NL Central Notes: Pujols, Pirates, Astros
Let's turn our attention to the National League Central where we lead off with, who else, Albert Pujols..
- If there was any doubt before, it's completely erased now: Albert Pujols is going to hit the free agent jackpot at the age of 31, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. One performance logically shouldn't have a great effect on a player's value, but Rosenthal argues that all it takes is one team to take a contrary position.
- If, as expected, the Pirates move on without Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder, GM Neal Huntington said the team is "comfortable" with their internal options at catcher but will explore outside options as well, writes Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- The Astros have hired Bryan Lambe as an area scout, tweets MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Lambe and Wayne Krivsky, both hires of ex-GM Omar Minaya, were let go by the Mets exactly one month ago today.
Pirates To Decline Options On Snyder, Doumit
General manager Neal Huntington said that the Pirates intend to decline club options for Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder after the conclusion of the World Series, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. As Tim Dierkes wrote on Wednesday, both moves were expected.
Doumit's option would have paid him $7.25MM in 2012 and $8.25MM in 2013. The 30-year-old has strugged to stay healthy in recent years, playing 75 games in 2009, 124 games in 2010, and 77 games this past season.
The Pirates acquired Snyder in a five-player deal last July. The catcher's 2012 option would have paid him $6.75MM but he'll instead collect a $750K buyout. Snyder saw action in just 34 games this season but has a career slash line of .271/.376/.396.
Offseason Outlook: Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates have money to spend this offseason, but their team has more holes than free agency can possibly fill.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Kevin Correia, SP: $3MM through 2012
- Pedro Alvarez, 3B: $700K through 2012
- Jose Tabata, LF: $13.5MM through 2016
Contractual Options
- Paul Maholm, unranked SP: $9.75MM club option with a $750K buyout
- Chris Snyder, Type B catcher: $6.75MM club option with a $750K buyout
- Ryan Doumit, Type B catcher: $7.25MM club option for 2012 and $8.25MM club option for 2013 with a $500K buyout
- Ronny Cedeno, unranked SS: $3MM club option with a $200K buyout
Arbitration Eligible Players (estimated salaries)
- Garrett Jones, RF: $2.4MM
- Charlie Morton, SP: $2.1MM
- Chris Resop, RP: $1.1MM
- Evan Meek, RP: $900K
- Brandon Wood, UT IF: $700K (non-tender candidate)
- Steve Pearce, UT IF/OF: $600K (non-tender candidate)
- Joel Hanrahan, RP: $4MM
- Jeff Karstens, SP: $2.8MM
- Ross Ohlendorf, SP: $2.1MM (non-tender candidate)
- Jose Veras, RP: $1.5MM
- Jason Grilli, RP: $800K
Free Agents
- Derrek Lee (Type B 1B), Ryan Ludwick (Type B OF)
The Pirates hired GM Neal Huntington in November 2007, and this year we finally saw light at the end of the tunnel. The team won 72 games for the first time since '04, and was enough of a contender to justify acquiring Lee and Ludwick while taking on their salaries. In September, the Pirates rewarded Huntington with a three-year extension that included a club option for 2015.
Huntington's first order of business will be making decisions on the options of Maholm, Snyder, Doumit, and Cedeno. Snyder and Doumit are easy choices to decline. Maholm's $9MM net price seemingly doesn't work for the Pirates, but they can check with other teams before making that decision official. Just by virtue of his ability to play shortstop for 130 games Cedeno is worth $2.8MM in a technical sense, but the Pirates might prefer to use those starts in an attempt to find a long-term answer. The safe move would be to pick up Cedeno's option but leave the starting job as an open competition.
Look for the Pirates to make more cuts at the non-tender deadline, with Pearce, Wood, and Ohlendorf on the bubble. The five arbitration eligible Pirates relievers figure to stay, so the team's bullpen is in good shape for 2012.
The Pirates have four favorites for the rotation, though the group features a low-strikeout trio of Karstens, Correia, and Morton after James McDonald. SI's Jon Heyman says the team is looking for starting pitching. I'd expect another stopgap acquisition like Correia. The Pirates need bulk innings after their rotation provided the fewest in the National League in 2011.
