Rosenthal On Kershaw, Fernandez, Davis
Baseball is back, and that also means the return of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Let's dive in..
- Clayton Kershaw's people and the Dodgers are still talking with the season underway, but no one really knows what's going on behind closed doors. At the same time, no one should be surprised if Kershaw winds up being the first true $200MM pitcher. Inking him for a total of ten years would keep him locked up through his age 34 season and even though that length sounds crazy, Felix Hernandez is signed through age 33 and Justin Verlander through age 36. Rosenthal's guess is an eight-year, $200MM extension on top of the two years of control that he has left.
- It was a surprise to some that the Marlins opted to start Jose Fernandez's service clock so early, but it turns out that they had little choice thanks to an unimpressive spring from Jacob Turnerand injuries elsewhere in the rotation. Miami did their homework on other pitchers that started their careers at a young age, including Dwight Gooden, and ultimately decided that it was the right call.
- Many are asking why the Rangers ever parted with Chris Davis, but its a deal that made sense at the time in 2011. Mitch Moreland had the first base job and Davis had no place in the lineup, meaning that he needed a change of scenery. Texas GM Jon Daniels acknowledged that Davis could develop into an impact offensive player at the time, and that's exactly what happened.
Quick Hits: Farrell, Red Sox, Marcum, Valverde
Red Sox manager John Farrell returned to Toronto tonight and was met with a whole lot of boos when he stepped out on to the field. Blue Jays star Jose Bautista says that he isn't looking to dwell on the past, however, and offered up his take on the manager prior to tonight's game. "We'd rather have [Farrell] there than have him here and wishing he was there. We have a manager who wants to be here," said the slugger, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Here's more from around baseball..
- The play of Red Sox prospect Jackie Bradley Jr. made the decision to keep him on the big league roster a no-brainer, writes MLB.com's Jason Mastrodonato. Starting Bradley's service time clock early will have financial ramifications down the road, but Boston believes that what he brings to the table makes it worthwhile to put him on the varsity squad.
- Shaun Marcum was the Mets' first major league signing of the offseason, but they're still waiting for him to make his debut, writes Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. Marcum, who recently spoke to MLBTR about his relationship with agents Rex Gary and Jimmy Turner, inked a one-year, $4MM deal with the Mets this winter.
- Tigers skipper Jim Leyland says that bringing Jose Valverde back to the organization was an easy call, writes George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press. Valverde, 35, posted a 3.78 ERA, 6.3 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, and 0.39 HR/9 in 69 innings last year.
A’s Acquire Vogt, Designate Otero For Assignment
The A's announced that they have acquired catcher Stephen Vogt from the Rays for a player to be named later or cash considerations. To make room for Vogt on the roster, Oakland designated right-hander Dan Otero for assignment.
Vogt, 28, saw time in 18 games for the Rays last season but spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A Durham where he hit .272/.350/.424 in 94 games. The catcher was the Rays' 12th round pick in the 2007 draft and has spent his entire career in the Tampa Bay organization until now.
Otero, also 28, will be changing teams for the third time this winter after going from the Giants to the Yankees to the A's in a pair of waiver moves. The right-hander made 12 relief appearances last season and pitched in 48 games in Triple-A where he posted a 2.90 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Smith, Royals, Wells, Gyorko
On this date three years ago, President Barack Obama stepped on to the mound at Nationals Stadium wearing a White Sox cap and a Nats jacket and threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Washington's home opener against Philadelphia. Obama's throw was pretty off the mark, but third baseman Ryan Zimmerman jumped up and made the catch. Here's this week's look around the blogosphere..
- Did The Tribe Win Last Night talked to Joe Smith about his early struggles.
- Kings of Kauffman says K/BB will be important to the Royals this season.
- Kingdome Of Seattle Sports says the M's made the wrong call when they let Casper Wells go.
- Friarhood isn't thrilled with the Padres' decision on Jedd Gyorko.
- Pinstripe Pundits wonders if the Bombers should let Cano walk.
- MLB Reports examined what Buster Posey's deal means for the Giants.
- LA Weekly says that Clayton Kershaw and Sandy Koufax comparisons are on the table.
- I R Fast wonders if Hyun-Jin Ryu's Pitch F/X data should change opinions on him.
- Rising Apple moves on from Johan Santana.
- Yahoo Sports wonders when Zack Wheeler will make his mark.
- Baseball Professor breaks down some impressive spring performances.
- The Inverted M says the Cubs have their work cut out for them to start the year.
- Through The Fence Baseball is high on Matt Harvey.
- The Giants Cove says extensions are now the name of the game.
- i70 Baseball asks if the Royals are for real this year.
- House Of The Bluebird previewed the Blue Jays.
- Baseball Professor awaits the return of Brandon Morrow.
- Baseball Hot Corner previews what should be a heated race in the NL West.
- Wahoo's On First has ten reasons to be skeptical about the 2013 Tribe.
