Rangers Had Interest In Jenks As A Starter
The Red Sox were far from the only club to express interest in Bobby Jenks after the White Sox non-tendered him. The Rangers were one of the interested teams, and they had an unconventional idea for the right-hander to consider. Jenks told Scott Merkin of MLB.com that Texas was interested in signing him as a starter.
Jenks has never started a big league game, but he was drafted as a starter and has since discussed the idea of re-joining the rotation. However, he turned down the Rangers’ overtures to sign in Boston.
Though he sounds excited to join the Red Sox, Jenks admits that they were not his “first hope.” He had wanted to continue his White Sox career, but the team moved on and signed Jesse Crain. Jenks didn’t mind getting non-tendered, since that was a business decision, but he did not like Chicago’s decision to offer his former number (45) to Adam Dunn.
Jenks says the White Sox offered him a two-year deal worth $10MM, or $2MM less than what the Red Sox signed him for. However, a White Sox official told Merkin that the team didn’t make a formal offer.
Possible Suitors For Troy Glaus
Troy Glaus has a home run title and a World Series MVP Award to his name, but the former third overall pick has a dwindling number of potential destinations for next year. The 34-year-old posted a .240/.344/.400 line for the Braves last year, slumping badly in the second half. He was playing shortstop as recently as 2006 (interleague games only) but Glaus is a first baseman/DH at this stage in his career. He has appeared in just nine games at third since 2009.
Some DH vacancies have been filled and the teams that do need first basemen and DHs may hesitate to add Glaus because of his second half slump and injury history (he missed time with knee and shoulder injuries in 2009-10). Here are some teams that could consider Glaus between now and Spring Training:
DH openings:
- The Rays could add Glaus as a first baseman/DH.
- The Rangers have discussed Glaus and have a DH opening.
- The Twins could consider him if they don't re-sign Jim Thome.
- The Blue Jays have Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind at first/DH. Would they consider reacquiring Glaus if his price drops enough?
An alternative to LaRoche and Lee:
- It wouldn't shock many people if Derrek Lee and Adam LaRoche end up playing for the Nationals and Orioles. But if either one of those clubs decides to look at alternatives, Glaus could become an option.
A potential National League fit:
- The Dodgers occasionally used Ronnie Belliard at first base last year. He's gone, so the Dodgers could use a right handed hitter to complement James Loney, who has hit just .261/.321/.381 against lefties in his career. Marcus Thames may be a better fit for the Dodgers, since he can also play left field, but Glaus makes some sense if his price drops enough.
The Type A Free Agents Who Would Cost Picks
Grant Balfour, Rafael Soriano, Adrian Beltre, and Carl Pavano are the remaining free agents for whom teams will have to surrender draft picks. Like Victor Martinez, Carl Crawford, Adam Dunn, Jayson Werth, Scott Downs and Cliff Lee, Balfour, Soriano, Beltre and Pavano turned down offers of arbitration after being ranked as Type A free agents. This means their new teams will each have to surrender a high draft choice in 2011.
Those choices could come in the first round, the second round, or even later. Since the Tigers, Red Sox, White Sox, Nationals, Angels and Philllies have already surrendered their top picks, they would only have to surrender a second or third rounder to sign Balfour, Soriano, Beltre or Pavano. The 15 teams that finished the 2010 season in the lower half of the standings have protected first round picks, so the Rays, Red Sox and Twins will not receive a first round selection if a team like the Mariners or Royals signs their player.
At this point, only 11 teams could lose their first round pick. The Rockies, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Padres, Rangers, Reds, Braves, Giants, Twins, Yankees and Rays are the last remaining clubs that could lose 2011 first rounders. The Twins and Rays will not lose their picks if they re-sign their own players, however.
Outfield Options For The Braves
Jason Heyward, Nate McLouth and Eric Hinske and Martin Prado are candidates to pick up regular at bats in the Braves' outfield, but Atlanta could look to add another outfielder who can play center field. In fact, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes says it's the Braves' biggest need. It seems likely that the team would lean toward acquiring someone who can hit lefties, since Heyward, McLouth and Hinske all bat from the left side and Prado would probably play third if Chipper Jones can't play. Here are some internal candidates:
- Joe Mather, a right handed hitter who can play center field, has actually hit better against right-handers (.247/.298/.485) than left-handers (.219/.276/.344) in his big league career. The Braves claimed the 28-year-old in November after eyeing him for a while, so presumably Atlanta thinks he could help the big league team.
