AL East Notes: Dickerson, Hardy, Orioles, Red Sox
Here's today's look at the American League East..
- Trade talks involving Chris Dickerson never came to life after the outfielder was designated for assignment, reports Chad Jennings of The Journal News. Teams expected him to be released and available as a free agent, and sure enough the Yankees released him on Saturday.
- When asked if the Orioles would have to be overwhelmed to trade shortstop J.J. Hardy, manager Buck Showalter responded "What word is above "overwhelmed?", tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The Tigers reportedly wanted Hardy in a three-way deal in order to ship Rick Porcello to the Cubs.
- The Yankees are still interested in acquiring a right-handed bat but one baseball official says that the club remains in a holding pattern, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post. The Bombers are interested in Scott Hairston but the outfielder is holding out for a two-year deal while the Nats aren't in a rush to trade Michael Morse.
- A source tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that the Red Sox have shown interest in free agents Casey Kotchman and Lyle Overbay, but there's "nothing active" right now on either front. We learned yesterday that Boston has explored signing Kotchman as well as Nick Johnson.
- Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald looks at what it might take for the Red Sox to pry Mike Morse away from the Nationals.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Reds Notes: Rolen, Choo, Bruce
As Ben Nicholson-Smith wrote this week, Reds GM Walt Jocketty knows the value of adapting on the go. Jocketty had some curveballs thrown his way this winter but was able to adjust and put together a solid lineup in Cincinnati. “You have to have a plan, an initial plan, and you have to adapt,” said Jocketty. “We had several things planned last winter but you’ll have more than one plan — put it that way. You just have a basic plan and you work your way through it.” Here's a few more notes on the Reds, courtesy of John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer..
- Scott Rolen hasn't told the club whether he wants to play or retire, but manager Dusty Baker sounds prepared to move on without the veteran. “It’s getting late,” Baker said. “Life goes on and business goes on. Since we signed [Jack] Hannahan, it’s getting crowded. Plus, (Todd) Frazier deserves a chance to play," said the skipper.
- The Reds announced that Shin-Soo Choo would be slotted in center field as soon as they traded for him, but Jay Bruce offered to fill the position if necessary. Bruce phoned Baker and volunteered to come in lighter in case Choo is better fit in right than center. The plan remains to use the former Indians slugger in center, however.
- Other than figuring out who goes where in the outfield, the Reds don’t have a lot of questions on their roster. Baker seems comfortable with the team as is, saying that the team is "as set" as it's been in his tenure there.
Adam LaRoche Sought No-Trade Clause
Free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche made it clear this winter that he wanted stay in Washington and he hopes that he'll be a part of the Nationals for years to come. That desire manifested itself in a request for a three-year deal while the Nats insisted on a two-year pact instead. Beyond that, the veteran told reporters on a conference call this afternoon that he requested a no-trade clause in his contract, but was rebuffed as the front office cited club policy.
"Towards the end, it wasn't necessarily about the third year. It turned out to be more about the small things, whether it was trying to work out out the buyout or whether we could do a no-trade clause or something like that. To be honest, the no-trade clause was a hang up for a little while. You guys all know the direction that the team is going in is phenomenal. They could be really solid for a long time so I don't want to get traded. Apparently there's a no no-trade policy where they did it for [Jayson Werth] and they're going to shut it down and not give any more no-trade clauses. That's something that I had to work through," said the first baseman.
The Nationals were firm in their stance that they would not go to three years throughout the offseason and the SFX client said that he realized sometime last week that he would have to reach a compromise on contract length. LaRoche declined to get specifically identify the other teams that were interested in him and the kinds of offers that he was receiving, but he feels that he would have had more interest from clubs if he didn't have draft pick compensation tied to him through the qualifying offer system.
"I think that it did [affect me]. That's coming from people a lot smarter than I am that explained it to me. I think it affected a couple of other players worse than me, there are a lot of solid ballplayers out there still looking for a job," LaRoche said. "It definitely hindered some teams from going after some guys…I think there were two or three, maybe four teams out there that it did affect as far as teams that were interested me but didn't want to give up that pick."