- Lasorda's Lair talks about the Dodgers' outfield production in 2013.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
Nationals Sign Chris Young
6:58pm: Young will receive a $2MM prorated base salary if he joins the big league club, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter). The deal also includes up to $4.7MM in incentives, according to Kilgore.
12:18pm: The Nationals announced that they have agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Chris Young on a minor league contract. Young is a client of Williams & Connolly according to the MLBTR Agency Database.
Young, 34 in May, spent the spring with the Nationals and will soon report to Triple-A Syracuse. The right-hander made 20 starts for the Mets last season and posted a 4.15 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. The Mets offered Young a minor league deal before he first signed with the Nats but weren't interested this time around, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
Young does not have an out clause in his contract, GM Mike Rizzo told reporters including Amanda Comak of the Washington Times, but if a team came to him with a Major League deal, the Nationals would consider it.
Offseason In Review: San Diego Padres
The Padres are banking on their younger players taking a leap forward in 2013 to help propel them into the playoff chase.
Major League Signings
- Jason Marquis, SP: one year, $3MM.
- Total Spend: $3MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
Trades and Claims
- Acquired P Chris Rearick from Rays for IF Vince Belnome.
- Acquired P Wilfredo Boscan from Rangers for P Cory Burns.
- Acquired P Tyson Ross and IF A.J. Kirby-Jones from Athletics for IF Andy Parrino and P Andrew Werner.
- Acquired P Brandon Kloess from White Sox for OF Blake Tekotte.
- Claimed P Fautino de los Santos off waivers from Brewers.
Notable Losses
- Andy Parrino, Vince Belnome, Cory Burns, Josh Spence, Andrew Werner, Nate Freiman.
Needs Addressed
The Padres' biggest need was pitching, but they didn't make any major shakeups in that department during the offseason. In fact, they inked just one Major League free agent all winter and it was one of their own – Jason Marquis. The veteran was signed to a one-year, $3MM deal in early December after turning in a 4.04 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 across 15 starts for San Diego. While those are decent numbers, we can't totally forget about his dismal 8.47 ERA with 3.2 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in seven starts for the Twins that led to his May release. General Manager Josh Byrnes hopes that he got to see the real version of Marquis in 2012 and that the right-hander's history of success in the National League continues in 2013.
The club's other addition to the starting five was Tyson Ross, who came over from the A's in a November trade. The right-hander has shown promise but he'll have to put his control issues behind him to stick in a major league rotation. Ross made 13 starts and five relief appearances for Oakland last season, posting a 6.50 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9. He didn't get to finish the season in the A's rotation, but after a strong spring he'll be slotted in as the No. 5 starter for the Padres.
Questions Remaining
There are a good deal of question marks surrounding the Padres after the club essentially opted to stand pat after a 76-86 campaign. The Padres don't necessarily have to reassemble the 1998 Braves rotation to keep the runs down in the spacious confines of Petco Park, but the Padres didn't make significant upgrades to a staff that didn't perform in 2012. Clayton Richard turned in a 3.99 ERA but his strikeout numbers are trending downward and he had a career low of 4.4 K/9 last season. Richard did manage to keep the walks down (career best 1.7 BB/9) but the same can't be said for Edinson Volquez, who had 5.2 BB/9. The No. 3 starter in the rotation is Eric Stults, who did well in 14 starts for the Friars last year, but the 33-year-old has never turned in more than 99 innings of big league work in a season.
The Padres' offense was actually solid when they got away from their pitcher-friendly home park, but they're behind the 8-ball to start the year with several players out of action. Yasmani Grandal, who hit .297/.394/.469 in his 60 game debut season, will be out for 50 games after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. As much as they'll miss Grandal in the lineup, they'll miss Chase Headley even more as he recovers from a broken thumb over the next 4-6 weeks. His understudy, Logan Forsythe, is still dealing with a foot injury, forcing rookie Jedd Gyorko over to third with Alexi Amarista filling in at second. Plus, Carlos Quentin generally misses some time due to injury. The Padres are definitely a banged up team, but the fences at Petco have been moved in and that should help power numbers across the board. 
Headley is the Padres' premier bat, but will he finish the season in San Diego? The third baseman has long been coveted by rival teams and if things aren't clicking as the deadline approaches, it stands to reason that Byrnes will give serious thought to the phone calls that he receives, despite his offseason assertions. The 28-year-old will earn $8.575MM in 2013 and will remain under team control through next season, but it doesn't appear that the Padres have made serious headway with their star player on a contract extension.
Deal of Note
It's hard to say that the Padres had a deal of note this offseason with the Ross acquisition rating as their biggest move. While San Diego flirted with doing something significant at times over the last few months, nothing wound up surfacing. The Padres wanted to lock up Headley for the long-term, but that remains unfinished and doesn't appear to be imminent. They explored adding another starter at a time when Kyle Lohse was still on the market, but they didn't follow through on that either. Byrnes reportedly had interest in plucking Justin Upton from the Diamondbacks, but he was hardly alone there. The Padres' inactivity either speaks to the confidence that they have in their young club or their financial constraints. Or maybe it's a little from column A and a little from column B.
