East Notes: Hamels, Nationals, Detwiler, Orioles
While the Phillies have some interest in locking Cole Hamels up long-term, but it would appear that Matt Cain‘s $112.5MM extension complicated things for them earlier this week. Where do things stand now between the Phillies and the left-hander? More on that and other items out of the Eastern divisions..
- Thirty days have passed since the Phillies last had contract talks with Hamels, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The club tried to lock the left-hander down to a deal similar to Jered Weaver‘s late last season (five-years, $85MM) but were rebuffed.
- MLB.com’s Bill Ladson wasn’t surprised to see the Nationals demote John Lannan to Triple-A Syracuse while keeping Ross Detwiler on the 25-man roster. Just two days after the Nats traded for Gio Gonzalez, a baseball source told Ladson that the club wanted to move Lannan as they felt that Detwiler was ready to breakout.
- Orioles‘ 2006 first-round pick Billy Rowell has agreed to give pitching a try after spending six seasons in the minors as a corner infielder, tweets Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). The former ninth-overall pick hit just .227/.304/.244 in 41 games with the O’s Double-A affiliate last season.
NL West Notes: Giants, Villalona, Padres, Dodgers
After getting caught up on the details of the Dodgers sale earlier this evening, let's take a look at other news out of the National League West..
- Giants Vice President Bobby Evans says that Angel Villalona is once again on the restricted list, according to Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter). This leaves San Fran with 39 player on the 40-man roster, making things easier if they need to purchase Joaquin Arias' contract or tack on a pitcher (Twitter link). Villalona, 21, is facing legal issues in his native Dominican Republic.
- A source familiar with negotiations told Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter) that the Padres' stake in FOX Sports San Diego is 20%, not the 51% figure that has been previously reported. A deal will likely be announced next week between Tuesday and Thursday.
- Scouts have told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video link) throughout Spring Training that the Dodgers are a sleeper team in 2012. With new ownership, many believe that they'll be able to address their team needs with a deal prior to the trade deadline. Rosenthal also gives the Giants a thumbs-up for their extension of Matt Cain.
Latest On Dodgers Sale
More details have surfaced about the term of the Dodgers' sale to a group of investors including basketball legend Magic Johnson. All news is courtesy of Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, via Twitter..
- The final purchase price of the Dodgers amounts to $1.588 billion in cash with $412MM in debt assumption, Shaikin tweets. CFO Peter Wilhelm says that the new group will assume no debt beyond that $412MM figure (Twitter link).
- Ned Colletti is listed as the club's General Manager in the sale documents (link). For the time being, Wilhelm is staying as treasurer and CFO (link).
- Former owner Frank McCourt and vice chairman Jeff Ingram will resign, while language in the deal forbids buyers from "speech that disparages, criticizes or is injurious to the reputation of" McCourt.(Twitter links).
- In filing, Dodgers attorneys called the sale "a remarkable outcome." The team filed for bankruptcy on June 27th as they declared that they were short of cash to make payroll on June 30th, Shaikin tweets.
- The Blackstone Group, the global investment firm that handled the sale for McCourt, says that 15 parties submitted bids for the team (via Twitter).
Indians Extend Asdrubal Cabrera
The Indians announced that they have officially signed shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera to a two-year extension for 2013-14. The deal is worth $16.5MM and will delay Cabrera's free agency by one year.
Cabrera, who is represented by Octagon, avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $4.55MM this offseason. This new contract buys out his final year of arbitration eligibility as well as one free agent season. He'll earn $6.5MM in 2013 and $10MM in 2014, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweets.
The 26-year-old enjoyed a breakout season in 2011, batting .273/.332/.460 with a career-high 25 home runs and 17 stolen bases. Cabrera has made several notable highlight defensive plays over the past few seasons, but Ultimate Zone Rating hasn't been a fan of his defense at shortstop, pegging him at -12.6 runs below average per 150 games in 2011.
When examining Cabrera's extension candidacy this offseason (prior to his arbitration settlement), MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested a four-year, $27MM would make sense for both sides. If the extension goes through at $16.5MM, Tim's $6.75MM average annual value would be close, though for one fewer year; the Indians would control Cabrera for three years at $21.05MM — slightly more than $7MM per season.
Steve Adams and Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported the agreement and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link) reported the deal's value and that the sides were nearing an agreement.
Talks Accelerate Between Giants, Cain
The volume of dialogue has increased between the Giants and Matt Cain's representatives as Friday's deadline edges near, sources tell Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com. While the deadline of Friday has been characterized as soft, the pitcher would like talks to be wrapped up prior to the Giants' Opening Day.
Sources tell Baggarly that Cain's camp has not shown any signs of lowering their asking price. It's believed that five years and $100MM is the floor in negotiations and it's not known if the Giants have even offered that much. In a chat with fans on Thursday, CEO Larry Baer insisted the club was not making "lowball" offers to the 27-year-old.
