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Quick Hits: Maine, Lerner, Foltynewicz

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A few stray items of note coming out of the National League as Thursday winds down …

  • Rockies right-hander John Maine can opt out of his contract with Colorado if he's not on the 25-man roster on June 1, tweets Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post. Maine, who signed a minor league deal with the Rox this offseason, has missed the better part of each of the past two seasons with the Mets due to right arm trouble.
  • The Nationals grabbed headlines this offseason by signing Jayson Werth to a hefty $126MM contract, and though it was widely regarded as a questionable baseball decision, owner Ted Lerner has no shortage of cash, writes Kevin Kaduk of Yahoo! Sports. Lerner, as Kaduk explains, ranks No. 376 on Forbes' list of wealthiest people in the world, and is presently the wealthiest majority owner in baseball.
  • Astros pitching prospect Mike Foltynewicz is looking to build upon the strong professional debut he made in 2010, writes Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner. Astros assistant GM/director of scouting Bobby Heck said that the right-hander probably has the highest ceiling of any Astros minor leaguer. Interestingly, Foltynewicz told Goff that he probably would have gone to the Red Sox at No. 20 overall in last year's First-Year Player Draft had the Astros not nabbed him at No. 19.

A’s, Yanks Agree To Terms With International FAs

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The Athletics and Yankees have each agreed to terms with an international free agent, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.

  •  The Athletics have agreed to terms with South Korean catching prospect Seong-Min Kim on a deal worth $510K, writes Badler. One scout told Baseball America that Kim, 17, has plus raw power as a right-handed hitter. Oakland was among the top five spenders in the international free-agent market last offseason with a budget of roughly $5MM, according to Badler. Jin-Young Kim of the Cubs was the only player from South Korea to sign with an MLB team in 2010.
  • The Yankees have agreed to terms with Dominican right-handed pitcher Juan Carlos Paniagua, 20, for $1.1MM, according to Badler. Paniagua, who had previously been suspended by Major League Baseball for one year for age and identity fraud, is 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, Badler writes. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and can touch 98 mph, while scouts are mixed on his secondary pitches. The signing of a previously suspended player for fraud is not unprecedented in MLB nor for the Yankees, for the matter, as Badler notes. Carlos Martinez of the Cardinals and Jose Rafael DePaula of the Bombers are two such examples.

Astros Tempering Pursuit Of Nationals’ Flores

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The Astros are cooling their pursuit of a potential trade for Nationals catcher Jesus Flores, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.

Reports of Houston's interest in obtaining Flores surfaced on Monday, but the interest is waning because of concerns over Flores' surgically repaired right shoulder. The Astros were looking at Flores as a project and were not interested in surrendering a lot to get him, according to Ladson.

The Astros are a bit thin at backstop between J.R. Towles, Humberto Quintero and Brian Esposito, while the Nationals are considered pretty deep at the position with Ivan Rodriguez, Wilson Ramos and prospect Derek Norris.

Flores, whom the Nats acquired from the Mets in 2006 as a Rule 5 Draft selection, has missed the majority of the past two seasons due to right shoulder ailments, but he was becoming a solid everyday catcher with Washington prior to the injury.

Heyman on Carlos Gonzalez’s Extension

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Carlos Gonzalez's extension with the Rockies is the subject of Jon Heyman's latest feature at SI.com, here are the highlights.

  • The Rockies' offer of a seven-year, $80MM extension was probably less than Gonzalez could have earned between arbitration and potential free agency several years down the road, writes Heyman, but Gonzalez accepted it anyway.
  • Gonzalez, who grew up poor in Venezuela, is exceptionally mature and humble for his age, according to Heyman, and rather than chase top dollar, he preferred the security of the long-term deal with a team that's he comfortable with.
  • Gonzalez had the full support of his agent, Scott Boras, whose clients typically go to free agency rather than signing extensions. Boras provided Gonzalez with the information indicating that Gonzalez could probably make more money if he waited till free agency. 
  • Boras praised Gonzalez for handling and analyzing the information, noting that Gonzalez turned down three or four offers before accepting the one that he did.
  • Turning down top dollar is not new for Gonzalez, however. He accepted a $150K bonus as a 16-year-old international free agent when he could have demanded as much as $1MM, writes Heyman.
  • Gonzalez is a close friend of shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who also signed a long-term extension with Colorado this offseason. Tulowitzki said part of the reason he signed his extension is because Gonzalez had told him that he wanted to sign long-term, too.

