Bonderman May Sit Out For 2011
Jeremy Bonderman, who came back from 2008 shoulder surgery to pitch 171 innings last year, may not pitch at all in 2011. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick hears from a player who says Bonderman doesn't want to keep rehabbing or have to compete for a job in Spring Training (Twitter links).
"More than likely he's going to sit this year out," the player told Crasnick.
Bonderman started 29 games last year, posting a 5.53 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. The 28-year-old, who is about to begin his ninth big league season, is a free agent for the first time.
The Indians, Yankees, Rockies and Tigers were among the teams to show interest in Bonderman this offseason, though those clubs have all since added arms. The Tigers aren't re-signing Bonderman, but their opponents from the 2006 World Series could take a look at him. The Cardinals lost Adam Wainwright to Tommy John surgery and could be intrigued by Bonderman, as MLBTR's Mike Axisa explained last week.
Extension Season Isn’t Over Yet
Now that March has arrived, few free agents remain and the offseason is essentially over. But if last year is any indication, we have more to look forward to in March than the occasional waiver claim or release. Teams take advantage of March and April to keep players off of the free agent market with extensions.
Joe Mauer ($184MM) and Ryan Howard ($125MM) headlined last year's crop of early-spring deals and 14 other players also inked extensions. Josh Beckett ($68MM), Justin Upton ($51.25MM), Yovani Gallardo ($30.1MM) and Matt Cain ($27.25MM) all signed deals worth $25MM-plus. Ben Zobrist ($18MM), Adam Lind ($18MM), Denard Span ($16.5MM), Brian Wilson ($15MM), Mark Reynolds ($14.5MM), Nick Blackburn ($14MM), Brett Anderson ($12.5MM), Scott Feldman ($11.5MM), Todd Helton ($9.9MM) and Jeremy Affeldt ($9.5MM) all signed extensions, too, as MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows.
In 2009, Ryan Zimmerman, Chipper Jones, Jon Lester, Gavin Floyd, Scott Baker signed extensions in April and May so while 2010 was extension-heavy it wasn't a complete aberration. Once the calendar turns to May, however, extension season slows down; there were no extensions in May or June of last year or in 2009.
Yankees Notes: Montero, Posada, Martin, Liriano
A month from now, Spring Training will be a thing of the past, but there are still jobs to be won and deals to be made over the course of the next four weeks. Here's the latest from Yankees camp…
- Joe Mauer passed along some advice for Jesus Montero through Joe Brescia of the New York Times: the Twins backstop says Montero should make an effort to learn as much as possible from Jorge Posada and Russell Martin. Mauer, an unusually tall catcher like Montero, is excited for the Yankees prospect to arrive in the majors.
- Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues says that the more he hears Joe Girardi and the Yankees coaching staff, the more he thinks Montero has a legit chance to back Martin up, instead of starting the season at Triple-A.
- Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork hears that the Yankees did call the Twins about Francisco Liriano's availability during the offseason. The Twins and Yankees say nothing's happening on that front, however.
- Rob Neyer of SB Nation has trouble imagining a package that would entice the Twins to part with Liriano.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff says the Yankees' long-term future is bright, even though the club would have preferred to make more pronounced upgrades to its rotation this winter.
Carpenter Clarifies Trade Comments
Chris Carpenter confirmed to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he wouldn’t prevent the Cardinals from trading him and added that he doesn’t expect or hope for a trade. The right-hander says the Cardinals are a contender, so he doesn’t think GM John Mozeliak will look to sell.
"For them to come to me about [a trade] would suggest our team is out of it and they wanted to go in another direction," Carpenter said. "I certainly don't see that being the case. I think we've got a great shot not just to win this division but to get to the World Series. That's my expectation and I think it's what everybody in here expects.”
The Cardinals, who lost Adam Wainwright to Tommy John surgery, have a 2012 option for Carpenter worth $15MM. Albert Pujols becomes a free agent after the season and holding onto Carpenter and Pujols won’t be easy.
Pujols will presumably cost upwards of $200MM and the Cardinals’ payroll is not big enough to sustain a $30MM player without cutting costs elsewhere. Cardinals sources suggest to Strauss that the team is unlikely to increase payroll from the $100MM range to $115MM in 2012.
Cashman On Pitching Market: “Nobody’s Available”
Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com that no matter what you've heard about Francisco Liriano or anyone else, the Yankees aren't pursuing trades for starting pitching (Twitter link). Starters may be in demand, but the Yankees say the best pitchers aren't on the trading block.
"I'm not talking to anyone about anything right now," Cashman said. "Nobody's available. Nobody of value, anyway."
Liriano definitely has value. He's making just $4.3MM next year and is under team control through 2012. Last year, the left-hander posted a 3.62 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 191 2/3 innings. Liriano has fully recovered from Tommy John surgery to regain the form that he showed as a dominant 22-year-old rookie in 2006.
Though USA Today reported that the Yankees are watching Liriano, Twins assistant GM Rob Antony recently told Jesse Lund of Twinkie Town that the club isn't discussing trades involving Liriano.
