Bidding Period For Yu Darvish Ends
The deadline for teams to submit bids to the Nippon Ham Fighters for the exclusive rights to negotiate with Yu Darvish passed at 4pm central time today. Nippon Ham has until 4pm CDT on December 20th to accept or reject the high bid, according to a Japanese report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (on Twitter). The latest updates:
- The Giants did not bid on Darvish, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).
- The A's didn't bid on Darvish, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
- The Marlins did not bid on Darvish, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).
- The Mets didn't place a bid, Howard Megdal of the Journal News reports.
- The Yankees' bid is modest, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Indications are the winning bid is "sky high."
- Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reports (on Twitter) that the Fighters plan to accept the posting bid no matter how large it is.
- The Nippon Ham Fighters were very excited by how large the high bid was according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Still no word on the the money, though.
- The Yankees did post a bid, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link).
- The Rays did not bid, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter).
- The Angels did not bid on Darvish, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (on Twitter).
- Three MLB executives speculated that the Blue Jays and Rangers are candidates to win the bidding for Darvish, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
- The Twins did not bid on Darvish, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (on Twitter).
- The Red Sox did not bid on Darvish, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
- At least one team submitted a bid on Darvish, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network (on Twitter). Nippon, which doesn't know the identity of the MLB team that won the bidding, must decide whether to accept the high bid by Tuesday.
- One MLB official expects an announcement regarding the winning bid tonight or tomorrow morning, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
- The Orioles are not bidding on Darvish, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter).
- Darvish has more leverage than any previous player coming from Japan to MLB, one executive tells Yahoo's Jeff Passan, because the righty seems willing to stay with the Fighters. In October, my poll of five agents and one team executive showed that they felt he has the leverage to extract a five or six-year deal worth $72-75MM from the winning team, on top of a posting fee for the Fighters ranging from $30-55MM. Passan's survey of six executives suggests the Rangers and Blue Jays are favorites for Darvish and the Nationals, Yankees, and Mariners may submit bids. Darvish appears to have a strong preference for the West Coast. Passan feels that the higher the posting fee gets, the less likely Darvish is to sign.
- In a poll of over 26,000 MLBTR readers yesterday, 27% felt the Yankees would win the bid, followed by 17% for the Blue Jays and 15% for the Rangers.
Quick Hits: Varitek, A’s, Braves, Cordero, Lee, Pujols
Some links as Tuesday turns into Wednesday…
- The Red Sox have not yet made catcher and captain Jason Varitek a contract offer, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Boston added Kelly Shoppach to Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway on Tuesday, a move that likely spelled the end of Varitek's time with the Sox.
- There are clubs with interest in trading for both Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey and others with interest in both Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado, but Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Athletics and Braves are likely to deal their players separately to maximize the return. Rosenthal and Morosi note that the Braves and Orioles have discussed a deal that included both Jurrjens and Prado.
- Interest in free agent closer Francisco Cordero has slowed down, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). His market could hinge on how clubs fill their other roster holes.
- The Pirates still have interest in first baseman Derrek Lee even after trading for Casey McGehee, reports CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Bringing Lee back at first base would allow them to use McGehee at the hot corner with Pedro Alvarez.
- Heyman hears that the Angels put a deadline on their ten-year, $254MM offer to Albert Pujols (Twitter link). The deal did seem to come together very quickly Wednesday night into Thursday morning last week.
- The Rockies do have some money to spend according to Heyman (on Twitter). In addition to Carlos Beltran and Michael Cuddyer, they also have interest in Hiroki Kuroda, Joe Saunders, and various trade targets.
- Morosi says (on Twitter) that Andruw Jones could also be an option for the Rockies if Beltran and Cuddyer sign elsewhere.
- The Cardinals' interest in pitching upgrades is "understated," reports Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). Both Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook remain on the trade block.
- The Yokohama Bay Stars have released right-hander Hiroki Sanada so that he may pursue a deal in MLB according to a report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. No teams bid on Sanada when he was posted last week.
- The Astros and Rays are possibilities for Ivan Rodriguez, according to Heyman (on Twitter). Though the Mets have discussed Rodriguez, they’re leaning toward relying on Mike Nickeas as their backup to starter Josh Thole.
- MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner says the Joint Drug Agreement should provide Ryan Braun with privacy and fair proceedings. “I urge all to reserve judgment on this matter until the JDA's process has played itself out," Weiner said in a statement.
Josh Willingham Decision Expected Soon
3:43pm: Though the Indians aren't entirely out on Willingham, they haven't made him an official offer, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (Twitter link).
2:35pm: The Twins are the front-runner for Willingham, Rosenthal tweets. The Reds are not involved, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter).
2:23pm: The Indians are out on Willingham, Rosenthal tweets. At this point, we know the Twins and up to two more teams remain in the mix.
