Roy Oswalt Rumors: Tuesday
The latest on free agent righty Roy Oswalt…
- GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the Phillies don't really have room for Oswalt, MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports. "We have five, six starters, and our resources are about where we want to be right now," he said. "I think he wouldn't mind coming back, but I don't know that's feasible or a real possibility."
- Yesterday Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote that the Reds remain in talks with Oswalt. However, today Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, "It's all rumors. I'm sick and tired of it. We've had no serious talks. We've had no contact with the player."
- The Pirates inquired about Oswalt and were willing to jump into the bidding but were rebuffed, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- There's "no traction" in talks between Oswalt and the Red Sox, a big league source tells WEEI's Rob Bradford.
Yankees Sign Bill Hall
3:24pm: Hall will earn a base salary of $600K in the Major Leagues and can earn more incentives based on plate appearances, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Hall can opt out of his deal if he isn't on the Major League roster on April 4th.
2:51pm: The Yankees have signed utility infielder Bill Hall, based on his tweet, "IT'S OFFICIAL IM A YANKEE!!!!!!!! #IwannaRing!!!!" He signed a minor league deal, tweets Erik Boland of Newsday. Hall is a client of Gaylord Sports Management.
Hall, 32, posted a .211/.261/.314 line in 199 plate appearances for the Astros and Giants last year, playing mostly second base. In more of a utility role for the 2010 Red Sox, Hall managed 18 home runs in 382 plate appearances. Hall works out with Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long during the offseason.
Dodgers Sign Jamey Wright
The Dodgers signed reliever Jamey Wright to a minor league deal with a spring training invite, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Wright is represented by Excel Sports Management.
Wright, 37, posted a 3.16 ERA, 6.3 K/9, 4.0 BB/9, 0.79 HR/9, and 58.2% groundball rate in 68 1/3 innings for the Mariners last year. Among those with 60 innings, that groundball rate ranked fourth in the American League.
Wright will battle other Dodgers non-roster right-handed relief invitees such as Jose Ascanio, Angel Guzman, Shane Lindsay, Fernando Nieve, and Ryan Tucker for long relief work. Here's a look at the remaining free agent right-handed relievers.
Draft Pick Currency
The Tigers used "draft pick currency" in acquiring Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins in 2007 using '05 first-round pick Cameron Maybin and '06 first rounder Andrew Miller, agent Scott Boras noted in January. Boras feels that the Tigers were ahead of the curve in that regard. Let's take a look at other first-round picks who were dealt within approximately three years of being drafted in recent years.
- November 2007: Twins trade 2005 first-rounder Matt Garza with Eduardo Morlan and Jason Bartlett to Rays for Delmon Young, Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie. GM: Bill Smith.
- January 2008: Braves trade 2005 first-rounder Joey Devine with Jamie Richmond to the Athletics for Mark Kotsay. GM: Frank Wren.
- July 2008: Red Sox trade 2005 first-rounder Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss to Pirates, Dodgers sent 2006 first-rounder Bryan Morris and Andy LaRoche to Pirates, Red Sox sent Manny Ramirez to Dodgers, Pirates sent Jason Bay to Red Sox. GMs: Theo Epstein, Ned Colletti.
- July 2008: Phillies trade 2006 first-rounder Adrian Cardenas, Josh Outman, and Matthew Spencer to Athletics for Joe Blanton. GM: Pat Gillick.
- July 2008: Brewers trade 2007 first-rounder Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, Rob Bryson, and Zach Jackson to Indians for C.C. Sabathia. GM: Doug Melvin.
- June 2009: Cardinals trade 2006 first-rounder Chris Perez and Jess Todd to Indians for Mark DeRosa. GM: John Mozeliak.
- July 2009: Giants trade 2007 first-rounder Tim Alderson to Pirates for Freddy Sanchez. GM: Brian Sabean.
- July 2009: Red Sox trade 2007 first-rounder Nick Hagadone, 2008 first-rounder Bryan Price, and Justin Masterson to Indians for Victor Martinez. GM: Theo Epstein.
- July 2009: Cardinals trade 2008 first-rounder Brett Wallace, Shane Peterson, and Clayton Mortensen to Athletics for Matt Holliday. The A's traded Wallace several months later, and then the Blue Jays traded him in July 2010.
- July 2009: White Sox trade 2007 first rounder Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard, Adam Russell, and Dexter Carter for Jake Peavy. GM: Kenny Williams.
- December 2009: Mariners trade 2006 first-rounder Brandon Morrow to Blue Jays for Johermyn Chavez and Brandon League. GM: Jack Zduriencik.
- December 2009: Diamondbacks trade 2006 first-rounder Max Scherzer and 2008 first-rounder Daniel Schlereth to Tigers, Tigers sent Curtis Granderson to Yankees, Tigers sent Edwin Jackson to Diamondbacks, Yankees sent Phil Coke and Austin Jackson to Tigers, Yankees sent 2006 first-rounder Ian Kennedy to Diamondbacks. GMs: Josh Byrnes, Brian Cashman.