Central Notes: Reds, Indians, Pirates, Royals
A look at some items out of the Central divisions..
- The Reds' acquisition of right-hander J.J. Hoover from Atlanta kills any chance the Rangers had of shipping pitchers Mark Lowe or Koji Uehara to Cincinnati, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The Reds sent Juan Francisco to the Braves earlier today to land Hoover.
- The Indians need to see a significant boost in attendance this year in order to allow themselves to spend, writes Sheldon Ocker of the Beacon Journal. One way or another, the Tribe should have some breathing room this offseason with the contracts of Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore coming off of the books.
- Pirates owner Bob Nutting expects his club to contend for the division title, write Bob Cohn and Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Former Nats GM Jim Bowden also weighed in on the club's future and said that he believes they will hit their stride in two years when Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon are ready.
- Royals General Manager Dayton Moore spoke to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times about employing the Rays' strategy of locking up players before they become too pricey. Over the weekend, Moore inked his third extension of the offseason when he signed Alex Gordon to a four-year, $37.5MM deal.
MLBTR Originals
Here's a look back at the original reporting and analysis from MLBTR's writing team this week..
- Tim Dierkes reported that Red Sox lefty Jon Lester and Rangers reliever Mike Adams changed agencies to follow former SFX agent Josh Yates over to ACES.
- Our Offseason In Review series continued with looks at the Pirates, Nationals, Padres, Red Sox, Cubs, and Tigers.
- Nineteen years ago this week, Charlie Brown went yard on the great-grandaughter of Roy Hobbs. Mike Axisa commemorated this historic moment with a look at some of the best stuff from around the web in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- On Wednesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith fielded your questions for MLBTR's weekly chat. You can check out the transcript right here.
- This is a Make Or Break Year for Twins right-hander Scott Baker, Mike writes.
- Mike Axisa gave us an update on this year's Rule 5 draft picks.
- If you're looking for an extra edge in your fantasy league, RotoAuthority.com needs to be among your daily reads. Tim recapped some of the best reads from the staff this week.
Zack Greinke Close To Picking Agent
Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke continues to interview agents for representation and is expected to make a decision this week prior to Opening Day, a source tells Jim Bowden of ESPN (via Twitter). Casey Close of Excel Sports Management appears to be the frontrunner, according to Bowden (Twitter link).
Greinke has been operating without an agent since leaving CAA last spring. The 28-year-old figures to be one of the top free agent starters following this season and says that he is open to signing an extension with Milwaukee. Earlier this month, Greinke indicated that he wouldn't look to hire an agent until after the 2012 season.
For a look at other players represented by Excel Sports Management, head over to MLBTR's Agency Database.
Braves Acquire Juan Francisco From Reds
The Braves acquired third baseman Juan Francisco from the Reds in exchange for right-hander J.J. Hoover, according to a press release from the team.
Francisco, 24, has appeared in 81 games for the Reds over the last three seasons, posting a slash line of .284/.331/.450. The left-handed hitter was out-of-options and MLB.com's Mark Sheldon writes that he showed up to camp overweight and did not properly rehabilitate a right calf injury that he suffered over the winter.
Hoover, 24, will report to the Reds' Triple-A affiliate. The 6'3" hurler split time between Double-A and Triple-A last season, making 14 starts and 29 relief appearances. In total, Hoover registered a 2.64 ERA with 10.0 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 2011.
Cafardo On Pelfrey, Thornton, Byrd, Gregg, Padres
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe ranks every manager in the majors, one through 30. Cafardo's top five skippers in the game for 2012 are Joe Maddon (Rays), Jim Leyland (Tigers), Mike Scioscia (Angels), Charlie Manuel (Phillies), and Joe Girardi (Yankees). Here's more from Cafardo..
- While the Mets were considering releasing right-hander Mike Pelfrey, they likely won’t do that because there should be a trade market for the veteran. The 28-year-old makes $5.6MM on a non-guaranteed deal and the Mets may be able to get something from a club looking for a back-end starter.
- White Sox left-hander Matt Thornton is a player who always draws interest, though other clubs wish he didn’t make $12MM over the next two years. With Hector Santiago and Will Ohman on the team, the closer could again be trade bait.
- The Cubs may eat some money to move outfielder Marlon Byrd, who is scheduled to earn $6.5MM this season. They may have suitors in the Braves, Phillies, and others. A National League scout indicated that Byrd’s name is being mentioned more and more as the end of spring training approaches.
- Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg is available as the O's try to rid themselves of extraneous players and save money. Gregg makes $5.6MM this year, and the Orioles don’t want his 2013 contract to kick in at $6MM if he finishes 50 games in 2012.
- Cafardo expects long-term extension talks between Cole Hamels and the Phillies to move slowly.
- One American League owner said of the Padres, "They’re probably a half-billion to $700MM purchase. And I don’t believe that many, or any, of the finalists for the Dodgers would be interested."