Quick Hits: Saunders, White Sox, Konerko, Prospects
Rangers shortstop Jurickson Profar tops MLB.com's list of the top 100 prospects in baseball for 2013. Profar has been the subject of many trade rumors this winter but the Rangers are unwilling to move him, for good reason given his high ceiling. Of the six prospects atop MLB.com's list, two (Wil Myers and Travis d'Arnaud) were dealt to new teams this offseason and another (Taijuan Walker) would have been on the move were it not for Justin Upton's no-trade clause.
Here are some items from around the Majors…
- Joe Saunders has been offered a two-year deal worth roughly $15MM from an unknown team, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports, though his sources aren't directly involved in the negotiations. The Orioles aren't the mystery team, as Baltimore would prefer to sign Saunders to a one-year deal with a team option for the second year. Connolly says the O's are still interested in Saunders despite their recent agreement with Jair Jurrjens. Besides the O's, the Mariners and Twins have also been linked to Saunders this winter, and the Twins have offered Saunders a one-year deal.
- The White Sox are still looking for a left-handed hitter, MLB.com Scott Merkin tweets. Such a player is likely to be a platooner or bench depth at this point in the offseason.
- Paul Konerko tells CSN Chicago's Chuck Garfien that his on-field performance won't be the key factor if he decides to retire after the 2013 season. "Don't look at the numbers, that if things are going well [in 2013], that necessarily means I would play [after this season]. And the reverse of that is true, too," Konerko said. It was almost a year ago that Konerko told Garfien that he was pondering retirement once his contract is up.
- It's hard to find ace-level pitching available in a trade, but Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal cites Yovani Gallardo, Ian Kennedy and Jarrod Parker as pitchers who could be on the block should their teams fall out of contention next season. Parker may seem like a premature trade target but MacPherson notes that "the Athletics have a history of trading young pitchers for even younger pitchers."
- The Rangers have signed the most international prospects that appear in Baseball America's 2013 Prospect Handbook, B-A's Ben Badler writes. Fifteen international players originally signed by the Rangers are ranked either among their own top 30 prospects or in the top-30 lists of other teams, as determined by Baseball America. At the bottom of the list are the Astros, who have just two international signings ranked.
Rangers Notes: Cruz, Gonzalez, Ryan
In the wake of Nelson Cruz's connection to a Miami-based clinic that allegedly supplied performance-enhancing drugs to several MLB players, the Rangers released an official response (transcribed by ESPN Dallas) saying that they were contacted about the story by the Miami New Times last week and then themselves contacted Major League Baseball. Beyond these details, the club had "no further comment" about the allegations.
Here are some more items out of Arlington…
- If Cruz ends up having to serve a 50-game suspension, ESPN Dallas' Richard Durrett doesn't think the Rangers would respond by signing Michael Bourn. Texas isn't interested in signing Bourn to the four- or five-year deal that he desires but could possibly explore a shorter-term agreement if Bourn lowers his demands. If lieu of a new acquisition, Durrett notes that the Rangers could use internal options to replace Cruz, such as moving Mike Olt, Ian Kinsler or Mitch Moreland to the outfield.
- The Rangers had a "preliminary chat" with the Rockies about Carlos Gonzalez, MLB.com's Tracy Ringolsby reports, but the talks didn't lead anywhere since the Rangers weren't willing to give up Olt or Jurickson Profar. Several teams asked Colorado about Gonzalez during the Winter Meetings but were told the outfielder wasn't available.
- Also from Ringolsby's piece, Rangers president Nolan Ryan and GM Jon Daniels were satisfied with the team's fairly low-key offseason, despite missing out on signing Zack Greinke and losing Josh Hamilton to the Angels. "You have to guard against overreacting to something someone else did or not getting the players you anticipated," said Ryan. "When things don't work out the way you hoped, you have to step back, digest the circumstances, and figure out what to do to keep moving forward."
Gio, Cruz, Rodriguez, Cabrera Linked To PED Clinic
Gio Gonzalez and Nelson Cruz are among the MLB stars who have been linked to a supplier of performance enhancing drugs in a report from Tim Elfrink of the Miami New Times. A Miami-based clinic sold PEDs to athletes from various sports, according to the report. The names of Cruz, Gonzalez, Alex Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon were found in the records at Biogenesis, an anti-aging clinic located near the University of Miami.
