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Bidding Period For Yu Darvish Ends

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The deadline for teams to submit bids to the Nippon Ham Fighters for the exclusive rights to negotiate with Yu Darvish passed at 4pm central time today.  Nippon Ham has until 4pm CDT on December 20th to accept or reject the high bid, according to a Japanese report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (on Twitter).  The latest updates:

  • The Giants did not bid on Darvish, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).
  • The A's didn't bid on Darvish, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Marlins did not bid on Darvish, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).
  • The Mets didn't place a bid, Howard Megdal of the Journal News reports.
  • The Yankees' bid is modest, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Indications are the winning bid is "sky high."
  • Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reports (on Twitter) that the Fighters plan to accept the posting bid no matter how large it is.
  • The Nippon Ham Fighters were very excited by how large the high bid was according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Still no word on the the money, though.
  • The Yankees did post a bid, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link). 
  • The Rays did not bid, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter).
  • The Angels did not bid on Darvish, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (on Twitter).
  • Three MLB executives speculated that the Blue Jays and Rangers are candidates to win the bidding for Darvish, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • The Twins did not bid on Darvish, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (on Twitter).
  • The Red Sox did not bid on Darvish, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
  • At least one team submitted a bid on Darvish, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network (on Twitter).  Nippon, which doesn't know the identity of the MLB team that won the bidding, must decide whether to accept the high bid by Tuesday.
  • One MLB official expects an announcement regarding the winning bid tonight or tomorrow morning, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
  • The Orioles are not bidding on Darvish, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter).
  • Darvish has more leverage than any previous player coming from Japan to MLB, one executive tells Yahoo's Jeff Passan, because the righty seems willing to stay with the Fighters.  In October, my poll of five agents and one team executive showed that they felt he has the leverage to extract a five or six-year deal worth $72-75MM from the winning team, on top of a posting fee for the Fighters ranging from $30-55MM.  Passan's survey of six executives suggests the Rangers and Blue Jays are favorites for Darvish and the Nationals, Yankees, and Mariners may submit bids.  Darvish appears to have a strong preference for the West Coast.  Passan feels that the higher the posting fee gets, the less likely Darvish is to sign.
  • In a poll of over 26,000 MLBTR readers yesterday, 27% felt the Yankees would win the bid, followed by 17% for the Blue Jays and 15% for the Rangers.

Cubs, Dodgers Interested In Coco Crisp

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The Cubs and Dodgers have been in discussions with Coco Crisp to play left field, MLBTR has learned.  The 32-year-old hasn't played left regularly since 2005 with the Indians.

The Cubs' inquiry on Crisp is interesting, since they have left fielder Alfonso Soriano under contract for $54MM over the next three years, with a full no-trade clause.  New Cubs president Theo Epstein acquired Crisp from the Tribe for the Red Sox early in '06, extending him a few months later.  The Dodgers currently seem to be looking at some combination of Juan Rivera, Tony Gwynn Jr., and Jerry Sands in left.

Crisp hit .264/.314/.379 in 583 plate appearances for the Athletics this year, his healthiest season since '07.  His center field defense was above-average from 2009-10 but below-average this year, according to UZR.

Minor Moves: Royals, Stavinoha, Santiago, German

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Today's minor moves…

  • The Royals signed Juan Gutierrez to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (on Twitter).  The right-hander posted a 5.40 ERA with 11.3 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 18 1/3 innings with Arizona this past season.
  • The Astros released Nick Stavinoha so that he can sign with a Japanese team, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.  The 29-year-old spent the 2011 season at Triple-A, where he hit .270/.329/.488 in 586 plate appearances.  The Hiroshima Carp are working toward a deal with Stavinoha, according to a Japanese report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker.
  • The Nationals signed Jarrett Hoffpauir to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (on Twitter).  Hoffpauir, 28, posted a .281/.356/.428 for the Padres' top affiliate this past season.
  • The Royals announced that the club has granted the release of minor league pitcher Mario Santiago in order for the right-hander to sign a contract with the SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization.  Santiago, who turns 27 on Friday, split time between the Royals' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates in 2011.
  • Japan's Seibu Lions signed former Rangers utility man Esteban German for $1MM, tweets Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes.  The 33-year-old was removed from the Rangers' 40-man roster in November.

