Stark On Pujols, Fielder, Manny, Royals
MLB executives expect Albert Pujols to re-sign in St. Louis, but predicting Prince Fielder’s next team is considerably more challenging. ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark surveyed a dozen MLB executives about likely landing spots for the two free agent first basemen and the details are worth examining. Here they are, along with more notes from Stark:
- The average prediction for Pujols’ next contract was more than $28MM per season for 8.5 years. All but one respondent expect Pujols to re-sign with the Cardinals, though there’s buzz that the Cubs, Marlins and Rangers are “gearing up” for him.
- Executives expect Fielder to sign a seven-year deal in the $22-23MM range. Some doubt NL teams would commit more than five years to Fielder because of concerns that he’ll be incapable of playing passable defense once he hits his mid-thirties.
- Manny Ramirez tried out for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, but it didn’t go well, possibly because Japanese teams prefer to avoid players with baggage.
- The players and owners are considering significant changes to the schedule in talks for a new collective bargaining agreement. The sides are considering a proposal that would split MLB teams into six divisions of five teams, ensure identical schedules for teams within the same division and boost inter-league play considerably.
- Stark hears that the Nationals are focused on finding veteran starting pitching and a center fielder. One executive believes the team prefers Mark Buehrle to C.J. Wilson or Roy Oswalt.
- The Phillies have interest in Jason Kubel and have checked in on Grady Sizemore.
- More than six teams have expressed interest in Jimmy Rollins.
- The Braves seem interested in shedding salary and they continue to float Jair Jurrjens’ name. It appears that they’d move Martin Prado after his disappointing 2011 season.
- Rival teams say the Royals are no longer looking to trade for a top-of-the-rotation starter, according to Stark. They acquired Jonathan Sanchez earlier in the week and now prefer to hold their prospects and spend on back-of-the-rotation arms.
- The Red Sox are less likely to spend on a right fielder if they re-sign free agent DH David Ortiz.
Latest On Yoenis Cespedes
The market is strong for Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, who currently resides in the Dominican Republic. The paperwork required for the center fielder to play baseball in the United States should be done this month, advisor Edgar Mercedes told Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus. Said Mercedes, "I'm confident that he'll be in spring training with a major league club."
Private workouts are beginning this week, with a large Marlins contingent scheduled to visit Thursday. The Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Indians, Blue Jays, and Pirates are among the teams that will visit in the coming weeks, Mercedes told Goldstein. Mercedes also answered questions about the legendary showcase video he produced for Cespedes.
On Monday, the Rangers, Tigers, Nationals, and Athletics were named as other clubs interested in Cespedes, who is represented by Adam Katz of Wasserman Media Group.
Olney On Dodgers, Beltran
The latest blog post from ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider required)…
- Many agents feel that most teams are working slowly in the early days of free agency due to a desire to see the new labor agreement and how draft pick compensation is affected.
- One insider guessed that MLB currently has a pretty good idea of who the next owner of the Dodgers will be. That person recalls how Peter Magowan was able to take part in the Barry Bonds signing before being approved as the Giants' new owner, which in theory could happen with the Dodgers and top free agents this winter.
- Olney isn't terribly impressed with the 2012-13 free agent class. He ranks Cole Hamels, Josh Hamilton, Matt Cain, Mike Napoli, Andre Ethier, John Danks, Zack Greinke, Michael Bourn, Howie Kendrick, and B.J. Upton as his early top ten if Matt Kemp is signed to an extension. But let's not forget Shane Victorino, Brandon Phillips, Yadier Molina, Miguel Montero, Erick Aybar, Stephen Drew, Nick Swisher, Carlos Quentin, Anibal Sanchez, and Shaun Marcum. Check out MLBTR's full list here.
- To date there have been no talks between the Red Sox and Carlos Beltran. SI's Jon Heyman reported their interest yesterday.
Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers Interested In Buehrle
6:05pm: It's highly unlikely that the Yankees will make a serious run for Buehrle, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
1:54pm: The Yankees, Red Sox, and Rangers are interested in free agent lefty Mark Buehrle, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, and the Marlins are meeting with him today. Buehrle, 32, posted a 3.59 ERA, 4.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.92 HR/9, and 44.9% groundball rate in 205 1/3 innings this year. The long time White Sox starter has pitched 200+ innings in every season since 2001.
The Marlins and Blue Jays are the teams most aggressively pursuing trades for starting pitchers, add Rosenthal and Morosi. One GM said of the Jays' Alex Anthopoulos, "You can’t pin him down. He has interest in every one of your players."
James Shields, Wade Davis, Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill, Jair Jurrjens, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Chad Billingsley, and Wandy Rodriguez are the pitchers "known or thought to be available in trades," according to the FOX writers. Cahill and Billingsley are the new names here, but it's unclear whether they fall under "known" or "thought." The availability of Rodriguez will depend on whether Jim Crane is approved as new Astros owner next week, as Crane does not share Drayton McLane's reluctance to move the 32-year-old.
