Orioles Interested In Matt Lindstrom
The Orioles are among several teams interested in Matt Lindstrom, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Lindstrom was a part of the O's bullpen until he was sent to Arizona for Joe Saunders in August.
The 32-year-old pitched to a 2.68 ERA in 47 innings for the two clubs in 2012. Lindstrom had a club option for 2013, but the D'Backs opted to pay a $200K buyout rather than his $4MM salary. The O's are also interested in bringing back Saunders but will have to compete with the Mariners, Padres, Mets, and Twins.
Poll: Who Will Be The Last Top 50 Free Agent To Sign?
Most of MLBTR's Top 50 free agents of the offseason are off the board, but there are still seven holdouts as we enter 2013. For some, the market is fairly clear cut. For others, it's suss out a list of suitors and potential fits.
Adam LaRoche (No. 15) has the attention of both the Nationals and the Red Sox, but neither team wants to give him a three-year deal and Boston isn't wild about giving up a second-round pick for him. The BoSox are also expected to back out of talks with the first baseman if they complete their agreement with Mike Napoli. Right-hander Shaun Marcum (No. 19) has received interest from the Mets, Twins, Padres, and Cubs. The Mets, Twins, and Padres are also in on left-hander Joe Saunders (No. 25) along with the Orioles and Mariners.
If the other four have made significant progress on a deal, it's been kept on the QT to this point. Michael Bourn (No. 3) is the best player remaining on the open market but it's not clear who the interested parties are. The Rangers lost out on the biggest names of the winter and the Mariners haven't made the kind of splash that some expected them to, but their level of interest is unknown. Texas isn't in on Kyle Lohse (No. 10) and the Cardinals don't have enough breathing room to bring him back. Rafael Soriano (No. 17), like many free agents, has been linked to the Dodgers, but they're not interested. Jose Valverde (No. 44) wants to return to the Tigers but they reportedly won't be bringing him back (For the purposes of this poll, please choose one of the other six if you expect Valverde to call it a career).
Who Will Be The Last Top 50 FA To Sign?
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Jose Valverde 31% (7,007)
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Rafael Soriano 29% (6,676)
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Michael Bourn 17% (3,759)
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Kyle Lohse 9% (2,069)
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Adam LaRoche 6% (1,268)
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Shaun Marcum 5% (1,057)
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Joe Saunders 4% (894)
Total votes: 22,730
Quick Hits: Stanton, D’Backs, Upton, Pirates
The Marlins aren't in a rush to trade Giancarlo Stanton, but it remains highly unlikely that he will agree to a long-term contract, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. It seems inevitable that he'll be moved sometime before he reaches free agency because Miami is reloading its roster and will look to add as many quality pieces in the next few years as they can. Here's more from around baseball as Sunday becomes Monday..
- The Diamondbacks are now overloaded with outfielders, but almost no one inside the industry is second-guessing General Manager Kevin Towers, writes Richard Justice of MLB.com. Many are wondering if the signing of Cody Ross means that Arizona has earmarked Justin Upton or Jason Kubel for a trade, but Justice believes that Towers will simply make the best deal he can and doesn't know which outfielder it's going to be.
- The Joel Hanrahan trade benefits the Pirates by increasing the cost-effectiveness of their bullpen and allowing them to reallocate their savings to other areas of need, opines Eric Seidman of Fangraphs. By swapping Hanrahan for Mark Melancon and taking a flier on Francisco Liriano, the Bucs may be able to replicate the Hanrahan-Jason Grilli tandem’s production at 30% of the cost while improving the rotation.
- There are still big names for the Mariners on the trade block and free agent market and Jason A. Churchill of Prospect Insider looked at some of the possibilities.
Javier Vazquez May Return, Wants To Join Contender
Javier Vazquez is pitching for Puerto Rico’s Ponce Lions this winter and is planning to pitch for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic in March. Peter Gammons of MLB Network reported in November that Vazquez would gauge things during the WBC and see if he wants to make a comeback, but comments made to Ralph Pagan Archeval of ESPNDeportes.com indicate that he is heavily leaning towards a return.