Regardless of external factors that may have hurt his market, LaRoche says that he's glad to be back in D.C on a two-year deal with a mutual option for 2015. However, his return means that Mike Morse won't be starting at first and he doesn't figure to have another place to start with the three outfield positions also filled. LaRoche knows that Morse could potentially be moved for impact pieces, giving him a chance to thrive elsewhere, but he "selfishly" hopes that Morse remains in Washington.
Mets Notes: Hairston, Alderson, Collins
MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith was on hand yesterday as the Blue Jays formally introduced R.A. Dickey to the press at the Rogers Centre yesterday. The knuckleballer would still be in Queens if the Mets were willing to match his asking price, but Dickey isn't dwelling on that as he is looking forward to playing in Toronto. “No, in fact I’ve moved on from that point to being thankful that they didn’t. It’s important for me to say that I’m very thankful to the Mets for the opportunity to cultivate a pitch. But it’s also important to not live in the past," said the 38-year-old. Here's today's look at the Mets..
- While speculation is that teams are looking to sign Scott Hairston to a one-year deal, there is a belief the Mets could go to two years in order to re-sign the outfielder, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. However, a baseball official says that Hairston isn't close to signing anywhere.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson suggested that limited room on the 40-man roster is partially to blame for the club not having signed a free agent to a major league deal yet, Rubin writes. However, one has to assume that the Mets' financial limitations are the bigger factor. Alderson said that the Mets could be gearing up for some "significant activity" on the open market next offseason after they get out from under some large contracts.
- In trying to re-sign Hairston to a one-year deal, the Mets are mindful of prior multi-year deals for role players like Ramon Castro and Endy Chavez, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post tweets. Yesterday, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that the Yankees no longer appear to be in on the outfielder.
- The Mets are making the right call by not giving manager Terry Collins a contract extension at this time, opines Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com.
A’s Avoid Arbitration With Chris Resop
The A’s have avoided arbitration with Chris Resop by agreeing to a one-year, $1.35MM deal, according to MLBTR’s Ben Nicholson-Smith (on Twitter). The right-hander is represented by Jet Sports Management.
The $1.35MM is pretty much in line with his projected figure of $1.3MM from Matt Swartz. This was Resop’s second time being arbitration-eligible and he’ll see a significant increase over his $850K salary last year.
Oakland acquired Resop from the Pirates in exchange for Zach Thornton earlier this offseason. The 30-year-old pitched to a 3.91 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 73 2/3 innings for the Pirates in 2012. Resop will be eligible for free agency after the 2014 season.
Twins Notes: Inge, Plouffe, Harden
Twins General Manager Terry Ryan wants to contend for the AL Central crown, but he's also realistic about what his club can do in the coming year. This offseason, Ryan positioned the club for the future by trading from an outfield surplus to acquire talented young pitching. Denard Span and Ben Revere are gone, but 25-year-old Vance Worley, 23-year-old Alex Meyer, and 23-year-old Trevor May are now in the mix. "I think we've fortified the pitching staff," Ryan told 1500 ESPN's Talkin' Twins show. "You look at this team and I think we scored enough runs. We have enough defense, even with the loss of Revere and Span. So we're getting somewhat close to the point where we're ready to go and sort this out a little bit (at spring training)." Here's more out of Minnesota, courtesy of 1500 ESPN's Phil Mackey..
- There are free agent options available at the third base position, such as Brandon Inge, but it appears that the Twins are content with using in-house options to push Trevor Plouffe. Rule 5 acquisition Mark Sobolewski, who posted a .249/.286/.432 slash line with 20 home runs in Double-A and Triple-A last season, was among the candidates mentioned by Ryan.
- The Twins would prefer to use offseason acquisition Rich Harden as a starter, but Ryan said that they may instead opt to make him a reliever. "He has done both," Ryan said. "And I would tell you starter if the health issue was not a part of this thing, but he's not been healthy. So we have to keep that option open." Harden, who has made ten big league relief appearances in his career, signed a minor league deal with Minnesota after missing the entire 2012 season.
- Minnesota wasn't among the first clubs to use statistical analysis in their decision making, but it's now a significant part of their process. Ryan now runs personnel moves by the team's manager of baseball research, Jack Goin. In fact, the GM said that he likely wouldn't make a trade or sign a player without first consulting him.
