iPhone App Now Available
Just in time for the offseason, our iPhone app is now available! It is listed as Baseball Trade Rumors in the app store and costs $2.99. You can search the store or just click this link. The app has been described as "beyond belief" by legendary journalist Peter Gammons.
The bread and butter of the app is the customizable push notifications. By default it sends an alert to your iPhone for all transactions, and you can also add alerts for any combination of players, teams, and leagues you desire. If you want to be the first to know where Cliff Lee is headed, who the Tigers are looking at, or anything else hot stove-related, this app can accommodate you.
The headlines page of the app shows our 25 latest posts, no ads, easily refreshed. Individual posts with hyperlinks can be viewed, of course. You can also leave comments on MLBTradeRumors.com through the app. Check it out today!
Please note: Version 1.0.1 fixed a bug that was affecting iPhone 3G and iPod Touch users. If you have one of these devices and already purchased the app, just take the steps to buy it again and you will be able to download the update for free.
Seven To Eight Teams Show Interest In Cliff Lee
1:55pm: The Astros may make a run at Lee, in the opinion of SI's Jon Heyman (Twitter link). He names the Cubs, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, and Phillies as other surprising suitors.
11:40am: Seven to eight teams have already shown interest in free agent lefty Cliff Lee, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He says the Yankees and Rangers are still the favorites, but the Phillies, Dodgers, and others have checked in.
As Rosenthal notes, it's questionable as to whether the Phillies or Dodgers could come up with the money for Lee. He's expected to sign for significantly more than $100MM. I imagine the Nationals checked in as well; they do have the money and are known to be interested. While the Red Sox and Angels appear poised to spend their money on position players, we won't count them out until they say so. At any rate, I'm excited to use the Mystery Team category here at MLBTR for the first time this offseason.
Odds & Ends: Francoeur, Theriot, Braves, Hacker
Links for Tuesday, as the American League Gold Glove winners are announced…
- Rangers outfielder Jeff Francoeur is expected to clear waivers and become a free agent by week's end, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Francoeur would have been non-tendered on December 2nd, otherwise.
- Speaking of non-tender candidates, Dodgers second baseman Ryan Theriot told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick he hopes to return next year.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan provides his top 164 free agents.
- ESPN's Keith Law says Arthur Rhodes is a player to avoid, in his relievers buyer's guide (Insider required).
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution speculates on outfield options for the Braves.
- Minor league free agent Eric Hacker signed a big league deal with the Twins, agent Matt Sosnick told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link). Hacker, 28 in March, posted a 4.57 ERA, 7.0 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, and 1.1 HR/9 in 165 2/3 Triple-A innings for the Giants' affiliate this year.
Non-Tender Candidate: Blaine Boyer
As new Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers looks to remake his bullpen, he may choose to cut 29-year-old right-handed reliever Blaine Boyer loose. Towers will need to decide by the December 2nd non-tender deadline, as Boyer is arbitration eligible for the second time in his career after earning $725K in 2010.
Boyer tossed 57 innings out of Arizona's pen this year, with a 4.26 ERA, 4.6 K/9, 4.6 BB/9, and 0.5 HR/9. His 65.8% groundball rate stood out; that ranked third among all pitchers with at least 50 innings. He also throws hard, averaging a 94.6 mph fastball this year.
Boyer has moved around in his career since coming up with the Braves. The Braves traded him to the Cardinals in April of '09, and then the D'Backs claimed him off waivers two months later after he'd been designated for assignment. Former D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes designated Boyer again in May of this year, but he cleared waivers and was added back to the roster in June.
Boyer's control in 2010 had been horrible prior to his demotion, but an arm slot adjustment led to a 3.7 BB/9 after his recall. That's tolerable, but with so few strikeouts it's tough to make that formula work even with frequent groundballs.
We've shown you the good and the bad; now it's your turn to predict what Kevin Towers will do. Click here to make your prediction and here to view the poll results.
One Year Ago: Early November 2009
A look back at the first half of November 2009 reveals interesting parallels with what we've seen so far this month. Last year the offseason began on November 5th, three days later than this year. However, the offseason deadlines have been moved up for 2010, so we're still on a similar pace. Burning up the hot stove a year ago:
Teams Extending Their Own Free Agents
- The Mariners signed Jack Wilson to a two-year, $10MM extension. Perhaps Jhonny Peralta's recent two-year, $11.25MM deal is the parallel. The Mariners do deserve credit for resisting Russell Branyan's demands for a two-year deal a year ago.
