Giants Optimistic About New Deal With Cain
There are early indications that the Giants will have a decent or better chance to lock Matt Cain on another long-term deal, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman adds that the club offered Tim Lincecum a deal worth at least $100MM over five years but is now focusing on one- and two-year deals after being rebuffed.
Giants people are saying only that talks are "ongoing'' with Cain, but there seems to be a fair amount of optimism they can keep Cain for less than $20MM a season. Cain already took one long team-friendly deal when he agreed to a three-year, $27.25MM contract prior to the 2010 season. Our own Luke Adams recently explored what it would take for the Giants to lock the 27-year-old up with a new deal.
However, Lincecum seems more likely to wind up with a two-year deal rather than sign a contract into his free-agent years. We've heard all offseason that the pitcher is in search of a short-term deal. Yesterday we learned that the Giants offered a two-year, $40MM contract and Lincecum's representatives countered with a two-year, $44MM offer.
Heyman writes that baseball people believe that Cain could match Cliff Lee's $120MM deal as a free agent if he tests the market after the year, but word is that he badly wants to stay in San Francisco. Those in the industry also believe that if Lincecum can put together two more outstanding years, he can become the game's first $200MM pitcher on the open market in 2013.
Week In Review: 1/15/12 – 1/21/12
Let's take a look back at a busy week here at MLBTR..
- The Rangers agreed to sign Yu Darvish to a six-year deal in the $60MM range. Bonuses in the deal could tack another $10MM on to the contract. Darvish can opt out of the contract after the fifth year but must hit high-end award levels in order to earn that option. The right-hander will earn $5.5MM in 2012, $9.5MM in 2013, $10MM annually from 2014-2016, and $11MM in 2017.
- The Nationals and Gio Gonzalez agreed to terms on a five-year contract extension. The deal runs through 2016, with club options for 2017 and 2018, and comes less than a month after the Nationals sent four prospects to the Athletics to acquire Gonzalez. Gonzalez, 26, was eligible for arbitration for the first time as a Super Two this winter.
- The Red Sox traded Marco Scutaro to the Rockies for Clayton Mortenson, freeing up $6MM on their payroll. The extra breathing room could allow the club to bolster their rotation and it's worth noting that they've stepped up their pursuit of Roy Oswalt. Boston also avoided arbitration with Daniel Bard this week.
- The Rays agreed to sign Carlos Pena to a one-year, $7.25MM deal that will bring the powerful first baseman back to Tampa Bay. Pena, 33, posted a .225/.357/.462 line with 28 home runs in 606 plate appearances for the Cubs in 2011.
- Tons of arbitration eligible players agreed to deals with their respective clubs this week. To get caught up on everything, check out MLBTR's arbitration tracker.
- The Giants and Pablo Sandoval agreed to a three-year extension worth $17.15MM plus incentives. The deal doesn't delay his free agency — he's still on track to hit the open market after the 2014 season.
- Speaking of the Giants, they appear to be close with Tim Lincecum on a new contract. The club offered a two-year, $40MM contract and the pitcher's representatives have countered with a two-year, $44MM offer. The hurler filed for a $21.5MM salary through arbitration and the Giants countered at $17MM. Both figures set new records for players with less than six years of service time.
- The Braves and Australian right-hander Peter Moylan agreed to a one-year, $1MM minor league deal.
- The Indians signed Julio Lugo to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
- The Brewers signed outfielder Norichika Aoki to a two-year deal that includes a club option for 2014. Aoki will earn $1MM in 2012 and $1.25MM in 2013 but with incentives and bonuses, he can make a a little over $8.6MM over three years. Thanks in part to the Aoki deal, GM Bob Melvin says the club is way over budget.
- The Athletics acquired outfielder Seth Smith from the Rockies for righty Guillermo Moscoso and lefty Josh Outman.
- The Rangers have been the middle of the Prince Fielder rumormill but team co-owner Bob Simpson says that he's not an option at his asking price, and that he'd prefer to re-sign Josh Hamilton instead.
- Before adding Scutaro to the fold, it was reported that the Rockies "remain strongly interested" in Justin Turner.
