Ben Nicholson-Smith | MLB Trade Rumors

Braves Exercise Three 2013 Options

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 30, 2012 at 2:03pm CDT

2:03pm: The Braves announced they've exercised the options for McCann, Hudson and Maholm.

10:46am: The Braves are expected to announce today that they've exercised the 2013 contract options for Brian McCann, Tim Hudson and Paul Maholm, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The Braves have until tomorrow to decide whether the players will return to Atlanta for another year or become free agents.

McCann recently underwent shoulder surgery that was more extensive than expected, so there was some question as to whether GM Frank Wren would exercise the $12MM option. The 28-year-old hit 20 home runs and posted a .230/.300/.399 batting line in 2012, the worst offensive season of his career.

Hudson will earn $9MM in 2013 instead of a $1MM buyout. He posted a 3.62 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 179 innings with the Braves in 2012. Joining him in the rotation will be Maholm, who posted a 3.67 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 189 innings this past season. The 30-year-old left-hander will earn $6.5MM.

Proformance To Represent Ervin Santana

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 30, 2012 at 1:40pm CDT

Right-hander Ervin Santana is once again represented by Proformance, MLBTR has learned. Santana left Proformance in July, briefly joining Wasserman Media Group. He will hit free agency this week if the Angels decline his 2013 option.

The Angels aren't expected to exercise Santana's $13MM option, and they haven't ruled out the possibility of trading Santana to another team. The 29-year-old posted a 5.16 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 178 innings this past season. He had completed at least 220 innings with ERAs below 4.00 in 2010 and 2011, however.

Be sure to check out MLBTR’s Agency Database for any information about player representatives.

Tigers Won’t Pursue Young Or Valverde

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 30, 2012 at 1:18pm CDT

It's been a busy morning for the Tigers, who announced today that they're bringing back Jhonny Peralta, Octavio Dotel and manager Jim Leyland. Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski recently addressed the media, discussing the 2012 team and the Tigers' offseason plans. George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press has the highlights from the briefing (all links go to Twitter):

The Tigers won't bring back Delmon Young, since they expect Victor Martinez to DH in 2013. Jose Valverde won't return either, according to Dombrowski.
The Tigers will tender Brennan Boesch a contract, but they're in the process of removing Don Kelly from the 40-man roster. Dombrowski wasn't prepared to discuss the future of non-tender candidate Ryan Raburn.
The Tigers want to re-sign free agent right-hander Anibal Sanchez, Dombrowski said.
Free agent catcher Gerald Laird could return, but that's not a sure thing.
Hard throwing relief prospect Bruce Rondon draws lots of trade interest, according to Dombrowski. "You would not believe the number of clubs that call me about Rondon," the GM said.
Earlier today John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press took a position by position look at the upcoming offseason for the Tigers.

Rays To Exercise 2013 Option For James Shields

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 30, 2012 at 12:10pm CDT

As expected, the Rays will exercise James Shields' 2013 contract option. The club has informed Shields that they'll pick up his $10.25MM option, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Shields, 30, posted a 3.52 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 227 2/3 innings this past season. His name will no doubt surface in offseason trade rumors in the coming months.

The Rays have three remaining contract options. They'll exercise Fernando Rodney's option at $2.5MM and Luke Scott will probably obtain a $1MM buyout instead of a $6MM salary. The Rays also have an option for Jose Molina valued at $1.8MM.

Managerial Notes: Butterfield, Blue Jays

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 30, 2012 at 12:06pm CDT

The Tigers signed manager Jim Leyland to a one-year contract extension today, which means there are still just three teams looking for managers. Here are the latest managerial notes, starting in the AL East…

The Red Sox announced that they've hired longtime Blue Jays coach Brian Butterfield to coach third base in Boston. Butterfield joins manager John Farrell and bench coach Torey Lovullo as former Blue Jays personnel in Boston.
Multiple teams were actively courting Butterfield before he signed in Boston, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
The Dodgers have granted the Blue Jays permission to interview third base coach Tim Wallach for their managerial opening, Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times reports. The Blue Jays wanted to interview Wallach the last time they had a managerial opening, in 2010. However, Wallach wasn't allowed to interview because of a clause in his contract. Sandy Alomar Jr., DeMarlo Hale and Don Wakamatsu also appear to be in the mix for the Toronto job. Butterfield had been a candidate before accepting his new position in Boston.