The Pirates' search for a short-term first base solution led to $5MM spent on Overbay and a few million more on Lee. The team has interest in signing Lee, otherwise Huntington can look into Casey Kotchman, James Loney, or outside-the-box options like Raul Ibanez or Josh Willingham.
Questions don't stop there: the Pirates have needs at catcher, third base, and right field. Huntington will likely be thinking short-term at catcher, so maybe someone like Ramon Hernandez or Rod Barajas could draw the Pirates' interest. A new, more affordable contract for Snyder would also work. Michael McKenry and Jason Jaramillo are internal options.
The Pirates hope Alvarez can shake off his awful season, and again, they won't be adding any big names at his position. Right field is likely to be handled internally, as Alex Presley has earned a shot and Jones may still be in the mix. The Pirates have money to spend and needs to fill, but I'm still not sure free agency offers much for them. They could afford Jose Reyes or Prince Fielder, but the best remaining years of those prime free agents will not coincide with the Pirates' window of contention.
The importance of Huntington's tinkering pales in comparison to the importance of locking up Andrew McCutchen. The center fielder has a case for a six-year deal in excess of $50MM. Additionally, the Pirates also have interest in locking up Neil Walker, though that would be a much smaller, team-friendly type of deal.
The first two-thirds of the Pirates' season was different and fun, and it resulted in a 20% increase in attendance. Otherwise, the playoff bid didn't change much, as the team faded well before the stretch-run and is still is years away from transforming into a serious threat. The team is still trying to get to .500 for the first time since 1992, though I don't think .500 should be any kind of goal. Huntington has expressed a willingness to trade prospects, but I'm guessing he'd only do so to fill a long-term need. It's taken too long, but he's building the team the right way. It would be a shame to see hard draft slotting instituted, as it would severely limit the Pirates' best route to sustained success.
Heyman On Pujols, Fielder, Mets, White Sox
Albert Pujols' impressive postseason performance has increased his free agent stock, Jon Heyman writes at SI.com. Some say the Cardinals won't improve their offer from nine-years and a bit more than $200MM, but their postseason success may help their chances of re-signing the three-time MVP. Here are the details and more of Heyman's notes from around the league:
- MLB executives tell Heyman that they expect Pujols to sign for more than Prince Fielder despite Fielder's youth (he's four years younger than Pujols).
- Heyman's sources generally expect Pujols to stay in St. Louis, but predicting Fielder's next team is much more difficult.
- Some of Heyman's sources expect Fielder to sign a deal similar to Adrian Gonzalez's seven-year, $154MM extension. I don't think it's a great comp, since Gonzalez didn't sign his deal on the open market.
- Heyman reports (on Twitter) that the Mets have hired former A's manager Bob Geren as their bench coach. Interestingly, the A's hired manager Bob Melvin after a stint with the Mets.
- The White Sox didn't seriously consider anyone other than Robin Ventura once they decided they wanted the former third baseman to be their next manager.
- Francisco Rodriguez told Heyman that he'd like a three-year deal.
- The Pirates are looking for starting pitching. It appears that they'll decline Paul Maholm's option for 2012.
Quick Hits: McCourt, Maholm, Mariners, Axford
Another night, another pair of exciting LCS games. The Tigers succeeded in stretching the ALCS to a sixth game while the Brewers evened the NLCS at 2-2 with the Cardinals.
Here's the latest from around the majors….
- Frank McCourt's decision to take the Dodgers into bankruptcy means he could become the rare pro sports owner to sell his team and have no profits to show for it, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
- The Pirates haven't yet declined Paul Maholm's $9.75MM option for 2012 yet, and MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch explains that the Bucs are trying to find a trade partner who "A) thinks $9.75 million is a fair cost for Maholm and B) doesn’t want to take the risk of letting Maholm go into the free agent market."
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times examines the Mariners' franchise value and how it may impact the club's payroll in the coming seasons.
