Notes On Cubs Potentially Selling Minority Shares
Cubs owner Tom Ricketts says that the team is considering selling minority shares in order to raise cash for Wrigley Field renovations, MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports. "Any time you're looking at privately financing a big project like this, you're going to look at all your different sources of potential financing," Ricketts says. "We're going to take a look at whether or not it makes sense to bring in outside investors." Here are a few notes on what that might mean.
- Warren Buffett is one potentially interested investor, Mike Ozanian of Forbes.com reports. Both Ricketts and Buffett have connections to the city of Omaha — Ricketts was raised there, and Buffett was once a minority owner of the minor-league Omaha Storm Chasers.
- The selling of minority shares of the team is unlikely to change the team's current approach to payroll, at least for the next several years, Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com reports. The Wrigley Field renovations will generate more cashflow for the team "in perpetuity," Ricketts says, and so the team is more focused on investing there than investing in particular seasons or players, the effects of which are more temporary.
- Minority owners could bring valuable perspective to the Cubs, GM Jed Hoyer tells the Chicago Sun-Times' Gordon Wittenmyer. "The other two organizations I’ve been in had a ton of minority owners. In a lot of ways, some of those guys added expertise from a business or from their careers that was helpful in other ways," Hoyer says. Hoyer does not address the question of how selling minority shares would affect the team's rebuilding process.
- The Cubs' TV deal with CSN expires following the 2019 season, and Cubs fans might have to wait until then to get a big boost to the team's payroll, Wittenmyer writes. "We’ll see," says Ricketts. "I mean, we’ll know a lot more about what our media-rights options are as the year goes forward. I’m not really sure."
Quick Hits: Indians, Beato, Villalona
The Indians have been busy recently, with the recent signings of Jason Kipnis, Yan Gomes and Michael Brantley to long-term deals. They still haven't signed Justin Masterson, but if they don't sign Masterson, "it won't be for a lack of effort," GM Chris Antonetti says in a video interview with Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor and Dan Labbe. The Kipnis, Gomes and Brantley deals will have no impact on their ability to sign Masterson, Antonetti says. Antonetti also notes that the Indians' approach this offseason compared to their previous one, in which they grabbed headlines with splashy signings of Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher, was based on need. "We felt we had more answers, internally, this offseason," he says. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.
- Pedro Beato's health and experience in the big leagues were the keys to the Braves claiming him off waivers, and the decision was not much more complicated than that, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. "In talking to (general manager) Frank (Wren) and talking to (assistant GM) Bruce (Manno), I think anytime a pitcher becomes available through a waiver or options — I’m sure 29 teams are doing the same thing — if you get a chance to get them, get them," manager Fredi Gonzalez says.
- The Giants recently lost outfielder Roger Kieschnick off waivers to the Diamondbacks, and Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News notes that losses like these usually lead to questions about why Angel Villalona is still on the Giants' 40-man roster. Villalona hit sparingly at Double-A Richmond last year. The issue, though, is that he still has options remaining and is perceived as having upside, so if the Giants were to expose him to waivers, a team could claim him and stash him in the minors.
Mets Still Want To Trade Ike Davis
The Mets still see dealing first baseman Ike Davis as their "likely endgame," Andy Martino of New York Daily News tweets. They would still like to receive a good return for him, however. Martino had previously reported that the Mets would give Lucas Duda an extended tryout at first base, leaving Davis without a position. Martino writes in a follow-up piece that the Orioles once offered offered Zach Britton for Davis, although that offer is no longer pending.
The Pirates, who tonight will start Travis Ishikawa at first base for the fourth straight game to start the season, remain an obvious potential trade partner if the Mets do decide to trade Davis. Trade rumors surrounding Davis decreased in volume this spring after he spent much of March working through a calf injury. Davis, 27, hit a disappointing .205/.326/.334 in 377 plate appearances for the Mets last season, although he hit .286/.449/.505 in the second half.
