Minor Moves: Velez, Hernandez, Luna, Montanez
We'll keep track of today's minor league transactions here …
- The Cardinals signed utility player Eugenio Velez, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Velez appeared in 34 games for the Dodgers this past season, but didn't collect a single hit. He did post an .834 OPS in 235 Triple-A plate appearances, while playing right field, left field, second base and third base.
- The Pirates have agreed to terms with infielder Anderson Hernandez on a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, the team announced. Hernandez, 29, has played in 240 Major League games over six seaons with the Mets, Nationals, Indians and Astros. He last appeared in the bigs with Houston in 2010.
- The Phillies announced they've signed infielder Hector Luna and outfielder Luis Montanez to minor league contracts with invitations to Spring Training. Luna has seen seen Major League action with the Cardinals, Indians, Blue Jays and Marlins, getting as many as 379 plate appearances with the Redbirds in 2006. Montanez appeared in 36 games with the Cubs in 2011.
Cardinals Sign R.J. Swindle
The Cardinals have signed left-hander R.J. Swindle to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned.
Swindle, 28, has nine Major League outings to his credit, last appearing in the bigs with the Brewers in 2009. The Vancouver native pitched in 39 games with the Rays' Triple-A affiliate in 2011 and has a career 2.37 ERA with an impressive 9.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 493 2/3 minor league innings.
Swindle was a 14th-round draft pick of the Red Sox in 2004.
Carlos Beltran Decision Expected This Week
As Yahoo's Tim Brown reported yesterday, one club involved in the Carlos Beltran derby should expect a Christmas gift before Sunday, as Beltran is expected to decide on his new team this week. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears the same thing, noting that Beltran is weighing a variety of two- and three-year contract offers from five different clubs. Based on various reports, including Goold's, the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Rays, Cardinals, and one other NL team are believed to be in on the 34-year-old. Here are the rest of today's Beltran rumors, with the newest additions on top:
- The Cards view Coco Crisp as a "Plan B or another direction" if Beltran signs elsewhere, a source tells Goold.
- How quickly Beltran can return to his home in Puerto Rico is something of a factor in his decision, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney. While this would seem to favor a team like the Rays, it doesn't rule out the Jays, given the non-stop flights between Toronto and Puerto Rico (Twitter link).
- The Rays are very unlikely to outbid Beltran's other suitors, Olney adds in one last tweet.
Latest On Coco Crisp
TUESDAY, 3:49pm: Agent Steve Comte told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that Crisp wants to play for a winner and find a home for a few years. The Cubs and Cardinals are among the teams involved, Rosenthal tweets. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes first mentioned the Cubs' interest last week.
MONDAY, 9:12pm: Multiple teams remain interested and Crisp's agent declined to characterize discussions, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter).
8:00pm: The Cardinals are discussing a deal with free agent outfielder Coco Crisp, according to Yahoo's Steve Henson (on Twitter). If the sides complete the deal, Crisp would play center field and bat atop the Cardinals' order with Jon Jay moving over to right field.
The switch-hitting Crisp led the American League with 49 stolen bases in 2011, hitting .264/.314/.379 with 27 doubles as Oakland's center fielder. The California native seems to prefer West Coast teams, but explained in September that he’s also looking to play on a winner and find a good "financial situation" for himself.
If Crisp signs in St. Louis, then Carlos Beltran will probably have one less suitor. The move would provide the Cardinals with depth as Allen Craig recovers from last month's knee surgery.
Hiroki Kuroda May Be Nearing Deal
Yahoo’s Tim Brown heard yesterday that Hiroki Kuroda was close to agreeing to a new contract. However, it’s not clear which team is nearing a deal with the right-hander. Here are the details and more of Brown’s links from around MLB:
- The Mariners, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Rangers, Red Sox and Yankees were among the teams that informed Brown they were not the team nearing a deal with Kuroda.
- The Dodgers didn’t scout Yoenis Cespedes in earnest or consider bidding on Yu Darvish, Brown reports. It cost the Rangers $51.7MM for the rights to negotiate with Darvish and Cespedes figures to cost tens of millions as well, so the players are too expensive for the cash-strapped Dodgers to consider.
- Carlos Beltran figures to agree to terms by Sunday. His market includes the Cardinals, Blue Jays, Red Sox and a fourth team, possibly the Rays. Beltran is weighing two and three-year offers, Brown reports.
