Heyman On Phillies, Tigers, Manny, Rays
The Phillies have “tapped out” their payroll and have “nothing brewing” on the Michael Young front, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Here’s the latest from Heyman as the Phils contemplate whether or not to pursue new free agent Luis Castillo…
- The expectation is that Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, whose contract expires after the season, will be back. Dombrowski declined to comment on the matter.
- Manny Ramirez wanted to play for the Rays or the Blue Jays this year, according to Heyman. Rumors linked Ramirez to Toronto early in the offseason, partly because of the slugger’s affinity for incoming manager John Farrell and partly because he rooted for the great Dominican Blue Jays of the 1980s.
- Team officials say Rays infielder Elliot Johnson has been very impressive this spring.
Extension Candidate: C.J. Wilson
C.J. Wilson is not going to sign for Cliff Lee money when he hits free agency this offseason. Nine-figure deals are out of reach to any pitcher who doesn’t threaten to win the Cy Young every year, so Wilson can forget about matching the contract his former rotation-mate signed.
But Wilson is likely due for a raise next year, whether the Rangers give it to him or someone else does. The left-hander will hit free agency for the first time in his career and though the Rangers are open to extending him before the season ends, it’s starting to look like Wilson will hit the open market.
In the last year-plus, comparable left-handers including Wandy Rodriguez, Ted Lilly, Jorge de la Rosa and Randy Wolf have signed deals that pay them an average of just over $10MM per free agent season. That appears to be the going rate for those who have proven themselves as number two or three starters.
Wilson had a breakout 2010 season in which he pitched like a top-of-the-rotation starter. He led his team, the eventual AL Champions, in ERA (3.35), ground ball rate (49.2%), starts (33), wins (15), complete games (3) and innings (204) and placed in the top ten in the American League in ERA, wins and opponents’ average
Those numbers are impressive, but Wilson also placed among the league leaders in some other categories. He led the league in walks (93) and placed sixth in the league in hit batsmen (10). Opponents hit just .266 against him on balls in play last year, sixth-lowest among AL starters. That figure suggests he could be due to regress in 2011, as does his tough-to-sustain home run to fly ball rate of 5.3%.
The Rangers are taking a risk either way. Either they take it now and invest tens of millions in a pitcher who could regress and has just one year of experience as a starter. Or they postpone the risk until after the season and hope to do what they couldn’t do when Lee hit the market: convince the free agent left-hander to choose Texas over his other suitors.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
Rangers, Wilson To Table Extension Talks For Now
The Rangers and C.J. Wilson’s agent have discussed a multiyear deal that would keep the left-hander in Texas after the 2011 season, but the sides don’t appear likely to continue discussions once the season starts, according to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. Agent Bob Garber and Rangers executives Jon Daniels and Thad Levine discussed ways of extending Wilson’s tenure with the Rangers without making significant progress.
Wilson, who is set to hit free agency after the season, says “it doesn't look like a deal is going to get done” before Opening Day. And once the season starts, Wilson says he prefers to focus on pitching, not contract negotiations.
The Rangers negotiated with Wilson throughout the winter, even after they avoided arbitration and agreed to a one-year, $7MM salary for 2011. Daniels says he values Wilson and is “not going to close the door on anything."
Rangers Notes: Teagarden, Davis
A couple items of note with respect to two Rangers players who could be on the trade block…
- The Rangers, well-stocked at catcher, may have been showcasing backstop Taylor Teagarden for a potential trade partner in the Padres in their Cactus League game on Thursday, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Texas has Yorvit Torrealba, Matt Treanor and Mike Napoli (who will also DH and play first base) on the catching depth chart, so Teagarden will not likely make the big league team out of camp, writes Sullivan. Earlier this spring, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports pegged the Royals as a potential landing spot for Teagarden.
- David Golebiewski of Fangraphs had a look at the five potential destinations for Chris Davis recently put forth by Ben Nicholson-Smith, and the takeaway looks to be that Davis' best shot may be to take over third base or DH duties for a team that is especially weak offensively at either of those positions and can stomach Davis' low OBP and bad glovework. The best fits could be for Davis to take over third from the old platoon of Melvin Mora and Geoff Blum in Arizona, or as a third-base stop gap for Matt Dominguez or Lonnie Chisenhall of the Marlins and Indians, respectively. With Davis' skills limiting him to such a narrow profile, Golebiewski thinks he could probably fetch a modest return, like a decent reliever, in a trade.
Poll: Neftali Feliz’s 2011 Role
The extended experiment may be coming to an end. The Rangers seem likely to return Neftali Feliz to the bullpen for the 2011 season and end his spring stint as a starter.
The 22-year-old was last year's AL Rookie of the Year as the Rangers closer, when he saved 40 games and posted a 2.73 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 69 1/3 innings. Given those results, the Rangers' lack of shutdown relievers besides Feliz and their manager's desire for a proven closer, it's easy to see why the Rangers would return Feliz to the 'pen for at least one more year.
On the other hand, elite starters are harder to come by than elite relievers and they're on the mound for three times as many innings as most closers. Feliz's secondary offerings may not be finely tuned, but it stands to reason that they won't get any sharper if he's only pitching one inning at a time. You can make the argument that the Rangers should use Feliz as a starter and make do with their current bullpen or trade for an extra reliever.
