Dodgers Sign Alfredo Amezaga
The Dodgers signed Alfredo Amezaga to a minor league deal with an invite to big league spring training, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The utility man spent last season with the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate.
In 113 games with Triple-A Iowa, Amezaga hit .274/.336/.372 with six homers. The 34-year-old also has spent parts of nine years in the big leagues with a career slash line of .247/.307/.333 for the Marlins, Angels, Rockies and Pirates.
Mets Sign Omar Quintanilla
SATURDAY: The Mets have officially announced the signing (on Twitter).
THURSDAY: The Mets are set to sign infielder Omar Quintanilla to a minor league deal with a spring training invite, a baseball source told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The MVP Sports Group client spent the first half of 2012 with the Mets before he was traded to the Orioles in July for cash considerations.
In 65 total games for Baltimore and New York, Quintanilla hit .243/.312/.361 with four homers. The Mets traded the 31-year-old after they were forced to designate him for assignment to create roster space for Jason Bay. Rubin writes that the Mets didn't want to trade Quintanilla but felt compelled to since he would have been claimed off of waivers otherwise.
Quintanilla will vie with Brandon Hicks for a backup middle infield role out of spring training, but Hicks may have a leg up since he is on the 40-man and the Mets gave the A's cash for him in late November. The Mets have yet to sign a free agent to a major league deal.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Darren Oliver Wants Raise To Continue With Toronto
FRIDAY: Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told MLB.com's Chris Toman that he doesn't expect to renegotiate Oliver's contract. "I don't want to really get into the trade talk; things can happen," said the GM. "As far as restructuring his contract, I would never say never, but his contract is his contract. That's what we signed him to … I don't see us doing that."
THURSDAY: Left-hander Darren Oliver has been contemplating retirement for most of the winter, but his decision is more complicated than it might appear. The 42-year-old wants to play, but is not willing to return to the Blue Jays unless they increase his salary from $3MM, major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Oliver would welcome a trade back to the Rangers as his family lives in the Dallas area, according to sources. The veteran is coming off of the best season of his long career and does not want to take a pay cut in the follow-up campaign. However, the Blue Jays are over budget and are unwilling to give him a pay bump. A source says that Toronto has stretched their budget so far that they might have to cut in other areas just to pay Oliver his original $3MM salary.
Oliver signed a one-year, $4MM deal with the Blue Jays last January with a $3MM option for 2013 that could have been bought out for $500K. Sources tell Rosenthal that Oliver signed the deal knowing that he would likely call it career after 2012. A trade to the Rangers could satisfy all parties involved, however, as Oliver would be more flexible in his financial demands if he is closer to home.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Quick Hits: Stanton, Indians, Blue Jays, Rays
The Marlins should trade Giancarlo Stanton and the sooner they do it, the better, opines MLB.com’s Hal Bodley. The 23-year-old, he argues, really won’t make the difference between winning and losing as this team rebuilds. Stanton would obviously net the Marlins a strong package of prospects – players who would be ready to contribute down the road when Miami would hopefully be ready to contend. Here’s more from around baseball as we head into Friday..
- After their next free agent signing, Indians General Manager Chris Antonetti said the team has “used the vast majority of our [financial] resources” for the offseason, tweets Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. It’s safe to assume that Antonetti was referring to Brett Myers‘ one-year, $7MM deal when he referred to the team’s next signing.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (video link) believes that the Blue Jays had the best offseason of any team in the majors because of their blockbuster with the Marlins and their trade for R.A. Dickey. Meanwhile, the Rangers have had the most disappointing winter thus far because of their misses on their top free agent targets.
- ESPN.com’s Buster Olney ranked the top ten infields in the majors and slotted the Rays in at No. 4. Olney writes that first baseman James Loney is likely getting his last full-time shot to show that he can be a consistent run producer.
- Antonetti also said that the recently re-acquired Russ Canzler will be among the Indians‘ internal DH options this year, Bastian tweets.
- Troy Renck of The Denver Post (on Twitter) expects the Rockies to have interest in free agent Brandon Webb.
West Notes: Rockies, Mariners, Lohse, Saunders
Links out of the Western divisions..
- The Rockies are still looking for pitching but there's nothing brewing on the trade front, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post (on Twitter). Renck believes that the Rockies may look into low-risk free agents like Derek Lowe and Freddy Garcia. We've yet to hear anything about Colorado and Lowe but they have checked in on Garcia.
- The Mariners badly want a hitter but they're also looking at starting pitchers, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, sources say that Kyle Lohse is too pricey while the M's aren't willing to give Joe Saunders a three-year deal.
- Ben Rogers of ESPNDallas.com looked at potential trade opportunities for the Rangers involving Jurickson Profar, Elvis Andrus, and Ian Kinsler. However, it would appear that Texas' plan at this stage is to keep all three in the fold to start the 2013 season.
NL Central Notes: Cubs, Bourn, Reds, Rolen
The Cubs had interest in both Edwin Jackson and Anibal Sanchez this winter, but General Manager Jed Hoyer said that signing both was never in the cards, tweets Jordan Bernfield of WGN Radio. Hoyer and Sveum met with Jackson in California while Theo Epstein and owner Tom Ricketts met with Sanchez in Florida. Here’s more on the Cubs and other items out of the NL Central..
- Based on comments Epstein made on WEEI’s Hot Stove Show (audio link), it doesn’t sound like the Cubs will be targeting impact players like Michael Bourn, Rafael Soriano, Kyle Lohse, and Adam LaRoche since they are tied to draft pick compensation. Epstein explained that the changes to the draft and international spending mean that high draft picks are more valuable than ever, writes Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that Reds GM Walt Jocketty expects a decision from Scott Rolen on whether he will play in 2013 in the next seven-to-ten days. Fay personally expects Rolen to call it a career.
