East Notes: Mets, Blue Jays, Nationals
Mets GM Sandy Alderson says it doesn't make sense for his team to sign a player who will cost more than $100MM, Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal reports. That means they likely won't pursue Shin-Soo Choo, even though he would make sense for their roster. "If you want to look at the data and the way we look at data and associate winning teams with payroll concentration, you realize that there are limits to how effective an overall team can be with their payroll concentrated in a small number of players," says Alderson. The Mets already have $138MM tied up in David Wright. Here are more notes from the East divisions.
- Wright wants the Mets to follow the Red Sox' lead in free agency, Newsday's Marc Carig writes. "It seemed like it worked for Boston last year. If you can get three or four — maybe not those marquee free agents — but three or four guys that are very good, solid, players I think it helps us fill more holes," says Wright, referring, presumably, to Boston's offseason acquisitions of players like Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, Stephen Drew and Koji Uehara.
- The Blue Jays plan to turn to the trade market before trying to sign any big free agents, writes Shi Davidi of SportsNet.ca. The Jays appear likely to try to deal for Jeff Samardzija of the Cubs, and they already asked about Reds catcher Ryan Hanigan, who may have become superfluous when Cincinnati signed Brayan Pena. They may have also considered a run at Astros catcher Jason Castro. Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos notes that the Jays are not likely to deal veteran players for prospects. They could, however, trade catcher J.P. Arencibia, or a reliever.
- The Nationals want to improve their bench and bullpen this offseason, the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore writes. They've already made contact with lefty relievers like Javier Lopez and Boone Logan, and they could look into J.P. Howell and Manny Parra as well. They could also look for a left-handed bat for their bench.
AL Notes: Beltran, Royals, Scherzer, Yankees
Carlos Beltran wouldn't mind returning to the Royals, writes MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. "I think it would be a great story if it happens for me to go back," Beltran says of the possibility of again playing for the team with which he began his big-league career. Unsurprisingly, though, he isn't ready to commit to anything just yet, with seven to ten teams that might want to sign him, including many from big markets. "[T]here are just a lot of teams that have interest in my services, but we haven't talked about the number of years or the money; everything is preliminary right now," says Beltran. Here's more from the American League.
- The Royals would like to sign starting pitcher Josh Johnson, ESPN's Buster Olney tweets. Johnson appears to be a high-upside gamble and is a good team player, Olney says, and he might be available on a one-year contract.
- AL Cy Young winner Max Scherzer wouldn't mind signing an extension to stay with the Tigers, Chris Iott of MLive.com writes. "I am open (to a new contract)," says Scherzer. "I realize I have it good here in Detroit. But it also takes two to dance." Scherzer is due to become a free agent after the 2014 season and should be in line for a huge payday. His agent, Scott Boras, sometimes negotiates pre-free agency extensions for his clients, but often prefers to have them test free agency. The Tigers also could trade Scherzer or another starter this offseason.
- The Yankees are unlikely to sign big-name free agents right away, reports Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York. They do not expect Brian McCann or Beltran to agree to a contract before they know what their options are, and so the only way to sign those players right now would be to make them offers that are difficult to refuse. Marchand notes that the Yankees like Beltran better than Jacoby Ellsbury or Shin-Soo Choo because Ellsbury and Choo would require longer contracts.
East Notes: Rays, Red Sox, Ellsbury, Phillies, Tanaka
Agent Scott Boras believes the Rays should relocate, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. When asked to describe the Rays' status, Boras replied, "I would say the Tale of Two Cities, the one they're in and the one they should be in.'' Boras says the Rays have built a team that fans should want to see, but so far, the Tampa area hasn't provided the team with attendance to match. "I don't know, maybe New Jersey would like that winning percentage," Boras says. Here are more notes from the East divisions.
- Red Sox GM Ben Cherington says teams have been calling about Boston's starting pitching, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweets. The Red Sox have six solid starting pitching options in Jon Lester, John Lackey, Clay Buchholz, Jake Peavy, Ryan Dempster and Felix Doubront.
- The Red Sox are preparing for what might happen if they can't re-sign outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, MLB.com's Paul Hagen reports. "Whether it's Ellsbury or any of our free agents, I don't think you find a carbon copy where you're exactly replacing the skills," Cherington says. "The challenge then is to try to make the team just as good in other ways." Boras, Ellsbury's agent, often is in no hurry for his clients to sign, so it makes sense that the Red Sox would be formulating backup plans, even if they aren't ruling out the possibility that Ellsbury will return.
- The Phillies might be willing to trade outfielder Domonic Brown, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. Such a move would create an opportunity for them to add another free agent outfielder to pair with Marlon Byrd. Rosenthal cites Brown's poor defense as one reason the Phillies might want to deal him. Some of the available free agents, like Nelson Cruz and Carlos Beltran, aren't much better defensively, but at least dealing Brown might help the Phillies upgrade at other positions. The Phillies deny that they are interested in dealing Brown, Rosenthal notes.
- One reason the Yankees are so interested in starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka is that his posting fee would not count account their luxury-tax threshold, Rosenthal writes. Tanaka therefore is more appealing to teams like the Yankees and Dodgers who have luxury-tax issues.
Red Sox Offer Saltalamacchia Two-Year Deal
The Red Sox have offered catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia a two-year deal, but that doesn't mean they aren't pursuing other catching options, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes. The team has also spoken to Brian McCann, Carlos Ruiz and A.J. Pierzynski. (ESPN's Buster Olney wrote Wednesday morning that the Red Sox had made offers to several catchers, including Saltalamacchia.)