What role would you assign Feliz for 2011 if you were in GM Jon Daniels' position?
Does Neftali Feliz belong in the 'pen or in the rotation?
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In the bullpen 55% (3,677)
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In the rotation 45% (3,026)
Total votes: 6,703
Quick Hits: Utley, Wainwright, Harris, Young, Sheets
Some links for St. Patrick's Day as players don green uniforms in Arizona and Florida…
- Chase Utley has made "minimal" improvement since taking a shot for his injured knee, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Though Utley can hit and field, he can't run, so Wilson Valdez will play second base for the time being.
- Adam Wainwright told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he's anticipating a high-stakes rehab, since the Cardinals may not exercise his $21MM option for 2012-13 if he struggles. "There's a lot of money resting on me coming back healthy next year," he said.
- Willie Harris can opt out of his contract with the Mets on March 27th, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). There seems to be a good chance that Harris will make the team and the opt-out won't be an issue.
- Michael Young told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he has found it tough to develop a rhythm this spring, partly because he has been bouncing from one position to another.
- Not surprisingly, Ben Sheets isn't negotiating with any teams, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Sheets' 2010 season ended early when he needed flexor tendon surgery.
Feliz Likely To Close; Texas To Pursue Relievers Later
It would be a "huge" upset if the Rangers put Neftali Feliz into their rotation, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter links). However, the Rangers are aware that next year's free agent class is loaded with top relievers, so they'll likely move Feliz to the rotation for the 2012 season. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that trading for a closer at this point in the spring is difficult and argues that Feliz belongs in the bullpen.
Rangers manager Ron Washington said earlier in the week that he wants an experienced closer. Feliz, though still 22, closed for Texas last year when the Rangers made it to the World Series, so he qualifies. Other established closers like Heath Bell and Joakim Soria don't appear to be available.
Bell, Jonathan Broxton, Matt Capps, Francisco Cordero, Brad Lidge, Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon, Francisco Rodriguez, Rafael Soriano, Jose Valverde and other top relievers could hit free agency after the 2011 season, at which point the Rangers would have many more options than they do now.
AL West Links: Davis, Trumbo, Robertson
Notes from the AL West, as the Angels learn that Scott Downs is out indefinitely with a broken toe…
- Chris Davis, who suggested earlier in the week that he wouldn't oppose a trade, clarified his thoughts on 103.3 ESPN's Ben and Skin show, without changing his stance much. "If they're not going to give me an opportunity to play in Arlington I think the fairest thing and the right thing to do would be to give me a chance to play somewhere else," Davis said.
- I looked at potential destinations for Davis yesterday and today Jon Heyman of SI.com suggests one of the teams I mentioned makes sense (Twitter link). Heyman likes the Rays as a potential suitor for Davis.
- Many of the Angels' established hitters tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that they're enjoying watching powerful first base prospect Mark Trumbo this spring.
- As Matt Eddy of Baseball America explains, the Mariners released and re-signed Nate Robertson after learning that he needs elbow surgery.
Felix Hernandez’s No-Trade Clause
Mariners ace Felix Hernandez can block trades to ten teams, and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports learned eight of them: the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Cubs, Angels, Dodgers, Rangers, and Phillies. Morosi adds:
We shouldn’t infer from that list that Hernandez wants to avoid large-market clubs. Rather, astute players (and agents) will often protect against trades to high-revenue teams, because those clubs (a) are most likely to be interested in acquiring expensive players and (b) have the wherewithal to offer financial inducements that encourage players to waive the clauses.
Hernandez, 25 next month, is owed $70.5MM over the next four years under the contract he signed in January of 2010. Many teams would salivate if he were made available, but GM Jack Zduriencik recently told SI's Jon Heyman, "He's not going anywhere. We've got him. We'll keep him. We're not going to move him."
I don't see any reason to doubt Zduriencik or expect him to change his mind. 2011 may be a regrouping year for the Mariners, but they're surely expecting to contend before 2014.
NL Central Notes: Cubs, McClellan, Wallace, Rogers
Notes from the NL Central as Opening Day draws closer…
- Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com hears from Cubs sources that the team isn't talking to the Rangers about Michael Young. The Cubs maintain that they’re comfortable with Jeff Baker and Blake DeWitt at second base.
- Kyle McClellan solidified his bid to become the Cardinals' fifth starter today. As MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports, the converted setup man pitched five shutout innings against the Braves, which presumably lessens the chances that the Cards look outside of the organization for starting pitching. I took a look at McClellan's role in St. Louis last week.
- Brett Wallace collected four hits and drove in seven today, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. The Astros acquired the first baseman from the Blue Jays last summer after obtaining Anthony Gose from the Phillies in the Roy Oswalt deal. Wallace is vying to become Houston's everyday first baseman.
- As MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports, the Brewers optioned pitching prospect Mark Rogers to Triple-A today because they weren't confident his shoulder stiffness would go away in time for the season. Once he's at full strength, Rogers remains a candidate to fill in for Zack Greinke, who is expected to miss a few starts with a fractured rib.