“Winning the World Series, quite simply, is the only thing (I’m interested in). It’s a team award, since I’m not interested in individual awards. In truth, what I’m missing is a World Series victory…If I decide (to play), it doesn’t matter for what team, as long as they have a good possibility to get to the championship. I’m not going to sign with a team knowing that I’m going to lose,” said Vazquez (translation courtesy of Nick Collias).
Vazquez was ranked as No. 19 in the 2012 free agent class by Tim Dierkes last winter and fielded phone calls from a number of clubs. The right-hander stopped short of announcing his retirement, leaving the door open for a comeback at some point. Vazquez, now 36, showed in 2011 that he still has a lot left to offer as he pitched to a 3.69 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 32 starts for the Marlins. The veteran may prefer to spend 2013 with his family, but if he does, it won’t be because of his health.
“My [physical] condition is very good. The most important thing is to keep count of the pitches and get that as high as I can. I’ve felt very good; better than I thought I was going to feel. I’ll continue pitching and see what happens.“
Week In Review: 12/23/12 – 12/29/12
Here's a look back at the last (full) week of 2012..
- The Pirates sent Joel Hanrahan and infielder Brock Holt to the Red Sox in exchange for reliever Mark Melancon, first baseman/outfielder Jerry Sands, infielder Ivan De Jesus Jr., and right-hander Stolmy Pimentel. Hanrahan, 31, pitched to a 2.72 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 59 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh last season.
- Nick Swisher signed a four-year, $56MM deal with the Indians on Sunday. The slugger's contract includes a $14MM vesting option in year five if he has 550 plate appearances in 2016. That would boost the overall value to $70MM.
- The Red Sox agreed to sign Mike Napoli to a three-year, $39MM deal in the first week of December, but have yet to finalize the deal over concerns about his hip. With the agreement in limbo, another club has expressed interest in the catcher, though no offer has been extended.
- Meanwhile, the Red Sox are looking at Adam LaRoche as a Plan B. The first baseman still wants to return to the Nationals, but is frustrated that he has yet to reach an agreement with them. LaRoche wants a three-year deal but Washington and Boston say they won't go past two.
- Hideki Matsui decided to call it a career after ten years in the majors.
- The Mariners inked Raul Ibanez to a one-year deal worth $2.75MM and $1.25MM in incentives.
- Matt Diaz signed a minor league deal with the Yanks that will pay him $1.2MM if he makes the big league roster.
- The Brewers agreed to sign Mike Gonzalez to a one-year contract worth $2.25MM plus incentives.
- The Padres are talking with Brett Myers and would use him in his preferred role of starter.
- The Orioles are still talking with free agent hurler Joe Saunders.
- Five teams have reached out to Derek Lowe.
- The Marlins signed John Maine to a minor league deal.
- The Cubs signed Hisanori Takahashi to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training.
- Former Giants closer Brian Wilson is generating lots of interest.
- The Mets signed Aaron Laffey to a minor league contract.
- The O's and manager Buck Showalter are close to a contract extension.
- The Rays are looking for a bat.
- Takashi Saito is returning to Japan.
- The Mets want bullpen help.
- Ugueth Urbina is out of prison and hopes to pitch again.
NL East Notes: Nationals, Howell, Harper, Mets
Links out of the National League East..
- The Brewers' signing of pitcher Mike Gonzalez will have a direct bearing on whatever kind of deal fellow left-hander J.P. Howell is going to get, whether it's from the Nationals or another club, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). Washington has been heavily linked to Howell and are said to have him as their top choice among free agent lefties.
- The Nationals' decision to promote Bryce Harper this season wasn't an easy one, but it was the right call, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The Nats promoted Harper on April 28th, triggering the start of his service clock. However, they waited long enough to postpone his free agency by a full year and will control him through 2018. Harper was just 19-years-old when he got the call and won the NL Rookie of the Year award with a .270/.340/.477 slash line and 22 homers.
- Brian Joura of Mets 360 believes that minor league pickup Greg Burke has a good chance of making the Mets big league roster out of spring training. The Mets still haven't signed a free agent to a major league contract this winter.
