Orioles Have Discussed Andre Ethier With Dodgers
The Orioles have had discussions about Andre Ethier with the Dodgers, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Baltimore is in search of a left-handed hitting outfielder and the 32-year-old (33 in April) could be a fit.
While Ethier has been prominently mentioned in trade rumors throughout the winter, it would be somewhat surprising to see the Dodgers part with him after dealing Matt Kemp just weeks ago. Ethier was relegated to the bench last season and while he took it in stride, he made it clear to Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times in early December that he wanted to start in 2015 – whether that was in Los Angeles or elsewhere. The former two-time All-Star hit just .249/.322/.370 with four homers in 380 plate appearances last season.
As Kubatko notes, the Orioles checked on Kemp earlier this winter but decided against pursuing him due to his contract and health issues and the Dodgers’ insistence on getting Kevin Gausman or Dylan Bundy in return. Ethier would not require that same kind of haul, though he also comes with a hefty contract. He’s owed $53.5MM over the next three more years and has a $17.5MM vesting option for 2018 with a $2.5 million buyout, adding up to a full $56MM guarantee.
While there is some degree of interest in Ethier, Kubatko says that the Orioles apparently still rate Colby Rasmus as the most likely possibility of their left-handed hitting outfield targets. The O’s also have interest in fellow free agent Nori Aoki. Baltimore reportedly has interest in 41-year-old Ichiro Suzuki, but Kubatko hears he’d be a tough sell for some in the organization.
Quick Hits: Scherzer, Zobrist, Young
ESPN’s Buster Olney is the latest analyst to complete an analysis of Max Scherzer‘s market. In his team-by-team breakdown, Olney doesn’t uncover any blatantly obvious match. There are a handful of teams who can theoretically afford the Scott Boras client, but none of them feel pressure to ink an ace. An offseason injury to an existing ace could change Scherzer’s market – as it did with Prince Fielder a few years ago. Then, Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez injured himself while training, opening a need for the club. Detroit remains the default guess for Scherzer’s landing spot, but it’s beginning to feel like something unplanned is necessary for the market to move forward.
- Rays trade candidate Ben Zobrist makes sense for either Chicago club, writes Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago. There are the geographical coincidences – Zobrist is a Eureka, Illinois native and is represented by Chicago-based agent Alan Nero. There is history – Zobrist has played his entire career for Cubs manager Joe Maddon. More to the point, there is a need. Zobrist’s versatility would improve either club, although they both would lean upon his ability to play multiple positions rather than handing him a steady home.
- Delmon Young‘s physical is scheduled for Wednesday, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. It was reported on December 24 that Young and the Orioles had agreed to a one-year, $2.25MM deal with $750K in incentives. The deal will be officially announced after the physical.
East Notes: Jimenez, Hamels, Yankees
Ubaldo Jimenez‘s first year with the Orioles was a struggle, but with three years left on his contract, the O’s are hoping for better in 2015, Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com writes. Jimenez walked 5.5 batters per nine innings en route to a 4.81 ERA after signing a four-year, $50MM deal last February. The Orioles have tried to trade him, but other teams don’t to take on the rest of his contract. Still, Dubroff notes that Jimenez struck out the side in his last appearance of the year and pitched decently in two starts immediately before that (albeit with too many walks), and Orioles manager Buck Showalter sounds hopeful about Jimenez for next season. “I’m going to be surprised if he doesn’t come in and be ready to pitch like he’s capable of consistently,” says Showalter. Here are more notes from the East divisions.
- Trading Cole Hamels could result in a Cliff Lee-type trade for the Phillies, but they still need to take the risk, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki writes. The Phillies as currently constituted aren’t strong enough to win with Hamels, so they need to take a chance by trading him for multiple players who can help them win later. Zolecki adds that it’s unlikely the Phillies would deal Domonic Brown or Ben Revere at this point, since the team needs outfielders and both players are relatively young.
- Dellin Betances, and Andrew Miller should be able to handle the late innings in the Yankees‘ new-look bullpen, and there are a number of options for middle relief, Mark Townsend of Yahoo! Sports writes. The newly acquired David Carpenter could play a key role in the sixth and seventh innings, with Adam Warren and Justin Wilson also helping out in important spots. (One would think lefty Chasen Shreve, who pitched brilliantly in the Atlanta system last year, could be a good matchup option at some point as well.) All that depth means the Yankees don’t have to lean too hard on reclamation projects Andrew Bailey and Esmil Rogers.
Showalter To Meet With Colby Rasmus Saturday
Orioles manager Buck Showalter will meet with free agent Colby Rasmus today, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun writes. MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reported earlier this week that Showalter would speak to Rasmus about the Orioles’ interest in him.
The Orioles, contenders who play in a good ballpark, should have no problem attracting players and are not recruiting Rasmus, Connolly writes. Instead, Showalter wants to see whether Rasmus, who has at times had issues with coaches, would be a good fit for the O’s. (He had similar discussions with Nelson Cruz, Delmon Young and Alfredo Aceves before those players were acquired, Kubatko notes.) According to Kubatko, Baltimore believes that Rasmus might sign for one year and between $5MM and $8MM, giving the talented outfielder a chance to build his value before hitting the free agent market next season at age 29.
