Marlins Close To Deal With Saltalamacchia
4:27pm: Juan C. Rodriguez of the Miami Sun-Sentinel reports that the Marlins have offered three years and $21MM (Twitter link). Passan hears that the Marlins are "closing in" on a deal with Saltalamacchia that is in the three-year, $22MM range.
4:03pm: The Marlins are the "extreme" favorites to land Saltalamacchia after offering a three-year deal worth as much as $8MM per season, tweets Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.
3:58pm: The Marlins have made a three-year offer to Saltalamacchia, who is in Miami to meet with the team today, a person with direct knowledge of the talks tells Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Berardino says that the Twins have moved on from their pursuit of catchers and will go with promising rookie Josmil Pinto as their main catcher in 2014 (Twitter links).
2:58pm: Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post (on Twitter) hears that Salty is headed to the Marlins.
1:55pm: The Rangers won't pursue a reunion with Saltalamacchia, a source tells Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).
1:03pm: The Marlins have offered Saltalamacchia a two-year deal with a club option for a third season, according to Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link).
12:23pm: The Marlins and Twins remain in pursuit of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports (also via Twitter) that Salty's market is moving quickly enough that he could sign prior to next week's Winter Meetings.
Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities adds that there's an industry sense that the two teams will have to present Saltalamacchia with their final offers in the next day or so. According to Wolfson, the Twins will have to outbid the Marlins to land Saltalamacchia, who is a South Florida native. However, Wolfson also says that Saltalamacchia is "definitely on board" with becoming a Twin (Twitter links).
Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press points out that not only do Saltalamacchia and his family reside in Wellington, Fla. (less than 70 miles from Marlins Park), the state has no income tax, meaning the Twins could have to spend significantly more than the Marlins (Twitter link).
Saltalamacchia is the top remaining catcher on the free agent market now, and nearly every other starting-caliber backstop has already found a new home early in the offseason. The switch-hitter batted .273/.338/.466 with 14 homers last season, but he also struck out in nearly 30 percent of his plate appearances and posted just a .628 OPS as a right-handed batter.
It's unclear whether or not the Twins have made an offer to this point, but the Marlins reportedly have already done so. Of course, another team could jump into the mix late in the game. The White Sox are one team that could still use an upgrade behind the plate, though that's solely my own speculation.
Athletics Acquire Craig Gentry, Josh Lindblom
12:48pm: The A's will also receive right-hander Josh Lindblom from the Rangers, tweets Passan. Minor league second baseman Chris Bostick will head to Texas in the trade as well.
12:47pm: The Rangers are receiving multiple minor leaguers in the deal, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
12:38pm: The A's have acquired outfielder Craig Gentry from the Rangers in exchange for Michael Choice, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Other players are involved in the deal as well, adds Passan.
Gentry, who turned 30 last week, is regarded as one of the game's best defensive outfielders and is coming off a season in which he batted .280/.373/.386 with a pair of homers and 24 stolen bases in 27 attempts. He boasts an outstanding 29.5 UZR/150 in more than 1400 career innings in center field, and The Fielding Bible likes him for +34 runs saved in his career.
Gentry has thrived against left-handed pitching throughout his career, compiling a solid .288/.376/.399 slash line. He's serviceable against right-handed pitchers as well, though his OBP (.334) and slugging (.335) are significantly lower against same-handed pitching.
Lindblom, 26, has primarily served as a reliever in his big league career, but Passan notes that the A's are planning to use him as a starter (Twitter link). Lindblom has a career 3.82 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 34.3 percent ground-ball rate. His flyball tendencies should be much better suited for Oakland's O.Co Coliseum than Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Choice is a 24-year-old outfielder who played all three positions for the Athletics' Triple-A club this year. The 10th overall pick by the A's in 2010, Choice made his big league debut in September this year. Prior to the season, Baseball America ranked him second among A's prospects, praising his power and bat speed while noting a propensity for strikeouts and fringy arm strength. Choice went on to hit .302/.390/.445 with 14 home runs in 600 Triple-A plate appearances. He's a native of Arlington, Texas.
Bostick, 21 in March, was a 44th round pick out of high school by the A's in 2011. A second baseman, he hit .282/.354/.452 with 14 home runs in 555 A-ball plate appearances this year. Prior to the season, BA ranked him 20th among A's prospects, citing sneaky power and the potential to become more than a utilityman.
A’s, Rangers Discussing Significant Trade
12:36pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Craig Gentry is one of the players being targeted by Texas (on Twitter).
12:31pm: Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that the A's aren't done trading and are nearing completion of another trade. Brett Anderson is not among the players being discussed, but there are Major League players being talked about (Twitter links). ESPN's Jerry Crasnick adds that it's the Rangers that are in the midst of discussions on a significant trade with Oakland (on Twitter).