Mariners Designate Hector Noesi For Assignment
The Mariners announce that they have designated pitcher Hector Noesi for assignment. The move clears space to add reliever Dominic Leone to the 25-man roster. The Mariners used six pitchers, including Noesi, to get through six innings of relief in a 12-inning game yesterday. (Noesi took the loss, giving up a walk-off home run to Coco Crisp.) Leone provides the Mariners with an extra arm in their bullpen.
Noesi, 27, has a 5.64 career ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 191 1/3 innings, some of them as a starter. He pitched just 27 1/3 innings with the Mariners in 2013, spending much of the season in the minors. The Mariners acquired him from the Yankees in the Jesus Montero / Michael Pineda trade in early 2012.
Reactions To The Chris Archer Extension
Chris Archer's new six-year extension with the Rays represents an indication that the league will continue its overall good health over the coming years, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. With plenty of money to keep both owners and players happy, Rosenthal opines that the coming expiration of the CBA (following the 2016 season) should not result in a work stoppage. Here are more notes on Archer's extension.
- Rosenthal also offers that players should, perhaps, be doing better. He takes a look at the agencies that have agreed to extensions like Archer's, noting that pre-arbitration deals with multiple options are almost exclusively the domain of small- or mid-level outfits. (SFX/Relativity was the only larger agency to enter such a deal since 2000, with five to its credit.) With smaller firms concerned about losing clients, the union as a whole must exercise diligence in avoiding a loss of bargaining power as against ownership.
- Archer's contract bears a strong resemblance to Jose Quintana's deal with the White Sox, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs writes. This isn't the first time two players have received very similar extensions — as MLBTR's Steve Adams noted this morning, Jason Kipnis' new deal mirrors Matt Carpenter's, which mirrors Andrew McCutchen's, which mirrors Jay Bruce's and Justin Upton's. Cameron also points out that the Archer extension reflects the reality of pitcher attrition — pre-free-agency extensions make sense for pitchers, even very promising pitchers, in part because their careers are so uncertain. Meanwhile, deals like Archer's are cheap enough that teams can absorb that risk.
- Archer is only the fourth player to whom the Rays have given a contract worth over $20MM total, R.J. Anderson of Baseball Prospectus points out (subscription-only). Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena and Scott Kazmir are the others. Kazmir, of course, enjoyed a terrific comeback season with Cleveland in 2013, but Anderson writes that his case illustrates the pitfalls of signing a young pitcher like Archer long term.
Jeff Todd contributed to this post.
Quick Hits: Cardinals, Lester, Penny
John Gibbons of the Blue Jays, Kirk Gibson of the Diamondbacks, and Terry Collins of the Mets are among the managers currently on the hot seat, writes FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. Gibbons presided over an extremely disappointing 2013 Jays season, Gibson's Diamondbacks haven't taken a step forward, and Collins might become a victim of unfair expectations. Here are more notes from around baseball.
- Good closers come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and big-name closers aren't always what they seem to be, Tyler Kepner shows in a long piece for the New York Times. That means overpaying for a closer can be a mistake. "We had a different guy for about six years in a row — Joe Borowski, Todd Jones, Armando Benitez," says Marlins director of baseball operations Dan Noffsinger. "Each one of these guys would have 30-plus saves, be successful and go get a bigger contract elsewhere. We would just move on to the next guy." The Marlins' example shows one reason why the Orioles were willing to trade Jim Johnson this offseason, for example, and the White Sox were willing to deal Addison Reed.
- The selection of Shelby Miller in the first round of the 2009 draft marked a turning point for the Cardinals, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. "By the time we picked Miller, I think our knowledge base in at least how to avoid the high-risk players had evolved to the point where we felt more comfortable fishing in those waters," says Astros GM Jeff Luhnow, who ran the Cardinals' draft at the time. "He had the delivery. He had the pitches that we thought could develop. The size. The makeup. We had learned from our mistakes." Goold points out that before Miller, the Cardinals hadn't selected a pitcher in the first 30 picks of the draft since 1991. The Cardinals attacked the problem of which high-school pitchers were the best picks by looking at big-league pitchers and figuring out why they succeeded, and they focused on arm strength and athleticism. Later in that same 2009 draft, the Cardinals also selected Joe Kelly and Trevor Rosenthal.
- Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester isn't concerned about his impending free agency, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. "If I use that for motivation, I’ve got problems," Lester says. "That’s not what motivates me to go out and pitch and get better. Money has never driven me." Lester and the Red Sox recently suspended negotiations on an extension.
- Free agent pitcher Brad Penny has changed agencies from to the Legacy Agency to Millennium Sports, MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo tweets. In early March, the Royals released Penny from their minor-league deal with him.
Indians Sign George Kottaras
The Indians have signed catcher George Kottaras, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets. It's a minor-league deal, but Heyman writes that it's likely the Indians will promote Kottaras soon. Kottaras is represented by All Bases Covered.
The Cubs acquired Kottaras from the Royals in November, then released him last week after he lost their backup catcher battle to John Baker. Kottaras hit .180/.349/.370 in 126 plate appearances with the Royals last season.
The Indians currently have just two catchers on their 40-man roster, Yan Gomes and Carlos Santana, and Santana is currently slated to play mostly third base. The team could option fellow third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall to make room for Kottaras in the short term, although they would have to make additional moves once Michael Bourn and Jason Giambi return from injury.
NL West Notes: Cashner, Padres, Rockies
This evening, Andrew Cashner of the Padres pitched six strong innings against the Dodgers, striking out five and allowing just one run in the first 2014 MLB regular-season game to take place on American soil. That led FOX Sports' Jon Morosi to wonder (via Twitter) who would ultimately win the trade that sent Cashner to the Padres and Anthony Rizzo to the Cubs. That's a question that might not be resolved anytime soon. Early on, the Cubs looked like the likely winners after Rizzo put together an excellent .285/.342/.463 season in 2012, leading to a $41MM extension early in the 2013 season. Rizzo had a disappointing 2013 season, though, and Cashner, with his terrific fastball and strong 2013 season, may be emerging as one of the National League's better young(-ish) starting pitchers. Here are more notes from the NL West.
- The Padres have about 30 percent of their payroll on the disabled list, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. That includes Carlos Quentin ($9.5MM), Josh Johnson ($8MM), Cameron Maybin ($5MM) and Cory Luebke ($3MM). Of course, in Johnson's case, the Padres were well aware he was an injury risk before they signed him. "With Johnson, we thought the risk was worth it. That’s what we’re going to do from time to time and we have to," says Padres Executive Chairman Ron Fowler. "To balance things, we have to take some risks that other teams don’t have to take."
- The rising salaries of Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez might make 2014 their last season as Rockies teammates, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post writes. "I want to play my entire career with CarGo, but of course I think about how it might not happen. I thought it would be the case with (Matt) Holliday, and it didn't work out," says Tulowitzki, who will make $16MM in 2014 before his salary increases to $20MM in 2015. Gonzalez will make $10.5MM in 2014 and $16MM in 2015. The Rockies say, however, that they won't need to trade either player.
Reds Designate Pedro Beato For Assignment
The Reds have designated pitcher Pedro Beato for assignment, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. They also placed third baseman Jack Hannahan and pitcher Brett Marshall on the 60-day disabled list. The three moves cleared roster space to add pitcher Trevor Bell, outfielder Roger Bernadina and infielder Ramon Santiago.
Beato, 27, pitched ten innings for the Red Sox last year. The reliever spent much of the season in Triple-A Pawtucket, where he posted a 2.98 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 51 1/3 innings. The Reds claimed him last fall.
Week In Review: 3/23/14 – 3/29/14
Here's a look back at this week at MLBTR:
Key Moves
- The Tigers signed first baseman Miguel Cabrera to an extension for an additional eight years and $248MM.
- The Angels signed outfielder Mike Trout to a six-year, $144.5MM extension.