Tillman, Orioles Mutually Interested In Extension
Righty Chris Tillman and the Orioles have “mutual interest” in an extension, executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette tells Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Tillman is represented by Beverly Hills Sports Council.
“There are a few candidates for that,” says Duquette. “We haven’t spent much time on that, but contract discussion is always a good time to explore that.”
Matt Swartz’s model projects Tillman will make $5.4MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility. As Swartz notes, that would break Dontrelle Willis‘ record (later tied by David Price) for first-time eligible starting pitchers, which has stood at $4.35MM for eight years. Swartz suspects, however, the model’s $5.4MM guess is a bit high.
Still, with a 13-6 record in 2014 (not a particularly important figure analytically, but a consideration in arbitration), a 3.34 ERA and 207 1/3 innings pitched, Tillman can make a very strong arbitration case. Of course, one reason Willis’ mark has stood for so long is because some candidates to break it (such as Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum and Mat Latos) have signed extensions first. All three of those pitchers initially signed two-year deals. It’s unclear if the Orioles would have interest locking Tillman up long term, or if they would want a shorter deal primarily intended to provide cost certainty for the 26-year-old’s arbitration years. If it’s the latter, Latos’ two-year, $11.5MM deal from before the 2013 season might provide a reasonable starting point for discussions.
Beltway Notes: McLouth, Rizo, Olivera
While the Orioles looking for outfield help, swinging a trade with the Nationals to bring back Nate McLouth doesn’t seem like an option at this time, writes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. The O’s believe they have a suitable replacement for McLouth in David Lough, despite Lough’s underwhelming 2014 season. McLouth himself is also coming off a tough season that included shoulder surgery, and he’s owed $5MM in 2015 (plus a $6.5MM team option for 2016 with a $750K buyout), so it’s no surprise Baltimore prefers a younger, cheaper option in Lough. Interestingly, the O’s and Nats have never combined on a trade since the Nationals came to Washington; the last trade between the two franchises took place in October 2001 when the Nationals were still the Montreal Expos.
Here’s some more about the Orioles and Nationals…
- Also from Encina, a source tells him the Orioles don’t have a contract in place with Nicaraguan center fielder Arnol Rizo, contrary to a media report out of the country. The O’s will likely take a look at the 23-year-old when scouts head to Nicaragua next week.
- The Nationals make some sense as a suitor for Cuban second baseman Hector Olivera given their need at the keystone, though MASNsports.com’s Dan Kolko lists a few reasons (i.e. salary, Olivera’s injury history, a lack of recent scouting information) why Washington could pass.
- James Wagner of the Washington Post catches up with infamous former Nationals prospect Carlos Alvarez, who is still trying to continue his pro baseball career. Alvarez signed a $1.4MM contract with the Nats in 2006 while playing under a false identity (Esmailyn Gonzalez) and age (16) when he was actually 20 years old. Once Alvarez was discovered, the fallout led to MLB enforcing stricter rules to prevent identity fraud for Dominican prospects and also resulted in the Nationals firing then-general manager Jim Bowden and subsequently hiring current GM Mike Rizzo.
Quick Hits: Braves, Orioles, Royals
ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick kicked off the new year by running down MLB’s 15 most interesting people for ’15. Among names like incoming commissioner Rob Manfred and Cubs skipper Joe Maddon, Padres GM A.J. Preller is highlighted as one of baseball’s names to watch. The GM has overhauled the entire team, prompting new acquisition Matt Kemp to term him a front office “rock star,” a designation that is hard to argue with. Here’s more from around baseball…
- Yesterday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com raised the possibility that the Braves could pull Luis Avalan out of trade discussions after moving fellow southpaw Chasen Shreve. However, he also notes that James Russell could take over as the top lefty out of Atlanta’s ‘pen if he can show that his struggles against left-handed batters are a thing of the past. Avalan is under control through 2018, making him appealing to other clubs but also an asset that Atlanta might like to keep.
- With eleven pending free agents, the Orioles will be facing some major questions soon, Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com writes. The O’s have five position players, four relievers, and two starting pitchers that can hit the open market after the 2015 season. Some are calling for them to start making moves now as a preemptive strike, but that would likely hamstring them for 2015. The O’s could instead wait and see how the first half of the season goes, then start making trades at the deadline if they’re not looking the part of the contender. Alternatively, Baltimore could let those players go and spend the money elsewhere. Those eleven players will earn $56.6MM in 2014, meaning that they could do a lot with that money in the offseason.
- The Royals love their hard throwers at the back end of their bullpen and they acquired another one in right-hander Jandel Gustave. Alan Eskew of Baseball America looks at what Kansas City can expect out of the 22-year-old. The Red Sox selected Gustave sixth overall in the Rule 5 Draft from the Astros, then sent him to KC for cash.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Carpenter, Orioles
Hiroki Kuroda was said to be deciding between the Yankees, a return to Japan, and retirement this offseason. That doesn’t mean that another club didn’t try and work their way into things, however. The Padres reportedly made a serious push to sign Kuroda before he ultimately agreed to join the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. While Kuroda would have been a solid addition to San Diego’s starting five, it’s hard to feel bad for the Padres given the major acquisitions they’ve already made this winter. Here’s a look at Kuroda’s former team and more out of the AL East..