Rangers Interested In Kurt Suzuki
The Rangers are looking at Kurt Suzuki as an option to pair with Geovany Soto behind the dish in 2014, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
Suzuki, 30, batted .232/.290/.337 with five homers in his second straight season split between the A's and Nationals. Though he's typically been solid in terms of catching base stealers, Suzuki caught just eight of 65 potential thieves in 2013 (12 percent) and graded out as one of the league's worst in terms of pitch-framing. He was highly adept at blocking pitches in the dirt, per Fangraphs, trailing only Yadier Molina in that regard.
Free agent catchers are flying off the board, with A.J. Pierzynski's recent agreement with the Red Sox serving as the latest example. However, since their signing of Soto kicked off a string of seven Major League contracts for free agent catchers, the Rangers have been content to let more expensive options go to other teams.
After Soto's one-year, $3.05MM contract was finalized, the Rangers said they signed him to be their primary catcher in 2014. Those comments were met with speculation, as GM Jon Daniels made similar implications after signing Soto last offseason, only to turn and sign Pierzynski a few weeks later. With options dwindling, Soto could be their man this time around.
AL East Notes: Orioles, Johnson, Price, Cano
Last week, the Yankees pounced on top available free agent catcher Brian McCann, inking him to a five-year, $85MM deal. The Bombers were connected to other backstops along the way, including Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Carlos Ruiz, but they reportedly only had passing interest in them as backup plans. Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger heard that the Yanks didn't make serious overtures to Ruiz and had slightly more substantive talks with Salty. Here's more out of the AL East..
- The Orioles are said to be willing to listen on offers for closer Jim Johnson and Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com ran down the possible alternatives if he's dealt. The hard-throwing Tommy Hunter is the most likely in-house candidate to take over, but closing would be new territory for him. Darren O'Day would be a consideration, but the O's value him in a set-up role.
- Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com looks at Rays pitcher David Price as a trade candidate for the Rangers. Durrett argues that it would be worthwhile to give up promising young second baseman Jurickson Profar to land a pitcher of Price's caliber.
- The Mariners could be the wild card club to pull Robinson Cano away from the Yankees, but George A. King III of the New York Post wonders if the second baseman would go all the way to Seattle to play for a losing ballclub.
Rangers Claim Rafael Ortega From Rockies
The Rangers have claimed outfielder Rafael Ortega off waivers from the Rockies, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (on Twitter).
The 22-year-old Ortega made his big league debut with the Rockies in 2012, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a pair of walks in six trips to the plate. However, the Venezuelan native batted just .228/.315/.297 in 42 games at the Double-A level this season before his season ended in June. He entered the 2013 campaign ranked 15th among Rockies prospects, according to Baseball America, who called him a true center fielder with a plus, accurate arm and plus speed. BA noted that he needs to be careful not to fall in love with swinging for the fences after a home run, though he does have surprising pop for someone with a 5'11", 160-pound frame.
Quick Hits: Peralta, Saltalamacchia, Molina
The Cardinals' four-year, $53MM deal with Jhonny Peralta has an interesting twist: it's frontloaded. The shortstop will earn $15.5MM in 2014, $15MM in '15, $12.5MM in '16, and $10MM in '17, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Here's tonight's look around the majors..
- Peralta's deal raises the uncomfortable issue of PED usage paying off, writes Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. Diamondbacks relief pitcher and team union representative Brad Ziegler took his dissatisfaction with the deal to Twitter, but he's far from the only player who has an issue with players linked to PEDs getting major paydays.
- Heyman looks at the market for Jarrod Saltalamacchia and wonders if the Blue Jays, Twins, or Rockies could steal him away from the Red Sox. The Rangers look like another possibility to some, but one person connected with the club says a return for Salty isn't too likely at the moment. Texas has looked at free agent catchers, but they've also suggested that Geovany Soto will be their fulltime backstop.
- The Rays' are still waiting on results of Jose Molina's physical and therefore won't have an announcement on his signing until early next week, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Molina is expected to ink a two-year, $4.5MM pact to stay with Tampa Bay.
- The opportunity to win attracted Skip Schumaker to the Reds, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Schumaker said his decision came down to the Reds and one other unspecified playoff-caliber team.
- In today's inbox, MLB.com's Corey Brock touches on the possibility of star third baseman Chase Headley being moved and other matters surrounding the Padres.
Nelson Cruz Seeking Four-Year, $75MM Deal
If Jhonny Peralta's contract proved to be alarming to some, Nelson Cruz's asking price will likely cause some jaws to hit the floor. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that Cruz is seeking a four-year contract worth $75MM.
Cruz, a client of the Wasserman Media Group's Adam Katz, has drawn interest from the Mariners, Mets, Athletics and Rangers, according to Heyman. That the Phillies had some early interest, says Heyman before noting that they'd likely have to trade someone to clear a spot for Cruz in the wake of their Marlon Byrd signing.