Cafardo On Upton, Red Sox, Stanton, Lohse, Myers
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe looks at the best big league rosters as we head into 2013. The Nationals top the list as their addition of Denard Span in the leadoff spot made an already strong roster even more impressive. The Reds are second after adding Shin-Soo Choo to the fold. The Blue Jays are only in fifth after annexing a big chunk of the Marlins' roster and the Dodgers rank sixth despite having the highest payroll in baseball. Here's more from today's column..
- When asked if he thought there was any match on a Justin Upton deal with the Red Sox, Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers responded, “Probably not.” Upton would be a fit for the Red Sox, but it could mean giving up prospects such as Xander Bogaerts and Matt Barnes, as ESPN's Jim Bowden recently suggested. Upton is an underachieving player who has frustrated his bosses in Arizona and the Red Sox want something better for those prospects.
- The Marlins have put out word that Giancarlo Stanton is going nowhere, but that hasn’t stopped some teams from trying to put together a package to obtain him. A big league source says that's expected to continue. Teams have also called on righty Ricky Nolasco and the right package for him could net a team a decent starter.
- The Dodgers may jump in on Kyle Lohse, even with Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang slated for the back end of the rotation. The Tigers could also be a possibility as they listen on offers for Rick Porcello.
- People like Brett Myers and what he can bring either as a starter or reliever but he's still on the open market. “The feeling is he’s been asking for too much money,” said an NL GM. “I think teams are waiting for the price to come down. He can certainly help a team. I think a lot of teams have him on a wish list.”
- In his introductory presser, Cody Ross said that right field is his least favorite position. Cafardo theorizes that this could be the reason why the Red Sox wouldn't go beyond two years for him. Ross inked a three-year, $26MM contract with Arizona earlier this month.
- Daisuke Matsuzaka prefers to stay in the US, but Japan may not be out of the question, depending on what type of deal he gets. He likes the Padres, but so far there’s no indication that the feeling is mutual.
- Opinions are mixed on the potential of first baseman/outfielder Jerry Sands, who has been traded from the Dodgers to the Red Sox to the Pirates. “He’s one of those guys who could all of a sudden put up a big year if he gets the chance to play every day,” said one AL GM. “Don’t think he’ll be that effective off someone’s bench. He’s got to get into a rhythm at the plate and when he does, he can hit.”
- Hideki Matsui will likely manage the Yomiuri Giants someday, though for now it appears that he will live with his family in the US. The slugger announced his retirement in a press conference late last week.
This Date In Transactions History: December 29
Things tend to be fairly quiet between Christmas and New Year's Eve, but we've seen some big free agent signings go down during that week. Today marks the anniversary for two of them: Jason Bay signing with the Mets and Barry Zito to the Giants.
In the winter of 2009, the Mets agreed to a four-year, $66MM deal with former Red Sox slugger Jason Bay. The deal was panned by many critics at the time as they felt that the Mets were mortgaging their future with a heavily backloaded deal. The Mets agreed to give Bay $6.5MM in 2010 and $16MM in the following three seasons. The deal also included a $17MM club option for 2014, which could be 86'd for another $3MM. Of course, the two sides never got close to that point. After playing just 288 games across three seasons in Queens with a batting line of .234/.318/.369, the Mets and Bay agreed to an early expiration of his contract in November 2012. Bay will still earn the $21MM owed to him for the remainder of the deal, but the Mets will save a bit by being able to defer a portion of it.
Three years prior to that, the Giants made a statement when they signed Barry Zito to a seven-year, $126MM deal. At the time, the deal made the left-hander the highest paid pitcher in major league history. The deal was widely panned as an overpay and it's not clear how much the next-highest bidder was offering. The Rangers put a six-year, $80MM offer on the table and those spend-happy Yankees never got around to making a formal offer.
On the whole, Zito has struggled to pitch well consistently, but the left-hander found redemption last season. After pitching to a 4.15 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 across 32 starts in the regular season, Zito shined in a pair of postseason starts for San Francisco, including a strong effort in Game 1 of the World Series to give the Giants a 1-0 advantage.
Can Bay re-write his story as well? The Mariners took a low-risk flyer on the veteran this winter, signing him to a one-year, $1MM deal with $2MM in performance bonuses. Bay now has a chance at a tabula rasa, away from the scrutiny of the New York press and a short drive from his home in Kirkland, Washington.
