Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

A.J. Burnett Rumors: Saturday

By Mike Axisa | February 11, 2012 at 3:14pm CDT

The Pirates and Yankees have been discussing an A.J. Burnett trade recently, and yesterday we learned that Pittsburgh is reportedly willing to take on $10MM of the $33MM left on his contract. The Yankees are looking for a 50-50 split, however. Garrett Jones is off the table as well. Here's the latest on the right-hander…

According to a source, there's a good chance that a deal sending Burnett to Pittsburgh gets done, tweets Mark Feinsand of of the New York Daily News.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) that the Pirates are one of four teams in on Burnett, but the Yankees feel the Buccos make the "most sense" as a trade partner. One of those four teams is on Burnett's no-trade list, which reportedly includes ten West Coast clubs.

AL East Links: Wakefield, Varitek, Ross, Orioles

By Mike Axisa | February 11, 2012 at 10:51am CDT

Pitchers and catchers for the Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, and Blue Jays are scheduled to report on February 18th, 19th, 19th, 20th, and 21st, respectively. Here's the latest from the AL East…

Both Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek have received interest from other teams, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says (on Twitter) that the two are expected to decided between the Red Sox or retirement. Boston has extended minor league offers to both players.
"This offseason was definitely tough," said new Red Sox outfielder Cody Ross to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. "There were a lot of teams I though would be interested that weren't. There were teams that were interested that I didn't think would be … I knew something was going to happen, and something good was going to come of it, and it did."
MASNSports.com's Roch Kubatko looked at all the turnover on the Orioles' 40-man roster this offseason. He counts 13 new players brought in from outside the organization. Check out our Transaction Tracker for a recap of all of Baltimore's moves under new GM Dan Duquette.

Remaining Unsigned Arbitration-Eligible Players

By Mike Axisa | February 11, 2012 at 8:58am CDT

Approximately 196 players were eligible for arbitration when the offseason began, but as our Arbitration Tracker shows, just eight remain unsigned as of today. Here's the latest on those players…

David Ortiz, Red Sox – Filed for $16.5MM, team countered with $12.65MM. Ortiz is still hoping to work out a multiyear deal before a hearing.
Mike Napoli, Rangers – Filed for $11.5MM, team countered with $8.3MM. Napoli's hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, and the two sides are focusing on a one-year deal before looking long-term.
Adam Jones, Orioles – Filed for $7.4MM, team countered with $5MM. A hearing is scheduled for Friday, but there is a sense that they could settle before then.
Casey McGehee, Pirates – Filed for $2.725MM, team countered with $2.35MM. The two sides are still negotiating, but a hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Garrett Jones, Pirates – Filed for $2.5MM, team countered with $2.25MM. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith explained how his case is linked to McGehee's earlier this month.
Jose Veras, Brewers – Filed for $2.375MM, team countered with $2MM. There has been no progress in talks and the club expects a hearing.
Casey Janssen, Blue Jays – Filed for $2.2MM, team countered with $1.8MM. There has been no update on the right-hander's status.
Alexi Casilla, Twins – Filed for $1.75MM, team countered with $1.065MM. We haven't heard much about Casilla this offseason.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Hamilton, Tigers, Guthrie

By Mike Axisa | February 10, 2012 at 11:55am CDT

Six years ago today, the Nationals beat Alfonso Soriano in their arbitration hearing after acquiring him from the Rangers. Despite the loss, his $10MM payout set a record for the largest salary ever awarded via arbitration, surpassing the $8.2MM Andruw Jones received in 2001. Soriano had filed for $12MM, and his record has since been broken a few times over. Here's the latest from around the baseball blogosphere…