- Earlier today, Jocketty said that he is looking to sign Mat Latos and Homer Bailey to multiyear deals.
- The Brewers still haven’t made their signing of left-hander Mike Gonzalez official, but that’s likely to happen on Friday, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Gonzalez agreed to a one-year, $2.25MM deal plus incentives late last week.
AL East Notes: Vazquez, Rays, Price, Red Sox
Earlier today, we learned that the Nationals are interested in free agent starter Javier Vazquez, who is considering a return to MLB. The Red Sox are also set to watch Vazquez pitch in Puerto Rico on Friday, but they're not the only team out of the American League East with an eye on the veteran. More on that and other news from the division..
- Alex Cora, who serves as the GM of Vazquez's team in Puerto Rico, told WEEI's Hot Stove Show that the Blue Jays have also been scouting the 36-year-old, according to Alex Speier on Twitter. It's not clear if the Red Sox or Blue Jays would be willing to give Vazquez a big league contract, but the Nationals aren't believed to be considering it.
- Cy Young winning left-hander David Price was happy to avoid arbitration with the Rays and says that he is open to a contract extension, writes Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. “If it’s right, we’ll do it,” Price said. “If not, I have to understand it’s a business first and foremost. (The Rays) want to win this year but also be able to win in the future as well. They have to do what’s best for the franchise.” Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman won't rule out an extension, but acknowledged that there are a number of variables to consider.
- Also on WEEI's Hot Stove Show, Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein opined that the Red Sox's haul of prospects in their blockbuster deal with the Dodgers was more valuable than the financial flexibility they gained in the deal, Speier writes. The former Boston GM spoke very highly of right-handers Allen Webster and Rubby De La Rosa.
Minor Moves: Dodgers, Moore, Royals, Boyer
We'll keep track of tonight's minor moves right here..
- The Dodgers signed outfielder Jeremy Moore, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Moore ranked as the Angels' No. 11 prospect after the 2011 season but missed all of last year after having hip surgery. Eddy writes that Moore may lack the plate discipline to ever play regularly but could provide a cheap source of power, speed, and defensive versatility in the outfield. Moore hit .298/.331/.545 with 15 homers for the Halos' Triple-A affiliate in 2011.
- The Royals announced that they have signed right-hander pitcher Blaine Boyer to a minor league deal. Boyer, 31, owns a 4.81 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 233 career MLB relief appearances.
- The Royals signed first baseman Chad Tracy, according to Eddy. Tracy, not to be confused with the Nationals' utility man by the same name, is the son of former manager Jim. The 27-year-old hit .269/.324/.432 with 12 homers for the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate in 2012.
- The Orioles released Elvis Duran, their top-paid Latin American signing from 2011, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. The 18-year-old had just one professional season under his belt and was released due to an elbow injury, according to one source. The 6'7" hurler was signed under the old regime before Dan Duquette took over baseball operations.
Indians Designate Thomas Neal For Assignment
The Indians announced that they have designated outfielder Thomas Neal for assignment. The move will allow them to make room for Nick Swisher on the 40-man roster.
Neal, 25, was rated as a top 100 prospect before the 2010 season as a member of the Giants organization. He was then traded to the Indians in July 2011 for Orlando Cabrera in a deal that allowed Cleveland to give their own youngsters more playing time. Neal spent the 2012 season with Double-A Akron and posted a .314/.400/.467 slash line in 470 plate appearances. He also spent nine games on the Tribe's varsity squad last year.
Indians Sign Nick Swisher
The Indians announced that they've signed free agent outfielder Nick Swisher to a four-year contract. The agreement covers the 2013-16 seasons and includes a vesting option for 2017.
Swisher, an MVP Sports Group client, will earn at least $56MM before the contract expires. The $14MM vesting option in year five could boost the deal's overall value to $70MM. He'll make $11MM in 2013, $15MM for each of the 2014-16 seasons, and his $14MM 2017 option will vest if he has 550 plate appearances and passes his physical at the end of the 2016 season, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter links).
The 32-year-old is coming off of yet another solid season in which he posted a .272/.364/.473 batting line with 24 home runs. Swisher has been a consistent force at the plate for the Yankees over the past four seasons, posting a batting line of .268/.367/.483 with 105 homers across that span.
The veteran comes to Cleveland as the club's replacement in right field for Shin-Soo Choo. The Tribe sent Choo to the Reds earlier this winter in a three-team deal that netted them right-handed pitchers Trevor Bauer, Matt Albers, Bryan Shaw, and center fielder Drew Stubbs. The signing also means that Yankees will receive a compensatory draft pick as they extended the one-year, $13.3MM qualifying offer to Swisher earlier this offseason.
Swisher was said to have a four-year, $52MM offer on the table from Cleveland, but he ultimately got a little more out of General Manager Chris Antonetti & Co. The switch-hitting outfielder reportedly preferred to play for the Dodgers, Angels, or Yankees, but he wasn't a fit for any of those teams given their outfield situations. The Yankees also didn't seem to have much interest in working out a new deal with Swisher once he declined their qualifying offer.
One source indicated to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that the Red Sox were interested in signing Swisher but didn't want to give up their high second round pick to the Yankees. It's possible that the draft pick compensation tied to Swisher hurt his value as he looked for a deal on the open market. Swisher ranked sixth on MLBTR's top 50 list of free agents this offseason.
Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News first reported the agreement and its value (via Twitter). Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.