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Upcoming Ten And Five Rights

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Players who have accumulated ten years of major league service time can't be traded without their permission if they have spent the last five years with their current club. Here's a list of players whose ten and five rights kick in in the near future (service time through 2011 in parentheses):

  • Bronson Arroyo, Reds ( 9.150) – Arroyo will obtain ten and five rights late this month. If the Reds trade the right-hander, deferred payments are voided and paid up-front by his new team. It’s hard to imagine a trade involving Arroyo.
  • Brian Roberts, Orioles (9.131) – Roberts’ ten and five rights will kick in by the middle of May. However, his contract already provides him with full no-trade protection and no team would trade for him at this point.
  • Travis Hafner, Indians (9.009) – Hafner's rights will kick in this September, replacing the limited no-trade clause he currently enjoys. If the Indians retain Hafner for 2013 by exercising their club option or re-signing him as a free agent, he'll have full no-trade protection.

Rosenthal On White Sox, Mets, Reds

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports had his doubts about rookie managers Robin Ventura and Mike Matheny heading into the season, but both appear to be doing well so far. Here are more of Rosenthal’s notes from around the league…

  • An unnamed rival executive says former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was an “inefficiency” who prevented his team from reaching its full potential in Chicago.
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams likes that his team has pitched well and played solid fundamental baseball, Rosenthal reports. Williams prefers not to comment on Guillen, who managed the White Sox from 2004-11.
  • GM Sandy Alderson suggests the Mets’ 6-3 start is an indication that the Mets’ cautious optimism was warranted earlier this spring. “We’re hoping with what happened over the first 10 days or so, people will begin to see the potential of this team differently,” Alderson said.
  • Rival executives aren’t sure how the Reds will manage their payroll now that Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto have lucrative long-term extensions.

Central Notes: Reds, Votto, Pirates, Indians

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A look at items out of the Central divisions..

  • Reds first baseman Joey Votto told Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun that he wanted to become the highest-paid Canadian player in baseball.  Votto’s ten-year, $225MM extension not only made him the top earning Canadian baseball player, but made him the country’s highest-paid athlete.  There was talk about the Blue Jays targeting Votto down the line but the slugger said that it would be difficult to ever settle for a five-year deal as per their policy.
  • There’s been a lot of talk about the Braves’ low-paying television deal but Bob Cohn of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review points out that the Pirates contract is also undervalued.  The Bucs are in the third year of a ten-year TV deal and will receive $18MM this year, according to industry sources.
  • Even though the Indians are in need of an impact bat, Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer isn’t sure that the club should trade Chris Perez to get that done.
  • Drew Stubbs has some level of trade value but the Reds wouldn’t get a whole lot back for him, tweets John Fay of Cincinnati Enquirer.

Rosenthal On Lannan, Greinke, Cardinals, McCann

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Highlights from the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • The Nationals continue to look for a taker for John Lannan but his $5MM salary is only part of the problem.  A rival exec points out that any team that gets Lannan might prefer to let him go this offseason rather than go to arbitration with him, further diminishing his value.
  • A rival executive says that Joey Votto's ten-year, $225MM contract with the Reds could affect Zack Greinke's talks with the Brewers.  In the past, a team like Milwaukee could claim that a small market team could never afford such a deal, but that no longer seems like a fair argument.
  • The Cardinals talked about trading Kyle Lohse or Jake Westbrook to free up space for Albert Pujols but it now looks like they made the right decision to hang on to both.  While the two pitchers will earn a combined $20MM+ this season, both reported in excellent condition this season and are off to strong early starts.
  • The Braves are locked into their local TV deal for the next 20 years – a deal that could soon become the worst in the sport.  Meanwhile, their payroll is stagnant and while the farm system is deep in pitchers and shortstops, it's not terribly deep in other areas.  Rosenthal can't imagine that the future looks promising for catcher Brian McCann as he is two years away from free agency.

Reds Release Clay Zavada

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We’ll track the latest minor moves right here…

  • The Reds released left-handed reliever Clay Zavada earlier this week, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. The 27-year-old posted a 3.35 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 51 innings as a rookie with the 2009 Diamondbacks, but hasn't appeared in the Major Leagues since. He signed a minor league deal with the Reds over the winter after spending the 2011 season at Double-A and posting a 3.43 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 60 1/3 innings of relief.

Quick Hits: Hamilton, Baker, Phillips, Martinez

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Angels right-hander Michael Kohn will have Tommy John surgery tomorrow and will miss the season according to Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). Here are some assorted links for Wednesday…

  • The Rangers recently met with Mike Moye, agent for Josh Hamilton, but the two sides didn't get too deep into contract extension talks according to Jeff Wilson of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  • The Twins hope to replace Scott Baker internally, but there's a chance he might not pitch for them again according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger (Twitter links). Baker will miss the year with elbow surgery and the team holds a $9MM option for next season.
  • Talks between the Reds and Brandon Phillips about a contract extension started last March according to ESPN's Jim Bowden. Phillips' agreed to a new deal this week.
  • The Tigers have some hope that Victor Martinez will return late this season, according to Tom Gage of the Detroit News (Twitter links). The switch-hitting DH didn't need ACL reconstruction on his injured knee, and may return before the season's up. The Tigers won't know whether Martinez can play until they get MRI results in July.
  • Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padres reports that Padres owner John Moores initially sought $600MM for the team in 2008 and explains why it may sell for more this time around. The Padres are up for sale again, Moores announced yesterday.
  • Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has the year-by-year breakdown for Ian Kinsler’s recent contract extension (Twitter link). The Rangers have a $10MM option for 2018 with a $5MM buyout.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that most teams believe Georgia high school outfielder Byron Buxton is the best prospect available in this year's amateur draft. There's a growing sense the Astros don't want to make a risky pick, yet there's no obvious second choice behind Buxton.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