Padres Prospects interviewed Joe Wieland, who was part of the Mike Adams trade.
Giants Nirvana published a collection of interviews from Giants media day.
Yankees Fans Unite interviewed Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball.
Baseball Time In Arlington doesn't think Josh Hamilton's relapse will impact his leverage in contract extension talks.
Bless You Boys looked at how Prince Fielder could lead to Yoenis Cespedes in Detroit.
Why Won't The Tigers Hire Me? wonders if the Tigers are America's team.
Camden Crazies says the Jeremy Guthrie trade is a mild win for the Orioles.
The Nats Blog broke down Gio Gonzalez's performance away from Oakland.
Marlin Maniac believes Anibal Sanchez deserves a contract extension.
More Mariners thinks either Jesus Montero or Dustin Ackley should get an extension.
Brotherly Glove doesn't think the Phillies should swap Joe Blanton with Roy Oswalt.
BoSox Injection wonders if the Red Sox really need Oswalt.
Redbird Rants says the Cardinals and Oswalt need each other.
I-70 Baseball says infield depth is a problem for the Cardinals.
Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke? analyzed Charlie Morton's approaches.
Did The Tribe Win Last Night? looked at what could land Lonnie Chisenhall in Triple-A.
Indians Prospect Insider says not to worry about Cleveland's lefty heavy lineup.
Talkin' Sox with Dan explains why Bobby Valentine was the right guy for the Red Sox.
The Todd Van Poppel Rookie Card Retirement Plan wrote about the Athletics first base and DH situation.
Baseball Reality Tour looked at some questions the Braves have to answer.
Steel World Order posted an eight-part preview of the Pirates season.
Lasorda's Lair revisited the Blake Hawksworth–Ryan Theriot trade.
MLB Draft Insider conducted a 2006 redraft.
Infield Shift tells you why you should start following college baseball.
Pinstripes Alley played a game of prospect roulette.
Seedlings to Stars listed the Twins top prospects.
A's Farm compiled a consensus top ten Athletics prospects list.
MLB Reports wonders if rosters should be expanded to 26 players.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

West Links: Cruz, Mota, Padres, Abreu, Angels

By Mike Axisa | February 9, 2012 at 10:17pm CDT

We've already rounded up notes from the east and central divisions, now let's head out west…

The Rangers and Nelson Cruz avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year, $16MM deal earlier today, and the outfielder told Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthWest.com that a long-term deal is still possible (Twitter link).
The AP (via ESPN) reports that the Giants and Guillermo Mota have finalized their one-year, $1MM agreement. The two sides agreed to the contract in December. San Francisco's 40-man roster is now full.
The Padres are poised to sign a new television contract with FOX Sports that will guarantee them $75MM annually for the next 20 years, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The deal is pending MLB's approval.
ESPN's Jayson Stark listed five players that could get traded in Spring Training, including Bobby Abreu of the Angels. One executive told Stark: "There's no team in baseball more likely to make a deal this spring than the Angels."

Central Links: Gordon, Molina, Astros, Braun

By Mike Axisa | February 9, 2012 at 8:55pm CDT

Seven years ago today, the Cubs traded Kyle Farnsworth to the Tigers for Scott Moore, Roberto Novoa, and Bo Flowers. Farnsworth spent half-a-season in Detroit before being traded to the Braves at the deadline. Here's the latest on baseball's two central divisions…

Alex Gordon told Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star that he and his agent wanted to work out a one-year deal for 2012 before discussing a longer contract (Twitter link). He also confirmed that the Royals have offered him a long-term deal. Gordon avoided arbitration with a one-year pact earlier today.
"I love the city. I love the fans, I love the park. But it's out of my hands," said Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch when asked about a new contract (Twitter links). "Whatever they like to do is how it is … They let Albert [Pujols] go. It's business for the team, too. It's out of my hands." Molina can become a free agent after the season.
"We're very active in terms of looking at transactions that are happening out there," said Astros GM Jeff Luhnow to Examiner.com's Stephen Goff. "Right now, most of the free agents have signed. Roy Oswalt is probably the last guy out there. We've got our fingers in everything. Are we actively looking to move a player or sign somebody at this point? No. We have got 61 guys coming to camp. From that group of 61, we believe we can get a real good 25-man roster to start the season."
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter) that the arbitrator in Ryan Braun's case won't be limited to the usual 25-day window, so a decision isn't necessarily expected by this Sunday. The Brewers slugger is appealing his failed banned substance test.

Hoyer Talks Alfonso Soriano, Matt Garza

By Mike Axisa | February 9, 2012 at 7:58pm CDT

Cubs GM Jed Hoyer appeared on "The Carmen, Jurko & Harry Show" on ESPN 1000 today to discuss a number of topics, and ESPN Chicago provided a transcript of the hot stove related items. Unsurprisingly, Hoyer acknowledged that the team is unlikely to trade Alfonso Soriano before the season…

"I think that's unlikely [that Soriano will start the season with another team]," said the GM. "We don't want to do anything to hurt our pitchers (with his defense), but we do believe there's something left in Sori."