- The Mariners erred not once, not twice, but thrice in not keeping Ramon Santiago, writes Larry Larue of the Tacoma News Tribune.
- John Axford was released without fanfare by the Yankees after the 2007 season, long before Axford rose to prominence as the Brewers' closer. Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal looks back at the circumstances behind Axford's release.
- The Giants won't be able to afford the likes of Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, Jose Reyes or C.C. Sabathia this winter, but MLB.com's Chris Haft believes the club "will make a genuine offer to re-sign Carlos Beltran." Beltran, for his part, said last month that he was open to returning to San Francisco if the team added more offense to the lineup.
- The week's minor league transactions are compiled by Baseball America's Matt Eddy.
- Diamondbacks CEO and president Derrick Hall predicts a "relatively quiet offseason" for his team since most of the major pieces are already in place. Hall also discusses Aaron Hill, Willie Bloomquist and several other topics in his monthly chat with fans on MLB.com.
- Baseball America's Jim Callis profiles Sean Buckley, the Reds' sixth-round pick in the June amateur draft and the son of Chris Buckley, Cincinnati's senior director of amateur scouting.
- A multiyear extension for Jacoby Ellsbury, moving Daniel Bard to the starting rotation and a possible run at Jose Reyes are a few of the suggestions made by Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston that would help the Red Sox put their catastrophic month behind them and focus on returning to the playoffs next year.
- Writing for Baseball Prospectus, Rany Jazayerli breaks down how just a year of age difference between teenage prospects reveals huge differences in projected production. "At least when it comes to high school hitters, young draft picks are a MASSIVE market inefficiency," Jazayerli writes.
Pirates Haven’t Ruled Out Exercising Maholm’s Option
5:33PM: Pirates GM Neal Huntington still has not entirely ruled out exercising Maholm's option, writes MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The Bucs do not plan on paying Paul Maholm $9.75MM in 2012, but keeping the option in play leaves the door open to using the pitcher in a trade.
There is a limited window on the matter as teams typically have until five days after the conclusion of the World Series to officially decline or exercise club options.
3:05PM: The Pirates have decided to decline their 2012 option for Paul Maholm, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 29-year-old left-hander would have cost $9.75MM in 2012, but Pittsburgh will opt for a $750K buyout instead.
Maholm told Biertempfel that he isn't discussing a deal with the Pirates now, but hasn't ruled anything out. The seven-year veteran says he wants to "see what's out there" in free agency and adds that he'll do what's best for his family.
Maholm posted a 3.66 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 162 2/3 innings in 2011. His numbers improved, but he missed the final six weeks of the season with a strained left shoulder. Draft pick compensation won't be an issue, since Maholm is an unranked free agent, according to our rankings.
Central Notes: Ventura, Ordonez, Sizemore, Epstein
If the Tigers win the ALCS, we could see the first all-Central World Series since St. Louis topped Detroit five years ago. Today's AL and NL Central links…
- The White Sox announced they'll introduce new manager Robin Ventura tomorrow at an 11am central time press conference. ESPNChicago's Doug Padilla reported today that Mark Parent will come aboard as Ventura's bench coach and Joe McEwing will serve as the third base coach. Jeff Manto is ahead of Tim Laker in terms of hitting coach candidates, Padilla reports.
- The Tigers' Magglio Ordonez re-fractured his ankle Saturday, reported MLB.com's Jason Beck. The right fielder will see specialists after returning to Detroit, tweets Tom Gage of the Detroit News. Ordonez, 38 in January, is eligible for free agency this winter.
- "It seems highly unlikely" that the Indians will exercise their $8.5MM club option on center fielder Grady Sizemore, opines MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The Indians revealed Tuesday that Sizemore had a right knee arthroscopy but is expected to be ready for Spring Training. Should the 29-year-old reach free agency, I'd rank him around 30th on my top 50 list.
- A rival executive talked to ESPN's Buster Olney on Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and the Cubs: "If he met with the Cubs, what it means is that if he gets the offer he wants, he's gone [to Chicago]." Earlier today, however, SI's Jon Heyman wrote that most baseball insiders "believe it's more likely than not [Epstein will] remain in Boston, at least for now."
