Nelson Cruz To Reject Qualifying Offer
Representatives for Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz have informed the club that he will not accept the qualifying offer, a source tells Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Cruz had until the 4pm CT deadline to make a decision, but it sounds like he won’t be taking things to the wire. The rejection of the QO was widely expected.
The outfielder batted .266/.327/.506 with 27 homers in just 456 plate appearances in 2013. Of course, Cruz missed 50 games thanks to his involvement in the Biogenesis PED scandal. While there are many teams in need of a big bat, Cruz’s market could be limited by his defensive shortcomings and age (33). Cruz comes in as the 17th best free agent on Tim Dierkes’ top 50 list.
With Cruz off the board, there are now a dozen players with qualifying offers remaining: Carlos Beltran, Robinson Cano, Shin-Soo Choo, Stephen Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Curtis Granderson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Hiroki Kuroda, Brian McCann, Kendrys Morales, Mike Napoli, and Ervin Santana.
NL East Rumors: Drew, Samardzija, Mets, Davis, Nats
This winter at the GM Meetings, the Mets are in the market for an elite shortstop for the first time since 2011 when Jose Reyes was a free agent, writes David Lennon of Newsday. Lennon believes that Stephen Drew will be out of the club's price range, leaving them to consider Jhonny Peralta or acquiring someone via trade. If they do spend on someone like the former Tigers shortstop, the Mets could theoretically shift Ruben Tejada over to second base, which would leave Daniel Murphy without a starting spot. Here's the NL East news out of Orlando, Florida, where our own Steve Adams is on the scene..
- While the Nationals have been linked to top pitchers David Price and Max Scherzer, Washington is expected to also discuss Cubs’ right-hander Jeff Samardzija, a person familiar with the Nationals’ thinking tells Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The Cubs hurler posted a 4.34 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 and his xFIP of 3.45 suggests he was stronger than his ERA shows.
- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (Twitter link) expects the Mets to assess Ike Davis' trade value while they're in Orlando, Florida. Last week, Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote that Davis is very likely to be dealt, with Lucas Duda getting an opportunity to play first.
- Martino also says (via Twitter) that there's no indication that there will be major Mets developments right away.
Quick Hits: Mets, McCann, Phillies, Rockies
Few front offices have more pressure to deliver this offseason than the Mets, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. After all, this has been the winter they have been targeting to catapult themselves into contention. Unfortunately, with Matt Harvey sidelined, spending $30-$40MM on new acquisitions might not get them there. Here's more out of the AL and NL East..
- The Yankees need an injection of youth on their roster, opines Barry Federovitch of the Star-Ledger. Brian McCann, who turns 30 in February, seems like an ideal candidate to man the catcher position with a swing that is seemingly built for Yankee Stadium, but signing him doesn't address the overall lack of youth the Bombers have in the infield.
- Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com looks at outfield bench bats that the Phillies might target this winter. Options include Rajai Davis and Chris Young. Young is more accomplished and sound defensively, but he bottomed out after being traded by Arizona.
- The Rockies can turn around their bullpen if they're willing to spend serious money this winter, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. That seems to be the gameplan in Colorado as they're chasing all kinds of power arms from Brian Wilson and Grant Balfour to Joe Smith and LaTroy Hawkins.
Central Notes: Pirates, Burnett, Cardinals, White Sox
Pirates GM Neal Huntington has had a lot of ups-and-downs over the course of his tenure in Pittsburgh, but his confidence never wavered, writes Karen Price of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “If (Bob Nutting) made a different decision a year ago, I would have walked out the door believing this organization was much better off than when we walked in the door, and believing that they were a few good decisions away from being a playoff-caliber team,” Huntington said. “(I'm) very grateful, very thankful, that we had the opportunity to see the 2013 season to its fruition. My hope is that all it has done is reinforce that commitment and that bond, because we've got a lot of talented people doing a lot of good things.” Here's more out of the AL and NL Central..
- A.J. Burnett may prove to be too pricey for the Pirates, but Tom Singer of MLB.com suggests a creative solution to help facilitate a reunion. The veteran pitcher wants to spend as much time with his family as possible, so Singer wonders if Burnett might be willing to take a page out of Roger Clemens' book and sign with the club in the summer. That would allow the Bucs to only pay him a prorated portion of the eight-figure deal the pitcher likely seeks.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (via Twitter) that he'd like to trade a young starting pitcher for a "young controllable shortstop." The Cards have been heavily rumored to be seeking a shortstop to give them an upgrade over Pete Kozma.
