Astros Unlikely To Be Major Players In Free Agency
The Astros went into full blown rebuilding mode by trading Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, Hunter Pence, and Michael Bourn over the last 15 months, and the team is now focused on youth and building from within. As part of that process, GM Ed Wade told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that Houston is unlikely to be a major player in free agency this offseason…
"We'll do all the legwork we normally do and be prepared to read and react as opportunities present themselves, but I don't see us being major players in the free-agent market," said Wade. "I think the course we set out on actually a year ago with the Oswalt and Berkman trades, it's a course we have to continue to follow.
"We'll try to infuse as many young players into our situation as we possibly can and that being the case, we're committed to trying to stay young and build that core nucleus from within. I just don't see a scenario where we're major players in the market, but there could be opportunities to present themselves along the way that we have to be prepared for."
Wade also reiterated that he would like to re-sign Clint Barmes, but the team's "economic environment" probably will not allow them to do so. There is only one-year and $18.5MM left on Carlos Lee's contract, though the team still owes Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers a combined $39.5MM over the next two seasons. Jim Crane is awaiting approval from the other owners before he can finalize his purchase of the team from Drayton McLane, and he'll likely be faced with the opportunity of moving the team to the American League.
In our Offseason Outlook, Tim Dierkes mentioned that the Astros could import some relievers on one-year contracts with an eye towards flipping them at the trade deadline or recouping compensatory draft picks next winter. Houston will pick first overall in the 2012 draft after finishing with the worst record in the game this season.
Rockies Links: Wandy Rodriguez, Michael Young
Let's round up the latest from the club at the highest altitude…
- People within the game believe that the Rockies will make another aggressive attempt to acquire Wandy Rodriguez from the Astros this winter, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post. There is $36MM left on Rodriguez's contract, but Colorado was willing to absorb that when they claimed him off trade waivers in August. The two teams could not work out a deal and lefty remained in Houston.
- The Rockies were "100 percent convinced" they had a deal in place for Michael Young before the season, reports Renck (on Twitter). He says the trade fell through on the Rangers' end, not Colorado's.
- Tim Dierkes broke down the team's Offseason Outlook and Arbitration Cases earlier this month.
Minor Moves: Astros, Carlin
Here are the latest minor moves from around MLB…
- The Astros announced that they re-signed outfielder Brandon Barnes to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. The 25-year-old posted a .238/.313/.426 line in the upper minors in 2011. In seven pro seasons since Houston selected him in the sixth round of the 2005 draft, Barnes has a .743 OPS.
- The Indians announced that they re-signed catcher Luke Carlin to a minor league deal and invited him to next year's Spring Training. Carlin, 30, spent the 2011 season at Triple-A Columbus, where he posted a .213/.364/.335 line in 238 plate appearances.
Astros Claim Craig Tatum
The Astros claimed catcher Craig Tatum off of waivers from the Orioles, MLBTR has learned. Tatum, 28, has three partial seasons of catching experience at the Major League level and isn't yet eligible for arbitration. He joins backstops Jason Castro, Humberto Quintero and Carlos Corporan on Houston's 40-man roster, which now includes 36 players.
Tatum has a .223/.291/.264 line in 299 MLB plate appearances and has stopped 21% of stolen base attempts against him. In eight seasons as a minor leaguer, the 2004 third round pick has a .249/.316/.377 batting line and has stopped 35% of stolen base attempts.
The Astros have confirmed the move.
Minor Moves: Arias, Valdez, Cedeno
The Astros signed right-handers Alberto Arias and Jose Valdez and left-hander Xavier Cedeno to minor league deals, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The Astros had outrighted the players off of their 40-man roster earlier in October.
Arias would have been arbitration eligible, but he spent the 2011 on the season on the disabled list after undergoing shoulder surgery in March. The 27-year-old has a 3.74 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 74 2/3 career innings and hasn't pitched since 2009.
Valdez appeared in 12 games for the Astros in 2011, striking out 15 in 14 innings. He also posted a 5.47 ERA with 12.0 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 24 2/3 minor league innings. Cedeno made his MLB debut last month, pitching in three games as a September callup. The 25-year-old spent most of the 2011 season in the upper minors, where he posted a 4.38 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 137 2/3 innings.