Gonzalez's name appears five times in the notebooks of Anthony Bosch, the clinic's chief. Cruz purchased $4,000 of product, according to the report. Rodriguez's name appears throughout the clinic's files, while Cabrera's name appears 14 times and Colon’s name also comes up.
Gonzalez has considerable security after agreeing to a five-year, $42MM contract with the Nationals last offseason. He'll earn $6.25MM in 2013 and remains under contract through 2016. Cruz will earn $10.5MM this year then hit free agency following the 2013 season. Cabrera, 28, signed a two-year, $16MM contract with the Blue Jays after serving a PED-related suspension at the end of the 2012 season. Colon, who has also served a PED-related suspension, signed a one-year, $3MM deal with the Athletics this offseason.
Rodriguez could face a suspension, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. However, don't expect the Yankees to be able to void the third baseman's contract. As Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports, the Yankees weren't able to void the deal after he admitted to using performance enhancing drugs for the first time (Twitter link). Rodriguez, who will miss much of the 2013 season recovering from a hip operation, has $114MM remaining on his contract with the Yankees.
Rodriguez and Gonzalez have both issued statements denying the allegations.
Rangers Notes: Andrus, Upton, D’Backs
After speaking with Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson, Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette of SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio checked in with Rangers GM Jon Daniels. We've got the goods courtesy of Bowden on Twitter..
- The Rangers "would love" to extend Elvis Andrus' contract, but the club needs Andrus to want the same thing (Twitter link). Andrus has expressed interest in staying in Texas but so far that hasn't manifested itself in a new deal. Having three strong options for two positions is a "good problem" in Daniels' view and he doesn't sound like he's feeling pressure to remedy it with a move.
- Daniels told the duo (audio link) that the Rangers were in on Justin Upton until the trade-that-never-was with the Mariners. If Texas made a deal for Upton, it would have been a prospect heavy package but Daniels believes that D'Backs GM Kevin Towers wanted big league ready players as well. The Rangers wanted Upton but were unwilling to surrender one of their shortstops to make it happen.
- The GM was asked about the possibility of looking into either Michael Bourn or Kyle Lohse. Without addressing either player in particular, Daniels said that he doesn't expect to make any significant moves between now and the start of camp (Twitter link).
West Notes: Ethier, Marcum, Ruggiano, Ankiel
Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier has been the subject of trade rumors all winter, but the veteran isn't buying into the notion that he'll be playing elsewhere come Opening Day, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. “I haven’t looked too much into it,” Ethier said. “It’s something I see as rumors. I think Ned was pretty quick to say there was nothing to it. That was enough to ease my mind, even though obviously there was a lot following that."
Here's the latest news and headlines from both the AL and NL West…
- The Mariners and Rangers both had discussions with Shaun Marcum before the veteran elected to sign with the Mets, writes Jon Morosi of FOXSports.com (via Twitter). As a result, each team remains in the hunt for starting pitching.
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow has some regrets for trading Justin Ruggiano to the Marlins last spring, but likes the player he received in Jobduan Morales, says Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (on Twitter).
- Houston manager Bo Porter believes Rick Ankiel will make the big league roster out of Spring Training if he can play up to his potential, writes Dave Zangaro of CSNHouston.com. “He will add leadership. He will add a veteran presence in the lineup. You look at his ability to play defense, I watched him make some throws and make some catches that make you shake your head. This guy’s phenomenal.”
Rangers Sign Jeff Baker
The Rangers announced that they have agreed to terms with infielder/outfielder Jeff Baker while officially announcing the signing of left-handed pitcher Nate Robertson. Baker is represented by Scott Boras
Baker, 31, hit .248/.287/.405 with four homers in 68 games for the Cubs, Tigers, and Braves last season. The veteran drew interest from the Yankees earlier this winter as they were looking to add a right-handed bat to the mix in the outfield. Baker owns a career slash line of .296/.344/.498 against left-handers.
Quick Hits: Rangers, Furbush, Aviles, Free Agents
A few notes from around the Majors as we wrap up a very busy Thursday…
- The Rangers are "not looking at anything major" in terms of further offseason moves, general manager Jon Daniels tells MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. If the club does make any additions, it will be bench depth or another candidate to fight for the fifth starter's job.
- Left-hander Charlie Furbush wasn't part of the package the Mariners offered to the Diamondbacks for Justin Upton, Larry Stone of the Seattle Times reports. The two teams had agreed on a package that included Taijuan Walker, Nick Franklin and Stephen Pryor before Upton blocked the deal with his no-trade protection. Stone isn't sure if just those three were offered to Arizona or if another pitcher besides Furbush was also part of the proposed trade.
