Odds & Ends: Mauer, Strasburg, Towers, Washburn
Thursday linkage…
- Just a reminder that MLBTR has a mobile site: http://www.mlbtraderumors.mobi.
- Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune wonders if the Twins will be forced to trade Joe Mauer if they're unable to sign him to an extension. Meanwhile, MLB.com's Kelly Thesier says any talk about a trade involving the reigning AL MVP is premature..
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson interviewed Stephen Strasburg, and they discussed everything from how he's getting used to pitching every five days to how he deals with all attention.
- Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse says Kevin Towers will be announced as a member of the Yankees' front office on Tuesday.
- Free agent Jarrod Washburn told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports "the odds are probably not great" of him returning to Seattle this year. Morosi's article explores the Mariners' question marks this year. Click here for MLBTR's Offseason In Review of the club.
- The Yankees have spent the most time scouting Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechevarria, says George King of the New York Post. The recently-unblocked 19-year-old is drawing interest from the Angels, Blue Jays, and Cubs.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer thinks the Indians should keep closer Kerry Wood, and explore their long shot at contending in the AL Central.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark talked to impending free agents Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth about working alongside their possible future replacements, Desmond Jennings and Domonic Brown.
- Marlins pitcher Hayden Penn has a relaxed attitude this time toward being out of options and on the roster bubble, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Check out MLBTR's full list of out of options players here.
Offseason In Review: Washington Nationals
Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Nationals.
Major League Signings
- Jason Marquis, SP: two years, $15MM.
- Ivan Rodriguez, C: two years, $6MM.
- Matt Capps, RP: one year, $3.5MM. Arbitration-eligible after season.
- Chien-Ming Wang, SP: one year, $2MM. Arbitration-eligible after season.
- Adam Kennedy, 2B: one year, $1.75MM. Includes $2MM club option for 2011 with a $500K buyout.
- Scott Olsen, SP: one year, $1MM. Arbitration-eligible after season.
- Tyler Walker, RP: one year, $650K. Arbitration-eligible after season.
- Total spend: $29.9MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
- Miguel Batista, Logan Kensing, Joel Peralta, Ryan Speier, Ron Villone, Jamie Burke, Eric Bruntlett, Josh Whitesell, Pete Orr, Chris Duncan, Jerry Owens, Willy Taveras, Kevin Mench, Livan Hernandez
Trades and Claims
- Claimed RP Doug Slaten off waivers from Diamondbacks
- Acquired RP Brian Bruney from Yankees for Rule 5 pick OF Jamie Hoffmann
Notable Losses
- Mike MacDougal, Josh Bard, Austin Kearns, Alex Cintron, Jorge Padilla, Saul Rivera, Julian Tavarez, Jorge Sosa, Zech Zinicola, Marco Estrada
Summary
I have similar feelings toward the Nationals' offseason as I did with the Orioles. I understand $20-30MM spent on short-term free agent acquisitions won't set the franchises back in the rebuilding process much. But if the goal is mainly veteran respectability, couldn't it have been done at half the price?
In particular I am not a fan of the $21MM the Nationals committed to Marquis and Pudge over the next two years. They're mediocre players who don't figure to bring much back in trades or draft picks. The Nats could've gotten similar mentoring from, say, Doug Davis and Yorvit Torrealba for one year and $6.5MM total. Or even John Lannan and Jamie Burke.
On the other hand, the signings of Capps, Wang, and Kennedy are sensible. The guarantees were minimal, and these players are more likely to have trade value. Plus, the arbitration-eligibility of Capps and Wang for 2011 essentially serves as a club option. One complaint with the signing of Walker: it led to the loss of Estrada. Estrada may never pan out in the bigs, but why swap your #18 prospect for a year or two of Walker?
If we eliminated the top two from the Major League Signings ledger, I'd say GM Mike Rizzo had a solid offseason. However, I'm not sure what the plan is here: the Nationals have Keith Law's #23-ranked farm system and should probably launch a full-blown rebuild, but they're adding relatively pricey free agents.
Brian Giles Retires
Outfielder Brian Giles announced his retirement today, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. The Dodgers had signed Giles to a minor league deal on February 7th, and soon after he told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick it wouldn't take long to decide whether his knee could hold up physically.
Though he's not a household name, Giles finishes with an excellent .291/.400/.502 line in 7,835 career plate appearances for the Indians, Pirates, and Padres. Giles' career OBP currently ranks 59th all-time. Giles made two All-Star appearances and received MVP votes in five seasons. He was involved in a blockbuster trade in August of '03, joining the Padres for Jason Bay, Oliver Perez, and Cory Stewart. According to Baseball Reference, Giles earned about $81MM in his career.
