Royals Remain Strongly Interested In Carlos Beltran
The Royals have serious interest in free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran and appear willing to offer their former star a three-year deal, the Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton reports. Last week, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman wrote that the Royals "could become real threats" to sign Beltran. "We’d love to have him in," a Royals official tells Dutton. "One thing about Carlos Beltran is he’s a money player. He’s an RBI guy. He produces."
The Royals will have lots of competition for Beltran, whose other suitors might include the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Rangers, and Mariners. And after the signing of Jason Vargas, the Royals already appear to have little money to spare. Dutton reports, however, that the Royals might be able to find space in their payroll for Beltran, perhaps by making other transactions to reduce salary. If the Royals were to sign Beltran, for example, one possibility might be to trade DH Billy Butler, who is set to make $8MM in 2014 (with an option and a $1MM buyout for 2015).
In any case, the Royals are looking for a hitter, and one reason for their focus on Beltran is that the trade market isn't particularly promising. "[W]hen you look at the landscape, I’m not sure there are many clubs out there that are willing to trade impact bats," says GM Dayton Moore. "There just are not that many, and a lot of people are looking for the same thing."
Padres Expected To Deal For Lefty Bat And/Or Reliever
The Padres are expected to acquire a lefty hitter and/or lefty reliever within the next two weeks, Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. "By the time the Winter Meetings end, we will have done something," says GM Josh Byrnes. "We’re lined up on a few trade ideas over the next couple weeks." The Winter Meetings will take place from December 9-12.
The Padres currently have Josh Johnson, Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross and Ian Kennedy penciled into the first four spots of their rotation. Center suggests that, while the Padres aren't likely to trade a prospect like Max Fried or Matt Wisler, they could deal Burch Smith, Robbie Erlin or Eric Stults to acquire a left-handed hitter. Center notes, however, that the Padres are very much aware of the recent spate of injuries to their starting pitchers.
Red Sox Preparing Alternatives To Own Free Agents
The Red Sox are still waiting for free agents Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Napoli, Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia to decide whether to accept Boston's free agent offers, but they're nearing the point when they might move forward, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. The Red Sox haven't set deadlines for any of their free agents to accept offers, but a source tells Bradford that the Sox are "certainly working on other options, also." The Red Sox told at least one player that they would soon need to make plans to potentially acquire another player to take his place.
Ellsbury, Napoli and Drew all rejected qualifying offers from Boston, and the Red Sox have since made new offers to all three players. Saltalamacchia did not receive a qualifying offer, but the Red Sox did offer him a two-year deal at an annual amount below the $14.1MM qualifying offer figure.
No Agreement Yet Between MLB, NPB On Posting System
4:35pm: Today's meetings ended without an agreement on a new posting system, and the two sides are likely to take a break until after Thanksgiving, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 12:56pm: Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports tweets that MLB and NPB officials are meeting today to discuss the new posting system. Baseball America's Ben Badler adds that teams are operating under the assumption that an agreement will be reached, and Tanaka will be available (Twitter link). Badler feels some news will be announced in the near future.
SUNDAY: Japanese baseball officials will visit New York this week to negotiate a new posting system, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes. A new posting system would free star Rakuten Golden Eagles pitcher Masahiro Tanaka to sign with a Major League team. Heyman also notes that, if Tanaka were to sign with a big-league team, other starters might begin to sign as well. While the market for position players has been very active (with Brian McCann and Jhonny Peralta having agreed to large new contracts in the past week), the market for starting pitchers has been relatively quiet.
The Yankees, Dodgers and Cubs, among other teams, are expected to show interest in Tanaka, Heyman notes. But the next step has to be agreement on a new posting system. While Heyman notes that officials have "renewed hope" for an agreement, Golden Eagles president Yozo Tachibana recently told the Japan News that he thinks an agreement might not be reached until mid-December. Here's more on negotiations regarding the posting system.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
New York Notes: Cano, Shortstops, Young
The Yankees are trying to schedule a meeting with Robinson Cano, but the two sides are still about $150MM apart, and the Yankees are looking at other targets in the meantime, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes. Those include Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, Stephen Drew and Hiroki Kuroda. Other possibilities for the Yankees include Joe Nathan and Masahiro Tanaka. The Yanks don't want to give Beltran more than two years, although it's possible that the Mariners or Royals could give him three. Ubaldo Jimenez and Matt Garza aren't currently on the Yankees' radar, Heyman notes. Here are more notes from New York.
- With Jhonny Peralta headed to St. Louis, there's little left in the shortstop free agent market for the Mets, ESPN New York's Adam Rubin writes. The Mets don't want to spend the money it would take to get Stephen Drew, and after that, there isn't much available. The Mets therefore might pursue a trade for a shortstop, or just go with Ruben Tejada there.
