AL East Notes: Jays, Soriano, Farnsworth, Arroyo
Some news items from the AL East…
- Toronto's payroll could end up being in the $80-$85MM range, tweets FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi. The Blue Jays currently have just under $49MM committed for 2011 (according to Cot's Baseball Contracts) and have eight players eligible for arbitration. Jose Bautista will get the biggest raise of this group, but even with notables like Yunel Escobar and Brandon Morrow also arb-eligible, the Jays should have a bit of money left to spend beyond settling their arbitration cases.
- Perhaps the Jays' extra money could be spent on Brian Fuentes? We heard about Toronto's interest in Fuentes earlier this week, and now SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Jays are still "pressing for" the free agent reliever.
- Did Scott Boras wait too long for a Rafael Soriano market to develop? Fangraphs' R.J. Anderson thinks this might be the case, and that Soriano might have to settle another one-year contract with the hopes of finding a long-term deal next offseason.
- A bit of early reaction to Tampa Bay's agreement with Kyle Farnsworth: CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler thinks the signing is risky, but believes the Rays need to take chances on their bullpen if they want to contend. Meanwhile, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs thinks the Rays made a better deal for Farnsworth than Boston did with Bobby Jenks, given that Farnsworth and Jenks put up comparable numbers over the last two seasons.
- Bronson Arroyo tells Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald that he enjoyed pitching for the Red Sox and wouldn't mind returning: "Even though I can safely say that I’ve cemented myself in Cincinnati for a while, [Boston] definitely still feels like home and in the back of my mind I know that there is no better place to play than in Fenway Park." Arroyo said when his three-year extension with the Reds runs out after the 2013 season, he would be interested in pitching for the Rays (to play close to his family), returning to the Red Sox, or staying in Cincinnati.
- MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli has details on the vesting option included in Kevin Gregg's contract with the Orioles. Gregg's 2013 option will become guaranteed if he finishes 50 games in 2012, or if he finishes 100 games total in 2011-12. As SI's Jon Heyman tweeted in the previous link, Gregg will earn between $6-$10MM in 2013 if his option vests.
- Matt Bush, the first overall pick of the 2004 draft, talks to MLB.com's Dawn Klemish about his battle with alcoholism and the progress he's made in the Tampa Bay organization.
Quick Hits: Liz, Rangers, Cubs, Nationals, Gonzalez
Links for Saturday evening…
- Curious about how all the recent free agent activity has impacted the 2011 draft order? Check out the updated order here.
- Right-hander Radhames Liz has signed with the LG Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization according to the Yahoo! Sports transactions log. MLBTR has confirmed the signing. The Padres released Liz earlier this week.
- MLB.com's Peter Gammons says the Rangers thought they'd be able to acquire Robinson Chirinos from the Cubs, then package him with Derek Holland, Engel Beltre, and Frank Francisco to get Matt Garza from the Rays. Texas would have kicked in some money to offset Francisco's salary.
- "We're not giving away the farm to try and win in one year," said Cubs GM Jim Hendry when asked about the Garza deal, according to Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Garza is still under team control through 2013.
- It appears that the Nationals will have a smaller payroll than last year, according to Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com.
- Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports applauds the Rockies for keeping their nucleus together. Earlier this week Colorado agreed to terms with Carlos Gonzalez on a contract extension.
- The Orioles' may have trouble finding an undervalued lefty reliever on a one-year deal, writes Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.
- Joe Torre is in talks to become the next executive vice president of operations for MLB, according to Teri Thompson and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. Torre stepped down as Dodgers manager towards the end of 2010 season.
- Matt Murton talked to Anna Katherine Clemmons of ESPN The Magazine about his time in Japan.
White Sox Favored To Sign Will Ohman, Are “Close”
The White Sox are the favorites to sign left-hander Will Ohman, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Ohman hasn't yet made a decision, but is "close." Ohman had drawn some interest from the Orioles (among other clubs) this winter, but Connolly reports that the O's are not one of the three AL finalists for Ohman's services.
Lee Looks To Prove Doubters Wrong
Derrek Lee doesn’t deny that his numbers dropped off last year and he doesn’t use his thumb injury as an excuse for the disappointing season. But after undergoing successful offseason surgery to repair a torn UCL ligament in his right thumb, the 35-year-old is ready to return to form. And he wouldn’t mind proving some of his doubters wrong in 2011.
