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Johnny Cueto Rejects Six-Year/$120MM Offer From Diamondbacks

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10:00pm: The Diamondbacks’ offer was for six years and $120MM, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports.  The $20MM average annual value of the rejected offer already surpasses the $15MM-$18MM range cited by Rosenthal.

6:48pm: D’Backs GM Dave Stewart tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he also visited Cueto in the Dominican Republic in addition to meeting with Dixon, and that Cueto already turned down one contract offer from the club.  Stewart said the D’Backs are still interested in Cueto and understood why the initial offer was rejected.  “When you’ve still got the two big guys who haven’t done anything yet, [David] Price and [Zack] Greinke, you kind of want to wait,” Stewart said.  “Depending on how [Dixon] sees his client, and he probably sees his client above [Jordan] Zimmermann, it puts you in a situation where you want to wait and see what happens.”

Though Stewart didn’t specifically comment on Rosenthal’s reported gap in Cueto’s asking price and the Diamondbacks’ comfort zone, he did imply that his team may have to spend more in order to land the righty.

“I guess ultimately that decision is going to be made by ownership, if we can go there,” Stewart said. “Having a conversation with him gave us an idea of what’s going to happen and what he’s thinking. We’re going to have to wait and see how this thing plays out.”

1:18pm: The Diamondbacks met with Johnny Cueto’s agent last week, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).  The expectation, however, is that Cueto’s price will exceed with Arizona is comfortable with paying.  The D’Backs want to spend roughly $15MM-$18MM on a free agent starter, while Cueto figures to get more than $20MM per year (link).

Earlier this month, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported that the D’Backs were discussing Cueto internally, so it seems that they have at least taken the next step by reaching out to agent Bryce Dixon.  Pitching names like Shelby Miller, Yovani Gallardo and John Lackey have been linked to Arizona via trade and free agency, but those arms would come with a much more modest price tag than Cueto.  Names like Jeff Samardzija and Kenta Maeda represent some of the pricier options that have been mentioned as possible targets for Arizona.

There have been whispers about Cueto’s injured elbow affecting his market, but in a recent interview, Dixon made the case that if Cueto had been hurt, he wouldn’t have been able to deliver such strong results for the Royals in two of his postseason outings.  Overall, though, Cueto did not give the Royals exactly what they expected when they acquired him over the summer.  In 13 regular starts, Cueto posted a 4.76 ERA.  He also pitched poorly in two of his four postseason outings.

Recently, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes ranked Cueto as the offseason’s No. 8 free agent and pegged him for a five-year, $115MM deal.

Ross Atkins, Tony LaCava Are Finalists For Blue Jays’ GM Position

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Indians VP of player personnel Ross Atkins and Blue Jays interim general manager Tony LaCava are finalists for Toronto’s GM vacancy, sources familiar with the situation tell Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  There could potentially be one or more unknown candidates also in the finalist stage of the Jays’ search, though Heyman’s sources would “be surprised if anyone besides Atkins or LaCava” gets the job.  Team president/CEO Mark Shapiro reportedly hopes to have someone hired prior to next week’s Winter Meetings.

Both Atkins and LaCava have ties to Shapiro from his long stint in Cleveland.  Atkins has spent the last 15 years working for the Tribe’s front office while LaCava briefly worked as a cross-checker for the Indians in 2002 before moving on to the Blue Jays.  As Heyman notes, it has been assumed that Shapiro will have the final say on baseball operations matters.

LaCava’s long tenure with Toronto (including a role as assistant GM since 2007) made him the logical choice to slide into the interim role after Alex Anthopoulos surprisingly declined to re-sign with the team.  He’s already been busy in his short stint, as the Jays have re-signed Marco Estrada, signed J.A. Happ and traded for Jesse Chavez in an effort to bolster their starting rotation.  Whether LaCava gets the full-time job or not, he’ll be remaining with the team in some capacity as he signed a long-term extension a few weeks ago.

Both LaCava and Atkins would be first-time general managers, though each has been linked to GM openings in the past — in fact, both interviewed for the Angels job this winter before Billy Eppler was hired for the job.  Atkins also interviewed with the Phillies about their GM position in mid-October.  LaCava interviewed with the Pirates and Orioles prior to those club’s respective hirings of Neal Huntington and Dan Duquette, and LaCava reportedly turned down Baltimore’s offer to remain in Toronto.

MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Happ, Colon

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Former Orioles executive Andy MacPhail believed in the “grow the arms” philosophy because he felt that getting pitching was expensive and getting it any other way proved to be expensive.  After watching J.A. Happ ink a deal with a $12MM AAV, Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com agrees with the expensive part.  Happ, of course, finished the 2015 season with a stellar 1.85 ERA over 11 starts for the Pirates, but he posted a 4.64 ERA in his previous 20 starts for Seattle.  Happ’s overall track record is one of mediocrity and Melewski can’t quite understand why the Blue Jays paid that much for him.  He’s not alone in that thinking, either.

