Braves Close To Deal With Gavin Floyd
TODAY: A deal bringing Floyd to Atlanta could be completed tomorrow, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports. Crasnick notes that Floyd hopes to be ready to throw MLB innings by May.
YESTERDAY: The Braves are close to a deal with free agent Gavin Floyd, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). While the two sides are nearing agreement, nothing has been finalized yet.
Yesterday, it was reported that Floyd was close to inking a deal with an unknown club. Floyd missed most of the 2013 season after having Tommy John surgery in May. In 168 innings with the White Sox in 2012, he posted a 4.29 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.
The Orioles were among the clubs with interest in the right-hander, but they were ruled out yesterday. The Twins also had interest back in November.
Floyd is represented by Moye Sports Associates, according to the MLBTR Agency Database.
Quick Hits: Yankees, Grilli, Tomko, Rays
It may be a bit early, but Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) grades everyone's offseason to date in the American League. The Yankees get a B+ for holding firm in the Robinson Cano negotiations and the A's get an A for their acquisitions of Craig Gentry, Luke Gregerson, and Jim Johnson. Teams like the Indians, Blue Jays, and Orioles, on the other hand, will need to do more if they want better marks from Bowden. Here's this afternoon's look around baseball..
- Pirates closer Jason Grilli says he would like extend his contract, tweets Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). Grilli, who inked a two-year, $6.75MM deal with the Bucs last offseason, posted a 2.70 ERA with 13.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 54 appearances last season. The 37-year-old is represented by Gary Sheffield, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database.
- Brett Tomko is pitching in the Dominican Republic and throwing 92-94 MPH, Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reports (on Twitter). The 40-year-old is seeking a minor league deal with big-league invite. Tomko last appeared in the majors in 2011 when he made eight relief appearances for the Rangers.
- R.J. Anderson, Ben Lindbergh and Bret Sayre of Baseball Prospectus weighed in on the Rays' re-signing of James Loney. The two sides agreed to a three-year, $21MM deal this week.
- The Rockies are optimistic after a productive start to the offseason, writes Tracy Ringolsby of MLB.com.
Mets To Sign Bartolo Colon
SATURDAY, 4:42pm: The Mets have confirmed the deal via press release.
WEDNEDSAY, 4:31pm: The Mets and Bartolo Colon are in agreement on a two-year, $20MM pact, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
Colon's agent, Adam Katz of the Wasserman Media Group, was reportedly targeting a two-year deal rather than a one-year pact and he apparently succeeded. The hurler had interest from several clubs, including the Twins, Rangers, and Orioles, despite his age and previous ties to PEDs. The Indians also had some level of interest in a reunion, according to Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer (on Twitter), but were unwilling to go to two years.
Colon, 40, pitched to a 2.65 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 30 starts last season for the A's. Colon's velocity and strikeouts have dropped as he's aged, but he's also taken his command to new levels and now is one of the most precise pitchers in all of baseball. Over the past two seasons — a span in which he's thrown 342 2/3 innings — Cliff Lee is the only starter in all of baseball with a lower BB/9 rate than Colon.
There had been interest between Colon and Oakland in a reunion, but chances of that reunion likely dissolved when the A's added Scott Kazmir on a similar two-year deal worth $22MM. Colon's contract comes in just a shade under the two-year, $23MM inked by Tim Hudson to pitch for the Giants, showing that teams aren't deterred by aging arms in this market, as long as they remain productive.
Colon will join Zack Wheeler, Dillon Gee and Jonathon Niese in the Mets' rotation and replace some of the production lost when Matt Harvey suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament and underwent Tommy John surgery. The Mets' 2015 rotation will likely consist of Harvey, Colon, Wheeler, Niese and Gee with other arms like Rafael Montero and Jenrry Mejia potentially in the mix as well.
For his career, the veteran owns a 3.94 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 16 seasons for the Indians, Expos, White Sox, Angels, Red Sox, White Sox, Yankees, and A's.
Steve Adams contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
East Notes: Yankees, Barney, Marlins, McGehee
The latest from the AL East..
