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Yankees, Robinson Cano Continue Discussing Contract

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Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner commented on contract talks with second baseman Robinson Cano to David Lennon of Newsday on his way out of the MLB owners meetings today in Manhattan, saying, "We've had several conversations with [agent] Brodie [Van Wagenen], just as we did with [former agent] Scott [Boras] and a lot of it is procedural.  But we're going to continue in the weeks to come to work through things and try to come to an agreement."  Steinbrenner later added, "We want him to end his career here."  Cano has sat atop our 2014 Free Agents Power Rankings since the beginning.  More on the Yankees:

  • Can a team with a $228MM payroll earn the designation "scrappy?"  Steinbrenner used that adjective, expressing admiration for the Yankees' young players and cheap veterans that have allowed them to successfully weather injuries to key players so far.  As for getting below the $189MM luxury tax threshold next year, Steinbrenner said, "The math works to me if the young kids do their job.  It has to happen. And I've been saying that for over a year now — that's the goal we're going to push for.  But again, I'll reiterate what I always reiterate, which is we're always going to field a championship-caliber team. That's what the fans expect. That's what we expect. It's going to happen. Not going to win every year. Nobody ever does. But we're going to do what we can to field the best team we can."
  • "We're going to sit down and figure out what to do when this season ends, hopefully the beginning of November," said Steinbrenner in regard to manager Joe Girardi and his expiring contract.
  • Yankees outfielder Brennan Boesch says he left his agent, Scott Boras, and returned to his old agent, Van Wagenen of CAA, according to David Waldstein of the New York Times on May 1st.  Boesch will be arbitration eligible for the first time after this season and can hit the open market after the 2015 season.  Stay on top of the representation for over 1,000 players with MLBTR's agency database.
  • "He’s a good guy and I think he can be a really good player, too. He’ll be back. I just wanted to let him know that it’s up to him," Yankees infielder Jayson Nix told Waldstein, recounting a conversation with the recently-designated Chris Nelson.
  • The shift from center to left field shouldn't damage Curtis Granderson's free agent value much, opined multiple executives in speaking with Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.  Granderson isn't concerned, saying, "Not an issue for me at all. Just want to help this team in any way I can. If they need me to go back to shortstop like I did in high school, I’ll do that."

NL Notes: Samardzija, Brian Wilson, Phillies, Braves

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The St. Louis Cardinals are the class of the National League right now, having won exactly two-thirds of their first 39 games.  They're fourth in the league in OBP and ninth in slugging, and third in runs scored per game partially due fantastic work with runners in scoring position.  Their rotation has easily been the league's best with a 2.33 ERA, even without Chris Carpenter.  While the Jason Motte-less bullpen has an NL-worst 5.00 ERA, it's at 3.27 in May, with most of the damage coming in one Carlos Martinez outing.  By measure of FanGraphs WAR, Adam Wainwright, Matt Carpenter, Shelby Miller, and Yadier Molina have been the team MVPs so far.  Now let's look at some links from elsewhere around the NL…

  • First baseman Anthony Rizzo has a new seven-year, $41MM deal with the Cubs, but pitcher Jeff Samardzija says he isn't ready to talk contract with the club, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  "Absolutely not," said the pitcher when asked if he's looking to hammer out an extension. "Nope. This is a great team, really coming around right now, playing great baseball. I'm just really looking to keep this going. It's fun to play with these guys."  Samardzija, 28, will have four years of Major League service after the season.  This is just a theory of mine, but having been lured away from football in '06 with a $10MM contract, Samardzija has more financial security at this point in his career than most players, and continuing to bet on his talent will enable him to maximize his next contract.
  • Giants GM Brian Sabean told Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com that he hasn't been in touch with former closer Brian Wilson lately.  Sabean says that he doesn't know how Wilson is throwing but has heard The Beard is "working out like a fiend" and is "going to try to showcase himself over the All-Star break or thereabouts."
  • The Phillies issued a statement regarding Roy Halladay today: "Roy had successful shoulder surgery yesterday. He had an arthroscopic evaluation and underwent debridement of his labrum and rotator cuff as well as removal of an inflamed bursa.  He'll begin a progressive rehabilitation program and if all goes well, he may possibly begin a throwing program in 6-8 weeks."  The 36-year-old will be eligible for free agency after the season.  Scrambling for depth in the wake of the injuries to Halladay and John Lannan, the Phillies signed Carlos Zambrano to a minor league deal yesterday with a July 1st opt-out date.
  • In other NL East injury news, the Braves announced reliever Jonny Venters had the second Tommy John procedure of his career today.  The 28-year-old will be arbitration eligible for the second time after the season, with an expected salary similar to this year's $1.625MM.
  • A clerical error could have enabled Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt to pocket an extra $500K a few years back, but he wasn't willing to pocket the money, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle via Affeldt's book, "To Stir a Movement."  Affeldt believes his subsequent contract with the Giants went smoothly partly because of that decision.  