Rays Sign Leslie Anderson
The Rays signed Cuban first baseman/outfielder Leslie Anderson to a four-year, $3.75MM deal, tweets Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. wrote in February that Anderson auditioned for nine clubs, and quoted two scouts who came away unimpressed. Morgan Campbell of the Toronto Star said half the teams in baseball attended, and called Anderson "a chiselled Adonis of a baseball prospect." One scouting report on the 27-year-old can be found at the blog Cuban Ball Players.
Anderson defected in September, and in January his agent Jaime Torres compared him to Alexei Ramirez.
Ramon Vazquez Could Be Traded Or Released
Infielder Ramon Vazquez is fighting to make the Pirates, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Vazquez said he's been told he's not on the team right now, despite being guaranteed $2MM in 2010. GM Neal Huntington admitted he has to consider a trade of some sort, having six players for four bench spots.
A release is the least-desirable approach for the Pirates, since they'd still owe Vazquez's $2MM salary (less $400K if he joins another big league club). A trade makes more sense, with Kovacevic naming the Rangers and Orioles as possible matches. Vazquez, 33, hit .230/.335/.279 in 239 plate appearances last year while playing second base, shortstop, and third base. His poor performance may have been related to a knee injury.
Huntington's plan when signing Vazquez in December of '08 may have been to find a credible back-up middle infielder in case the team traded Freddy Sanchez and/or Jack Wilson. But you have to question his $4MM commitment to Vazquez, a journeyman platoon player who still didn't hit lefties in his career year '08 season.
Nationals Release Shawn Estes, Eddie Guardado
The Nationals released pitchers Shawn Estes and Eddie Guardado, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
The Nats had signed Estes, 37, to a $600K minor league deal on February 6th. Estes tossed one spring inning for the Nats. In June, Estes said he'd retired from Triple A but not from baseball. He posted a 3.07 ERA, 4.9 K/9, and 3.3 BB/9 in 73.3 minor league innings for the Dodgers' affiliate.
The Nationals added Guardado in late December. The 39-year-old had considered retirement, but decided his knee could handle the rigors of another season. Guardado had this to say to Ladson after he signed: "The Nationals came at me like they really wanted me." Instead, Everyday Eddie was given only two innings to prove his worth (during which he allowed seven hits). Last year for the Rangers he posted a 4.46 ERA, 4.7 K/9, and 3.5 BB/9 in 38.3 innings. Guardado rejoins a list of free agent lefty relievers that includes Joe Beimel, Alan Embree, Ron Mahay, Glendon Rusch, and Jamie Walker.
New Site Design!
MLB Trade Rumors has a fresh new look! As you can see, we've revamped the logo, sidebar, and background on the main site and changed the Twitter page to match. I hope you find it as appealing as I do. This redesign is just one of many improvements we have planned for 2010. Already we've improved the commenting section and added team-specific Twitter and RSS feeds.
If you have any problems loading the site, please contact us or let us know in the comments of this post. Be sure to take a screen shot, note whether you're using a PC or Mac, and tell us what browser you're using. Thanks for reading MLBTR!
Heyman On Twins, Torre, Beckett
Let's dig into the latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- The scenario of the Twins signing a free agent starter like Jarrod Washburn and moving Francisco Liriano into the closer role is "said to be floating around Ft. Myers," possibly depending on whether Joe Nathan's contract is insured. I'd be surprised by that approach, though; I think Liriano is primed for a big year as a starter.
- After talking to Dodgers manager Joe Torre, Heyman isn't sure he'll stop managing after the 2011 season.
- Heyman writes that there has been "at least some progress" between the Red Sox and Josh Beckett on an extension.
Offseason In Review: Philadelphia Phillies
Next in our Offseason In Review series, the Phillies.
Major League Signings
- Placido Polanco, 3B: three years, $18MM.
- Danys Baez, RP: two years, $5.25MM.
- Brian Schneider, C: two years, $2.75MM.
- Ross Gload, 1B: two years, $2.6MM.
- Jose Contreras, P: one year, $1.5MM.
- Juan Castro, IF: one year, $750K. Includes $750K club option for 2011 with a $50K buyout.
- Total spend: $30.85MM.