- December 2009: Phillies trade 2006 first-rounder Kyle Drabek, 2007 first-rounder Travis d'Arnaud, and Michael Taylor to Blue Jays for Roy Halladay and cash. GM: Ruben Amaro, Jr.
- December 2009: Mariners trade 2007 first-rounder Phillippe Aumont, J.C. Ramirez, and Tyson Gillies to Phillies for Cliff Lee. GM: Jack Zduriencik.
- July 2010: Rangers trade 2007 first-rounder Michael Main and Chris Ray to Giants for Bengie Molina. GM: Jon Daniels.
- July 2010: Rangers trade 2008 first-rounder Justin Smoak, 2007 first-rounder Blake Beavan, Matthew Lawson, and Josh Lueke to Mariners for Cliff Lee, Mark Lowe, and cash. GM: Jon Daniels.
- December 2011: Reds trade 2008 first-rounder Yonder Alonso, 2010 first rounder Yasmani Grandal, Edinson Volquez, and 2009 first-rounder Brad Boxberger to Padres for Mat Latos. GM: Walt Jocketty.
- December 2010: Brewers trade 2008 first-rounder Brett Lawrie to Blue Jays for Shaun Marcum. GM: Doug Melvin.
- December 2010: Red Sox trade 2008 first-rounder Casey Kelly, 2009 first rounder Reymond Fuentes, Anthony Rizzo, and Eric Patterson to Padres for Adrian Gonzalez. GM: Theo Epstein.
- July 2011: Tigers trade 2010 first-rounder Chance Ruffin, Francisco Martinez, Charlie Furbush, and Casper Wells to Mariners for Doug Fister and David Pauley. GM: Dave Dombrowski.
- July 2011: Indians trade 2010 first-rounder Drew Pomeranz, Alex White, Joseph Gardner, and Matt McBride to Rockies for Ubaldo Jimenez. GM: Chris Antonetti.
- July 2011: Giants trade 2009 first rounder Zack Wheeler to Mets for Carlos Beltran. GM: Brian Sabean.
Bottom line: if the Cubs reach a point of contending under Epstein, recent first-round picks should keep their bags packed. Melvin, Sabean, and the Phillies' brass have been aggressive in trading first-round picks. Zduriencik moved a couple of first-rounders when the Mariners were closer to contention, although they were not his draft picks.
As for literal draft pick currency, 13 teams are eligible for the first competitive balance draft pick lottery this year. The picks given for this lottery can be traded, but only once by a team, only during the regular season, and not for cash.
Mariners Sign Hong-Chih Kuo
TUESDAY: Kuo's $500K guarantee increases to $1MM on the active roster, and he can earn another $2.25MM in incentives, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
MONDAY: The Mariners signed lefty reliever Hong-Chih Kuo to a one-year, Major League contract, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Kuo has passed his physical, notes ESPN's Jayson Stark. The Mariners will have to create a spot on the 40-man roster for Kuo, who is represented by Octagon.
Kuo, 30, allowed an earned run per inning in a difficult 2011 season with the Dodgers. With a 1.96 ERA, 10.6 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 0.37 HR/9, and 5.8 H/9 in 170 innings, Kuo had been one of the game's most dominant relievers over the three prior seasons when healthy. He had a DL stint for an anxiety disorder last season, and in October endured his fifth career elbow surgery.
Kuo, a native of Taiwan, will again team up with Mariners offseason acquisition George Sherrill. They'll presumably be setting up closer Brandon League.
After Kuo was non-tendered by the Dodgers in December, they continued to show interest, as did a few other unknown West Coast teams. As our free agent tracker shows, Mike Gonzalez and Arthur Rhodes are now the top available lefty relievers.
Latest At RotoAuthority.com
Our newly-relaunched fantasy baseball website RotoAuthority is always fresh and free. The latest:
- Edwin Van Bibber-Orr lets us in on the best-kept fantasy baseball secret of 2012.
- If you like Buster Posey, try drafting Miguel Montero as your catcher instead, I explain.
- Robinson Cano, Dustin Pedroia, and Ian Kinsler top Mike Axisa's second baseman rankings.
- Frank Francisco is a sleeper and Alex Gordon might be overvalued, writes Dan Mennella.
- Mike Napoli, Mark Teixeira, Dustin Ackley, Derek Jeter, David Freese, and Michael Bourn are overrated in fantasy drafts this year, declares Tom Warman.
- Alex Steers McCrum analyzes the recent Edwin Jackson and Casey Kotchman signings.
- Mark Polishuk looks at the battle for the Reds' left field job.
- Steve Adams answered fantasy questions in a live chat; check out the transcript.
Cardinals Sign Alex Cora
4:19pm: Cora would get $800K in the Major Leagues, the Associated Press reports (via ESPN.com).
12:00pm: The Cardinals agreed to a minor league deal with a spring training invite with infielder Alex Cora, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. On Saturday, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reported a deal was close.