Blue Jays, Four Others In On Carlos Beltran

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4:01pm: The Cardinals are a "serious entity" in the Beltran talks, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).

8:10am: At least five clubs are seriously talking with Carlos Beltran, reports Scott Miller of CBS Sports, including the Blue Jays, Cardinals, Rockies, and two others.  Most are discussing multiyear deals for the right fielder, who turns 35 in April.  Miller's colleague Jon Heyman first noted the Rockies' interest in Beltran yesterday.

My guess: most teams are probably reluctant to guarantee Beltran a third year.  The Jays are an interesting new suitor; I assume they'd use Beltran in left field.  He'd certainly represent a win-now acquisition for them.

Reds Info: Pitching, Saunders, Theriot, Cuddyer

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John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer talked to Reds GM Walt Jocketty; here's the latest.

  • Jocketty says his pursuit of starting pitching has been "very frustrating" and he's not close on anything.  The Reds have been linked in rumors to Gio Gonzalez and Jair Jurrjens in recent weeks.
  • The Reds have made some progress on an extension for Brandon Phillips.
  • Jocketty has contacted the agents for recently non-tendered players Joe Saunders and Ryan Theriot, and the Reds also have some interest in Michael Cuddyer depending on his asking price.  They won't be submitting a bid on Yu Darvish.

Red Sox Acquire Melancon For Lowrie, Weiland

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The Red Sox acquired reliever Mark Melancon from the Astros for shortstop Jed Lowrie and starter Kyle Weiland, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  ESPN's Jerry Crasnick first tweeted that Weiland was traded to Houston in a deal that involved a reliever going to Boston.  The deal marks the first trade involving Major Leaguers by both Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and Red Sox GM Ben Cherington since taking over their respective roles. 

Melancon, 26, turned in a 2.78 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 0.61 HR/9, and 56.7% groundball rate in 74 1/3 innings this year, saving 20 games in 25 tries.  The right-hander won't be arbitration eligible until after the 2013 season and won't hit free agency until after the 2016 campaign.  Acquiring Melancon will bolster Boston's bullpen, but they're unlikely to stop here, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Boston has reportedly been after A's closer Andrew Bailey and Rosenthal says that they can't be ruled out on Ryan Madson.

Lowrie has been drawing a good deal interest from clubs this offseason.  The infielder's name also came up during the Winter Meetings when the Red Sox met with the Rangers and discussed possible trades.  In 341 plate appearances for Boston last season, the oft-injured Lowrie hit .252/.303/.382 with six homers.  Lowrie has been used all around the infield, but he's likely to take over as the Astros' starting shortstop.  He's arbitration eligible for the first time this winter and MLBTR projects a $1.2MM salary.

Weiland, 25, struggled in 24 2/3 innings in his Red Sox debut this year.  At Triple-A, he posted a 3.58 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 0.70 HR/9 in 128 1/3 innings.  A third-round pick in 2008, Baseball America ranked Weiland 20th among Red Sox prospects prior to the season.  BA says the former Notre Dame closer "relishes pitching inside" and his "best pitch is a low-90s fastball that peaks at 95 but is most notable for its hard sink."  The Astros plan to use Weiland as a starter in 2012, tweets Alex Speier of WEEI.com.

The Astros will have to clear a spot on their 40-man roster, as it was full prior to the trade.

How Many Years Will Prince Fielder Get?

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One team tells Scott Miller of CBS Sports Prince Fielder is looking for a ten-year deal.  As Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes, isn't Fielder entitled to an Albert Pujols-like contract, as a 27-year-old coming off a monster season?

The problem is the marketplace, however, writes Morosi.  The teams with the biggest payrolls don't appear to be fits for Fielder.  Over 38,000 MLBTR readers responded to our poll last week about Fielder's destination.  While the Cubs led with 24% of the vote, they almost seem to be the default pick for Fielder since there is no obvious favorite.

I doubt the Cubs would do an eight, nine, or ten-year deal for Fielder.  I'm having trouble finding any team that would do so, assuming an average annual value around $25MM is required.  It's time for Scott Boras to work his magic.  That brings us to today's poll question: how many years will Fielder get?