Heyman On Posada, Dodgers, Beltran, Morrison
The latest rumors tweeted from SI's Jon Heyman…
- The Yankees haven't been in touch with free agent Jorge Posada so far this offseason, according to Heyman.
- A person with knowledge of the Dodgers sale says bidding will definitely go over $1 billion, and Frank McCourt may well reach his $1.2 billion target.
- The Phillies and Ryan Madson are now engaged in serious discussions, and Heyman expects the two sides to reach an agreement soon. This fits with what was written about Madson and the Phillies yesterday.
- The Red Sox are interested in free agent right fielder Carlos Beltran. I ranked Beltran ninth on my top 50 free agents list, predicting Boston as his destination.
- One executive who spoke to the Marlins tells Heyman 24-year-old left fielder Logan Morrison is off-limits. The executive could see the Fish making an exception for James Shields, however.
- The Brewers believe they have almost no hope to re-sign Prince Fielder and are now targeting free agent shortstop Jose Reyes. The Marlins will meet with Reyes in South Florida tomorrow, tweeted Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Brewers would have to give the Mets the 28th overall pick in next year's draft to sign Reyes, while the Marlins would only have to surrender a second-round pick.
- The Yankees were disappointed Jonathan Sanchez went to the Royals, as they believed they had more to offer to the Giants. The Royals acquired Sanchez and a minor leaguer from the Giants for Melky Cabrera yesterday.
- The Yankees are impressed by what they've seen so far of Cuban center fielder Yoenis Cespedes, though it's mainly limited to video. Cespedes' bizarre showcase video mostly shows off the player's athleticism and style. For a rundown of Cespedes' suitors, click here, and for a scout's view of him, check out the latest from MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
- Yankees executive Billy Eppler grew up with free agent lefty C.J. Wilson, for what it's worth. The Yankees will talk to Wilson, who GM Brian Cashman acknowledged is the "best pitcher on the marketplace right now."
Latest On Boston’s Managerial Search
The Cardinals interviewed former Red Sox manager Terry Francona for their opening today, and Red Sox GM Ben Cherington is still looking for Boston's next skipper. Here's the latest on the search:
- The Red Sox will interview Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo on Friday, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). Lovullo managed Boston's Triple-A affiliate before joining the Blue Jays.
- Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont will interview with the Red Sox on Saturday, according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier (on Twitter). Lamont managed the White Sox from 1992-95 and the Pirates from 1997-2000.
- The Red Sox are interviewing Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. tomorrow and they've already interviewed Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum. Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux withdrew from consideration.
Heyman On Pagan, Braves, Pujols, Madson
Terry Ryan is officially the interim general manager of the Twins, but Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the longtime GM is recharged and may stay a while (Twitter link). Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors from SI.com:
- The Mets have discussed Angel Pagan as a non-tender candidate, but they intend to offer him arbitration, according to Heyman (on Twitter). MLBTR projects a $4.7MM salary for the center fielder in 2012.
- Meanwhile, Chris Capuano is looking for a two-year deal, but the Mets prefer one-year bargains (Twitter link).
- The Braves are looking for a Zack Greinke-like return in a deal for Jair Jurrjens, according to Heyman (on Twitter). The Royals obtained Jake Odorizzi, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jeremy Jeffress for Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt last offseason.
- Twins executive Mike Radcliff and Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer weren’t that interested in the Orioles’ GM job, according to Heyman. The Orioles requested permission to interview them both, but the Twins denied the request and the Orioles hired Dan Duquette before setting anything up with Oppenheimer.
- It's believed that Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava got a raise to stay in Toronto, according to Heyman.
- It’s hard to tell Boston’s list of managerial candidates apart from the one the Cubs have, as Heyman explains.
- It doesn’t appear that the Cardinals will be able to boost their nine-year, $200MM offer to Albert Pujols by much.
- Ryan Madson is drawing lots of interest and the Red Sox, Phillies, Nationals, Rangers and Marlins are believed to be interested.
- C.J. Wilson, Edwin Jackson, Mark Buehrle and Roy Oswalt are drawing lots of interest, as expected.
- Heyman hears that Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is pushing for Prince Fielder or Pujols. The Marlins have also expressed early interest in Jose Reyes.
Yoenis Cespedes To Gain Free Agency
7:15pm: The Red Sox are "sending everyone" to the Dominican to evaluate Cespedes, according to MLB.com's Peter Gammons. The Rangers are also interested, along with the many teams named below, according to Gammons, who confirms that small-market teams like the A's, Pirates and Indians will be involved.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports names the Marlins, Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, and Nationals as teams with a significant presence at the Friday workout.
5:49pm: Yankees GM Brian Cashman confirmed that he saw the Cespedes video, but wouldn't say whether the Yankees are interested, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger (link on Twitter; the video has been removed). Meanwhile, Braves GM Frank Wren told David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he doesn't expect to sign the center fielder, though they're checking in on him (Twitter link).