- If the Mets aren't going to act like a big-market team, they need to behave like a small-market team and build from the bottom up, argues Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Smaller-budget teams like the Rays and Athletics have been successful in part because they have depth and don't waste roster spots, and Sherman says it's time the Mets did the same instead of giving away playing time to players who don't warrant it, particularly late in the season. That the Mets may be planning to have Chris Young play regularly at a corner outfield position does not bode well, Sherman suggests.
Quick Hits: Peralta, Closers, Saltalamacchia, Twins
Jhonny Peralta's new $53MM deal with the Cardinals could lead to changes to MLB's Joint Drug Agreement, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal writes. Peralta already served a 50-game suspension for his role in the Biogenesis scandal, but he's now getting a large contract just months later, one that dwarfs other recent contracts for players like Marlon Byrd and Melky Cabrera who also received PED suspensions. "We thought 50 games would be a deterrent. Obviously it’s not. So we are working on it again," Diamondbacks player representative Brad Ziegler tweeted today. Rosenthal writes that players are likely to raise the topic of harsher PED penalties at a players union meeting in December. Any changes would then have to be negotiated with MLB's owners. Here are more notes from around the Majors.
- The market for free agent closers is currently in a holding pattern, with interested teams all eyeing the same group of players (presumably including Joe Nathan, Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit, Fernando Rodney, Edward Mujica and Brian Wilson) and waiting for each other to make the first move, FOX Sports' Jon Morosi tweets.
- One dynamic affecting the market for closers might be that teams aren't as willing to pay for saves as they once were, as Paul Swydan of Fangraphs points out. Big-money contracts for closers appear to be decreasing, and Swydan suggests that a number of recent multiyear deals for closer types (Jonathan Papelbon, Rafael Soriano, Brandon League) don't appear to be going well (perhaps particularly when considering underlying indicators like peripherals and velocity).
- The Twins are one of a number of teams "in play" for catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. The Red Sox and Rangers might also be among that group of teams. After moving Joe Mauer to first base, the Twins are on the lookout for a catcher. They may also be interested in A.J. Pierzynski, Berardino writes.
West Notes: Angels, Rockies, Johnson
After the signing of reliever Joe Smith and their recent trade for David Freese and Fernando Salas, the Angels will only have about $8MM more they can spend before hitting the luxury tax threshold, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports. The Angels will likely continue to look for starting pitching, and they could trade Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar or Mark Trumbo in order to acquire pitching and clear salary. Here are more notes from the West divisions.
- The Angels are interested in signing Bronson Arroyo and/or Bartolo Colon, but a deal is not close with either player, ESPN's Jim Bowden tweets.
- With Brian McCann (Yankees) and Carlos Ruiz (Phillies) now off the market, the Rockies are likely through looking for a catcher, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post guesses (via Twitter). Those two, along with Jarrod Saltalamacchia, were the big names on the free agent market, and with McCann and Ruiz gone, Renck suggests that the Rockies will try to upgrade at other positions instead.
- With Josh Johnson in the fold, the Padres have the makings of a good rotation in place, and Matt Calkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune argues that should empower them to be bold for the rest of the offseason. With Johnson, Andrew Cashner, Ian Kennedy and Tyson Ross at the big-league level, and Max Fried, Matt Wisler and Burch Smith behind them, the Padres can use their pitching depth to acquire a power hitter, Calkins argues. Of course, Padres starters had the worst WAR of any team last season, and Johnson is coming off an injury-plagued year, so it's questionable how much depth they really have.
- Padres GM Josh Byrnes tells MLB Network Radio, in fact, that Johnson hasn't even thrown since having surgery on his elbow in October. Byrnes also suggests that "if this year doesn't go well, we'd like to get a discounted look at next year" (Twitter links). Johnson is signed to a one-year deal, but the Padres will receive a $4MM option for 2015 if Johnson doesn't start at least seven games in 2014.
Minor Moves: Gast, Curtis
Here's a look at today's minor moves from around the game.
- The Cardinals have outrighted pitcher John Gast and outfielder Jermaine Curtis to Triple-A Memphis, according to MLB.com's transactions page. Gast, 24, made three starts with the Cards and seven at Memphis in 2013, but missed the last two-thirds of the season with a shoulder injury. Curtis, 26, hit .257/.355/.349 in 436 plate appearances at Memphis. He also appeared in five big-league games.
Week In Review: 11/17/13 – 11/23/13
Here's a look back at this week at MLBTR.
- MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner died of brain cancer at age 51.
- The Rangers acquired first baseman Prince Fielder and cash from the Tigers for second baseman Ian Kinsler.
- Pitcher Chris Carpenter officially retired.
- The Yankees will sign catcher Brian McCann to a five-year deal.
- The Cardinals will sign shortstop Jhonny Peralta to a four-year deal.
- The Royals signed pitcher Jason Vargas to a four-year deal.
