AL West Notes: Crisp, Martin, Kuo, Luetge
Mike Napoli could bring a bit of added intensity to the plate when he faces C.J. Wilson this season. Wilson recently posted Napoli's phone number on Twitter, a response to an alleged comment made by Napoli about how he was looking forward to homering off of Wilson this season. Napoli was not amused by the joke and, though he didn't recall making the initial statement, vowed to indeed try and take Wilson yard. Eighty years after Babe Ruth hit his famous "called shot" in the World Series, if Napoli does indeed homer off of Wilson this season, can we call it the Prank Called Shot?
Some (more serious) news from around the AL West…
- Coco Crisp said he wouldn't have re-signed with the Athletics had he known he was going to be moved to left field, reports USA Today's Bob Nightengale. Yoenis Cespedes will start the year as Oakland's center fielder, and Crisp said the promise of the center field job was one of the reasons he signed with the A's over the Rays, who couldn't promise Crisp regular time in center due to B.J. Upton's presence. Crisp did say that he was glad to be back with the A's and, in regards to the position switch, says he has to "go out here and just accept it."
- The Rangers feel Leonys Martin needs more development and are "concerned about [his] lack of instincts," tweets Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, though the club still recognizes his talent. The Cuban outfielder signed a five-year, $15.5MM deal with Texas last May and hit .295/.362/.421 in 343 minor league PAs, going all the way from rookie ball to an eight-plate appearance cup of coffee with the Rangers in September.
- Hong-Chih Kuo was released earlier today by the Mariners, though if the southpaw clears waivers, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times believes the M's could re-sign Kuo to a minor league contract.
- Also from Condotta, the Mariners are still figuring out what to do with Lucas Luetge, a left-handed reliever taken from the Brewers in last winter's Rule 5 draft. Kuo's release could help Luetge find a spot in the Mariners' bullpen, though the M's also have Charlie Furbush, Cesar Jimenez and George Sherrill competing for roles as left-handed relief options.
- For some news about the Angels, check this compilation of Los Angeles Notes from earlier tonight on MLBTR.
Minor Moves: Indians, Rangers
Here's a rundown of some minor transactions from around baseball…
- The Indians announced the acquisition of infielder Davis Stoneburner from the Rangers. The move completes the February 21 trade that sent Kelvin De La Cruz to Texas, though De La Cruz was re-acquired by the Tribe earlier this week. Stoneburner was a ninth-round draft choice for the Rangers in 2007 and he has a .273/.339/.422 slash line in 1849 minor league plate appearances. He spent last season at Double-A Frisco.
Rangers Prefer To Keep Their Pitching Depth
The Rangers "might prefer" to keep some of the extra arms on their pitching staff rather than make a trade, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Scott Feldman, Koji Uehara and Mark Lowe are cited as Rosenthal as the expendable members of the Rangers staff but they look likely to remain in Texas unless relievers Robert Ross or Tanner Scheppers perform well enough in Spring Training to earn jobs, which could convince the club to deal one of their veterans.
Most of the Rangers' rotation and bullpen jobs are set, and the presence of Alexi Ogando as a swingman gives Texas some backup if one of the starters falters. This leaves Feldman, who has battled both injuries and ineffectiveness since his breakout 2009 campaign. Feldman did pitch well in limited action in 2011 — a 3.94 ERA and 2.20 K/BB ratio in 32 innings. The right-hander will earn $6.5MM this season and the Rangers hold a $9.25MM club option on him for 2013 that looks almost certain to be bought out (at a cost of $600K).
Feldman, Uehara and Lowe all drew trade buzz over the winter, with the Red Sox showing interest in the two relievers, and Uehara using his limited no-trade clause to reject a proposed deal to the Blue Jays. Uehara has posted better numbers than Lowe over the last three seasons but turns 37 in April and is earning $4MM in 2012; Lowe is eight years younger and a cheaper option at just $1.7MM.
Rosenthal notes that the Rangers received calls about Colby Lewis during the offseason as well, but the club preferred to keep the right-hander due to his durability (200+ IP in each of the last two seasons). It's no surprise Texas wanted to keep Lewis since their rotation, while deep and promising, has several question marks — Matt Harrison and Derek Holland aren't yet completely proven entities as reliable starters, Neftali Feliz is transitioning to starting from the bullpen and Yu Darvish is making his debut to North American baseball.