Overview
The Padres have been bitten hard by the injury bug to open the 2013 season and they could find themselves in a bit of a hole on the other side of April. They'll have to vie with the Dodgers and Giants for traction in the NL West and it's tough to see them making the postseason unless everything goes right. That means their offense getting/staying healthy, repeat pitching performances from the likes of Marquis and Stults, more power from Yonder Alonso at first, and a better all-around defensive effort. None of those things are out of the question, but right now, it appears that the odds are against them.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Quick Hits: Taveras, Profar, Posey, Zimmerman
In an interview with MLB Network Radio's Casey Stern and Jim Bowden (audio link), Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said that he would have to consider a hypothetical swap of Oscar Taveras and the Rangers' Jurickson Profar. Mozeliak went on to say that while the club is well set in the outfield for years to come, they're not quite as strong in the middle infield. Here's more from around baseball..
- Since word of the Elvis Andrus extension leaked, the Rangers have received at least a couple of trade inquiries on Profar, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. However, Rangers people say they are as high on Profar as ever and have no intention or need to trade him.
- Even though it's costly to secure insurance for baseball contracts, the Giants are looking into a policy for Buster Posey's lucrative deal, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. An insurer might demand an exclusion for any injury related to the left ankle that he damaged in the 2011 collision with the Marlins' Scott Cousins.
- Nationals third baseman and Brodie Van Wagenen client Ryan Zimmerman is intrigued by Jay-Z's partnership with CAA, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com. “When you get a guy like [Jay-Z], who wants to get involved in baseball — he is obviously one of the icons of our generation for his music,” Zimmerman said. “I think he has become a very savvy and smart businessman. It will be interesting to see what happens and where it goes and how it goes."
Latest On Robinson Cano
Robinson Cano's decision to fire Scott Boras yesterday in favor of Jay-Z's newest venture — Roc Nation Sports — caused quite the stir in the media. Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that Boras was "blindsided" by Cano's decision. Here's more on the situation…
- Rosenthal corrects his earlier statement that Boras will receive commission on Cano's $15MM salary in 2013 by noting that Cano's former agent Bobby Barad will receive that commission (Twitterlinks).
- Jay-Z is still waiting to be formally certified as an agent, writes Rosenthal. The rapper is one of three representatives from his company, Roc Nation, to receive temporary limited certification. Meanwhile, Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA is the only person currently certified to represent Cano.
- Boras was caught off-guard by Cano's decision to change representation, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. “Robinson is a fine guy. Obviously between the 20th of March and the start of the season, he received a lot of information. Obviously a lot of promises. A lot of things came his way. I don’t know specifically what they are. But this happened very, very quickly," said the agent.
- While this is indisputably a big blow for Boras, he can argue that it's a different situation because of Jay-Z and he wasn't dumped for another baseball agent, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Dodgers Release Kevin Gregg
The Dodgers have released reliever Kevin Gregg, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com (on Twitter). The right-hander hooked on with the Dodgers on a minor league deal back in February.
There was no room for Gregg on the big league team as the Dodgers' starter surplus leaves no vacancies in the bullpen. The 34-year-old appeared in 40 games before being released last September, with a 4.74 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 4.9 BB/9, and a 47.8 % ground ball rate in 43 2/3 innings.
Cox, Hernandez, Maine Clear Waivers
WEDNESDAY: Cox, Hernandez and Maine have all cleared waivers, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Reed, on the other hand, was claimed by the Tigers and optioned to Triple-A Toledo earlier today.
SUNDAY: The Marlins have designated Zack Cox, Gorkys Hernandez, Scott Maine, and Evan Reed for assignment, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun-Sentinel (on Twitter). In a related move, Jose Fernandez will make the club's Opening Day roster and start next Sunday vs. the Mets, tweets Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post.
Fernandez, 20, will make the leap directly from High-A ball to the majors to start the 2013 season. While clubs often delay the debuts of their most promising prospects, the Marlins will put Fernandez on the major league roster despite not being in a position to contend. In 25 Single-A and Advanced-A games last year, the right-hander posted a 1.75 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9.
We heard last week that the Marlins were exploring a trade for the out-of-options Hernandez, but it appears that they were unable to find a deal. The 25-year-old didn't do much in his 173-plate appearance big league debut with the Pirates and Marlins last season. In Triple-A, he hit .257/.353/.346 in 281 Triple-A plate appearances, playing mostly left field.
The Marlins acquired Cox last July from the Cardinals in exchange for Edward Mujica. In 108 games for the Cards' Triple-A affiliate and the Marlins' Double-A affiliate, the 25-year-old hit .254 /.301/.409 with ten homers.
Maine, 28, made 30 relief appearances for the Indians and Cubs in 2012, posting a 6.08 ERA with 10.8 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9. Reed, 27, split time between the Marlins' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates last season, posting a 4.68 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.