Nationals Agree To Sign Mike Cameron
The Nationals have agreed to sign outfielder Mike Cameron to a minor league deal, the team announced (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement (on Twitter).
Cameron, 39 in January, also drew interest from the Indians recently. His production took a big dip in 2011, when he hit just .203/.285/.359 in 269 overall plate appearances with the Red Sox and Marlins. The advanced metrics continue to rate his outfield defense very well, however. Washington figures to keep looking for a long-term solution in center field, but Cameron represents a solid stopgap player or bench piece.
Gio Gonzalez Rumors: Monday
The Athletics have already traded one of their young starting pitchers this offseason, but it wasn't Gio Gonzalez even though his name is popular on the trade rumor circuit. Here's the latest on the 26-year-old left-hander…
- The Mets are unlikely to pursue Gonzalez according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, with one team official saying talks never moved passed the preliminary phase. “Nothing serious,” said the official, with another source saying they are "unlikely" to continue pursuing the southpaw.
- Martino says the Athletics asked the Yankees for Jesus Montero and top pitching prospects in exchange for Gonzalez when they discussed his availability earlier this winter.
Bobby Abreu Would Welcome Trade
The Angels added Albert Pujols to their stable of first base/corner outfield/designated hitter-type bats during the Winter Meetings, leading to speculation about players they might move in a trade. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that Bobby Abreu would welcome a trade out of Anaheim, though he is not the type to demand one.
“Right now, [Abreu] is a valuable asset,” said GM Jerry DiPoto to Rosenthal. “I have a world of respect for Bobby. I want to make sure he’s in a position to be productive. Right now, we have that ability.”
Abreu, 38 in March, will earn $9MM in 2012 before becoming a free agent after the season. His power numbers have slipped in recent years (just eight homers in 2011), but he still manages to rank among the league leaders in walks and hasn't stolen fewer than 20 bases in a season since 1998. Abreu is also a defensive liability, but the Angels could use him to balance out their right-handed heavy lineup. The only problem is that he's become increasingly susceptible to southpaws in recent years (.238/.319/.279 vs. LHP in 2011).
Rosenthal says a trade is unlikely to happen anytime soon, just because the team wants to see as much of Kendrys Morales as they can before determining if they have offense to spare. He also lists the Mariners, Rays, Orioles, and Blue Jays as clubs that need help at DH, though none have been connected to Abreu yet.
Brewers Win Rights To Norichika Aoki
MONDAY: MLB officially announced the Brewers won the bid for Aoki. They now have 30 days to negotiate a contract with him. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Brewers plan to work him out in Arizona before deciding whether to sign him.
SATURDAY: The Yakult Swallows have announced that the Brewers won the negotiating rights to Japanese outfielder Norichika Aoki, reports Yasuko Yanagita of Hochi Shimbun (on Twitter). We heard that Yakult accepted the $2.5MM bid yesterday.
Aoki, 30 in January, is a three-time Central League batting champion and posted a career line of .336/.411/.472 in his first seven seasons in Japan. His numbers fell to 292/.358/.360 in 2011, which explains the modest size of the posting fee. NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman (writing for Fangraphs) said in August 2010 that Aoki was "the best pure hitter Japan has produced since Ichiro" and has good defensive range, though a weak throwing arm will probably limit Aoki to left field in the majors.
The Brewers seem to have plenty of outfield depth with Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, Nyjer Morgan, and Carlos Gomez, but there's a chance they could lose Braun for the first 50 games of the season after his failed drug test. GM Doug Melvin recently said he is proceeding with his offseason under the assumption that Braun will be in the lineup all season, however. As a left-handed hitter, Aoki could serve as a bat off the bench or give the team depth to make a trade.
