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Braves Claim Jordan Schafer

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The Braves announced that they claimed outfielder Jordan Schafer off of waivers from the Astros. Schafer played in the Braves' organization from 2005-11 before going to Houston in last summer's Michael Bourn trade.

Schafer appeared in 106 games for the Astros this past season, posting a .211/.297/.294 batting line with 27 stolen bases as the team's primary center fielder. The 26-year-old spent most of August on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. Now that Bourn's a free agent Schafer provides the Braves with some insurance in center field. Atlanta originally selected him in the third round of the 2005 draft.

Rangers Considering Zack Greinke

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The Rangers are seriously considering the idea of pursuing free agent right-hander Zack Greinke, according to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. The Rangers are studying the possibility of signing Greinke, though their interest will depend on his asking price.

Not only would signing Greinke provide the Rangers’ rotation with a boost, it would prevent the free agent from returning to Anaheim. Re-signing Greinke is a "huge priority" for the Angels, Danny Knobler reported yesterday. The pursuit of Greinke will get “serious” with the Angels and Rangers involved, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com wrote today (Twitter link). The Dodgers could also be interested, since they need pitching and have the resources to spend big on free agents.

Greinke is MLBTR’s top-ranked free agent for the upcoming offseason. The Excel Sports Management client won’t be able to sign with a team other than the Angels until Saturday morning. Check out MLBTR’s complete list of the year’s top 50 free agents and predict their ultimate destinations while you’re at it.

Offseason Outlook: Philadelphia Phillies

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The Phillies must acquire at least one outfielder and pursue upgrades at third base.

Guaranteed Contracts

Arbitration Eligible Players (estimated salaries)

Contract Options

Free Agents

The Phillies are in unfamiliar territory this offseason. Their streak of consecutive division titles has ended at five, and the Nationals and Braves are now the teams to beat in the NL East. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. will pursue outfielders and third basemen this offseason, as the Phillies attempt to re-establish themselves as one of the premier teams in the National League.

Cliff Lee - Phillies (PW)

Just a few months after trading Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence the Phillies need outfielders. Fortunately for Amaro, the free agent market features a strong class of outfielders this offseason. The Phillies should have the resources to bid for top free agents after spending approximately $170MM on payroll in both of the past two seasons.

No free agent matches Josh Hamilton in terms of potential impact. The Phillies could be a fit the free agent outfielder, and we know Amaro likes to make splashes — sometimes unexpected ones. That doesn't always mean bidding on the top free agent available, however. Former Phillies outfielder Michael Bourn could be a target, and so could free agents such as Angel Pagan and B.J. Upton.

Alternatively, the Phillies could rely on John Mayberry in center field and pursue a corner outfielder such as Melky Cabrera or Nick Swisher. They have internal outfield options in Mayberry, Domonic Brown and Darin Ruf, but that's probably not enough certainty for a team that sees itself as a contender.

If the Phillies look to the trade market for outfield depth, they could pursue players such as Shin-Soo Choo, Denard Span, Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp, Justin Upton, Peter Bourjos and Jacoby Ellsbury. They have lots of options given the outfield depth in the upcoming free agent class and their ability to take on payroll.

Upgrading at third base won't be as easy. The Phillies declined their $5.5MM club option for Placido Polanco and will instead outside of the organization for help at the hot corner (no, Chase Utley won't shift over to third). There's not much available in free agency, with Kevin Youkilis leading an unremarkable free agent class. 

Some intriguing trade options could emerge at third base. Chase Headley and David Wright are now viewed as extension candidates following tremendous seasons. If contract talks don't go as planned and one of these players becomes available, the Phillies should attempt to strike a deal. Acquiring Wright would presumably be extremely difficult since he plays in the Phillies' division. The Phillies do have some internal options at third in Freddy Galvis and Kevin Frandsen.

Cliff Lee drew trade interest this past summer despite a contract that calls for annual salaries of $25MM through 2015. If the Phillies determine that they're getting to close to the MLB luxury tax, they could trade Lee and clear payroll. The Dodgers and Rangers are two of the many teams that would presumably have some interest in the left-hander. Still, the Phillies would have to get an impact player to justify trading Lee, who who has pitched at least 210 innings in every one of the past five seasons without posting an ERA over 3.25.