How many years will Prince Fielder get?
7 28.12% (7,732 votes)
6 27.25% (7,494 votes)
8 18.28% (5,027 votes)
5 15.18% (4,174 votes)
10 4.53% (1,246 votes)
4 2.35% (646 votes)
1 1.75% (482 votes)
9 1.16% (318 votes)
3 1.06% (292 votes)
2 0.32% (89 votes)
Total Votes: 27,500

Brewers Sign Aramis Ramirez

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The Brewers have secured a much-needed power bat, as they've announced a three-year deal with third baseman Aramis Ramirez.  The $36MM contract includes a mutual option for 2015.  With first baseman Prince Fielder expected to leave via free agency and MVP Ryan Braun facing a potential 50-game suspension for a banned substance, the Brewers were motivated to add a middle-of-the-order hitter.  Ramirez is represented by Paul Kinzer of Wasserman Media Group.

Aramis

Ramirez, 33, bounced back to hit .306/.361/.510 with 26 home runs in 626 plate appearances for the Cubs in 2011.  Former Cubs GM Jim Hendry stole Ramirez from the Pirates in a 2003 trade, and the right-handed slugger solidified the position for Chicago by hitting .294/.356/.531 with 239 home runs over eight-plus seasons.  His defense is below-average, based on UZR.  Aramis, MLBTR's eighth-ranked free agent, finished a five-year, $75MM deal when he declined his side of a mutual option in October.  The Cubs will receive a supplemental draft pick for their loss. 

The Brewers had a need at the hot corner after Casey McGehee disappointed in 2011.  The arbitration-eligible McGehee was traded to Pittsburgh shortly after the Ramirez agreement was reached.

After Francisco Rodriguez accepted arbitration from the Brewers last week, it wasn't clear whether the Brewers would still be in the mix for another expensive player like Ramirez.  The Brewers have revamped the left side of their infield, announcing a deal with shortstop Alex Gonzalez Monday.

Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago first reported the agreement, with Ken Rosenthal adding details.  Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Orioles, Braves Discussed Trade For Jurrjens, Prado

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The Orioles and Braves have discussed a deal that included both righty Jair Jurrjens and infielder/outfielder Martin Prado, reported Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports yesterday.  However, the FOX writers find it unlikely that the Braves would package both chips in one trade.

Jurrjens, 25, posted a 2.96 ERA, 5.3 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 0.83 HR/9, and 42% groundball rate in 152 innings this year, missing time with oblique and knee injuries.  His skills continue to suggest an ERA around 4.40, and he's only reached 190 innings once, but sub-3.00 ERAs in '09 and '11 may have allowed Jurrjens' reputation as a front-end starter to persist.  The Orioles don't seem to be in a position to move significant young players for two years of Jurrjens, despite their current rotation uncertainty.

Dodgers Sign Bard, Ledezma, Castillo, Guzman, More

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The Dodgers announced the signing of 15 non-roster players yesterday, reported MLB.com's Ken Gurnick: catcher Josh Bard, lefty reliever Wil Ledezma, lefty reliever Alberto Castillo, righty reliever Angel Guzman, outfielder Cory Sullivan, righty reliever Fernando Nieve, righty reliever Jose Ascanio, righty Ryan Tucker, righty Will Savage, lefty Matt Chico, lefty Scott Rice, corner infielder Jeff Baisley, infielder Lance Zawadzki, and infielder Luis Cruz.

Bard, 33, had 86 plate appearances for the Mariners this year and another 250 in Triple-A.  His signing was first rumored last week at the Winter Meetings.  Ledezma, 30, briefly appeared in the Majors with Toronto this year.  He struck out 64 batters in 48 Triple-A innings as well.  Castillo, a 36-year-old Cuban, tossed 11 2/3 innings for the Diamondbacks and a strong 42 1/3 frames at Triple-A.  His near-deal was first reported last week.

Ascanio, 26, appeared briefly in the bigs with the Pirates this year and also whiffed 50 in 44 Triple-A innings.  He was part of the July '09 John Grabow-Tom Gorzelanny trade with the Cubs, but he had labrum surgery in October of that year.  Tucker, 25, is a former first-round pick of the Marlins who pitched five innings with the Rangers this year and 68 1/3 more in Triple-A.  Guzman, Sullivan, Nieve, Chico, Baisley, Zawadzki, and Cruz have also spent time in the Majors.  Guzman, notably, was a successful setup man for the Cubs in '09.

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