Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Angels To Interview Ng, Interested In Levine

By | at

7:55pm: The Angels will interview Rick Hahn of the White Sox and Tory Hernandez, their own manager of baseball information, along with Oppenheimer, Eppler, Ng and Dipoto, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (Twitter links).  The interviews will likely take place in the coming week.

12:18pm: The Angels are also interested in Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine, report Olney and Mark Saxon.  Levine has ties to the area, having worked for the Dodgers for a year and earned his MBA from UCLA.

10:59am: The Angels will interview Kim Ng for their GM opening, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  Ng currently works for MLB with a focus on international operations.  She was previously the Dodgers' assistant general manager for nine years, and interviewed for three GM vacancies during that time.  Before that, Ng was assistant GM with the Yankees and also worked for the White Sox and MLB.  Ng, who ranked tenth on our list of GM candidates, would be the first female to take on the role.

So far we've heard that Diamondbacks' Jerry Dipoto and the Yankees' Damon Oppenheimer and Billy Eppler will be interviewed for the Angels GM job.  Owner Arte Moreno outlined his criteria earlier this month.

Offseason Outlook: Pittsburgh Pirates

By | at

The Pirates have money to spend this offseason, but their team has more holes than free agency can possibly fill.

Guaranteed Contracts

Contractual Options

  • Paul Maholm, unranked SP: $9.75MM club option with a $750K buyout
  • Chris Snyder, Type B catcher: $6.75MM club option with a $750K buyout
  • Ryan Doumit, Type B catcher: $7.25MM club option for 2012 and $8.25MM club option for 2013 with a $500K buyout
  • Ronny Cedeno, unranked SS: $3MM club option with a $200K buyout

Arbitration Eligible Players (estimated salaries)

Free Agents

The Pirates hired GM Neal Huntington in November 2007, and this year we finally saw light at the end of the tunnel.  The team won 72 games for the first time since '04, and was enough of a contender to justify acquiring Lee and Ludwick while taking on their salaries.  In September, the Pirates rewarded Huntington with a three-year extension that included a club option for 2015.

Huntington's first order of business will be making decisions on the options of Maholm, Snyder, Doumit, and Cedeno.  Snyder and Doumit are easy choices to decline.  Maholm's $9MM net price seemingly doesn't work for the Pirates, but they can check with other teams before making that decision official.  Just by virtue of his ability to play shortstop for 130 games Cedeno is worth $2.8MM in a technical sense, but the Pirates might prefer to use those starts in an attempt to find a long-term answer.  The safe move would be to pick up Cedeno's option but leave the starting job as an open competition.

Look for the Pirates to make more cuts at the non-tender deadline, with Pearce, Wood, and Ohlendorf on the bubble.  The five arbitration eligible Pirates relievers figure to stay, so the team's bullpen is in good shape for 2012. 

The Pirates have four favorites for the rotation, though the group features a low-strikeout trio of Karstens, Correia, and Morton after James McDonald.  SI's Jon Heyman says the team is looking for starting pitching.  I'd expect another stopgap acquisition like Correia.  The Pirates need bulk innings after their rotation provided the fewest in the National League in 2011.

The Pirates' search for a short-term first base solution led to $5MM spent on Overbay and a few million more on Lee.  The team has interest in signing Lee, otherwise Huntington can look into Casey Kotchman, James Loney, or outside-the-box options like Raul Ibanez or Josh Willingham.

Questions don't stop there:  the Pirates have needs at catcher, third base, and right field.  Huntington will likely be thinking short-term at catcher, so maybe someone like Ramon Hernandez or Rod Barajas could draw the Pirates' interest.  A new, more affordable contract for Snyder would also work.  Michael McKenry and Jason Jaramillo are internal options.

The Pirates hope Alvarez can shake off his awful season, and again, they won't be adding any big names at his position.  Right field is likely to be handled internally, as Alex Presley has earned a shot and Jones may still be in the mix.  The Pirates have money to spend and needs to fill, but I'm still not sure free agency offers much for them.  They could afford Jose Reyes or Prince Fielder, but the best remaining years of those prime free agents will not coincide with the Pirates' window of contention.

