NL Notes: Mets, Cardinals, Braves
The Mets made one of the best under-the-radar improvements this offseason by upgrading their outfield defense, ESPN's Mike Petriello writes (Insider-only). With Juan Lagares starting in center field for the entire season, and Curtis Granderson and Chris Young on either side of him, the Mets should be much better off defensively than they were with Lucas Duda and others last season. Petriello also lists the Cardinals' defense, in both the infield and the outfield, as one that should be dramatically improved as a result of this offseason's moves. The Cardinals acquired Peter Bourjos for David Freese, improving their outfield while allowing Matt Carpenter to shift back to third. Another new addition, Mark Ellis, figures to help at second base. Here are more notes from the National League.
- Speaking of the Cardinals, Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says in a slideshow that the 2014 Cards should be even better than the 97-game-winning 2013 edition, and their defense is a key part of the reason why.
- It will be tough for the Braves to sign Jason Heyward to a long-term deal, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. With Heyward just two years away from being eligible for free agency, he has less incentive to accept the security of an extension, and therefore won't be inclined to give the Braves much of a discount. It might be better for the Braves to focus their efforts on signing Andrelton Simmons and/or Freddie Freeman, O'Brien suggests.
MLBPA Mulling Legal Options Over TV Appearances
MLBPA has released a statement saying that it is considering legal options amidst news that Tony Bosch and MLB executive Rob Manfred will appear on 60 Minutes tonight. "After learning of tonight's 60 Minutes segment, Players have expressed anger over, among other things, MLB's inability to let the result of yesterday's decision speak for itself," says the MLBPA.
The news of Bosch and Manfred's interviews comes a day after the decision to reduce Alex Rodriguez's suspension to 162 games. Although the suspension was reduced from 211 games, the decision was still widely considered to be a victory for Major League Baseball. The MLBPA feels that the interviews are "inconsistent with our collectively-bargained arbitration process" and the confidentiality stipulated by the Joint Drug Agreement.
"It is unfortunate that Major League Baseball apparently lacks faith in the integrity and finality of the arbitrator's decision and our Joint Drug Agreement, such that it could not resist the temptation to publicly pile-on against Alex Rodriguez," the statement reads. "It is equally troubling that the MLB-appointed Panel Arbitrator [Manfred] will himself be appearing in the '60 Minutes' segment, and that Tony Bosch, MLB's principal witness, is appearing on the program with MLB's blessing."
Yesterday, the MLBPA released a separate statement, saying that it disagreed with the arbitrator's decision in Rodriguez's case, but adding that it recognized the decision was "legal and binding" and that it respected the process that led to it.
Week In Review: 1/5/14 – 1/11/14
Here's a look back at this week at MLBTR:
- Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas were elected to the Hall of Fame.
- Alex Rodriguez's suspension was reduced to 162 games.
- The Dodgers extended manager Don Mattingly.
- Infielder Ryan Theriot made his retirement official.
- Outfielder Jason Bay appears likely to retire.
- The Nationals avoided arbitration with starter Stephen Strasburg, signing him to a one-year deal.
- The Athletics avoided arbitration with reliever Jesse Chavez.
- The Royals avoided arbitration with catcher Brett Hayes.
- The Tigers agreed to a one-year deal with infielder Jose Iglesias.
- The Rays claimed pitcher Pedro Figueroa and outrighted 1B/OF Jerry Sands.
- The Diamondbacks claimed pitcher Santos Rodriguez off waivers from the White Sox.
- The Cardinals claimed outfielder Rafael Ortega off waivers from the Rangers.
- The Yankees designated outfielder Vernon Wells for assignment.
- The Padres outrighted pitcher Adys Portillo.
- The Orioles re-signed infielder Alexi Casilla to a minor-league deal.
- The Marlins re-signed pitcher Kevin Slowey to a minor-league deal.
- The Padres signed outfielder Xavier Nady to a minor-league deal.
- The Indians signed outfielder Jeff Francoeur and pitcher Scott Atchison to minor-league deals.
- The Royals signed catcher Ramon Hernandez to a minor-league deal.
- The Mets signed catcher Taylor Teagarden to a minor-league deal.
- The Mariners re-signed catcher Humberto Quintero to a minor-league deal.
- The Giants signed pitcher Dontrelle Willis to a minor-league deal.
- The Pirates signed infielder Robert Andino and outfielder Chris Dickerson to minor-league deals.
