AL East Notes: Damon, Ramirez, Scott, Oliver, Theriot
Here are some items out of the American League East..
- Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman continues to comb the market for a pair of bats but is confident that the right deals will present themselves, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Friedman says that both Johnny Damon and Casey Kotchman are candidates to return, but Topkin writes that they would only look to bring one back if they wanted to improve at either spot.
- Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette wouldn't say much when asked about the club's interest in Manny Ramirez, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. However, Duquette did confirm that the club still has interest in Luke Scott, who they non-tendered last month. At least eleven teams have expressed some level of interest in the 33-year-old.
- Blue Jays skipper John Farrell won't comment on what's holding up the official announcement of the club's deal with Darren Oliver, but it's likely related to finding spot on the 40-man roster, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. Toronto agreed to sign the reliever to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013 earlier this week.
- The Rays wanted Brooks Conrad on a minor-league deal but Conrad ultimately chose the Brewers because they offered greater potential for at-bats, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal adds (via Twitter) that the Rays also like Ryan Theriot as they seek out a utility infielder.
Yankees Notes: Posada, Rivera, Nakajima, Chavez
Earlier today, we learned that Jorge Posada will announce his retirement in the next couple of weeks. The catcher spent his entire career with the Yankees and earned five All-Star nominations across his 17-year career. In his final year in the Bronx, Posada hit .235/.315/.398 with 14 homers in 387 plate appearances..
- Posada instructed his agents, Seth and Sam Levinson of ACES, not to make calls on his behalf this offseason, a source told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, the agents fielded calls and accepted offers as Posada waited until after the holidays to make his final determination.
- Speaking of members of the Core Four, closer Mariano Rivera has said he might know by Spring Training whether he intends to keep pitching when his contract expires after this year, but won't say which way he's leaning, writes Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger. The 42-year-old posted a 1.91 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9 last season.
- General Manager Brian Cashman isn't sure if the club will have interest in Hiroyuki Nakajima when he'll be an unrestricted free agent after the 2012 season, writes Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News. As expected, the Yankees are now in on Eric Chavez after being unable to come to terms on a deal with Nakajima.
- McCarron also writes that Cashman & Co. believe that other teams are seeking too much on the trade market in return for pitching.
- Nakajima is a classic example of the flaws in the posting process, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. While waiting one more year isn't a terrible outcome for the shortstop, it had serious consequences for another Japanese player, right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma. Iwakuma nearly had a four-year, $36MM deal with the A's last offseason but wound up inking a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Mariners this week.
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) hears that Nakajima was offered about $1MM by the Yankees, but the bigger issue for him was the role he would have had with the Bombers. The infielder was a starter and a star player for the Saitama Seibu Lions.
Orioles Notes: Soriano, Pitching, Ramirez, Miller
Yesterday, we heard that the Orioles and Cubs talked about a deal involving Alfonso Soriano. In order to ship the outfielder elsewhere, the Cubs would have to eat a substantial portion of the $54MM remaining on his contract. Here's more on Soriano and the Orioles..
- Talks between the Orioles and Cubs were probably not very serious, sources told Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com. Dan Duquette doesn't want to spend heavily on a designated hitter and even if the Cubs ate about 80% of the $54MM owed to Soriano, the O's would still be on the hook for $3-4MM for each of the next three seasons.
- Dubroff adds that if Duquette shells out a big contract this winter, it'll be for a pitcher, not for a one-dimensional DH. Former O's reliever Mike Gonzalez is still on the open market, but it's not likely that he'll get the chance to redeem himself in Baltimore.
- The Orioles and Blue Jays have both evaluated Manny Ramirez, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (Spanish link). According to a source, both clubs sent scouts to watch Ramirez hit in an indoor cage in Miami.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter) writes that executive director of international recruiting Fred Ferreira and manager Buck Showalter watched Ramirez take batting practice shortly after the Winter Meetings.
- The Orioles didn't trade for Jai Miller because of concerns over Nick Markakis' health, writes Kubatko. Miller is seen as an upgrade over former first-round pick Brandon Snyder, and a better overall player than Matt Angle. The O's acquired Miller for $45K from the Athletics on Tuesday.
- The Orioles signed Korean right-hander Eun Chul Choi to a minor league deal, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. Not much is known about the 6-foot-5 hurler, but based on comments from Duquette, it seems that his signing marks the beginning of a serious push into Korea by the organization.
Jorge Posada To Announce Retirement
Jorge Posada will announce his retirement within the next two weeks, a source tells Sweeny Murti of WFAN (via Twitter). Previously, it was reported that Posada wanted to continue playing in 2012 if he could find the right situation.
Posada spent his entire 17 big league career with the Yankees after being drafted by the club in the 24th round of the 1990 draft. The catcher hit .273/.374/.474 for his career with 275 home runs. In total, Posada earned five All-Star nominations, including his resurgent 2007 campaign. That year, Posada hit .338/.426/.543 with 20 home runs and finished sixth in the voting for AL MVP.
