Rangers Talking Uehara Deal; Jays, Others Interested
The Rangers are discussing reliever Koji Uehara with several teams, one of whom are the Blue Jays, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The Red Sox and Orioles were both involved in talks regarding Uehara earlier this winter, with Uehara himself saying he wished to return to Baltimore.
Uehara posted a 2.35 ERA, an 11.8 K/9 rate and a phenomenal 9.44 K/BB ratio in 65 games last season with the Orioles and Rangers. Despite his great regular season numbers, he struggled for Texas in the playoffs and was left off the Rangers' World Series roster, leading to speculation that he would be made available by the team in the offseason.
Uehara, who turns 37 in April, pitched well enough to cause his $4MM option for 2012 to vest. He also has a limited no-trade clause in his contract that allows him to block deals to six teams, so Uehara has some control over where he would be dealt, if anywhere.
The Jays have already added Sergio Santos, Darren Oliver, Jason Frasor and Aaron Laffey to their bullpen this winter. In Uehara, Toronto would add to this depth with a right-hander who has enjoyed success in the AL East and some experience (13-of-15 in save opportunities with the O's in 2010) as a closer should Santos struggle.
Prince Fielder Rumors: Monday
It's hard to imagine that anything's holding back the market for Prince Fielder at this point. Albert Pujols signed more than a month ago, Yu Darvish and the Rangers worked out a deal, and agent Scott Boras has taken the time to introduce Fielder to some MLB owners. It doesn't seem likely that a new suitor for the powerful free agent first baseman will emerge if Boras continues waiting, since the sale of the Dodgers won't be completed on time to convince the new ownership group of Fielder's value. We're left with rumors linking Fielder to the Nationals, Rangers, Mariners, Dodgers, Cubs and Orioles, but not much certainty. Here are the latest updates on Fielder, with the most recent notes up top:
- A Nationals source says he would be "stunned" to see the Nats give Fielder a contract for longer than seven years, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Kilgore also looks at some other recent contracts for slugging first basemen and predicts Fielder will receive a seven-year, $170MM deal with whatever team signs him.
- The Orioles haven't met with Boras and don't have a meeting scheduled, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. There's some interest, depending on Boras' asking price, but Kubatko doesn't expect the Orioles to chase Fielder. "They're nowhere near being in position to sign him," he writes.
- One GM told Rosenthal that the Rangers are in on Fielder "hard," though others say the Rangers won't go heavy on years (Twitter link).
- The Orioles are "definitely in on" Fielder and there's plenty of motivation to sign him, Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio and MLB.com tweets. Duquette is a former Orioles GM who's the cousin of current GM Dan Duquette. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that interest from the Orioles and Nationals gives Boras leverage (Twitter link).
- The Nationals are a finalist for Fielder, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. The Rangers and at least one other club are still in the running for him.
- There's now "something close to a final four" for Fielder, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
- The Rangers' management team is in the Dominican Republic for the next week, so it's doubtful the team will sign Fielder in the near future, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
- The Nationals continue to work on a deal for Fielder, but there was no agreement as of last night, tweets Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.com. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel repeats (on Twitter) that there's no deal at the moment.
Minor Moves: Rangers, Stults, Olmedo, Young
Here are today's minor moves…
- The Rangers signed right-hander Sean Green and left-hander Mitch Stetter to minor league contracts that include invitations to Spring Training, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes.
- The White Sox agreed to sign left-handers Leyson Septimo and Eric Stults, catcher Hector Gimenez, infielder Ray Olmedo and outfielder Delwyn Young to minor-league contracts that include invitations to Spring Training, the team announced. Stults, 32, appeared in six games with the 2011 Rockies and also has experience with the Dodgers. Young played for the Dodgers and Pirates from 2006-10, but spent the 2011 season at Triple-A, where he posted a .685 OPS in 480 plate appearances. Gimenez appeared in four games with the 2011 Dodgers and Olmedo played for the Reds and Blue Jays from 2003-07.
- The club confirmed its deals with Brian Bruney, Dallas McPherson and Damaso Espino.
