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Diamondbacks Notes: Upton, Kubel, Ross

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Just before holidays, Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM that the club has had nothing but great conversations with the Diamondbacks about outfielder Justin Upton.  However, despite talking for the bulk of the winter, the two sides have yet to hammer out a deal.  Could Upton have a new home in the New Year?  Here's more on that and other links on the Diamondbacks..

  • It appears that a possible trade of Upton has become a reality again following the surprise signing of Cody Ross, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  General Manager Kevin Towers will almost certainly be entertaining offers and one person familiar with their thinking says that "someone will go.''
  • Some have speculated that Jason Kubel could be the odd man out in Arizona, but one exec told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter) that he doesn't see the D'Backs getting much for him.  Kubel posted a .910 OPS at home in 2012 but had a .757 OPS elsewhere.  Advanced metrics, such as his career -12.7 UZR/150, also indicate that he plays a below-average left field.
  • The Diamondbacks' offseason cannot truly be judged until we know what the club does to follow up on the Ross signing, writes Nick Piecoro of AZCentral.  

Kevin Towers Q&A At FanGraphs

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Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers spoke to David Laurila of FanGraphs just before the holidays, and the interview was published today. The long-time executive discussed his upbringing in the game as well as his team-building philosophies while with the Padres and D'Backs. Here are a few other highlights…

  • Theo Epstein, who was with the Padres early in his career, first introduced Towers to park effects. He says they played a role in acquiring both Chris Young (fly ball pitcher moving to Petco Park) and Trevor Cahill (ground ball pitcher moving to Chase Field).
  • Towers likes a bullpen with different looks, which contributed to the acquisition of Tony Sipp. "Sipp has a little bit of funkiness and deception to his delivery, and historically he’s had very good numbers against left-handed hitters," said the GM.
  • The lack of quality middle infielders, both on the current market and also in the draft and internationally, played an important role in the Didi Gregorius pickup. "Sometimes you have to overpay for [up-the-middle players], because of that lack of inventory," said Towers. Both Sipp and Gregorious were acquired earlier this month in the three-team deal with the Reds and Indians.

Rangers Notes: LaRoche, Swisher, Upton

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Earlier today, Rangers assistant General Manager Thad Levine joined Jim Bowden on SiriusXM radio.  Here’s a look at some highlights (all links go to Twitter)..

  • The Rangers were never in on Adam LaRoche or Nick Swisher this winter as they didn’t want to dole out long-term deals or sacrifice a draft pick for either player.  Swisher came to terms with the Indians this morning on a four-year, $56MM deal.
  • The assistant GM said that the club has had great conversations with Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers about Justin Upton.  The Rangers have been in talks with Arizona about Upton for quite some time, but it now appears that the Diamondbacks would prefer to trade Jason Kubel.  Kubel is set to earn $7.5MM in 2013 with a mutual option for the same amount in 2014, while Upton is owed $38.5MM through 2015.
  • Levine says that the Rangers have not discussed Kyle Lohse or Adam LaRoche at this point (Twitter link).
  • The Rangers are looking more to trades than free agency to improve their team at this point, Levine told Bowden (on Twitter).

News & Reactions Following The Cody Ross Signing

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The Diamondbacks signed Cody Ross to a three-year, $26MM contract earlier today, and GM Kevin Towers told reporters (including MLB.com's Steve Gilbert) the two sides didn't start talking until this past Monday (Twitter link). Arizona is already working to move one of their extra outfielders in the wake of the signing. Here are some notes and reactions to the deal…

  • Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic has the contract breakdown (on Twitter). Ross will earn $5MM in 2013, $8.5MM in both 2014 and 2015, and a $3MM signing bonus. The $9.5MM club option has a $1MM buyout.
  • Towers told Gilbert and others that his phone "blew up" with teams calling about his spare outfielders today (all Twitter links). Ownership has given him the okay to open the season with all of their current outfielders, which would mean an Opening Day payroll in the $95MM range.
  • Ross told reporters (including Gilbert) that he did not take give the Red Sox a chance to match Arizona's offer (Twitter link). He told the D'Backs he would not shop it around.
  • Jason Kubel is much more likely to be traded than Justin Upton, says Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). ESPN's Buster Olney speculates that the Rangers, Yankees, Mariners, and Rays could be fits for Kubel (all Twitter links).
  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers said he wanted to find more playing time for Gerardo Parra earlier this offseason, and Piecoro points out that the Ross addition complicates that plan even if they make a trade (Twitter link).
  • Adam Rubin of ESPN New York asked Scott Hairston if he's any closer to signing following the Ross deal, and the free agent outfielder said it's still unclear (Twitter link).

