Heyman On Rollins, Yankees, Nolasco, Jurrjens
As usual, Jon Heyman is tweeting up a storm. His latest from Day 2 of the GM Meetings…
- The Brewers have added Jimmy Rollins to their list of potential shortstops. They're also eyeing Jose Reyes, Rafael Furcal, Yuniesky Betancourt, and Clint Barmes.
- The Yankees believe the prices on C.J. Wilson and Edwin Jackson are way too high thus far, and plan to wait them out. Wilson's agent Bob Garber requested a meeting with the Yankees in New York, during a discussion with GM Brian Cashman yesterday.
- The Marlins are telling teams Ricky Nolasco is not available now. Heyman wonders if they would change if they sign a free agent pitcher.
- One GM interested in Braves righty Jair Jurrjens does not believe he will be traded. The Braves seek an impact bat in return.
- Interest is picking up in Francisco Rodriguez, the third-best available reliever currently in Heyman's opinion.
Rosenthal/Morosi On Dodgers, Astros, Blue Jays
The latest from Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports…
- The Dodgers' payroll will be well under $100MM in 2012, sources tell the FOX writers. If James Loney and Hiroki Kuroda return, there will be little left to spend. On the plus side, the Dodgers were able to reduce Matt Kemp's '12 salary to slightly more than $10MM as part of his new multiyear deal, in a year where as much as $16MM seemed possible through arbitration. Rosenthal and Morosi say the Dodgers would want to buy out at least two free agent years in a long-term deal for Clayton Kershaw, who may take home the NL Cy Young award tomorrow. With Kershaw under team control for three more years, the Dodgers don't have the same urgency to lock him up as they did Kemp. In MLBTR's exclusive arbitration salary projections, Kershaw was pegged at $8.4MM, easily a first-time record for a pitcher.
- The Astros "probably will acquire a shortstop and add low-cost relief pitching" this offseason, write Rosenthal and Morosi. GM Ed Wade told the FOX writers he plans to stick with Mark Melancon at closer. The GM explained his team's corner outfield situation: "From the standpoint of corner outfield, there are going to be guys out there, looking for opportunities. We’re pretty much the land of opportunity right now."
- Chipper Jones still enjoys playing, says Braves GM Frank Wren. The 39-year-old third baseman is signed through 2012 with a '13 vesting option. Rosenthal and Morosi say Martin Prado is available in the right deal, but the Braves value his versatility, including his ability to back up Jones.
- Yoenis Cespesdes could petition baseball to declare him a free agent fairly quickly, after he establishes temporary residence in the Dominican Republic. The residency part is expected to happen within 10 to 14 days.
- The Blue Jays have expressed interest in trading for Rockies reliever Huston Street. Street has one year and $8MM remaining on his contract. Rosenthal and Morosi say the Rockies remain interested in a deal for Prado, which would require Seth Smith and another piece.
Reds Will Not Trade Votto This Winter
Despite rumblings that reigning NL MVP Joey Votto could be available this offseason, Reds GM Walt Jocketty says the team will hold on to the first baseman, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). Jocketty indicated that the Reds will try to lock Votto up to a long-term deal within the next year. Here are a few other items of note from Heyman's Twitter feed:
- The Reds are among the teams who have contacted the Braves to inquire on Jair Jurrjens.
- GM John Mozeliak said the Cardinals haven't met face-to-face with Albert Pujols since the season ended, but that they've touched base with Pujols and his agent, and plan to meet.
- The Mets think Jose Reyes will give them a chance to match his best offer before he signs anywhere, but know that he's not obligated to do so.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo says if he were to pursue an impact first baseman like Pujols or Prince Fielder, he'd need to make a companion move to open up the position.
- The White Sox aren't closing the door on Mark Buehrle, but GM Ken Williams feels it'll be tough to fit him into their payroll.
Tigers Interested In Martin Prado
TUESDAY, 10:55am: "There is a trade brewing between the Braves and Tigers centering around Prado for Young," reports ESPN's Jim Bowden. However, MLB.com's Mark Bowman says there won't be a Young-Prado deal, as the majority of the Braves' front office isn't interested in Young (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 2:37pm: The Tigers are interested in Braves infielder/left fielder Martin Prado, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The free agent market for potential second basemen has moved quickly, with Aaron Hill and Jamey Carroll off the board and Mark Ellis close to a deal with the Dodgers. Morosi adds that the Tigers are willing to trade left fielder Delmon Young for the right second baseman, but it's not known whether the Braves are interested.