1:56pm: The Indians are believed to be in the mix for Willingham, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Rays and Rockies are out.
1:15pm: Agent Matt Sosnick told Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Josh Willingham "has three viable options" available to him. The free agent outfielder and his wife will make a decision within 48 hours, possibly as soon as today.
The Twins are one of Willingham's three options and though Sosnick didn't mention the other clubs by name, it wouldn't be surprising if the Indians and Rockies remain in the mix. Both clubs were linked to Willingham over the weekend. The Rockies and Twins also have interest in free agent Michael Cuddyer.
Willingham is a Type A free agent who declined his team's offer of arbitration, but it won't cost a draft pick to sign him under modified free agent compensation rules. Many other clubs, including the Rays, have expressed interest in Willingham this offseason.
Rangers Focused On Trading For Starting Pitching
The Rangers are more focused on trading for a starter than signing Prince Fielder or bidding on Yu Darvish, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Here are the details on the Rangers…
- The Rangers appear to have less payroll flexibility than expected and are interested in trading for arms such as Matt Garza, Wade Davis and Gio Gonzalez. Texas did not make official offers to C.J. Wilson or Mark Buehrle before the southpaws signed elsewhere, Rosenthal and Morosi report.
- It's worth noting that Texas has a full projected rotation: Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland, Scott Feldman, Alexi Ogando and Colby Lewis.
- The Rangers remain "in" on Mike Gonzalez, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The Yankees and Cardinals also have some interest in the free agent left-hander.
American League Non-Tenders
Today's American League non-tenders are below, but you can keep track of all teams in our non-tender tracker.
- The Mariners announced that they non-tendered Dan Cortes and Chris Gimenez.
- The Orioles announced that they non-tendered Willie Eyre, the right-handed reliever who was designated for assignment last week. They non-tendered Jo-Jo Reyes, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). The Orioles also non-tendered Luke Scott, tweets Connolly. Scott, who battled a shoulder injury in 2011 and underwent surgery this summer, projected to earn $6MM through arbitration.
- The Rays non-tendered Andy Sonnanstine, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (Twitter link).
- The Rangers non-tendered right-hander Fabio Castillo, according to Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox announced that they non-tendered Rich Hill.
- The Royals announced that they will non-tender left-hander Aaron Laffey.
- The Twins announced that they've non-tendered left-hander Jose Mijares (Twitter link).
- The Tigers non-tendered second baseman Will Rhymes, announced the team. Rhymes is not yet close to being arbitration eligible, as he has less than one year of big league service time. Rhymes, 28, hit .306/.377/.390 at Triple-A this year.
Rays Acquire Burke Badenhop
The Rays acquired right-hander Burke Badenhop from the Marlins for minor league catcher Jake Jefferies, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. MLBTR projects Badenhop, 28, would earn approximately $1.1MM through the arbitration process as a first-time eligible player.
Badenhop posted a 4.10 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 63 2/3 innings in 2011. His 58.5% ground ball rate ranked tenth in MLB among pitchers with at least 60 innings this past season. Badenhop has a 4.34 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in parts of four seasons with the Marlins.
The Rays selected Jefferies in the third round of the 2008 draft. The 24-year-old posted a .238/.282/.327 line in 242 plate appearances for two of Tampa Bay's minor league affiliates in 2011 and has a career line of .254/.318/.343 as a professional.
Quick Hits: Pujols, Lee, Davis, Buehrle
On this day in 2008, the Rays traded Edwin Jackson to the Tigers for Matthew Joyce. In his first full season for Tampa Bay in 2011, Joyce hit .277/.347/.478 with 19 homers and received his first All-Star nomination. Here are some links for Saturday afternoon..
- The personal services clause in Albert Pujols' contract ties him to the Angels for ten years beyond his playing contract, tweets Scott Miller of CBSSports.com. In total, Pujols and the Angels are set to be in business together for 20 years.
- The Angels were the only team to call the Cardinals about a possible trade for Pujols in recent years, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The talks never advanced, however, as the Cards wouldn't consider trading him (via Twitter).
- There's no evidence of any interest in Carlos Lee yet, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Heyman suggests that the 35-year-old might need Prince Fielder to come off the board first before the Astros can trade him. Last year, Lee hit .275/.342/.446 with 18 homers for the Astros. The Indians have reportedly considered the veteran but are wary of his price tag.
- The Athletics’ haul for right-hander Trevor Cahill should be a pretty good indication of what the Rays might expect for righty Wade Davis, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Clubs might not view Davis as highly, but his contract might make him even more appealing to teams such as the Reds and Marlins.
- According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Nationals’ final offer to Mark Buehrle was $39MM over three years, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Ultimately, the right-hander signed with the Marlins for $58MM over four years. Ultimately, the Nats' offer was $19MM less in overall guaranteed money and $1.5MM less in average annual value.