"I have a little chip on my shoulder," Lee said on a conference call with reporters. "People say I'm old and declining so I want to prove them wrong obviously."
Lee signed a one-year, $7.25MM deal with the Orioles this week after hitting .260/.347/.428 with 19 homers for the Cubs and Braves last year. He drew interest from other clubs, including the Padres this offseason, but he decided to join the Orioles instead. Lee says manager Buck Showalter is an attraction and suggests the O's will have an improved lineup in 2011. But early in the winter, before the Orioles acquired Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy, Lee did not expect to play for Showalter.
"Honestly, Baltimore wasn't on my radar earlier this offseason," he said.
Lee arrives in the American League after 14 seasons in the senior circuit and he says he's extremely excited to make the transition. He admits he might not recognize every middle reliever in the AL, but expects to adjust relatively quickly.
The Orioles, in Lee's estimation, have lots of confidence and the potential to surprise people in the competitive AL East. At 35, the slugger aims to do the same.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Orioles, Angels, Rays Interested In Vladimir Guerrero
The Orioles, Angels and Rays have shown different levels of interest in Vladimir Guerrero, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com. Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles heard this week that the Halos weren’t talking to the DH, but a return to Anaheim remains possible for the longtime Angel.
A return to Texas is no longer a possibility, as Rangers GM Jon Daniels said the team is not pursuing Guerrero. Vlad, who turns 36 next month, hit .300/.345/.496 with 29 homers last year. He made his ninth All-Star team and earned his eighth Silver Slugger, finishing 11th in MVP balloting.
The Orioles would have to play Luke Scott in the outfield if they were to sign Guerrero. That would create a logjam with Scott, Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold battling for one outfield spot (assuming Adam Jones and Nick Markakis play every day). The Angels would have to play Bobby Abreu or Juan Rivera in the outfield on a daily basis if they sign Guerrero instead of a player who can patrol the outfield. The Rays could offer Guerrero a full-time DH job and they appear to be a better fit than the O's or Angels.
Orioles Sign Derrek Lee
The Orioles officially announced their one-year deal with Derrek Lee today. The first baseman signed for $7.25MM and could earn a total of $10MM if he reaches certain performance bonuses, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The veteran slugger is represented by CAA.
Lee turned down an $8.5MM offer from the Padres, according to Heyman and Dan Hayes of The North County Times tweets that he asked them for $10MM.
Baltimore has been in talks with Lee for a good portion of the winter and recently began zeroing in on him as talks with Adam LaRoche stalled. While LaRoche sought a three-year, $21MM committment, Lee made it known that he was willing to take a one-year deal.
Lee had a down year in 2010 by his standards, hitting .260/.347/.428 with 19 homers for the Cubs and Braves. Although he qualifies as a Type-A free agent, the Braves did not offer Lee arbitration and will not receive compensation draft picks.
Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun first reported the deal.
AL East Links: Orioles, Hayhurst, Andruw, Crawford
The Orioles agreed to sign Kevin Gregg today, but that's far from the only news to emerge from what's arguably baseball's toughest division. Here's the latest:
- Brian Cashman told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch that he's "monitoring what the necessary requests are, financially or player wise. If some drop, then maybe we'll get a little more serious [about making a move]." Earlier tonight we heard that the Yankees were interested in Jeremy Bonderman.
- The Orioles would still like to add a left-handed reliever, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (all Twitter links). Will Ohman is an option, but not the leading option or the only one, according to Ghiroli.
- The Orioles would like to add a veteran starter and the feeling in the front office is that a trade is more likely than a free agent signing. Kenshin Kawakami and Joe Blanton come to mind as possible trade targets, but that's just my speculation.
- Dirk Hayhurst will not be back in the Blue Jays organization next year, the pitcher (and best-selling author) announced on his blog.
- The Yankees will consider Andruw Jones, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). He bats right-handed and can play all three outfield positions, so he could provide the Yankees with some pop as a fourth outfielder and spell Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner.
- Heyman suggests the Yankees will go for a lockdown bullpen with Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera if Andy Pettitte retires (Twitter link). Click here for more Yankees rumors.
- Carl Crawford's trainer explained the left fielder's offseason workout program to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.
Kevin Gregg To Decide This Week
Reliever Kevin Gregg has been mulling offers from a few clubs and will make a decision "this week, in the next couple of days", agent Danny Horwits told Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore offered the right-hander a two-year deal worth between $8-10MM in early December.