Heyman On Pujols, Wilson, Angels, Crane
SI's Jon Heyman leads his latest column with an examination of Albert Pujols' impending free agency. An additional $20MM in total dollars wouldn't compel Pujols to leave St. Louis, says one person who knows the slugger well. The preseason gap was large, though, as Heyman says the Cardinals were at nine years and "a bit more than $200MM" while Pujols wanted to beat Alex Rodriguez's ten-year, $275MM deal. Wherever he lands, Pujols is certainly putting an exclamation point on his season. Heyman's other rumors…
- The Rangers almost surely would be out of the C.J. Wilson bidding if it reaches five years and $75MM, hears Heyman. A Rangers person tells Heyman Wilson hasn't actually named an exact asking price. The lefty is looking forward to free agency and noted to Heyman that he doesn't have a wife, a child, or a dog, implying the decision will be entirely his. The Nationals, Marlins, and Royals are likely to pursue Wilson, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- The Angels' desire for a scouting type in their GM job may favor the Yankees' Damon Oppenheimer, hears Heyman.
- Prospective Astros owner Jim Crane seeks a $50MM discount for moving to the American League.
- "I wish I stay here," remarked Rafael Furcal on his upcoming free agency. The 34-year-old shortstop joined the Cardinals at the trade deadline and is playing in his first World Series.
Phillies Notes: Madson, Nathan, Moyer, Lambe
The Phillies have a number of issues to address this winter, including Jimmy Rollins' impending free agency. The shortstop is after a five-year deal but the club will likely push for a shorter contract. Here's a look at some other news out of the City of Brotherly Love..
- General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. wants stability in the ninth inning, but committing top dollar and multiple years to a proven closer has its risks, opines Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Earlier this month, the GM said that if Phillies don't re-sign closer Ryan Madson, the club will go outside the organization for a replacement.
- On his blog, Gelb suggests that 37-year-old Joe Nathan could be a sensible choice for the Phillies this offseason. Nathan would come cheap and could serve as a stopgap while one of the club's young arms develop and build towards taking over the role of closer. The right-hander pitched 44.2 innings in 2011 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the 2010 season.
- Former Phillies left-hander Jamie Moyer, who will turn 49 in November, continues to eye a comeback in 2012, writes Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Moyer is roughly 11 months removed from undergoing Tommy John surgery.
- The Phillies reached out to Bryan Lambe about joining their organization just after he agreed to become an area scout for the Astros, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. Heyman calls Lambe a "man of integrity" for not wavering after giving his word to Houston.
NL Central Notes: Pujols, Pirates, Astros
Let's turn our attention to the National League Central where we lead off with, who else, Albert Pujols..
- If there was any doubt before, it's completely erased now: Albert Pujols is going to hit the free agent jackpot at the age of 31, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. One performance logically shouldn't have a great effect on a player's value, but Rosenthal argues that all it takes is one team to take a contrary position.
- If, as expected, the Pirates move on without Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder, GM Neal Huntington said the team is "comfortable" with their internal options at catcher but will explore outside options as well, writes Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- The Astros have hired Bryan Lambe as an area scout, tweets MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Lambe and Wayne Krivsky, both hires of ex-GM Omar Minaya, were let go by the Mets exactly one month ago today.
NL Central Notes: Rasmus, Bourn, Dempster
Weather permitting, we''re just a few hours from watching the Cardinals represent the NL Central in Game Three of the World Series in Texas. While we wait, let's round up some links on the Cards and a couple of their division rivals….
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak discusses the Colby Rasmus trade with Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, noting that there was some internal opposition to moving the center fielder: "I'm not going to point anybody out specifically but there definitely was a robust debate internally on what we should do. But in the end, everybody believed it was what was best for the organization."
- In a highly recommended piece at Bloomberg Businessweek, Rob Gloster revisits another July deal, providing an in-depth look at negotiations between the Braves and Astros for Michael Bourn.
- ESPNChicago passes along a few quotes from Ryan Dempster regarding his future and the Cubs' new president. Dempster praised Theo Epstein and said he'd talk to the new front office regime before making a decision about his $14MM player option: "Hopefully it's not just picking up an option for this year, but I'll go out there and play the best I can and be here for a long time."
Astros Notes: Crane, McLane, Bourn
Some notes out of Houston, including news about the proposed sale of the club….
- Potential Astros owner Jim Crane wants $50MM off his $680MM purchase price as compensation for moving the club to the American League, reports Josh Kosman of the New York Post. Though it isn't clear if a deal will be reached, Crane and MLB are in the "ballpark" of an agreement on the compensation price. A source tells Kosman that there is a “65 to 70 percent chance" that Crane and Bud Selig will reach an agreement, but if the two sides can't work out a deal, Crane won't buy the club.
- Crane's $50MM request could be his "exit strategy" from the sale, writes Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle, if he has become frustrated at how long it has taken to finalize his purchase of the Astros. Justice also speculates that current owner Drayton McLane could be the one who walks away from the deal if Crane wants to lower his price, even though $630MM is still higher than any other offer McLane could find.
- Rob Gloster of Business Week talks to several Astros and Braves officials for an oral history of the Michael Bourn trade.