White Sox Acquire Jose Castro

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Let's keep track of the day's minor moves right here…

  • The White Sox have acquired infielder Jose Castro from the Reds according to Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). He was assigned to Triple-A Charlotte. Castro, 25, hit .306/.343/.354 in 318 plate appearances in Cincinnati's minor league system last year. He's a .262/.307/.314 career hitter in the minors and has never played in the big leagues.

Reds To Extend Brandon Phillips

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The Reds announced that they have agreed to extend second baseman Brandon Phillips through 2017. The ACES client will earn $72.5MM over the course of his new six-year contract, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio. 

Brandon Phillips - Reds (PW)

Phillips would have been eligible for free agency following the 2012 season if the Reds hadn't locked him up. Instead, he'll be in Cincinnati through his age-36 season.

Phillips, now 30, posted a .300/.353/.457 line with 18 home runs and 38 doubles in 675 plate appearances last year. He won his third Gold Glove in 2011, and advanced assessments of his fielding confirm he is a strong defender.

This marks the second major commitment by Reds ownership in two weeks. Joey Votto agreed to terms on a ten-year, $225MM extension eight days ago.

The Expos selected Phillips in the second round of the 1999 draft and sent him to Cleveland along with Cliff Lee and Grady Sizemore for Bartolo Colon in 2002. Phillips didn't emerge as a star until the Indians traded him to Cincinnati four years later.

The Rangers agreed to a five-year, $75MM extension with second baseman Ian Kinsler last night. Both Kinsler and Phillips approached Chase Utley's record $85MM contract for second basemen without establishing a new record. That challenge falls to Robinson Cano of the Yankees.

Bowden first reported the agreement and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports added detail. Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Phillips, Reds Progress Toward Extension

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The Reds have agreed in principle to a six-year, $72.5MM extension with Brandon Phillips, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (Twitter links). However, the agreement is pending approval from ownership and the deal remains unconfirmed.

The Reds are prepared to guarantee six years and $72.5MM, Bowden writes. The former Reds GM predicts the sides will complete a deal within 24 hours. Ian Kinsler’s recent deal may figure in as a comparable contract.

Phillips would be eligible for free agency following the 2012 season if the Reds don't lock him up. The ACES client posted a .300/.353/.457 line with 18 home runs and 38 doubles in 675 plate appearances last year. He won his third Gold Glove in 2011, and advanced assessments of his fielding confirm he is a strong defender.

Cafardo On Kinsler, Cox, Damon, Prior, Lannan

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It's clear to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that the collapse of last September bothered some Red Sox players more than others.  While some are using it as fuel for motivation, others seem eager to leave it in the past completely.  Former Braves manager Bobby Cox told Cafardo that he preferred the latter. "The way I looked at it, you let it go both ways. If we win the World Series, I’d say enjoy it but time to get ready for the next year. Every season is different. I don’t think there should be carryover either way," Cox said.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • Major league sources say that Ian Kinsler should average $13-$14MM over five or six years once his deal is done.  While he and the Rangers couldn’t come to terms by Opening Day, it’s not out of the question that something gets done during the season.  Brandon Phillips of the Reds should be in the Dan Uggla range – about five-years for $60MM.  Dustin Pedroia's six-year, $40.5MM deal with the Red Sox now looks like bargain as it goes through 2014 with an $11MM option for 2015.
  • When asked if he would consider managing again, Cox didn’t give a resounding no. "I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m done," he said. But he added, “I miss it. I miss it every day." While Cox has deep ties to Dodgers president Stan Kasten, he said he would not consider going back to being a GM.  Cox is signed to be an adviser for the Braves through the 2015 season.
  • When asked about Johnny Damon remaining on the open market, one AL GM was perplexed and suggested that the Rays, Indians, Orioles, and Tigers could all use him.
  • Cafardo's "all-free agent team" features right-hander Roy Oswalt, Damon in center field, Hideki Matsui as DH, Vladimir Guerrero in left field, Magglio Ordonez in right, catcher Ivan Rodriguez, first baseman Derrek Lee, second baseman Aaron Miles, shortstop Felipe Lopez, third baseman Casey Blake.  Oswalt tops the rotation alongside Javier Vazquez, who he notes has not officially retired.  Cafardo also lists Mike Gonzalez and Arthur Rhodes as the top relievers available.
  • Mark Prior’s throwing sessions have looked decent, according to major league sources, and he may be getting ready to throw for teams soon.
  • Nationals pitcher John Lannan remains in limbo as he pitches in Triple-A, but as injuries mount his trade request may be heard.  The left-hander is only 27 and could fit on many staffs as a fourth or fifth starter, but his $5MM salary is an obvious hurdle.
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