Cubs, Angels Discussed Marmol For Haren Swap
9:39pm: The Red Sox were said to also have interest in Haren but it doesn't appear that they will trade for him either, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Meanwhile, a source tells Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com (via Twitter) that the deal is not necessarily dead but is unlikely at this point.
9:27pm: Marmol would have approved a trade to the Angels, but the Cubs pulled the deal off of the table, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Angels are still talking with other clubs about Haren as they close in on the 11pm CST deadline to exercise his $15.5MM option.
9:20pm: The trade will not take place, a Cubs source tells Carrie Muskat of MLB.com (via Twitter).
8:42pm: The deal will take place if Marmol agrees to join the Angels, a source told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
8:29pm: The two sides haven't agreed to a trade, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Cubs did ask Marmol if he would waive his no-trade clause to go to the Halos, but the Angels are still speaking with other clubs (Twitter link).
8:09pm: The Angels and Cubs may be waiting on MLB approval because of the money being exchanged, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
7:56pm: Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (via Twitter) hears that the deal has not been completed and the Angels are still active in discussions with more than one team.
6:49pm: The Cubs have acquired Dan Haren from the Angels in exchange for Carlos Marmol, confirms Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com (via Twitter). The deal was first reported by Yancen Pujols of El Caribe (via Twitter, Spanish link).
The deal brings an end to an eventful week of rumors surrounding Haren, who was unlikely to see his $15.5MM option exercised by the Angels. The Halos' deadline for picking up Haren's 2013 option is at 11pm CST and it's possible that it has been exercised as a part of the deal, but there is word on that yet. The Halos deadline for picking up the option is 11pm CST. We learned today that both the Cubs and Red Sox were in on the 32-year-old but Theo Epstein & Co. have apparently won out.
Marmol is entering the final year of his contract which will pay him $9.8MM. The 30-year-old turned in a 3.42 ERA with 11.7 K/9 and 7.3 BB/9 through 61 appearances last season. Marmol has spent his entire seven-year big league career with the Cubs and has a 3.38 ERA with 11.7 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 during that stretch.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) notes that the Angels could help close the gap in salary by contributing all or part of Haren's $3.5MM buyout.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Ishikawa, Torres, Ford, Nickeas
Tonight’s outright assignments..
- The Brewers announced via press release that they have outrighted first baseman Travis Ishikawa to Triple-A Nashville. Ishikawa, 29, hit .257/.329/.428 with four homers in 94 games last season.
- The Rockies announced (via Twitter) that they have outrighted right-hander Carlos Torres. In related moves, the club selected the contracts of right-hander Josh Sullivan, reinstated Todd Helton, Juan Nicasio, and Christian Friedrich from the 60-day DL. The right-hander appeared in 31 games for the Rockies this season posting a 5.26 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9.
- The Orioles announced (via Twitter) that they have outrighted Lew Ford, Zach Phillips and Steven Tolleson to Triple-A Norfolk. Ford turned in another strong Triple-A batting line in 2012, hitting .331/.390/.550 with 11 homers in 62 games.
- Mets catcher Mike Nickeas cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Las Vegas, tweets Andy McCullough of The Star-Ledger. Nickeas saw time in 47 big league games for the Mets this season as one of several backstops to pitch in at the position.
- The Twins announced that right-hander Sam Deduno has been assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester. The move will help make room for the acquisitions of Thomas Field, Josh Roenicke, and Alexi Casilla off of waivers.
- The Royals sent catcher Manny Pina to Triple-A Omaha on outright assignment, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. In related moves, left-hander Danny Duffy and right-hander Felipe Paulino have been reinstated from the 60-day disabled list. Pina, 25, hit .260/.389/.397 in 162 Double-A plate appearances last year.
Agency Notes: Scutaro, Gonzalez, Young Jr.
On a busy night in baseball, we've also seen some changes in representation. Of course, you can keep up on all agency news with MLBTR's Agency Database. Here's the latest..
- Marco Scutaro is now represented by agent Barry Praver, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. The Giants hope to re-sign the infielder this winter and by all accounts the interest appears to be mutual.
- Nationals left-hander Mike Gonzalez is now represented by Dan Lozano of MVP Sports Group, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Gonzalez was a client of Scott Boras last season when he joined the club on a minor league deal. The Nats would like to re-tool their bullpen this winter but are said to have interest in retaining the 34-year-old.
- Rockies outfielder Eric Young Jr. has left CAA to hook on with Dan Lozano at MVP, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Young is not yet arbitration eligible and won't hit the open market until after the 2016 season.
Padres Designate Spence, Tekotte For Assignment
The Padres announced that they have designated left-handed pitcher Josh Spence and outfielder Blake Tekotte for assignment. The moves helped create space for the reinstatements of left-hander Cory Luebke, right-hander Joe Wieland, catcher Nick Hundley, and infielder/outfielders Kyle Blanks and James Darnell. The Padres' 40-man roster is now at capacity.
Spence, 24, appeared in 11 games for the Padres this season but spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A where he posted a 4.20 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 31 appearances. Tekotte, 25, hit .243/.284/.402 with nine homers in his first Triple-A season.
Quick Hits: Rockies, White Sox, Peavy, D’Backs
The Rockies have six known candidates for their managerial vacancy in Jason Giambi, bench coach Tom Runnells, former shortstop Walt Weiss, Jerry Manuel, former Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin, and current Diamondbacks bench coach Matt Williams. While they have expressed interest in Giants bench coach Ron Wotus, a major league source told Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post that the list is not likely to be expanded beyond those six. The source didn't completely rule out the possibility of more names being added, though Wotus hasn't had an interview scheduled with the club. Here's more from around baseball..
