West Notes: Moyer, Webb, Young, Angels
The Mariners, Rangers and Angels could all make moves between now and Opening Day, though the A's appear to have completed the bulk of their offseason shopping. Some updates on the AL West…
- Longtime Mariner Jamie Moyer told Seattle fans that he would consider returning to the Mariners in 2012, according to MLB.com's Greg Johns. The lefty is recovering from Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2011 season.
- Mariners assistant GM Jeff Kingston says the team could still add a veteran pitcher or two as non-roster invitees, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).
- Brandon Webb told the Ben and Skin radio show that he has made "dramatic strides," and that he has been pleased with "awesome" results so far this offseason. The Dallas Morning News passes along the quotes from Webb, who is recovering from shoulder injuries.
- Rangers president Nolan Ryan says he expects Michael Young to be on the team as the regular DH on Opening Day, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter).
- Scott Boras told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that he has had "great," discussions with the Angels this offseason. Team owner Arte Moreno said yesterday that he had no interest in meeting with Boras and suggested he doesn't have "anything nice" to say about the agent.