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Does Elvis Andrus Affect Ian Desmond?

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Back in November, I wondered if Alexei Ramirez's four-year, $32.5MM deal could be a point of reference for the Nationals and shortstop Ian Desmond in contract extension negotiations.  Like Desmond now, Ramirez had three years of Major League service when he signed.  Ramirez had better career offensive numbers at that time, though he never reached the 25 home run level Desmond did in 2012.

Desmond, however, has "something of a template" in Elvis Andrus' eight-year, $120MM contract with the Rangers, writes Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.  One major difference is that Andrus' contract covers only free agent years, while Desmond will be arbitration eligible for 2014 and '15.  Plus, Desmond only has one really good season under his belt, while Andrus has been consistently valuable for four seasons.  Desmond does not match Andrus' defensive reputation, though he clearly has more pop.  If Desmond does wait until after the season, he'll have four years of service time, and hopefully more of a track record of being an elite shortstop.  At that point, I think Alex Gordon's four-year, $37.5MM contract (plus a $12.5MM player option) would be a floor, even though we're straying away from infielder comps.  As far as Desmond getting into the $100MM range, I can't picture it unless he posts an MVP-type season.  

Desmond didn't have much to say on the topic, explaining to Comak, "I'm trying to do everything I can to win a World Series.  Talking about that, or revisiting that, isn't really going to help. We'll see where it goes."  GM Mike Rizzo said, "We don’t discuss negotiations with players and that type of thing.  But we feel Ian is one of our leaders. He’s one of the guys that is our core players and he’s a guy we’d like to be with the Nationals for a long time."

Robinson Cano Fires Boras; Hires CAA

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11:33am: Boras told ESPN's T.J. Quinn, "I haven't spoken to Robinson, and I hope to."  Quinn's sources say Cano is still under contract with Boras.  And I can confirm that at this moment, the MLBPA still has Cano's agent as Boras.  It could just be a matter of paperwork, however, since Cano and his new agent have already released statements.

9:27am: Robinson Cano has fired agent Scott Boras, reports ESPN's Buster Olney.  Olney says the Yankees' second baseman "has quietly been meeting with other agents in recent weeks to discuss a possible switch, and now he has changed representation."  Cano hired CAA as his new agency, tweets Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.  Cano is the top free agent of the 2013-14 offseason, with a potential $200MM contract in his sights, so it's a big blow for Boras and huge addition to a CAA roster that includes Ryan Braun, Buster Posey, Adam Jones, Ryan Zimmerman, Roy Halladay, Matt Cain, Jake Peavy, Andre Ethier, Matt Garza, Corey Hart, and Ryan Howard, among many others.

Cano hired Boras in February 2011, three years after previous agent Bobby Barad negotiated a team-friendly contract that included a pair of club options.  Last month, Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters the team had made a "significant offer," with free agency looming after the season.  It stands to reason that the Yankees' chances of extending the player before free agency have increased.  Cano's marketing will be handled by Jay-Z's company Roc Nation, notes Feinsand, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says this affiliation is part of the reason the player chose CAA.  Olney further explains, "Jay-Z is starting a sports rep agency, attached to CAA, and Cano will be its first client."  CAA agent Brodie Van Wagenen will handle baseball stuff, tweets Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger.  For more on Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports venture, including news that Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) himself is planning to become a certified agent, check out this article from ESPN's Darren Rovell.

"Because of my love of sports, it was a natural progression to form a company where we can help top athletes in various sports the same way we have been helping artists in the music industry for years," Jay-Z told Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal.

Usually, the Boras Corporation adds a few of the top free agents before free agency hits.  The agency does still have big names for next offseason in Jacoby Ellsbury and Shin-Soo Choo.

Jay-Z Planning To Become Certified Agent

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Rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z is "planning to become a certified agent, first in baseball and eventually in basketball and football," reports Darren Rovell of ESPN.  Jay-Z's entertainment company Roc Nation has formed a partnership with CAA Sports to create Roc Nation Sports.  The group's first client is Robinson Cano, the top free agent of the 2013-14 offseason and a former client of the Boras Corporation.  

Just to be clear, though, CAA's Brodie Van Wagenen will handle Cano's baseball contract negotiations.  Rovell further explains, "the initial launch is with CAA, but Roc Nation Sports will be its own company."