- Mike Aviles hasn't heard updates from his agent about his contract status with the Indians but tells MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that "as far as I know, everything is progressing and I don't see why it wouldn't be settled" before the two sides reach an arbitration hearing. Aviles is the Tribe's only remaining arb-eligible player who hasn't yet agreed to a deal. MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker indicates that Aviles is looking for a $3.4MM contract while Cleveland is offering $2.4MM.
- Michael Bourn and Kyle Lohse are still unsigned, which many attribute to the draft pick compensation tied to them as players who turned down qualifying offers from their former teams. Andrew Miller, the Red Sox MLBPA representative, told Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal that the two players' situations "clearly means more fine-tuning" is needed for the new free agency rules. "It's not an open market for these guys….It's just unfortunate that those guys can help teams but teams are hesitant to go after them because of a draft pick," Miller said.
- Center field has been the busiest position of the offseason, as MLB.com's Andrew Simon notes the large number of teams who have made changes in center this winter.
- The Royals don't have an out clause in their TV contract with FOX Sports Kansas City, Royals senior VP of business Kevin Uhlich tells Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star. The club's current broadcast deal runs through the 2019 season.
Michael Bourn Rumors: Thursday
Suitors are starting to show up for Michael Bourn, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The Mets, it appears, are one of them. They’re interested in Bourn, but they remain hesitant to meet his asking price and don’t want to surrender the 11th overall selection in the 2013 draft to complete a deal. Here are the latest Bourn-related rumors as the market for the center fielder picks up…
- The Rangers aren't involved at all in the Bourn talks, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter). This leaves the Mets and Mariners as favorites for Bourn, Nightengale writes.
Earlier updates
- Heyman suggests it’ll take a five-year deal worth $15MM or so per season to sign Bourn, a Scott Boras client. B.J. Upton obtained a five-year, $75.2MM contract that could be a comparable for Bourn’s next deal.
- Bourn is an “outside possibility” for the Orioles, Heyman reports. The Cubs are thought to like Bourn “very much” and have some level of interest.
- Heyman writes that at least one prominent Dodgers player contacted Bourn encouraging him to sign in Los Angeles. Braves players made similar calls, as did Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez. However, the Braves don’t need an outfielder now that they’ve traded for Justin Upton.
- The Rangers seem like the best fit for Bourn assuming the Tigers don’t get involved, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick writes (on Twitter). However, it’s not certain how often the Rangers have been talking to Bourn, Heyman writes. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reported today that the Rangers don't expect to sign either Bourn or Kyle Lohse. The Rangers have been in talks with Boras, however.
Braves Acquire Justin Upton
After years of trade talk, the Justin Upton rumors finally amounted to a deal. The Braves and Diamondbacks have officially agreed to a seven-player trade that will send Upton to Atlanta. The Braves obtain Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson for third baseman Martin Prado, right-hander Randall Delgado, shortstop prospect Nick Ahmed, right-handed pitching prospect Zeke Spruill and minor league first baseman Brandon Drury.
The Braves now have a new-look outfield that will also feature B.J. Upton and Jason Heyward. Justin's older brother signed with Atlanta as a free agent earlier in the offseason, agreeing to a five-year, $75.2MM contract. GM Frank Wren added balance to what had previously been a lefty-heavy lineup by acquiring the right-handed hitting Upton brothers.
Upton, the first overall selection of the 2005 draft, followed up a breakout 2011 season with a solid but unspectacular 2012 campaign. The 25-year-old hit 17 home runs and posted a .280/.355/.430 batting line in 628 plate appearances last year, his sixth season at the MLB level.
There are now three years and $38.5MM remaining on Upton's contract, including a $9.75MM salary in 2013. The contract includes a no-trade list which allows him to block trades to the Red Sox, Cubs, Blue Jays and Mariners. He exercised his no-trade rights earlier in the winter, blocking a proposed trade that would have sent him to Seattle.
Prado has provided the Braves with versatility on defense and steady offensive production in recent years. He posted a .301/.359/.438 batting line in 690 plate appearances in 2012 while playing five positions. Though Prado was Atlanta's primary left fielder, he played at least ten games at second base, shortstop and third base.