- The Pirates signed outfielder Starling Marte to a six-year, $31MM extension.
- The Indians agreed to terms with catcher Yan Gomes on a six-year, $23MM extension.
- The White Sox signed pitcher Jose Quintana to a five-year extension worth at least $21MM.
Signed / Agreed To Terms
- Mariners — P Chris Young (after being released by Nationals —link)
- Nationals — INF Kevin Frandsen (after being outrighted by Phillies – link)
- Braves — P Aaron Harang (after being released by Indians — link)
Trades
- Tigers — acquired SS Alex Gonzalez from Orioles for INF Steve Lombardozzi
- Pirates — acquired P Vance Worley from Twins for cash considerations
- Nationals — acquired P Omar Poveda from White Sox for cash considerations
- Phillies — acquired INF Jayson Nix from Rays for cash considerations
Claimed
- Rangers — C Chris Gimenez (from Athletics — link), P Seth Rosin (from Dodgers — link), INF Donnie Murphy (from Cubs — link)
- Astros — OF Alex Presley (from Twins — link)
- Orioles — INF David Adams (from Indians — link)
Designated For Assignment
- Rangers — INF Adam Rosales (link), P Michael Kirkman (link)
- Indians — P Colt Hynes, P Frank Herrmann (link), P Preston Guilmet (link)
- Giants — OF Roger Kieschnick (link)
- Athletics — OF Michael Taylor (link)
- Pirates — RP Vin Mazzaro (link)
- Cubs — P Alberto Cabrera (link)
- Mariners — INF Carlos Triunfel, OF Xavier Avery (link), P Bobby LaFromboise (link)
- Astros — P Raul Valdes (link)
- Royals — OF Carlos Peguero (link)
- Orioles — P Mike Belfiore (link)
- Marlins — P Michael Brady, OF Brian Bogusevic (link)
Outrighted
- Pirates — P Andy Oliver (link)
- Twins — P Scott Diamond (link), 1B/OF Chris Parmelee (link)
- Blue Jays — OF Matt Tuiasosopo (link)
- Orioles — C Johnny Monell (link), RP Kelvin De La Cruz (link)
- White Sox — RP Javy Guerra (after claiming him from the Dodgers — link)
- Cardinals — OF Joey Butler (link), P Angel Castro (link)
Released
- Red Sox — P Francisco Cordero (link)
- Phillies — OF Bobby Abreu (link)
- Rangers — P Tommy Hanson (link)
- Cubs — C George Kottaras (link)
- Angels — P Joe Blanton (link)
- Nationals — INF Jamey Carroll (link)
- Marlins — INF Ty Wigginton (link)
- Brewers — INF Juan Francisco (link)
- Braves — P Freddy Garcia (link)
- Astros — INF Cesar Izturis (link)
Returned
- Royals — P Patrick Schuster (to Diamondbacks after being claimed from the Padres — link)
Opted Out
- Reds — IF Chris Nelson (link)
- Cubs — UT Ryan Roberts (link)
Key Minor-League Signings
- Rangers — P Scott Baker (after being released by Mariners — link), C Chris Snyder (after being released by Nationals —link)
- White Sox — P Mitchell Boggs (re-signed after being released)
- Phillies — INF Ronny Cedeno (re-signed after being released)
- Giants — INF Tony Abreu (re-signed after being released)
- Indians — RP Mark Lowe (link)
- Yankees — P Alfredo Aceves (link)
- Rays — INF Mike Fontenot (link), P Erik Bedard (re-signed after being released)
- Nationals — RP Mike Gonzalez (re-signed after being released)
- Mets — RP Kyle Farnsworth (re-signed after being released)
- Mariners – C Humberto Quintero, OF Endy Chavez (both re-signed after being released)
- Cardinals — RP David Aardsma (link)
- Padres — OF Jeff Francoeur (link)
- Twins — RP Matt Guerrier (re-signed after being released)
- Tigers — OF J.D. Martinez (link)