- The Braves signed Tim Hudson to a three-year, $28MM extension. One of the few early deals that worked out, this could match up with Ted Lilly's three-year, $33MM extension.
- The Cubs were close to an extension for John Grabow, who ultimately signed for two years and $7.5MM.
- The Red Sox signed Tim Wakefield to a two-year, $5MM extension.
- The Angels signed Bobby Abreu to a two-year, $19MM extension, and also locked up GM Tony Reagins.
- The White Sox signed Mark Kotsay to a one-year, $1.5MM deal. The Sox jumped out early this year too, re-upping Omar Vizquel.
- Several of these early extensions were at inflated prices, and in most cases teams would have been better off waiting.
Trades For Near Non-Tender Candidates
Mark Teahen, J.J. Hardy, and Jeremy Hermida were dealt. Akinori Iwamura fits here as well, as a player the Rays would have cut loose but the Pirates found worthwhile. None of them panned out. A few who could be dealt prior to the December 2nd non-tender deadline this year: Mike Napoli, Russell Martin, James Loney, Leo Nunez, Jason Bartlett, and Carlos Quentin.
Under The Radar Pickups
The Royals signed Wilson Betemit to a minor league deal, and the Nationals claimed reliever Doug Slaten off waivers from the Diamondbacks. Both were more useful than expected. The Royals have already made a couple of low-profile pickups this year in Joaquin Arias and Lance Zawadzki. Willie Eyre, Travis Blackley, Brent Dlugach, Joe Mather, and Justin James also changed teams this month.
Free Agent And Trade Rumors
- The Nationals showed early interest in Mark DeRosa and Mike Gonzalez. It appears they're being aggressive early this year too.
- The Yankees were focused on whether they'd retain Andy Pettitte, Johnny Damon, and Hideki Matsui. This year they've got bigger concerns with Pettitte, Derek Jeter, and Mariano Rivera.
- There were plenty of early suitors for Aroldis Chapman, who had not yet switched agents. The Reds weren't known to be in the mix. Of course, John Lackey, Matt Holliday, and Jason Bay were filling up our pages too. This year it'll be about Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Adrian Beltre, Adam Dunn, and Victor Martinez.
- The big trade candidates were Roy Halladay, Curtis Granderson, Edwin Jackson, Milton Bradley, and Dan Uggla. This year it looks like Prince Fielder, and Zack Greinke. Matt Garza, James Shields, Matt Kemp, Mark Reynolds, Josh Willingham, and Uggla could also be popular rumor subjects.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Lance Berkman
Less than a year ago, Lance Berkman felt that the Astros picking up his $15MM option for 2011 was a possibility. He was since traded to the Yankees, who declined the option without pause. Let's examine his free agent story.
The Good
- Berkman's .368 OBP this year was actually his worst since his rookie campaign. If his batting average comes back up from .248 he'll be even more of an on-base asset.
- He can still play some first base, logging almost 800 innings there in 2010.
- Berkman will not cost a draft pick to sign and ought to be open to a one-year deal.
The Bad
- Like Manny Ramirez, the walks are still there but the power is slipping. Berkman slugged just .413 in 481 plate appearances this year, about on par with Miguel Cairo and Ty Wigginton. Berkman did not finish strong, slugging .349 in 123 Yankees plate appearances.
- Berkman turns 35 in February. He had 41 DL days this year due to knee surgery and an ankle sprain. On the flip side, if he acts mostly as a DH in 2011 and stays healthy, some power could return.
- He's a switch-hitter, but left-handed pitching has been a problem the last few years.
The Verdict
Berkman could make a quality platoon bat, but he's probably not ready to take that role. If he's flexible on first base versus designated hitter, he can probably find 500 plate appearances in 2011 for around $5MM. The Orioles, Red Sox, Rays, Blue Jays, Rangers, Nationals, Cubs, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Giants, Tigers, Athletics, and Mariners could have openings. However, a few DH types figure to be left out in the cold this offseason so it makes sense to sign early.
