NL East Notes: Vazquez, Dobbs, Lopez, Nix
On this date in 1973, Tom Seaver of the Mets won the NL Cy Young award, becoming the first pitcher to take home the prize with fewer than 20 wins. We checked in on the Mets earlier tonight; here are some updates on their division rivals…
- Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post gets the sense that the Marlins could convince Javier Vazquez to return for another season if they offer him $10MM for 2012.
- The Marlins have some interest in re-signing Greg Dobbs, but not in bringing Jose Lopez back, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
- There's "nothing substantial" developing between the Nationals and free agent outfielder Laynce Nix, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The sides have discussed a deal for 2012 and Nix has interest in returning to D.C. for another season.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution doubts that the Braves would dangle Jair Jurrjens in trade talks because his knee injury reduces his trade value (Twitter link). Jurrjens spent much of August on the disabled list with a right knee strain and didn't pitch in September.
NL Central Notes: Cardinals, Samardzija, Votto
Tony La Russa's retirement has highlighted a busy day in the NL Central. Here are the latest notes from the division…
- Former Cardinals infielder David Eckstein told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that Albert Pujols would re-sign in St. Louis if the Cards make third base coach Jose Oquendo their next manager.
- Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan told Morosi that he’s going to return to St. Louis in 2012, but it doesn’t sound as though he’s looking to manage the team (Twitter link).
- The Cubs declined Jeff Samardzija's $3MM option for 2012, according to Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald (Twitter link). Samardzija isn't yet arbitration eligible and remains under team control.
- One person with ties to the Reds says there's "not a chance" Joey Votto becomes available this offseason, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. The Reds control the first baseman's rights through 2013.
Red Sox Notes: Manager, Ortiz, Papelbon
The Red Sox declined their club options on relievers Dan Wheeler and Scott Atchison today. Here are more details on the Red Sox, who have formally begun their managerial search…
- Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin interviewed for Boston's managerial opening today and told reporters, including Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, that he's hoping for the job. "The way I look at it is, who wouldn’t want to manage the Boston Red Sox?”
- Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum will interview for Boston's managerial opening Wednesday, according to Lauber (on Twitter). Boston hasn't yet asked for permission to interview others.
- Red Sox GM Ben Cherington hopes to name a manager by Thanksgiving, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (on Twitter).
- Cherington doesn't expect to reach a deal with David Ortiz or Jonathan Papelbon before the players hit free agency on Thursday, according to Lauber (on Twitter).
Latest On CBA Talks
Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expires this offseason, but the owners and players are working toward an agreement and it won’t be a surprise if they announce a deal soon. Here are the details on the collective bargaining process:
- The MLB Players Association is willing to start taxing draft bonus spending, but they're adamantly against a hard-slotting system, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Slotting is the final major issue to resolve in talks between MLB and the players' union.
- We should expect a new collective bargaining agreement by the end of the week, according to MLB.com's Barry Bloom (on Twitter).
Indians Notes: Sizemore, Carmona, Lowe
The Indians started their offseason off with a few major moves today, acquiring Derek Lowe from the Braves, picking up Fausto Carmona's option and declining Grady Sizemore's. Here are some more notes about the Indians…
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti told Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he visited Sizemore's Arizona home to tell him that the Indians had decided to decline his option. The decision was "very difficult" for Antonetti, but he determined that there were better ways for the Indians to spend the $8.5MM they saved.
- The Indians will pursue a "quality outfielder" through free agency, Antonetti said. There's still a chance that the Indians will re-sign Sizemore.
- The Indians are expecting better results from Carmona in 2012, since the groundballer has bounced back from difficult seasons in the past.
- Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer says the Indians should make Michael Brantley their everyday center fielder and shop for a corner outfielder this offseason.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law breaks down the Lowe trade and says it helps the Indians, since they get another groundball pitcher who makes his starts. Lowe isn't much more than a back-of-the-rotation pitcher, Law writes, so Atlanta's willingness to part with him for salary relief and lefty reliever Chris Jones is understandable.
- Jason Roberts of FanGraphs explains that there's reason for the Indians to expect Lowe to rebound from his ugly 5.05 ERA in 2012.
- When I looked ahead to the Indians' offseason last week I explained that adding rotation depth was a significant part of the team's offseason challenge. Now that they've acquired Lowe and declined Sizemore's option, their next job will be to re-establish outfield depth.
Mets Notes: Reyes, Harris, Hairston, Wright
The Mets announced that they're lowering their outfield fences and moving them in for the 2012 season. The wall will be as much as 12 feet closer to home plate in some places, which should make Citi Field — currently the 28th hardest park to homer in — more hitter-friendly. Here are some more updates on the club…
- MetsBlog has graphics of the new look for Citi Field.
- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports that the Mets don't expect Jose Reyes to sign in November. The Mets will decide whether to make a competitive offer for Reyes once other teams set the market for him. Martino reports that the Mets won't sign free agents Willie Harris or Scott Hairston until much later in the offseason, if at all.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson asked Reyes' representatives how much it would take to lock him up, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). When Reyes didn't respond, the Mets decided to wait and see how the market develops.
- Alderson told reporters, including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, that he expects David Wright to return to the Mets in 2012.
- Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com gets the impression that the Mets' payroll could dip below $100MM on Opening Day (Twitter link). The Mets have had a payroll of at least $100MM every season since 2004.
Yankees, C.C. Sabathia Agree To Extension
C.C. Sabathia has agreed to a precedent-setting contract that will keep him in pinstripes and off of the free agent market. The 31-year-old left-hander announced on his Twitter account and on Zoodig.com that he has agreed to a new deal with the Yankees.
He could have opted out of the remaining four years and $92MM of his original seven-year, $161MM contract with New York by midnight tonight. Instead, he gets a deal that guarantees him $122MM and could be worth as much as $142MM. Sabathia will earn $24.4MM per season over the course of the five guaranteed seasons — slightly more than his former teammate, Cliff Lee, obtained last offseason and more than any other pitcher has obtained on a multiyear deal. Sabathia's original contract is still the largest guaranteed total for any pitcher in history.
“CC is the ace of our pitching staff, a leader in our clubhouse and a driving force for the Yankees in our community,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said. “He is exactly the type player and person that Yankees fans and this organization can be proud of.”
The sides agreed to add a $25MM salary for 2016 and a vesting option worth the same amount for 2017 ($5MM buyout), according to ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter) and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The option automatically vests unless Sabathia finishes the 2016 season on the DL with a left shoulder injury, spends 45 days on the DL with a left shoulder injury, or makes at least six relief appearances in 2016 due to shoulder problems, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (all Twitter links).
The Yankees originally offered Sabathia a five-year contract worth $120.5MM according to Sherman (on Twitter), but the team increased their offer today to prevent their ace from opting out and hitting the open market. Olney reports (on Twitter) that the two sides are still awaiting contract language approval.
Though Cashman's offseason became much simpler tonight, it's by no means complete. The Yankees will likely explore deals for pitching and look to solidify their bullpen and bench.
Rangers Exercise Option On Yoshinori Tateyama
The Rangers announced that they exercised their 2012 option for Yoshinori Tateyama (Twitter link). The right-hander will earn a $1MM salary in 2012.
Tateyama, 35, debuted in the Major Leagues in 2011, pitching 44 innings of relief for the Rangers. He posted a 4.50 ERA with 8.8 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, a 38.7% ground ball rate and an average fastball velocity of just 86.9 mph.
D’Backs Announce Option Decisions
The D'Backs announced that they exercised their sides of the mutual options for Henry Blanco and Willie Bloomquist, while declining their team options for Zach Duke and Aaron Hill (Twitter link). However, Bloomquist has declined his side of the mutual option and would like to work out a longer deal, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (on Twitter).
Blanco's option is worth $1.15MM and includes a $250K buyout. It's not yet clear whether he'll return to Arizona for a second season. In 112 plate appearances in 2011, the 14-year veteran posted a .250/.330/.540 line with eight home runs. Bloomquist's option was worth $1.1MM. The 33-year-old played left field, shortstop and second base in 2011, while posting a .266/.317/.340 battling line in 381 plate appearances.
Hill posted an .878 OPS with the D'Backs after struggling in Toronto for a combined season line of .246/.299/.356. Though the D'Backs would like him back, his $8MM option was too much for GM Kevin Towers' liking. Hill's contract also included an $8MM team option for 2013. Duke posted a 4.93 ERA with 3.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 76 2/3 innings, so there was no doubt that the team would decline its $5.5MM club option in favor of the $750K buyout.
Rays Exercise Farnsworth’s Option, Not Shoppach’s
The Rays exercised Kyle Farnsworth's 2012 option while declining Kelly Shoppach's, according to the Tampa Tribune (on Twitter). Farnsworth obtains a $3.3MM salary instead of a $650K buyout and Shoppach obtains a $300K buyout instead of a $3.2MM salary.
Farnsworth posted a 2.18 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 57 2/3 innings out of the bullpen in 2011. Shoppach, 31, hit just .176/.268/.339 in 253 plate appearances, but he led the league by preventing 41% of stolen base attempts. The Rays will look to get more offense from behind the plate in 2012.