Week In Review: 12/15/13 – 12/21/13
Here's a look back at this week at MLBTR:
- The Rangers agreed to sign outfielder Shin-Soo Choo to a seven-year deal.
- The Diamondbacks acquired reliever Addison Reed from the White Sox for infielder Matt Davidson.
- The Orioles acquired outfielder David Lough from the Royals for infielder Danny Valencia.
- The Braves acquired catcher Ryan Doumit from the Twins for pitcher Sean Gilmartin.
- The Rockies acquired pitcher Franklin Morales from the Red Sox for infielder Jonathan Herrera.They also acquired outfielder Drew Stubbs from the Indians for pitcher Josh Outman.
- The Astros acquired OF/1B Jesus Guzman from the Padres for infielder Ryan Jackson.
- The Dodgers agreed to re-sign reliever J.P. Howell to a two-year deal with a mutual option for 2016.
- The Diamondbacks signed pitcher Brad Ziegler to a two-year extension with a club option for a third year. The Diamondbacks also re-signed infielder Eric Chavez to a one-year deal.
- The Padres agreed to sign reliever Joaquin Benoit to a two-year deal.
- The Yankees agreed to sign reliever Matt Thornton to a two-year deal.
- The White Sox agreed to sign reliever Scott Downs to a one-year deal with a vesting option.
- The Cubs agreed to sign reliever Jose Veras to a one-year deal with an option.
- The Astros signed pitcher Matt Albers to a one-year deal with an option.
- The Indians agreed to sign pitcher John Axford to a one-year deal.
- The Angels agreed to sign outfielder Raul Ibanez to a one-year deal.
- The Twins agreed to sign catcher Kurt Suzuki to a one-year deal.
- The Yankees agreed to sign infielder Brian Roberts to a one-year deal.
- The Braves signed pitcher Gavin Floyd to a one-year deal.
- The Phillies signed pitcher Roberto Hernandez to a one-year deal.
- The Mariners signed outfielder Franklin Gutierrez to a one-year deal.
- The Marlins signed infielder Casey McGehee to a one-year deal.
- The Braves signed pitcher Brandon Beachy to a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration.
- The Athletics signed infielder Daric Barton to a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration.
- The Mariners signed pitcher Charlie Furbush to a one-year deal, potentially avoiding arbitration.
- The Athletics claimed catcher Chris Gimenez from the Rays, releasing pitcher Pedro Figueroa in the process.
- The Astros claimed pitcher Collin McHugh from the Rockies.
- The Giants designated pitcher Eric Surkamp for assignment.
- The Indians designated pitcher Trey Haley for assignment.
- The Yankees designated pitcher Brett Marshall for assignment.
- The Mariners designated pitcher Chance Ruffin for assignment. They also outrighted outfielder Travis Witherspoon.
- The Marlins outrighted catcher Kyle Skipworth.
- The Phillies outrighted catcher Sebastian Valle.
- The Tigers outrighted pitcher Luis Marte and infielder Danny Worth.
- The Athletics acquired outfielder Corey Brown from the Nationals for cash considerations.
- The Marlins agreed to terms with utilityman Jordany Valdespin on a minor-league deal.
- The Orioles signed outfielder Xavier Paul to a minor-league deal.
- The Cubs signed pitchers Tsuyoshi Wada and Jonathan Sanchez to minor-league deals.
- The Reds signed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang to a minor-league deal.
- The Indians signed pitcher Shaun Marcum to a minor-league deal.
- Infielder Kevin Youkilis agreed to terms with the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan.
- Outfielder Luke Scott signed with SK Wyverns in Korea.
- Infielder Brett Pill agreed to terms with the KIA Tigers in Korea.