Quick Hits: Posey, Gonzalez, Giambi, Urbina, Pirates
Buster Posey is eligible for arbitration for the first time off the heels of his MVP campaign. The Giants would obviously like to lock the catcher up for the foreseeable future, but the club has yet to begin contract discussions with agent Jeff Berry, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). For more on Posey's unique case, check out Matt Swartz's arbitration breakdown. Here's more from around baseball..
- Michael Gonzalez's one-year, $2.25MM contract with the Brewers could pay him up to an additional $400K in performance bonuses, according to the Associated Press. Gonzalez will earn $50K for 25 games finished, $75K each for 30 and 35, and $100K apiece for 40 and 50. The reliever told reporters today that he prefers to be called Michael rather than Mike, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (via Twitter).
- Jason Giambi is working out and told Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter) that he hopes to play this season. The 42-year-old will likely have to go to camp with a club on a minor league deal. Giambi was said to be drawing interest from three or four teams in early December.
- Ugueth Urbina threw live batting practice in Venezuela yesterday and former Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen was on hand to scout for several teams, writes Luis Carlos Gonzalez of El Nacional. "I told people from the Marlins, where I left behind some friends, and other teams, that Urbina was going to take the mound, and they told me to go see him," Guillen said (translation courtesy of Nick Collias). Guillen added that Urbina looked good, though he needs to "keep working".
- Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) looked at five GMs that could be on the hotseat in 2013, including Neal Huntington of the Pirates and Royals GM Dayton Moore.
- If the Pirates do not finalize their deal with Francisco Liriano, reliever-turned-starter Chris Leroux is another option for the rotation, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Liriano suffered an arm injury in December, leading the Bucs give second thought to the two-year, $12.75MM agreement.
AL West Notes: Bourn, Lohse, Rangers, A’s, Astros
Here's a look at some items out of the American League West..
- With five weeks to go before Spring Training, the Rangers have not ruled out free agent outfielder Michael Bourn or pitcher Kyle Lohse, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The newly-signed Lance Berkman is a former teammate of both players and GM Jon Daniels said that he "picked [Berkman's] brain over lunch" about the two players. Texas has been reluctant to chase either player because of their price tags but they both remain unsigned with no clear destination.
- In her latest mailbag, Jane Lee of MLB.com says that she doesn't see the A's making any splashy moves between now and Opening Day as they are satisfied with their current group. Another reader asks if a reunion with Brandon Inge might be in the cards. While the players in the clubhouse would love to have the veteran back, the 25-man roster is at capacity and there is no room for Inge.
- Roger Clemens says that his major league days are over, but the 50-year-old is on the verge of returning to the Astros in a role that would allow him to work with Houston's pitchers, writes Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.
New York Notes: Yankees, Mets, Hairston
Earlier today we learned that while the Mets are in need of outfield depth, they won't be considering high-priced free agent Michael Bourn. That doesn't come as a huge surprise given their financial constraints, but they could be closing in on a much more affordable outfield piece. Here's the latest out of the Queens and the Bronx..
- While the Mets continue to talk to Scott Hairston, it would appear that the Yankees are not as involved at the moment, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The Mets have a leg up over the Yankees in that they can offer him a starting job.
- Despite rumblings to the contrary, Rafael Soriano did not offer to return to the Yankees on a one-year deal, Heyman tweets. Soriano wants to close in 2013 and that's not an option with the Bombers.
- The Mets picked up Terry Collins' 2013 option at the end of the 2011 season to avoid making him a lame duck, but they won't give the skipper a contract extension to circumvent that prior to the season, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. General Manager Sandy Alderson acknowledged that there is the possibility that it could become an issue, but he expressed confidence that Collins would handle it in stride.
- Alderson also told Rubin that regardless of whether Travis d'Arnaud starts the season in Triple-A or in the majors, the team's Opening Day catchers are likely already on the 40-man roster. If the former Blue Jay opens the season in the minors, John Buck will probably start with waiver claim Anthony Recker in support.
Indians Sign Jerry Gil, Edward Paredes
Tonight's minor moves..
- The Indians announced that they have signed right-hander Jerry Gil and left-hander Edward Paredes to minor league deals. Gil, a converted shortstop, has a 4.35 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 119 career Triple-A starts. Paredes, 26, was in the Mariners' system from 2006-2011 and spent the bulk of his time in Double-A and Triple-A. The Tribe also confirmed the signing of Scott Kazmir to a minor league deal.