2012 MLB Free Agents
MLBTR's up-to-date list of 2012 MLB free agents is below. These are players who are eligible for free agency after the 2011 season. The player's 2012 age is in parentheses. Players on the 2013 free agent list are not on this one. The cutoffs for this list are generally 20 innings pitched or 50 plate appearances in the Majors in 2011.
If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us. To see who represents these players, check out our agency database. For instant free agent updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter @mlbtraderumors.
List updated 6-22-12
Catchers
Josh Bard (34)
Ramon Castro (36)
First basemen
Jorge Cantu (30)
Ross Gload (36)
Derrek Lee (36) – Type B, offered arbitration
Second basemen
Alex Cora (36)
Bill Hall (32)
Felipe Lopez (32)
Julio Lugo (36)
Shortstops
none
Third basemen
Jorge Cantu (30)
Wes Helms (36)
Felipe Lopez (32)
Left fielders
Felix Pie (27)
Marcus Thames (35)
Center fielders
Marlon Byrd (34)
Aaron Rowand (34)
Right fielders
J.D. Drew (36)
Designated hitters
Manny Ramirez (40)
Starting pitchers
Kyle Davies (28)
Armando Galarraga (30)
Jon Garland (32)
Sergio Mitre (31)
Carlos Silva (33)
Jeff Suppan (37)
Javier Vazquez (35)
Brandon Webb (33)
Right-handed relievers
D.J. Carrasco (35)
Scott Linebrink (35)
Joel Zumaya (27)
Left-handed relievers
Joe Beimel (35)
Zach Braddock (24)
John Grabow (33)
Damaso Marte (37)
Trever Miller (39)
Dennys Reyes (35)
Arthur Rhodes (41) – Type B, no arbitration offer
Mitch Stetter (31)
Cot's Baseball Contracts was used in the creation of this list.
Nationals, Mike MacDougal Agree To Terms
The Nationals agreed to terms with reliever Mike MacDougal on a minor league deal, tweets NatsTown News. MacDougal had signed a minor league deal with the Marlins on February 18th, but was released yesterday. MLB.com's Bill Ladson says MacDougal's deal with the Nationals contains an out clause if he's not in the Majors on a certain date.
Outside of his save percentage MacDougal posted shaky numbers in 2009 – a 4.31 ERA, 5.6 K/9, and 6.3 BB/9. The Nationals chose to non-tender him after the season, but now he's back on a team-friendly arrangement. MacDougal's positive traits: a mid-90s heater and a 62% groundball rate.
Giants Shopping Frandsen, Lewis
WEDNESDAY, 3:09pm: Schulman tweets that the Giants are "not trying to dump Lewis, but hope to deal him for an experienced backup middle infielder who can play shortstop and second base." The D'Backs have one such available player in Augie Ojeda, but there's no indication they're looking to add an outfielder.
TUESDAY, 3:22pm: The Giants are shopping infielder Kevin Frandsen, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Frandsen has a minor league option remaining, but he's slipped on the Giants' depth chart.
Frandsen, 28 in May, hit .295/.352/.438 at Triple A last year while playing all four infield positions. Three years ago, Baseball America viewed Frandsen as a "solid No. 2 hitter" and potential starting second baseman. However, he was derailed by a ruptured Achilles tendon in March of '08. Earlier this month, Schulman wrote about Frandsen's frustrations and his new attitude adopted while playing winter ball.
San Francisco has been unable to drum up interest in Frandsen as well as outfielder Fred Lewis, tweets Schulman. The 29-year-old Lewis hit .258/.348/.390 with 4 HRs in 336 plate appearances last season. Recently CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban speculated that Lewis was likely to be released towards the end of camp as he is out of options.