Here’s more on Happ and other items out of the AL East:

  • Interim GM Tony LaCava says the Blue Jays inked Happ because he fills an urgent need for the club without forcing Toronto to give up a prospect, big leaguer, or draft pick, as John Lott of the National Post writes.  Overall, it sounds like LaCava is not even close to done.  “We’ve had dialogue with any number of (free agents), a wide net we’ve cast, and we still have conversations with various free agents and their agents and also with other teams looking at the trade market as well,” LaCava said. “I wouldn’t rule anything out right now, but certainly we did address some of the bigger needs that we had.”
  • Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette of SiriusXM (audio link) see tons of red flags when it comes to the Blue Jays’ deal with Happ.  Bowden is troubled by the enormity of the contract, which appears to be based off of Happ’s small sample size of excellence.  The ex-GM expected Happ to command $20MM over a two-year deal, but a three-year, $36MM pact was far beyond what he imagined.
  • Wallace Matthews of ESPN.com pondered Bartolo Colon as a fit for the Yankees.  Colon, who will be 43 in May, has averaged 196 innings in each of the last three seasons and his 2015 ERA (4.16) was lower than that of several Yankees starters.  Still, Matthews expects Colon to start feeling his age sooner rather than later and doesn’t feel that he would be a good match for the Bombers.

MLBTR Originals

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A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the last seven days:

  • After catching up on the league’s pre-Thanksgiving Day trades and signings, host Jeff Todd welcomed veteran left-hander Wade LeBlanc on the latest edition of the MLB Trade Rumors podcast.  A new episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is released every Thursday and can be accessed on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
  • MLBTR’s Brad Johnson ran down some of the best fits for free agent Jason Heyward.  In a poll with readers, more than 21% of you said that the Cardinals would wind up inking the outfielder.  The Angels and Yankees also got a significant share of the pie.
  • The MLB deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players is coming up on Wednesday and Pedro Alvarez of the Pirates is one of the more notable non-tender candidates out there.  Charlie Wilmoth examined the pros and cons of letting Alvarez go.  The Bucs could also retain Alvarez at his projected $8.1MM salary and try to move him later, but that would be something of a risk for Pittsburgh given their budgetary constraints.
  • The Blue Jays’ five-year, $65MM extension for Jose Bautista back in 2010 was widely panned, but years later, it turned out to be a savvy deal by then-GM Alex Anthopoulos.  Now, it’s time for Toronto to consider another extension for the slugger, as Mark Polishuk writes.  Bautista is still hitting at an elite level as he enters his age-35 season, and thus he doesn’t really have any comparables among past players with at least 6 years of service time who signed multi-year extensions.  It’s hard to peg his value, but Mark envisions a four-year deal in the range of $80-$100MM for Bautista since that’s likely what he would get if he were a free agent this offseason.
  • The Mets are hardly assured a return trip to the World Series in 2016, but they’re as well situated as any for another run, Jeff writes.  Jeff ran down some of the Mets’ options to get back to the top, including scenarios involving their stellar pitching.
  • Recently, MLB Trade Rumors launched a brand new official Instagram account:@TradeRumorsMLB.  Each day, we’re€™ sharing conversation-inspiring images about the hottest topics in baseball.  From there, we invite you to give us a like, weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section, and even share the link with a friend.  So, what are you waiting for?  If you don’€™t have an Instagram account, this is the perfect excuse to sign up and get one.  Follow us on Instagram today!
  • In the latest edition of the MLBTR Mailbag, Steve Adams fielded questions on Trevor Plouffe, Brandon Belt, Darren O’Day, and more.
  • The Dodgers’ new-look front office has done a lot of wheeling and dealing already, but there’s more to come as it continues to overhaul the league’s most expensive roster, Jeff writes.  Jeff looked at the many paths the unpredictable Andrew Friedman could take this offseason, including a major shakeup in the outfield.

Latest On Ben Zobrist

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Ben Zobrist is the Mets’ “No. 1 target” this offseason, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links).  The Nationals, Braves, and Giants are also among the leading teams for Zobrist.  The Royals, meanwhile, are not expected to offer the same type of money that those other clubs are.

Rosenthal adds that the veteran’s market is likely to become more defined over the next few days.  Zobrist is seeking a four-year deal and a club’s willingness to go from three to four years will “likely be [the] deciding factor” for the veteran, per Rosenthal.  Recently, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that there are as many as 20 teams with interest in the versatile switch-hitter and he listed the Cardinals as one of the most interested teams.

Zobrist is highly valued thanks to his incredible versatility coupled with his strong OBP.  However, with his 35th birthday coming up in May, teams are understandably hesitant about giving him a four-year deal.  On the plus side, however, Zobrist will not require the forfeiture of a draft pick since the midseason deal that sent him to KC made him ineligible for a qualifying offer.  Earlier this offseason, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted that Zobrist would net a three-year, $51MM deal.

Red Sox Shopping Hanley Ramirez

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There’s “talk in the front office” that new Red Sox baseball chief Dave Dombrowski is trying to move Hanley Ramirez, according to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe.  Cafardo adds that the Mariners, Orioles, and Angels “seem to be the targets” of DD’s campaign to relocate the pricey veteran after he turned in a massively disappointing season in 2015.  It’s not immediately clear if those three clubs have interest, however.

