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Orioles, Guerrero Continue Talks

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The Orioles have spoken to Vladimir Guerrero’s agent this week, but the sides aren’t close to a deal, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail acknowledged the team’s interest in the slugger.

"We’ve had some conversations, but there is nothing on the horizon,” MacPhail said.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Guerrero was asking for $16MM earlier in the winter. He's just asking for a one-year deal now, but $8MM is likely more than Baltimore can afford (Twitter link).

Now that the Rangers have acquired Mike Napoli and the Rays have agreed to deals with Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez, the market for Guerrero is diminishing. The Blue Jays are one potential alternative to the Orioles, but GM Alex Anthopoulos declined to comment on his club’s interest yesterday.

 

AL East Links: Red Sox, Bautista, Wells, Jeter

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Four American League East teams won at least 85 games last year. Here are some notes on AL East clubs, as they prepare to compete in baseball's most challenging division:

  • It's "doubtful" that the Red Sox will sign another pitcher to a Major League contract this offseason, reports WEEI.com's Alex Speier.  One reported Boston target, Joe Beimel, has already been offered a minor league deal by the Orioles and has three other teams interested.
  • The "belief" is that the Blue Jays will go to an arbitration hearing with Jose Bautista, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  There have been rumors that the Jays might avoid a hearing by signing Bautista to a long-term contract, but Bautista's agent told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the team has yet to offer such a deal to the defending AL home run champion.  Check out our Arb Tracker for the latest.
  • Many of Bautista's current and former teammates believe Vernon Wells will thrive in L.A, Morosi writes.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman suggested this morning that Derek Jeter will likely shift to the outfield before his current deal expires, but he tells MLB.com's Bryan Hoch that it's "not an issue we have to deal with right now" (Twitter link).
  • The Orioles have "limited funds" at this stage, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • Carl Crawford, who recently left one AL East team for another, plans to meet some of his former Rays teammates for dinner this spring, and B.J. Upton jokes that it will be a good chance for Crawford to put his new contract to good use. "I won’t be the first one to pull out my credit card,’’ Upton told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (Twitter link).
  • Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com discussed the challenges of developing healthy pitchers with Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan.
  • As Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes, the Orioles could sign a utility player to a minor league deal and have him compete for a job with Brendan Harris and Robert Andino.
  • WEEI.com's Rob Bradford explains why Manny Ramirez's $2MM base salary isn't necessarily a bad omen for David Ortiz, who will hit free agency after 2011. Big Papi has continued to produce offensively, so Bradford suggests the slugger could be in line for an $8-9MM salary next offseason.

Duchscherer “Pretty Much 100 Percent,” Wants To Start

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Five teams have watched Justin Duchscherer throw this winter, and the Orioles will be the sixth when Duchscherer throws a bullpen session for the club on Friday.  The right-hander tells MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli that his choice will likely hinge on whichever team gives him a chance to start games next season.

"I just don't feel like with the injuries I've had, I don't think that would be beneficial for my career to be [a reliever] for a team," said Duchscherer.  "For me it's black and white. I want to start, that's the whole mindset I have. I haven't even thought of being a reliever….I want a team that's going to be honest with me and say, 'If you're healthy, you are going to start.'"

After missing the entire 2009 season due to an elbow injury, Duchscherer pitched just 28 innings for Oakland last year before undergoing hip surgery.  With this injury history and his fairly limited starting experience (just 32 of his 224 career Major League games have been starts), a bullpen stint wouldn't be out of the question, but Duchscherer has drawn interest from enough teams that it appears he'll find a starting spot somewhere.

Duchscherer is two weeks ahead of his usual offseason training schedule due to his abbreviated season last year, and he described his health as "pretty much 100 percent."

"I'm doing [these bullpens] as a precaution, so I know how I feel," the right-hander said.  "And so far everything has gone good."

The Athletics, Pirates, Red Sox and Yankees have all shown some interest in the right-hander this winter.  Duchscherer dismissed the idea that his past issues with depression would keep him from playing in the pressurized New York market.  Over 34% of MLBTR readers polled feel that Duchscherer is the best free agent starter still on the market.

