Dewayne Wise, Brian Tallet Hit free Agency
Dewayne Wise and Brian Tallet are free agents after refusing outright assignments to Triple-A Las Vegas, the Blue Jays announced. The A's just claimed Edwin Encarnacion off of waivers, so the Blue Jays' once-massive class of arbitration eligible players is now down to 11. Like Encarnacion, Wise and Tallet were non-tender candidates, so it's not surprising to see either player hit the free agent market.
Wise, 32, played all three outfield positions for Cito Gaston's Blue Jays in 2010. He batted .250/.282/.393 in 118 plate appearances.
Tallet is effective against lefties, but he earned $2MM in 2010 and was getting expensive through arbitration. The 33-year-old pitched to a 6.40 ERA wtih 6.2 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 2010. Against left-handed hitters, Tallet posted 8.6 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9, so I listed him as one of five potential bargain lefties last month.
A’s Claim Edwin Encarnacion
The A's claimed Edwin Encarnacion off of waivers from the Blue Jays, according to the teams. The third baseman hit 21 home runs last year, more than anyone on the A's. Encarnacion batted .244/.305/.482 and reached the 20-homer plateau for the second time in his six-year career. Oakland GM Billy Beane, who acquired David DeJesus earlier in the week, continues his busy offseason search for bats.
The Blue Jays lost Encarnacion for nothing, but that's no surprise. The 27-year-old earned $4.75MM in 2010 and could have earned even more through arbitration in 2011, so he was a non-tender candidate.
Another non-tender candidate, Kevin Kouzmanoff, now faces an uncertain future in Oakland. Encarnacion has played all but nine innings of his big league career at third base, Kouzmanoff’s position. The A’s also have Conor Jackson, Rajai Davis, Coco Crisp, Ryan Sweeney, Jack Cust and DeJesus, so there won’t be many at bats to spare at DH. It appears that Kouzmanoff’s days in Oakland are numbered, especially since he and Encarnacion couldn't platoon (both handle lefties better than righties).
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, have an opening at third base. Jose Bautista played 48 games at the hot corner in 2010, John McDonald can play third and prospect Brad Emaus has experience there, too. However, it seems likely that the Blue Jays will consider acquiring a third baseman through trades or free agency.
Nationals Interested In Jorge De La Rosa
Like the Yankees, the Nationals are pursuing both of the winter’s top free agent left-handers. Not only is Washington eyeing Cliff Lee, the front office is interested in Jorge de la Rosa, according to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson.
When Nationals GM Mike Rizzo was Arizona’s scouting director, he signed De La Rosa to his first pro contract. Twelve years later, the Nationals are looking for front of the rotation starters and De La Rosa is available. Another pitcher with ties to Rizzo, Brandon Webb, is on the Nationals’ radar this winter.
The Yankees and Rockies are among the teams known to have interest in De La Rosa. Assuming Colorado offers arbitration, signing the lefty will cost a top draft pick since he's a Type A free agent. The 29-year-old battled finger injuries in 2010, but still posted a 4.22 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 121 2/3 innings.
Giants, Dodgers Have Interest In Nishioka
The Giants and Dodgers have some interest in Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka, according to Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse (on Twitter). A baseball source suggested to Krasovic that the posting fee to the Chiba Lotte Marines could exceed $4MM. However, reports earlier in the week suggested that the Marines had not yet decided whether to post Nishioka.
The 26-year-old switch hitter batted .346 with 22 steals and 206 hits last year. ESPN.com's Keith Law wrote today that Nishioka can be "valuable as an everyday guy on a second-division club," despite his below-average power and struggles with hard fastballs. For more on the infielder, check out Patrick Newman's analysis at FanGraphs.
The Dodgers have Rafael Furcal at short and Jamey Carroll and non-tender candidate Ryan Theriot at second. The Giants have Freddy Sanchez at second, but shortstops Juan Uribe and Edgar Renteria are free agents.
Olney On Huff, Uribe, Upton, Buck, Downs
One talent evaluator told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that Aubrey Huff posted impressive numbers in 2010 because he “got better as a player." Huff has set himself up for a nice payday and he isn’t the only Giants free agent who stands to cash in this offseason, as Olney explains:
- One GM says players like Juan Uribe, who can hit 20 homers and play in the middle infield, are becoming harder to find. “Five years ago, you could find a lot of guys who could do what he does,” the GM said. “But not now.”
- Olney surveyed scouts and executives about the A’s-Royals trade and everyone said it was a good deal for both clubs.
- Rival teams believe the Rays are willing to trade B.J. Upton. What’s more, Tampa Bay wouldn’t have to be overwhelmed to agree to a deal.
