Cafardo On Oswalt, Angels, Bourjos, Rodriguez, Lowe
Here's a look at some highlights from today's column by Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe..
- One National League GM said that Roy Oswalt's desire to pitch closer to home has some teams wondering if the hurler might not be enthused about pitching this season. "Everyone knows he has back issues, but the thing that bothered teams was that all of a sudden, he wanted to be closer to home and wanted to start picking and choosing where he wanted to be. A lot of people felt he lost that desire he used to have to pitch, and now we’re seeing him say, ‘Maybe I’ll show up somewhere around midseason and make just as much as I’d make if I signed now,'" said the GM.
- The Angels are unlikely to outright release Bobby Abreu as they owe him $9MM, but their efforts to deal him have been fruitless so far.
- Peter Bourjos, meanwhile, is still prominent on the Nationals’ wish list for center fielders, but the Angels want considerable value back if they deal him. With Torii Hunter in the final year of his contract, there is room for the Halos to keep both Bourjos and Mike Trout.
- Astros left-hander Wandy Rodriguez will be a top "go get" guy before the deadline for teams needing an extra piece. Astros people remain surprised at the lack of interest in Rodriguez, even with the club willing to pick up about half the $36MM owed to him.
- Indians pitcher Derek Lowe has strong interest in returning to the Red Sox after this season as a starter or reliever. Cafardo writes that the veteran could have been an interesting solution as the BoSox's fourth or fifth starter, but picking up a large chunk his salary from the Braves didn't interest Boston.
- Jason Varitek's friends still insist that he is leaning toward retirement as he can’t envision himself in a non-Red Sox uniform. However, he feels that he can still play and at least be a backup catcher somewhere.
Nationals, Zimmerman Agree To Extension
The Nationals brought in several new players this offseason, but they may have just made their most important move. Washington has agreed to terms on a new $100MM six-year contract extension with Ryan Zimmerman, with a club option for a seventh year worth $24MM. In conjunction with his current deal, the new agreement can keep the 27-year-old in the nation's capital through 2020 if the option is exercised. Saturday was the Brodie Van Wagenen client's self-imposed deadline for a new deal.
Zimmerman, 27, was already under contract through 2013 thanks to the five-year, $40MM contract he signed in April 2009. He is slated to earn $12MM this season and $14MM next season, and would have become a free agent this winter had he not signed that first extension. No-trade protection was said to be the final hurdle in talks and the new deal will provide Zimmerman with a full no-trade clause.
The third baseman also agreed to $10MM personal services deferral in order to give the Nationals flexibility, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Zimmerman's current contract will remain unchanged, Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.com tweets.
Since making his big league debut a few weeks after being the fourth overall pick in 2005, Zimmerman is a .288/.355/.479 career hitter with four 20+ homer and four 30+ double seasons to his credit. Over the last three years, he's produced a .296/.370/.499 batting line with a Gold Glove, an All-Star Game berth, two Silver Sluggers, and a pair of top-25 finishes in the MVP voting. Only Evan Longoria and Adrian Beltre have posted a better UZR at the hot corner than Zimmerman (+24.6 UZR) since 2009. In terms of wins over replacement, he's been the 12th most valuable position player in baseball over the last three seasons (17.1 WAR).
As with every long-term contract, the Nationals are assuming a significant amount of risk. Zimmerman missed more than two months due to abdominal surgery last summer, and he missed close to two months with a shoulder problem in 2008. After playing in 150+ games in his first two full seasons, he's topped the 150-game plateau just once in the last four years. Although he's an excellent defender at the hot corner at the moment, Zimmerman may have to move to first towards the end of the deal, a move that will be easier to swallow if third base prospect and 2011 sixth overall pick Anthony Rendon develops as expected.
GM Mike Rizzo has ensured that his core can remain intact through at least 2015. Zimmerman, Jayson Werth, Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Danny Espinosa, Wilson Ramos, Tyler Clippard, Drew Storen, Rendon, and Bryce Harper are all under contract or team control for at least another four seasons. Center field remains a long-term question, but next offseason's free agent crop offers a number of excellent candidates, including B.J. Upton, Michael Bourn, and Shane Victorino.