AL Central Notes: Dunn, Knapp, Nathan

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A few tidbits of note from what may be one of the more competitive and intriguing divisions in baseball in 2011 …

  • White Sox slugger Adam Dunn suspects that his now-infamous war of words with then-Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi in 2008 hurt his value on the free-agent market that offseason, writes Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. Dunn, of course, was traded from the Reds to the Diamondbacks in a post-deadline deal in 2008 and signed a modest two-year deal with the Nationals in the subsequent offseason. He reportedly was unwilling to be a full-time DH then, but when he hit free agency this offseason after two productive years in Washington, he had no such qualms, signing a nice four-year, $56MM deal with the South Siders.
  • Indians right-hander Jason Knapp could "rocket up" next year's prospects lists if he's healthy this year and continues to polish up his raw talents, writes Jim Callis of Baseball America. It feels like a lifetime ago that the Indians acquired Knapp from the Phillies in the Cliff Lee deal, and it looks like Knapp may be Cleveland's last hope of salvaging a player with big upside from that swap. As Callis notes, Knapp has logged only 40 innings since the Tribe acquired him in 2009 due to injuries, but he's still only 21.
  • Twins reliever Joe Nathan, recovering from Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2010, will have to prove that he's his old self before he returns to closing duty, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. “I don’t make any decisions until the end of spring training," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told Passan. "If [Nathan] comes back and throws like he did two years ago, he’ll probably be our closer." Of course, the Twins have a nice insurance policy in Matt Capps should Nathan not be ready. The Twins acquired Capps in a midseason trade last year and avoided arbitration with him this offseason, settling on a 2011 salary of $7.15MM.

Bob Howry Retires

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Right-hander Bob Howry, a 13-year veteran, has retired, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.

Howry's 769-appearance career (all in relief) was bookended by stints with the Chicago ballclubs. He broke in with the White Sox in 1998 and spent four-plus years there, then moving onto the Red Sox, Indians, Cubs, Giants and Diamondbacks before returning last year to the North Siders, with whom he made his final Major League appearance before being cut loose on July 30.

Howry was drafted out of McNeese State University by the Giants in the fifth round 1994. He was involved in two trades, one in which Keith Foulke, Wilson Alvarez, Danny Darwin and Roberto Hernandez were the moving parts, and another including Frank Francisco.

For his career, Howry finished up with a very solid 3.84 ERA and ratios of 7.5 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.

Quick Hits: Durbin, Dickerson, CBA

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Newly signed Indians right-hander Chad Durbin was one of the last free agents to ink a deal, but he's not yet in uniform. More on that and a couple other items of note …

  • The Indians' deal with Durbin is not yet officially complete, likely because the Tribe needs to first free up a spot on the 40-man roster, blogs Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Bastian speculates the deal will be announced on Tuesday. Durbin, of course, agreed to a Major League deal with Cleveland on Friday and could earn up to $1.8MM in 2011 if he reaches his incentives.
  • Indiana left fielder Alex Dickerson and his powerful bat may be scaling the first-round draft board, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner.com. Dickerson is a legitimate hitter, ESPN.com scout Keith Law told Goff, but his defense is shaky, limiting him to left field or first base, and comparisons to more athletic outfielders such as UConn's George Springer and South Carolina's Jackie Bradley Jr. won't  do his draft stock any favors. The Astros were among the many Major League clubs scouting Dickerson and others in Corpus Christi, Texas, this weekend, according to Goff. Houston has the 11th overall pick in this June's First-Year Player Draft.
  • MLB Players Association executive director Michael Weiner said MLB and the MLBPA had preliminary meetings about brokering a new collective bargaining agreement last week, writes Ken Fidlin of the Toronto Sun. Weiner expects there will be one or two formal meetings before Spring Training is over, but the sides won't really roll up their sleeves until the regular season begins.

NL West Notes: Maybin, Duke, Bichette Jr.

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It's never too soon to begin looking ahead to the First-Year Player Draft. Here's more on a potential first-round pick and a couple other items of note out of the NL West …

  • Padres GM Jed Hoyer inquired several times last season with the Marlins on the availability of center fielder Cameron Maybin, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com. Of course, the Padres eventually got their man in Maybin, whose memorable early-career homer off Rogers Clemens feels like a lifetime ago despite the fact that he's only 23. In acquiring Maybin, Hoyer and the Padres felt like they were getting a guy who is still younger than many minor league prospects and could have room to grow after he was perhaps rushed to the big leagues at just 20 years old. Plus, "His skill-set sets up very well for our style of play, our ballpark and our division," manager Bud Black told Brock.
  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers acquired Zach Duke from the Pirates in November because he thought the left-hander could benefit from a change of scenery, blogs Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Towers added that he covets lefties and good athletes, and said that despite Duke's dip in production in 2010, "his stuff didn't really deteriorate over the last couple years." Duke, non-tendered by the Bucs prior to being dealt to Arizona, posted a 5.72 ERA in 29 starts for the Pirates in '10 but has a career ERA of 4.54.
  • The Rockies may have deja vu all over again: Dante Bichette Jr., the son of former Blake Street Bomber Dante Bichette, is a projected first-round draft pick, according to the Denver Post. Bichette Jr., projected as a third baseman in pro ball, has signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Georgia, according to the Post, but if a team is willing to select him in the first round of a draft that is shaping up to be historically deep, there's always the chance he could be lured away by big money. You may remember Bichette Jr. from the 2005 Little League World Series, in which he starred for his team from Maitland, Fla. The Rockies, by the way, have the 20th pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.