- Note: Exercised Jimmy Rollins' $8.5MM option for 2011
Notable Minor League Signings
- Dewayne Wise, Brad Wilkerson, Ehren Wassermann, Dane Sardinha, Andy Tracy, Cody Ransom, Wilson Valdez, Chris Duffy
Extensions
- Roy Halladay, SP: three years, $60MM. Includes $20MM vesting option for 2014.
- Joe Blanton, SP: three years, $24MM.
- Shane Victorino, CF: three years, $22MM.
- Carlos Ruiz, C: three years, $8.85MM. Includes $5MM club option for 2013 with a $500K buyout.
Trades and Claims
- Claimed Rule 5 pick P David Herndon from Angels
- Acquired SP Roy Halladay and $6MM from Blue Jays for SP Kyle Drabek, OF Michael Taylor, and C Travis d'Arnaud
- Acquired P Phillippe Aumont, P J.C. Ramirez, and OF Tyson Gillies from Mariners for SP Cliff Lee
- Claimed SS Brian Bocock off waivers from Blue Jays
Notable Losses
- Cliff Lee, Chan Ho Park, Pedro Feliz, Brett Myers, Pedro Martinez, Clay Condrey, Tyler Walker, Scott Eyre, Rodrigo Lopez, Jack Taschner, Carlos Monasterios, Paul Bako, Eric Bruntlett, Matt Stairs, Miguel Cairo
Summary
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. had a baffling offseason. He pulled off a huge deal for one of the game's best pitchers and signed him to a below-market extension, only to turn around and trade another ace to replenish the farm system. Amaro gave out three other reasonable extensions to his own players, but overpaid for the majority of his free agent signings.
The Polanco signing is a candidate for the worst of the offseason. The Tigers were unwilling to offer arbitration to their Type A free agent second baseman, presumably because they felt the risk of a one-year deal in the $6-7MM range outweighed the prospect of two draft picks. The three-year, $18MM commitment the Phillies gave Polanco in early December was the polar opposite of the one year, $1MM deal the Cardinals gave Felipe Lopez two months later.
Amaro is aggressive in pursuing free agents he likes. The approach made sense with his three-year, $24MM offer to Adrian Beltre, but there was no indication Polanco drew similar strong interest from other clubs. Amaro also handed out two-year pacts to three marginal players who deserved one-year deals in Baez, Schneider, and Gload.
The Halladay trade was a huge win for the Phillies, especially when Doc signed for far less than his market value. They gave up a couple of Top 100 prospects, but that's what win-now teams should do. They also received $6MM, enough to go over slot on a big name or two in the June draft and help make up for the farm system hit.
On the same day as the Halladay deal, Amaro took off his "win-now" hat and decided to think about 2011 and beyond. Lee was shipped to Seattle, costing the Phillies several wins in 2010 no matter how the prospects pan out. Lee is hardly expensive at $9MM, and there is no indication Amaro shopped him around to get the best deal.
The extensions to Blanton, Victorino, and Ruiz seem reasonable enough; Amaro netted cost savings and certainty over the next three years. Extensions have become the Phillies Way in recent years, with few missteps.
Despite my complaints about their offseason, the Phillies are 2010 contenders. They've got two aces even without Lee and an offense that should be among the NL's best.
Rangers Links: Daniels, Harden, Trades
We've got all kinds of Rangers links to dish out…
- ESPN's Richard Durrett has a fantastic article focusing on Rangers GM Jon Daniels. The piece chronicles Daniels' rise, his early mistakes (especially the Josh Beckett non-trade), and the May '07 decision to stockpile young talent.
- Daniels admitted to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez that the Rangers don't have a lot of catching depth right now, with Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Toby Hall battling ailing shoulders.
- ESPN's Keith Law says his "early look [at Rich Harden] was very discouraging." The Rangers guaranteed $7.5MM to Harden in the December signing.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News wonders if the Rangers and Twins can match up on a trade, with Texas sending bullpen arms to Minnesota for an infielder and/or catcher.
- Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram polled "several baseball people" on whether Chris Davis or Justin Smoak will be the team's starting first baseman in 2012. Surprisingly, Mitch Moreland's name came up multiple times. The Galloway blurb led Jamey Newberg to ponder whether Davis or Smoak could be traded this summer.
- The Rangers' sale to Chuck Greenberg is on track to be finalized on April 1st, tweets Sanchez.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan sees out of options Rangers pitcher Luis Mendoza as a trade candidate if he doesn't make the team.
- For even more on the Rangers, check out our Offseason In Review from March 4th.