- Jim Margalus of South Side Sox wonders why Paul Konerko's future with the White Sox hasn't been resolved yet. The slugger struggled through injuries in 2013 and Margalus gets the sense that beat writers are more keen on seeing him return to Chicago than fans.
Cafardo On Trumbo, Ethier, Kemp, Arroyo, Red Sox
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe offers up a primer for this week's GM Meetings. Cafardo's first rule for the meetings is to never believe a GM when he says that a player will not be traded. New Marlins GM Dan Jennings has said that Giancarlo Stanton won't be moved, but everyone has a price. Cafardo also cautions not to buy into the notion that the Tigers won't find a way to enhance the team and also keep Max Scherzer after next season. Here's more from today's column..
- If the Red Sox don’t re-sign Mike Napoli, the 27-year-old Mark Trumbo will be on their list of players to pursue. Trumbo, who would come at half Napoli’s price, is under club control until after the 2016 season and boasts tremendous right-handed power. The Angels could use a third baseman and a pitcher and Cafardo wonders if Will Middlebrooks and Felix Doubront might suit them. The Pirates and Rays could also be fits for the Halos slugger.
- One or both of Andre Ethier or Matt Kemp could be dealt this offseason thanks to the Dodgers' surplus. The Mets, Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, and Blue Jays are among the clubs that could have interest.
- The Phillies are among the clubs that have shown interest in Bronson Arroyo, but no offer has been made just yet. The Giants and Twins have also been reported to have interest in the durable veteran, but none of the interested teams have put an offer on the table just yet.
- While the Blue Jays have other priorities, they’ll also dip into the outfield market if they feel Melky Cabrera can’t give them what they expected. Cabrera recently had a spinal tumor that was causing him leg pain removed.
- Despite having a glut of pitchers, the Red Sox are still high on Tim Hudson. To make room for the 38-year-old, the Red Sox could move Jake Peavy or Ryan Dempster if they have to. However, teams seem more interested in John Lackey since he'll earn the minimum salary in 2015. A clause in Lackey's contract called for him to get the minimum in '15 if he underwent Tommy.John surgery.
- The Red Sox probably won't offer more than a couple of years to retain Stephen Drew with his market rapidly expanding. The Yankees could be a fit with Derek Jeter being in the final year of his contract and likely to see more DH time.
- A few GMs are already lamenting the cost of free agent pitching with possible $80MM-$100MM price tags on the likes of Ervin Santana and Ricky Nolasco. That's why the Yankees' pursuit of Masahiro Tanaka, a potential No. 2 starter, makes more sense than paying big bucks for a No. 3 or 4 type.
- The Blue Jays picked up Adam Lind's option, but don't be surprised if Toronto tries to move him.
Red Sox Notes: Drew, Victorino, Pierzynski
The Red Sox might not be able to re-sign Jacoby Ellsbury and while they could move Shane Victorino over to center and find a new right fielder if he goes, John Tomase of the Boston Herald says that it's probably not in the cards. After the Flyin' Hawaiian captured a gold glove in right field, Boston is more likely to seek help in center than shift Victorino over. Her'e's more out of Boston..
- The Red Sox have shown some interest in free agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski, a source told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Brian McCann would obviously be a good fit for Boston, but the dollars and years could prove to be too much. If Jarrod Saltalamacchia doesn't re-sign, Carlos Ruiz figures to be in the mix, though he doesn't hit from the left side.
- More from Bradford, who hears from a source that a "bunch of teams" are moving quickly on shortstop Stephen Drew. Because of that, Drew is less and less likely to accept Boston's qualifying offer by the day.
- If Drew gets a big payday elsewhere, infield instructor Brian Butterfield says that the Red Sox can feel comfortable with Xander Bogaerts as their full-time shortstop, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
AL East Rumors: A-Rod, Yankees, Orioles
Free agent reliever Mark Hendrickson would like to return to the Orioles organization in 2014, but he doesn't know where he'll wind up this winter. "Obviously, I'd love to get his feedback from an organizational standpoint," Hendrickson told Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. "I'm very happy with the opportunity they gave me last year. I don't know what's going to happen moving forward. I've got to be open to everything. I obviously have a connection with the Orioles. I love the organization, love where it's been going. But to determine what will happen, it's hard to say sitting here in November – what their thoughts are, how everything unfolds, what's going on." Here's more out of the AL East..
