Odds & Ends: Lee, Blue Jays, Mets, Hampton
Here are the rest of the day's links on the 11th anniversary of the Shawn Green–Raul Mondesi trade…
- Darek Braunecker, the agent for Cliff Lee, told the AP (on CBS Sports) that his client is “clearly the best player on the free-agent market.” Hard to argue with that one.
- If the A's reach a deal with Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma, they'll have a surplus of arms and a number of suitors for them, so Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea wouldn't be surprised if Oakland flips a starter for some offense this offseason.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson will interview DeMarlo Hale, Clint Hurdle and Don Wakamatsu for the team's managerial opening according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News hears that the Mets will also consider internal candidates Tim Teufel and Ken Oberkfell.
- The Blue Jays announced that Wakamatsu will serve as the team's bench coach assuming the Mets don't hire him to be their next manager. Joining Wakamatsu on John Farrell's staff: former AL Cy Young Award winner Pat Hentgen.
- Derrek Lee, who had surgery on a ligament in his right thumb, told Yahoo's Tim Brown that he'd like to sign with a team that has a good chance of reaching the playoffs.
- The Pirates agreed to a minor league deal with left-handed reliever Justin Thomas, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
- Mike Hampton, who pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings with Arizona last year, wants to pitch again and is drawing interest, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Rockies Interested In Westbrook, Garland, Kuroda
The Rockies are interested in Jake Westbrook, Jon Garland and Hiroki Kuroda and will be in touch with the representatives for all three starters, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). Free agent left-handers Jeff Francis and Jorge de la Rosa may not return to Colorado, so the Rockies are exploring the open market in case they have to look elsewhere to solidify their rotation.
The Dodgers may also have interest in Westbrook, Garland and Kuroda, according to the LA Times. The pitchers figure to be looking for multi-year deals. Last week Garland turned down his side of a $6.75MM option with the Padres, which suggests he'll look for a longer term contract. The Cardinals were discussing an extension with Westbrook last month, but the sides didn't reach a deal.
None of the Rockies' three potential targets will cost a compensation pick; Garland and Kuroda are Type B free agents and Westbrook is not ranked. They are among the more attractive free agent starters other than Cliff Lee, De La Rosa and Carl Pavano. Click here for details on the free agent market for righty and lefty starters.
Renteria Open To Playing Second Base
Edgar Renteria told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes that he would not mind switching to second base if that’s where a potential suitor needs him most (link in Spanish). Renteria says switching to third would be more difficult, but he is confident that he could play second. The 34-year-old has never played second or third base in over 2,000 games at the major league level.
Renteria’s willingness to move to second could lead to offers from teams like the Rockies and Dodgers, who have potential openings at second base and established shortstops.
The World Series MVP's postseason heroics should help him convince teams he can still play despite a forgettable regular season performance. The Colombia native batted .276/.332/.374 in 267 plate appearance last year, battling elbow, groin, hamstring and shoulder injuries. He considered retirement, but recently announced his intention to play in 2011.
Reds Rumors: Cairo, Hernandez, Rhodes, Arroyo
Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he doesn’t expect to sign a big name free agent this winter. Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee will likely be playing elsewhere next year, though the Reds will boost payroll in 2011.
“I’m always trying to do something, but [signing a top free agent] would be pretty tough,” Jocketty said.
The Reds have had preliminary talks with the agents for Miguel Cairo, Ramon Hernandez and Arthur Rhodes, but Jocketty says he hasn’t yet exchanged potential salaries. The Reds have not spoken to Bronson Arroyo about an extension since picking up his option last week and they are not currently discussing long-term deals with Joey Votto or Jay Bruce.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote yesterday that he expected the Reds to complete a two-year extension with Arroyo this week. Jocketty has said he'd like to reach a deal before the 2011 season begins, but the potential contract may not become a priority until later this offseason.
The Marlins’ Offer To Dan Uggla: Part 2
Back in September, the Marlins offered Dan Uggla a three-year deal “in the range of” $24MM, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Uggla should earn $10MM through arbitration next season after hitting 33 homers and posting a career-best .877 OPS in 2010, so the team’s initial offer seemed inadequate, as I pointed out at the time:
“The Marlins' offer does not appear to be worth taking, but the sides have six months before the 2011 season, so the team's proposal is by no means final.”
The Marlins have since doubled the value of their offer and are now prepared to spend $48MM over four years, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. If we assume Uggla is set for a payday of roughly $10MM in 2011, that means the Marlins are offering nearly $13MM per year for Uggla’s age 32-34 seasons. Those would otherwise be free agent years for the second baseman, who can hit the open market after 2011.