To become certified by the MLBPA, a prospective agent must "be designated by a Major League Player as his representative, or by a certified agent as a recruiter or service provider, read, understand and agree to all MLBPA Regulations Governing Player Agents, and submit a completed application for certification along with a non-refundable $500 application fee."

Starting Pitcher Contracts And New Money

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Seven years, $180MM!  The largest contract ever signed by a pitcher!  I'm no accountant, but I was slightly annoyed to read the common descriptions of Justin Verlander's new deal with the Tigers.  Shouldn't we just be looking at the new, guaranteed money he received, when determining the contract's value?  In what's becoming a common trend, the remaining two years and $40MM from Verlander's old contract were tacked onto the front of his new deal.  I understand why it's done — the $180MM total allowed his agency to claim the largest contract ever signed by a pitcher, topping a $175MM Felix Hernandez deal that involved the same accounting trick.

So to counter that, I've tallied up the ten biggest contracts for starting pitchers, involving only new money and years:

  1. C.C. Sabathia, Yankees, December 2008: seven years, $161MM.  Sabathia signed as a free agent more than five years ago, and while Zack Greinke and Cliff Lee later topped his average annual value, no one has beat his guarantee.  Further illustrating the impressiveness of that contract, it included an opt out after the third season.  So, the deal effectively was seven years and $161MM only if Sabathia felt he couldn't do better on the open market after three years. 
  2. Zack Greinke, Dodgers, December 2012: six years, $147MM.  This deal has the highest AAV for any open market, full season free agent contract.  But Greinke received only $3MM more than Hamels, despite Hamels' deal not being negotiated on the open market.
  3. Cole Hamels, Phillies, July 2012: six years, $144MM.  
  4. Justin Verlander, Tigers, March 2013: five years, $140MM.  
  5. Felix Hernandez, Mariners, February 2013: five years, $135.5MM.    
  6. Barry Zito, Giants, December 2006: seven years, $126MM.
  7. Johan Santana, Mets, February 2008: five years, $124.25MM.
  8. Mike Hampton, Rockies, December 2000: eight years, $121MM.
  9. Cliff Lee, Phillies, December 2010: five years, $120MM.
  10. Matt Cain, Giants, April, 2012: five years, $112.5MM.

Using my method, there was only one other pitcher to receive $100MM+ in new money, and it's the first: Kevin Brown in December of '98.  Who's next in the $100MM club?  Clayton Kershaw comes to mind, especially since he'll only be 27 in the first year of his next contract.  Two strong years plus the open market would give Kershaw that elusive, true $200MM in new money, but the Dodgers probably won't let him get to free agency.  Is there a $100MM pitcher in the upcoming offseason?  Josh Johnson has a shot, with a Cy Young-caliber year.  After 2014, aside from Kershaw, the Tigers' Max Scherzer is a candidate.

The average annual value pitcher contract rankings differ greatly from the total value ones:

  1. C.C. Sabathia, Yankees, October 2011: one year, $30MM.  Only Sabathia has reached a $30MM AAV.  Since he did not technically opt out of his previous Yankees contract, I consider his latest deal to be one year, $30MM in new, guaranteed money.
  2. Roger Clemens, Astros, May 2007: one year, $28,000,022.  This is deceptive, since Clemens signed in May and his contract was pro-rated.  He wasn't actually paid that full amount.  If a pitcher signed on September 1st for $5MM, would you consider him a $30MM pitcher?
  3. Justin Verlander, Tigers, March 2013: $28MM AAV.  Verlander snagged the largest ever AAV on a multiyear deal.  It was the second time he bested Felix slightly, one month after Hernandez signed.
  4. Felix Hernandez, Mariners, February 2013: $27.1MM AAV.
  5. Johan Santana, Mets, February 2008: $24.85MM AAV.
  6. Zack Greinke, Dodgers, December 2012: $24.5MM AAV.
  7. Cole Hamels, Phillies, July 2012: $24MM AAV.
  8. Cliff Lee, Phillies, December 2010: $24MM AAV.
  9. C.C. Sabathia, Yankees, December 2008: $23MM AAV.
  10. Matt Cain, Giants, April 2012: $22.5MM AAV.  

Clemens topped $22MM in '06 on his first pro-rated deal, and Tim Lincecum and Roy Halladay also have $20MM+ AAVs.  