- In a conference call with reporters, White Sox General Manager Rick Hahn said that the short length of Jake Peavy's deal was "absolutely key" in getting the deal done, writes Jim Margalus of South Side Sox. Hahn went on to reiterate that he hopes to have Kevin Youkilis, A.J. Pierzynski, and Brett Myers back with the club in 2013.
- After acquiring reliever Heath Bell and shortstop Cliff Pennington, the Diamondbacks don't have a lot of free agent needs this winter, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com. General Manager Kevin Towers will now look to add a starting pitcher, left-handed reliever, and possibly a third baseman. Towers obviously isn't averse to trading and could go that route rather than looking to the open market.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker runs down this year's NPB free agents with possible major league interest. Relievers Kyuji Fujikawa and Hideki Okajima are already well-known but shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima and second baseman Kensuke Tanaka could also make the jump this winter. The Yankees won the rights to sign Nakajima last year but were unable to come to terms with him on a deal. Tanaka appears to be a prototypical small-ball player and is reportedly willing to take a minor league deal.
- Reds pitching coach Bryan Price has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Marlins' managerial vacancy, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Dodgers Re-Sign Brandon League
10:24pm: The 2016 vesting option can escalate from $7.5MM to $9MM based on games finished, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (via Twitter). League can also earn an additional $500K per year based on games finished.
8:27pm: League's option for 2016 is worth $7.5MM and will vest if he finishes 55 games in 2015, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
8:01pm: The deal, negoatiated by League's representatives at ACES, is worth $22.5MM across three years with a vesting option, according to Tim Dierkes (via Twitter).
7:01pm: The Dodgers have re-signed reliever Brandon League, a source tells Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). There's no word on the dollar amount yet but Hernandez reports that the deal is for three years (Twitter link).
League's representatives told Hernandez on Saturday afternoon that the two sides were discussing a three-year contract. The 29-year-old earned $5MM last season in his final year as an arbitration eligible player.
The Dodgers acquired League on July 30th for a pair of minor leaguers, outfielder Leon Landry and right-hander Logan Bawcom. In 28 appearances for the Dodgers last season, the California native posted a 2.30 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9. League was less-than-stellar in Seattle but rebounded nicely in Los Angeles and finished out the year as closer.
The Dodgers are hoping to keep most of their bullpen in place and General Manager Ned Colletti has said that he hopes to hang on to League, Jamey Wright, and Randy Choate. As a whole, the Dodgers' pen had a 3.23 ERA on the year, good for fourth-best in the National League and eighth-best in the majors.
Justin Germano Opts For Free Agency
Cubs pitcher Justin Germano has elected free agency after being outrighted to Triple-A Iowa last week, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. Germano was acquired from the Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations back in July.
The 30-year-old posted a 6.75 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in twelve starts and one relief appearance for the Cubs this season. The right-hander also made 16 starts and one relief appearance for the Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate in 2012, posting a 2.40 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 1.1 BB/9.
Rays Expected To Exercise Jose Molina’s Option
The Rays are expected to exercise their $1.8MM option on catcher Jose Molina for 2013, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The move effectively costs the Rays $1.5MM as Molina’s buyout was worth $300K.
At the very least, Molina provides Tampa Bay with a capable backup as they work with a limited budget this winter. The backstop hit .223/.286/.355 with eight homers in 274 plate appearances last year but was worked exceptionally well with the club’s pitchers.
The Rays now have just two options remaining in Fernando Rodney and Luke Scott. Rodney is expected to be retained at $2.5MM while Scott will likely get a buyout of $1MM over a $6MM salary.
Mets Exercise Options On Wright, Dickey
The Mets have formally picked up their contract options for David Wright and R.A. Dickey, sources told Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Mets began the early stages of extension talks with both players after the season but the discussions were reportedly moving slowly.
Wright's option for 2013 will pay him $16MM while Dickey's is for just $5MM. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported earlier today that the third baseman was discussing a long-term deal with the club. Officials told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that they expected an extension for Wright to cost about $143MM over eight years when including the 2013 option.
Some have speculated that Dickey could be in line for a Oliver Perez-type extension, which would be for three years at about $36MM. However, the Mets reportedly don't have anything that lucrative in mind. At the age of 38, Dickey's situation is a complicated one as knuckleballers historically haven't fared well beyond 40.
White Sox Exercise Option On Floyd, Decline Myers & Youkilis
The White Sox announced that they have exercised the 2013 club option on the contract of right-hander Gavin Floyd while declining 2013 options on right-hander Brett Myers and third baseman Kevin Youkilis. Floyd will earn a base salary of $9.5MM in 2013. Myers will receive a $3MM buyout instead of his $10MM option while Youkilis will get $1MM in place of his $13MM option.
Floyd, 29, posted a 4.29 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 29 starts last season. The exercising of the option means that Floyd will earn more in 2013 than he has in any previous year. The right-hander signed a four-year, $15.5MM extension with the club in March of 2009 that now totals $25MM across five years with today's news.
The White Sox acquired Myers and a pair of minor leaguers from the Astros in July for cash considerations and a low-level minor league pitcher. The 32-year-old had a fairly even split between the two clubs, as he posted a 3.31 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in total on the year. Keeping the reliever would have been fairly costly, but team president Kenny Williams recently said that Myers could potentially be moved into a starting role for the club next season. Of course, the White Sox could still sign the veteran to a new deal.
Youkilis' $13MM option was widely considered a slam dunk to be declined, but the club has been open abou their desire to keep him in Chicago. The veteran saw his offensive production improve after coming over from the Red Sox, hitting .236/.346/.425 with 15 homers in 344 plate appearances for the club.