- The Yankees are interested in John Buck, but the catcher could likely command a two-year deal (possibly from the Red Sox) and it seems unlikely that the Yankees would offer more than a one-year contract.
- In a series of tweets, Olney explains that the Blue Jays may only obtain a second or third round pick for losing Type A free agent Scott Downs (they will also get a compensation pick if they offer arbitration). There's a chance that Downs' new team will sign another free agent with a higher ranking, which would prevent Toronto from getting a first rounder.
Collins, Hurdle, Melvin Leading Candidates For Mets
Terry Collins, Clint Hurdle and Bob Melvin are the leading candidates to become the Mets’ next manager, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The three former big league skippers will all likely get second interviews for the position. Mets third base coach Chip Hale may also advance to the next stage of interviews and GM Sandy Alderson may interview former Met Jose Oquendo as an additional candidate.
Mets bench coach Dave Jauss, Blue Jays bench coach Don Wakamatsu, Red Sox bench coach DeMarlo Hale and Class A manager Wally Backman have already had first round interviews, according to Rubin. Multiple sources tell Rubin that they don’t expect former Mets infielder Tim Teufel to become a candidate for the job.
Rangers Pursuing Lee, V-Mart; Can Spend Big
The Rangers have enough spending power to add Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Texas is pursuing both free agents and has approval from ownership to boost payroll above $90MM.
The Rangers opened the 2010 season with a $55MM payroll, but new ownership, a new TV deal, better attendance and a World Series appearance have put the team in a position to spend. The former Indians teammates are among the most highly coveted free agents available; seven to eight teams have shown interest in Lee and Martinez has drawn interest from at least six teams, including the Red Sox and Tigers.
Yankees Interested In Jorge De La Rosa
Cliff Lee isn't the only free agent left-hander who's drawing interest from the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers have expressed interest in Jorge de la Rosa, according to Mark Feinsand and Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. GM Brian Cashman did not confirm the club’s interest in De La Rosa, but he did acknowledge that he has made “a lot of phone calls” to free agents.
Cashman told Feinsand that he is impressed with Lee's demeanor and postseason experience, but has not yet made the left-hander an offer. Lee and De La Rosa are both Type A free agents, so signing either player will cost a top pick, assuming both receive offers of arbitration from their former clubs.
New York Rumors: Beltran, Lee, Jeter, Santos
Rangers officials have told friends that they expect the Yankees to offer Cliff Lee so many years that other teams will have to back off, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. But team president Nolan Ryan is expected to push aggressively for Lee's return, so it's far too early to rule Texas out. Here's the latest on the Yankees and the Mets:
- Carlos Beltran says he'd prefer to play center field, but is open to playing right, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo (on Twitter). Beltran also told reporters he would consider waiving his no-trade clause.
- Sherman predicts the Yankees will sign Lee to a five-year $125MM deal. The imagined contract would pay Lee $23MM for five seasons with a sixth year option for $25MM ($10MM buyout).
- The Yankees say they're extremely unlikely to pursue a free agent catcher, since they want to give their young catching a real chance to emerge in 2011 as Jorge Posada transitions to DH.
- Mark Simon of ESPNNewYork.com looks back at some recent contracts to prove that locking up pitchers to long-term deals is risky.
- The Yankees don't want to surrender a draft pick to sign a Type A free agent like Scott Downs, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff (on Twitter).
- It's unlikely that the Yankees will agree to a deal with Derek Jeter next week, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.
- There's been a lot of Moneyball talk about the Mets front office, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports believes Sandy Alderson, J.P. Ricciardi and Paul DePodesta are not about ideology. "This is about picking the right players and all of the different ways it can be done."
- Alderson interviewed Clint Hurdle and Don Wakamatsu at Citi Field yesterday, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Next up, the GM will interview Mets Triple-A manager Ken Oberkfell in the Dominican Republic.
- Omir Santos and Mike Hessman are free agents after refusing minor league assignments, according to Rubin (on Twitter).
Twins Rumors: Payroll, Iwakuma, Pavano
The Twins spent about $101MM on payroll in their first season at Target Field. Now that Joe Mauer's $184MM extension is about to kick in, the team will likely be even more expensive in 2011. Here are the details on Minnesota's offseason plans:
- Team president David St. Peter says "the payroll is going to go up," according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
- Christensen reported earlier in the week that the Twins made a bid on Hisashi Iwakuma, who ultimately went to the A's.
- The bid shows that the Twins have interest in adding a starter to a group of rotation candidates that includes Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano, Brian Duensing, Nick Blackburn and Kevin Slowey. It also suggests the team is preparing for the possibility that Carl Pavano will sign elsewhere.