Prado has also drawn interest from the Rockies and other teams. The 28-year-old had a disappointing offensive year in 2011, spending most of his time in left field for the Braves after they acquired second baseman Dan Uggla. MLBTR projects Prado to earn about $4.4MM in arbitration in 2012, and freeing up that salary would add to the Braves' flexibility. Prado will continue to be under team control for the 2013 season.
Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said Friday on MLB Network Radio to host Jim Bowden, "We're not going to non-tender Delmon Young. I mean, that's just not going to happen." Young, 26, hit .274/.298/.458 in 178 plate appearances for the Tigers after coming over in an August trade, adding five postseason home runs. With a projected $6.3MM salary, Young was thought to be a non-tender candidate for the Twins but is currently penciled in as the Tigers' left fielder for 2012. I think Prado would be generally regarded as more valuable than Young.
Heyman On Fielder, Madson, Jurrjens, Capuano
In addition to Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, and Mark Buehrle, the Marlins made an offer to free agent closer Ryan Madson, reports SI's Jon Heyman. Unlike the other three, the Madson offer has yet to inspire a visit to Miami. Heyman notes that the proposals are preliminary, and the team is not concerned about all four accepting. Marlins president David Samson explained Saturday on 790 The Ticket with Glenn Geffner that the team has a free agent flow chart in which they expect a playoff team with every outcome (transcript courtesy of Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post). More from Heyman…
- The Mariners will make a run at Prince Fielder, tweets Heyman, but they're unsure if there's room in the budget. Heyman suggests the Ms will not be in on Pujols.
- Heyman explains the mess that was the Phillies' negotiations with Madson. He says Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. proposed $44MM over four years, which Madson accepted an hour or two later. Oddly, Amaro added at that point that he needed the approval of CEO David Montgomery, according to Heyman. The next day Amaro told agent Scott Boras he'd been unable to get that approval. However, Amaro told Heyman there was no agreement "either verbal or in writing," and also said, "I will stand by my history of integrity forever." Amaro also said Montgomery was aware of the negotiations as they occurred and wasn't responsible for killing the deal. It appears Amaro and Boras are not on the same page as to what constitutes an agreement.
- The Braves seek a Zack Greinke-like deal for Jair Jurrjens, writes Heyman. He later tweeted, "Jurrjens understandably popular on trade market. A star and only 25. You know Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, others are in."
- The Mets have crossed Chris Capuano off their list given his desire for a two-year deal.
Kimbrel, Hellickson Win Rookie Of The Year Awards
Braves closer Craig Kimbrel and Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson won the 2011 Rookie of the Year awards, announced the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Kimbrel received all 32 first-place votes, becoming the tenth unanimous selection. Freddie Freeman, Vance Worley, Wilson Ramos, Josh Collmenter, Danny Espinosa, Darwin Barney, and Kenley Jansen also received votes in the NL. Kimbrel tied John Axford for the NL saves lead with 46, setting a rookie record in the process.
Mark Trumbo, Eric Hosmer, Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda, Dustin Ackley, Desmond Jennings, and Jordan Walden followed Hellickson in the AL. Hellickson posted a 2.95 ERA in 189 regular season innings for Tampa Bay this year.
Relievers Notes: Wood, Madson, Papelbon
Jonathan Papelbon became the first major free agent to change teams yesterday, agreeing to a four-year contract worth $50MM with the Phillies. Reactions to the contract were generally mixed, though almost everyone agreed that the size of the deal was staggering. Let's round up the latest from the relief pitcher market…
- Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune reports that Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has had preliminary talks with Kerry Wood, who is expected to return next season. The 34-year-old righty pitched to a 3.35 ERA in 51 IP after returning to Chicago's north side on a below-market one-year, $1.5MM contract last winter.
- Despite reports of a four-year, $44MM offer, MASN's Jen Royle hears from a source that the Phillies only offered Ryan Madson a three-year contract. They were unwilling to give him the extra year he wanted (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox, meanwhile, were not willing to give Papelbon a guaranteed fourth year according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- MLB.com's Peter Gammons reports (on Twitter) that the Red Sox offered Papelbon to the Braves in exchange for Javier Vazquez two offseasons ago. Atlanta rejected the offer, then traded Vazquez to the Yankees shortly thereafter.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote about how the rest of the closers' market is shaping up and the impact of Papelbon's contract. Here is our look at the trade and free agent markets for right-handed relievers.
NL West Notes: Hudson, Soon-Shiong, Rockies, Hill
The Diamondbacks have been one of baseball’s busiest teams so far this offseason. GM Kevin Towers and manager Kirk Gibson agreed to extensions and John McDonald, Henry Blanco and Willie Bloomquist have all re-signed with the defending NL West Champions. Here’s the latest from the division…
- If the Rockies are indeed interested in Padres second baseman Orlando Hudson, Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune doubts the Padres would be willing to pick up any of Hudson's salary in a trade. Hudson will earn $5.5MM in 2012, with an $8MM option for 2013 that can be bought out for $2MM. Center also discusses several other Padres topics in his weekly chat with fans, such as the possibility of moving in the fences at Petco Park.
- Billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong told Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles that he has been approached by at least one of the groups trying to buy the Dodgers. Soon-Shiong is considered to be the richest man in Los Angeles and bought a 4.5% share of the L.A. Lakers last year.
- The Rockies aren't going to revisit their pursuit of Michael Young, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Colorado and Texas were very close to a deal involving Young last winter in the wake of Young's trade request, but Young settled things with Rangers management and now there is "no motivation for [the] Rangers to move him."
- Also from Renck, he doesn't think the Rockies will look to move Matt Belisle this winter, though Matt Lindstrom could be available.
- As part of a reader mailbag, MLB.com's Chris Haft was surprised that the Giants needed to include Ryan Verdugo along with Jonathan Sanchez in the deal that brought Melky Cabrera to San Francisco. That said, Haft writes "it's conceivable that the Giants might have obtained the most that Sanchez and Verdugo would bring."
- The Rockies “love” Jamey Carroll, but wouldn’t be interested in signing him to a multiyear deal, according to Renck (Twitter links). The former Rockies infielder is nearing a multiyear deal with Twins.
- The Rockies aren’t likely to sign Michael Cuddyer, but they continue pursuing Martin Prado, Renck reports.
- The Diamondbacks have a multiyear offer on the table to Aaron Hill and it expires Monday, according to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com (on Twitter). If Hill signs, the Diamondbacks will turn their attention to starting pitching.
- Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle suggests the Giants should re-sign Carlos Beltran to a two or three-year deal.
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post
Carroll Nearing Multiyear Deal With Twins
2:24pm: Carroll's nearing a multiyear deal with the Twins, according to Crasnick (on Twitter). He would be Minnesota's everyday shortstop.
2:08pm: The Twins continue to pursue Carroll, according to Morosi (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Twins and Carroll are talking regularly (Twitter link).
12:50pm: The Twins have had recent discussions for Carroll, according to Morosi (Twitter link).
12:19pm: The Braves and Indians aren't finalists for Carroll, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
11:40am: The Padres are not the team nearing a deal with Carroll, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (on Twitter).
10:57am: The Dodgers aren't the team that's nearing a deal with Carroll, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter). Troy Renck of the Denver Post says the Rockies aren't the mystery team (Twitter link) and Morosi reports that the Tigers aren't involved.
10:36am: The Blue Jays are showing serious interest in Carroll and were one of three finalists for him as of yesterday, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (all links go to Twitter). Morosi hears that the infielder is "very close" to agreeing to a deal.
7:38am: Jamey Carroll is nearing a multiyear deal with an unknown team, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (all Twitter links). The Tigers, Rockies, Dodgers and Indians have been mentioned as potential suitors for Carroll, a Millenium Sports Management client who is expected to sign within a few days. The Phillies and Braves have also expressed interest.
The 37-year-old infielder played shortstop and second base for the Dodgers in 2011, posting a .290/.359/.347 line in 510 plate appearances. He hasn't posted an on-base percentage below .355 in any of the past four seasons and he has a career mark of .356 after a decade in the Major Leagues. Carroll, who also has experience at third base and in the outfield, stole ten bases without getting caught this past season. He is not a ranked free agent and won't cost his new team a draft pick.
Carroll spoke with MLBTR's Tim Dierkes in June and you can check out the interview here. Tim predicted the Tigers would sign Carroll, placing him 41st on MLBTR's list of top free agents.
This post was originally published on November 11, 2011.
NL East Notes: Prado, Cuban, Madson
There’s been lots of chatter about Martin Prado and Ryan Madson this week. Prado could be traded and Madson may or may not sign a lucrative new deal with the Phillies. Here are the latest updates from the NL East…
- The Rockies aren't the only team to inquire on Prado, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if Mark Cuban would have interest in buying the Braves should they hit the market at some point. Just as importantly, would MLB have interest in letting Cuban buy a team? The Dallas Mavericks owner has a reputation for challenging the status quo.
- Executives and agents are split on whether $44MM in guaranteed money is too much for Madson, according to Heyman (Twitter links). The Phillies had been nearing a four-year deal for the closer that would have included a vesting option for 2016, but there's not much optimism that Philadelphia CEO David Montgomery will approve the deal, Heyman reports.
- MLBTR’s Mike Axisa checked in on the Mets earlier today.