According to Baseball Reference, Posada earned more than $117MM lifetime from the Yankees. The catcher re-upped with the Bombers prior to the 2008 season with a four-year, $52.4MM deal.
Two weeks ago, the catcher's father said that Posada was receiving interest from the Rays, Phillies, and Orioles. It's unclear how strong the interest was from those clubs as he didn't seem to be a clear fit for any of them. The O's were said to be after someone who could catch everyday if neccessary and the 40-year-old Posada likely couldn't provide that.
Minor Moves: Jacobs, Gaudin, Delaney, Fields, Mather
We'll keep track of today's minor moves right here..
- The Pirates announced that they signed right-hander Logan Kensing to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training. The 29-year-old spent the 2011 campaign with the Yankees' top affiliate after recovering from elbow surgery in 2010.
- The Reds signed catchers Brian Esposito and Brian Peacock to minor league deals, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
- The Tigers signed utility player Eric Patterson to a minor league deal, tweets Eddy.
- The Mets signed right-hander Jeff Stevens and utility player Corey Wimberly to minor league deals, tweets Eddy.
- The A's signed right-handers Travis Schlichting and Merkin Valdez and left-hander Fabio Castro to minor league deals, Eddy tweets.
- The Yankees signed right-hander Adam Miller and outfielders Cole Garner and Dewayne Wise to minor league deals, Eddy tweets.
- The Diamondbacks signed first baseman Mike Jacobs to a minor league deal, tweets Eddy. Before playing, Jacobs still must serve a 50-game suspension for positive a HGH test in August. He was cut by the Rockies following the test.
- The Marlins picked up right-handers Chad Gaudin and Rob Delaney on minor league deals, Eddy tweets. In nine big league seasons, Gaudin has a 4.63 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9. Delaney spent most of 2011 with the Rays' Triple-A affiliate, posting a 1.86 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.
- The Dodgers signed third baseman Josh Fields, according to Goldstein (via Twitter).
- The Cubs signed Joe Mather as Triple-A outfield insurance, according to Goldstein (via Twitter). Mather spent 36 games on the Braves' major league roster in 2011.
- The Nationals have signed right-hander Dan Cortes, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (via Twitter).
- Speaking of the Braves, Atlanta released former Rangers draftee Marcus Lemon, Goldstein tweets. Lemon was acquired in a March trade for a PTBNL.
- P.J. Phillips, the younger brother of Brandon Phillips, agreed to a deal with the Reds, tweets Goldstein. The younger Phillips' career never got going due to plate discipline issues.
- The Blue Jays signed former Angels/Braves relief prospect Stephen Marek, Goldstein tweets. The right-hander was outrighted by Atlanta in November and underwent Tommy John surgery in May.
- The White Sox signed 2000 first-round pick Corey Smith, Goldstein tweets. The 29-year-old has never reached the Majors.
Saunders Could Land Three-Year Deal
Free agent Joe Saunders is receiving one-year and multi-year offers and a three-year deal for the left-hander is possible, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Tigers and Marlins among the teams that would be logical fits for the veteran, Rosenthal adds.
Yesterday, it was reported that the Marlins have little or no interest in Saunders or Edwin Jackson. The Orioles, meanwhile, have had several conversations with Saunders' representatives.
NL Central Notes: Garza, Cubs, Cespedes, Astros
Today, we learned that even though there's mutual interest between the Cardinals and free agent Roy Oswalt, it seems that the club might be looking at the veteran in a relief role. The Cards already have five starters in the fold, but it's unknown whether Oswalt would open to pitching out of the bullpen. Here's more from the NL Central..
- A contending team can land Cubs right-hander Matt Garza if they're willing to part with three prospects from a team's "A" list, a Major League source tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Red Sox, Yankees, and Blue Jays are among the teams known to be interested, but none have upped their offers to this point.
- The Pirates have been tracking Yoenis Cespedes for a number of years, GM Neal Huntington told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Bucs are expected to be among the bidders for the outfielder but are not considered to be a frontrunner.
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow is "open for business" when it comes to trades, but it appears that Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers, and Carlos Lee will remain with the club when Spring Training starts, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
- The Astros have hired Sig Mejdal as the club’s director of decision sciences, writes Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle. The addition of Mejdal should help the club to apply statistical analysis to all areas of the organization. Houston has also brought Stephanie Wilka aboard as the coordinator of amateur scouting. Wilka previously worked for the Dodgers and Red Sox.
Discussion: Should The White Sox Commit To Rebuilding?
The recent five-year, $65MM extension given to John Danks came as a surprise to the baseball community for two main reasons. For starters, it was the first time the club has ever given a five-year contract to a pitcher, as owner Jerry Reinsdorf prefers to keep pitchers on deals of three years or less. Secondly, it seemed to contradict GM Ken Williams' statements from earlier in the month. Soon after trading reliever Sergio Santos to the Blue Jays, Williams spoke to reporters and invoked the R-word: rebuilding.