Cora will compete for a utility infield role, writes Goold. The 36-year-old Scott Boras client hit .224/.287/.276 in 172 plate appearances for the Nationals last year, spending most of his time in the field on the left side of the infield.
Nationals Sign Mark Teahen
The Nationals announced today they've signed infielder/outfielder Mark Teahen to a minor league deal. They also announced their deal with outfielder Rick Ankiel.
Teahen, 30, hit .200/.273/.300 in 177 plate appearances for the White Sox last year, appearing at the infield and outfield corners. The Blue Jays took Teahen and his contract from the White Sox last summer to facilitate their temporary acquisition of Edwin Jackson. The Jays ended up releasing Teahen last month. He's represented by CAA Sports.
The Nationals will also have Andres Blanco, Jarrett Hoffpauir, Chad Tracy, Mike Cameron, Brett Carroll, Jason Michaels, and Xavier Paul in camp competing for part-time roles on the big league club.
Duquette On Guthrie, Bullpen, Manny
With starter Jeremy Guthrie entering his contract year, Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette felt compelled to send him to the Rockies for pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom, who can both be controlled for 2013. Duquette praised the strikeout-to-walk ratios of his new additions. Other notes from Duquette's conference call today:
- Duquette feels Hammel essentially replaces Guthrie's innings in the rotation, and Lindstrom represents a power arm at the back of the Orioles' bullpen. By the way, for the latest bullpen depth charts check out RotoAuthority, and for breaking news about stoppers follow @closernews on Twitter.
- Duquette didn't care to speculate on whether the Orioles would have retained Guthrie had he settled a month ago on a figure closer to the team's $7.25MM submission. He did note that he didn't think that salary was possible unless they won a hearing. Upon the trade Guthrie ended up settling below the midpoint, at $8.2MM.
- "We didn't have any offers of young prospects for Jeremy," Duquette told reporters.
- The Orioles top exec wouldn't comment on the Rangers' Koji Uehara, but he did say, "We would still like to strengthen our bullpen between now and Spring Training."
- Duquette admitted he's had exploratory talks with Manny Ramirez's agent and the Orioles have seen him work out, but added, "We are still considering the composition of this club, and some of the challenges of integrating a player like Manny into our ballclub and market."
Rockies To Acquire Guthrie For Hammel, Lindstrom
"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Baltimore anymore," tweeted righty Jeremy Guthrie this morning after learning he'd been traded from the Orioles to the Rockies. The clubs reached an agreement that sends Guthrie to Colorado for pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun first reported the near-deal, which has now been officially announced.
Guthrie's arbitration hearing against the Orioles was scheduled for this morning with a $7.25MM-$10.25MM spread, but his agent Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA Sports tweeted today he reached an agreement on a one-year deal that fits "within the Rockies' payroll structure" and is "a showing of good faith." Connolly says Guthrie settled with the Rockies at $8.2MM, which is $550K below the midpoint. With the Orioles, a hearing had "seemed possible and even likely," tweeted Van Wagenen.
Guthrie, 32, had been a regular in Baltimore's rotation since being claimed off waivers from the Indians five years ago. Last year he posted a 4.33 ERA, 5.6 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9, and 39.6% groundball rate in 208 innings for the Orioles. His skills suggest a 200-inning, 4.50 ERA guy in the AL East. Guthrie (pictured) will be a useful addition for a Rockies rotation long on options but short on stability, assuming his proclivity to surrender home runs doesn't worsen in Coors Field. Guthrie will be eligible for free agency after the season, and I would not expect draft pick compensation.
Hammel, 29, posted a 4.76 ERA, 5.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 1.11 HR/9, and 43.9% groundball rate in 170 1/3 innings last year. Acquired from the Rays three years ago, Hammel has given the Rockies 170+ innings in each season since the trade. Prior to 2011, Hammel's skills suggested a pitcher capable of a sub-4.00 ERA. In 2011, however, he was demoted to the Rockies' bullpen in August. He'll earn $4.75MM in 2012 and will be arbitration eligible for 2013.
Lindstrom, 31, posted a 3.00 ERA, 6.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 0.50 HR/9, and 47.3% groundball rate in 54 innings last year for the Rockies. His strikeout rates have always seemed low for someone averaging a 96 mile-per-hour fastball. Lindstrom, who was acquired in December 2010 from the Astros, is owed $3.6MM for 2012 and has a $4MM club option for '13. Interestingly, Guthrie and Lindstrom both put their baseball careers on hold for two-year Mormon missions in their lives.
With the trade, Orioles vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette has subtracted his rotation's one sure thing in favor of Hammel, who was demoted from the Rockies' rotation last summer. He did acquire two pitchers for the price of one, as well as potential 2013 control for each. Noted Duquette on today's conference call, "We didn't have any offers of young prospects for Jeremy." Duquette has hooked up with Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd for trades twice before, when the former was at the helm of the Red Sox.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.