- The Rockies and Rafael Betancourt agreed to a contract extension guaranteeing his $4.25MM mutual option for 2013. The deal adds an option at the same salary for 2014. The Octagon client will earn $4MM in 2012 as part of his current contract.
- The Padres avoided arbitration with outfielder Carlos Quentin for $7.025MM.
- On Friday, the Nationals announced that they agreed to sign Michael Morse to a contract extension. Morse's deal is reportedly worth about $10.5MM over two years.
- The Indians acquired starting pitcher Kevin Slowey and $1.25MM from the Rockies for right-handed reliever Zach Putnam. With the cash acquired, the Tribe will pay Slowey just $1.5MM in 2012.
- This week we learned that Fausto Carmona's real name is Roberto Hernandez Heredia and he is actually 31, not 28. The right-hander's chances of obtaining a visa quickly don't seem good. It appears unlikely that the Indians will void his contract, but he has to get to the U.S. to get paid this year.
- The Athletics are "very interested" in adding Manny Ramirez as a designated hitter for 2012.
- The A's also agreed to sign Jonny Gomes to a deal worth approximately $1.1MM. Gomes, 31, posted a .209/.325/.389 line with 14 homers in 372 plate appearances for the Reds and Nationals in 2011.
- The D'Backs will sign free agent Joe Saunders to a one-year deal after non-tendering him in December. Saunders will get $6MM, or $2.7MM less than his projected salary through arbitration.
- On Wednesday it was reported that the Nats are discussing a contract extension with Ryan Zimmerman.
- The White Sox are still listening on righty Gavin Floyd and the Red Sox are among the interested teams.
- The Red Sox agreed to terms with right-hander Aaron Cook on a minor league contract. The deal is worth $1.5MM prorated if Cook is called up to the Major Leagues.
- The Rangers signed Brad Hawpe to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Major League Spring Training. The veteran will earn $1MM plus bonuses if he makes the Opening Day roster.
- The Reds will sign free agent outfielder Ryan Ludwick to a one-year deal that includes a mutual option for 2013.
- The Blue Jays gave Mark Teahen his unconditional release. They designated him for assignment earlier in the month and will be responsible for paying his $5.5MM salary in 2012.
- The Giants avoided arbitration with Sergio Romo, agreeing to a one-year, $1.575MM deal.
- The Twins and Joel Zumaya agreed to a one-year contract which could pay the Hendricks Sports client anywhere from $800K to $1.7MM based on incentives.
- The Orioles agreed to sign 34-year-old left-hander Dennys Reyes to a minor league deal, a source told MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith.
- The Red Sox reached an agreement with righty Vicente Padilla that will pay him $1.5MM if he makes the big league roster.
- The Astros have agreed to sign Jack Cust to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013.
- The Rockies agreed to sign 49-year-old left-hander Jamie Moyer to a minor league deal.
- The O's signed Armando Galarraga to a minor league contract.
- The Astros announced that they signed catcher Chris Snyder to a one-year deal that includes a mutual option for 2013.
- The Mariners signed left-hander Oliver Perez to a minor league deal.
- The Reds agreed to a minor league deal with catcher Dioner Navarro.
- The Phillies officially signed Joel Pineiro to a minor league contract with a spring training invite.
- Longtime MLB shortstop Orlando Cabrera announced his retirement from baseball. Cabrera spent 15 seasons in the Major Leagues, winning two Gold Gloves and collecting 2,055 hits along the way.
- The Cubs signed Rodrigo Lopez to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.
- Our own Nick Collias passed along a report from Mexican magazine Puro Béisbol that reliever Luis Ayala is weighing offers from the Angels and the Orioles and could sign with one of the two soon.
- The Blue Jays agreed to sign 37-year-old right-hander Nelson Figueroa to a minor league contract.
- The Indians agreed to sign free agent outfielder Ryan Spilborghs to a minor league deal.
- The Indians announced that they signed outfielder Fred Lewis and right-handed reliever Jeremy Accardo to minor league deals.