- Like Heyward, Jordan Schafer arrived in the big leagues to substantial fanfare and homered in his first major league at bat. However, he didn't produce much for the Braves in 2009 and struggled in the minors last year. He bats left handed, so he's not a natural complement to the other Braves outfielders.
- Matt Young, 28, hit .300/.380/.407 at Triple-A last year with 39 stolen bases and more walks (57) than strikeouts (53). He plays a variety of positions, but also bats from the left side. (Young reminds me of the Pirates' recent acquisition, Corey Wimberly. Both are speedy utility types who could crack major league rosters this year. They're just a year apart in age and both are listed as 5'8".)
- Beau Torbert, an outfielder who bats from the right side, signed with the Braves after being named Baseball America’s 2010 Independent Player of the Year and American Association Player of the Year.
And here are some free agents who could be solutions for the Braves:
- Scott Hairston hits lefties well (.278/.331/.498 career line) and has extensive experience as a center fielder. The 30-year-old seems like a good fit for the Braves.
- Willie Bloomquist brings versatility and a career .272/.334/.366 line against lefties. It seems likely that Atlanta could find a better fit.
- Gary Matthews Jr. has a .248/.318/.423 line against lefties in his career. It's not a particularly impressive line, and Matthews has struggled consistently since 2007, so the 36-year-old is probably not be the Braves' best option.
- Andruw Jones, who is still just 33, has hit southpaws well in his career (.261/.361/.501 line). He hit eight homers against them in 2010, posting a .931 OPS. Would the Braves and Jones be interested in a reunion? Maybe not, but there's a possible fit here. Since leaving Atlanta after the 2007 season, Jones hasn't played much center field, but he has continued to play slightly above average defense overall, according to UZR/150.
- Lastings Milledge has a .289/.363/.435 line against lefties in his five-year career.
- Reed Johnson can play center field and has a .312/.373/.463 line against lefties in his career. He has been paired up with Hinske before, when they were with the Blue Jays.
Let's not forget about these trade candidates:
- Mike Cameron, Aaron Rowand and Ryan Spilborghs could all potentially be available and all three hit lefties well and can play center field. Cameron and Rowand, of course, have substantial salaries, so the Red Sox and Giants would have to be willing to eat lots of money for a deal to occur.
Finding a fourth outfielder may be one of GM Frank Wren's major challenges between now and Spring Training, but he has nearly two months to choose between a number of legitimate choices. Though Atlanta's internal options don't seem like natural complements to Hinske, McLouth and Heyward, free agents like Scott Hairston and longtime Brave Andruw Jones could fit the team's needs without breaking its budget.
Brewers Break Off Talks With Capuano
Brewers GM Doug Melvin says the team agreed to stop negotiations with Chris Capuano, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Now that the Brewers have added Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum to a rotation that already included Yovani Gallardo, Randy Wolf and Chris Narveson, they don't have room for Capuano.
The Brewers had made Capuano an offer at the beginning of the offseason and it was on the table earlier this month, but the sides have now decided to move on. Melvin says Capuano wants to be a starter, so the Brewers don't have room for him. However, the GM says he likes the left-hander a lot and has heard other teams have interest.
Capuano, 32, came back from his second Tommy John surgery in 2010 after missing the 2008-09 seasons. He posted a 3.95 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2/9 BB/9 in 66 innings as a swingman for the Brewers last year. His best seasons came in 2005-06, when he averaged 220 innings per season and posted ERAs near 4.00 with 7.4 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9.
It wouldn't be surprising to see the Orioles, Indians, Royals, Tigers, Pirates, Cardinals, Nationals or Mets show interest in Capuano. That's a speculative list that depends on teams' assessments of the lefty's health. Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner hears that the Mariners have interest.
