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Blue Jays Notes: Manager, Blockbuster

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The Blue Jays have made more moves than any other team to this point in the offseason, completing six waiver claims, a managerial deal, two multiyear free agent contracts and a blockbuster trade. Here’s the latest from Toronto…

  • The Blue Jays are focusing on veteran managers, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. They’ve told some people they’d prefer to hire an established manager “with an edge,” according to Knobler. The Blue Jays have spoken to Hargrove, but they haven’t spoken to Jim Fregosi, Jim Riggleman or Bobby Valentine and don’t appear to have contacted Lou Piniella.
  • The Blue Jays have asked former Mariners executives about former Seattle manager Mike Hargrove, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reports (on Twitter). Hargrove, 63, has experience managing the Indians, Orioles and Mariners. The Indians made it to the World Series in 1995 and 1997 under Hargrove, who played at the MLB level for 12 seasons.
  • The Blue Jays-Marlins blockbuster is still on the path to approval, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (all Twitter links). The delay in announcing the deal indicates that commissioner Bud Selig isn’t pleased with the Marlins. Though Selig can take his time evaluating the trade, the teams could get approval as soon as today and it’d be a shock if it doesn’t go through.

Cubs To Sign Shawn Camp

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The Cubs agreed to sign Shawn Camp to a one-year contract, the team announced. Agent Dave Meier represents Camp, who will earn a base salary of $1.35MM plus up to $200K in performance bonuses, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter).

Camp, who turned 37 yesterday, pitched out of the Cubs’ bullpen in 2012, appearing in a career-high 80 games. He tied for the MLB lead in appearances and posted a 3.59 ERA with 6.3 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 47.4% ground ball rate in 77 2/3 innings. The Mariners signed Camp in February, but released him toward the end of Spring Training at which point the Cubs signed him to a minor league deal.

Multiyear Deals So Far This Offseason

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Eleven free agents have signed multiyear contracts to this point in the offseason, as MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker shows. Of the 11 players with multiyear contracts, five have agreed to terms with new teams (Gerald Laird, David Ross, Torii Hunter, Maicer Izturis and Melky Cabrera).

If recent offseasons are any indication, these 11 deals will represent approximately one quarter of the multiyear contracts signed this winter. Last offseason saw teams hand out 40 multiyear deals and the year before that included 44 contracts of two-plus years.

Still, the biggest and longest contracts have yet to be signed. So far Jake Peavy's two-year, $29MM contract with the White Sox leads the way in terms of total dollars. Izturis, Jeremy Affeldt and Brandon League are the only players to obtain three guaranteed years.

MLBTR’s tracker allows you to filter free agents by many criteria: team, position, signing status, years, and dollars. Plus, we recently made it possible to filter free agents according to whether they obtained, accepted and declined qualifying offers. You can also link to your search results, which makes them easy to share.

For the most part, our cutoff for a player's inclusion on the tracker is 50 MLB plate appearances or 20 innings pitched in 2012. We also have a basic list that shows which free agents remain available at each position.

Offseason Outlook: Toronto Blue Jays

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While the Blue Jays have already addressed many of their offseason needs, they're probably not done making changes just yet.

Guaranteed Contracts

Arbitration Eligible Players (estimated salaries)

  • Cory Wade, RP: $700K (first time eligible, non-tender candidate)
  • Bobby Wilson, C: $600K (first time eligible, non-tender candidate)
  • Colby Rasmus, OF: $4.5MM (second time eligible)
  • J.A. Happ, SP: $3.8MM (second time eligible)

Free Agents

The Blue Jays made one of the biggest trades in franchise history this week, re-shaping their roster and restoring hope for a fan base that has grown tired of mediocre results. Two weeks into the offseason, this team looks much different — and much stronger — than the one that took the field under John Farrell for the final game of the season last month. Much of Alex Anthopoulos’ work is done, but he still has many needs to address before Spring Training.

Jose Reyes - Marlins (PW)

The 2012 season opened with no-so-cautious optimism only to unravel because of injuries and limited pitching depth, and end with the revelation that the manager wanted out. While the disappointment has faded, the shortcomings of the 2012 team will inform Anthopoulos’ decisions as the rest of the winter unfolds.

Now that the GM Meetings are over and the trade with Miami has been agreed upon, Blue Jays executives can resume their managerial search. They appear to have selected two finalists for the position, so a decision could come soon. Whenever they do select a manager, they must be certain their selection wants to be in Toronto. Farrell’s interest in Boston became a serious problem toward the end of his tenure in Toronto.