Many Teams Eyeing Gerardo Concepcion
Cuban left-hander Gerardo Concepcion has been declared a free agent and is drawing interest from many MLB teams, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports. The 18-year-old recently established residency in Mexico and was said to be close to declaring free agency last week.
The Rangers, Yankees, Cubs and White Sox have expressed the most interest in Concepcion, agent Jaime Torres said. The lefty worked out in front of Rangers personnel, including Nolan Ryan, in the Dominican Republic today. The Phillies, Giants, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Royals have also expressed interest.
Concepcion has an offer on the table and will likely sign within two weeks, according to his agent. He defected from Cuba last June while playing in the Netherlands.
Quick Hits: Rizzo, Rangers, Garza, Johnson
It was one year ago today that the Angels and Blue Jays pulled off the huge trade that sent Vernon Wells to Anaheim in exchange for Juan Rivera and Mike Napoli. The Jays were considered immediate winners for getting Wells' huge contract off their payroll and the swap looks even better for Toronto given Wells' .218/.248/.412 season in 2011.
Some news from around the majors…
- New Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo holds the top spot on this list of baseball's top 10 first base prospects from MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
- Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine acknowledged that there are "active discussions internally" about improving the team when speaking with Todd Hollandsworth and Jim Memolo on MLB Network Radio (mp3 link), but it's unlikely the Rangers will make another significant move. "It won't be from a lack of creativity," he said.
- Matt Garza told Hollandsworth and Memolo that he's "definitely open" to signing an extension with the Cubs (mp3 link).
- Josh Johnson tells Glenn Geffner of the Marlins Insider 790 AM radio show (and passed on by Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post) that he will begin throwing off a mound next week, the first time the Marlins ace has done so since September. Johnson was limited to nine starts last season due to shoulder injuries.
- Yoenis Cespedes is still not an established resident of the Dominican Republic, which is holding up his free agency, reports MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.
- Kyle Blanks may only realize his potential if he leaves the Padres, opines Fangraphs' Paul Swydan.
- Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune is back with his weekly online chat about the Padres.
- The Tigers, Indians and the "sleeper choice" Brewers are all possible fits for Derrek Lee, writes Tony Andracki of CSNChicago.com.
MLBTR's Mike Axisa also contributed to this post
Rangers Co-Owner Prefers Hamilton To Fielder
With the Yu Darvish contract all wrapped up, the Rangers have found themselves in the middle of the Prince Fielder rumormill whether they like it or not. Team co-owner Bob Simpson told Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News that the slugging first baseman is likely not an option for them at his asking price, and that he'd prefer to re-sign his own star player.
"I think he's, given our set of cards, too pricey," said Simpson. "And if that were to change, I guess they would look at that harder. But right now I think he's priced himself out of what we could do."
"We've got guys, frankly, like Josh Hamilton I would love to see re-signed. And frankly, my personal preference at this moment would be to re-sign him instead of helping Fielder. We (the ownership group) could all debate that."
Simpson said yesterday that the team is operating at a deficit and will continue to do so until their new television deal starts in 2015. Extension talks with Hamilton were put on hold until Darvish and the club's arbitration-eligible players were signed, though assistant GM Thad Levine told Todd Hollandsworth and Jim Memolo on MLB Network Radio that the two sides were "in active discussions" yesterday (mp3 here).
Latest On Prince Fielder
9:20pm: Bob Simpson, a principal owner of the Rangers, said that the club is operating at a deficit and will until the new TV contract starts in 2015, but that doesn't automatically mean that Prince Fielder is not an option, writes Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram.
5:19pm: Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan said that it would be "pretty hard to think" that a deal with Prince Fielder would develop in an interview yesterday with ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM, writes Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. However, Ryan also conceded that things can always change as he added, "when you think you’re out of something, you get up the next day and find out opportunities exist."
Meanwhile, Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated writes that the Rangers and Nationals each offer unique opportunities to Fielder. The Rangers can win right away and can comfortably offer the slugger an opt-out clause. The Nationals would allow Fielder to stay in the National League and play first base exclusively, but the club is seeking stability and wouldn't want to include an opt-out clause in a deal. Verducci feels that the Rangers payroll can expand even further with a brand-new TV deal kicking in for the 2015 season.