Odds & Ends: Gregg, White Sox, Francis
Exactly five years ago today, the Blue Jays sent Orlando Hudson and Miguel Batista to the Diamondbacks for Troy Glaus. Hudson signed a two-year deal this month, but Glaus and Batista are still available on the free agent market. Here are today's links…
- The Baseball Federation of Cuba is discussing the possibility of allowing baseball players to leave the country and play abroad as long as a portion of their salary returns to the Cuban government, according Yahoo’s Jeff Passan. Defections to MLB would likely continue, since Cuba would send its players to Japan, South Korea, Mexico and Europe, not the U.S.
- The Orioles are still talking to Kevin Gregg, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The team discussed a two-year deal with Gregg a couple of weeks ago.
- Jim Margalus of South Side Sox explains that the White Sox have had trouble developing relievers who can graduate from the minors midseason and support the big league 'pen.
- Jeff Francis told Marc Weber of the Vancouver Province that "teams are interested [in his services], but that's about it at this point."
New Look For Pirates’ Bench
There are always many ways for 105-loss teams to improve and last year's Pittsburgh Pirates are no exception. GM Neal Huntington has signed starting pitchers (Kevin Correia, Scott Olsen) and a pair of bats (Lyle Overbay, Matt Diaz), but he’s also working to improve the Pirates' bench.
The team has cut ties with Andy LaRoche, Delwyn Young, Akinori Iwamura and Bobby Crosby, a group that was well below average in 2010. WAR, a stat which measures a player’s overall on-field contribution, suggests those four players combined to produce two wins less than replacement players would have mustered. The Pirates may have had more pressing needs this offseason, but their bench had to be revamped.
Last week, the team made two acquisitions that will give manager Clint Hurdle more options in Spring Training. Garrett Atkins, a player who’s familiar with Hurdle from their days in Colorado, and former A’s farmhand Corey Wimberly are now members of the Pirates organization.
Atkins will compete for a corner utility job and Huntington says Wimberly will also be a candidate to back up the likes of Ronny Cedeno, Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez on the infield.
“We traded for Wimberly because his defensive versatility and speed makes him a quality role player with some upside for more,” Huntington told MLBTR.
Wimberly should be able to handle a number of roles. The 27-year-old switch hitter played ten or more games as a center fielder, left fielder, shortstop, second baseman and third baseman at Triple-A last year. In the process, he batted .284/.373/.354, led the Pacific Coast League in stolen bases (56 SB) and walked (58 BB) nearly as much as he struck out (64 K).
But Wimberly and Atkins will have competition this Spring. Rule 5 pick Josh Rodriguez is about as versatile as Wimberly. The former Indians prospect played all three outfield positions and every infield position but first base in the upper minors last year, batting .297/.378/.484.
Pedro Ciriaco, a product of the deal that brought Chris Snyder to Pittsburgh, could also win a big league job. The 25-year-old middle infielder hasn’t showed the same offensive promise as Wimberly or Rodriguez (.265/.281/.387 Triple-A line last year), but he did appear in eight big league games in 2010.
Like Atkins, who has a .294/.379/.467 line against lefties in his career, Steve Pearce can handle southpaws. The powerful first baseman/right fielder has a .304/.372/.557 line against left-handed pitching as a major leaguer. He’ll likely compete with Atkins to make the team as a corner infielder who can spell Lyle Overbay and Pedro Alvarez, two starters who bat from the left side.
Andy Marte and Josh Fields both have extensive big league experience at third base and could contribute off the bench in 2011. Neither player hit much last year, but the two former top prospects have played first base as well as at the hot corner.
These seemingly minor acquisitions are important ones for a team that could have used considerably more production off the bench in 2010. There are no guarantees for Atkins, who struggled mightily in 2010 or the others, who have not had extended big league success. But these additions could transform the Pirates' bench from significantly below average to respectable.
Mets Acquire Chin-lung Hu
The Mets acquired infielder Chin-lung Hu from the Dodgers for left-hander Mike Antonini according to the Dodgers (on Twitter).
Hu has appeared in 96 games over the course of four seasons with the Dodgers, but has not seen regular big league playing time since 2008. Before that season, Baseball America ranked the middle infielder 55th among big league prospects, but he has yet to produce much in the majors.