- The Nationals agreed to terms with infielder Jamey Carroll on a minor-league deal.
- The Yankees agreed to terms with infielder Scott Sizemore on a minor-league deal. They also signed pitcher Robert Coello to a minor-league deal.
- The Rays agreed to terms with infielder Jayson Nix on a minor-league deal.
- Outfielder Andruw Jones re-signed with the Rakuten Golden Eagles.
AL Notes: Williams, Rangers, Red Sox, A-Rod
The Rangers are "making progress" on a deal with pitcher Jerome Williams, MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo tweets. Yesterday, a report indicated that, in the wake of the Derek Holland injury, the Rangers would look to add starting pitching depth, and Williams would certainly qualify. The righty posted a 4.57 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 169 1/3 innings for the Angels in 2013. Here are more notes from the American League.
- One reason the Red Sox signed A.J. Pierzynski to a one-year deal is that they did not want to sign a catcher to a long-term deal and block prospects Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez in the process, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal writes. Pierzynski and Swihart were at the same autograph signing in Boston on Saturday, but it's not likely they'll ever play for the Red Sox together. Swihart hit .298/.366/.428 for Class A+ Salem last season, and he'll likely be at Double-A in 2014, probably with Vazquez at Triple-A. MLB.com ranks Swihart the Sox' No. 10 prospect, with Vazquez at No. 15.
- Perhaps unsurprisingly, the independent Long Island Ducks have invited Alex Rodriguez to play for them in 2014, Mark Herrmann of Newsday reports. "While some MLB suspensions have been honored by the Atlantic League in the past, if Alex Rodriguez were unable to participate in the Major Leagues this season, we would be open to exploring giving him a chance to play, stay sharp and compete," says Ducks president and GM Michael Pfaff. Rodriguez plans to continue to fight his suspension, which prevents him from playing for the Yankees in 2014.
Jason Bay Likely Retiring
Former star outfielder Jason Bay can't envision a situation in which he continues his playing career, and is therefore "essentially retiring," Shi Davidi of SportsNet.ca tweets. Last month, it appeared that Bay might play in Japan, but Davidi says Bay decided against it in favor of spending more time with his family.
Bay, who is 35, will end his career with a .266/.360/.481 line and 222 home runs in parts of 11 seasons. He was traded three times (the last of them a high-profile trade that sent Brian Giles to the Padres) before he won the NL Rookie of the Year award with the Pirates in 2004. He replaced Giles as the Bucs' biggest star until 2008, when the Pirates dealt him to the Red Sox in the three-team Manny Ramirez trade that also involved the Dodgers.
After spending the rest of 2008 and 2009 hitting well in Boston, Bay signed a four-year, $66MM contract with the Mets. That deal quickly became a debacle for the team, leading Bay and the Mets to come to an unusual agreement in which the contract was terminated early and Bay became a free agent. From there, Bay signed a one-year deal with the Mariners, who released him in August after he hit .204/.298/.393.
AL Notes: A-Rod, Angels, Tanaka, Twins
Alex Rodriguez's fall from grace is among the "saddest baseball stories ever told," CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes. On top of A-Rod's 162-game suspension, "his name has no value" and he's now "practically friendless." Heyman also estimates that Rodriguez is spending at least $1MM a month in legal fees. Here are more notes from around the American League.
- Angels GM Jerry Dipoto says the organization's farm system is improving despite a second consecutive No. 30 ranking from Baseball America, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports. "We're better than we were [last year]," says Dipoto. "If that's deemed by Baseball America to be No. 30, we'll have to be content with living with their evaluation of our system. But we believe we're getting better; we believe we're in a better situation than that." The Angels did not have first round picks in 2012 or 2013 due to their signings of Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton, leading to tiny draft spending pools. But as Gonzalez has previously written, a number of other factors have also contributed to the Angels' weak farm system, including trades of prospects and the team's under-involvement in Latin America.
- Masahiro Tanaka has returned to Japan after meeting with various MLB teams in the US, Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News notes, citing Japanese media reports. The White Sox were among the teams that met with Tanaka.
- The Twins have interest in free-agent infielders Mark Reynolds and Justin Turner, but, via 1500ESPN.com's Darren Wolfson (on Twitter), a Twins official notes that other teams also have interest and that the "process has to play out."
Minor Moves: Coello, Braddock, Keppel, Manzella
Here are today's minor moves from around baseball.
