Orioles To Acquire Taylor Teagarden
The Orioles and Rangers have agreed to a trade that will send Taylor Teagarden to Baltimore for minor league right-hander Randy Henry and a player to be named later. The Orioles have a full 40-man roster and will have to clear room on it for Teagarden.
Teagarden, 27, has a .220/.286/.417 career line with 16 home runs in 392 career big league plate appearances over the course of four seasons. The 2005 third rounder has a .262/.374/.488 line in parts of six minor league seasons. He'll back up starter Matt Wieters.
Henry, 21, has a 3.33 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 75 2/3 minor league innings since the Orioles selected him in the fourth round of the 2009 draft. He has yet to reach Double-A.
While the Orioles had just one catcher — Wieters — on their 40-man roster, the Rangers had three of them. Mike Napoli and Yorvit Torrealba were ahead of Teagarden on Texas' depth chart, which made the out-of-options backstop expendable.
Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun first reported the discussions and added detail, while Jon Heyman of SI.com first reported that the teams had agreed to a deal.
Orioles, Rangers Discussing Taylor Teagarden Trade
The Orioles and Rangers have had ongoing talks about a deal that would send Taylor Teagarden to Baltimore, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The teams don't have a match yet, though they have discussed specific players.
The Orioles are looking for a solid defender who's comfortable backing Matt Wieters up, Connolly writes. Baltimore isn't interested in Jeff Mathis, who appears to be available now that the Angels have obtained Chris Iannetta, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
The Orioles are showing interest in Jason Varitek, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. They have offers out to some minor league free agents, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Kubatko suggests the team will likely make an acquisition today (Twitter link).
While the Orioles have just one catcher — Wieters — on their 40-man roster, the Rangers have three of them. Mike Napoli and Yorvit Torrealba are ahead of Teagarden on Texas' depth chart, making him expendable.
Rangers Notes: Fielder, Pujols, Moreland, Levine
9:25pm: The Rangers have interest in Fielder, but he's not high on their priority list, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Texas isn't seriously courting Pujols, either.
7:43pm: The Rangers announced that Mitch Moreland underwent right wrist surgery today and may not be ready in time for Spring Training. However, the GM Jon Daniels expects Moreland to be healthy in time for Opening Day 2012 and says the team won't need to change its first base plans drastically.
"We may look for some protection there now, but I don't see it changing the level of investment we're going to allocate there," Daniels said, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
Michael Young and Mike Napoli can also play first base for the Rangers if Moreland's recovery takes longer than expected. Though Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols are available on the free agent market, the Rangers say they don't have interest in costly options at the position.
Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine, who ranked third on MLBTR's list of GM candidates, announced that he is foregoing job opportunities outside of the organization, according to Sullivan. The Astros requested permission to interview Levine for their GM vacancy.
Rangers Pursuing Andrew Bailey
The Rangers signed Joe Nathan last week, but they're still exploring ways of adding relief help, since they aim to enter the 2012 season with the strongest bullpen possible. They're one of the teams trying to trade for A's closer Andrew Bailey, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes that the Red Sox are also pursuing Bailey (Twitter link).
The 27-year-old right-hander posted a 3.24 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 41 2/3 innings in 2011 after recovering a forearm strain that sidelined him early in the season. MLBTR projects a $3.5MM salary for Bailey in 2012. One of Rosenthal's sources promised that the Rangers will add another reliever to join Nathan, Mike Adams and Koji Uehara at the back end of the bullpen. The Red Sox, who lost Jonathan Papelbon to the Phillies, also have interest in adding to the back end of their bullpen this offseason.
The Blue Jays, Mariners and Reds are also interested in Bailey, who appears to be available. The Rangers had interest in him leading up to last summer's trade deadline.
Rangers Notes: Greg Maddux, Thad Levine
The latest on the defending American League Champions…
- The Maddux move is official, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. His title will be special assistant to the GM.
- The Astros obtained permission to speak with Levine, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
- Greg Maddux is leaving the Cubs and may soon accept a position with the Rangers, according to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune. Maddux, who worked as a special assistant to Cubs GM Jim Hendry last season, would join his brother in Texas. Mike Maddux, the Rangers' pitching coach, interviewed for the Cubs' managerial opening before deciding to remain in Texas.
- Maddux will join the Rangers, according to Grant. He's expected to evaluate and help develop pitchers during the season.
- The Astros contacted the Rangers to obtain permission to interview assistant GM Thad Levine, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The Astros have already obtained permission to speak with Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, but it seems unlikely that Friedman will leave Tampa Bay.
Rosenthal On Votto, Alonso, Rangers, Soriano
The Reds’ owners continue engaging in friendly debate with one another about Joey Votto’s future with the team, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Here are the details on the Reds’ first base situation and more of Rosenthal’s notes from around MLB…
- Cincinnati CEO Bob Castellini doesn’t want to trade Votto and appears to believe an extension is possible. However, some Reds owners believe the team should explore trades for the 2010 NL MVP. Votto is under contract through 2013.
- Rival GMs consider Yonder Alonso a one-dimensional player, not someone who could be a centerpiece in a trade for a starting pitcher like James Shields or Gio Gonzalez.
- The Rangers are considering assistant GM Thad Levine and former Astros GM Tim Purpura for their open farm director position, according to Rosenthal.
- Teams are “kicking the tires” on Alfonso Soriano and the Cubs are willing to pick up a substantial chunk of the $54MM remaining on the 35-year-old left fielder's contract. He posted a .244/.289/.469 line with 26 home runs last season and is under contract through 2014.
