Diamondbacks Notes: Kubel, Parra
The Diamondbacks weren't known to be seeking a left fielder, but they reached an agreement with Jason Kubel on a two-year, $15MM deal today. The latest on the team:
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic spoke to D'Backs GM Kevin Towers, who said outfielder Gerardo Parra "is still very much a part of this club and was a big part last year." Parra, a 2011 Gold Glove winner, will likely be pushed to a fourth outfielder role.
- Kubel will earn $7.5MM in each of the 2012 and '13 seasons, tweets Piecoro, and has a mutual option for '14 at the same amount with a buyout under $1MM.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs calls Kubel a "weird signing," saying that replacing Parra with Kubel is likely to be a net negative for the team. He doesn't think employing Parra as the fourth outfielder is a good use of resources.
- The D'Backs had once hoped to invest in Joe Saunders or Hiroki Kuroda, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, but ended up allocating that money toward Kubel. The Kubel signing means the team is likely to round out their rotation with an internal candidate, writes Piecoro, although a cheap fifth starter signing is also possible.
MLBTR Text Message Alerts
Want to be the first to know which team won the rights to negotiate with Yu Darvish? MLBTR is already coming at you from many angles, and today we're going to start dabbling with text message alerts for your mobile phone. We'll likely try this for the remainder of the offseason and determine the interest level at that point.
If you'd like to receive a text message on your cell phone for each significant MLB transaction, just text IMS2 MLBTR to 368674. It's not case-sensitive but please note the space between "IMS2" and "MLBTR." Each news text message will likely include a sponsored message at the end. To comply with FCC text message regulations you are required to double opt-in by replying with a 1, then a yes to subscribe. Once you successfully opt in, you'll receive a message that says "Thank you for subscribing!"
The service is free, though standard message and data rates may apply. Your information will never shared or sold to third parties. The MLBTR service will not work if your carrier is MetroPCS.
Dodgers Sign John Grabow
The Dodgers signed lefty reliever John Grabow to a minor league deal, tweeted John Scanlan on Saturday. This morning, MLBTR confirmed the transaction. The deal includes an invitation to Major League camp, notes Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.
Grabow, 33, was acquired by the Cubs from the Pirates in July of '09. He signed a two-year, $7.5MM extension four months later. Over those two seasons Grabow posted a 5.52 ERA, 5.9 K/9, 4.2 BB/9, and 1.4 HR/9 in 88 innings, missing time with knee and shoulder injuries.
Padres To Sign Jeremy Hermida
The Padres reached an agreement with outfielder Jeremy Hermida on a minor league deal, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. They had non-tendered him last week. Hermida, a former Marlins top prospect, hit .319/.400/.524 in 450 plate appearances for the Reds' Triple-A affiliate this year. The 27-year-old was claimed off waivers by the Padres in August and designated for assignment in early December upon the team's acquisition of Huston Street. Hermida received some feelers from Japanese teams this offseason, Crasnick notes.
Mariners Sign Dominican Shortstop
The Mariners signed 17-year-old Dominican shortstop Angel Yente for $225K, reports Justin Olsen of The Outfield Grass. The Dominican Prospect League has since confirmed the move. According to the DPL, Yente has "an extra-large frame with an athletic, strong body," and his bat will play at a corner position if he grows out of shortstop.
Free $400 Fantasy Football Contest (Sponsored Post)
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Bidding Period For Yu Darvish Ends
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
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
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
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.