- The Phillies re-signed catcher Carlos Ruiz to a three-year deal.
- The Angels will sign reliever Joe Smith to a three-year deal.
- The Giants will re-sign reliever Javier Lopez to a three-year deal.
- The Giants also signed pitcher Tim Hudson to a two-year deal.
- The Indians signed outfielder David Murphy to a two-year deal.
- The Rays will re-sign catcher Jose Molina to a two-year deal.
- The Reds signed utilityman Skip Schumaker to a two-year deal.
- The Padres signed pitcher Josh Johnson to a one-year deal.
- The Mets will sign outfielder Chris Young to a one-year deal.
- The Rockies signed reliever LaTroy Hawkins to a one-year deal.
- The Yankees signed infielder Brendan Ryan to a one-year deal.
- The Tigers signed reliever Phil Coke to a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration.
- The Orioles signed pitchers Edgmer Escalona and Kelvin De La Cruz to one-year deals.
- The Cardinals acquired outfielders Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk from the Angels for third baseman David Freese and reliever Fernando Salas.
- The Red Sox acquired reliever Burke Badenhop from the Brewers for minor-league pitcher Luis Ortega.
- The Pirates re-acquired reliever Duke Welker from the Twins for pitcher Kris Johnson.
- The Cardinals extended the contract of manager Mike Matheny.
- The Astros claimed infielder Ryan Jackson from the Cardinals, and outrighted outfielder J.D. Martinez.
- The White Sox claimed utilityman Jake Elmore from the Astros.
- The Rangers claimed pitcher Shawn Tolleson from the Dodgers.
- The Royals designated pitcher Noel Arguelles, second baseman Irving Falu and catcher George Kottaras for assignment.
- The Padres designated outfielder Jaff Decker and pitchers Brad Brach, Miles Mikolas, and Jose De Paula for assignment.
- The Giants designated pitcher Guillermo Moscoso for assignment.
- The Nationals designated pitchers Fernando Abad and Tyler Robertson for assignment.
- The Diamondbacks designated pitcher Tony Sipp for assignment.
- The Indians designated infielder Cord Phelps for assignment.
- The Athletics outrighted infielder Scott Sizemore.
- The Yankees outrighted infielder Corban Joseph.
- The Twins outrighted pitcher B.J. Hermsen.
- The Rangers outrighted pitcher Edwar Cabrera.
- The Rangers re-signed pitcher Colby Lewis to a minor-league deal.
- The Royals signed pitcher P.J. Walters to a minor-league deal.
- The Nationals re-signed pitcher Chris Young to a minor-league deal.
- The Phillies signed infielder Reid Brignac to a minor-league deal.
- The Dodgers signed infielder Brendan Harris to a minor-league deal.
- The Braves hired former Indians and Rangers executive John Hart as an advisor.
Quick Hits: Closers, Twins, Narveson, Kinsler, Lopez
The Red Sox' recent experience shows the need for teams to be flexible at the closer position, writes ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The Sox traded four players last offseason to get Joel Hanrahan (and infielder Brock Holt), but Hanrahan quickly went down with an elbow injury. They then replaced him with Andrew Bailey, and then Koji Uehara, who pitched brilliantly. The Red Sox weren't the only playoff team that changed closers for one reason or another, Crasnick notes — so did the Cardinals, Pirates, Tigers, Dodgers and Indians. That's worth keeping in mind this offseason, where the market for closers includes Joe Nathan, Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit, Brian Wilson, Fernando Rodney and Edward Mujica. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.
- The Twins are interested in starting pitchers Gavin Floyd and Chris Capuano, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Floyd's agent, Mike Moye, says his client is progressing well in his return from Tommy John surgery, and Berardino suggests Floyd will be ready to go by the time spring training games begin. The Twins' top target is still Bronson Arroyo, Berardino notes.
- One under-the-radar starting pitcher on the free agent market is Chris Narveson, who pitched this winter for Licey, in the Dominican. A number of scouts have their eyes on Narveson, Crasnick tweets. Narveson missed much of the 2012 and 2013 seasons due to injury, but was a reliable member of the Brewers' rotation in 2010 and 2011.
- Ian Kinsler could block trades to all but ten teams, but he didn't put the Tigers on the list because he liked their chances of winning a championship, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press reports. That's what allowed the Rangers to deal Kinsler to Detroit. "I’m really excited," he says. "Our chance to win the World Series is better than anyone's."
- Reliever Javier Lopez, who recently signed for three years and $13MM, figures he might have been able to get similar money elsewhere, but he chose to stay with the Giants because he's happy in San Francisco, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. "In my case, I felt I wanted to be in a comfortable setting first and in a place that I feel has a chance to win. That’s why I chose San Francisco," he says. "I knew the offers would be around the same dollars, so it was just a matter of happiness."