Tigers Exercise 2013 Options For Dotel, Peralta

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 30, 2012 at 10:09am CDT

The Tigers announced that they exercised their 2013 options for both Octavio Dotel and Jhonny Peralta. Both players will return to the Tigers for another season instead of hitting free agency.

Peralta will earn $6MM in 2013 instead of a $500K buyout. The 30-year-old posted a .239/.305/.384 batting line in 585 plate appearances with Detroit this past year. While the Tigers would prefer more range at shortstop, they consider the $6MM price tag reasonable, according to Jon Heyman. Back in September I explained that the option would likely appeal to the Tigers given the scarcity of alternatives available.

Dotel appeared in 57 regular season games for the Tigers, posting a 3.57 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 58 innings. The 38-year-old continues to dominate right-handed hitters; they hit just .197/.217/.307 against him with 43 strikeouts and four walks. He'll earn $3.5MM instead of a $500K buyout.

Tigers, Jim Leyland Agree To Extension

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 30, 2012 at 8:24am CDT

The Tigers announced that they have agreed to extend manager Jim Leyland through the 2013 season. Leyland's contract expired once the Tigers lost the World Series this past weekend. After seven seasons in Detroit, Leyland remains the right person for the job, according to GM Dave Dombrowski.

“Jim is as fine a manager as there is in baseball, he has done a fantastic job for the organization and we are thrilled to have him back managing the Tigers in 2013,” Dombrowski said in a statement issued by the team. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Jim and his ability to lead our club on the field.”

Though the Tigers were swept in the World Series, they won their division and the American League pennant. In seven years since Leyland became the Tigers' manager, the team has a 607-528 record. Leyland, who turns 68 in December, has also managed the Pirates, Marlins and Rockies. He has said Detroit will be the final stop of his MLB managerial career. All of Leyland's coaches have also been invited back for 2013.

Three managerial openings still exist around MLB. The Marlins, Rockies and Blue Jays continue searching for new managers.

Tom Gage of the Detroit News reported this morning that the decision had "been made" and Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reported the sides had agreed to a deal.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Clement, Fryer, McCutchen

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 29, 2012 at 9:40pm CDT

The latest outright assignments from around MLB…

The Pirates outrighted Jeff Clement, Eric Fryer and Daniel McCutchen to Triple-A, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). Fryer, who appeared in six games with the Pirates this past season, elected to become a minor league free agent. Clement appeared in 23 games for the 2012 Pirates, collecting two singles, two walks and one double in 24 plate appearances. McCutchen faced two batters this past season, walking one and allowing a hit to the other. The right-hander spent most of the season pitching in relief at Triple-A.

Angels Could Trade Haren, Santana

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 29, 2012 at 8:33pm CDT

8:33pm: Dipoto tells Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times that the team could exercise one or both options, trade one or both, or decline both options. All scenarios are still in play (Twitter link).

5:50pm: The Angels have explored the possibility of trading Dan Haren and Ervin Santana before Wednesday, the date on which option decisions are due, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The Angels are not expected to exercise Haren’s $15.5MM option or Santana’s $13MM option.

A rival executive suggested to Heyman that it could be difficult to trade the pitchers given their disappointing performances in 2012. GM Jerry Dipoto wanted to trade Santana last winter, but owner Arte Moreno wanted to keep him, according to Heyman.

Here's my take: many teams are in need of starting pitching, so it’s possible that a club would look at the options and determine that they’re reasonable. They would be especially appealing to teams that are often spurned by free agents.

Also, a team that acquired Haren or Santana and exercised the option could make the hurler a qualifying offer following the 2013 season, assuming a rebound. That could net any acquiring organization a first-round pick in the 2014 draft.

MLBTR's Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Dodgers Decline Options For Coffey, Rivera, Treanor

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 29, 2012 at 4:38pm CDT

The Dodgers have declined the 2013 contract options for Todd Coffey, Juan Rivera and Matt Treanor, Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times reports (on Twitter). The players are now free agents.

Coffey's contract included a $2.5MM club option with a $300K buyout, Rivera's contract included a $4MM club option with a $500K buyout, and Treanor's contract included a $950K option with a $150K buyout. The team has confirmed the moves (Twitter link). For more on the Dodgers' winter plans, check out my recent Offseason Outlook post.

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