D’Backs Still Looking To Trade Snyder, Ojeda
The Diamondbacks are still looking to trade catcher Chris Snyder and infielder Augie Ojeda, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
Piecoro says Snyder has looked healthy this spring, after having back surgery in September. The Blue Jays called off a Snyder-Lyle Overbay swap in November because of concerns about the catcher's back. Snyder is owed a hefty $11.25MM over the next two years. According to Piecoro, the Brewers have shown interest in Snyder. Milwaukee currently has Gregg Zaun and George Kottaras behind the dish. They're facing a pitching roster crunch, and the D'Backs could use another arm.
Ojeda, owed $825K this year and under team control through 2011, would obviously be easier to move. Piecoro says Ojeda became available once Tony Abreu demonstrated the ability to play shortstop. The Rangers probably aren't a fit anymore, having acquired Gregorio Petit today.
Athletics Acquire Edwar Ramirez For Gregorio Petit
The Athletics acquired reliever Edwar Ramirez from the Rangers for infielder Gregorio Petit, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Rangers confirmed the news in a press release, adding that recent waiver claim Hernan Iribarren cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple A.
The Rangers had acquired Ramirez from the Yankees on March 9th for cash considerations; the Yanks had designated him for assignment to make room for Chan Ho Park. Ramirez, 29 in a few days, whiffed 10.6 per nine in his 98.3 career big league innings with the Yankees. Walks and home runs were a problem, though not nearly as much in recent Triple A stints. Heading into the '08 season, Baseball America praised Ramirez's "top-of-the-scale changeup" but was unimpressed with the rest of his offerings.
Petit was designated for assignment by the A's on February 1st to make room for waiver claim Steve Tolleson, and the infielder cleared waivers. Petit, 25, hit .244/.292/.336 in Triple A last year while playing second base, shortstop, and third base. Before the '06 season, Baseball America described Petit as a "plus defender at shortstop."
Rafael DePaula May Sign Soon
17-year-old righty Rafael DePaula may sign soon, reports MLBTR contributor Blake Bentley on the scene in the Dominican Republic. Bentley sees a two-horse race between the Yankees and Mariners, with a bonus in the $1.5-2MM range possible.
DePaula threw a showcase yesterday, working in the 92-93 mph range. You can view Bentley's video of that here. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. reported in January that DePaula's birth date was verified as April 1, 1992 by Junta Central, "the Dominican's official registrar." Previously MLB had suspended DePaula for a year on the belief that he lied about his age.
Odds & Ends: Orioles, Harper, Hanley
Links for Wednesday…
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports presents a slideshow of ten trades he thinks would make sense.
- In another article, Morosi says Bryce Harper is "one terrible role model." Morosi contrasts Harper with Joe Mauer, who he says had an "uncontrived upbringing" but still became a well-paid star.
- The Mariners acquired minor league infielder Edgar Trejo from the Brewers for a player to be named later or cash considerations, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- Over at RotoAuthority, I took a look at 2009's top position players and pitchers in terms of fantasy baseball earnings, and what rounds those players were drafted in.
- The Orioles are replacing farm director David Stockstill, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Tony Pente of Orioles Hangout first hinted Monday of impending front office changes.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes that March 31st at 2pm is "the deadline to release players with non-guaranteed contracts and owe just 45-day’s pay." The Yankees' Chad Gaudin is one example, though a year ago with the Cubs Gaudin had a guaranteed contract.
- In light of the news that the Giants are shopping infielder Kevin Frandsen, Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner explains why the Mariners acquiring him "seems like the most obvious move ever."
- Marlins president David Samson told Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post he'd like Hanley Ramirez to retire a Marlin. Fortunately, Ramirez is already signed through 2014.
Offseason In Review: Arizona Diamondbacks
Next in our Offseason In Review series, the Diamondbacks.
Major League Signings
- Brandon Webb, SP: one year, $8.5MM. Club option exercised.
- Adam LaRoche, 1B: one year, $6MM. Includes $7.5MM mutual option for 2011 with a $1.5MM buyout.
- Kelly Johnson, 2B: one year, $2.35MM. Arbitration-eligible for 2011.