Twins’ Colabello Rejects Offer To Play In South Korea
SATURDAY: Colabello has rejected an offer to play in South Korea, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press writes. A source with direct knowledge of the situation says Colabello turned down a "significant offer" from a Korean team that wasn't the LG Twins. The slugger could have earned nearly $1MM in 2014 under the offer, while the Twins would have received a comparable buyout. "Things are always subject to change, but Chris made it clear he wants to help the Minnesota Twins," said Brian Charles of Big League Management Co., who represents Colabello.
FRIDAY: Berardino now indicates that the Twins are asking for "possibly upwards of $1MM."
FRIDAY: The Twins could send 1B/OF Chris Colabello to play in Korea, Berardino notes (citing a Korean news report). The Twins are reportedly in discussions with the LG Twins (and that's not a typo) to transfer Colabello's contract, which could net them up to $1MM. Such a move would free a 40-man roster space for the (Minnesota) Twins, who need one to accomodate the impending signing of catcher Kurt Suzuki. The Twins could only send Colabello abroad with his permission.
Colabello, 30, hit .194/.287/.344 in 181 plate appearances in his big-league debut in 2013, but he also hit 24 home runs in Triple-A, posting a .352/.427/.639 line in 391 plate appearances there. Colabello has a total of 50 home runs between the minors and the Majors since the Twins signed him out of independent ball prior to the 2012 season.
Aaron Steen contributed to this post.
Yankees Could Stay In-House For Last Rotation Spots
The Yankees are likely to bid for Masahiro Tanaka, if he's made available to them. But GM Brian Cashman suggests that the Yankees could also simply go with what they have in the back of their rotation, Jorge Castillo of the Star-Ledger reports. "We’re focusing solely on what’s available in the marketplace," says Cashman. "And also recognizing and restating that we might not get everything answered with an exclamation point or the comfort level that we’d prefer."
After C.C. Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan Nova, the next group of names on the depth chart include Michael Pineda, David Phelps, Manny Banuelos, Adam Warren and Vidal Nuno. Given that Kuroda will be 39 in February and that Sabathia had a down season in 2013, it would be somewhat surprising if the Yankees headed into the season with their current collection of talent. Unlike much of the rest of the free-agent market, the starting pitching market remains relatively fertile ground, with Ervin Santana, Matt Garza, Ubaldo Jimenez and Bronson Arroyo still available.
Quick Hits: Castro, Cubs, Balfour, Phillies, Yankees
Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro is fighting to prevent millions of dollars from being seized from his bank accounts, Juan Perez Jr. and Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune report. When Castro was 16, his father allegedly signed a contract promising three percent of Castro's big-league earnings to a baseball academy in the Dominican. When Castro signed his $60MM contract in 2012, the academy claimed Castro owed it $1.8MM. Dominican law states that twice that figure be frozen until the matter is resolved, so Dominican authorities have frozen $3.6MM. Castro's lawyers, meanwhile, are fighting for that $3.6MM to be unfrozen, and they're also asking for $5MM in damages. They claim that the academy did not have the right to percentage of Castro's extension. Castro was just 16 when the agreement was with the academy was reached, and he signed the big contract with the Cubs after he turned 18. Castro's father didn't have the right to sign away his earnings past age 18, Castro's attorneys argue. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.
- There were high expectations for Theo Epstein when he became president of the Cubs, and Andy MacPhail faced similar expectations two decades ago, CSNChicago.com's Patrick Mooney reports. MacPhail served as president and CEO of the Cubs from 1994 through 2006. Like Epstein, he preceded his tenure in Chicago by winning two World Series titles as a general manager (with the Twins). Like Epstein, MacPhail planned the Cubs' resurgence around young talent, although it didn't work perfectly in MacPhail's case, partly because of the Cubs' struggles to keep pitchers like Kerry Wood and Mark Prior healthy. "We weren’t the luckiest birds in the world, health-wise, with our starting pitchers. But most people forget – I think we had a better won-loss record in ’04 (89-73) than we did ’03 (88-74). So we were kind of building towards it," MacPhail says.