- The Yankees may have interest in Darwin Barney of the Cubs, tweets Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com. The two sides have discussed the second baseman in the past and talks have been renewed in the wake of Omar Infante's agreement with the Royals. Barney had a down year in 2013, posting a .208/.266/.303 line in 501 plate appearances.
- Meanwhile, the Marlins are looking for a third baseman and are intrigued by free agent Casey McGehee, who played in Japan this year and led his team to a championship, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Back in October, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported that McGehee was seeking a return to MLB. The 31-year-old hit .289/.371/.512 with 27 home runs in his first season with the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Wilson Betemit, who lost 2013 to injuries, has also been discussed as an option. Miami wants a third baseman with versatility, and McGehee and Betemit both fit the bill.
- Despite a little talk about other teams interest in Brian Roberts, he hasn’t been mentioned very often by the Orioles in the last few weeks, writes Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com.
- Rays infielder Tim Beckham, the top pick in the 2008 draft, will miss a good chunk of the 2014 season after suffering an ACL tear, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He would have been a long shot to make the Opening Day roster but he likely would have seen action if Tampa Bay needed depth or had an injury to a middle infielder.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Webb, Price, Trumbo
On this week in 1954, the Dodgers traded third baseman Billy Cox and left-hander Preacher Roe to the Orioles for minor league prospects Harry Schwegeman and Johnny Jancse and $50K. Brooklyn used that cash for a bonus to sign a southpaw from Lafayette High School named Sandy Koufax. Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..
- Camden Depot gives us a first look at Ryan Webb.
- Rays Colored Glasses looks at two possible landing spots for David Price.
- Inside The Zona isn’t wind about the Mark Trumbo deal from the D’Backs’ perspective.
- Pinstripe Pundits has a t-chart of pros and cons on trading Brett Gardner.
- The Giants Cove says Michael Morse isn’t the answer.
- Baseball News Source says Austin Jackson for Gardner makes sense for the Yankees.
- 85% Sports looked at player-managers.
- MLB Reports tackles the Yankees’ payroll.
- Baseball Professor ranked 2013’s rookie starting pitching class.
- District On Deck talks Jerry Blevins.
- Grading On The Curve says we can learn from Roy Halladay.
- Reviewing The Brew says Juan Francisco is better than the Brewers think.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
Mike Napoli On Re-Signing With Red Sox
Last week, the Red Sox agreed to terms with Mike Napoli on a fresh two-year deal that will reportedly pay him $16MM per season. Of course, the veteran slugger had plenty of suitors, and one was said to have given him a three-year offer. I asked Napoli if a three-year deal was floated to him by another club and while he declined to give details, he said that the market for him was quite robust.
"There were a lot of teams actually," the 32-year-old said on this afternoon's conference call. "I'm not going to give any specifics but it ultimately came down to, I told my agent, I wanted to come back to Boston and play there and get something worked out."
This year's go-round through free agency went a whole lot smoother for Napoli than it did last year. After initially agreeing to a three-year, $39MM guarantee with the Red Sox, Napoli's physical revealed that he has avascular necrosis (AVN) in both hips. As a result, his contract was renegotiated down to a one-year, $5MM deal with $8MM of incentives (which he reached). I asked Mike if he was glad to have a simpler path to a new contract this offseason, one that has everything tied up neatly in advance of Christmas.
"After going through what I went through last year, it was definitely a relief to just go through this and it was fairly easier than last year and ultimately I'm happy to be back and I wanted to be someplace where its comfortable and somewhere where we can win," Napoli said.
The re-working of Napoli's deal last winter to adjust the terms and add language regarding his hip condition took about two months to get done. This time around, GM Ben Cherington says that there was no need to hash out any conditions regarding the hip issue.
"It's a two year guaranteed deal, I won't get into the specific language and details but there's no special coverage or anything like that related to the hip. Mike is healthy and we're thrilled that he's going to be a big part of our club for the next couple of years and beyond," said Cherington.