Uggla may be able to earn more than $38MM for his 2012-14 production if he hits free agency instead of signing an extension. But the Marlins are willing to offer the money now. For Uggla to have a shot at a $50MM payday next offseason, he would have to stay healthy and continue hitting 30 homers a year.
Uggla hasn’t accepted the Marlins’ offer and if he still wants the five-year $58MM deal he was reportedly seeking earlier in the fall, he may not accept it. That’s his prerogative, of course, but Florida’s offer now seems fair.
Yankees Likely To Offer Jeter $45-60MM
The Yankees are likely to offer Derek Jeter a three-year deal worth $45-60MM, according to Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com. One of Matthews’ sources, someone intimately familiar with knowledge of the team’s negotiations with agent Casey Close, says the Yankees are prepared to “overpay” the shortstop.
No team other than the Yankees has shown interest in Jeter, according to Matthews’ sources. That's not a surprise, considering that Jeter seems likely to re-sign in New York. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote Friday that "Jeter is still Jeter, the Yankees are still the Yankees and no other team will be a factor" [in the negotiations]. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported that the Yankees are willing to pay Jeter more than any other team would, even though they aren’t going to invest recklessly in their captain.
MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted a four-year $65MM deal between Jeter and the Yankees.
Why Most Type A Free Agents Won’t Sign Right Away
Free agents can now negotiate with any team, but it would be a surprise to see more than a few Type As sign in the next two weeks. Clubs forfeit a top draft pick if they sign Type A free agents before the deadline for teams to offer arbitration to departing free agents. That means teams are probably going to wait until after November 23rd to sign Type A free agents who aren't guaranteed offers of arbitration. If the player's former team doesn't offer arbitration he won't cost anything despite his Type A ranking, so the signing team gets to keep its draft pick.
Some Type A free agents – Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee, for example – are definitely getting offers of arbitration from their former clubs. But the group of Type As below won't necessarily see offers of arbitration, so it seems likely that teams will wait until after the 23rd to finalize deals. Their patience could allow them to hold onto picks in the 2011 draft.
Grant Balfour, Frank Francisco, Jason Frasor, Vladimir Guerrero, Matt Guerrier, Ramon Hernandez, Paul Konerko, Derrek Lee, Bengie Molina, Magglio Ordonez, Carl Pavano, A.J. Pierzynski, Manny Ramirez, Arthur Rhodes, Takashi Saito, Miguel Tejada and Dan Wheeler could certainly re-sign with their former clubs in the next two weeks, but it seems unlikely that they'll reach deals with new teams before November 23rd.
The Offseason Calendar
The offseason can truly begin now that teams no longer have exclusive rights to their own free agents. As the clock struck midnight, players gained the right to start negotiating with all teams. MLB and the MLBPA moved the offseason schedule forward this fall. Here are the dates you need to know:
- November 7th – Free agents can negotiate with any team
- November 16th-17th – GM Meetings, Orlando, Florida
- November 23rd – Deadline for teams to offer arbitration to their own free agents
- November 30th – Deadline for players to accept or decline arbitration offers from their former teams
- December 2nd – Deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration eligible players
- December 6th-9th – Winter Meetings, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
- January 18th – Teams and players exchange salary arbitration figures
Five More Potential Free Agents
SATURDAY, 10:47am: CBSSports.com reports that German, Mathis, and McCarthy all refused the minor league assignments and elected to become free agents.
FRIDAY, 3:54pm: Two White Sox will soon hit free agency and a trio of Rangers could join them before long. Left-hander Randy Williams and catcher Donny Lucy were outrighted and will soon become free agents, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin (on Twitter).
Meanwhile, the Rangers outrighted Esteban German, Doug Mathis and Brandon McCarthy off of the 40-man roster and all three can become free agents, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. McCarthy was a non-tender candidate, though he's just 27, made 17 useful starts for the Rangers last year and posted a 3.36 ERA at Triple-A in 2010.
Takahashi Seeks Three Years, $12-15MM
5:18pm: David Waldstein of The New York Times reports that the two sides are expected to announce later today that they could not reach a deal. The Mets will have to release Takahashi per the terms of their contract.
11:56am: Hisanori Takahashi has until midnight to negotiate a deal with the Mets, but it doesn't look like the sides will reach a deal unless the left-hander lowers his demands. Takahashi is asking for a three-year deal worth $4-5MM per season, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com confirms Heyman's report (on Twitter).
The Mets offered Takahashi a one-year deal before current GM Sandy Alderson took over, according to the New York Times. If the Mets don't agree to a deal with Takahashi tonight, he would not be able to re-sign in New York and pitch before May 15th. That essentially means he's signing elsewhere if he doesn't reach an agreement with the team tonight.