- Grant Balfour says he told Orioles executive Dan Duquette what he thinks about the O's backing out of his two-year deal with them, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "I called Dan Duquette and told him, 'I’ve played in this league for 10 years, I deserve to be treated with respect and you did not treat me with respect.'" Balfour says. "'Two well respected physicians said I am completely healthy – because I am healthy. I’m a fighter and a winner and I would have given you your best chance to win.'"
- Jonathan Papelbon and Ruben Amaro Jr. "deserve each other," the Inquirer's Matt Gelb writes. Papelbon has been "surly" about his tenure with the Phillies, and Amaro has been defiant about the Phillies' outlook. The Phillies are trying to trade Papelbon, but they may be stuck, not only because of Papelbon's declining velocity and peripherals, but also because general managers aren't as keen as they once were on spending tens of millions of dollars on closers.
- The Yankees' additions of switch-hitters Carlos Beltran and Brian Roberts should help balance their lineup, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. "We were too left-handed last year and [because of injury, in particular] too easy to navigate through at times," says manager Joe Girardi. "I think the switch-hitters make it tougher for the opposing manager." Beltran himself actually hit far better from the left side (.315/.362/.509) than the right side (.252/.281/.448) in 2013, although he's hit only slightly better as a lefty than as a righty for his career.
AL Notes: Youkilis, Angels, Gimenez
Kevin Youkilis wanted to avoid travel and play for a West Coast MLB team, so it was a surprise to see him agree to terms with Rakuten in Japan. WEEI.com's Alex Speier writes that the Indians, Yankees and Rays were interested in Youkilis, but that Youkilis preferred retiring to flying all the way to the eastern part of the US. When the opportunity to play in Japan arose, however, Youkilis' wife and seven-year-old daughter were excited about the chance to there for a year. Youkilis says he plans to spend a year there, then decide whether he wants to continue his career (all Twitter links). Here are more notes from around the American League.
- Despite an "uninspiring" offseason, the Angels could be dramatically better in 2014, Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs writes. The team isn't particularly well positioned for the long term, but Mike Trout gives them a huge edge, and their WAR expectation in 2013 was significantly better than their actual record. Their moves this offseason — primarily trading Mark Trumbo to the Diamondbacks and Peter Bourjos to the Cardinals — haven't done much to help them, at least not in the short term. But the Angels should be much better than they were in 2013, Sullivan suggests, especially if they happen to add Masahiro Tanaka.
- The reason the Rays placed catcher Chris Gimenez on waivers was that they thought he would not make the big-league team and so they wanted to sneak him through, the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin tweets. The move was not made with any further roster shuffling in mind. The Athletics claimed Gimenez earlier today.
Latest On Orioles’ Closer Situation
Here's the latest on the Orioles' pursuit of a closer courtesy of a series of tweets from MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko. The Orioles are upset at the idea that they "backed out" of their agreement with Grant Balfour, as they don't have another closer in waiting. They heeded their doctors' recommendations after Balfour's physical, and now would not be comfortable signing him for more than a year plus an option.
With a deal with Balfour now unlikely, the Orioles could pursue Fernando Rodney, or just give their closer's job to one of their current pitchers. Free agent Chris Perez does not seem to be a possibility. The Orioles have discussed the possibility of a Jonathan Papelbon trade with the Phillies, but Papelbon's contract is an obstacle. The Phillies owe Papelbon $13MM in both 2014 and 2015, and he also has a $13MM vesting option for 2016.
AL Notes: Balfour, Indians, Yankees, Pettitte, Lough
Now that Grant Balfour appears to be back on the market after the collapse of his deal with the Orioles, a variety of AL teams could be interested, MLB Network Radio's Jim Duquette notes (on Twitter). The Mariners, White Sox, Yankees and Rays could all make sense, and Duquette also tweets that the Indians could be a possibility as well. He notes that the Indians tried to sign Joaquin Benoit along with the already-signed John Axford, so Balfour might be another possibility in Cleveland. Here's more from around the big leagues.