Reid Ryan To Become Astros President

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Reid Ryan will be named Astros team president Friday, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.  Earlier, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported Ryan was the team's likely successor to George Postolos, who resigned this week.  Mark Berman of FOX 26 Sports first reported yesterday that Ryan was a strong candidate to become the team's president.

Reid, 41, is a son of Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, who formerly served as president of the Rangers and is now the team's CEO.  Reid is the founder and CEO of the Round Rock Express, currently the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate, and the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Astros' Double-A affiliate.  In 1994-95, he pitched in the minor leagues in the Rangers organization after being drafted out of TCU.

MLBTR Mailbag: Dickey, Ethier, Price, Kennedy

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As usual, I answered about forty questions in Tuesday's chat, and today we'll get to a few unanswered ones from that session.

Who do the Giants go after for left field? – Allen

Gregor Blanco, Andres Torres, and Francisco Peguero have manned left field for the Giants this year, posting a .250/.299/.336 line at the position.  In the National League, only the Reds and Marlins have received worse from left field than San Francisco's .634 OPS.  Asked yesterday by Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com if he's satisfied with the production of his left field platoon, GM Brian Sabean replied, "I think so."  He continued, "We went on the side of the defense and the speed and to take our chances. And it wouldn’t be that much of an eyesore statistically from a run production standpoint if we had a bona fide six hitter, which should be [Brandon] Belt, but we’ve been forced to rotate and scramble a little with the bottom three spots. But on balance they’ve done a good job, given the skill set."  

Given the way Sabean steered the question toward Belt, I have to wonder if the first baseman is in as much jeopardy as the left field platoon.  Of course, Belt is actually hitting .297/.343/.516 out of the #6 spot in the order, and he's hitting quite well this month.  To answer the original question, Josh Willingham makes a lot of sense for the Giants if the Twins are willing to deal him.  I imagine the Giants are unlikely to turn back to Melky Cabrera, Nate Schierholtz, or Alfonso Soriano.  Beyond Willingham, Alex Rios and Mike Morse could be a couple names to watch, but the Twins, White Sox, and Mariners are in the range of contention currently.

If the Blue Jays decide to sell any chance the Mets get R.A. Dickey back? – Dan

Having won their last four games, the Jays are currently no further from contention than the Mets, who have dropped six in a row and have the second-to-worst record in the league.  So while the Blue Jays could become trade deadline sellers, it's difficult to picture them selling back to the Mets.  I also think they'd keep Dickey regardless, as he could be a key piece for them in 2014 and '15.  Furthermore, if Dickey's ERA still sits near 5.00 in two months, the Blue Jays would be selling low and perhaps unable to win back either premium prospect sent to New York in the deal, Travis d'Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard. 

Is this the year we trade Andre Ethier and who would we target via trade? – Dodgers fan

Ethier, 31, is hitting .267/.355/.385 on the season in 155 plate appearances.  He has over $10MM in remaining salary this year, plus another $70MM for 2014-17.  The contract, signed in June of last year, isn't looking so great at the moment given Ethier's power drought.  Moving Ethier makes sense this summer if the Dodgers drop completely out of contention, with outfielders Yasiel Puig and Joc Pederson waiting in the wings.  A top 100 prospect seems unlikely, but the Dodgers could focus on moving 60% or more of the contract, depending on how Ethier is playing in two months.  They could also try for a bad contract swap, though I haven't found a good matchup yet.

Does Tampa trade David Price for a legit controllable bat, prospects, or hold on to him this summer? – Grinch 

New information has emerged since this question was asked, as Price left last night's start with a left triceps strain.  We're not even sure yet if a DL trip will be necessary, but given the expected massive asking price on Price, the injury has to give would-be suitors pause as the lefty has also seen his average fastball velocity dip below 94 miles per hour.  The Rays have played well of late, too, so they'd have to take a serious nosedive to consider trading Price with two-plus years of control remaining.  Keep in mind too that an ERA in the 4.00s this year would depress Price's 2014 arbitration salary, making it easier for the Rays to fit him into their payroll.

