AL West Notes: Astros, Rangers, Pierzynski
The Astros will have a new division, sharp new logo, and some new faces as well in 2013. Chip Bailey of the Houston Chronicle looked at three areas of change for the club and asked if they are truly upgrades. The move to install Jose Veras as the team's closer given his lack of experience in finishing games is something of a head scratcher for Bailey. The Astros surprised a lot of people when they signed Carlos Pena to a one-year, $2.9MM deal, money that may have been better spent elsewhere. However, Bailey tips his cap to General Manager Jeff Luhnow for his efforts to upgrade the club's rotation. Houston made a trio of low-risk gambles in Alex White, Philip Humber, and John Ely. Here's more out of the AL West..
- At today's introductory press conference for A.J. Pierzynski, Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels said that there is a decent chance that they'll add another bat, tweets Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest.
- Rangers skipper Ron Washington told reporters that incumbent Geovany Soto will get some playing time but Pierzynski will be the club's No. 1 catcher, Andro tweets. The club re-signed Soto to a one-year, $2.75MM deal with $250K in incentives.
- Pierzynski says that he came to Texas in part because of his affinity for playing there and the climate (Twitter link).
Rangers Sign A.J. Pierzynski
After eight years on Chicago's south side, A.J. Pierzynski is heading a little further south. The Rangers have officially signed the catcher to a one-year deal, the team announced. It's worth $7.5MM. Fellow backstop Luis Martinez was designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster.
The Octagon client met with Rangers brass last week in Arlington and the club reportedly did extensive homework on him. Pierzynski fills a major gap behind the plate for the Rangers, who lost Mike Napoli. The catcher posted a .278/.326/.501 batting line in 520 plate appearances with 27 home runs in 2012. Pierzynski also appeared in 135 games, reaching the 100 games threshold for the 12th consecutive season.
Texas lost out on a big name free agent last week when Edwin Jackson agreed to a four-year, $52MM deal with the Cubs. With Pierzynski officially joining the Rangers, he'll have Geovany Soto as his primary backup with Eli Whiteside as an additional option. The 35-year-old ranked 30th in MLBTR's list of top 50 free agents this winter and Tim Dierkes correctly predicted that he would sign with the Rangers.
Pierzynski also fills the Rangers' need for left-handed hitting as their lineup is predominantly right-handed. The veteran can also be expected to see time at DH for Texas. The Yankees were also in the mix for Pierzynski, but were less-than-enthused about his defensive skills. Yankees GM Brian Cashman confirmed earlier this month that he checked in with Pierzynski's representatives.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported the two sides were close to an agreement while ESPN's Jim Bowden reported the agreement. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com added details (all Twitter links). Mike Axisa contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rangers Designate Luis Martinez For Assignment
The Rangers have designated Luis Martinez for assignment, the team announced. The move creates room on the 40-man roster for A.J. Pierzynski.
Martinez, 27, is a .182/.276/.260 career hitter in 87 big league plate appearances with the Padres and Rangers. Texas acquired the catcher from San Diego last offseason, and he hit .270/.350/.386 in 247 plate appearances for their Triple-A affiliate this summer.
Rangers Notes: LaRoche, Swisher, Upton
Earlier today, Rangers assistant General Manager Thad Levine joined Jim Bowden on SiriusXM radio. Here’s a look at some highlights (all links go to Twitter)..
- The Rangers were never in on Adam LaRoche or Nick Swisher this winter as they didn’t want to dole out long-term deals or sacrifice a draft pick for either player. Swisher came to terms with the Indians this morning on a four-year, $56MM deal.
- The assistant GM said that the club has had great conversations with Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers about Justin Upton. The Rangers have been in talks with Arizona about Upton for quite some time, but it now appears that the Diamondbacks would prefer to trade Jason Kubel. Kubel is set to earn $7.5MM in 2013 with a mutual option for the same amount in 2014, while Upton is owed $38.5MM through 2015.
- Levine says that the Rangers have not discussed Kyle Lohse or Adam LaRoche at this point (Twitter link).
- The Rangers are looking more to trades than free agency to improve their team at this point, Levine told Bowden (on Twitter).
Mariners Have “Serious Interest” In Raul Ibanez
The Mariners have "serious interest" in Raul Ibanez, reports George A. King III of The New York Post. King reiterates that the Yankees, Rangers, and Phillies also have interest in the veteran slugger.
Ibanez, 40, hit .240/.308/.453 with 19 homers in 425 plate appearances for the Yankees last season while playing more outfield than expected due to Brett Gardner's elbow injury. He spent the 1996-2000 and 2004-2008 seasons in Seattle.
The Mariners acquired a DH-type in Kendrys Morales earlier this week, though he could shift to first if the team is willing to give up on Justin Smoak. Playing Ibanez in the outfield regularly is another option, though it's not advisable.
Olney On Saunders, Hairston, Hanrahan, Howell
In today's column, Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) looks at the best second-tier and third-tier free agents remaining. Here's a look at the highlights..
