Odds & Ends: Westbrook, De La Rosa, Papelbon
Links on a busy Tuesday as the first day of the GM Meetings wraps up…
- Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer says (via Twitter) the Indians "kicked the tires" on Jake Westbrook, but never formally offered him a contract before he re-signed with the Cardinals.
- FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that the market for Jorge de la Rosa won't take shape until Cliff Lee signs. He's a fallback option for several teams.
- Former Orioles reliever Dennis Sarfate is in talks to join the Hiroshima Carp according to MASNSports.com's Roch Kubatko.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Giants are currently in on just two players: Aubrey Huff and Juan Uribe.
- Bob Brookover of The Philadelphia Inquirer says that Phillies GM Ruben Amaro offered a lot of "no comments" when asked about the team's interest in retaining Chad Durbin.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says (via Twitter) the trade market for Jonathan Papelbon is "very weak," but the Red Sox are willing to pay part of what will surely be a sizable 2011 salary.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman hears that the Yankees will bid at least three years to keep Derek Jeter (Twitter link). Owner Hal Steinbrenner added that "things are going well."
- Chad Jennings of The Journal News has a quote from Yanks GM Brian Cashman: “I’ve got a small player move that I’m working on that might get done at some point this week … But it’s small.”
- Meanwhile, ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Yanks are still waiting to hear whether Mariano Rivera wants a one or two-year deal.
- Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets that the Athletics are not moving Conor Jackson, though he remains a non-tender candidate.
- Twins GM Bill Smith said it's "not at all" a question when asked if the team would tender Matt Capps a contract, according to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post (Twitter link).
- John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer says that Reds GM Walt Jocketty has talked to Arthur Rhodes' agent and plans to do the same with Miguel Cairo's, but he has yet to talk to any other free agents.
- SI.com's Tom Verducci lists players available on the "secondary market" that could have a big impact, starting with Jack Cust.
- Roy Halladay's Cy Young Award netted him $250K in bonus money, tweets Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The bonus was negotiated into his original contract with Toronto.
- In the wake of Justin Upton being made available, FanGraphs' Dave Cameron examines his trade value.
Red Sox Willing To Trade Marco Scutaro
Multiple teams are showing interest in Red Sox shortstop Marco Scutaro according to FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal, and sources tell the Fox scribe that they're willing to move him for the right return. The Sox would then install Jed Lowrie at short while presumably strengthening another aspect of the team.
Scutaro, 35, signed a two-year deal worth $12.5MM with Boston last offseason. He hit .275/.333/.388 in 695 plate appearances during his first year with the team, solid but not on par with his 2009 performance (.282/.379/.409). Bonafide everyday shortstops are tough to come by, plus the sheer number of teams looking to shore up the position likely means that the Red Sox will get a good return if they do make Scutaro available.
Yankees Interested In Bill Hall
Given all of the injuries they dealt with in 2010, the Red Sox were happy to have Bill Hall around. The former Brewer hit .247/.316/.456 with 18 homers in 382 plate appearances with Boston, his best effort since the breakout 2006 campaign that landed him a four-year, $24MM contract. Now another AL East club is looking to bring him aboard, as FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says the Yankees have interest in Hall according to major league sources.
“We have a good utility guy in [Ramiro] Pena,” said GM Brian Cashman. “We think Eduardo Nunez will be an everyday shortstop in the big leagues, but he very well could be a utility guy for us. [Brandon] Laird plays first base, third base and outfield."
“Obviously, are there better veteran guys available in free agency or the trade market? Very probably, there are. But is that the best way to go? We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Hall, 31 next month, works with Yankees' hitting coach Kevin Long during the offseason, so there's already a relationship in place. Of course the team's first priority is re-signing Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, not to mention making a run at Cliff Lee, so any pursuit of Hall will likely wait until after those other items are addressed.
Reds Prioritizing Leadoff Hitter, Bench Help
The Reds won their division for the first time since 1995 this season, and did so thanks to an offense that led the NL in runs (790), batting average (.272), slugging percentage (.436), and OPS (.774). They did all that despite a collection of leadoff hitters that reached base just 30.6% of the time, third worst in baseball. Unsurprisingly, GM Walt Jocketty told MLB.com's Marl Sheldon that finding someone to bat atop the lineup is one of their offseason priorities.
"We've been talking to clubs and looking for a potential leadoff hitter, and maybe someone to improve our bench," said Jocketty. "There's not a great deal to do, but we're talking a lot. Generally, we talk to clubs before we come down and follow up here with discussions. We, hopefully, finish what we start [here] at the Winter Meetings. I don't know if we'll find a [leadoff hitter] or not."