- Brewers reliever Francisco Rodriguez reflected on this summer's trade, telling Mike Puma of the New York Post, "I'm winning, and [the Mets] needed pretty much to get rid of me." K-Rod told Puma he holds no grudge toward the Mets.
- Of the 11 Pirates players eligible for arbitration this winter, only Joel Hanrahan, Jeff Karstens, Charlie Morton, and Evan Meek are absolutely certain to be tendered contracts, writes MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. She notes that "if the Pirates do not intend to tender a contract to someone on the list, there is a good chance that player will be removed in November so that the Pirates can open up roster spots to protect players from being taken in the Rule 5 Draft." Click here for MLBTR's projected salaries for the Pirates' arbitration group.
- The chances of lefty Paul Maholm returning to the Pirates next year are less than 50-50, in the opinion of Langosch. I'd say Maholm ranks toward the back end of the top ten free agent starters this winter.
- Check out my offseason outlooks for the Cubs and Astros.
Rockies Rumors: Stewart, Wright, Headley, Alvarez
The Rockies pick tenth in next year's draft, a pick that will be protected if they sign a Type A free agent who turned down arbitration this offseason. The latest on the team, from Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post:
- Kevin Kouzmanoff is unlikely to return to the Rockies next year. MLBTR reported yesterday that the team is in the process of outrighting the third baseman. Ian Stewart will get another shot at the third base job if he "makes baseball his first priority from the start of the winter until the end of it," GM Dan O'Dowd told Renck. The Rockies will need to make a decision on Stewart by the December 12th non-tender deadline though. Tendering him a contract probably means paying him around $2.2MM again.
- Opposing executives expect O'Dowd to aggressively pursue Mets third baseman David Wright. Otherwise Renck expects the Rockies to cast a wide net, including the Padres' Chase Headley and the Pirates' Pedro Alvarez but not free agent Aramis Ramirez. I have a hard time imagining the Padres sending Headley to their division rival; the two teams haven't matched up for an offseason trade since the Rockies' inaugural season.
- The Rockies are looking to trade Ty Wigginton even it means eating some of the $4.5MM owed to him.
- Renck reiterates that the Rockies seek an innings eater this offseason.
NL Central Notes: Astros, Lee, Reds
The NL Central's two playoff representatives both play tonight. The Cardinals host the Phillies in St. Louis and the Brewers could eliminate the D'Backs in Phoenix. Here's the latest on the division's non-playoff teams as we await today's games…
- Prospective Astros owner Jim Crane hasn’t received a formal proposal from MLB regarding compensation for a possible move to the American League, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle. However, Crane has had increased dialogue about a possible league change.
- The Pirates will make a run at re-signing Derrek Lee, according to MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch. Lee didn’t reveal much about his 2012 plans during the season and has maintained that he’s keeping his options open, even retirement.
- The Pirates announced that their entire coaching staff will return in 2012.
- The Reds haven't discussed possible extensions with Francisco Cordero or Brandon Phillips since the season ended last week, GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The GM hopes to resume talks next week with Cordero, who will likely agree to a two-year deal, and Phillips, who won't be giving the Reds a hometown discount.
- MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes previewed the Cubs’ class of arbitration eligible players this morning.
Pirates Notes: Huntington, Cole, Coaches
The Pirates were unable to use their momentum to propel them into the playoffs this year but things are looking bright in Pittsburgh. Here are a few items on the Bucs..
- Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington says that he didn't do a great job with the free agents he signed last winter, writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Bucs lost Kevin Correia to injury in mid-August while Lyle Overbay and Matt Diaz were unable to get on track this year.
- Even though Huntington was tough on himself for his offseason signings, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gave the GM a B+ for his work this season. Brink credits Huntington for landing Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick but says that the signings of top draft picks Gerrit Cole and Josh Bell were even more significant.
- All of manager Clint Hurdle's assistants will return for the 2012 season, a team source told Biertempfel. A formal announcement likely will come Monday.