The 33-year-old Cruz hit .266/.327/.506 with 27 homers in 109 games (456 plate appearances) before being slapped with a 50-game suspension for PED use that he admitted took place prior to the 2012 season. As we saw in the case of Peralta's four-year, $53MM contract with the Cardinals, teams may be less hesitant to commit large dollars to previously suspended players than most have anticipated. Still, a $75MM contract for Cruz would shatter most pundits' expectations and likely lead to considerable cries for stricter punishment for PED users.
AL East Notes: Moreland, Cano, Napoli, Sox, Orioles
Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports that the Rays have some interest in Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland, who could be deemed expendable in the wake of Texas' acquisition of Prince Fielder. The Rangers, of course, covet David Price, and including Moreland in a package for him (presumably as a somewhat minor component) could take a potential destination away from the Mets in their shopping of Ike Davis. Here's more out of the AL East…
- Within that same piece, Martino writes that the Fielder-Ian Kinsler swap may not impact the Robinson Cano market as much as many initially thought. Cano is markedly better than Kinsler, Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar, so if he wants to be a Ranger or Tiger and the price isn't crazy, those players shouldn't preclude Texas or Detroit from striking a deal.
- The Red Sox seem to be letting Mike Napoli's market develop before deciding what their final offer to him will be, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
- Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald spoke with Red Sox GM Ben Cherington who told him that the team is "in a position to be a little choosy, a little selective" in its search for a new catcher. Cherington says the Sox are interested in a "small handful of free agents" and has also actively pursued trades at catcher.
- On Brian McCann's recent five-year contract with the Yankees, Boston catcher and close friend of McCann, David Ross, told Lauber: "He told me, I think it came down to years. When you add an option for six, it puts you at almost $100 (million), that’s a game-changer." Cherington wouldn't indicate to Lauber how far the Red Sox were willing to go in negotiations.
- Mark Ellis is considered an option for the Orioles, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, but Baltimore has yet to reach out to the second baseman.
- Kubatko also reports that the Orioles don't have any immediate interest in first baseman/outfielder Garrett Jones, who was designated for assignment by the Pirates yesterday.
- One more from Kubatko, who reported last week that the Orioles won't look to re-sign left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada, who never appeared with the O's after signing a two-year deal prior to the 2012 season. Wada fell victim to Tommy John surgery and didn't make it to the big league level in Baltimore. Executive vice president Dan Duquette told Kubatko: "I think that the Wada chapter is over with the Orioles. We're just going in another direction … I'm sorry that it didn't work out, but it's time to move on."
AL Notes: Royals, Kinsler, Napoli, Rangers, Angels
It's a weak market for catchers now that the Yankees have taken Brian McCann off the board, an article by Bradley Woodrum of Fangraphs shows. While teams such as the Red Sox, Rockies and Rangers are still in the market for backstop help, the best remaining option, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, will bring a large platoon split to the lineup of whichever team signs him. Here's the latest from around the AL, as a busy evening on MLBTR draws to a close:
- The Royals have had no talks about Billy Butler with any team, a source tells Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star (via Twitter).
- In an article for the Detroit Free Press, John Lowe considers the impact of the Ian Kinsler deal on the Tigers' lineup. Much depends on whether the front office believes prospect Nick Castellanos is ready to hit in the big leagues, Lowe writes. If so, he could take the third base job, allowing Miguel Cabrera to slide back to first base.
- FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweets that Kinsler's agent, Jay Franklin, says the Tigers are indicating they'll play Kinsler at second base. Given this and the team's other priorities, signing Robinson Cano is likely a long shot at this point, Rosenthal says (via Twitter).
- Mike Napoli says he "wouldn’t see why not" when asked about the possibility of returning to the Red Sox in 2014, Rob Bradford writes in an article for WEEI.com. A recent end-of-season MRI showed that the avascular necrosis in Napoli's hips isn't an issue at the time, according to the article.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com considers how the Yankees' signing of McCann could affect potential negotiations between the Orioles and Matt Wieters over an extension. The O's must try to figure out "to what extreme [Wieters agent Scott] Boras will attempt to trump the McCann deal," Kubatko says.
- The Orioles are among clubs with interest in Tomo Ohka, tweets NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman, citing a report from Sanspo. The 10-year big league veteran is trying to make it back to the majors as a knuckleballer.
- The Prince Fielder trade shows that the Rangers are getting creative in their offseason quest for bats, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes. Texas is hesitant to forfeit a first-round draft pick to sign a player such as Jacoby Ellsbury, as the team will already be limited on the international side of the amateur talent market after greatly exceeding their bonus pool this past summer.
- Shipping Peter Bourjos to the Cardinals sets the Angels up with an outfield of Mike Trout in center, Kole Calhoun in right and Josh Hamilton in left, Mike DiGiovanna says in an article on the trade for the Los Angeles Times. As DiGiovanna notes, the trade also reunites David Freese with Albert Pujols, his teammate in 2011 with the Cardinals.
- Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times wonders how the Angels will fit two starters into their offseason budget after acquiring Joe Smith, Freese and Fernando Salas (Twitter link).