The Blue Jays had one of the worst starting rotations in baseball this past season. Pick a metric — innings, ERA, wins above replacement, strikeout rate, walk rate — and Blue Jays starters were among the worst in MLB. That should change in 2013, when Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson join the rotation. By acquiring the former Marlins starters, Anthopoulos addressed the team's most pressing need in a meaningful way.

Still, the Blue Jays shouldn’t stop adding pitching depth now. They don’t need to spend on a prominent free agent starter, especially after taking on so much payroll in their trade with the Marlins. Free agents such as Brandon McCarthy, Shaun Marcum and Scott Feldman would strengthen Toronto’s depth and prevent injuries from being so costly when they inevitably occur. Free agents might even be more inclined to sign with the Blue Jays now that they’ve made such a significant trade. If not, the Blue Jays could pursue trades for pitchers such as Trevor Bauer, Gavin Floyd and Jon Niese.

The Blue Jays have enviable catching depth at a time that many MLB teams figure to have interest in upgrading at the position. The club could trade either John Buck or J.P. Arencibia if the right deal emerges. In fact both catchers bat right-handed and hit left-handers better than right-handers, so to an extent they're redundant on the same roster. Anthopoulos could look to engage the Rangers, Yankees, White Sox, Mets, Mariners and Astros in trade talks for the catchers this winter.

The depth of the Blue Jays’ bullpen will depend on whether Darren Oliver returns for another season. The Blue Jays exercised their 2013 option for the veteran left-hander, but he hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll play another year. He’d be an asset for the Blue Jays, even at age 42. He struck out 8.3 batters per nine innings pitching last year, lowering his ERA for the fifth consecutive season.

Though right-handers Jason Frasor and Brandon Lyon are hitting free agency, the Blue Jays did complete a trade for Esmil Rogers. Sergio Santos and Luis Perez both underwent surgery this past July, and could join the Blue Jays late in the 2013 season. It'd still make sense for the Blue Jays to pursue another reliever to be sure they have enough pitching depth for the first half of the season.

The Blue Jays' decision to sign Melky Cabrera makes lots of sense, since the team didn't have a clear answer in left field. Now Rajai Davis stays on the bench and Anthony Gose and Moises Sierra presumably return to the minor leagues, where they'll provide depth. Cabrera, the most expensive free agent addition the Blue Jays have made under Anthopoulos, costs $16MM over two years, a reasonable sum for an All-Star caliber player in his prime. There are lingering questions about Cabrera, who served a 50-game suspension for having elevated levels of testosterone. Still, he has considerable upside, so paying him at the same level as Jason Kubel and Coco Crisp seems reasonable.

Two new additions, Bonifacio and Izturis, can both handle second base. Though it's possible the Blue Jays will consider other options at the position, there's not much available in free agency and the trade market doesn't seem much more promising.

The Blue Jays' class of arbitration eligible players consists of just four players. Two of them, Cory Wade and Bobby Wilson, could lose their roster spots. Colby Rasmus and J.A. Happ will be tendered contracts, but neither players seems like an obvious extension candidate at this stage.

Since the season ended last month, the Blue Jays have already traded a manager, completed a franchise-changing blockbuster deal, signed two free agents to multiyear contracts and claimed six players on waivers. Some teams don’t do as much in an entire offseason. For Anthopoulos and the Blue Jays there’s still work to be done between now and Opening Day.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Quick Hits: Cabrera, Slowey, Cardinals, Marlins

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The Blue Jays continued adding to their roster today, agreeing to terms with free agent outfielder Melky Cabrera on a two-year contract worth $16MM. Here are some links from around MLB, starting with Cabrera…

  • The Indians had interest in Cabrera before he agreed to terms in Toronto, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports (on Twitter).
  • Not surprisingly, the Giants weren’t interested, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter). Instead, the Giants remain focused on re-signing Angel Pagan, Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com reports.
  • Right-hander Kevin Slowey, who spent this past season pitching for the Indians' Triple-A team, is generating some interest as a free agent, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The 28-year-old hit free agency earlier in the month.
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said he expects to tender contracts to all of the team’s remaining arbitration eligible players, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (on Twitter). The Cardinals recently released Kyle McClellan, but their arbitration class doesn't include other non-tender candidates.
  • Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel explains how agent David Sloane worked around the Marlins' policy of not granting no-trade clauses to make sure that Carlos Delgado wouldn't pay higher taxes if moved. Former Marlins players such as Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle face different tax laws in Toronto than they did in Miami.

Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

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If you prefer your MLBTR fix limited to only your favorite team, we've got you covered.  Below are links to our team Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds.

AL East

AL Central

AL West

NL East

NL Central

NL West

Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

Offseason Outlook: Texas Rangers

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The Rangers will seek a catcher, pursue outfielders and add pitching in the coming months.

Guaranteed Contracts

Arbitration Eligible Players (estimated salaries)

Free Agents

In the aftermath of a respectable but ultimately disappointing season, the Rangers find themselves on the threshold of a potentially transformative winter. Their franchise player could sign elsewhere and they have a number of significant needs around the diamond. Yet there are enough impact players assembled on this roster for GM Jon Daniels to focus on their few pressing needs and continue winning in 2013.

Josh Hamilton - Rangers (PW)

To say the Rangers' offseason revolves around Josh Hamilton wouldn't be accurate. Now that the Rangers have made him a qualifying offer and he has rejected it, the team's involvement with its former star could be over. The Rangers could pursue Hamilton, but they seem to have reservations about making him a long-term offer. Instead, they're expected to pursue other outfielders.

With corner outfielders David Murphy and Nelson Cruz under team control for another year, the Rangers are a potential match for center fielders. Michael Bourn, B.J. Upton and Angel Pagan are among the center fielders headlining a deep group of free agent outfielders. Perhaps the Rangers will bid on one of these players to replace Hamilton as the club's primary center field option. If the Rangers prefer not to rely on Craig Gentry and Leonys Martin in center field, pursuing free agents at the position makes sense.

The Rangers are also interested in corner outfielders Nick Swisher and Justin Upton. Manager Ron Washington could move Nelson Cruz to DH and make Michael Young a utility player if Daniels acquires a right fielder such as Swisher or Upton. The Rangers attempted to acquire Andrelton Simmons from the Braves for Mike Olt in order to flip Simmons to Arizona in a deal for Upton. However, it doesn't appear that the Rangers will trade Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar to acquire the Arizona right fielder.

Even so, I'm sure this isn't the last time we'll hear the names Andrus and Profar in trade rumors this winter. Teams in need of shortstops figure to call the Rangers about the possibility of making a trade for one of their talented, young infielders. Few players have more trade value than Andrus, an All-Star caliber 24-year-old signed to a reasonable contract through 2014, or Profar, the switch-hitting 19-year-old regarded as one of the top prospects in MLB. Expect the Rangers to keep Andrus and Profar unless they obtain an equally talented player in return.

If anyone could persuade the Rangers to part with Andrus and Profar it's Andrew Friedman. The Rays executive could move David Price or James Shields this winter, and Tampa Bay could use a shortstop. Price will earn a substantial raise through arbitration and the Rays have starting pitching depth, so both sides could be motivated to complete a deal structured around Price and a Texas shortstop.

It's also possible the Rangers could move Andrus or Profar to second base and move Kinsler to another position, likely the outfield. This could push an outfielder such as Murphy or Cruz to DH and shift Young into a reserve role.

Alternatively, the Rangers could continue using Olt as a trade chip to acquire a starting pitcher. As a controllable player who posted excellent numbers throughout the minor leagues, Olt has considerable trade value.

If the Rangers don't like opposing teams' asking prices in trade talks, they could bolster their rotation via free agency. Zack Greinke, MLBTR's top ranked free agent, interests Texas' front office executives. He'd be an excellent fit alongside Yu Darvish, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Alexi Ogando. The Rangers have expanded payroll in recent years, and if they intend to continue spending $120MM-plus on payroll, Greinke could be a long-term fit. Anibal Sanchez and Edwin Jackson are among the other free agent starters who could interest the Rangers. Expect Ryan Dempster to sign elsewhere.

The Rangers also need to add middle relief at a time that Koji Uehara, Mike Adams and Mark Lowe are hitting free agency. The team could pursue some of its own free agents or look to others such as Joakim Soria, Jason Grilli, Jason Frasor and Octavio Dotel. It'd make sense to stay in touch with right-hander Scott Feldman. The free agent could provide depth at a reasonable salary, as Dave Cameron recently explained at FanGraphs.