AL East Links: Okajima, Crawford, Sisco
On this date last year, the Yankees signed Chan Ho Park. After surrendering seven homers in 35 1/3 innings of 5.60 ERA ball, the Yankees cut Park loose. He joined the Pirates for the rest of 2010 and will spend the 2011 season pitching for the Orix Buffaloes. Here's the latest from the AL East:
- The Red Sox can option Hideki Okajima to the minor leagues if they prefer the work of their other lefties this spring, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Southpaws Andrew Miller, Felix Doubront, Rich Hill, Dennys Reyes and Andrew Miller are all vying for roster spots.
- Speier also suggests Doubront will "almost surely" open the season at Triple-A.
- If you ask Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, Carl Crawford has some adjustments to make, even though he's still playing left field for an AL East contender. The Red Sox are always in the spotlight, so playing in Boston will likely present different challenges than the ones Crawford encountered in Tampa Bay.
- Did the Yankees release Andy Sisco or not? As Matt Eddy of Baseball America explains, they released and re-signed the left-hander (Twitter link).
NL East Notes: Beltran, Cox, Vazquez
On this date five years ago, the Mets signed Pedro Feliciano, who had spent the previous season playing for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the NPB. He posted a 3.09 ERA from 2006-10, appearing in more than half of the Mets' games during that time. Feliciano and his durable left arm still play for a New York team, but he will now show up for work at Yankee Stadium. Here's the latest on the NL East…
- Carlos Beltran says he'll move to right field to keep Angel Pagan in center. Beltran explained that Carlos Delgado and agent Scott Boras helped him make the decision, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Beltran, a free agent after the season, says he feels capable of playing center field, but wants to do what's best for the Mets.
- ESPN.com's Jayson Stark details the transition from Bobby Cox to Fredi Gonzalez, explaining that the Braves were not looking for something "dramatically different from the previous administration." Gonzalez says the Braves model is "really not broke," so he isn't looking to make radical changes.
- New acquisition Javier Vazquez was only throwing 88 mph yesterday, but the Marlins aren't concerned about his velocity, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Vazquez, who has consistently thrown 91-92 mph throughout his career, averaged 88.7 mph on his fastball last year.
Moore On Butler, Moustakas, Hosmer, Ka’aihue
Royals GM Dayton Moore told John Sickels of Minor League Ball that it takes time to develop prospects and turn them into major leaguers. Moore says he understands fans' concerns about the Royals' recent history of losing and shares their excitement about the players currently in the Royals' highly touted system. Here are the details:
- Moore says players can take a few years to develop, pointing to Billy Butler. The Royals extended Butler earlier in the year because he has improved every year and they "think he's about to take that to another level."
- Hitters take time to develop, since it's hard for them "to develop beyond their level of competition." In other words they need to face good pitching to learn to hit it.
- The Royals are "very optimistic" about Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer, partly because the two top prospects have experienced failure.
- Moustakas "can stick at third base, no question," according to Moore, who likes the infielder's arm and body control.
- Hosmer and Moustakas could push Kila Ka'aihue into a reserve role, but the Royals say he's capable of more. "We think he can hit .240-.260, hit 20-25 homers, .370 OBP," Moore said. "It will be a nice problem fitting all these guys in the lineup."
- Christian Colon, the team's top pick in 2010, "can be an Orlando Cabrera type at short, or a Placido Polanco if he moves to second," Moore said.
- Moore says the Royals need more speed and athleticism. The GM says his ideal team would have a center fielder like Adam Jones or Torii Hunter – someone with speed, defense and power.
Mariners Close To Signing James Paxton
The Mariners are close to signing James Paxton, their fourth round pick in the 2010 draft, according to ESPN.com’s Keith Law (on Twitter). The left-hander, formerly a top prospect, would provide the Mariners with another high-ceiling arm.
The Blue Jays selected Paxton 37th overall in the first round of the 2009 draft, but didn't sign him. Paxton spent the 2010 season with the Grand Prairie AirHogs of the independent American Association after the NCAA ruled that he wasn’t eligible to resume his college career at the University of Kentucky.
Though most draftees have to sign by the middle of August, the deadline doesn’t apply to college seniors or players drafted out of independent leagues.
Phillies Notes: Utley, Young, Durbin
The latest on the Phillies, before they take on the Blue Jays with former Toronto ace Roy Halladay on the mound…
- Chase Utley has tendinitis in his right knee and Michael Young has requested a trade, but Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News says it's a safe bet that the Phillies won't acquire Young to provide depth. The Phillies kicked the tires on Young earlier in the month.
- Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer points out that age will eventually prevent the Phillies' top players from playing as well as they have throughout their respective careers.
- Former Phillies reliever Chad Durbin agreed to sign with the Indians and some don't think Philadelphia needed the depth the right-hander provides. Bob Brookover of the Inquirer heard from one National League scout who says Durbin is "the 13th pitcher on a 12-man staff."