2:25pm: The Yankees, Phillies, Blue Jays, Giants, Marlins, Nationals, Indians, Athletics, and Pirates have had a presence at Cespedes' workouts, reports Yahoo's Tim Brown. Giants GM Brian Sabean told reporters today that his team will not be involved on Cespedes, however (via Andrew Baggarly on Twitter).
Agent Adam Katz tells Brown he'll wait until his client is technically declared a free agent before discussing contract terms with teams. The Yankees, Phillies, and Marlins will have private workouts with Cespedes within the next few weeks, with a Marlins contingent heading to the Dominican Republic this week.
8:30am: Cuban center fielder Yoenis Cespedes defected mid-summer and is expected to be cleared for free agency within a matter of weeks, reports Yahoo's Jeff Passan. The 26-year-old is "arguably the best all-around player to come out of Cuba in a generation," according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, who describes Cespedes as "a legitimate centerfielder with plus power and speed." Both Passan and Goldstein expect the 26-year-old to receive a deal in the range of the $30.25MM Aroldis Chapman received in January of 2010. MLBTR first told you about Cespedes' escape from the Cuban National Team in July.
If you really want to get to know Cespedes, though, you need to watch the 20-minute YouTube video sent by his trainer to MLB teams. Goldstein's column provides a full breakdown of this bizarre production, but I'll just note that it includes Cespedes making a 45-inch vertical jump, leg-pressing 1,300 pounds (with two friends atop the weights), catching a flyball behind his back while facing the batter (twice), a thank you to Ahman Green, and the player roasting a pig. Some of the songs used may not be appropriate for your workplace, except for Christopher Cross' 1980 hit "Sailing," which was deemed too tame even for your office's elevator.
Cespedes is represented by Adam Katz of Wasserman Media Group. Passan says the Yankees are "particularly hot" for the center fielder. Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post says the Nationals had multiple talent evaluators on hand at Cespedes' workout last week in the Dominican Republic, and a team official said they'd "love to have him." Ownership has been informed about Cespedes and what it would take to sign him. The Marlins and Phillies are also in the mix for Cespedes, writes Kilgore. As with Chapman, this type of player in his prime will draw the interest of almost every club.
The Marlins have the inside track, one American League source who attended the showcase told Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. A Marlins contingent including owner Jeffrey Loria will visit Cespedes in the Dominican Republic later this week, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Red Sox Managerial Links: Maddux, Martinez
Let's round up some links about the Red Sox's still-ongoing search for Terry Francona's replacement…
- GM Ben Cherington confirmed that Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux has withdrawn his name from consideration for the job, reports WEEI.com's Alex Speier. Speier says it had to do with family concerns, as Maddux did not want to be so far away from his home in Texas.
- MLB.com's Peter Gammons says (on Twitter) that Maddux has not yet been to Chicago, where he is also a candidate for the Cubs' managerial position.
- Cherington confirmed to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe that the team plans to expand its search, something that was in the works even before Maddux pulled himself out of the running. "Haven’t ruled out internal candidates but [we're] not focused there right now," said the GM.
- Former Red Sox exec and current Padres GM Josh Byrnes spoke to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford about the process of hiring a new manager. "There are steps," he said. "You lay out the criteria you want with the club, the market, the impact on the players, the impact on the fans and the media and the impact on scouting and development. All the things a manager is going to touch. Then you start calling around, asking opinions you trust, and I think that part is a little underrated."
- The Tampa Tribute reports (on Twitter) that the Sox have not yet asked the Rays for permission to talk to bench Dave Martinez about their manager's job.
East Notes: Thome, Braves, Red Sox, O’s
The Phillies made one of the first notable signings of the offseason the other day, inking Jim Thome to a one-year deal. Here's some more on Thome and the rest of the game's Eastern division teams…
- Thome's deal with the Phillies allows him to earn an additional $250K based on his plate appearances, according to this tweet from ESPN's Jerry Cracnick. Thome will earn $50K for reaching 175, 200, 225, 250, and 275 plate appearances, making his contract potentially worth $1.5MM.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Braves would be open to trading anyone for the right price, following their late season collapse. Rosenthal also notes that Atlanta tried to acquire Lorenzo Cain from both the Brewers and Royals last offseason, offering up Brandon Beachy. They also tried for a swap of Jair Jurrjens and Brett Lawrie with Milwaukee, but were unsuccessful.
- WEEI.com's Arielle Aronson wonders if the Red Sox will pursue Martin Prado as an alternative if Michael Cuddyer signs elsewhere. The Phillies are thought to be big players in the Cuddyer sweepstakes.
- Steve Gould of the Baltimore Sun offers up his thoughts on how free agents Edwin Jackson, Mark Buehrle, Roy Oswalt, and Carlos Pena could or couldn't fit the Orioles.