Brandon Phillips settled in as the team's leadoff hitter in late June but didn't improve the situation; he hit just .247/.302/.387 from that point on. Ideally the team would employ his power lower in the lineup anyway. Orlando Cabrera also spent time hitting leadoff, but he produced just a .225/.268/.297 batting line from the top spot. Last week, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted the Reds would fill their leadoff need by signing free agent Scott Podsednik.
The team just re-signed catcher Ramon Hernandez to a one-year, $3MM contract, a deal that is looking good in the wake of John Buck's near-agreement with Florida. Earlier tonight we learned that Jocketty will get in touch will Miguel Cairo, who hit .290/.353/.410 in a reserve role last season. That won't solve Cincinnati's need for a table-setter, but should help shore up the bench.
Chiba Lotte Marines To Post Tsuyoshi Nishioka
TUESDAY, 7:55pm: NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman tweets that we should know the high bidder by the 22nd or 23rd.
MONDAY, 8:26pm: The Chiba Lotte Marines are set to announce that they will post infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka within the hour, reports FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal and Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan (Twitter links). Rosenthal notes that Nishioka will be represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council while Passan speculates that the bidding could approach $15-20MM in a thin shortstop market.
Both the Giants and Dodgers have expressed interest in the 26-year-old switch-hitter, who hit .346 with 22 steals in 2010. ESPN's Keith Law (Insider req'd) described Nishioka as "valuable as an everyday guy on a second-division club," though he mentions that he struggles with good fastballs and doesn't offer much in the power department. NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman offered up his thoughts at FanGraphs recently, saying he sees Nishioka as a Ryan Theriot/Chone Figgins type.
White Sox Meet With Dunn’s Agent
While many expect the Cubs to pursue Adam Dunn this offseason, it was their neighbors to the south that met with Dunn's agent recently according to ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine. White Sox GM Kenny Williams had preliminary discussions with Dunn's people to gauge what the free agent first baseman is seeking in terms of a contract. One GM said that three years and $40MM would be the starting point for discussions.
"Anytime you spend time opening up dialogue and building on relationships, it can't help but to forge a deal at some time," said Williams. "Whether that helps this year or not remains to be seen."
"We are in the process right now of determining whether or not adding to the current mix we have would be the most prudent thing to do and gives us the best chance to win a championship or turning some of our players into young, impact guys," he added. "What we don't want to do is we don't want to be in the middle."
The Nationals had a three-year contract offer on the table for the last three months, so it makes sense that three years would be a starting point if he turned that down. Dunn, 31, hit .260/.356/.536 with 38 homers this season, and in terms of OPS it was his least productive season since 2006. I broke down his free agent stock just a few days ago.
Mets Bring Back Four For Next Round Of Interviews
The Mets are bringing four managerial candidates back for a second round of interviews: Tim Collins, Chip Hale, Bob Melvin, and Wally Backman. Newsday's Ken Davidoff, The New York Daily News' Andy Martino (both Twitter links), and ESPN's Adam Rubin each delivered the news. Collins was said to be the favorite for the job over the weekend.
Sosnick On Nolasco & Bruce
Agent Matt Sosnick has two clients in their arbitration years, but right now extension talks for Ricky Nolasco of the Marlins and Jay Bruce of the Reds aren't far beyond the infancy stages. Here's what Sosnick told Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald regarding a possible deal for Nolasco…
"I would say certainly nothing's going to happen soon," said the agent. "But I would be surprised if something didn't end up happening. We have had some conversations and I think we've made some progress."
Nolasco earned $3.8MM in his second (of four as a Super Two) year of arbitration, but back in September we heard that "a significant gulf" existed between the two sides during negotiations. More recently the club indicated that signing Dan Uggla long-term was their first priority, but after today's trade Nolasco presumably moved up on the list. The 27-year-old righty (28 next month) pitched to a 4.51 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 157 2/3 innings this season.
As for Bruce, here's what MLB.com's Mark Sheldon passes along…
Bruce is due a significant raise as he enters his first year of arbitration (also a Super Two), and he's expressed interest a long-term deal in the past. Perhaps Nick Markakis' six-year, $66MM deal can be used as framework. Bruce had a monster season at age 23, hitting .281/.353/.493 with 25 homers.
Amateur Signing Bonuses: Nationals
Time to wrap up our amateur signing bonus series with a trip to the nation's capitol…
- Stephen Strasburg, $7.5MM (2009)
- Bryce Harper, $6.25MM (2010)
- Ryan Zimmerman, $2.975MM (2006)
- Justin Wayne, $2.95MM (2000)
- Josh Karp, $2.65MM (2001)
Having the first overall pick in back-to-back years can get pretty expensive, especially if there happens to be one of the best and most-hyped prospects in draft history available each year.