Could Ian Kennedy be a good change of scenery guy? I can think of a few contenders that may want a solid SP that they can buy low on. – Sean

Kennedy, 28, has a 4.88 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, 1.14 HR/9, and 38.8% groundball rate in 55 1/3 innings for the Diamondbacks this year.  Strikeouts are down and walks are way up, which is concerning.  Earning $4.265MM this year as a first-time arbitration eligible player, Kennedy is at the top of the salary scale for his service class, a pace that might slow a bit with an off-year.  He's under team control through 2015, and since he is represented by the Boras Corporation, there's a good chance he reaches free agency when eligible.  He is a good candidate for a change of scenery, and if there's one GM who might trade his Opening Day starter midseason while contending, it's the Gunslinger.

Arizona's rotation has a 3.68 ERA, sixth-best in the league even with Kennedy's 4.88 ERA covering about 22% of their innings.  The readiness of Triple-A pitchers Tyler Skaggs, Randall Delgado, and Zeke Spruill would have to be a factor in considering a midseason trade of Kennedy.  None of them seem ready to fill Kennedy's shoes, as an innings eater who should be able to post a sub-4.00 ERA from here on out if the walks come down.  However, as a reader pointed out in the comments, Daniel Hudson should return from Tommy John surgery in July, which could provide the needed depth to trade Kennedy.

Minor Moves: Sean Gallagher, Matt Fox

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Today's minor moves…

  • The Rockies inked pitcher Sean Gallagher to a minor league deal today, tweets Chris Cotillo of CLNS Radio. Tracy Ringolsby of ROOT Sports confirmed the signing (also via Twitter). The righthander had been playing with the Atlantic League's Sugar Land Skeeters. According to the Denver Post's Troy Renck, the Rockies have been looking hard for minor league arms after multiple injuries and will send Gallagher to Double-A Tulsa as a starter. (Twitter links.) Gallagher, 27, first reached the bigs as a 21-year-old for the Cubs in 2007. The former top-100 prospect never panned out, however, and last appeared in the majors in 2010 as a reliever for the Padres and Pirates, sporting a cumulative 5.77 ERA over 57 2/3 innings. He was similarly ineffective as a minor league starter for the Reds' Triple-A affiliate last year, posting a 4.92 ERA over 139 innings. He failed to demonstrate strikeout ability or control, logging 5.4 K/9 against 4.9 BB/9.
  • The Mets have signed right-handed starter Matt Fox from the independent league York Revolution, MLBTR has learned.  He'll start for their Triple-A Las Vegas club.  Fox is represented by David Sloane of Taurus Sports Associates.  Fox, a supplemental draft pick of the Twins in '04 as compensation for the loss of free agent Eddie Guardado, made four big league appearances for the Twins and Red Sox in 2010.  He pitched with Boston's Triple-A club in '11 and was in the Seattle organization last year.  Several former big leaguers hope to follow Fox from the Revolution back to a Major League organization, including Juan Rincon, Brett Tomko, Michael Wuertz, Andy Marte, and Eric Patterson.
  • Notable former Major Leaguers such as Ian Snell, Dontrelle Willis, Ramon Castro, and Ben Broussard are currently on the Long Island Ducks' roster, but as we learned yesterday from Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, Carlos Zambrano has not yet signed a contract despite agreeing to terms.  It appears Zambrano will exhaust his options to join a Major League organization first.

Trevor Rosenthal Now With Boras Corporation

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Cardinals righty Trevor Rosenthal is represented by the Boras Corporation, MLBTR has learned.  Rosenthal had previously been with Full Circle Sports Management.

Rosenthal, 22, is currently working out of the Cardinals' bullpen.  He will be arbitration eligible after the 2015 season and eligible for free agency after the 2018 campaign.  Prior to the season, Rosenthal ranked 58th on Keith Law's top 100 prospect list for ESPN and 39th on Baseball America's list.  His floor is as an impact bullpen arm, wrote Law, although he has the tools to start.

As always, you can check MLBTR's agency database for the latest player representation.

Brewers Offered Extension To Jean Segura

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The Brewers offered a long-term contract to shortstop Jean Segura about a month ago, agent Joe Klein told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  No deal is close at this time, however.