NL East Links: Marlins, Phillies, Nationals
Five years ago today, the Nationals traded Jose Vidro to the Mariners for Chris Snelling and Emiliano Fruto. Vidro hit .285/.344/.374 in his two years with Seattle, though neither Snelling or Fruto amounted to much with Washington. Here's the latest from the NL East…
- “It’s very difficult to buy pitching, to trade for pitching, but we’re on it,” said Marlins president Larry Beinfest to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “Ideally, we would love to add another top-of-the-rotation starter. Whether that’s practical, that remains to be seen.”
- Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer broke down the Phillies' payroll following the team's contract agreement with Jimmy Rollins. They're unofficially at $164.3MM for 20 players at the moment.
- Pete Kerzel of MASNSports.com says Nationals GM Mike Rizzo must decide how to act with the price of pitching rising so high, evidenced by yesterday's Mat Latos trade.
Minor Moves: Wil Nieves
Let's keep track of today's minor league signings here…
- The Rockies have signed catcher Wil Nieves to a minor league deal according to the MLB.com transactions page. The 34-year-old hit .140/.189/.180 in 54 plate appearances for the Brewers last season and is a .221/.268/.289 career hitter in 823 career plate appearances in the show.
Huntington “Optimistic” About McCutchen Extension
Talks about a long-term contract extension between the Pirates and Andrew McCutchen didn't progress much this summer, but GM Neal Huntington told fans that he's "optimistic" about reaching an agreement with the star outfielder at PirateFest yesterday, reports Bill Brink of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"When you enter a negotiation, you're at X, the player's at Z and you work awfully hard to try to find Y," said Huntington. "There has to be a compromise, there has to be a shared risk on both sides."
Back in May we heard that the team wants at least five years in a McCutchen extension, meaning they want to buy out at least one year of free agency. The 25-year-old is a .276/.365/.458 career hitter in his two-plus big league seasons, which is comparable to the .272/.350/.485 line Justin Upton owned when he signed his six-year, $52.25MM deal prior to the 2010 season. A contract along those lines is reasonable for McCutchen, a first-time All-Star in 2011.
Indians Have Not Ruled Out Pitching Upgrades
Earlier today we heard that the Indians are in "serious talks" with Mike Cameron and Andy LaRoche as they seek bench help, but MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says (on Twitter) the team still hasn't ruled out adding pitching yet. He wouldn't be surprised to see them add a reliever before Spring Training.
Cleveland's rotation is pretty well set with the ground ball heavy quartet of Ubaldo Jimenez, Derek Lowe, Fausto Carmona, and Justin Masterson, plus they have Josh Tomlin, Jeanmar Gomez, and David Huff to battle it out for the fifth spot. A free agent like Andy Sonnanstine or Clay Hensley could provide both rotation and bullpen insurance on a minor league contract, though that is just my speculation.
Padres Designate Luis Martinez For Assignment
The Padres have designated catcher Luis Martinez for assignment according to a team press release. The move clears up 40-man roster space after San Diego acquired three 40-man players (Edinson Volquez, Yasmani Grandal, Yonder Alonso) in Saturday's Mat Latos trade. Their 40-man roster is now full.
Martinez, 26, hit .203/.309/.305 in 68 plate appearances this past season, his big league debut. He spent the majority of the season with the Padres' Triple-A affiliate, where he hit .323/.379/.434 in 219 plate appearances. Martinez is a .272/.364/.360 career hitter in five minor league seasons.
Central Notes: Twins, Pineiro, Garland, Wood
The NL Central got a little tougher when the Reds acquired Mat Latos on Saturday, but they're still looking to upgrade their pitching further. Here's the latest from baseball's two central divisions…
- The Twins are considering Jeff Francis and Joel Pineiro, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Morosi says Jon Garland is an option as well if he checks out medically after missing most of last season due to shoulder surgery.
- Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune says Kerry Wood's return to the Cubs is "considered inevitable." Wood wants a market value contract after taking a discount last year, and Sullivan says Octavio Dotel's one-year, $3.5MM deal with the Tigers could serve as a decent comparable.
- Earlier today we learned that the Reds have some interest in Jason Kubel, and that the Royals discussed Joakim Soria with the Red Sox before deciding they weren't a trade match.