The Phillies exercised Carlos Ruiz's option immediately after the season, while declining the options for Polanco, Ty Wigginton and Jose Contreras. Free agents Brian Schneider and Juan Pierre are also expected to depart (obviously without the qualifying offers that would set the Phillies up for draft pick compensation).

The Phillies have a small arbitration class featuring just three players. It won't be surprising if all three — Frandsen, Nate Schierholtz and Antonio Bastardo — are tendered contracts, though none are considered extension candidates. There's a chance Schierholtz will be non-tendered. The Phillies could consider an extension for Ruiz, who will be eligible for free agency a year from now. Even though he's 33, adding one or two years to his existing contract could make sense given his offensive skills.

Amaro has said he regrets not doing more to bolster the bullpen last offseason. While Philadelphia's relievers pitched better in the second half, they're expected to pursue a setup reliever this winter. Perhaps a free agent such as Jason Grilli, Mike Adams or Koji Uehara will join the Phillies in the next couple of months.

If the Phillies obtain outfield help and address third base while adding to the bullpen, they'll have had a successful offseason. Still, the Phillies will enter the 2013 season with questions about the health of prominent players such as Utley and Halladay. This team’s hopes of contending in 2013 seem legitimate, but the Phillies are no longer the force they once were.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Red Sox Interested In Haren; Wells Not In Play

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11:14am: The Red Sox have no interest in acquiring Wells, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports. 

10:15am: Dipoto could try to send Vernon Wells to the Red Sox along with Haren, Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times suggests (Twitter link). Perhaps the Angels would obtain John Lackey in an exchange of bad contracts.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Wells is in play for others (Twitter links). The Angels are actively trying to trade Wells, who has a full no-trade clause and $42MM remaining on his contract through 2014.

9:00am: The Red Sox are among the teams interested in Dan Haren, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). The Angels appear to be working to trade Haren and have been weighing possible deals for at least three days.

Haren's contract includes a $15.5MM option with a $3.5MM buyout. The Angels are expected to decline the option if they don’t complete a trade first. Yesterday GM Jerry Dipoto sent Ervin Santana to Kansas City for minor league left-hander Brandon Sisk in a move that could be a precursor to a trade involving Haren.

The 32-year-old started 30 games for the Angels this past season. He posted a 4.33 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 176 2/3 innings, numbers that fall short of his career norms.

Marlins Hire Mike Redmond

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The Marlins hired Mike Redmond to be their next manager, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter links). Redmond, a former MLB catcher, spent seven years of his playing career with the Marlins. The 41-year-old obtains a three-year deal to replace Ozzie Guillen in Miami as the Marlins look to rebound from a disappointing 2012 season.

Redmond managed the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League from 2011-12. The team finished 77-60 in 2011 and went 78-55 this past season. Redmond's 13-year playing career ended just two years ago, in 2010. He played for the Marlins, Twins and Indians, and was Ivan Rodriguez's backup on the 2003 Marlins team that won the World Series. As Jeff Passan explained last year, Redmond has some unconventional methods for breaking out of slumps.

Former player and manager Larry Bowa and Reds pitching coach Bryan Price were also candidates for the position. The Blue Jays and Rockies are now the only teams seeking managers.

LaRoche, Burnett Decline Options

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Adam LaRoche and Sean Burnett declined their mutual options and are now free agents, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports. The Nationals exercised their side of the $10MM mutual option on LaRoche's contract and the $3.5MM mutual option on Burnett's contract.

Both LaRoche and Burnett have said they'd like to stay in Washington. The Nationals retain exclusive negotiating rights for all of their free agents, including LaRoche and Burnett, until Saturday morning. Neither player gets a contract buyout in this case (it would have been $1MM for LaRoche and $250K for Burnett if the Nationals had declined).

LaRoche and the Nationals established some parameters for an extension last week, but haven't been in recent contact about a potential deal. Burnett hits the market as a candidate for a multiyear deal at a time that teams such as the Dodgers and Cardinals figure to seek left-handed relief.