Extension Updates: Aybar, Hamilton, Napoli, Axford
The latest on extension talks around MLB…
- The Angels and Erick Aybar have made a bit of progress toward an extension, but agent Fern Cuza says they are “not close,” Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
- Josh Hamilton told Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio that the Rangers can sign him now for considerably less than he’ll cost as a free agent after the season (Twitter links). Hamilton says his loyalty lies with the Rangers and that they will get the first chance to sign him should he reach free agency.
- Mike Napoli told Bowden he’s letting his agent handle contract talks, but that he would like to sign a long-term deal with the Rangers (Twitter link).
- The Brewers met with John Axford's agent yesterday, but the closer’s in no rush to sign an extension, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. “If conversations keep going [after Opening Day], then they keep going,” Axford said. “I’m not going to be bothered by it.”
Quick Hits: Mariners, Beras, Rockies, Padres, Peavy
Here are some links from the around the league as Saturday turns into Sunday…
- The Mariners could probably afford to trade one of their third base prospects, muses Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Seattle has Kyle Seager, Alex Liddi, Francisco Martinez, and Vinnie Catricala at the hot corner.
- MLB is still investigating the signing of Dominican outfielder Jairo Beras by the Rangers, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes. Beras agreed to a $4.5MM deal last month, but there are questions about his age and eligibility to sign.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote about the unique construction of the Rockies' roster. The team added high-character positions players to a largely unproven group of young starters this offseason.
- Dan Hayes of The North County Times reports (on Twitter) that the Padres still expect to have their new television deal with FOX Sports San Diego finalized within the "next few weeks or sooner."
- "If I can't stay healthy for 200 innings, if somebody says something about closing or being a reliever, I can do that, I can be a reliever," said White Sox starter Jake Peavy to MLB.com's Barry M. Bloom. "If it comes down to that, I'll do it because I love this game."
- “I know that I want to make the right decision,” said Yankees closer Mariano Rivera to reporters (including Chad Jennings of The Journal News) today following Andy Pettitte's return. “That’s what I want to do. When I make the right decision, I don’t want to come back or say, ‘I should have done it’ or ‘I should have stayed.’ I want to be 1000% sure that it’s the right decision."Rivera hinted at retirement last month.
Rangers Notes: Feldman, Uehara, Lowe, Webb
On this date in 2000, the Rangers acquired David Segui and cash in a three-team trade. Texas sent Lee Stevens to the Expos, the Expos sent Brad Fullmer to the Blue Jays, and the Jays sent Segui and cash to the Rangers. Here's the latest from the two-time defending AL champs…
- The Rangers have gotten calls about Scott Feldman, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). They have a strong inclination to hang onto the versatile 29-year-old right-hander, however.
- Given their deep cache of right-handed relievers, Heyman says (on Twitter) that Texas could still trade Koji Uehara or Mark Lowe. Uehara invoked his no-trade clause to reject a deal to the Blue Jays in January.
- The Rangers rolled the dice with Brandon Webb last season, and ESPN's Buster Olney says (on Twitter) that the 32-year-old sinkerballer continues to work out with the intention of getting back on the mound for a team at some point.
Rangers Notes: Ogando, Profar, International Signings
The Rangers made a minor trade earlier today, sending Kelvin De La Cruz to the Indians in exchange for cash considerations. De La Cruz was a Ranger for less than a month, as he was originally acquired by Texas in another deal with Cleveland on February 21.
Some more news from the two-time defending AL champions…
- In an interview Ben & Skin of ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM radio, Jon Daniels said that the Rangers are better served by having Alexi Ogando in the bullpen, though the GM admitted that Ogando probably deserves a starting job after his solid performance in the rotation last year. No firm decision has yet been made, however, about Ogando's status. ESPN Dallas' Richard Durrett collects some of the notable topics in Daniels' interview.
- Shortstop prospect Jurickson Profar may see some time playing second base, Rangers director of minor league operations Jake Krug tells Bryan Dolgin of the Rangers Magazine radio show. The 19-year-old Profar was ranked as the seventh-best prospect in the game by Baseball America's 2012 minor league rankings. Giving him time at second base would give Texas a possible option if Ian Kinsler can't be signed to an extension, though it seem a waste of Profar's defensive skills to move him away from short.
- The Rangers spent the most on any team on international bonuses last year, according to a report by Baseball America. The Rangers spent an estimated $12.83MM (not counting Japanese professionals or Cuban defectors) on international signings, more than $5MM ahead of the second-place team on the list, the Blue Jays.