However, earlier this week, Williams clarified his comments and explained his gameplan for the near future:
"We are still in win mode,” the GM said. “But at the same time that you’re in win mode, you can be in a little bit of a rebuilding phase, and I tried to articulate that, although I guess that message got lost after I said we were rebuilding. I tried to articulate that it wouldn’t be dominoes falling in terms of a true rebuilding because we have too many good veterans, and veterans looking to bounce back.”
Last week, MLB.com's Scott Merkin wrote that the White Sox's true intentions can best be gauged by keeping an eye on veterans Carlos Quentin, Matt Thornton, and Gavin Floyd. With one of the three now out of the picture, it will be very interesting to see how Williams & Co. operate in the early months of 2012. Thornton, 35, will earn just $12MM across 2012 and 2013 with a club option for 2014. Meanwhile, with Matt Garza potentially on the move, Floyd could be one of the most attractive starters left available on the trade market.
Moving Quentin, who should earn about $7.5MM this season through arbitration, definitely helps to ease costs, as does offloading Jason Frasor's modest $3.75MM salary. However, the club is still saddled with hefty, multi-year commitments to both Alex Rios and Adam Dunn.
It seems that the White Sox are looking to start fresh, but the Danks extension shows a desire to remain competitive in the short-term. If you were in the driver's seat, what direction would you look to take the club?
Do You Think The White Sox Should Rebuild?
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Yes 66% (6,735)
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They should continue to balance their short-term and long-term interests 25% (2,579)
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No 9% (870)
Total votes: 10,184
Quick Hits: Blue Jays, Pena, Padres, White Sox, Braun
Presenting the first edition of Quick Hits for 2012..
- An interesting fact courtesy of Yahoo's Jeff Passan (via Twitter): Of the 23 teams to have spent money on free agents this offseason, the Red Sox rank 18th and the Yankees are tied for 19th. Each team has spent $4.35MM and $4MM, respectively.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Jason Frasor shortly after the trade that he's now satisfied with the look of his bullpen, writes Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. Frasor will join the recently-signed Darren Oliver and Sergio Santos, who Anthopoulos traded for in December.
- The Blue Jays now have 40 men on the 40-man roster after acquiring Frasor, which means that the club will need to make another move in the coming days to create space for Oliver, Chisholm tweets. The veteran agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013 on Friday.
- It's possible that Carlos Pena could be an option for the Indians, but the market for first baseman won't truly shake loose until Prince Fielder finds his new home, writes Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. Yesterday, just over 7% of MLBTR readers polled picked the Tribe as Pena's most likely destination while the Brewers won out with almost 20% of the vote.
- The Padres shook things up yesterday when they traded for Carlos Quentin, but you can expect them to open the season with Orlando Hudson and Jason Bartlett in the middle infield, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com.
- Speaking of the Quentin deal, Dayan Viciedo is now expected to take over in right field for the White Sox, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin. The 22-year-old is entering the final season of the four-year, $10MM deal he signed in December of 2008.
- An official familiar with the appeals process for banned substances told Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel that he doesn't anticipate Ryan Braun winning his case against a 50-game suspension. The source said that Braun's only options are to prove an error in the testing or say that the Brewers signed off on a treatment. However, there are provisions in place to ensure accurate testing and the club never gave Braun the go-ahead to use any substance.
- Fielder liked the idea of playing in Chicago because it's a reasonable distance from his Florida home and he has had success at Wrigley Field, writes Ken Davidoff of Newsday. However, that no longer appears to be a possibility for the slugger as the Cubs are looking to rebuild.
Blue Jays Acquire Jason Frasor From White Sox
The Blue Jays have acquired Jason Frasor from the White Sox in exchange for right-handed pitchers Myles Jaye and Daniel Webb, according to a press release. Frasor, 34, returns to Toronto where he played his entire big league career before being traded to the White Sox mid-season.
The veteran right-hander had his $3.75MM club option exercised on October 31st. It's possible that the White Sox picked up the option with the intention of dealing him this winter. Frasor posted a 3.60 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 60 innings for the Blue Jays and White Sox in 2011. He will join former teammate Sergio Santos, whom Toronto acquired in early December. 
Jaye and Webb were not among the top 25 prospects in the Blue Jays' system, according to John Sickels of Minor League Ball. Jaye, 20, was Toronto's 17th round pick in 2010 and made nine starts and four relief outings for the club's Appalachian League affiliate in 2011. Webb, 22, spent the bulk of 2011 with Single-A Lansing where he posted a 5.59 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 12 starts and six relief appearances.
It appears that GM Ken Williams hasn't taken any time off to celebrate the New Year after trading Carlos Quentin to the Padres just over 24 hours ago. By trading Frasor and the arbitration-eligible Quentin, the club has saved roughly $11.25MM in 2012.
Frasor and starter Zach Stewart were shipped to Chicago prior to the trade deadline for starter Edwin Jackson and third baseman Mark Teahen. Of course, the Blue Jays dealt Jackson to the Cardinals that very same day in order to land center fielder Colby Rasmus.