Why I Chose My Agency: Shaun Marcum

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Shaun Marcum’s one-year, $4MM deal with the Mets this past offseason was negotiated by his agents at Turner-Gary Sports, Inc. Marcum spoke with B.J. Rains for MLBTR about his agents Rex Gary and Jimmy Turner.

When did you first come in contact with Rex Gary and Jimmy Turner?

It would have been Spring Training 2004. At the time they had Ryan Howard as a client and I knew Ryan from college so he introduced us and within a few days, Rex and Jim Turner were representing me and we’ve been together ever since. Looking back on it too, they didn’t have my cell phone number in college and they called my parents' house and my parents never told me leading up to the draft so I never knew. When I got drafted I went with the one person I knew, the one person that called me, because he was the only agent to contact me before the draft and I needed somebody to represent me and then after my first short season that’s when I met Rex and Jim and my parents then told me that they did call the house, but I didn’t give my cell phone number out so when I met them that’s when I made the switch and I’ve been with them ever since.”

What made them the right fit for you?

Tony LaCava with the Blue Jays was one of the guys that looked at me and drafted me back in 2003 and Tony had known Rex for a while and mentioned my name to Rex when I was in the Cape Cod League in 2002 so Rex had seen me then and he knew a little bit about me. I thought that was important because he wasn’t just somebody that was trying to make a quick buck. He knew quite a bit about me and my family and with Jimmy being from Missouri, he knew my college coaches and had a relationship with those guys so it just seemed like a good fit.

Just talking to them, they are very family oriented and they keep in touch and keep in contact with my wife and they’ve seen my kids from birth on and to this day, I feel like they are family. If they were ever in a bind or if I ever needed anything or them, I know either one of us would be there to help each other out.

What makes them good agents?  

I know Rex is well respected by the Players Association and well respected throughout the game by a lot of the general managers.  And arbitration, obviously it’s a big deal in baseball, and other agencies hire him to do their arbitration cases for them. He’s very respected throughout the game as far as arbitration. Also just his clients and what he can do for them in free agency. He and Jimmy had Joe Carter, Ryne Sandberg who signed a big contract, Brad Lidge, a lot of guys. Just his background and being an attorney and all of that and having that as an agent, he looks at all the details and makes sure everything is correct.

I’ve heard from other agents throughout my career, some random agents wanting to get a hold me and talk to me and I tell them I’m happy where I’m at and I don’t plan on making a change. I appreciate their interest but I’m happy with Jimmy and Rex.

It seems like they have plenty of big-name clients but are still able to give you personal attention?

I think that’s important, coming through the minor leagues and getting to the big leagues, to this day, they don’t forget about me. I still get texts and phone calls after every single start. I get them before starts. They will stay up and watch the games, if we’re on the west coast and they will be on the east coast but they will stay up and watch and I hear from them that night or the next morning. They don’t take anything for granted. They will do whatever they can do to help their clients out and I’m very fortunate enough to have them.

My wife would tell you the same thing, she loves them. She treats them as family. They are somebody that we will always have a relationship with even when I’m done with baseball. They’ve been there through everything with me as far as my baseball career is concerned, Tommy John, arbitration, free agency, my family, the birth of my kids, they’ve been there. They are like family. If you can find agents like I did that are going to be there with you through the ups and downs, good times and bad times, that’s the guy you need to get.

Check out our other interviews in the Why I Chose My Agency series with Mark DeRosa, Ted Lilly, Ryan Ludwick, Cody Ross, Aramis Ramirez, Adam Wainwright, Jeremy Affeldt, David Wright, Jay Bruce, Matt Holliday, Jamey Carroll and Jake Odorizzi.

Offseason In Review: St. Louis Cardinals

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by MLBTR's Steve Adams

The Cardinals didn't make any significant changes, but spent big to retain their own players following a season in which they were one game from a return to the World Series.

Major League Signings

International Signings

  • Alex Reyes, P: $950K.
  • Henry Alvarado, P: $150K.

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

Extensions

Notable Losses

Needs Addressed

The Cardinals finished the 2012 season with 88 wins, a wild card playoff berth and a trip to the National League Championship Series. That was a strong enough showing for rookie manager Mike Matheny to cause the team to pick up his option for the 2014 season in February.  Wainwright

Rather than investing money and/or prospects in order to pursue middle infield upgrades, the team elected to spend money down the line with extensions for Adam Wainwright and Allen Craig. General manager John Mozeliak was able to secure Wainwright for under $100MM, which many pundits thought would be difficult to do.