Heyman writes that the Red Sox's offer to Saltalamacchia may have been for less than $10MM per season. Saltalamacchia likely would not find that offer particularly attractive — MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted, for example, that Saltalamacchia would received a four-year, $36MM deal. Saltalamacchia hit .273/.338/.466 in a strong season for Boston in 2013, and he's still just 28.
Heyman adds that the Red Sox have not recently spoken to free agent first baseman Mike Napoli. They are, however, still interested in retaining him.
Scherzer, Kershaw Win Cy Young Awards
Max Scherzer of the Tigers and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers have won Cy Young awards in their respective leagues. Scherzer finished ahead of Yu Darvish of the Rangers, who came in second, and Hisashi Iwakuma of the Mariners, who finished third. Scherzer posted a 2.90 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9, and he led the American League with a 21 wins.
Kershaw led the NL with a 1.83 ERA, and he posted 8.8 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9. His 232 strikeouts also led the National League. He also won the Cy Young in 2011 and came in second in 2012. He took 29 of 30 possible first-place votes. Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals came in a distant second, with Marlins rookie Jose Fernandez third.
Mets Meet With Jhonny Peralta
The Mets recently had a meeting with shortstop Jhonny Peralta at the GM meetings, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes. The Mets are in the shortstop market after struggling through the 2013 season with Omar Quintanilla and Ruben Tejada at the position, and the two best shortstops on the free agent market are Peralta and Stephen Drew. Unlike Drew, signing Peralta would not require the Mets to sacrifice a draft pick, although the Mets' first-round pick, at No. 10 overall, is protected either way.
Heyman notes that players do not normally attend the GM meetings, but that, after Peralta's Biogenesis suspension in 2013, appearing in person might have been a smart move. Peralta hit .303/.358/.457 with the Tigers in 107 games last season.
Morosi On Fister, Hammel, Giants, Fowler, Mariners
Here's the latest from FOX Sports' Jon Morosi:
- The Tigers are "gauging interest" in starting pitcher Doug Fister as well as Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello (Twitter link). Morosi repeats a bit of trade speculation from a reader who suggests that Fister for Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick might be a good fit (link). That doesn't even rise to the level of a rumor at this point, but it's interesting, given the Tigers' need for a second baseman and the Angels' desires to add pitching while keeping payroll down.
- The Giants are interested in free agent pitcher Jason Hammel and have asked to see his medical records (link). Hammel posted a 4.97 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in a down year with the Orioles in 2013.
- The Mariners have Rockies outfielder Dexter Fowler on their radar as a potential trade target (link). The Mariners have been connected to any number of outfielders already this offseason, so it's unsurprising that they would be interested in Fowler, who hit .263/.369/.407 in 2013. Fowler is set to earn $7.35MM in 2014.
Bronson Arroyo In Talks With Twins
The Twins are in the market for a starting pitcher, and they're furthest along with Bronson Arroyo, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press writes. The Twins are inspecting Arroyo's medical records and have discussed some contract language with Arroyo's agency, Gaylord Sports Management. Berardino earlier tweeted that the two sides have not yet begun discussing terms of the contract, but noted that the work the Twins have already done indicates that they are "serious."
Arroyo has pitched at least 199 innings in each of the last nine seasons, so the Twins would look to him to eat innings in what was baseball's worst rotation in 2013. He posted a 3.79 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 with the Reds last season. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted he would receive a two-year, $24MM deal.
Minor Moves: Paulino, Boscan
Here's a look at today's minor moves from around baseball.
- The Tigers have signed catcher Ronny Paulino to a minor-league deal, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman tweets. Paulino, 32, hit .250/.337/.348 in limited action at the minor-league level in 2013. He last appeared in the Majors with the Orioles in 2012, and he has a career big-league line of .272/.324/.376.
- The Dodgers have signed catcher J.C. Boscan to a minor-league deal and invited him to spring training, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes tweets. Boscan hit .232/.297/.270 in 258 plate appearances for the Cubs' Triple-A Iowa affiliate in 2013. He has 30 career big-league plate appearances.
East Notes: Span, Ruiz, Red Sox, Mets
Denard Span was surprised to hear his name come up again in trade rumors, MLB.com's Bill Ladson writes. Span has been with the Nationals less than a year, having arrived from Minnesota in a trade for prospect Alex Meyer last November 29. "My first reaction was, 'Here we go again,'" says Span. "I dealt with trade rumors the last two years. It surprised me because I've been in Washington for one year. The guys in Washington have been trying to get me for a while, and to hear rumors this quick after one year is surprising." Span hit .279/.327/.380 in his first year in Washington, a bit below his career averages. Here are more notes from the East divisions.
- Carlos Ruiz might be a good fit with the Red Sox, suggests FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. Rosenthal hears that one team has already offered Ruiz somewhere in the vicinity of two years and $20MM, and he thinks that team could be the Red Sox. By signing Ruiz rather than Brian McCann or Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Boston would avoid committing to a contract of more than two years. Signing a catcher for three years or more might not be ideal, with prospects Blake Swihart and/or Christian Vazquez potentially ready to help in the next couple years.
- Marlon Byrd's deal with the Phillies signals how difficult it will be for the Mets to find power this offseason, Newsday's Marc Carig writes. Byrd's contract, which could balloon to $24MM through 2016 if he can stay on the field, followed in the footsteps of Jose Dariel Abreu's $68MM deal with the White Sox, as well as Hunter Pence's $90MM contract with the Giants. Carig notes, though, that the frenzy for power hitters could be beneficial to the Mets in one respect — Lucas Duda and Ike Davis might be able to fetch a decent return on the trade market, despite their deficiencies.