- Brendan Kuty of the Star-Ledger looked at the Yankees‘ acquisition of relievers David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve. After trading effective right-handed reliever Shawn Kelly to the Padres on Monday, Carpenter comes in as a solid replacement who is also younger and cheaper. While the 31-year-old Kelley will hit the open market next season, the 29-year-old Carpenter can’t until 2018. Shreve, meanwhile, could find a spot as the seventh man in the Yanks’ bullpen. The deal, of course, meant giving up once-promising southpaw Manny Banuelos, who will now look to get on track with the Braves.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com looks ahead at what might be in store for the Orioles between now and Opening Day. The O’s figure to add at least one left-handed bat for the outfield and Colby Rasmus appears to be the current favorite for that role. Baltimore executive VP Dan Duquette would also like to add a catcher and a right-handed reliever for the big league club and might make a depth signing by adding a starter in Triple-A Norfolk.
- The Yankees should be excited about pitching coach Larry Rothschild working with the newly-acquired Nathan Eovaldi, Kuty writes. The 24-year-old right hander can bring the heat, but he has yet to make that translate into gaudy strikeout totals. Eovaldi, 25 in February, has a career 6.3 K/9 versus 2.9 BB/9.
Quick Hits: Avilan, Zduriencik, Red Sox
We at MLBTR would like to extend our condolences to the friends and family of Bill Kearns, a veteran Mariners scout who passed away last night at age 94. Kearns was hired by the Mariners prior to their debut 1977 season and has been with the franchise for its entire history. A World War II veteran and former Brooklyn Dodgers minor leaguer, Kearns’ long career in baseball led him to scouting jobs with the Dodgers, White Sox and Royals before eventually joining the M’s. In a statement from the team, Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik said “Bill was a gentleman, in the finest sense, and represented his family and the Mariners in a first-class manner. And he was an excellent scout, a true ambassador of the Mariners and the game of baseball. Bill was one of the most positive people I have ever met. He will be missed.”
Here’s some more notes from around the league as 2015 is now upon us…
- Left-hander Luis Avilan‘s name had recently come up in trade talks, though now that the Braves have traded another southpaw in Chasen Shreve, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman wonders (Twitter link) if Atlanta could keep Avilan in the fold. Earlier today, the Braves sent Shreve and David Carpenter to the Yankees in exchange for Manny Banuelos.
- Zduriencik and Seth Smith discussed the recent trade that brought Smith to the Mariners in a conference call with reporters (including Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune). The extension that Smith signed with the Padres last summer was a factor in the trade, as Zduriencik noted that “one of the things we tried to stay away from was giving up talent for one-year returns…I think you’re getting a player who can be with you for at least the next three years.”
- With Craig Breslow‘s physical scheduled for Monday, the Red Sox will face a tough decision in opening up a spot for the reliever on their 40-man roster, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford writes. Dan Butler, Tommy Layne, Zeke Spruill and Drake Britton are potential candidates to lose their 40-man spots, with Bradford citing Britton as maybe the most vulnerable because he’s out of options. There’s also “a very real scenario” where Boston makes a trade to free up roster space.
- A number of recent Orioles news items and rumors are recapped by MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko, including the new information that the O’s would like to sign a right-handed reliever, possibly on a minor league deal.
- Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi recently said his team won’t be making any other major starting pitching signings, which worries Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times since he feels the rotation lacks depth beyond the top three of Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-jin Ryu. On the other hand, Dilbeck wonders if Zaidi’s statement was tactical, similar to how the GM denied that Dee Gordon was being shopped just before Gordon was dealt to Miami.
- In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Tony Blengino describes Adam LaRoche signing with the White Sox as “a perfect marriage of club, player, ballpark and contract.” Using analyses of LaRoche’s swing and U.S. Cellular Field’s park factor, Blengino thinks the veteran first baseman could challenge for the AL homer crown if he stays healthy.
Orioles Notes: Rasmus, Ichiro, Bullpen
Here’s the latest out of Baltimore:
- Orioles manager Buck Showalter is scheduled to meet with free agent outfielder Colby Rasmus, tweets Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. Rasmus has been frequently connected to the Orioles in recent weeks. His power is a good fit for notably home run friendly Camden Yards. There are plenty of red flags with Rasmus, such as the Blue Jays decision to bench him down the stretch last season. Chemistry is important to Showalter, which is why he’ll go to meet Rasmus at his Georgia home.
- The Orioles missed on one of their outfield targets – Seth Smith – but they’re still in on Rasmus and Ichiro Suzuki, reports Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. The O’s hope to lure Rasmus with a one-year platform deal, much as they did with Nelson Cruz last season. If they’re forced to turned to Ichiro, he could potentially fill their void at leadoff.
- Baltimore is looking to add depth to the bullpen and at catcher, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. As Kubatko alludes, the interest in catcher is curious since there are already five on the 40-man roster. The club is exploring major and minor league deals, which could indicate a need for minor league backstops.