As our Extension Tracker shows, Zimmerman's contract is the fifth $100MM+ extension handed out over the last calendar year, and the third multi-year extension given out by the Nationals this offseason. Mike Morse (two years, $10.5MM) and Gonzalez (five years, $42MM) also signed for multiple years this winter while Zimmermann and Clippard remain extension candidates as well. Washington is very clearly a team on the rise, and now they know their franchise player will be around when the rebuild results in a playoff spot.
Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post first reported the agreement while Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) reported the contract length. Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio (via Twitter) reported the deal's worth. Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.com tweeted that the option year is worth $24MM.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Quick Hits: Greinke, Indians, Aybar, Kazmir, Matsui
Angels GM Jerry Dipoto recently said that it's unlikely the club will work out an extension with Erick Aybar before Opening Day. However, Dipoto acknowledged that it's very much a possibility that the club will work out a new deal with the shortstop. Here's more on Aybar and other notes from around the baseball…
- Zack Greinke helped the Brewers evaluate pitchers prior to the draft according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, asking to see video of prospects before the team chose hurlers Taylor Jungmann and Jed Bradley in the first round. Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel says (on Twitter) that Greinke is at Arizona State scouting right-hander Brady Rodgers with Craig Counsell tonight.
- Within this article comparing the Phillies to the late-90s Indians, Sam Donnellon of The Philadelphia Daily News says the Tribe had a deal in place to acquire Curt Schilling in 2000. "I banged hard on that one," said then-Indians GM John Hart when asked how he felt after the deal fell through.
- Aybar told reporters that he hopes to remain with the Angels beyond this season, writes Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. The 28-year-old declined to go into details about the kind of deal he’s looking for, but the Halos might not be willing to shell out major money for him with prospect Jean Segura in the fold.
- The Mets were the only club to watch Scott Kazmir throw yesterday and Sandy Alderson didn't exactly offer a ringing endorsement of the pitcher, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. A reunion between the club and left-hander is unlikely, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
- Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) spoke with someone that said Hideki Matsui isn't close to signing anywhere. The veteran will likely wait and see which teams have needs as spring training goes on.
Central Notes: Sizemore, Kendall, Reds, Votto
Here’s a look at some items out of the Central divisions..
- Even though the outfielder has suffered yet another setback, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com doesn’t see the re-signing of Grady Sizemore as a mistake for the Indians. The 29-year-old is set to earn $5MM with as much as $4MM in incentives in 2012.
- Jason Kendall enjoys serving as a coach for the Royals but still hopes to play again, writes Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star. The 37-year-old hasn’t played since his stint with Kansas City in 2010.
- Reds CEO Bob Castellini also gave a solid endorsement of skipper Dusty Baker, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The manager is in the final year of his contract.
- Castellini says that there’s mutual interest between the club and Joey Votto in completing a new deal, tweets Morosi. The slugger has been tight-lipped on contract talks but acknowledged that they are something of a distraction. Ben Nicholson-Smith recently wrote that it could cost as much as $160MM to keep Votto signed through 2020.
- Castellini also acknowledged that the club is active in talks with second baseman Brandon Phillips, Morosi tweets.
- Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio wants to wrap up contract extensions for GM Doug Melvin and manager Ron Roenicke before Opening Day, writes Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Meanwhile, Attanasio didn’t say much about free agents-to-be Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum.
Phillies, Kendrick Agree To Two-Year Deal
MONDAY: Kendrick's contract pays $3MM in 2012 and $4.5MM in '13, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. The righty can make up to $500K per season in incentives based on starts.
SUNDAY: Kyle Kendrick has agreed to a two-year, $7.5MM contract with the Phillies, the team announced. The right-hander, avoided arbitration with the club earlier this offseason by agreeing to a one-year, $3.585MM deal. This new contract will cover the 2012-13 seasons, effectively overwriting that previous agreement. Kendrick, earned $2.45MM in 2011 as he posted a 3.22 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 114.2 innings of work.