The 29-year-old is arbitration eligible for the third time this winter. He asked for $7.05MM with the Braves, a file and trial team, offering $6.65MM, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows. The Braves were willing to trade Prado once they learned that his asking price on a multiyear deal was $11-12MM, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (on Twitter). Prado, a client of The Legacy Agency, remains on track to hit free agency following the 2013 season.
Johnson hit a career-best 15 home runs last year while playing for the Astros and Diamondbacks. The 28-year-old posted a .281/.326/.451 batting line in 528 plate appearances in 2012. He'll earn $2.875MM in 2013 and will remain under team control as an arbitration eligible player through 2016.
As a consequence of the trade, Johnson and Juan Francisco project as Atlanta's primary third basemen. The Braves plan to use the pair in a platoon at third, O'Brien reports (on Twitter). The trade will also take Atlanta out of the running for center fielder Michael Bourn and other free agent outfielders.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks still have considerable outfield depth. Cody Ross, Jason Kubel, Gerardo Parra and Adam Eaton provide Arizona manager Kirk Gibson with various options, even without Upton, who had been the team's primary right fielder since 2008. Prado figures to play at third base in Arizona given the team's crowded outfield and the departure of Johnson.
Teams such as the Orioles that had interest in trading for Kubel will now have to look elsewhere for offense. Though Arizona GM Kevin Towers was willing to listen to offers on Upton and Kubel, there's no indication he'd actually trade both players.
Upton drew interest from multiple MLB teams this offseason, as the Diamondbacks were evidently listening to trade offers. The Rangers, one of Upton's many suitors, offered Mike Olt in a trade, but did not include right-hander Cody Buckel in their proposal, Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports (on Twitter).
Delgado started 17 games for the Braves in 2012 after entering the season as the 46th ranked prospect in MLB, according to Baseball America. The 22-year-old posted a 4.37 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 92 2/3 innings.
Ahmed, 22, played at Class A this past season in his second year as a professional. The 2011 second rounder posted a .269/.337/.391 batting line in 571 plate appearances. Baseball America named him the best defensive infielder in Atlanta's minor league system.
Spruill ranked ninth on BA's list of top Braves prospects this winter. The 23-year-old spent the 2012 season at Double-A Mississippi, posting a 3.67 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 161 2/3 innings.
Drury played at Class A in 2012. The 20-year-old posted a .229/.270/.333 batting line in 480 plate appearances in his third professional season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the teams were nearing an agreement, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported the teams had agreed to a trade (on Twitter) and Mark Bowman of MLB.com first reported the specifics of the deal.
Justin Upton Rumors: Wednesday
Here's a look at the latest Justin Upton rumors with all links going to Twitter..
- Arizona GM Kevin Towers is going on vacation this Friday, Rosenthal reports. While Towers would prefer to trade Upton or Kubel by then, it's not a deadline.
- The Braves are now waiting to hear back from the Diamondbacks about their offer, Rosenthal reports. It's a "sensitive" time in the trade talks. For much of the offseason, the Braves had trouble getting the Diamondbacks to return their calls, Rosenthal reports. Things have evidently changed.
Earlier Updates
- The Rangers haven't talked to the Diamondbacks about Upton in weeks, Heyman reports.
- The Diamondbacks could make a trade involving Upton or Kubel with the next few days, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Heyman notes that the Braves seem seriously interested in Upton and adds on Twitter that they're trying hard for him and have offered a "strong" package of players. The Rangers, Rays and Padres have also shown interest, Heyman writes.
- The Diamondbacks have an offer on the table for Upton, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The offer is believed to be from the Braves, Rosenthal writes. Arizona likes Evan Gattis' power, but the team continues weighing various options. For example, Diamomdbacks executives discussed Kubel with the Orioles today.
- The Diamondbacks want to make a decision on trading Jason Kubel or Upton by Friday, people involved in the process tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Arizona had an agreement with the Mariners on an Upton deal earlier this offseason but the 25-year-old used his limited veto power to shoot the trade down.
- Meanwhile, Arizona's talks with the Braves on Upton have resumed (Twitter link). Atlanta is said to be aggressive about acquiring Upton and they're likely the frontrunner for the outfielder if he is dealt. The D'Backs have been reviewing the Braves' offer and some folks involved believe that it's a strong proposal, according to Olney.
- The asking price for Kubel is dropping and Baltimore would be a logical landing spot for him, Olney tweets. Earlier today it was reported that the O's are pursuing Kubel but talks are not yet at an advanced stage.