Mozeliak correctly determined that Kyle Lohse would turn down a qualifying offer in search of a hefty free agent payday (more on that later). Following the news of Chris Carpenter's season-ending (and career-threatening) injury, Lance Lynn and top prospect Shelby Miller are slated to round out manager Mike Matheny's rotation.

The Cardinals added a second left-hander to his bullpen to complement Marc Rzepczynski by adding Randy Choate on a three-year deal. Three years and $7.5MM for Choate was surprising, but it's hard to deny his dominance over left-handed hitters; in the past four seasons he's held opposing lefties to a .163/.230/.237 batting line.

Ty Wigginton was signed to add some right-handed pop off the bench. The 35-year-old is capable of handling both infield and outfield duty. He appeared at third base, first base and left field for the Phillies in 2012 and has a career .270/.354/.456 line against southpaws. He'll give the team a solid, albeit unspectacular bat off the bench.

Two long-time Cardinals were sent packing this offseason, as Kyle McClellan was non-tendered (he would go on to sign with the Rangers) and Skip Schumaker was dealt to the Dodgers. The two moves saved roughly $3.9MM, as McClellan had projected to earn about $2.4MM as a third-time arbitration-eligible player.

Ronny Cedeno was brough in to compete for infield playing time, but even after the news that Rafael Furcal would miss the entire season with Tommy John surgery, the Cardinals elected to release him and go with Pete Kozma as the starting shortstop. Cedeno has since signed with the Astros to be the team's everyday shortstop.

Questions Remaining

The Cardinals made a significant investment in Craig despite the fact that he's played just 238 career games at age 28 and has never topped 112 games in a season thanks to injuries. He'll need to prove that he's able to stay on the field and maintain his impressive level of production from 2011-12 (.309/.357/.532) over the course of a full Major League season.

The Cardinals are set to enter the season with a middle infield consisting of Pete Kozma and Daniel Descalso, following the Furcal injury and Schumaker trade. Middle infield was already a potential weak spot for St. Louis entering the season, but this tandem now looks even more exposed in light of Furcal's injury. Top prospect Kolten Wong is nearly ready for the Majors, but if that trio falters Mozeliak could be in the market for a middle infielder this July.

Lynn and Miller have yet to prove themselves over a full season of starting at the Major League level, but the team has players like Trevor Rosenthal and Joe Kelly as insurance in the event of an injury or poor performance.

Deal of Note

Even after the news of Carpenter's injury, the Cardinals still decided to go with internal rotation options rather than approach Kyle Lohse about a reunion. In a show of tremendous faith in its young pitching, the team decided it valued a draft pick and the resulting boost to its draft bonus pool that would come when Lohse signed elsewhere.

St. Louis watched a division rival — the Brewers — sacrifice value in this year's draft in order to strengthen its team and make a run at the division title or a wild card spot. Should Lohse thrive while this year's Cardinals rotation underperforms, there will be no shortage of people who look back to the month of March and wonder if signing Lohse would have altered the course of events.

Overview

Despite question marks in the middle infield, St. Louis has a deep lineup and enough pitching depth to make a run at a third consecutive trip to the NLCS. They may need to search for a shortstop and/or second baseman come July, but an NL Central Division title isn't out of question for a team that figures to be among the most well-rounded clubs in baseball.

Marlins Agree To Terms With Miguel Olivo

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8:07pm: Olivo's deal with the Marlins is worth $800K, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (on Twitter). The Marlins can release him within 45 days without owing him the rest of that amount, however.

4:59pm: The Marlins have agreed to terms with catcher Miguel Olivo, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes (on Twitter).

MLB.com's Joe Frisaro had previously reported that Olivo was "a strong candidate to return" to the Marlins. Frisaro also said "there are indictations [Olivo] will wind up" with his former team.

After deciding to use Devin Mesoraco as Ryan Hanigan's backup, the Reds offered the mandated $100K retention bonus for Olivo to head to Triple-A.  Olivo declined and became a free agent.  As Frisaro notes, Jeff Mathis' broken collarbone leaves the Marlins without an experienced catcher, aside from Koyie Hill.