Diamondbacks Sign Cody Ross

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The Diamondbacks added to their already enviable outfield depth today. Arizona has officially signed Cody Ross to a three-year contract with a fourth year club option, the team announced. The deal is worth $26MM, which includes a $1MM buyout of the option. Ross is an SFX client.

Uspw_6483228Ross, 31, was a popular free agent this offseason after hitting .267/.326/.481 with 22 homers in 476 plate appearances for the Red Sox last season. The right-handed batter was especially productive against lefties (.295/.373/.636) and at home in Fenway Park (.295/.356/.565). Ross has plenty of experience in all three outfield spots, though the various metrics say he's just average defensively.

Despite trading Chris Young earlier this offseason, the Diamondbacks still have a very crowded outfield. Ross joins the incumbent Justin Upton, Jason Kubel, and Gerardo Parra, and the club also has prospects Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock knocking on the door. Arizona is already working to trade one of their spare outfielders, and of course Upton is the big name. Kubel or Parra could also be moved to clear up the logjam as well.

The Rangers, Phillies, Giants, Mets, Mariners, Yankees, and Braves were among the teams with some level of interest in Ross this winter. The Red Sox had interest in bringing him back as well, though that interest waned after they inked Jonny Gomes to a two-year, $10MM pact. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranked Ross as the 22nd best free agent on the market, predicting he would re-sign with Boston.

Mark Feinsand of The New York Daily News first reported the agreement while ESPN's Jim Bowden added details (Twitter links). Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

D’Backs Working To Trade Outfielder

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3:01pm: The White Sox have talked about Kubel and also had talks about Upton earlier in winter, when Diamondbacks asked about Alexei Ramirez, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).

2:56pm: The Rangers are not pursuing Kubel at present, a source tells Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).

The Diamondbacks are looking to trade an outfielder in the wake of the Cody Ross signing, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (on Twitter).  Jason Kubel is regarded as the outfielder most likely to be moved.

Arizona is still overloaded with outfielders following the Chris Young trade as Ross joins Kubel, Justin Upton, and Gerardo Parra.  The club also has prospects Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock waiting in the wings, giving them a rich surplus that can be parlayed into other areas of need.

Some have wondered if the Rangers could be players for Kubel if they can’t come to terms on a  long-rumored deal for Upton.  Kubel is set to earn $7.5MM in 2013 with a mutual option for the same amount in 2014, significantly less than the $38.5MM owed to Upton through ’15.

Minor Moves: Figueroa, McPherson, Bocock, Bush

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Tonight’s minor moves, courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (all links go to Twitter)..

Outrighted To Triple-A: Miller, Beato, Nunez, Pearce

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The latest outright assignments from around MLB…

  • The Astros outrighted infielder Brandon Laird and outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin to Triple-A after the players cleared waivers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports (on Twitter).
  • The Yankees announced that they outrighted right-hander Jim Miller to Triple-A. They had designated him for assignment two days ago to create 40-man roster space for Ichiro Suzuki.
  • The Red Sox outrighted Pedro Beato to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports (on Twitter). The Red Sox designated the right-hander for assignment two days ago to create roster space for Ryan Dempster. 
  • The Diamondbacks outrighted shortstop Gustavo Nunez to Detroit's Triple-A affiliate, the Tigers announced. Nunez, a 2011 Rule 5 Draft selection, spent the 2012 season on the Pirates' disabled list recovering from right ankle surgery. The Diamondbacks claimed him off of waivers from Pittsburgh on October 26th before returning him to Detroit today. 
  • The Orioles announced that they outrighted outfielder Steve Pearce to Triple-A. The club now has one open 40-man roster spot.
  • The Cubs announced that they outrighted Gerardo Concepcion to Class A Kane County after the left-hander cleared waivers. Chicago's 40-man roster now includes 39 players.
  • The Blue Jays announced that they outrighted right-hander Mickey Storey to Triple-A Buffalo. Toronto had claimed Storey off of waivers earlier in the week.