Mets, Wright To Intensify Talks

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The Mets and David Wright plan to intensify talks about a possible contract extension in the near future, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports. The sides could discuss years and dollars as soon as this week.

The Mets, who exercised Wright’s $16MM contract option for 2013 two days ago, are determined to keep talks private. So far the sides haven’t discussed years or dollars, but that could change now that the option has been exercised. Jon Heyman reported this week that the negotiations with the ACES client seemed to be progressing.

The Mets will also discuss a possible extension with R.A. Dickey, whose $5MM 2013 option was also exercised this week. There remains a genuine chance that the Mets could trade Dickey, Martino reports.

Orioles Exercise 2013 Option For Luis Ayala

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WEDNESDAY: The Orioles officially exercised Ayala's option today, the team announced.

MONDAY: The Orioles will exercise their 2013 club option for right-handed reliever Luis Ayala, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (Twitter links). Though a formal announcement won't come until later in the week, executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette made it clear the Orioles intend to retain Ayala.

"Ayala had a good year and he has a reasonable contract. There's value there to the team," Duquette said. 

Ayala will earn $1MM in 2013 instead of obtaining a $1MM buyout. The 34-year-old posted a 2.64 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 75 innings of relief work this past season. The Orioles have two days to decide on Mark Reynolds' $11MM club option for 2013. They're expected to decline, since he'd earn less than $11MM through the arbitration process.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Nationals Notes: Strasburg, LaRoche

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The latest on the Nationals…

  • Stephen Strasburg hasn't yet qualified for arbitration, but that won't prevent him from earning a salary comparable to that of an accomplished first time eligible starter. Strasburg will earn $3.9MM in 2013, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The right-hander signed a record contract after the Nationals selected him first overall in 2009.
  • Adam LaRoche hasn’t been in contact with the Nationals about a possible contract extension in about a week, the free agent first baseman told Bill Ladson of MLB.com (Twitter link). Kilgore reported last week that the sides has established some parameters for a new deal.

Royals Acquire Ervin Santana

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4:59pm: The Angels are sending $1MM to the Royals, Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times reports (on Twitter).

4:15pm: The Angels weren't sure about Ervin Santana, but the Royals want to see if he can re-establish himself as an above-average MLB starter. The Royals acquired Santana and cash from the Angels for minor league left-hander Brandon Sisk, the teams announced. The Angels exercised Santana's 2013 option before completing the trade, Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports (on Twitter).

“We’ve stated all along that starting pitching was a priority this offseason and acquiring someone with the resume of Ervin Santana immediately upgrades our rotation,” Royals GM Dayton Moore said in a statement released by the team.

Ervin Santana - Angels (PW)

The Angels had limited interest in exercising Santana's $13MM option option, but the Royals appear to consider it reasonable. The Royals quietly checked in on Santana's medicals yesterday before completing the deal today, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter).

The 29-year-old posted a 5.16 ERA with 6.7 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 43.2% ground ball rate in 178 innings this past season. Santana's average fastball velocity declined to 91.7 mph, but his swinging strike rate remained constant at 8.4%. He had completed at least 220 innings with ERAs below 4.00 in 2010 and 2011. Rosenthal reported late last night that the Angels were trying to move Santana and Dan Haren.

Sisk, 27, made 50 relief appearances at Triple-A this past season. He posted a 2.54 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 67 1/3 innings — numbers that match up with his career averages through five minor league seasons.

The Royals began the offseason with a clear need for starting pitching. So far they have traded for Santana and claimed Chris Volstad. Volstad remains a non-tender candidate, but Santana will join Bruce Chen, Luis Mendoza, Felipe Paulino and Danny Duffy in the team's projected 2013 rotation. It won't be surprising if GM Dayton Moore continues pursuing starting pitching.

The Royals surely hope this acquisition works out better than the one they made early last offseason. A year ago Kansas City traded Melky Cabrera to San Francisco for Jonathan Sanchez in a deal that didn't work out for the Royals. To their credit, they did flip Sanchez for Jeremy Guthrie, who pitched well down the stretch. 

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the trade (on Twitter) and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported Sisk's inclusion in the deal (also on Twitter). Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported two days ago that the Angels were exploring trades involving Santana and Haren. Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

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