- The Rays signed second baseman Will Rhymes, outfielder Jesus Feliciano and right-handed reliever Romulo Sanchez to minor league deals.
- The Cubs completed their minor league deal with catcher Jason Jaramillo, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes learned.
Tigers Considering Damon, Pierre
2:22pm: Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN tweets that the Tigers are also considering Juan Pierre. The thought would be to add a table-setter type and then let Brennan Boesch and Delmon Young drive in the extra runs rather than trying to add a middle-of-the-order hitter.
1:07pm: The Tigers are pursuing Johnny Damon, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Morosi adds that at this point, he's a stronger possibility for the club than Derrek Lee.
Detroit lost designated hitter Victor Martinez for the 2012 season last week when the switch-hitter tore his ACL during his offseason workouts, leaving a hole in their lineup. Though Damon turned 38 this offseason, he still posted respectable offensive numbers last season, batting .261/.326/.418 with 16 homers and 19 steals in 647 plate appearances for the Rays, most of which came as a DH.
A signing would make for a reunion between the two sides, as Damon spent the 2010 season as Detroit's primary DH, though he did make 36 outfield appearances that year. His outfield time was even more sparse in Tampa, with only 16 appearances to his credit.
Since becoming a full-time player in 1996, Damon has never played in fewer than 141 games in a season; he's averaged 655 plate appearances per season and played for six different teams in that time.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
AL East Notes: Ramirez, Rays, Pena, Scutaro, Ibanez
Here's a look at some items out of the AL East..
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) heard from multiple sources today who doubt that the Red Sox will make a play for Hanley Ramirez after trading Marco Scutaro to the Rockies. However, the club is looking at both pitchers and position players now, according to a source (Twitter link).
- The Rays budgeted about $6MM for Carlos Pena but upped their bid to $7.25MM out of fear that the Tigers would jump in after losing Victor Martinez for the season, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter).
- With Pena aboard, the Rays are probably done shopping, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. While there's some talk of adding a right-handed hitter to the bench, it's not likely to be a major signing. A trade is still possible, however, as they have a surplus of starting pitchers.
- Rob Neyer of SB Nation doesn't understand the logic behind the Red Sox trading Scutaro. While the deal saves the club $6MM, it also means a downgrade at the shortstop position. The club is reportedly comfortable with a Nick Punto/Mike Aviles platoon.
- In a perfect world, Boston would add both Roy Oswalt and Cody Ross if GM Ben Cherington can create a little more financial breathing room, writes Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com. The Red Sox, he notes, have kept dialogue open with Oswalt throughout the winter.
- While it's tough to draw conclusions from the Scutaro trade until the money saved is reallocated, it's safe to say that GM Ben Cherington wasn't as comfortable with his pitching as he claimed, says Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal (Twitter links).
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday sees the Yankees signing Raul Ibanez to take some of the at-bats that would have gone to Jesus Montero at DH. The club would prefer a lefty bat and Ibanez isn't terribly concerned about money and plate appearances.
- While he's been given many opportunities to do so, Orioles Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette has never firmly denied interest in Manny Ramirez, notes Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com.
Quick Hits: Cespedes, Fielder, Lee, Nationals, Indians
On this day in 2006, the Mets traded Kris Benson to the Orioles for Jorge Julio and John Maine. Benson, who pitched for five different teams in his 12-year career, announced his retirement earlier this month. Here's a look at today's links..
- Yoenis Cespedes has yet to establish residency in the Dominican Republic and a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) there is no guarantee it will happen this week.
- A surprising number of baseball executives think that the Dodgers will ultimately be in play for Prince Fielder, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- More from Sherman (via Twitter) as he writes that some executives think Derrek Lee could end up in something of a forced retirement, similar to Jermaine Dye. Lee wants to continue playing, but only at price that he likely won't get.
- The silence surrounding the Nationals' pursuit of Fielder is in line with GM Mike Rizzo's standard operating procedure, writes Pete Kerzel of MASNsports.com.
- The oft-traded Aaron Cunningham has a positive outlook on getting dealt and views each deal as an opportunity to start fresh, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. The 25-year-old, who was recently acquired by the Indians, has been dealt four times in his career.