Klein told Rosenthal, "They contacted me.  Right now, I guess it’s in my court. But with a guy this young, it’s hard to figure out what the right numbers would be.  It would be good, be nice if it was possible to do. But I don’t know. It’s way, way on the drawing board."

Segura, 23, has only 80 big league games and 314 plate appearances under his belt, almost all of it with the Brewers since coming over from the Angels as the centerpiece of last summer's Zack Greinke trade.  He has around 110 days of big league service.  As MLBTR's extension tracker shows, two position players have signed extensions with less than one year of service: Evan Longoria in 2008 ($17.5MM over six years) and Salvador Perez in 2012 ($7MM over five years).  Those two deals were/are considered extremely club friendly, and each contained a trio of club options.  So you can understand Klein's hesitancy.

Perez's contract gave him some extra money up front, so perhaps Segura could be paid $3MM for 2013-15, his three pre-arbitration seasons.  His three arbitration years might be valued at $12MM or so, and buyouts on option years could bring the total close to Longoria's $17.5MM over six years.  As a power hitter, Longoria's arbitration years would be valued more highly, but his contract is five years old, so it's fair to suggest Segura could be in that range for 2013-18.  Perhaps Klein could at least bring the Brewers down to two club options rather than three.  Segura is under the Brewers' control through 2018 regardless, so those free agent years may be the key to a potential deal.

The Brewers have locked up many key players over the years, but never one with less than a year of service.  They signed Ryan Braun in '08 (1.008 in big league service), Yovani Gallardo in '10 (2.112), Corey Hart in '10 (4.157), Rickie Weeks in '11 (5.131), Braun again in '11, Jonathan Lucroy in '12 (1.136) and Carlos Gomez in March (5.141). 

2014 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings

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About 23% of the 2013 MLB regular season is complete.  It's been almost a month since our last power rankings, and the list has changed quite a bit.

1.  Robinson Cano.  The spokeswoman for Cano's foundation, Sonia Cruz, was connected to Biogenesis late last month.  While MLB will investigate the connection, Cano's long-term value seems unaffected at present.  There's nothing new to report on the idea of the Yankees extending Cano midseason.

2.  Shin-Soo Choo.  Choo ascends to second on the list, as his .451 OBP leads all of baseball.  He has a decent chance of topping his career high of 22 home runs, set in 2010, and the Reds' leadoff hitter could also score 120 runs.  A qualifying offer is looking very likely for Choo after the season.

3.  Jacoby Ellsbury.  Ellsbury was amazing in 2011, and good in 2008-09.  He's healthy now, and he won't turn 30 until September.  He even leads the American League with 12 steals.  Still, I had to drop him a spot on the list, because he's still not hitting much.  WAR rewards him for his baserunning and for playing center field, but if he finishes anywhere near .257/.311/.365 offensively, a megacontract is not in the offing even with Scott Boras making the pitch.

4.  Chase Utley.  Utley has played in every game this year, and may be able to reach 150 for the first time since 2009.  He may also return to his 30 home run, 100 RBI days, and his timing is excellent.

5.  Hunter Pence.  Pence holds steady on the list, despite his worst walk rate since '07.  OBP-centric teams won't be drawn to him, but the 30-year-old should finish with solid numbers and earn a respectable contract.

6.  Brian McCann.  McCann made his season debut on May 6th, returning from shoulder surgery, and he jumps two spots on this list.  His first six games have gone well, and if he remains healthy and hits at his pre-2012 level for the remainder of the season, he'll be a hot commodity in free agency.

7.  Tim Lincecum.  Lincecum also jumps up two spots, despite erratic work this year.  He's healthy and striking guys out.  The skills demonstrated in his first eight starts, walks and all, suggest a 3.72 ERA moving forward.  If he ends up with a 3.80 ERA on the season and 200+ strikeouts, Lincecum will be a solid 29-year-old free agent starter.  Given Lincecum's superstar past, however, it's difficult to predict what kind of contract is appropriate.

8.  Matt Garza.  Garza's fourth minor league rehab outing will take place Thursday, as he recovers from a lat strain.  In theory, he could make his season debut May 21st in Pittsburgh.  If that happens, he could make 13 starts prior to the July 31st trade deadline before the Cubs have to decide whether to make a deal.  If they do, the removal of a potential qualifying offer would boost his free agent value.