Orioles, Red Sox In The Mix For Joe Beimel

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The Orioles and Red Sox are two of the five teams in the mix for Joe Beimel, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The left-hander has received interest from clubs in both leagues and could make a decision this week. The Orioles have made Beimel a minor league offer, according to Connolly.

Beimel, who has a habit of signing late in the offseason, posted a 3.40 ERA with 4.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 45 innings for the Rockies last year. The 33-year-old struggled against right-handed hitters, but was especially effective against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .221/.275/.379 line.

Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported yesterday that Beimel had several irons in the fire.

Orioles Sign Clay Rapada

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The Orioles signed Clay Rapada to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).

The 29-year-old appeared in 13 games for the Rangers last year, but hasn't spent considerable time on a big leaugue mound since 2008. The left-hander posted a 4.22 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 5.9 BB/9 in 21 1/3 innings for the Tigers that year.

The Rangers released Rapada earlier in the month after designating him and Max Ramirez for assignment.

Jeremy Guthrie’s Arbitration Case

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Jeremy Guthrie's representatives at CAA will have to convince a panel of arbitrators that their client is worth more than $5.75MM if the sides go to a hearing. The Orioles offered the arbitration eligible 31-year-old $5MM, while he asked for $6.5MM. The discussion figures to revolve around three similar pitchers in the same service time class – Chad Billingsley, Matt Garza and John Danks – and will likely come down to durability vs. dominance.

Guthrie can point to his own durability and argue that he's worth more than $5.75MM. He has logged 812 1/3 innings in his career, more than fellow-CAA clients Garza and Danks. Garza will earn $5.95MM next year, Danks will earn $6MM and Billingsley will earn $6.275MM.

Guthrie Guthrie has made at least 26 starts and logged no fewer than 175 innings in each of the last four campaigns. The other three starters cannot match the Baltimore right-hander's durability, as CAA will likely point out. Only Garza has had to compete regularly in the AL East, where Guthrie regularly faces some of the game's most potent offenses.

The Orioles, however, can argue that Guthrie's durability is compromised by inconsistent results. He led the American League in losses a year ago and posted an ERA over 5.00. None of the three other pitchers have posted an ERA that high since their rookie seasons and all of them have more wins and fewer losses than Guthrie in their careers.

Baltimore can also argue that despite Guthrie's durability, he has been hittable. The 2002 first rounder has been tagged for more hits and homers than the others, both in total and on a per-inning basis. Guthrie, the Orioles could argue, is less dominant than the other pitchers and therefore not deserving of a salary above the $5.75MM midpoint.

They could support that argument by pointing to his 4.15 career ERA (none of the others have career marks above 4.00, a seemingly arbitrary cutoff that could sway a panel of arbitrators). Despite Guthrie's high innings total, Billingsley, Garza and Danks have all struck out more hitters in their careers. 

But Guthrie's representatives can point out that he has walked fewer batters than the others, both in 2010 and on a career basis. Guthrie's 2.6 B/9 mark is far better than the others, who have all walked at least 3.1 batters per nine in their respective careers.

So can the Orioles convince a panel of arbitrators that Guthrie's worth less than $5.75MM next year despite his history of durability? That's the $1.5MM question and we'll know the answer to it within a few weeks at the latest.

Quick Hits: Cashman, Mets, Blanton, Indians, DeRosa

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One year ago, the Orioles officially signed Miguel Tejada, bringing him back for his second stint with the club. Unfortunately for the O's, the veteran infielder couldn't match the numbers he'd previously put up in Baltimore, posting a .670 OPS before a July trade sent him to the Padres. While we wait to see what January 23rd will bring this year, here are a few links to browse:

Quick Hits: Vlad, White Sox, Rockies, Reds

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Links for Saturday…

  • SI.com's Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter) that the Orioles and Vladimir Guerrero haven't talked in two weeks. Team president Andy MacPhail shot down a report indicating that the two sides were close to a deal earlier today.
  • White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf told Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago that it was a tough decision to add payroll this offseason. "Last year we weren't as good as we thought we could be," said Reinsdorf. "Our attendance was down … I just decided two days before the Adam Dunn signing, 'Let's go for it.' If we spend the money, the attendance will pick up." 
  • Steve Foster of Inside the Rockies notes that the Rockies now have four of their five starting pitchers under contract for 2012 following Jason Hammel's two-year pact, so he looks at possible candidates for that fifth spot.
  • The Cincinnati Enquirer lists the ten most lopsided trades in Reds' history with a little twist: it's the trades that did not work out for Cincy.
  • SI.com's Melissa Segura tweets that the Astros have signed Jose Carlos Thompson for approximately $250K. The second baseman hit .440/.484/.729 at Western Oklahoma State, and is said to be a close friend of Aroldis Chapman's. I'm not sure if that last part has any tangible benefit though.
  • Steve Dilbeck of The Los Angeles Times estimates that the Dodgers are on the hook for almost $94.5MM in payroll next season, plus another $16.3MM in deferred payments.
  • Alex Speier of WEEI.com explains why the Vernon Wells' trade makes the Carl Crawford signing look even better for the Red Sox.
  • Josh Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle says the moves the Athletics' made this offseason make them a serious contender for the AL West crown.
  • The AP (via The Boston Herald) provides a comprehensive list of each team's free agent signings this winter. Of course, you could always use our Transaction Tracker for that and a whole lot more.

Orioles, Vladimir Guerrero Not Close To A Deal

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SATURDAY, 8:11am: Orioles' president Andy MacPhail shot down the report, telling Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com that it is simply "not accurate." Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun says that a deal could still happen, but for now it does not appear imminent.

FRIDAY, 11:01pm: The Orioles are closing in on a contract with Vladimir Guerrero, reports Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (Twitter link).  Bowden says Guerrero is "close to accepting" a one-year deal worth a "humbling" amount, but Bowden also notes that it could make the future Hall-of-Famer one of the best bargains of the winter.

We heard yesterday that Baltimore had "the inside track" on signing Guerrero, who is running out of suitors this winter what with the Angels, Rangers and Rays all looking elsewhere to fill their DH spots.  Adding Guerrero to the roster gives the O's something of an overload in left field (with Luke Scott, Nolan Reimold and Felix Pie all vying for playing time), though Scott could find some at-bats spelling Guerrero or Derrek Lee against right-handers.

Guerrero hit .300/.345/.496 last season in helping Texas reach its first World Series in franchise history.  His signing would be the latest big move in an active offseason for the Orioles, who have already acquired Lee, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Gregg and J.J. Hardy, among others.

Orioles Notes: Duchscherer, Vlad, Invitees

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As the Orioles' roster rounds into shape heading into Spring Training, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun has a few items of note …

  • The Orioles still have interest in free-agent pitcher Justin Duchscherer, although the O's were not one of the two teams for which the right-hander recently worked out, as reported by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Duchscherer will likely hold another open workout for any interested teams to check him out in the next week or so, Zrebiec notes, and he thinks the O's will be there. Duchscherer's son lives in New Jersey, which is relatively close to Baltimore, and the righty is looking to join a team he can start for, which the Orioles can offer.
  • The Orioles have not been aggressively pursuing free-agent slugger Vladimir Guerrero, contrary to a report by ESPNDeportes.com earlier on Thursday. If Guerrero's market shrinks enough, the O's may be interested, Zrebiec writes, but otherwise they plan on moving forward with Luke Scott as their designated hitter, and Nolan Reimold and Felix Pie platooning in left field.
  • The Orioles have not officially announced their list of non-roster invitees to Spring Training, but Zrebiec reports the following players will be among them: Armando Gabino, Raul Rivero, Josh Rupe, Adam Donachie, Michel Hernandez, Caleb Joseph, Ryan Adams, Brendan Harris and Tyler Henson.
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