- Texas accounts for the top two spots (Nomar Mazara and Ronald Guzman) on another Baseball America list, chronicling the top 30 international bonuses from last year.
- Brad Hawpe and Conor Jackson are both trying to keep their Major League careers going in the Rangers camp, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Hawpe and Jackson are both signed to minor league deals and are fighting for jobs on the Rangers' bench. "It's hard to imagine either player going to Triple-A," Sullivan writes, so Hawpe and/or Jackson could find themselves waived by March 30.
Indians Re-Acquire Kelvin De La Cruz
The Indians announced that they re-acquired left-hander Kelvin De La Cruz from the Rangers for cash considerations. The club placed right-hander Carlos Carrasco on the 60-day disabled list to create roster space for De La Cruz. Cleveland's 40-man roster is full with the addition of De La Cruz, who will be optioned to Double-A Akron.
The 6'5" 23-year-old posted a 4.19 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 in 86 innings as a starter and reliever at Double-A last year. He has typically walked and struck out lots of opponents, as his career rates of 8.9 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 indicate. The Indians originally sent De La Cruz to the Rangers on February 21st. He made one appearance for Texas before being returned to Cleveland.
Quick Hits: Twins, Rangers, Orioles, Mariners, Mitre
Tuesday night linkage..
- Free agent reliever Michael Wuertz says his tryout will be early next week with plans to be finalized in the next day, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Minneapolis. The Twins are expected to attend.
- Signing closer Joe Nathan allowed the Rangers to move Neftali Feliz into the rotation while keeping skipper Ron Washington comfortable by continuing to have an established closer, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Nathan inked a two-year, $14.75MM deal with Texas last November, though the club typically doesn't give multi-year deals to relievers.
- There were at least 40 scouts on hand to watch the Orioles today, tweets Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun.
- The Mariners reported a financial loss for a fiscal year with a $7.3MM deficit for 2011, writes Greg Johns of MLB.com. This marks just the second time since the opening of Safeco Field that the M's find themselves in the red.
- The bidding groups for the Dodgers appear to have been whittled down to five from seven tonight, a person familiar with the meetings tells Mike Ozanian of Forbes.com. The highest bid was $1.6 billion from Magic Johnson and former baseball exec Stan Kasten, whose purchase would be partially financed by private equity. The lowest bid from the five groups was $1.3 billion.
- Looking at at future payroll commitments, major league assets, farm systems, ownership status, and front office strategies, ESPN.com's Keith Law (Insider sub. req'd) tries to hash out when clubs such as the Mets, Cubs, and Astros will be able to contend.
- The biggest area of uncertainty for the Nationals, outside of their surplus of starting pitchers, seems to be their bench, writes Amanda Comak of The Washington Times.
- Free agent Sergio Mitre will work out for teams in March or April and expects to play in the majors this year, according to Tim (via Twitter).
AL West Notes: A’s, Pridie, Napoli, Pauley
Here's the latest from the AL West…
- Two investment groups have expressed interest in buying the Athletics and keeping the team in Oakland, reports Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle. Neither group wanted to be publicly identified, though one also showed interest in buying the Dodgers before dropping out due to the expected $1.5 billion price tag. Lew Wolff, the A's managing partner, reiterated that he and partner John Fisher aren't looking to sell the team.
- Athletics outfielder Jason Pridie's 50-game suspension for drug use was officially announced today by Major League Baseball. As John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Friday, this was Pridie's second violation (hence the 50-game penalty) and it was for a "drug of abuse," not a performance-enhancing drug.
- Now that the Tigers have released David Pauley, John Hickey of CSNNW.com speculates that the Mariners might be interested in re-acquiring the right-hander. Pauley appeared in 58 games for the M's from 2010-11 before being traded to Detroit last July as part of the Doug Fister deal.
- Mike Napoli is in a similar situation to that of C.J. Wilson a year ago, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan as part of a Rangers mailbag. Napoli and Wilson were both looking for career-best contracts following their breakout seasons, while Sullivan notes the Rangers are wary of making that kind of commitment after just one season of top-tier performance. Wilson, of course, signed a free agent deal with the Angels this winter.
- In case you missed it earlier today, here's a wrap-up of Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine's interview with Bryan Dolgin of ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM radio.