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Quick Hits: Upton, Liriano, Orioles, Headley

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Rob Manfred, MLB’s executive VP of labor relations, told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he’s not ready to say baseball’s collective bargaining agreement needs changes. While the CBA appears to have limited the market for certain players who declined qualifying offers, Manfred says it’s still early. “I’m not inclined to get into a discussion about changing an agreement when it hasn’t even operated for a full year.” As Rosenthal points out, draft pick compensation places an artificial burden on free agents. Here are some more links from around MLB…

  • The Rangers aren’t a perfect fit for Justin Upton, because their lineup already includes many right-handed hitters, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney notes (Twitter links). The Braves could be a better fit, and could deal from a surplus of pitching. Olney reported yesterday that the Diamondbacks are open to dealing the right fielder.
  • The Pirates haven’t announced their two-year, $12.75MM agreement with Francisco Liriano, but MLB.com’s Tom Singer still expects the deal to go through (Twitter link). The Pirates have been trying to get the left-hander to Pittsburgh for a physical.
  • The Orioles have not watched free agent right-hander Javier Vazquez work out and they have no current plans to attend any of his scheduled sessions, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports (on Twitter). That said, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun suggested today that the Orioles could have some interest (Twitter link).
  • Within an in-depth piece about third baseman Chase Headley, Padres GM Josh Byrnes revealed to MLB.com's Corey Brock that he pushed for the Red Sox to draft Headley back in 2005 when he was in the Boston front office. Headley, 28, is arbitration eligible for the third time this offseason.

Orioles Claim Luis Martinez

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The Orioles announced that they claimed catcher Luis Martinez off of waivers from the Rangers. Baltimore's 40-man roster is full after claiming Martinez, who had been designated for assignment on December 26th.

Acquired by the Rangers from San Diego last offseason, Martinez appeared in ten games with Texas this past season. He spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he hit .270/.350/.386 in 247 plate appearances. The 27-year-old also appeared in 22 games with the Padres in 2011, his first campaign in the Major Leagues.

Minor Moves: Dodgers, Moore, Royals, Boyer

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We'll keep track of tonight's minor moves right here..

  • The Dodgers signed outfielder Jeremy Moore, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.  Moore ranked as the Angels' No. 11 prospect after the 2011 season but missed all of last year after having hip surgery.  Eddy writes that Moore may lack the plate discipline to ever play regularly but could provide a cheap source of power, speed, and defensive versatility in the outfield.  Moore hit .298/.331/.545 with 15 homers for the Halos' Triple-A affiliate in 2011.
  • The Royals announced that they have signed right-hander pitcher Blaine Boyer to a minor league deal.  Boyer, 31, owns a 4.81 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 233 career MLB relief appearances.
  • The Royals signed first baseman Chad Tracy, according to Eddy.  Tracy, not to be confused with the Nationals' utility man by the same name, is the son of former manager Jim.  The 27-year-old hit .269/.324/.432 with 12 homers for the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate in 2012.
  • The Orioles released Elvis Duran, their top-paid Latin American signing from 2011, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.  The 18-year-old had just one professional season under his belt and was released due to an elbow injury, according to one source.  The 6'7" hurler was signed under the old regime before Dan Duquette took over baseball operations.

Orioles Could Add Relief Help

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Though most of the Orioles’ top relievers are under team control for 2013, executive vice president Dan Duquette said he’s open to adding bullpen help between now and Spring Training, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports. Duquette said he had some discussions regarding trade and free agent possibilities during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. That said, he sounds confident in the options already on his roster.

“These guys are at the age where some of them should improve and a couple of them should be able to maintain and perform at the level they did this past year, but that wouldn’t preclude us from adding some additional depth to our pitching staff,” Duquette said.

There’s not much room in the Baltimore bullpen. As Encina explains, Jim Johnson, Pedro Strop, Darren O’Day, Luis Ayala and Troy Patton will likely occupy five of the seven bullpen spots this coming season. Right-hander Tommy Hunter, left-hander Brian Matusz, and Rule 5 selection T.J. McFarland are among the Orioles’ internal options for the final two bullpen vacancies.

As the Sun’s Dan Connolly recently reported, the Orioles have shown interest in free agent right-hander Matt Lindstrom. There are still lots of alternatives available, as MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker shows. For example, Chad Durbin, Jason Frasor and Brandon Lyon are among the free agent right-handers who could be targets on relatively modest deals.