The importance of Huntington's tinkering pales in comparison to the importance of locking up Andrew McCutchen.  The center fielder has a case for a six-year deal in excess of $50MM.  Additionally, the Pirates also have interest in locking up Neil Walker, though that would be a much smaller, team-friendly type of deal.

The first two-thirds of the Pirates' season was different and fun, and it resulted in a 20% increase in attendance.  Otherwise, the playoff bid didn't change much, as the team faded well before the stretch-run and is still is years away from transforming into a serious threat.  The team is still trying to get to .500 for the first time since 1992, though I don't think .500 should be any kind of goal.  Huntington has expressed a willingness to trade prospects, but I'm guessing he'd only do so to fill a long-term need.  It's taken too long, but he's building the team the right way.  It would be a shame to see hard draft slotting instituted, as it would severely limit the Pirates' best route to sustained success.

Free Agent And Trade Market For Catchers

By | at

The Rays, Angels, Pirates, and Twins may seek help at catcher this winter, and none of the available players will be expensive to acquire.

Starting Catchers Available In Free Agency

Ramon Hernandez and Rod Barajas qualify as starting catchers, though they're not quite full-blown regulars since they play 90-100 games per year.  Hernandez has a shot at a multiyear deal.

Ryan Doumit hasn't caught 900 innings in a season since '08, but given his offensive ability there should be a hybrid role for him somewhere.  Chris Snyder and Kelly Shoppach were starters not long ago, and free agency might allow them to pick teams with opportunities.  Jorge Posada caught only one game this year, but feels he could handle the duty here and there.  But would he do so for another team?

Quality Backups

Henry Blanco is expected back with Arizona, but Ramon Castro, Jose Molina, and Jason Varitek are a few backups who provided a touch of offense in 2011.  Ivan Rodriguez and Matt Treanor also may be able to find big league deals.  Our full free agent list can be found here.

Non-Tender Candidates

We've got nine speculative non-tender candidates: Jeff Mathis, Koyie Hill, Robby Hammock, Eli Whiteside, John Baker, Ronny Paulino, Jesus Flores, Rob Johnson, and Brayan Pena.  By definition, some of these guys are trade candidates.  Mathis, Paulino, Baker, and Flores have had semi-regular roles in the past.  

Other Trade Candidates

Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd expects Chris Iannetta to be their catcher next year, though perhaps he could become available during the season if Wilin Rosario comes on strong.  Similarly, the White Sox could trade A.J. Pierzynski if they deem Tyler Flowers ready for full-time catching, though Pierzynski would need to approve a deal.  A team could eye George Kottaras for more than the backup role he held with the Brewers this year.  Jake Fox is far from a regular catcher, but he could be available.

The Yankees currently have strong catching depth, with Russell Martin, Jesus Montero, Francisco Cervelli at the big league level.  Austin Romine got a cup of coffee this year, while Gary Sanchez spent the season at Low-A ball.   

Non-Tender Candidate: Joe Saunders

By | at

Diamondbacks lefty Joe Saunders is a non-tender candidate, based on comments GM Kevin Towers made to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.  Towers explained his thought process toward the 30-year-old:

"He certainly logs innings, which is good. A veteran with experience. A good guy. Fits in well with our club. We like him. A deciding factor will be how much confidence do we have with the younger players in our system."

Every rotation needs innings guys, and this year Saunders tallied 215 including a playoff start.  Throw in a 3.69 ERA and how could the D'Backs be thinking about cutting Saunders for no return?  

First there's the price tag, which we project at a hefty $8.7MM.  That'd represent a $3.2MM raise as Saunders enters his last season before free agency.  Then there's that ERA, which doesn't seem representative of Saunders' skills.  His SIERAs have consistently been in the 4.70 range.  Saunders is a hittable, low-strikeout pitcher who can be prone to the longball.  Finally there's Arizona's depth; they might have young starters who can provide similar performance for the league minimum, if not the innings.