- Joe Saunders is receiving interest from four clubs and the Orioles have ramped up their efforts to retain him. It seems Saunders would be in position to get more than the two-year, $15MM deal signed by Joe Blanton.
- Scott Hairston is looking for a significant raise over the $1.1MM he earned last season and he might wind up being too rich for the Mets' blood. Jonny Gomes is a similar player and got $10MM over two years from the Red Sox.
- Some teams see the significant increase in walks allowed last season by Joel Hanrahan as a red flag. After posting a 2.1 BB/9 rate in 2011, Hanrahan jumped to 5.4 in 2012. There is also some concern among rival evaluators that his diminished control is a sign of an arm issue. Hanrahan would argue that the control problems may have stemmed from the inconsistent save chances that a Bucs closer gets.
- Free agent reliever J.P. Howell should sign soon, perhaps with the Nationals. Other interested clubs include the Phillies, Cubs, Mariners, and Rangers.
- Travis Hafner would be a classic make-good guy to bring to spring training, but he won't fit all rosters because he can't play a position.
- Executives have reservations about Lance Berkman, including his health, overall shape, and motivation to play.
- Some have said that the Cubs overpaid for Edwin Jackson ($52MM over four years), but new financial restraints in the draft and international market have forced clubs to pay more. In short, the Cubs basically paid the going rate for a 29-year-old healthy pitcher of his caliber.
Rangers Claim Jeff Beliveau
The Rangers have claimed Jeff Beliveau off of waivers from the Cubs, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). The Cubs designated the left-hander for assignment four days ago to create 40-man roster space for Ian Stewart.
Beliveau, 25, made his MLB debut this past season, appearing in 22 games. He posted a 4.58 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 in 17 2/3 innings. The Cubs originally selected Beliveau in the 18th round of the 2008 draft.
Rangers Interested In Michael Bourn
The Rangers are starting to look into free agent outfielder Michael Bourn, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Rangers officials are asking around about Bourn, but they’re still early on in the process.
The Mariners like Bourn, the Red Sox appeared to have interest earlier in the winter, and the Cubs have had conversations about Bourn with agent Scott Boras. When I previewed the market for Bourn earlier in the week, I suggested teams such as the Indians, Phillies and Dodgers could also be interested under the right circumstances.
The Rangers recently agreed to sign A.J. Pierzynski to a one-year deal. They also met with free agent outfielder Cody Ross this week and are staying in touch with him, Heyman reports. They could use an outfielder now that Josh Hamilton has signed with the Angels, and might also be in the market for starting pitching.
Quick Hits: Saunders, Cubs, Soriano, Gonzalez
The Orioles would like to re-sign Joe Saunders and have continued talks with him, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (on Twitter). They'll have plenty of competition for the left-hander, however, as he is drawing high interest from three other clubs. Here's more from around baseball..
- On today’s edition of the Rosters & Rumblings podcast, MLBTR’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and Jason Martinez of MLB Depth Charts discussed the Mariners–Angels trade, the Cubs’ new-look rotation, and some recent trade rumors.
- The Dodgers are still kicking the tires on Joel Hanrahan of the Pirates and free agent Brian Wilson as they look to deepen their bullpen, but they aren't in the mix for Rafael Soriano, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Nationals continue to talk to Mike Gonzalez about returning and the Reds are also in pursuit, Bowden tweets.
- Sources tell Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter) that the Rangers were never serious bidders for Edwin Jackson. The right-hander signed a four-year, $52MM contract with the Cubs earlier today.
- Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik has landed a bigger bat for the middle of his lineup, but that doesn't mean Seattle is done with its roster maneuverings, writes Greg Johns of MLB.com. The Mariners still have financial flexibility since they should several million dollars in the difference between what Kendrys Morales ($4.8MM) will earn compared to Jason Vargas ($7.4MM) in their final year of arbitration eligibility.
- Dexter Fowler told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (on Twitter) that Rockies General Manager Bill Geivett told him that it would take a lot in return for them to deal him to the Braves. Atlanta is targeting Fowler along with Emilio Bonifacio and other outfield options.
Quick Hits: Blue Jays, Marlins, Ethier
Now that we’re midway through the 2012-13 offseason, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com checks in with executives, statistical analysts and oddsmakers to take a look at the teams that have improved themselves the most this winter. Not surprisingly, the Blue Jays are a popular choice for most improved team. Here are some more links from around MLB…
- The Marlins tried to trade for Mike Olt of the Rangers, Nick Castellanos of the Tigers and Jedd Gyorko of the Padres before signing Placido Polanco, Stark reports.
- The Mariners recently spoke with the Dodgers about Chris Capuano, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports. However, it doesn't appear that those talks have progressed. Seattle could add a veteran arm after trading Jason Vargas to the Angels for Kendrys Morales, and the Dodgers have a surplus of starting pitchers.
- The Red Sox asked the Dodgers about Andre Ethier at the start of the winter and heard he was “not available,” Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). It doesn’t appear that the Dodgers will trade Ethier this winter.
- The Mariners also talked to the Dodgers about Ethier, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report. However, talks failed to progress.