- No team has gone through a more significant clubhouse-culture makeover this winter than the Rockies, who have added Michael Cuddyer, Casey Blake, Ramon Hernandez, and Marco Scutaro, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
Cafardo On Rays, Lee, Fielder, Cubs, Eckstein
At Thursday's Baseball Writers Dinner, Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said that he felt good about his rotation heading into Spring Training, but admitted that the Yankees and Rays have fewer question marks in their respective rotations, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The GM might now have the payroll flexibility to bolster the starting five after sending Marco Scutaro to the Rockies for Clayton Mortensen last night. Here's more from Cafardo..
- After taking care of their first base vacancy, the Rays can now accelerate a deal for B.J. Upton to get a shortstop. Currently, Sean Rodriguez is slated to play there over Reid Brignac. Tampa Bay could also use an everyday catcher, with Jose Molina currently slated to start.
- Astros first baseman Carlos Lee has to approve any deal because of his 10-5 rights, and hasn't been receptive to waiving those privileges in the past. The veteran is scheduled to make $18.5MM, but the club has said that they are willing to eat half of it to get a deal done. Cafardo thinks they'd cover even more of it to appeal to a team like the Tigers.
- One AL East GM thinks that the Prince Fielder sweepstakes will come down to the Rangers and Nationals, with the Brewers and Cubs taking a shot if he settles for a one-year deal and elects to become a free agent again.
- There has been talk that Victor Martinez’s injury could open the door for the Cubs to unload overpriced players such as Alfonso Soriano or Marlon Byrd, but Cafardo isn't buying it.
- David Eckstein, who didn't play last season, has decided to retire even though there were teams willing to bring him into camp. The 37-year-old hit .280/.345/.355 in his ten-year Major League career.
- If the Orioles, Tigers, or Yankees don’t come through soon, Johnny Damon could be in a real bind as far as finding a job. Cafardo opines that he would be a great fit in Detroit to replace the veteran leadership of Martinez.
- With DH openings few and far between, Cafardo also wonders about the futures of Vladimir Guerrero, Hideki Matsui, Magglio Ordonez, Raul Ibanez, and J.D. Drew.
- Cherington says that he won't consider bringing Drew back to Boston. Recently, an National League GM told Cafardo that he believes that Drew can be a great bat off of the bench for an NL team.
- Larry Lucchino won’t say whether he has re-upped with the Red Sox on a long-term deal, but Cafardo takes that as a yes.
Quick Hits: Lincecum, Red Sox, Gordon, Francis
Friday night links..
- The Giants and the agent for Tim Lincecum have made significant progress since exchanging arbitration figures and both sides are confident that a resolution can be reached before a hearing would be scheduled, writes Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News.
- The Reds could look to land an infielder via trade, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- It appears that talks between the Rockies and Red Sox regarding Marco Scutaro are dormant, but Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes that Boston's possible motivation for a move involving Scutaro would be to free up payroll. The club has reportedly expressed interest in White Sox starter Gavin Floyd and free agent outfielder Cody Ross, but neither move could be made unless a trade was made to offer budgetary relief according to a source.
- The Royals and Alex Gordon aren't particularly close on a deal but talks remain cordial and both sides want to get something done, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
- Left-hander Jeff Francis is starting to attract more interest from teams in the market for a starting pitcher including the Mariners, Reds, Blue Jays, and Mets, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (Twitter links)
- Jesus Montero has dealt with his visa issue and is scheduled to travel from Florida to Seattle today for his Mariners physical, tweets Ken Davidoff of Newsday.
- Braves GM Frank Wren doesn't believe that his club has a major personnel need, writes Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Wren also believes that this year's bullpen figures to be even deeper that last year's.
- Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post (via Twitter) is told that the Marlins have no interest in bringing Ivan Rodriguez back.
Latest On Prince Fielder
9:20pm: Bob Simpson, a principal owner of the Rangers, said that the club is operating at a deficit and will until the new TV contract starts in 2015, but that doesn't automatically mean that Prince Fielder is not an option, writes Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram.