The 80-89 Win Club
Last year, roughly one quarter of the teams in baseball won between 80 and 89 games and all of them missed the playoffs. This season, we saw the Tigers take the AL Central and the Cardinals grab the second NL Wild Card spot with 88 wins. Outside of that, you weren't invited to the party in 2012 if you had 80-something victories. What have those teams within striking distance done so far this winter to bulk up? As Ben Nicholson-Smith has done over the last two winters, I've broken those clubs in two groups with their 2012 win totals in parentheses and links that send you to the club's offseason transactions summary..
Aggressive Acquirers
- Angels (89) – The Angels are one of two repeat customers this year, with the other being the Dodgers. After the Dodgers backed up a Brink's truck to sign Zack Greinke, the Halos went into best player available mode and inked Josh Hamilton to a five-year, $125MM deal. The Angels then took care of their logjam by trading Kendrys Morales to the Mariners for left-hander Jason Vargas. Meanwhile, their signings of Ryan Madson and Sean Burnett will also help to solidify the bullpen.
- Dodgers (86) – We all knew the Dodgers were going to spend this winter, but it was still jarring to see how much they shelled out for Greinke. The six-year, $147MM deal landed them the top pitcher on the open market while plucking him away from their intra-market rival. They also added Hyun-Jin Ryu to the starting five and kept Brandon League in the pen with a three-year deal.
- Diamondbacks (81) – The Angels didn't need a boost in the outfield when they signed Hamilton and neither did the D'Backs when they landed Cody Ross on a three-year deal. Even after parting with Chris Young, the Diamondbacks still have Justin Upton, Jason Kubel, and Gerardo Parra in the fold with prospects Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock waiting in the wings. It sounds like Upton or Kubel will be moved, and they'll bring back a solid return for Arizona. GM Kevin Towers also shook things up when he acquired shortstop Didi Gregorius, left-handed pitcher Tony Sipp, and first baseman Lars Anderson in a three-team deal.
- Phillies (81) – The Phillies didn't make a major splash on the free agent market, but they did upgrade with a pair of significant trades early in December. The Phillies solved their third base vacancy when they got Michael Young from the Rangers. They were also in need of a center fielder and were heavily linked to Michael Bourn, but they instead went out and got Ben Revere from Minnesota for Vance Worley and Trevor May. They also picked up a pair of pitchers in the middle of the month in starter John Lannan and reliever Mike Adams.
Restrained Spenders
- White Sox (85) – The White Sox finished three games behind the Tigers for the AL Central crown and they opted against an overhaul heading into 2013. They got the offseason started with a two-year contract extension for Jake Peavy and so far their biggest free agent pickup is Jeff Keppinger on a three-year, $12MM deal.
- Brewers (83) – Kyle Lohse remains unsigned, but don't expect the Brewers to make a play to keep him in the division. Milwaukee upgraded their pitching by signing Tom Gorzelanny last week and inking Mike Gonzalez to a one-year deal yesterday.
Poll: Will LaRoche Get A Three Year Deal?
Adam LaRoche wants to return to Washington and the Nationals want to bring the first baseman back. So what's LaRoche still doing on the open market? Well, the 33-year-old is looking for a three-year deal and the Nats say that they won't go beyond two years. They reportedly haven't felt pressured to consider a deal to keep LaRoche in D.C. through 2015, because they don't see another team offering him the same. It looked like General Manager Mike Rizzo & Co. were dead on about that, until recently, when the Red Sox's situation with Mike Napoli became cloudy.
Amidst concerns over Napoli's hip, the two sides have still yet to finalize their three-year, $39MM deal. Whether it's a play for leverage or legitimate concern over the catcher's health, Boston has begun talking to LaRoche as a plan B. Even though we're closing in on the New Year and LaRoche's market likely isn't what he expected, he's still not willing to budge on his demand for a three-year pact.
How do you see it playing out? Do you see the Nationals, Red Sox, or any other team giving LaRoche a three-year contract?
Will LaRoche Get A Three Year Deal?
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No 56% (10,392)
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Yes 44% (8,258)
Total votes: 18,650