Now that Mike Napoli has hit free agency, the Rangers are without a clear solution at catcher. They're expected to non-tender Geovany Soto given the former Rookie of the Year's projected $4.6MM salary, which means it'll soon be time to consider free agents and trade candidates. A.J. Pierzynski could appeal to the Rangers, and they're considering Russell Martin. Those are the most appealing free agents out there unless they circle back to Napoli. They won't find a catcher with more power than Napoli, who missed time with a quad injury this past season. The trade market could include J.P. Arencibia and former Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who has spent the past two and a half seasons with the Red Sox.

The Rangers' class of arbitration eligible players includes just one non-tender candidate — Soto. The club could look to extend Harrison or Murphy later on in the winter.

Losing Hamilton would be a blow, especially in the short term. And Daniels has an extensive to-do list, there’s no question about that. But the Rangers have adapted on the fly before. With their roster and resources, there’s reason for optimism as the offseason begins.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Offseason Outlook: New York Yankees

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The Yankees must address a number of needs on offense and on the pitching staff — all while looking to avoid the MLB luxury tax by 2014.

Guaranteed Contracts

Arbitration Eligible Players (estimated salaries)

Free Agents

In his tenure as Yankees’ GM, Brian Cashman has often strengthened his team with free agent additions. It’s time for some role reversal: the Yankees could lose their catcher, their closer, both corner outfielders and a dependable starter to free agency this offseason. As the Yankees prepare to lower payroll for 2014, Cashman must retain some of New York’s free agents and pursue outside help for the Yankees to hold onto top spot in the AL East.

Mariano Rivera - Yankees (PW)

The Yankees have more needs than usual this offseason. They must address their starting lineup, their rotation, their bench, and their bullpen on an apparently limited budget. Let's start with the spending restrictions, since there's something jarring about the notion of the Yankees lowering payroll.

There are significant financial incentives for the Yankees to avoid the luxury of $189MM for 2014. They have committed less than $70MM to the '14 team, so avoiding the tax seems simple enough until you realize that they still have to pay Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson and about 20 others. The way I see it, it'll be challenging for the Yankees to lower payroll below $189MM as long as they continue to rely so heavily on baseball's most expensive commodity: established stars. If their reliance on star players diminishes, and they evolve into a team that’s built around younger players, capping costs will be easier. And that, according to Cashman and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, has become the plan for sustained success in New York. Still, the Yankees have downplayed their interest in free agency before only to spend big, so many observers will have to see this team show restraint to believe it.

The rotation always seems to be an area of need for New York. The Yankees wisely offered Hiroki Kuroda a qualifying offer only to have the veteran right-hander decline. He'd be an excellent addition given his effectiveness. As a bonus, he'll consider one-year deals. If Kuroda signs elsewhere, the Yankees will have to look at alternatives. Ryan Dempster and Dan Haren are among the starters who might accept the kind of contracts that won't compromise the team's ability to avoid the luxury tax. The Yankees have never seemed convinced Zack Greinke could thrive in New York, but the point is moot, since he appears to be too expensive.

The Yankees might get another season from Andy Pettitte, who returned from retirement to make 12 strong regular season starts and two more in October. Re-signing Pettitte would be advisable, even if he doesn't pitch a full season. The 40-year-old has a history of playing well in the postseason, a bonus for any team that threatens for championships annually.

Some speculative trade targets for the Yankees: Brett Anderson, Gavin Floyd, Ricky Nolasco and Chris Capuano. I'm taking the team at its word and excluding Felix Hernandez from this list because he's now earning close to market value.

Mariano Rivera, arguably the best reliever of all time, and Rafael Soriano, the Yankees' top reliever in 2012, are both free agents this offseason. Assuming Rivera continues pitching, the Yankees should bring him back, perhaps for one year at $15MM. While spending on relievers often seems unnecessary, these are exceptional circumstances: the richest team in baseball needs relief help and its Hall of Fame closer is available on what will presumably be a short-term contract. Expect the sides to reach an agreement.

If the Yankees bring Rivera back, Soriano will presumably leave in search of a closing job elsewhere. The Yankees would obtain a 2013 draft pick in that case, since they made Soriano a qualifying offer. It's possible the Yankees will decide to pursue a setup reliever. Joakim Soria seems interested and could be one option. 

Russell Martin finished the season strong, improving his free agent stock in the process. Naturally, the Yankees aren't eager to overpay. Still, they're interested in Martin, one of the top free agent catchers out there. Mike Napoli, another free agent catcher, has also drawn interest from New York. He'd be an intriguing fit, since the Yankees could keep him in the lineup most days by using him as a part-time designated hitter.