Latest On Carlos Beltran
Carlos Beltran is one of the top free agents remaining (#4 among unsigned free agents on MLBTR's top 50 list). He hit .300/.385/.525 with 22 homers for the Mets and Giants this past season and won't cost a draft pick, so teams looking for a capable outfield bat have taken note. The 34-year-old switch-hitter won't come cheap, however. Here's the latest on Beltran:
- The Cardinals, who maintain strong interest, could play Beltran in right field while using him in center on occasion and asking him to DH during interleague play, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links).
- The Blue Jays, another interested club, could use Beltran as more of a DH, Rosenthal notes. They could also ask him to play left field.
- It appears that Beltran will sign for $12-12.5MM per season on a two or three-year deal, Rosenthal notes.
- Agent Dan Lozano seeks a three-year deal for Beltran, according to Yahoo's Jeff Passan.
Cardinals Maintain Strong Interest In Beltran
The Cardinals won't be able to replace all the offense they lost when Albert Pujols left for the Angels, but there are ways to replace some of it. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Cardinals did extensive background work on Carlos Beltran this week, and they continue to maintain strong interest in the outfielder.
Beltran, 34, hit .300/.385/.525 with 22 homers last season, the first time he's played in more than 100 games since 2008. He's mulling over a variety of two and three-year offers according to Rosenthal, with the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Rays also having interest in the outfielder. Toronto is said to have "significant financial flexibility," but Boston is more focused on pitching and Tampa only figures to get seriously involved if Beltran's market crashes.
Rosenthal says the Cardinals have expressed interest in both Cody Ross and Coco Crisp as well. St. Louis can add an outfielder because Allen Craig figures to miss the start of the season after having knee surgery recently, and also because Lance Berkman will move back to first base, his best position.
Prince Fielder Rumors: Saturday
There have been conflicting reports about the Cubs' interest in Prince Fielder, and the market for him has been slow to develop even after Albert Pujols signed with the Angels. We'll keep track of today's Fielder rumors here:
- The Cubs will continue to be involved in the free-agent bidding for Fielder, two major league sources with knowledge of the negotiations tell Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that a well-placed source tells him Chicago's interest in Fielder is nothing more than a smokescreen and that the hefty first baseman may wind up taking a shorter-term deal. In a second tweet, Strauss speculates that the Cardinals could slow-play Carlos Beltran and see what happens with the Fielder market.
NL Central Notes: Reyes, Astros, Molina, Pujols
The Cardinals not only won the World Series, but they've also been named Baseball America's 2011 Organization Of The Year. This is the first time the St. Louis organization has taken top honors since Baseball America instituted the award in 1982.
Here's some other news from around the NL Central….
- The Pirates are talking to southpaw Jo-Jo Reyes about a minor league contract, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link). Reyes posted a 5.57 ERA in 29 games with the Blue Jays and Orioles in 2011 and was non-tendered by the O's earlier this week.
- The Astros will give several of their young arms a shot at the closer's job in Spring Training, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Houston also has Brandon Lyon returning to provide some veteran closing experience. Stay tuned to Closer News for the latest on the Astros' late-game situation.
- Yadier Molina's contract is up after 2012 and Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wonders if Molina's friendship with Albert Pujols could make the catcher less inclined to re-sign with the Cardinals. Molina would be one of the most-sought after members of the 2013 free agent class if he and the Cards don't agree on a new deal. Miklasz suggests the Angels could target Molina this winter if he hits free agency, but I'd think such a move would only happen if Chris Iannetta is a big disappointment behind the plate in Anaheim.
- Tony La Russa tells Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Pujols was "conflicted' about leaving the Cardinals to sign with the Angels. "I know it was a painful decision and it pains him now," La Russa said. "He deserves what he got. He earned it. There's no bad guy here." La Russa also felt the situation was "unavoidable" and that Pujols "was disappointed there wasn't more enthusiasm from the Cardinals" when the Angels and Marlins made big pushes to sign the superstar at the Winter Meetings.
Cardinals Sign J.C. Romero
The Cardinals announced that they signed J.C. Romero to a one-year deal in a move that will add left-handed depth to their bullpen. MDR Sports Management represents the 35-year-old reliever, who signed for $750K plus incentives, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
Romero spent the 2011 season with the Phillies and Rockies. He posted a 4.01 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 5.5 BB/9 and a characteristically high 54.4% ground ball rate in 24 2/3 innings. With Arthur Rhodes on the free agent market, Marc Rzepczynski was the Cardinals' lone established left-handed reliever until GM John Mozeliak added Romero. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the sides were nearing a deal.