- Bob Howry, RP: one year, $2.25MM. Includes $3MM club option with a $250K buyout.
- Total spend: $19.1MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
Extensions
- Justin Upton, RF: six years, $51.25MM.
- Mark Reynolds, 3B: three years, $14.5MM. Includes $11MM club option for 2013 with a $500K buyout.
- Edwin Jackson, SP: two years, $13.35MM.
Trades and Claims
- Acquired RP Aaron Heilman from Cubs for 1B Ryne White and P Scott Maine
- Acquired SP Edwin Jackson from Tigers and SP Ian Kennedy from Yankees, giving up SP Max Scherzer and RP Daniel Schlereth
- Claimed Rule 5 P Zach Kroenke from Yankees
Notable Losses
- Chad Tracy, Eric Byrnes, Alex Romero, Josh Whitesell, Trent Oeltjen, Tony Clark, Doug Davis, Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, Scott Schoeneweis, Daniel Cabrera, Tom Gordon, Doug Slaten, Yusmeiro Petit, Bobby Korecky
Summary
This offseason Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes revamped his rotation and the right side of his infield, acquired a pair of veteran relievers, and added cost certainty with three extensions. Let's take a closer look.
You already know how I feel about the LaRoche and Johnson signings – they were two of my ten best free agent signings of the offseason. LaRoche is a clear upgrade over the players the D'Backs used at first base in '09, though Johnson's ceiling is the .298/.372/.448 second base line Arizona got from Felipe Lopez, Ryan Roberts, and Augie Ojeda. The team has good depth at second base, with Roberts and Ojeda still around and Tony Abreu in the mix.
Webb had August shoulder surgery and may miss all of April. Still, I feel that choosing the $8MM net price was the right move at the time and Webb will still provide 175 above-average innings. I'm not enthused by the Howry and Heilman additions; they may combine for a good number of devastating home runs allowed.
The D'Backs have a new-look rotation for 2010. Davis, Scherzer, Petit, and Jon Garland are gone after providing two-thirds of the team's starts in '09. The move from Scherzer to Jackson may actually be a more expensive downgrade. I like the Kennedy pickup, but maybe Byrnes would've been better-served trying to pull off a trade without the Scherzer-Jackson component. On the other hand, the D'Backs know Scherzer better than anyone.
Byrnes' arbitration buyout extensions have been a mixed bag so far, with Webb and Dan Haren on the positive side and Chad Tracy, Chris Young, and Chris Snyder on the negative. This winter, the Upton signing was a huge win, while the Reynolds extension didn't appear to bring significant cost savings.
The D'Backs did a solid job in free agency, and have crafted a lineup with few easy outs. Webb is the key to the season, as they'll open with Kennedy as the #3 starter.
Olney On Carmona, Trades, Heath Bell
A few notes from ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider required)…
- Is it hasty to consider the Indians sellers for 2010? Olney writes of rave reviews for Fausto Carmona, who he believes could transform the team's pennant hopes. An above-average offense, good years from Jake Westbrook and Justin Masterson…you never know.
- Olney hears there's "only a trickle of trade talk going on." One GM believes that's because there's not much money available and there are still a few decent free agents out there.
- Olney spoke to execs who believe the Padres will wait to trade Heath Bell, to drive up the price and give the team a shot at winning early. Something to consider about Bell: MLBTR reader Jeff Hainey recently reminded me that while Bell is under team control for two years, his 2011 salary could potentially approach $10MM. That second year of control wouldn't be terribly appealing to the Twins, who will be paying Joe Nathan $11.25MM.
Twins, Ron Mahay Agree To Terms
The Twins agreed to terms with lefty Ron Mahay on a minor league deal, according to a team press release. Mahay, 38, finished the '09 season with the Twins after being released by the Royals.
Aside from four homers allowed, Mahay did a nice job against lefties in 25.6 innings last year: 7.01 K/9, 1.75 BB/9. The Red Sox, Phillies, and Mets also expressed interest in the southpaw reliever this winter.