- The Yankees have announced a series of hires in coaching and player development, including former Royals manager Trey Hillman and Cubs manager Mike Quade. Hillman will serve as the Yankees' special assistant, major and minor-league operations. Quade will be their roving outfield and baserunning instructor.
- The Yankees still need pitching, but it doesn't appear they'll be getting it from Andy Pettitte. GM Brian Cashman says Pettitte has "shut it down for good," Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. Pettitte returned to the Yankees in 2012 after retiring for the first time following the 2010 season, but it looks like the Yankees won't be able to depend on that again. At 41, Pettitte posted a solid final season in New York in 2013, with a 3.74 ERA, 6.2 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 185 1/3 innings.
- Outfielder David Lough is "ecstatic" to be with the Orioles, he tells MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko. The O's acquired Lough for Danny Valencia on Wednesday. Lough says that, after the Royals acquired Norichika Aoki, he knew it was a possiblility they would deal him. "[M]y agent got a hold of me and told me that some clubs were interested in me and to kind of sit back and just expect to go to spring training and do what I've always done," says Lough.
Diamondbacks Notes: Reed, Tanaka, Chavez
Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers did a conference call with reporters Monday evening to discuss the Addison Reed trade. Here are some notes:
- The Diamondbacks continue to pursue starting pitching, and they'll likely try to find it on the free agent market and not through a trade, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweets. Matt Garza and Ervin Santana appear to be possibilities.
- Masahiro Tanaka's status will not have a significant impact on the Diamondbacks' pursuit of a starter, Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona notes (on Twitter). "If for some reason he becomes posted, we'll circle back," Towers says.
- Towers hopes that he can negotiate a new contract for free agent infielder Eric Chavez at some point before the holidays, tweets MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Arizona is reportedly one of at least seven teams that have interest in Chavez.
- The origins of the Reed deal might have come from negotiations for the Mark Trumbo trade last week, which also featured both the Diamondbacks and White Sox. Towers says the White Sox mentioned Reed's name at that time, tweets Gilbert.
Rockies Designate Collin McHugh For Assignment
The Rockies have designated pitcher Collin McHugh for assignment, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post tweets. The move clears space on the 40-man roster for new reliever Boone Logan.
In June, the Rockies acquired McHugh from the Mets for Eric Young Jr. McHugh struggled in four starts with the Rockies, allowing 21 runs in 19 innings. In 113 innings at the minor-league level in 2013, the 26-year-old posted a 3.42 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.
Indians To Sign John Axford
3:06pm: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that Axford can earn an additional $1.75MM worth of incentives, making his contract potentially worth $6.25MM.
MONDAY, 2:45pm: Axford's contract guarantees him $4.5MM in 2014 and also contains incentives, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). That's $1.2MM less than the $5.7MM salary MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected.
SUNDAY, 9:11pm: The financial terms of the deal are unclear, but MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweets that it will probably be a one-year contract, noting that Axford has two years of arbitration eligibility after this one.
8:46pm: The Indians will sign reliever John Axford, ESPN's Buster Olney reports. Earlier this evening, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Indians were "focused" on Axford. The righty is represented by Beverly Hills Sports Council.
Axford, who will be 31 in April, posted a 4.02 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 65 innings in 2013, although he got better results after the Brewers traded him to the Cardinals in August for Michael Blazek. Axford's success extended into the postseason, when he allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings spread over six outings. Nonetheless, the Cardinals non-tendered him rather than pay a 2014 salary that would have been inflated as a result of the $5MM Axford made in 2013, his first year of arbitration eligibility.
Axford served as the Brewers' closer for most of the 2010 through 2012 seasons, although he lost that job after a bout of wildness in 2012. Even in 2012, however, Axford struck out 12.1 batters per nine innings, and he still has dominant stuff, with a fastball that averaged 95.3 MPH in 2013. Axford will likely be entrusted with the closer's job in Cleveland, where the Indians were looking to replace the departing Chris Perez.