Mets Received Loan From MLB

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SATURDAY, 5:51pm: Union head Michael Weiner told Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York that despite the team's financial trouble, he's confident the Mets will pay their players on time.

"I rely upon both the assurances we received from the commissioner's office as well as the documents that we are entitled to under the basic agreement," said Weiner. "What I said when I was in [Mets camp] was that I have every confidence that all the obligations to players under the basic agreement in their contracts will be met, and I still have every confidence that that's going to be the case."

The player's union was aware the commissioner's office was giving the Mets a loan since the Collective Bargaining Agreement entitles them to such financial information. 

FRIDAY, 5:49pm: The Mets, dealing with a cash shortage, received $25MM from Major League Baseball in November, according to Michael S. Schmidt and David Waldstein of the New York Times.

MLB typically extends its 30 clubs a credit of $75MM, according to the report, which the Mets have already exhausted in addition to the $400MM debt they have on the team. To boot, more financial damage looms for the Mets, as they face a $1 billion lawsuit by Irving Picard, the trustee of the victims of the Bernard Madoff ponzi scheme.

The Mets issued a statement, confirming the report and offering no further comment, per Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter links):

We said in October that we expect to have a short-term liquidity issue. To address this, we did receive a loan from Major League Baseball in November. Beyond that, we will not discuss the matter any further.

The loan is expected to be paid back "relatively quickly," according to Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal.

It is speculated in the Times report that Selig's assistance to offer financial aid to a big-market franchise, on the hook for about $140MM in player salary this year, might anger other owners. As well, it signals that the Mets are in dire financial straits, according to sports-industry consultant Marc Ganis, because the league is typically a "lender of last resort."

In January, the Wilpons announced that they are looking to sell a minority stake — perhaps 20 or 25 percent — in the team, and so far, that search has generated only "modest interest," according to the Times, with fewer than 12 investors applying to investigate the team's finances.

Aside from the Madoff mess, the Mets were wise to be stingy with their cash this offseason, writes Ed Price of FanHouse.com, because there wasn't a big-ticket free agent who could have put them over the top. And with a lot of money coming off the books after this season, the franchise will have flexibility moving forward — even if it doesn't spend $150MM per year on payroll — because teams can compete with any payroll so long as they spend wisely.

Crasnick On The A’s Offseason

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The Athletics, much like the Brewers, enjoyed a surprisingly fine offseason, and, not surprisingly, had to get a little bit creative to do so. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com caught up with A's GM Billy Beane, and here are the highlights:

  • Beane said that, because of the A's financial constraints, their offseason strategy is often dictated by the moves they can't make. Oakland, after all, has a payroll that's about one-quarter the size of the Yankees', writes Crasnick. So, some players are simply going to get better offers from other teams.
  • Such was the case this offseason, when the A's were turned down by free agents Lance Berkman, Adrian Beltre and Hisashi Iwakuma.
  • Instead, the A's chose to make modest, "incremental" changes to their offense, according to Crasnick, improving the corner-outfield spots by trading for David DeJesus and Josh Willingham, and adding free-agent DH Hideki Matsui. And, elsewhere, they wanted to further augment their strengths: pitching and defense. Their strong, young rotation is the team's backbone, and that advantage is compounded by their home park's spacious dimensions and sizable foul territory.
  • Signing a pair of not-cheap relievers in Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour may seem somewhat uncharacteristic of a scrupulous GM like Beane, especially when he himself has already cultivated a fine bullpen comprised of effective, cost-controlled types, but he had his reasons. "They're too good to be out there, and we had money to afford them," Beane told Crasnick.
  • As well, the A's wanted to defray the workload on the guys already in the bullpen, who logged the 12th-fewest innings in the AL in 2010, according to Crasnick, but were worn down from a taxing 2009 in which they were called upon too frequently.

For a comprehensive list of all the A's offseason moves, check out our Transaction Tracker.

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