- The Yankees have signed righty reliever Robert Coello to a minor-league deal, Baseball America's Matt Eddy tweets. Coello, 29, pitched 17 innings for the Angels in 2013, posting a 3.71 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.
- The Padres have signed lefty Zach Braddock, tweets Eddy. Braddock last appeared in the Majors with the Brewers in 2011. He spent last season pitching for the Lancaster Barnstormers in the independent Atlantic League.
- The Reds have signed pitcher Bobby Keppel to a minor-league deal, Eddy tweets. Keppel, 31, has pitched for the Royals, Rockies and Twins, but he spent the past four season with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan. Last season, he posted a 6.14 ERA with 3.9 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in 36 2/3 innings there.
- The Diamondbacks have signed shortstop Tommy Manzella to a minor-league deal that does not include a spring training update, according to MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo (on Twitter). The light-hitting Manzella, who last appeared in the big leagues with the 2010 Astros, played in the Rockies, Blue Jays and White Sox organizations in 2013, splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A.
Reactions To A-Rod Suspension Decision
Now that the results of Alex Rodriguez's appeal have been released, the Yankees' relationship to the 2014 luxury tax is somewhat clearer. Their balance so far is about $151.5MM, via Joel Sherman and Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. That figure does not include arbitration-eligible players and other costs, including insurance as well as in-season player promotions. Here are more notes on Rodriguez's suspension, which now covers the entire 2014 regular season and postseason.
- Even though he is not allowed to play in 2014, A-Rod still plans to attend Spring Training, tweets ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews, who cites sources close to A-Rod who believe the Yankees can't prevent him from doing so.
- Major League Baseball has not yet said what it thinks about Rodriguez attending spring training, FOX Sports' Jon Morosi tweets.
- A-Rod's suspension could end his career, Sherman writes. He won't be eligible to play again until he's 39, and he'll have been away from MLB action for the better part of two seasons. If the Yankees were to let him go, it's questionable whether any other team would pick him up, even at the minimum salary, given the "carnival" that surrounds him.
Alex Rodriguez Suspension Now 162 Games
The result of Alex Rodriguez's appeal is in, and he will be suspended for 162 games, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. Rodriguez plans to appeal the suspension in federal court. The suspension will cover the full 2014 season, and also the postseason, Yahoo! Sports' Tim Brown tweets. The suspension previously was 211 games. Even though the suspension was reduced, the decision by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz appears to be a victory for Major League Baseball, which won a suspension for A-Rod that goes far beyond those of other first-time PED offenders.
"The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one," says Rodriguez in a statement released on his Facebook page. "I am confident that when a Federal Judge reviews the entirety of the record … the judge will find that the panel blatantly disregarded the law and facts, and will overturn the suspension."
The MLBPA, meanwhile, says in a statement that it disagrees with the arbitrator's decision, but respects the process that led to it. "We recognize that a final and binding decision has been reached, however, and we respect the collectively-bargained arbitration process which led to the decision," says the union.
A-Rod's suspension for the entire season means the Yankees will save about $24.3MM against the 2014 luxury tax threshold. Rodriguez's luxury-tax figure is $27.5MM, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes (via Twitter) that the Yankees will be assessed about $3.16MM of that, since 183 days, and not 162, counts as a year. In any case, the suspension could help the Yankees get below the $189MM threshold, if they choose. The Yankees will also save $25MM in salary.
That savings could give the Yankees more flexibility to pursue Masahiro Tanaka or other free agents. Also, the Yankees may now look for another option at third base, even though they have Kelly Johnson — a report earlier today indicated that they could consider Michael Young or Mark Reynolds, both of whom are free agents.
Rodriguez Suspension Decision May Be Imminent
SATURDAY: A decision on A-Rod is, in fact, imminent, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman tweets.
FRIDAY: This weekend, arbitrator Fredric Horowitz could reach a decision on Alex Rodriguez's suspension, Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reports. On August 5, MLB commissioner Bud Selig suspended Rodriguez for 211 games for his alleged role in the Biogenesis scandal. Horowitz heard the case during the course of a series of sessions from September through November.
Rodriguez could continue to challenge the suspension if it is upheld, but he also reportedly might consider accepting a lesser sentence, perhaps of something like 100 games. The ultimate result of the suspension will have a significant impact on the Yankees' offseason, both in determining how much (or whether) Rodriguez plays, and how much of his salary will count against the 2014 luxury tax threshold.