While Napoli's deal is official, Red Sox fans are wondering about the long-term future of franchise cornerstone David Ortiz. Cherington opted not to discuss Big Papi at length after he disclosed that he is seeking an extension to take him beyond the 2014 season. Before steering the focus back to Napoli, however, Cherington reiterated his desire to see Ortiz finish his career in Boston.
Indians Sign Cloyd, Banwart, Carson
The Indians announced that they have signed right-handers Tyler Cloyd and Travis Banwart and outfielder Matt Carson to minor league deals with invites to Spring Training.
Cloyd, 26, was recently non-tendered along with Carson after being claimed off waivers from the Phillies on October 2. He split the 2013 campaign between Triple-A Lehigh Valley and the Phillies. Cloyd posted a 4.71 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 19 Triple-A starts and a 6.56 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 11 starts and two relief outings for the Phillies. In 2012, Cloyd was named the International League Pitcher of the Year.
Banwart, 27, spent his entire professional career in the Athletics' organization until today. Banwart posted a 4.60 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 23 starts and six relief appearances at the Triple-A level.
Carson had 13 plate appearances for the Indians in 2013 but spent the bulk of the year at the Triple-A level where he hit .252/.322/.394 in 490 plate appearances.
Rays Interested In Juan Uribe
The Rays have interest in free agent Juan Uribe, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The veteran would play mostly at first, some at second base, and also back up Evan Longoria at third base.
With limited available third base options out there, Uribe has a good amount of interest from around baseball. The Rays will have to vie with the other Florida team, amongst others, for his services. Uribe hit .273/.331/.438 for the Dodgers last season, a dramatic improvement over the .199/.262/.289 line he gave L.A. in the previous two campaigns.
The Dodgers have interest in bringing Uribe back, but they're reportedly set to move on since they haven't heard back on their latest offer.
David Ortiz, Red Sox Talking Extension
David Ortiz told reporters that his agent is talking with the Red Sox about extending his deal for another year, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. Ortiz signed a two-year extension with Boston in November 2012 that will take him through the 2014 season.
Big Papi will earn $15MM in the final year of his deal between his $11MM base salary and the $4MM bonus he secured by staying away from the DL for the bulk of 2013. After playing just 90 games in 2012 – his lowest total as a member of the Red Sox – Ortiz saw action in 137 games this past season, hitting .309/.395/.564 with 30 homers. Ortiz told Bradford:
"We gave them what they wanted. I don’t have next year guaranteed and I think I can play another one. We’re working on that. … As long as I feel good I’m going to want to play. … I just hate the situation where I have to sit down at the end of the year and talk about my following year. Let’s do it now. We’re world champs right now."
Ortiz was also candid in telling Bradford that "If [the Red Sox] are smart," they'll work something out. "You know what happens every time people challenge Papi."
While the Red Sox certaintly want to keep their franchise cornerstone happy, they may not be ecstatic about re-opening contract talks. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported earlier this year that the two sides had an agreement that they would not negotiate a new contract or extension until after the deal expired.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Three Teams Have Two-Year Offers To Balfour
4:56pm: The Orioles aren't the team that has offered Balfour a vesting option, tweets Encina.
3:40pm: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles are one of three teams that has made a two-year offer to Balfour. One team's offer contains a vesting option for a third season, he adds. Connolly isn't sure which team has offered the vesting option, but he gets the sense that it's not the Orioles (Twitter links).
1:45pm: The O's prefer Balfour on a two-year deal, and one other club is still in the mix at this time, tweets Heyman.
12:56pm: Years are the main sticking point in negotiations with Balfour, tweets Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun.
THURSDAY, 11:54am: The Orioles are confident that they can sign Balfour, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
WEDNESDAY: The Orioles have an offer out to reliever Grant Balfour and others as they try to fill four holes in their lineup, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The O's also have an offer out to John Axford, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Heyman also notes that Baltimore has talked to Nelson Cruz's agent, but a source tells Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter) that the club hasn't made an offer to him.
Heyman writes that the O's are also in on an unnamed starting pitcher. Baltimore also has to address holes at closer, left field, and at DH. Balfour is their top choice to replace Jim Johnson as a closer with Axford and Chris Perez believed to be secondary options.