- Attorneys for Major League Baseball accused Alex Rodriguez of “a brazen attempt to circumvent the ongoing arbitration process” in a motion filed Friday to dismiss the Yankees third baseman's lawsuit against MLB and commissioner Bud Selig, write Ken Davidoff and Rich Calder of the New York Post.
- The Yankees announced yesterday that they are bringing back their entire coaching staff. That means that key figures such as pitching coach Larry Rothschild, bench coach Tony Pena, and hitting coach Kevin Long will return for another year in pinstripes.
- The Yanks will face tough competition for players on their free agent wish list this year, Bill Madden of the New York Daily News reports. "[T]his isn’t going to be like 2008 when [GM Brian Cashman] was able to blow everyone out of the water" by committing $423 million to CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett, Madden writes. The Yankees are expected to battle with the Tigers, Rangers, Red Sox and Mets for players that include Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, Grant Balfour, Jhonny Peralta and Masahiro Tanaka.
- The Orioles are expected to hire Braves special assistant Dom Chiti as their bullpen coach, industry sources tell Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.
Aaron Steen contributed to this post.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: D’Backs, Blue Jays, Price
After coming out of retirement to pitch for his home town team, Roger Clemens became the oldest hurler to win the Cy Young Award on this date in 2004. Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..
- Inside The Zona looks at what the D’Backs can do with limited budget room this winter.
- Blue Jays Plus wonders if the Blue Jays and Tigers could be trade partners.
- Rays Colored Glasses gives us some darkhorse trade candidates for David Price.
- Replacement Level Red Sox doesn’t want Brian McCann in Boston.
- Pro Projections wonders if Matt Cain will bounce back.
- Baseball Stooges looks at possible shortstop solutions for the Cardinals.
- Blue Jays Musings says that Toronto needs to start their search for pitching stat.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
Cubs Hire Rick Renteria
THURSDAY, 12:00pm: The Cubs officially announced the hire.
WEDNESDAY, 8:50pm: Renteria's deal is a three-year contract that includes two option years, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
5:38pm: The Cubs are set to name Rick Renteria as their next manager, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). The press conference to introduce Renteria is expected to come tomorrow.
The former Padres bench coach has been one of the frontrunners for the Chicago job for several weeks and was said to have made a very strong impression on the Cubs' front office during his interviews. However, there were several other strong candidates in the mix, including A.J. Hinch, Brad Ausmus, and Torey Lovullo. Lovullo, of course, has ties to Cubs president Theo Epstein and is highly-regarded around baseball.
Renteria spent five years playing in the majors and has been coaching since the mid-90s. There's no question that the soon-to-be 52-year-old's ability speak English and Spanish fluently also helped his case. While Renteria has never managed at the major league level, he did manage Mexico's team in the World Baseball Classic earlier this year.
Peter Gammons reported earlier today that the Cubbies would name their next manager on Thursday with Renteria as the likely hire. Gammons tweets that Renteria was a shoo-in for the job as soon as Joe Girardi re-signed with the Yankees.
Central Notes: Bruce, Phillips, Arroyo, Johan
While Jay Bruce's agent, Matt Sosnick, said his client hasn't discussed an extension with the Reds, he didn't quash the idea either, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. "Obviously, Jay loves playing in Cincinnati. He's made it clear in the past that all things equal, he'd like to finish his career there and certainly would be open to anything," said Sosnick. While the Reds control Bruce through 2017 with three guaranteed years at $34.5MM and a team option for $13MM, the idea of a pre-emptive extension makes sense since the slugger will only be 30 upon hitting the open market. Here's more out of the Central divisions..
- Passan spoke to one exec who said that Brandon Phillips is as good as "gone" in Cincinnati. Yesterday we learned that the Yankees made a preliminary inquiry on the second baseman, but it's possible that they're simply looking for leverage in talks with Robinson Cano.
- The Twins have expressed interest in free agent pitchers Bronson Arroyo, Phil Hughes, and Jason Vargas, sources tell Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. While the Twins have yet to make a formal offer to Arroyo, the interest appears to be mutual between the club and the 36-year-old.
- The Twins have also called on Scott Kazmir and Johan Santana, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.
- Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (video link) spoke with Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer about dealing with trade speculation and the possibility of hammering out an extension.
- It might not have made a difference, but the Red Sox weren't showing any indication that they were ready to let Torey Lovullo go to the Cubs, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). The Cubs agreed not to poach personnel from the Red Sox after Theo Epstein left to take over their operations.