5:19pm: Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan said that it would be "pretty hard to think" that a deal with Prince Fielder would develop in an interview yesterday with ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM, writes Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. However, Ryan also conceded that things can always change as he added, "when you think you’re out of something, you get up the next day and find out opportunities exist."
Meanwhile, Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated writes that the Rangers and Nationals each offer unique opportunities to Fielder. The Rangers can win right away and can comfortably offer the slugger an opt-out clause. The Nationals would allow Fielder to stay in the National League and play first base exclusively, but the club is seeking stability and wouldn't want to include an opt-out clause in a deal. Verducci feels that the Rangers payroll can expand even further with a brand-new TV deal kicking in for the 2015 season.
Orioles To Sign Dennys Reyes
The Orioles will sign 34-year-old left-hander Dennys Reyes to a minor league deal, a source tells MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith (via Twitter). Reyes, a Paragon Sports International client, briefly appeared in the Major Leagues with the Red Sox in 2011.
The veteran has spent time with eleven different big league clubs across his 15-year career. During that span, Reyes has a ERA of 4.21 with 8.0 K/9, 5.0 BB/9 and a ground ball rate of 55.9%.
Stark On Tigers, Pineda, Dodgers, Rockies, Angels
On Tuesday the Tigers learned that they'll be without Victor Martinez for the 2012 season and the club won't be able to truly replace everything that he brings to the lineup, writes Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Only four other players matched or bested the 33-year-old's .330/.380/.470 slash line last season: Adrian Gonzalez, Ryan Braun, Michael Young and Miguel Cabrera. Stark takes a look at Detroit's options and much more in tonight's column:
- Before Carlos Pena re-upped with the Rays, it appeared he was at the top of the Tigers' list. Now, Stark says that the club could deal for Bobby Abreu, sign Yoenis Cespedes, or bring Johnny Damon back for another go-round in Detroit. Outside of those players, the club could look into left-handed-hitting free agents such as Hideki Matsui, Raul Ibanez, J.D. Drew, and Kosuke Fukudome. Right-handed options include Vladimir Guerrero, Magglio Ordonez, Cody Ross, and Derrek Lee.
- One club official estimated that he had about a dozen conversations with the Mariners this winter and Michael Pineda's name never came up. That's probably because M's GM Jack Zduriencik wanted young, controllable, impact bats like Jesus Montero, Mike Stanton, and Logan Morrison and only dangled the pitcher to those teams. Eventually, it was the Yanks who made the deal.
- There are also two "conspiracy theories" floating around regarding the deal. One school of thought has people wondering if Pineda's fading velocity down the stretch trigged the M's to trade him. There are also clubs wondering if the Yankees had concerns about Montero's mental make-up.
- There has never been a team in history with three $20MM-a-year pitchers, but the Phillies will have to be the first if they want to hang on to Cole Hamels. The club has been hoping that Hamels would take a Jered Weaver-type deal, but agent John Boggs wants more. Stark believes that this is due in part to his view of C.C. Sabathia and Ryan Howard. Sabathia was the last dominant left-hander to hit the market at age 28 and Howard comes up in conversation because the Phillies gave him top-of-the-market dollars two years before free agency.
- One team executive said that "Next year this time, the Dodgers will be THE team calling up every marquee free agent. They're going to have serious money. They'll be the Yankees West."
- Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd has amassed so much controllable starting-pitching depth, he might turn around and trade an arm or two to replenish his position-player prospect pool. Earlier today, O'Dowd shipped Kevin Slowey to the Indians for right-handed reliever Zach Putnam.
- The Angels are downplaying the possibility that they'll add a closer to supplant Jordan Walden. They've been looking for another left-handed reliever, they've checked in on Brad Lidge, and now they're basically "looking to deepen their supporting cast," according to one exec.
- Agents who have spoken with the Yankees say that, despite rumors they could sign a DH-type like Damon, Matsui or Ibanez, the team isn't too hungry for a bat. One source says that, in truth, the Yankees have told agents that a veteran DH is actually "a very low priority."