Trading or non-tendering Saunders would greatly add to the D'Backs' payroll flexibility, though they don't have huge needs.  Would at least one team feel that Saunders is worth $8-9MM on a one-year deal, and also give up a minor leaguer for him?  I find it unlikely.  Saunders is similar to a healthy Jon Garland, and the open market repeatedly valued Garland close to $5MM.  Only four free agents reached 200 innings this year, and C.C. Sabathia, C.J. Wilson, Mark Buehrle, and Hiroki Kuroda will either be expensive or picky about where they sign.  However, innings alone don't get a free agent an $8MM+ payday, as we saw with Garland and Rodrigo Lopez last year.  Let's hear your thoughts on Saunders in the poll below.

Will Joe Saunders be tendered a contract for 2012?
No 50.53% (1,570 votes)
Yes 49.47% (1,537 votes)
Total Votes: 3,107

Theo Epstein Rumors: Tuesday

By | at

The latest on the Cubs' attempt to add Red Sox GM Theo Epstein to their front office…

  • Epstein is actively looking to hire a general manager to join him in Chicago, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 37-year-old is exploring GM candidates while he waits for the Red Sox and Cubs to work out compensation for his departure. The Cubs would bring Epstein in as their president of baseball operations and he would hire a general manager to assist with the daily grind of the job.
  • The Red Sox are "holding tough" on their asking price and don't anticipate resolution tonight, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
  • Hoyer told Marty Caswell of XX1090 Sports Radio that he's not going to comment on media speculation (Twitter links).  "I'm excited about what we continue to build here in San Diego," he said. 
  • The Cubs haven't asked for permission to talk to any Padres executives, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (Twitter link).
  • Carrie Muskat of MLB.com points out that obtaining Hoyer could prove difficult, as he is under contract through 2013 with an option for 2014 (Twitter link).  But Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padres doubts owner Jeff Moorad would hold up a deal if it meant Byrnes became the Padres' next GM (Twitter link).
  • Current Padres GM Jed Hoyer is being considered by the Cubs and Epstein, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  In that scenario, Josh Byrnes would become the Padres' GM.  Heyman notes that the Cubs are also looking at Padres executives Byrnes and Jason McLeod for themselves, should Hoyer stay.  All the executives were once members of the Boston front office with Epstein.
  • Yesterday we learned that the Red Sox started out the Epstein compensation discussions by asking the Cubs for righty Matt Garza, which CSNNE.com's Sean McAdam says was "rejected out of hand."  Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says that "the sides slowly have moved their position to a more realistic center" as they discuss Cubs prospects.  
  • Cafardo says the Red Sox have been focusing on Trey McNutt, Brett Jackson, Matt Szczur, and Josh Vitters, the latter three labeled as unlikely by Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com yesterday.  McNutt and Andrew Cashner are unlikely as well, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, while McAdam says McNutt's inclusion is "far from guaranteed at this point."
  • An announcement today has been ruled out, writes McAdam, with "significant work" remaining to reach an agreement on compensation.  He says Friday's World Series off-day is the earliest possibility, assuming the teams come to terms and get Bud Selig's permission for an announcement.  McAdam says that although progress has been made, the Cubs feel that precedent calls for minimal compensation while the Sox think this situation defies precedent.
  • McAdam writes that the issue of Epstein taking Red Sox employees with him is not an issue, with a mutual understanding in place that he will not raid Boston's baseball operations department. 
  • Most reports, including this one from Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, suggest that the five-year, $18.5MM deal between Epstein and the Cubs is not in jeopardy.  Still, as Cafardo notes, both teams have a lot of team-building to do.    

Orioles Unlikely To Interview Marlins’ Dan Jennings

By | at

9:12pm: The Marlins haven't formally denied the Orioles' request to interview Jennings, but it's leaning that way, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).

2:30pm: The Marlins have denied the Orioles permission to interview vice president of player personnel and assistant general manager Dan Jennings for their GM opening, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.  Jennings is signed through 2015 from an extension signed in '07, and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reported that the Marlins have denied teams permission to interview him three times in the past.  Jennings has been with Florida since 2002, prior to which he worked for the Devil Rays, Mariners, and Reds.