As many as eight clubs inquired about Soriano earlier this offseason (including the Orioles), and chairman Tom Ricketts has made it clear that they're willing to eat most of $54MM left on his contract to facilitate a trade. The 36-year-old outfielder hit .244/.289/.469 with 26 homers last season.

Hoyer also spoke briefly about Matt Garza, specifically the team's interest in keeping him around beyond his final two years of team control…

"It was a long (arbitration) process, but we talked to Matt a number of times since and we're happy we didn't have to go into a hearing room with him," Hoyer said. "He's a great pitcher and a guy we're going to talk to him about being part of our future, for sure. We need more guys like Matt, not less, and if we can work something out we'll certainly have those discussions."

The Cubs and Garza avoided arbitration with a one-year deal worth $9.5MM last week, though he's been a popular name on the trade rumor circuit this winter. He won't become a free agent until after the 2013 season, and the Cubbies can certainly afford to keep him around long-term. There's no urgency to trade him or extend him right at this moment, though.

East Links: Yankees, Jones, Cespedes, Rays, O’s

By Mike Axisa | February 9, 2012 at 6:46pm CDT

Mets GM Sandy Alderson joined Twitter with the handle @MetsGM today, opening with a joke about the team's financial situation. He told Newday's David Lennon (Twitter link) that he'll "probably keep doing it for a while … or at least until [I run] out of material." Here's the latest from baseball's two east divisions…

The Yankees want Garrett Jones from the Pirates in any trade involving A.J. Burnett reports ESPN's Buster Olney, but Pittsburgh isn't interested in moving him and talks haven't progressed (Twitter links). Yesterday we learned that the Pirates are not on Burnett's no-trade list.
Yoenis Cespedes met with the Marlins and toured their new ballpark on Wednesday, but he could head back to the Dominican Republic as soon as today according to ESPN's Jayson Stark. Agent Adam Katz said "nothing is scheduled for now" when asked about meetings with other clubs.
Rays GM Andrew Friedman said it was a "dream scenario" to make the upgrades they did without sacrificing depth during an interview with 620AM radio, says Marc Topkin of The Tampa Times (Twitter link). Tampa added free agents Carlos Pena, Luke Scott, and Jose Molina this offseason.
The Orioles merged their pro and amateur scouting departments under new GM Dan Duquette, but the club will now have two more scouts covering the minor leagues according Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.

Minor Moves: Mitch Atkins, Steve Holm

By Mike Axisa | February 9, 2012 at 5:36pm CDT

Let's keep track of the day's minor league signings right here…

The Nationals have signed right-hander Mitch Atkins, reports Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). Atkins, 26, allowed ten runs in 10 2/3 innings for the Orioles last season, and has thrown a handful of big league innings in each of the last three years.
The Rockies have signed catcher Steve Holm, tweets Eddy. The 32-year-old had two hits and a walk in 18 plate appearances for the Twins last year, his first big league action since 2009. Eddy notes that Holm is the sixth catcher Colorado has signed to a minor league deal this offseason.

Royals Avoid Arbitration With Alex Gordon

By Mike Axisa | February 9, 2012 at 4:16pm CDT

The Royals and Alex Gordon have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract, the team announced. Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star reports that the deal is worth $4.775MM while Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says he can earn another $25K in bonuses (Twitter links). Gordon is represented by Casey Close.

As our Arbitration Tracker shows, Gordon filed for $5.45MM while the team countered with $4.15MM, so they settled just below the midpoint in terms of guaranteed money. The two sides are said to be exploring a long-term contract, but for now they've only addressed the upcoming season. Gordon can become a free agent after 2013. All of Kansas City's arbitration-eligible players are now under contract for 2012.

Gordon, who will turn 28 tomorrow, enjoyed a long-awaited breakout season in 2011, hitting .303/.376/.502 with 23 homers and 17 steals. He earned his first All-Star selection and drew some MVP votes as well, which is what the Royals hope he'll do on an annual basis after making him the second overall pick in the 2005 draft.

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