Quick Hits: Saunders, Reds, Yankees, Hamilton

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Congratulations to our own Ben Nicholson-Smith on being named one of the 100 most influential Canadians in baseball by Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun for the second year in a row.  In addition to BN-S, fellow MLBTR writers Luke Adams (also of HoopsRumors) and Mark Polishuk earned honorable mention for their stellar work.  Here’s tonight’s look around baseball..

  • Even though many seem to feel getting a hitter is the bigger priority for the Orioles right now, Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com would like to see the O’s continue their pursuit of Joe Saunders and get involved with Shaun Marcum.
  • Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d) looked at the biggest risks taken by MLB teams this offseason.  The Reds made the list for their decision to put the newly-acquired Shin-Soo Choo in center field and so did the Yankees for letting Russell Martin and Nick Swisher go elsewhere while signing Ichiro Suzuki and Kevin Youkilis who are well past their primes.  Bowden also suggests that the Tigers should get a closer with experience like Brian Wilson to support rookie Bruce Rondon.
  • Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com looks at ten questions facing the Angels in 2013, including the issue of whether Josh Hamilton is worth the $125MM contract he received this winter.  It’ll take longer than one year to fully answer that question, but in the short-term the Halos would like to see the slugger stay healthy.
  • The Dodgers are full of promise in 2013 but an awful lot happened in the last year and change to put them in that position, notes Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com.  The ball started rolling in November of 2011 when Frank McCourt finally agreed to sell the team.

Orioles Interested In Matt Lindstrom

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The Orioles are among several teams interested in Matt Lindstrom, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).  Lindstrom was a part of the O's bullpen until he was sent to Arizona for Joe Saunders in August.

The 32-year-old pitched to a 2.68 ERA in 47 innings for the two clubs in 2012.  Lindstrom had a club option for 2013, but the D'Backs opted to pay a $200K buyout rather than his $4MM salary.  The O's are also interested in bringing back Saunders but will have to compete with the Mariners, Padres, Mets, and Twins.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Pimentel, Santos, Orioles

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It was on this day in 1974 that the first real "free agent" signing in modern baseball history was made by (who else?) the Yankees when they inked Catfish Hunter to a five-year, $3.75MM deal.  Hunter was freed from his previous contract with the A's after an arbitrator ruled that the club has breached the terms of the right-hander's deal, thus paving the way for Hunter to sign with New York.  The deal was a record for its time, as Hunter was earning three times as much money as any other Major League player.

Here are some items from around the AL East…

  • The Yankees have learned several lessons in 2012 including Alex Rodriguez is less dependable than ever and their fiscal cliff is real, according to LoHud.com's Chad Jennings.
  • Right-hander Stolmy Pimentel was part of the trade package the Red Sox sent to the Pirates in the Joel Hanrahan deal.  WEEI.com's Alex Speier looks at Pimentel's career arc and wonders if his departure could signal a change in how the Sox value their prospects in terms of their trade value.
  • Sergio Santos spent almost all of the 2012 season on the DL but his ability to provide depth at closer will be a major factor in the Blue Jays' playoff drive in 2013, writes Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star.  Santos was expected to be the Jays' closer last year but Casey Janssen stepped into the job and performed well, making him the incumbent late-game choice heading into next season.  Griffin thinks Santos will be the choice to take over the job if he stays healthy, though I don't see the Jays making a switch unless Janssen struggles.  Just a reminder that you can keep track of all the closer news on MLBTR's sister Twitter feed @CloserNews.
  • If the Nationals re-sign first baseman Adam LaRoche but miss out on free agent southpaw J.P. Howell, MASNsports.com's Dan Kolko suggests that the Nats and Orioles could match up on a trade.  In Kolko's proposed deal, the O's would send one of their several left-handed relief options to Washington as part of a package in exchange for Michael Morse, who would be expendable for the Nats if LaRoche was back in the fold.
  • In other AL East news from earlier today, we learned the Rays are in the market for more relief pitching.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Orioles Remain In Contact With Joe Saunders

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Orioles GM Dan Duquette remains in contact with free agent left-hander Joe Saunders, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. He notes that the team doesn't want to surrender a draft pick and is disinclined to hand out a big pitching contract, so Kyle Lohse isn't a fit.