The deal buys out two of the 27-year-old Kendrick's arbitration seasons. As a Super Two player, he'll be arbitration-eligible for a fourth and final time following the 2013 season. As a fellow Super Two starter, Jason Hammel's two-year, $7.75MM extension with the Rockies last year likely served as somewhat of a framework for Kendrick and his representation at SFX. Kendrick's deal looks looks a bit more favorable, as he'll earn slightly less money despite the fact that he has a lower career ERA over more innings with more wins than Hammel did when he signed his deal — all factors an arbitration panel would consider heavily.
MLBTR's Extension Tracker shows that Kendrick joins Hammel, Ryan Vogelsong, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum, Chris Carpenter, and R.A. Dickey as pitchers to sign a two-year extension over the past two years. A look at our Transaction Tracker reveals that this is the fourth multi-year deal given out by GM Ruben Amaro Jr. this offseason. Jonathan Papelbon, Jimmy Rollins, and Laynce Nix all secured multi-year commitments via free agency.
Tim Dierkes and Steve Adams contributed to this post.
NL East Notes: Phillies, Wright, Mets, Blanton
This morning we learned that Mike Cameron has decided to retire after 17 seasons in the majors. The 39-year-old played for eight different teams during his career and won three Gold Gloves. Here's more on the Nats and other notes from around the National League East..
- Last week, the three-way trade the Phillies were looking to send Joe Blanton to the Angels for Bobby Abreu, then flip Abreu to the Yankees for A.J. Burnett, sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Phillies' thinking was that two years of Burnett would have provided at least a bit of a safety net if they lost Cole Hamels to free agency, Olney tweets.
- Cameron's retirement will force the Nationals to get creative in center field and possibly look for another right-handed hitter at the position, writes Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider. Alternatively, Washington could let either Rick Ankiel or Roger Bernadina take the job outright or move Jayson Werth to center field and put Bryce Harper in right.
- Bill Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter) spoke with Cameron who said Nationals GM Mike Rizzo tried to talk the veteran out of retiring. The center fielder said that he made up his mind last Wednesday.
- Third baseman David Wright's future with the Mets is likely independent of the club's performance, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post. The Mets hold a $16MM team option on the 29-year-old for next season, but Wright can void that option if he is traded.
- Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton isn't worried about hearing his name in trade rumors, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Phillies have reportedly shopped Blanton in order to create payroll flexibility and explored a three-way trade to land A.J. Burnett before he was traded to the Pirates.
MLBTR Originals
Here's a look at this week's original reporting and analysis from the MLBTR staff..
- The Reds agreed to sign right-hander Brett Tomko to a minor league deal and MLBTR was the first to learn of the news. The 14-year veteran split the 2011 season between the Rangers and their Triple-A affiliate.
- Which players might bring draft pick compensation after 2012? Tim examined the field beyond the obvious players such as Matt Cain, Cole Hamels, and Zack Greinke.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith examined Garrett Jones' arbitration case. The Bucs wound up beating Jones and the 30-year-old will earn $2.25MM instead of the $2.5MM he was seeking.
- Ben was the first to report that Shawn Camp's deal with the Mariners will be worth $750K. Camp, 36, posted a 4.21 ERA, 4.3 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 0.41 HR/9, and 53.5% groundball rate in 66 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays last year.
- MLBTR compiled a list of players who are out of options in 2012 in one handy post.
- If you missed out on the weekly chat with Tim, you can review the transcript here.
- More than 31% of MLBTR readers believe that the Yankees' next DH will be Raul Ibanez.
- This week's edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In featured retrospectives on the life and career of Gary Carter.
- The Blue Jays extended Casey Janssen with a two-year, $5.9MM deal and MLBTR had the payment breakdown.
- Who had the better offseason between the Marlins or the Nationals? MLBTR readers were more or less split, with roughly 45% picking Miami, 41% choosing the Nats, and 13% calling it a draw.
- Take a look here for all the ways to enjoy MLBTR.
- MLBTR is now looking for comment moderators.