Of course, trading Ramirez is probably easier said than done.  Just last week, five general managers told Cafardo that they wouldn’t take on Ramirez even if the Red Sox picked up the tab on half of his remaining salary.  Ramirez is owed $66MM through 2018 and he has a $22MM vesting option for 2019, so even at a reduced rate, that’s still a hefty price for a player coming off such a rough season on and off the field.

For their part, the Sox say that they’re still committed to Ramirez playing first base for them in 2016.     They’re also hopeful that the soon-to-be 32-year-old can bounce back by dropping some weight.  Ramirez was officially listed at 225 pounds this season but he was apparently tipping the scales at 240 pounds.  All in all, Ramirez’s first year in Boston was dreadful.  Despite hitting 19 home runs, he produced just a .291 OBP, and he struggled horribly with the transition from the infield to left field.  At the time of his signing, Ramirez was coming off of a year in which he posted a .283/.369/.448 slash line with 13 homers for the Dodgers with a .300/.373/.500 slash line for his career.

On a related note, Cafardo hears that the Red Sox have discussed free agent slugger Chris Davis internally.  However, that would only be doable if the Red Sox were able to move Ramirez.  Also, the Red Sox would have to weigh their desire to add Davis’ bat against their need for a frontline starter.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: CarGo, Donaldson, Maybin

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Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere:

Please send submissions to Zach at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.

Rosenthal On Tigers, Nats, Papelbon, Cespedes

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has tons of great info and insight in his latest column.  The whole article is worth a read, but here’s a look at a few of the highlights:

  • Before acquiring Francisco Rodriguez via trade, the Tigers made an offer to free agent Joakim Soria, major league sources tell Rosenthal.  They also inquired on a few Nationals relievers, including Jonathan Papelbon and Drew Storen.  George A. King III of the New York Post first reported that there were discussions earlier this month between Soria and Detroit.  Soria is seeking a three-year, $27MM deal, so that was likely too rich for the Tigers’ blood.
  • Papelbon and Storen have been mentioned in rumors for some time now and sources tell Rosenthal that both are likely to be moved.  Meanwhile, talk persists that the Nationals have been one of the clubs trying to pry closer Aroldis Chapman away from the Reds.  All in all, it seems like Washington is looking for a major overhaul in their bullpen.  Still, the Nats feel that a left-hander hitter is their biggest need and they could also be on the hunt for a starting pitcher.
  • The Rangers inquired on Yoenis Cespedes multiple times when he was crushing homers for the A’s, sources tell Rosenthal, but it still seems unlikely that they’ll send the money necessary to sign him this winter.  Last week, Steve Adams looked at the Rangers’ various options as a part of MLBTR’s Offseason Outlook series.

Dodgers, Cuban OF Yusniel Diaz Agree To $15.5MM Deal

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The Dodgers have agreed to sign Cuban outfielder Yusniel Diaz to a $15.5MM deal, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.  Furthermore, the Dodgers and Omar Estevez have agreed to a pact that will pay the infielder $6MM. When considering the 100 percent luxury tax the Dodgers will have to pay on each player due to the fact that they’ve already shattered their league-allotted international bonus pool, Los Angeles will be paying a combined $43MM or so to add the pair of prospects to its ranks.

Even though he’s only 18, Diaz has been known in Cuban baseball circles for years thanks to his offensive prowess while playing center field in Cuba, Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required and recommended) wrote earlier this year.  In fact, as a 14-year-old in Cuba’s 16-and-under league, Diaz garnered the attention of scouts when he slashed .367/.519/.517 across 80 plate appearances.  In his writeup, Badler praised Diaz for his athleticism, speed, and his production in Serie Nacional, where he faced competition at his own age level as well as veteran talents.  Despite having seen time in the corner outfield in the past, Diaz’s best position is center field and that’s where Badler sees him playing at the major league level.

Diaz likely would have been chosen as Serie Nacional’s Rookie of the Year in 2015 but that award went to another player after he defected from Cuba in April.  In August, Major League Baseball issued a memo to all teams announcing that Diaz was free to sign.  Badler ID’d the Dodgers as one of the logical destinations for Diaz at the time since they were one of the clubs that were already over their 2015-16 bonus pools and facing spending restrictions starting on July 2 next year.  The Dodgers will be handcuffed from spending more than $300K on any international player during the next two periods, so they essentially decided to go out with a bang before entering their penalty period.

Estevez, meanwhile, “showed above-average power in games and solid raw power in batting practice,” Sanchez writes.  While he doesn’t have the strongest arm out there, he does have good instincts for the second base position.  The Dodgers’ international haul for the 2015-16 period has been rather expensive between Diaz, Estevez, Cuban right-handed pitcher Yadiel Alvarez ($16MM), outfielder Starling Heredia ($2.6MM), infielder Ronny Brito ($2MM), outfielders Christopher Arias ($500K) and Carlos Rincon ($350K), and shortstop Oneal Cruz ($950K).  That grouping along cost more than $87MM when factoring in luxury tax expenditures, although by Sanchez’s count, the Dodgers have signed 28 international prospects since the signing period began on July 2.

MLBTR Originals

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A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the last seven days:

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