Kubatko notes that Arizona's Jerry Dipoto will interview for the Orioles position today, while Toronto's Tony LaCava is scheduled for tomorrow.

Indians Outright Head, Talbot

By | at

The Indians outrighted outfielder Jerad Head and righty Mitch Talbot today, the team announced on Twitter.  The moves drop the 40-man roster count to 38, though Carlos Carrasco, Josh Tomlin, Michael Brantley, and Shin-Soo Choo still need to be activated from the 60-day DL.

Talbot is now a minor league free agent, according to the Indians, and he is out of options, as MLB.com's Jordan Bastian notes (on Twitter).  The 28-year-old started 12 games for the Indians and posted a 6.64 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 63 2/3 innings.  He spent time on the disabled list with a strained lower back and was outrighted to the minors in August.  

Head, also 28, made his MLB debut this year.  He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he hit 24 homers and posted a .284/.338/.526 line in 463 plate appearances.  He can elect free agency, as he has previously been outrighted.

Arbitration Eligibles Series

By | at

Today we completed our analysis of the arbitration eligible players for all 30 teams, over 200 players in total.  The biggest names include Tim Lincecum, Matt Kemp, Cole Hamels, Hunter Pence, Clayton Kershaw, David Price, and Jacoby Ellsbury.  Matt Swartz has done incredible work for MLBTR creating a model to project 2012 arbitration salaries, and those projections are used throughout the 30 posts.  We'll have much more from Matt on the topic later this month.  Below are links to each arbitration eligibles post, which also include payroll flexibility estimates.

AL East

AL Central

AL West

NL East

NL Central

NL West

Cashman On Contract, Sabathia

By | at

MLB.com's Bryan Hoch talked with Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who is conducting the team's professional scouting meetings this week.

  • Cashman's contract expires on October 31st, but he told Hoch, "It'll get done between now and October 31st, I'm sure.  I can't promise, but I think that's what everybody expects. I know it's something that everybody has to follow. But that's not a pressing circumstance, as far as something I'm worried about right now."  Cashman feels his deal can be hammered out over the phone.
  • "I'm sure we'll talk before the World Series is over," Cashman said in reference to C.C. Sabathia's contract situation.  Sabathia is expected to opt out of the four years and $92MM remaining on the contract he signed in December of '08, but he hopes to re-sign.
  • Cashman said he's hopeful he has qualified people to take the place of Yankees executives Billy Eppler or Damon Oppenheimer if need be, as they have been granted permission to interview for the Angels' GM job.  ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted Oppenheimer's resume today: he's a Southern California native with five World Series rings and one of the best drafts in history (2006).  Click here to read Ben Nicholson-Smith's interview with Openheimer as part of our GM Candidates series.

Arbitration Eligibles: St. Louis Cardinals

By | at

The Cardinals' offseason has yet to begin, and once it does Albert Pujols will be the primary concern.  GM John Mozeliak will also have to address the situations of four arbitration eligible players, and we look at them today as we finish off this series.

Theriot projects for a $3.9MM salary and is likely to be non-tendered.  The statuses of Rafael Furcal, Nick Punto, and Schumaker will be factors, but Theriot makes too much money to continue on as a bench player and he's not the team's first choice at either middle infield position.  Schumaker is a non-tender candidate as well, though he's more versatile than Theriot and projects at a more affordable $3.1MM.  Motte ($1.7MM) and McClellan ($2.7MM) will be part of next year's club.  

If the Cardinals exercise their club options for Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright, and Octavio Dotel, they'll have about $84MM in contractual commitments.  Add $4.4MM for Motte and McClellan and they're at $88.3MM before accounting for minimum salary players.  A $110MM payroll would leave over $20MM in flexibility.  One can certainly picture scenarios where a new Pujols contract fits in, though they'd probably have to take payroll a bit higher to sign Furcal and a few other minor pieces.  A trip to the World Series helps the payroll situation.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top