The Mariners, Padres, Mets, and Twins are among the other clubs with interest in Saunders. The 31-year-old pitched to a 4.07 ERA in 174 2/3 innings for the Diamondbacks and Orioles last season, his fifth consecutive season of 170+ innings pitched. Baltimore has had a relatively quiet winter so far, as a new contract for Nate McLouth and trades for Trayvon Robinson, Yamaico Navarro, and Danny Valencia highlight the team's moves.

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranked Saunders as the 25th best free agent available earlier this offseason, predicting he would re-sign with the Orioles.

AL East Notes: Pedroia, LaRoche, Smoak, Thome

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In an appearance on WEEI radio's Red Sox Hot Stove show (partial transcript provided by WEEI.com's Alex Speier), Dustin Pedroia said he hadn't heard anything from his agents about any talks with the Red Sox about a possible contract extension.  It was reported in November that Boston was interested in extending its second baseman, and Pedroia is eager to pursue such negotiations should they arise. "Obviously, I want to be a Red Sox my whole career and play in that city, turn this whole thing around to get back to where we were my first couple years there," Pedroia said.

Here's the latest from the AL East…

  • The Red Sox are not only disinclined to give Adam LaRoche a three-year contract, but the club also doesn't want to surrender a draft pick to sign the free agent first baseman, tweets Peter Gammons.  Boston has interest in LaRoche as a backup option if Mike Napoli can't be signed, and signing LaRoche would cost the Sox their second-round draft pick since LaRoche turned down a qualifying offer from the Nationals. 
  • Speaking of that Red Sox draft pick, WEEI.com's Rob Bradford looks at why Boston is hesitant to give up that selection.
  • The Orioles "kicked the tires" on trading for Mariners first baseman Justin Smoak in each of the last two offseasons and also rated Smoak highly in his draft year, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  Connolly sees Smoak as a good trade target for the O's and wonders if a Smoak-for-Brian Matusz deal would work for both teams.  We heard earlier this week that the Orioles continued to have interest in Smoak, who could be expendable now that Seattle has Kendrys Morales in the fold.
  • Jim Thome is "not an ideal fit" to return to the Orioles, writes MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli, as manager Buck Showalter would prefer to rotate his regulars through the DH spot.  Earlier this month, Thome said he is open to returning in 2013 for his 23rd Major League season.
  • The Rays' strong recent track record of signing veteran bullpen arms augers well for the Roberto Hernandez signing, writes MLB.com's Bill Chastain.  Hernandez signed a one-year, $3.25MM deal with the Rays earlier this month.

Quick Hits: Yankees, Royals, Orioles, Hochevar

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MLBTR would like to wish all of our readers a very Merry Christmas.  Here's tonight's look around baseball..

  • Yankees catcher Austin Romine could make an impact this season following the departure of Russell Martin, writes MLB.com's Bernie Pleskoff.  Martin signed a two-year, $17MM deal with the Pirates in November.  The Yankees still could make a play for a starting catcher, but as it stands, they'll head into spring training with Romine, Chris Stewart, and Francisco Cervelli.
  • Royals left fielder Alex Gordon appreciates the moves that General Manager Dayton Moore has made in order to win in the short-term, writes Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star.  “To be honest, it seems like we’ve been sitting on prospects the last six years…It’s given them that option to be able to do that and go get a guy like James Shields and some of the other guys they’ve picked up. Yeah, it’s a risk-reward, but it’s something that you sometimes need to pull off," said the soon-to-be 29-year-old.  Gordon is signed through the next three seasons with a player option in 2016.
  • Some have theorized that the Orioles won't be able to bank on the good fortune that they enjoyed last season in 2013, but Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com notes that the club has plenty of setbacks to overcome.  The O's roadblocks led them to go through 52 players in the regular season and 178 roster moves in total.
  • While many Royals fans would like to see them dump Luke Hochevar and Jeff Francoeur, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter) doesn't see either player being given away for nothing.  Either player could be traded, but Kansas City will want something of consequence in return.  The Royals reportedly called the Rockies about Hochevar earlier this month, but nothing materialized from those talks.
  • Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) looked ahead to the biggest storylines of 2013.  The Blue Jays now find themselves at center stage after acquiring R.A. Dickey, Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, and others this offseason.  The Dodgers will also feel immense pressure to win as they'll claim the highest payroll in baseball in 2013.
  • Left-hander Scott Kazmir is grateful for another shot at the major leagues, writes Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.  The soon-to-be 29-year-old inked a minor league deal with the Indians late last week.  Kazmir last pitched at an All-Star level in 2008, when he posted a 3.49 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9.
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