By all accounts, Strasburg is the greatest pitching prospect in draft history, and he was paid as such. His bonus is the largest in draft history by more than a million bucks, and the total value of his four-year big league contract is $15.1MM, again the largest in draft history. He zoomed right through the minors as expected, putting just 44 men on base while striking out 65 in 55 1/3 innings before being called up on June 18th. Strasburg famously struck out 14 Pirates in his major league debut, and perhaps more famously will miss just about the entire 2011 season after needing Tommy John surgery. In a dozen starts with the Nats, Strasburg posted a 2.91 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.
Harper wasn't the greatest position player prospect in draft history, but he was certainly hyped as such. His signing bonus is tied with Donavan Tate for the second largest in draft history, and the total value of his five-year contract is $9.9MM. That's the record for non-pitchers, and Washington immediately moved Harper out from behind the plate and into right field to help him get the majors sooner. Although didn't play during the regular season after signing, Harper is hitting .323/.400/.613 in 31 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League.
For all the promise Strasburg and Harper have to offer, Zimmerman is the best player in the young history of the Washington Nationals. He was the fourth overall pick in 2005 and needed just 269 plate appearances in the minors (.336/.377/.564) before reaching the big leagues later that year. Zimmerman has been the team's regular third baseman ever since, and is a .288/.355/.484 career hitter. The performance is ever better over the last two years: .299/.375/.518.
Wayne was the fifth overall pick in the century's first draft, though his time with the then-Expos lasted just two years. He pitched to a 2.92 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 259 1/3 minor league innings with the franchise before being traded to the Marlins in an eight player deal that was highlighted by Carl Pavano and Cliff Floyd in July 2002. Although he pitched in the big leagues with Florida later that year and in each of the next two, Wayne has been out of baseball since 2005.
The Expos selected Karp sixth overall in 2001, but he certainly didn't give them their money's worth. He pitched to a 4.73 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 475 1/3 minor league innings, and has been out of baseball since having shoulder surgery after the 2005 season. Karp never reached the big leagues.
Odds & Ends: Shell, Kuroda, V-Mart, Okajima, Davies
Links for Monday evening…
- Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com tweets that the Royals have signed reliever Steven Shell to a minor league deal. Shell, 27, had a 3.59 ERA in 72.2 innings with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate last season.
- Troy Renck of The Denver Post lists the Cardinals, Phillies, and Rockies as some of the teams that were interested in Hiroki Kuroda before he re-signed with the Dodgers (Twitter link). Kuroda, however, re-signed without fielding offers from other teams according to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.
- Add the Rangers to the list of teams showing interest in Victor Martinez says SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter).
- WEEI.com's Rob Bradford tweets that Hideki Okajima is subject to a normal arbitration calendar this offseason. In the past the Red Sox had to offer him a contract by November 20th.
- Non-tender candidate Kyle Davies hopes to remain with the Royals, says MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. Davies hasn't heard anything from the team regarding his future.
- Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports that Cliff Lee's agent Darek Braunecker is still unsure if he will attend this week's GM Meetings.
- MLB.com's Jane Lee provides a list of power bat the Athletics could potentially pursue as free agents this offseason.
- The Yankees don't believe that Derek Jeter will ultimately leave New York, but they're prepared for a long negotiation according to Heyman (Twitter link).
- Meanwhile, Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com tweets that there is still no word whether or not Andy Pettitte will return to pitch in 2011.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak doesn't expect any roster moves at this week's meetings according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com says the team is growing more optimistic about re-signing Jake Westbrook, however (Twitter link).
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti told Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer that it's too early in the offseason to tell whether his team's needs will be filled through trades or free agency.
- MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith is on location at this week's GM Meetings in Orlando, and you can follow him on Twitter at @mlbtrorlando for the latest breaking news and analysis.
- There is mutual interest between the Marlins and free agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski, reports Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post. Capozzi says the team might not be able to afford him, though they could free up payroll space by dealing Dan Uggla.
- FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says that the Dodgers are looking to add power to their lineup, and James Loney is the player they're most most willing to trade. They would then turn around and sign one of the many power-hitting first baseman available on the free agent market.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson said that the first round of manager interviews includes one or two more candidates while the second round will consist of three or four candidates according to Andy Martino of The New York Daily News (all Twitter links). The second set of interviews could begin in Orlando this week, and Alderson said his father's death on Sunday will not slow things down.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick profiles Giants GM Brian Sabean and the work that lies ahead following his team's World Series victory.
- Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues looks at how signing Lee would impact the Yankees' future payroll. Meanwhile, Brian Cashman told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch that he doesn't expect to get any deals done this week.
- Best of luck to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. He's trading in the Blue Jays' beat for the Indians' beat.