Quick Hits: Mickelson, Jackson, Hamilton, Tigers

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As the newly-signed Hiroyuki Nakajima becomes a comic hit during his introductory press conference with the A's, here's the latest from around baseball…

  • Phil Mickelson will not be part of the Padres' ownership group, reports Tod Leonard of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  The golf star said he isn't "able to make that kind of long-term commitment to the city and to the team."
  • It doesn't seem logical for the Rangers to give Edwin Jackson (what would have to be) a four-year, $50MM contract, opines MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  We heard earlier tonight that the Rangers and Cubs were the final two contenders for Jackson's services.
  • Major League Baseball has ruled that the $2MM the Angels will donate to Josh Hamilton's charitable foundation will count towards the team's luxury tax payments and be counted as "noncash compensation," reports The Associated Press.  FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal noted the charitable portion of Hamilton's contract earlier today.
  • It can be difficult for players to mentally adjust to the "baseball limbo" that is the offseason rumor mill, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick writes.
  • Money has been no object for Tigers owner Mike Ilitch as he pursues a World Series title, but ESPN's Buster Olney wonders if the Tigers' next owner will be able to keep the club's payroll in the $150MM range given the limitations of Detroit's market.  (An ESPN Insider subscription is required to read Olney's column.)
  • Nick Swisher will not be visiting the Giants during his tour of potential destinations, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  With the Giants not having enough payroll space left to pursue Swisher, I think we can finally put this rumor to bed.
  • The Twins and Carl Pavano don't appear to be a fit, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger writes.  The two sides met during the Winter Meetings and though Pavano has pitched well in Minnesota, he turns 37 in January and missed most of last season with an injured shoulder.  I agree with Bollinger that the Twins would probably want a more reliable option than Pavano given that several other projected members of the Twins rotation are also coming back from injuries.
  • Baseball people suggest Trevor Bauer has a better chance of becoming an impact player than Didi Gregorius, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. The Diamondbacks sent Bauer to the Indians last week in the three-team deal that brought Gregorius to Arizona.  As Piecoro explains in detail, however, there were some questions about Bauer's personality and his ability to be a team player.

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post

Rosenthal On Rangers, Nakajima, Upton

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The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • Rangers officials aren’t overwhelmed by the remaining free agent position players available, Rosenthal reports. Texas has done background work on A.J. Pierzynski, and could work to sign him. However, Adam LaRoche, Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn seem like less likely targets. The Rangers are particularly concerned about makeup, according to Rosenthal. Manager Ron Washington knows Swisher from their days in Oakland and likes the outfielder, Rosenthal reports.
  • The Rangers still want to add to their bullpen, and Rosenthal suggests they could make a play for Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan. The team is also exploring other bullpen options via trades and free agency. Hanrahan’s projected salary of $6.9MM limits interest from the Dodgers and Tigers, Rosenthal writes.
  • Hiroyuki Nakajima has range that is average “at best,” one executive told Rosenthal. However, the A’s agreed to sign the 30-year-old free agent to a two-year deal in part because they like his offensive potential.
  • Now that many free agent third basemen have signed, the Marlins could pursue a top third base prospect who’s close to contributing at the MLB level. However, it would be difficult to put together a package for a player such as Mike Olt.
  • Some executives believe the Diamondbacks will trade Justin Upton even after GM Kevin Towers said a deal seems unlikely. There’s a perception that the Diamondbacks are down on Upton, Rosenthal notes.
  • When Mets executive Paul DePodesta watched outfield prospect Wuilmer Becerra in 2011, he liked the prospect’s athleticism and effort. The Mets acquired the 18-year-old Becerra in the R.A. Dickey trade.
  • The Red Sox are always looking to upgrade their bullpen, Rosenthal adds.
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