Rangers Sign Brad Hawpe
4:51pm: Hawpe would earn $1MM plus bonuses if he makes the Opening Day roster, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets.
3:51pm: The Rangers announced that they signed Brad Hawpe to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Major League Spring Training. The Beverly Hills Sports Council represents Hawpe, who spent the 2011 season with the Padres.
Hawpe posted a .231/.301/.344 line in 216 plate appearances with the Padres in 2011, playing first base and right field. The 32-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow last June, but the Rangers expect him to be able to handle first base by Spring Training. He owns a .284/.380/.493 line in 2,678 career plate appearances against right-handed pitching.
Rangers To Sign Yu Darvish
THURSDAY, 10:41pm: Jeff Wilson of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has the year-by-year breakdown of Darvish's contract. The right-hander will earn $5.5MM in 2012, $9.5MM in 2013, $10MM annually from 2014-2016, and $11MM in 2017.
WEDNESDAY, 6:41pm: Even if they’d had a relatively quiet offseason, the two-time defending American League Champions could have been a playoff-caliber team in 2012. Yet they spent aggressively on one of the top available arms and became a little scarier in the process. The Rangers have agreed to sign Yu Darvish to a six-year deal in the $60MM range. Agents Don Nomura and Arn Tellem represent the 6'5" 25-year-old and negotiated for bonuses that could be worth another $10MM.
Darvish can opt out of the contract after the fifth year, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. However, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports adds (on Twitter) that Darvish must hit certain "high-end award levels" to be able to opt out of the contract. The deal is worth just $56MM guaranteed, Wilson tweets. Wilson says the deal includes $4MM in bonuses with the potential to reach even more incentives by winning Cy Young Awards.
GM Jon Daniels liked what he saw when he watched Darvish pitch in June, and the Rangers committed a record-setting amount for the right to negotiate with the right-hander. The Nippon Ham Fighters obtain a $51,703,411 posting fee from the Rangers, who topped the $51.1MM Boston paid for the rights to speak with Daisuke Matsuzaka five years ago.
Darvish posted a 1.44 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 232 innings this past season and he hasn't posted an ERA above 2.00 since 2007. He'll join a Rangers rotation that looks considerably different than it did a year ago. C.J. Wilson is gone, but Neftali Feliz will move to the rotation and Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Matt Harrison, Scott Feldman and Alexi Ogando provide manager Ron Washington with an abundance of alternatives for the rest of the rotation.
The Angels finished ten games behind the Rangers in both 2010 and 2011, but GM Jerry Dipoto has signed Wilson and Albert Pujols, so the Angels are considerably more threatening entering the 2012 campaign.
Prince Fielder may have lost a suitor this afternoon. It's been reported that the Rangers are unlikely to sign both him and Darvish, so agent Scott Boras may turn elsewhere as he looks to find a deal for the 27-year-old free agent. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark tweets that the Rangers feel "less urgency" to sign Fielder, though a deal is still possible.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first tweeted news of the agreement, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweeted the value of the deal and Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweeted news of the incentives. The Rangers have confirmed the deal.
AL West Notes: Fielder, Angels, Darvish, Perez
The Athletics signed Brian Fuentes to a two-year, $10.5MM contract on this date last year. The veteran left-hander posted a 3.70 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 36.7% ground ball rate in 58 1/3 innings for the A's and is set to earn $5MM this coming season. Here are the latest links from the AL West…
- The Rangers want Prince Fielder to go along with Yu Darvish, but are wary of saying so publicly, Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes. Though they don’t want to offer an Albert Pujols-like $240MM deal, they’d like to sign Fielder, the top free agent remaining.
- The Angels are likely to add a late-inning reliever before Opening Day, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. Francisco Cordero and Brad Lidge are among the relievers who have been linked to the Angels this month.
- The Mariners, who signed Oliver Perez yesterday, view the lefty as a reliever, Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.
- Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times explains that before Darvish turned pro, the Angels were willing to offer a lucrative bonus to lure him to MLB. The Dodgers had been scouting Darvish since he was 15 and Tommy Lasorda was intrigued by the right-hander’s stuff.
- The A's are shopping first baseman Brandon Allen, Jerry Crasnick reported this morning.