- Teams are calling the Rangers about right-hander Koji Uehara, but Texas may hold on to him, since they’re short on left-handed relief and Uehara is effective against left-handed hitters.
- The A’s won’t attempt to re-sign Josh Willingham, but they’re interested in re-signing another one of their free agent outfielders: Coco Crisp.
Royals To Sign Jonathan Broxton
The Royals announced that they have agreed to sign Jonathan Broxton to a one-year deal, pending a physical. The deal is worth $4MM and includes $1MM in incentives based on games pitched for the 27-year-old right-hander, who will be Kansas City's setup man in 2012.
“We are delighted to add someone as talented as Jonathan to our bullpen,” Royals GM Dayton Moore said. “He will be used in a setup role to closer Joakim Soria and will help solidify what we feel is a young and talented bullpen.”
Broxton’s 2011 season ended in May after just 12 2/3 innings with a 5.68 ERA and nearly as many walks (9) as strikeouts (10). He had arthroscopic elbow surgery in September and was expected to begin an offseason throwing program this month. A dominant reliever for the Dodgers from 2006 to the early part of 2010, Broxton will look to rebuild value on a one-year contract in Kansas City.
Other than the Royals, the Mets, Rangers and Rays pursued Broxton most intently, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). Overall, at least ten teams expressed interest in Broxton, who's represented by B.B. Abbott of Jet Sports Management.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement (Twitter link) and Jon Heyman of SI.com added the terms of the deal (Twitter links). Dan Mennella explains the fantasy baseball implications of the move at CloserNews.com, the destination for all reliever-related fantasy baseball news and analysis.
Quick Hits: Murton, Wilson, Twins, Draft
Here are some links for Monday night as we anticipate the end of a managerial search in Boston and the beginning of a GM search in Houston…
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker hears that Matt Murton will return to the Hanshin Tigers for 2012 (Twitter link). Murton could have been an outside-the-box alternative for teams looking for outfield help this offseason. The 30-year-old has a .286/.352/.436 line in parts of five MLB seasons and has hit well in Japan.
- C.J. Wilson, who visited with the Marlins today, has another free agent visit scheduled this week, but it’s not with the Rangers, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter).
- Twins people expect former GM Bill Smith to remain in the organization, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Minnesota replaced Smith with longtime GM Terry Ryan earlier this month.
- Speaking of the Twins, they’re one of many teams in on Yoenis Cespedes, according to Yahoo’s Tim Brown. This appears to be the first time they’ve been linked to the 26-year-old outfielder.
- The Astros are shopping Wandy Rodriguez all over, according to Brown.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America hears that the 30 MLB teams will be limited to $180MM in total spending for the first ten rounds of the draft under the new collective bargaining agreement (Twitter link).
- Teams that fail to sign top draft picks can’t re-allocate the money saved toward deals for other draft picks, according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo. For example, a team that fails to sign a top pick who had a recommended bonus of $1.5MM would see its spending ceiling fall by $1.5MM and would not have the option of spending that $1.5MM on other players.
Morosi On Fielder, Randy Wells, Guthrie
A "tense three-week period that will shape [baseball's] landscape for the following year" begins today, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. His latest:
- Agent Scott Boras has pared down Prince Fielder's sales pitch binder but still has 70 pages worth, he tells Morosi. Morosi says Fielder's suitors are believed to be the Cubs, Nationals, Rangers, and Mariners.
- The Cubs are open to moving Randy Wells, indicates Morosi as he lists available starting pitchers. Wells, 29, is under team control through 2014. MLBTR projects him to earn $2.2MM in 2012.
- The Angels and Orioles discussed the possibility of a Jeremy Guthrie trade in recent days. Guthrie, 33 in April, projects to earn $8.3MM in 2012 before hitting free agency.
- Japanese players including righty Hisashi Iwakuma, lefties Tsuyoshi Wada and Wei-Yin Chen, and second baseman Kensuke Tanaka can begotiate with MLB teams after free agency in Japan begins Thursday. The Yakult Swallows intend to post outfielder Norichika Aoki after the Winter Meetings, adds Morosi.
Quick Hits: Dodgers, Feliz, Nathan, Rangers, Indians
On this day fifteen years ago, the Angels traded first baseman J.T. Snow to the Giants for Fausto Macey and Allen Watson. Snow would go on to play nine seasons with San Francisco with a slash line of .273/.369/.438. Here are some links for Saturday night..
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has a thing for acquiring journeyman relievers in the offseason and will probably do the same this winter, but he does have a proven arm in Blake Hawksworth, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. The 29-year-old is entering his final year under team control.
- Peter Gammons of MLB.com writes that the Rangers' signing of Joe Nathan puts Neftali Feliz in his rightful place, the starting rotation. Texas might have overpaid for Nathan, but waiting to get the veteran at a bargain could have resulted in having to turn to a different free agent closer who would require a longer deal.
- Teams are still trying to digest all the details of the new collective bargaining agreement, writes Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. The CBA will change the way the Indians do business as they have spent a good amount on the draft and on international free agents in recent years.
- With the owners and players coming to terms on a five-year labor agreement, it's apparent that the two sides learned some important lessons from the 1994 work stoppage, writes Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports.com. Ringolsby also weighs in on the changes to the amateur draft and points out that the new agreement takes leverage away from agents and provides a boost for college baseball.