Hu, who turns 27 in February, posted a .317/.339/.438 line in 223 plate apperarances at Triple-A last year. It seems likely that he'll compete with the likes of Brad Emaus, Luis Hernandez and Ruben Tejada for a job this spring.
Antonini, 25, started 25 games at the highest levels of the Mets organization last year, logging 168 1/3 innings and posting a 4.49 ERA. He limited walks (1.7 BB/9) and posted relatively strong strikeout numbers (7.0 K/9), as he has done throughout his four-year minor league career.
Rockies Acquire Matt Lindstrom
The Rockies have acquired Matt Lindstrom from the Astros in exchange for minor league pitchers Jonnathan Aristil and Wes Musick, according to a Houston team press release.
Lindstrom, 31 in February, posted a 4.39 ERA with 7.3 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and 23 saves in his first season as an Astro. He logged 53 1/3 innings and posted a 48.9 % ground ball rate. This marks the second consecutive offseason (third time overall) that Lindstrom has been traded; the Mets sent him to the Marlins in 2006 and the Marlins sent him to the Astros just over a year ago.
Lindstrom earned $1.625MM in 2010 and will make over $2MM through arbitration next year. He's under team control through 2012. The right-hander joins Huston Street, Matt Belisle and Rafael Betancourt at the back of the Rockies' 'pen. This addition could limit the Rockies' interest in David Aardsma, Jon Rauch, Chad Qualls, Todd Coffey and Matt Guerrier.
Aristil, 24, was an infielder when he signed a free agent contract with Colorado in 2003. Since converting to pitching in 2006, the right-hander has posted a 4.47 ERA in 113 appearances, 53 of them starts and just 12 of which came above the Single-A level.
Musick, 23, is a left-hander whom the Astros originally drafted in the 46th round of the 2005 draft, but Musick chose to attend the University of Houston instead. Picked by the Rockies in the ninth round of the 2009 draft, Musick has posted impressive numbers in his first two pro seasons — a 3.78 ERA, 8.5 K/9 rate, a 2.1 BB/9 rate and an even 4.00 K/BB ratio in 30 games (28 of them starts).
MLB.com's Thomas Harding was the first to report that Lindstrom was on his way to Colorado, while ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported earlier this afternoon that the Astros were nearing a deal for the reliever. Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle was the first to report Musick's inclusion in the deal, while Astros director of social media Alyson Footer tweeted the news about Aristil.
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk contributed to this post
Padres Close To Deal With Brad Hawpe
4:48pm: The Padres are "close" to a deal with Hawpe, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
4:09pm: The Padres are considering Russell Branyan and Brad Hawpe as they look to acquire a first baseman. Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the club is talking to Hawpe, who has been a target since earlier in the month (Twitter link).
The Padres are open to making Branyan part of a platoon at first base, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Branyan excels against right-handed pitching (.241/.340/.501 career line), but struggles against lefties. If the Padres combined Branyan with a right-handed hitter like Kyle Blanks, they could get affordable production.
Blanks is recovering from Tommy John surgery and there's a good chance he won't be ready to start the season. Branyan hit 25 homers last year and 31 in 2009, but he has missed time with an assortment of back issues over the course of the past two seasons. Those injuries limited his value last offseason and he settled for a $2MM guarantee though he hoped for a multiyear deal.
Nick Johnson, another first baseman who bats from the left side and has dealt with back injuries, could fill a similar role for the Padres, in my opinion. Adam LaRoche is another possibility, but he has been discussing a three-year deal with the Orioles and the Padres rarely hand out multiyear free agent contracts (Orlando Hudson's deal is the exception, not the rule).
Another one of San Diego's free agent additions, Aaron Harang, is under the same agency (ACES) as Branyan, for what it's worth. About 9.6% of over 10,000 MLBTR readers expect Branyan to be the Padres' Opening Day first baseman.
Hawpe, 31, declined an offer of arbitration from the Rays, but he won't cost a draft pick. In 346 plate appearances for the Rockies and Rays last year, he posted a .245/.338/.419 line with 32 extra base hits. Like Branyan, he has better career numbers against right-handed pitching (.288/.386/.504 line).