Athletics Win Bidding On Hisashi Iwakuma
8:03pm: The A's bid about $17MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
10:25am: The Athletics won the bidding on Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma, MLB announced (via Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports on Twitter). Last night, Iwakuma's agent Don Nomura appeared to tweet the same. The A's now have 30 days to hammer out a contract with Iwakuma. Iwakuma's team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles, are expected to accept the bid, tweets NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman. He adds that the Athletics and Golden Eagles already have a working relationship. The Rangers and Mariners also submitted bids, according to Ken Rosenthal.
There's been speculation that Rakuten wanted roughly $18MM in a posting fee, but we really don't know what the A's bid. Iwakuma could be a fairly risky signing with a contract on top. Rosenthal suggested Saturday that the A's may be trying to create a pitching surplus, which for me conjures memories of their unexpected Esteban Loaiza signing five years ago.
Iwakuma, 30 in April, posted a 2.82 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, and 0.49 HR/9 in 201 innings this year. In August, Newman rated him as "the second best MLB pitching prospect currently active in NPB" in a FanGraphs article. He described Iwakuma as "a fairly standard fastball/slider/forkball righty." ESPN's Keith Law ranked Iwakuma as seventh-best free agent starter available, pegging him as a solid No. 4.
Trade Market For Relievers
The free agent market is packed with useful relievers, especially from the right side. Today let's survey relievers who may be available in trade this offseason.
Closers
Heath Bell, Jonathan Papelbon, David Aardsma, and Leo Nunez could be made available if their teams seek cheaper replacements. All four could earn $4MM+ as arbitration eligible players; Papelbon will jump past $10MM.
Joakim Soria can be retained affordably by the Royals through 2014, and he's only earning $4MM in 2011. In the unlikely event the Royals trade him, it'll be because they were bowled over by an offer of multiple young players. He can block trades to the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Phillies, Cardinals, or Cubs.
Bad Contracts
Francisco Cordero ($13MM through '11), Francisco Rodriguez ($15MM through '11 or $29MM through '12), and Scott Linebrink ($5.5MM through '11) are overpaid and likely immovable right-handed relievers.
Setup Arms
Brandon League and Joba Chamberlain are a couple of arbitration eligible late-inning guys who could be available. League seems less likely to be dealt than Aardsma, and the Mariners probably wouldn't move both. Chamberlain could be acquired by a team looking to use him as a starter.
Non-Tender Candidates
Plenty of relievers are non-tender candidates, meaning they could be trade bait prior to the December 2nd deadline. Gustavo Chacin, Tim Byrdak, Brian Tallet, Jeremy Accardo, Todd Coffey, D.J. Carrasco, Blaine Boyer, George Sherrill, Chris Ray, Joe Smith, Sean White, Jim Johnson, Matt Albers, Dustin Nippert, Lance Cormier, Hideki Okajima, Jared Burton, Manny Delcarmen, Zach Miner, Pat Neshek, Tony Pena, Bobby Jenks, Dustin Moseley, and Sergio Mitre comprise this huge group.
Summary
The list of relief trade candidates is lengthy, but closer types such as Aardsma and Nunez are the most likely to go. A few more trade candidates could surface if certain free agent relievers accept arbitration offers. Teams are unlikely to overpay in trade with so many interesting free agents out there.
Mets Hire Paul DePodesta
The Mets hired Paul DePodesta as their new vice president of player development and amateur scouting, tweets SNY's Brad Como. DePodesta had been working for the Padres since '06. Before that he was the GM of the Dodgers and assistant GM of the Athletics. DePodesta worked under new Mets GM Sandy Alderson in San Diego and under his protege Billy Beane in Oakland. With J.P. Ricciardi already on board, the new Mets front office has a Moneyball feel to it.
Washburn Undecided About 2011
Veteran lefty Jarrod Washburn sat out the 2010 season, but he told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports he's undecided on 2011. Noting that he's been contacted by a couple of teams this week, Washburn explained, "I will not say I am 100 percent retired because a great opportunity might present itself."
Morosi adds that a great opportunity translates as close to Washburn's Wisconsin home. The Brewers or Twins might be his top choices, and both teams should be in the hunt for starting pitching. One point in Milwaukee's favor is their hiring of Ron Roenicke, who worked with Washburn during his Angels days.
Washburn, 36, is a candidate to provide 175 innings of 4.50 ball in 2011. His asking price is an unknown; he's represented by Scott Boras.