Since putting the two-year offer on the table, the O's have been in regular contact with Horwits. The agent won't disclose which teams are in the mix for his client but it appears that Baltimore is among the finalists.
“We’ve been going back and forth with the teams that are left in the mix for the last couple of weeks,” the agent said. “We’re received new counter offers, fine-tuned other offers. Now, we’re pretty much in the mode of Kevin is going to make a decision.”
Gregg turned in a 3.51 ERA last season with 8.8 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 63 appearances for the Blue Jays. The 32-year-old will likely mark the last major acquisition for the O's this winter. Derrek Lee will likely mark their final offensive upgrade and even though they're in need of a starter and a left-handed reliever, those vacancies will be filled with small deals.
Odds & Ends: Greinke, Young, Rangers, MacLane
Links for Sunday….
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says the "word is" that the Nationals offered Zack Greinke a big contract extension in an effort to entice him to join their team (Twitter links). He simply didn't believe the Nats could win, so he instead waived his no-trade clause to go to the Brewers.
- A source told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Rangers and Rockies have not had any serious talks about Michael Young in the last week, so if he does get traded, it will likely be to a team that did not show much interest in him at the Winter Meetings (Twitter links).
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News offers a "semi-educated guess" that if the Rangers do sign Adrian Beltre, they'll shift Young to a DH/utility role rather than trade him (Twitter link).
- NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman passes along a Japanese report that has the Orix Buffaloes set to acquire Evan MacLane from the Cardinals. An official announcement is expected soon.
- Cole Hamels and the Phillies haven't yet begun discussions for a multiyear extension, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. As MLBTR's Tim Dierkes noted when he examined the Phillies' four aces, Hamels is arbitration eligible after next season and can become a free agent after 2012.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider required) shares a list of 36 potential MLB storylines for 2011. Olney's list includes the Albert Pujols negotiations, Heath Bell trade talks, and C.C. Sabathia's out clause.
- The Jason Bartlett trade potentially opened up a spot on the 25-man roster for long-time Rays' farmhand Elliot Johnson, according to Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times.
- WEEI's Rob Bradford and Alex Speier attempt to determine whether Hideki Okajima is likely to rebound for the Red Sox in 2011.
- Roch Kubatko of MASN can't see the Orioles signing a full-time DH now that Derrek Lee is on board.
- Police say Alfredo Simon is the primary suspect in a fatal shooting in the Dominican Republic, reports the Associated Press (via the Miami Herald). Simon insists he was not involved in the incident, according to Orioles Dominican representative Felipe Alou Jr.
Odds & Ends: Lee, A’s, Tigers, O’s, Dodgers
The first batch of links for 2011…
- MLB.com's Bryan Hoch wonders if waiting on Cliff Lee could come back to bite the Yankees.
- The A's still have the cash to continue adding offense according to Jane Lee of MLB.com, but the problem is that the free agent market is thinning. Oakland has added David DeJesus, Josh Willingham, and Hideki Matsui this offseason, but their bid for Adrian Beltre looks to have fallen short.
- MLB.com's Jason Beck reminds us that both Tigers' manager Jim Leyland and GM Dave Dombrowski aren't under contract beyond the 2011 season, and their fates could be a package deal based on the team's performance.
- Meanwhile, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com notes that Andy MacPhail of the Orioles is in the same situation as Dombrowksi.
- MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says that even though GM Ruben Amaro insists that the Phillies don't have enough financial flexibility left to make mid-season moves, we basically have to see it to believe it.
- Right now, the plan for the Dodgers appears to be to see what the in-house candidates can do in left field platoon before making another move, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
- In a series of tweets, ESPN's Buster Olney says the Orioles liked Adam LaRoche, but not enough to give him a three-year contract. Manager Buck Showalter likes having a good defensive first baseman, which is what Derrek Lee is, and his one-year contract also gives them some flexibility going forward.
- Olney and Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel (via Twitter) wonder if the O's will make a run at Prince Fielder next offseason, while Haudricourt speculates that the Cubs could be in that mix as well. They signed Carlos Pena to a one-year deal earlier this offseason.
- MLB.com's Tom Singer wrote about the surprising clubs that are making big moves this offseason, namely the Brewers and Nationals.
- In a reader column at the Detroit Free Press, Casey Caid says the Tigers are just one starting pitcher short of serious contention.