Olivo, 34, hit .222/.239/.381 in 323 plate appearances for the Mariners last year.  He was with the Marlins from 2006-07, hitting 32 home runs in 249 games.  Olivo ranks fourth among active catchers with 141 career home runs.

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

Yankees Release Juan Rivera

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The Yankees released first baseman/outfielder Juan Rivera, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Rivera, 34, hit .244/.286/.375 in 339 plate appearances for the Dodgers last year, though he did slug .433 against lefties.  He signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in January, and despite injuries to Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira, did not make the Opening Day roster.  Rivera did receive a $100K retention bonus on Tuesday's deadline, notes MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. 

The Yankees added Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay this week.  Wells, Overbay, and Ben Francisco are making the team, Rivera was told, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch and others.  Outfielder Brennan Boesch will also make the club, GM Brian Cashman said (Joel Sherman of the New York Post reporting).

Midseason Trade Candidates

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The regular season is about to begin, and before you know it, fans of struggling clubs will be combing rosters for players their team can acquire from even worse clubs come July.  With apologies for being a wet blanket, things look particularly dire this year for the Astros, Twins, Marlins, Mets, and Cubs.  They comprise our very early list of potential midseason sellers, which will surely grow in the coming months.  What can other teams scavenge from them?

Astros

The Astros are in complete teardown mode.  Their highest-paid player is starter Bud Norris, at $3MM.  He's under team control through 2015 and will appeal to anyone looking for more than a rental.  He'll just have to show some consistency first.  Lucas Harrell, meanwhile, is under team control through 2017, but I still think GM Jeff Luhnow will listen.  Wesley Wright is a credible left-handed reliever.  Otherwise, we're down to newly-signed veterans like Carlos Pena, Jose Veras, and Erik Bedard.

Twins

With first baseman Justin Morneau entering a contract year, he's a good candidate to be dealt this summer.  The 2006 MVP is only 31 years old, and enters the season free of health concerns.  Josh Willingham may be a popular target, though he's signed through next season and the Twins weren't willing to deal him last summer.  Veterans such as Jamey Carroll and Ryan Doumit could draw some interest.  I'm not sure the Twins would be willing to trade from their rotation, but Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey are not long-term pieces.

Marlins

Teams will be clamoring for Giancarlo Stanton, but he's the only reason to see the Marlins right now and he's under team control through 2016.  Expect plenty of rumors.  The Marlins will get more for starter Ricky Nolasco if they assume some of the $11.5MM owed to him, not that I expect that.  Then we're mostly down to veteran pickups like Placido Polanco, Juan Pierre, Jeff Mathis, and Jon Rauch. 

Mets

Johan Santana's shoulder will cause him to start the season on the DL.  If he looks decent in May and June, and the Mets pick up most of his $31MM tab, and he waives his no-trade clause, maybe they can get a prospect back.  Other players in the last year of contracts or on one-year deals such as John Buck, Frank Francisco, and Brandon Lyon should be available.  Ike Davis and Jon Niese will draw interest, but seem like building blocks for the Mets.

Cubs

This might be the year the Cubs finally move Alfonso Soriano, who has two years and $36MM left on his deal, plus a full no-trade clause.  The Vernon Wells trade has to give the Cubs hope toward the idea of picking up less than half the tab.  Matt Garza is entering his contract year, and could be one of the better starters available if he's healthy and the Cubs prefer not to extend him.  The Cubs also have starters Scott Feldman and Scott Baker on one-year deals.  Closer Carlos Marmol, earning $9.8MM, will be difficult to unload given his control issues.  David DeJesus, who has a club option for 2014, could be a useful piece for someone.

Best hitter available: Justin Morneau

Best starting pitcher available: Matt Garza

Best reliever available: Rafael Betancourt

Follow @CloserNews On Twitter

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Do you like playing fantasy baseball, and perhaps even winning your league?  In many leagues, as tradition dictates, saves are one of the stats you must accumulate to win.  Many of those same leagues allow unlimited, instant free agent pickups.  The upshot: if you're not quick to the draw to grab the latest newly-minted closers, you won't win saves.  That's why I created @CloserNews on Twitter a few years back.  The sole purpose of this account is to inform you of closer-related news the instant it becomes available, so that you can be the first to your waiver wire.  So give it a follow today and pull your fantasy team out of the gutter!

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