Yankees Negotiating With Ibanez, Chavez
SUNDAY,8:40pm: Eric Chavez confirmed to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com (via Twitter) that he was waiting on the A.J. Burnett deal to come back to the Yanks, but the veteran says that his return is still 50-50.
6:06pm: The Yankees have a framework in place for a deal worth about $1MM plus incentives with Raul Ibanez, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The deal has been on hold, however, because the club first had to be sure that they didn't have to take on a DH type such as Garrett Jones, Travis Hafner, or Bobby Abreu in an A.J. Burnett trade, Sherman tweets.
There's also mutual interest between Eric Chavez and the club in a return and that deal would also work out to $1MM plus incentives, but not before Ibanez's deal is finalized (Twitter links).
SATURDAY, 2:46pm: The Yankees have been negotiating extensively with representatives for Raul Ibanez, tweets Ken Davidoff of Newsday. An agreement seems very likely once the A.J. Burnett trade is finalized.
This morning, we learned that the Yankees still prefer Ibanez to Johnny Damon because he's better against right-handers and in the field. The club is reportedly intent on adding two bats to the fold.
K-Rod Mulls Legal Action Against Former Agents
Brewers reliever Francisco Rodriguez, claiming that his former agents at WMG deceived him, may file a grievance or lawsuit against them, his attorney told Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
In the final year of his deal with the Mets, the hurler believed that he had a limited no-trade clause in which he could block deals to ten teams, including Milwaukee. However, a no-trade provision was never filed on his behalf and the closer fired Paul Kinzer and Arn Tellem in favor of Scott Boras. A few days later, Rodriguez was traded to the Brewers.
"They did something atrocious,'' the attorney said. "Their utter arrogance makes this so evil. It's like rear-ending somebody, but instead of stopping your car and trading insurance information, these guys blew up the car, took off, and ran away. They committed negligence, and turned it into a fraud case."
Boras later negotiated a $500K payout to eliminate a $17.5MM vesting option in hopes that Rodriguez would still be used as a part-time closer, which never materialized. The Brewers' subsequent use of Rodriguez as a set-up man likely diminished his value on the free agent market entering this season, Nightengale writes.
Johnson said that Rodriguez is upset at the circumstances that led to his trade to Milwaukee, but not with the organization itself. The attorney also says that If Rodriguez had been aware a no-trade provision was never filed during his career, he would have been much more open to signing an extension with the Mets. Johnson says that the Wasserman Group promised to pay Rodriguez at least $1MM prior to a mediation session last week but reneged.
Quick Hits: Appel, Angels, Uehara, Garland, Oswalt
On this day in 1982, the Padres traded Ozzie Smith, Steve Mura, and Al Olmsted to the Cardinals for Luis DeLeon, Sixto Lezcano and Garry Templeton. The trade was sparked by both Smith and Templeton having issues with their respective teams. Here's a look at today's links..
- Stanford righty Mark Appel isn't a lock for the No. 1 pick in the draft, writes ESPN's Keith Law (Insider req'd). Appel touched 97mph in the first inning of his first start, but sat 91-95mph for the next six innings and doesn't command his fastball well enough in the zone to miss as many bats as he should, says Law. Law also looks at some Stanford hitters who should go high in the draft and notes some impressive velocity from around the country yesterday.
- The Angels have hired former big leaguers Gary Varsho and Jeff Cirillo as scouts, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
- Rangers reliever Koji Uehara wants to get his situation settled and know where he's playing this season, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Texas has been talking with clubs about a possible deal, including the Athletics.
- The Indians are still working through details in their talks with Jon Garland, tweets Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. The pitcher was originally set to undergo a physical on Monday but that now seems unlikely.
- When asked about adding Roy Oswalt or anyone else, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told reporters, "We're always open for business here," tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- Dusty Baker only has one year remaining on his contract, but the Reds skipper says that he isn't concerned about it, writes Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
- Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner told Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter) that he hasn't heard from the team about a long-term contract yet.
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) has the contract figures on two minor league signings from earlier this offseason. Joel Pineiro will earn $1.5MM if he makes the big league roster with the Phillies while Ryan Spilborghs will receive a $1MM base salary if he's in the majors with the Indians.