9.  Mark Reynolds.  Reynolds is a new addition to the list, with his blazing .279/.368/.598 start.  He's tied for the AL lead with 11 home runs.  He's looked more like the Reynolds of old in May, but the second 40 home run season of his career remains possible.  Age is on his side as well, as he turns 30 in August.

10.  A.J. Burnett.  I was initially going to give the #10 spot to Josh Johnson, who at one point was ranked as high as #3.  But even though he'll turn 37 in January, I can't ignore the fact that Burnett has a 3.34 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, and 0.73 HR/9 in 258 1/3 innings for the Pirates since the beginning of the 2012 season.  He still averages a healthy 92.3 miles per hour on his fastball, and he's basically everything we hope Johnson can be, except seven years older.

Johnson lost his spot on the list, as he's currently on the DL because of soreness in his right triceps muscle.  The injury will keep him out of commission for over a month.  Roy Halladay has been removed as well, as he'll undergo surgery tomorrow to remove a bone spur and clean up fraying in the labrum and rotator cuff.  Neither pitcher should be written off, but they've lost their top ten spots to healthy players.  Among those vying to break into the top ten at some point this year: Nelson Cruz, Nate McLouth, Mike Napoli, Curtis Granderson, the resurgent James Loney, Paul Maholm, Ervin Santana, and Hiroki Kuroda.

Texas Notes: Postolos, Ryan, Lewis, Lowe

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Having dropped their last five games, the Astros own a .256 winning percentage, easily the worst in baseball.  Their new division rivals, the Rangers, are at .632, tied for second in baseball.  The two numbers are not unrelated, as the Rangers have won five of six contests against the Astros.  The latest on the two Texas clubs:

  • The Astros announced yesterday that president and CEO George Postolos resigned.  Postolos' role with the Astros had little to do with baseball operations, unlike some other team presidents.  Postolos "specializes in franchise acquisition," wrote Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, and his skill set no longer matched with the job description.  One of Postolos' tasks involved carriage agreement negotiations, trying to get the Astros and Comcast Sportsnet Houston into Houston homes.  CSN Houston is available in "only about 40 percent of Houston's 2.2 million TV homes," writes David Barron of the Houston Chronicle.
  • Asked on ESPN's Galloway & Company show yesterday if he has any interest in the Astros' new job opening, Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan replied, "I don't think so."  Ryan has not been in contact with Astros owner Jim Crane.  There was some springtime drama about Ryan's role with the Rangers, which was resolved in April. 
  • The Astros are running "extended evaluations" at all three outfield positions, writes Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.  J.D. Martinez, Robbie Grossman, and Jimmy Paredes will hold the starting spots for now, with Justin Maxwell to regain center field when he returns from a fractured left hand.  The Astros have already moved Chris Carter to first base and jettisoned Rick Ankiel and Fernando Martinez, though Martinez cleared waivers and remains in the organization.
  • Carter, a 26-year-old acquired from Oakland in February as part of the Jed Lowrie trade, is tied for fifth in the league with nine home runs.  He also leads all of baseball in strikeouts, however.
  • 33-year-old Rangers righty Colby Lewis, a free agent after this season, "has been diagnosed with a mild case of tendinitis in his right triceps muscle" according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  Lewis last pitched in the Majors on July 18th of last year, before undergoing flexor tendon surgery.  His current issue is not related to the surgery, and Lewis could make another rehab start next week after receiving an anti-inflammatory injection.
  • Rangers long reliever Derek Lowe told Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he didn't pass the "stats test" when hunting for an offseason job, explaining he leans toward the human element.  Apparently mixing stats and scouting, as all teams do, Lowe commented, "If you pump my numbers into the system compared to, let’s say, Tanner Scheppers, of course his stuff is going to outscore my stuff, I’m not naive.  He’s a young kid who throws 98 mph with a great breaking ball. Listen, I know I don’t pass the test."

Which Players Will Receive A Qualifying Offer?

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Last year, nine players received qualifying offers worth $13.3MM.  At least two more would have been likely to receive one had they not been deemed ineligible due to midseason trades.  A qualifying offer, if turned down, enables the team losing the free agent to receive a draft pick as compensation.  We haven't seen a player accept a qualifying offer yet, but the process is still in its infancy.  I've estimated the qualifying offer amount at around $14MM for the 2013-14 offseason.  Below, I've drafted an inclusive list of candidates to receive one after the season.  In today's poll, please check all whom you expect to receive a qualifying offer.  You can click here to view the results.

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