That's another one of the positions Cashman must address this offseason. Playoff hero Raul Ibanez has hit free agency along with Andruw Jones. The Yankees might prefer to keep the DH spot open for days when Jeter, Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira could use a rest, so they won't necessarily target a high-profile bat for the position. Re-signing Ibanez as a platoon bat could make sense, since he provided power all year long before his postseason heroics.

Nick Swisher will probably sign elsewhere, which means the Yankees will be seeking at least one corner outfielder. They showed interest in Torii Hunter and could now turn to free agents such as Cody Ross and Shane Victorino. I think the Yankees should target Shin-Soo Choo in a trade, since he'd add lots of value in right field on a limited one-year commitment. Andre Ethier makes less sense given the Yankees' interest in avoiding the luxury tax. 

Meanwhile, Brett Gardner projects as the starter in left field. If the Yankees are concerned about the health of Gardner's elbow, they could become more aggressive in their search for outfield depth. The Yankees haven't ruled out the possibility of re-signing midseason acquisition Ichiro Suzuki.

Granderson has a case for a long-term extension now that he's just one year away from free agency. The Yankees will almost surely want to sign Cano long-term as well. The team has policy of waiting until players hit free agency to negotiate new contracts, but Cashman could allow for an exception or two this winter. If he does, he'll have to be prepared to spend. Cano has a case for a deal worth in excess of $200MM.

The Yankees have a substantial class of arbitration eligible players that includes much of their bullpen. The group includes three non tender candidates in Jayson Nix, David Herndon and Eli Whiteside. It seems unlikely that any arbitration eligible players will obtain extensions given the Yankees' team policy.

Cashman faces a challenging offseason — perhaps his toughest assignment in recent years. At a time that his stars are aging and his resources are diminishing, the GM must address multiple major needs.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Tigers To Sign Torii Hunter

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The Tigers have agreed to sign Torii Hunter to a two-year deal, the team announced. The Reynolds Sports Management client will earn $26MM from 2013-14. To the Tigers, it's a worthwhile investment.

Torii Hunter - Angels (PW)

“Torii Hunter is a quality major league player who is a tremendous addition to the Tigers organization both on and off the field,” Tigers president and GM Dave Dombrowski said in a statement released by the team. “He continues to be a consistent contributor at the plate, in the outfield and on bases, and we feel Torii is a great fit for our lineup.”

Hunter joins a Tigers lineup that includes Austin Jackson, Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez. The Tigers view Hunter as a number two hitter, Rosenthal reported yesterday. The 37-year-old figures to play right field for Detroit with Jackson in center and an internal option — perhaps Andy Dirks or Avisail Garcia — in left.

Hunter posted a .313/.365/.451 batting line with 16 home runs in 584 plate appearances as the Angels' right fielder last year. Advanced metrics valued his performance above five wins, but he didn’t obtain a qualifying offer from Los  Angeles. Perhaps wary of his age and league-best .389 batting average on balls in play, the Angels let Hunter leave without compensation. That’s a bonus for the Tigers who don’t have to surrender a draft choice to add their longtime AL Central rival.

Hunter ranked 20th on MLBTR's list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents. I predicted he would sign in Detroit and wrote today that Hunter would be a good fit in the team’s outfield at the right price. So far five contestants in MLBTR’s Free Agent Prediction Contest have correctly predicted the destinations of all five free agents who have signed.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement and Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported the value of the contract (on Twitter). Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Padres Acquire Ross For Parrino, Werner

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The Padres announced that they acquired right-hander Tyson Ross and infielder A.J. Kirby-Jones from the A's for infielder Andy Parrino and left-hander Andrew Werner. None of the four players have enough service time to be arbitration eligible.

Ross started 13 games and made five relief appearances for the Athletics this past season. The 25-year-old posted a 6.50 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 73 1/3 innings. The 2012 campaign was Ross' third at the MLB level. Ross is the older brother of Joe Ross, the right-hander selected by the Padres in the first round of the 2011 draft.

Kirby-Jones, 24, played at Class A this past season. The first baseman has a .248/.384/.448 batting line over the course of his three-year minor league career.

Parrino appeared in 55 games for the Padres in 2012, playing shortstop, second base, third base and right field. The 27-year-old switch hitter posted a .207/.316/.276 batting line in 138 plate appearances.

Werner debuted with the Padres this past season, starting eight games at the MLB level. The 25-year-old posted a 5.58 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 40 1/3 innings with San Diego. He signed with the Padres as an amateur free agent two years ago.

 

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