King’s Latest: Yankees, Fielder, Rangers, McGehee
Here are some notes from George A. King III of The New York Post…
- “I am ready to rock and roll," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman while acknowledging that he still isn't optimistic about making a major pitching addition. "The Yankees are open for business."
- An NL executive heard that the Rangers have interest in signing Prince Fielder and trading Mitch Moreland to the Rays for Wade Davis. A person with knowledge of Texas' plans say neither scenario is close to being done, however. The Rangers checked in with Scott Boras about Fielder during the winter meetings.
- The Rangers also have interest in Casey McGehee of the Brewers to play first base, which would still allow them to make the Moreland-for-Davis swap. Matt Moore's new extension means the Rays won't have to send him down to the minors for service time reasons, giving them six starters (David Price, James Shields, Jeff Niemann, Jeremy Hellickson, Moore, and Davis) for five spots.
Rays Extend Matt Moore
The Rays have authored another precedent-setting contract, locking up 22-year-old phenom Matt Moore for at least five years, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. Moore has just 17 days of big league service time (plus ten innings in the postseason), but the Rays committed $14MM for Moore’s next five seasons. The contract is reminiscent of the Rays’ April 2008 commitment to Evan Longoria, but is the first of its kind for a pitcher.
Moore’s guarantee is easily a record for a pitcher with less than a year’s service time, and it also tops any pitcher who signed with less than two years service. The Rays have club options covering Moore’s third arbitration year and first two free agent years. If those are exercised, the deal could be worth $37.5MM over eight years, and it could exceed $40MM with escalators. Moore is represented by Matt Sosnick along with Jon Pridie and Adam Karon of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.
My take: the contract makes sense for both sides. Moore is widely regarded as a future ace, with three plus pitches and a strikeout-heavy resume. But as a player who signed for $115K after being drafted in the eighth round in 2007, the guaranteed money would have been difficult to turn down. Though Longoria’s contract is considered the most team-friendly in baseball, it wasn’t without risk at the time it was signed. That risk is heightened for the Rays since Moore is a pitcher.
The Rays are unlikely to lose money on Moore’s contract. The worst case scenario is Moore missing significant time due to injury. For example, Brett Anderson signed a deal with the Athletics for a $12.5MM guarantee with just one year of service. With Anderson battling injuries since that deal was signed, the A’s might overpay by around $5MM for his first two arbitration years. They retain club options on his third arbitration year and first free agent season and could still come out ahead, but Anderson probably does not regret the contract. Sosnick Cobbe Sports has its own examples of “sure thing” starters whose careers were derailed, including Jesse Foppert and Dontrelle Willis.
Arbitration savings were a factor for the Rays, as paying $15MM for Moore’s three arbitration years could be a major bargain. An ace like the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw could receive $8MM for his first arbitration year alone in 2012, and there’s no telling how high the bar will be three years from now, when Moore would have been eligible. The Rays gain long-term cost certainty, something they lack with ace David Price. Perhaps more crucial for Tampa Bay is having club options on each of Moore’s first two free agent seasons at $10MM, with aces such as Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander requiring $20MM for free agent years on multiyear deals signed later in their careers. Getting three club options is a signature move for the Rays, as executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman accomplished the feat with previous deals for starters James Shields and Wade Davis.
Moore wasn’t going anywhere regardless of this contract, as he was under team control for a full six seasons. Still, there was a chance the Rays would have held him in the minors for part of 2012 with the intent of controlling him for a seventh year or avoiding Super Two status. This contract likely removes that scenario, making Moore a stronger candidate for the Rays’ Opening Day rotation and increasing the likelihood Shields, Davis, or Jeff Niemann is traded this offseason.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Quick Hits: Wilson, Jays, Rule 5, Pudge, Ekstrom
Let's round up a few Winter Meetings leftovers…
- C.J. Wilson was a little disappointed the Rangers didn't try to make more of an effort to re-sign him, writes Richard Durrett of ESPN.com. The Yankees also passed on a final opportunity to get involved on Wilson, tweets Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record.
- Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com has a rundown of comments made this morning by Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos on Kelly Johnson, Yu Darvish, and potential areas of need.
- John Manuel of Baseball America shares some thoughts and quotes relating to this morning's Rule 5 draft.
- The Nationals didn't make any major moves at the Winter Meetings, but GM Mike Rizzo says they're still "open for business," as MLB.com's Bill Ladson writes.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says the Angels' signing of Albert Pujols is a wake-up call for the Mariners. Several Cardinals players were surprised by Pujols' decision, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. For more reactions and fallout on Pujols, click here.
- The Rays and Mets could be among the suitors for Ivan Rodriguez, who is working out in Miami, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
- The Rockies are expected to sign Mike Ekstrom to a minor league deal, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan thinks the Angels and Marlins might regret spending so aggressively this offseason.