Quick Hits: Duchscherer, Ohlendorf, Tolleson
Links for Friday…
- Justin Duchscherer threw 50-55 pitches in front of two teams today, including the Orioles according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. Duchscherer has invited every team except the Athletics to a public workout next Tuesday. Connolly says it's possible he'll sign before then. (Twitter links)
- "Both sides of the table are hopeful of finding a solution without going to a hearing," said Pirates GM Neal Huntington to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch when asked about Ross Ohlendorf's arbitration case. "But both sides are fully prepared to go to a hearing if that's the only way to find a resolution. That's not an ideal ending, and I think both sides are fully aware of the ramifications if we had to go there." Pittsburgh hasn't gone to a hearing with a player since Jack Wilson in 2004. Our Arbitration Tracker shows that Ohlendorf filed for $2.02MM, the team $1.4MM.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock says we shouldn't expect the Padres to move any starting pitchers in Spring Training this year.
- The Athletics announced that infielder Steven Tolleson has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A. He was designated for assignment last week when Oakland announced the Brian Fuentes signing.
Orioles Not Making Progress With Vladimir Guerrero
6:05pm: Olney says the O's are being told that Guerrero has an $8MM offer in hand, which is about $3.5MM more than they are willing to spend, including incentives (Twitter link). Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reported that Baltimore's offer falls in the $3MM to $5MM range.
MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli hears that the two sides are not close to a contract, while SI.com's Jon Heyman hasn't heard of any recent progress. (Twitter links)
5:21pm: The Orioles and Vladimir Guerrero are making progress in their talks, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). If a deal does get worked out, Guerrero would assume DH duties and push Luke Scott to left field according to Buster.
Yesterday we heard that the O's offered Vlad a one-year deal worth about $2MM, but the former AL MVP wasn't terribly enthusiastic about it. As Ben Nicholson-Smith explained, Guerrero's market is limited, so it's tough to see him signing for much more than what was offered. He hit .300/.345/.496 with 29 homers for the Rangers last season, earning $6.5MM in the process.
Orioles To Sign Nick Green
5:47pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman reports that Green will earn $600K if he makes the big league team (Twitter link).
3:24pm: The Orioles have agreed to sign Nick Green to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). The sides appeared to be close to a deal in December, when the Orioles re-signed Cesar Izturis.
Green appeared in 14 big league games for the Blue Jays and Dodgers last year. The 32-year-old has a .237/.305/.348 line in 1131 big league plate appearances over the course of six big league seasons. Green figures to compete with Robert Andino and Brendan Harris for a utility job.
Orioles Sign Nick Bierbrodt
The Orioles have signed left-handed pitcher Nick Bierbrodt to a minor-league deal, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Bierbrodt, a former first-round pick, is something of a blast from the past, at least on the Major League scene. He spent all of 2010 in the Rockies' organization, according to Rosenthal, and last appeared in the bigs with the Rangers in 2004.
For his career, Bierbrodt has a 6.66 ERA in 144 2/3 innings, with 7.0 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9.
There is a connection here, as Rosenthal notes, as O's skipper Buck Showalter is familiar with Bierbrodt from his days as Arizona's manager. The Diamondbacks drafted Bierbrodt in 1996.
Orioles Make Guerrero An Offer
2:48pm: Guerrero is not excited about the Orioles' offer, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (on Twitter). The offer was for about $2MM and now the Rangers "return to the race" for Vlad.
12:23pm: The Orioles have made Vladimir Guerrero an offer, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The team hopes he accepts their offer, which could be for one year and $3-5MM, but they’re prepared for him to turn it down.
Earlier today, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported that the Orioles could have interest in Guerrero on a one-year deal worth $2MM or so. At this point, Vlad wants a two-year deal, according to Olney (Twitter link). Guerrero is not going to sit out the season, according to Rosenthal, who suggests that a deal with the Orioles makes sense for both sides.
Guerrero’s suitors are limited, as I explained this morning. The Rangers, Angels and Blue Jays are the only logical destinations outside of Baltimore, but Guerrero isn’t a perfect fit for those clubs. Rosenthal reports that Toronto would prefer a DH who can play the field to provide insurance for Adam Lind, who is transitioning to first base.
AL East Notes: Beimel, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Jennings
We've already caught up on the Yankees, but it's now time to check in on a few of the Bronx Bombers' AL East rivals. Here's the latest:
- Joe Beimel is deciding between three teams, according to MLB.com's Evan Drellich. The Red Sox, Orioles and one National League club are the finalists for the lefty's services, agent Joe Sroba says.
- Could Michael Young be a fit in Toronto? Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star thinks so. Nobody asked me, but I don't see the Blue Jays as a possible destination for Young, who happens to be a close friend of Vernon Wells'.
- An MLB executive tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney the Blue Jays “have a chance to be a real power for years to come,” and believes that Alex Anthopoulos & Co. will do a lot with their upcoming draft picks and newfound payroll flexibility.
- A lot of rival executives tell Olney that they consider the Red Sox the best team in baseball on paper, but wonder how much Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia will produce behind the plate.
- Some people around the league question whether Rays prospect Desmond Jennings will reach the potential he showed a couple seasons ago.
Guerrero’s Four Potential Landing Spots
If you're a DH, you're not going to have more than 14 suitors, no matter how well you hit. Vladimir Guerrero hit well last year, posting a .300/.345/.496 line with 29 homers, but even at the beginning of the offseason, his list of possible destinations wasn't a long one. As Spring Training approaches, that list has shrunk to four. Here are the possible destinations for Vlad:
- Orioles – The sides continue to talk, but there's "nothing on the horizon," according to Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail. The Orioles don't necessarily have the money to afford Guerrero, but they would likely move Luke Scott to left field if they do sign Vlad, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold would probably be out of luck in that situation. ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Orioles could have interest in Guerrero on a one-year deal worth $2MM or so. At this point, Vlad wants a two-year deal (Twitter link).
- Blue Jays – The Blue Jays are open to bolstering their bench, but they intend to provide Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion with regular playing time. Adding Guerrero would likely reduce Lind's exposure to left-handed pitchers, which would be a plus given Lind's struggles against southpaws.
- Rangers – They don't have roster space for him now, since Mike Napoli and Michael Young will likely be the team's primary DHs. But Young could theoretically be traded before the season begins and the Rangers expressed at least some interest in re-signing Guerrero earlier in the week.
- Angels - The Angels could combine Guerrero with Bobby Abreu, partly to ensure that Abreu's 2012 option doesn't vest, as Dave Cameron of FanGraphs explains. Angels GM Tony Reagins told Jim Bowden of FOX Sports Radio that the door is still open for Guerrero to return to the Halos.
Orioles, Guerrero Continue Talks
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
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
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.