Texas Notes: Ryan, Red Sox, Luhnow, Crane
Nolan Ryan doesn't seem pleased with the Rangers' re-structured front office, and there are rumblings that he could leave the organization. There's no denying Ryan's stature in the game, but he's acting "like a big baby" in the view of Yahoo's Jeff Passan. The Hall of Famer has made the mistake of picking a fight at a time that he has few alternatives and limited leverage, Passan writes. Here are more links from the state of Texas…
- Rangers senior scout Don Welke is in Florida looking at Red Sox relievers, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Welke is also scouting Yankees right-hander Joba Chamberlain, as we heard yesterday. Both Boston and New York had their own scouts watching the Rangers play today.
- The circumstances behind the Barret Loux/Jake Brigham trade between the Rangers and Cubs are outlined by MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported two days ago that there's sentiment within the Rangers organization that Ryan will stay with the club.
- GM Jeff Luhnow told Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal that the Astros are looking forward to determining which young players will become part of the team’s core. That’s part of Luhnow's motivation for passing on experienced free agents and relying on younger players. “If you take away their job and give it to a veteran, you delay finding it out. It doesn't push the organization forward," Luhnow explained.
- Though some fans would like to see the Astros spend more, owner Jim Crane pointed out that it’s not the fans’ money. “This is a private company, even though it's got a public flair to it,” Crane told Costa. “If they want to write a check for 10 million bucks, they can give me a call."
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post
Central Notes: Kazmir, Jackson, Twins
Earlier today, the Indians granted Ben Francisco his unconditional release and added Rich Hill to the 40-man roster, meaning Hill is likely to break camp as a member of the Tribe's bullpen in the mind of MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Here's some more on the Indians and other Central division teams…
- Indians non-roster invitee Scott Kazmir feels that he's pitched well enough to earn the team's fifth starter role, according to Cleveland.com's Glenn Moore (link includes video interview with Kazmir). The 29-year-old Kazmir has pitched in just one game since 2010 but told reporters that each time he was released allowed him to step back and examine what he needed to improve on to get back to his previous levels. Bastian tweets that between the Cactus League and "B" games, Kazmir has fired 11 scoreless innings with a 13-to-2 K/BB ratio.
- J.J. Stankevitz of CSNChicago.com writes that the trade to the White Sox was a turning point in the career of Edwin Jackson, who benefited from pitching coach Don Cooper's tutelage. Jackson tells Stankevitz that he isn't fazed by the fact that the Cubs will be his seventh team since 2008. He's likely to keep that uniform for awhile, having signed a four-year, $52MM contract this offseason.
- The money to be saved by delaying Aaron Hicks' service time is the "only justifiable reason" to keep him from opening the season as the Twins' center fielder in the eyes of 1500 ESPN's Phil Mackey. In a separate piece, Mackey notes that Darin Mastroianni is still pushing for the job, and manager Ron Gardenhire says no decision has been reached. Our own Ben Nicholson-Smith examined the service time considerations for Hicks and other members of Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list late last month.
NL Notes: Goldschmidt, McCann, Nationals, Stewart
Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers says he has discussed a contract extension with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, according to AZCentral.com's Nick Piecoro. Goldschmidt is represented by Joe Sambito of SFX. Piecoro quotes a source saying that it would be "a surprise" if Goldschmidt and the Diamondbacks were to strike a deal in the near future, however. Last month, the Diamondbacks attempted to initiate talks with Goldschmidt, but Goldschmidt had indicated that he wanted to go year-to-year in an attempt to build up more value.
Goldschmidt, 25, would be eligible for arbitration after the 2014 season and eligible for free agency after the 2017 season. MLBTR's Extension Tracker reveals that, in the past five years, no first basemen with between one and two years of service time have signed long-term deals, so establishing a baseline value for Goldschmidt is difficult. (Goldschmidt himself had told Towers in February that he wanted to build up more service time before discussing an extension in order to get a clearer sense of who is "peer group" was.)
Allen Craig, who recently signed a five-year, $31MM extension with the Cardinals, shares passing similarities with Goldschmidt as a hitter, but also has a year more service time than Goldschmidt. Craig will make $11MM in the final guaranteed year of his contract. Replacing that year with a pre-arbitration salary for the first year of a potential Goldschmidt deal produces a starting point of five years and $20.5MM, which would cover all of Goldschmidt's remaining pre-arbitration seasons. The Diamondbacks would presumably also want to add a team option or two at the end of the deal, giving them the chance to buy out one or more of Goldschmidt's free agent years.
Here are more notes from the National League.
- A return to form by Brian McCann will likely ensure that the he signs with a new team next winter, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. McCann, who is recovering from labrum surgery, will likely return to the Braves' lineup about two weeks into the season. Some of McCann's old teammates tell Rosenthal that McCann was unhappy last season, when he played through injury and hit only .230/.300/.399, down from .270/.351/.466 in 2011. A phone call from GM Frank Wren to McCann after the season may have helped improve the relationship between the team and its star catcher, but that might not matter once he becomes a free agent at the end of the season. If McCann hits well in 2013, the Braves might not be able to afford him, Rosenthal says; if McCann hits poorly, the Braves might not want him, at least not an expensive long-term deal.
- The Nationals added Rafael Soriano this offseason, but not a lefty reliever, despite the departures of Sean Burnett and Tom Gorzelanny, MLB.com's Marty Noble notes. That likely leaves Zach Duke as the only lefty in the Washington bullpen. But manager Davey Johnson, who can count on tough righty relievers like Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard and Craig Stammen in addition to Soriano, says it's no problem that the Nats didn't acquire another lefty. "I don't have room for another lefty reliever," he says.
- Cutting Ian Stewart, who is suffering from a quad injury, doesn't make sense for the Cubs, Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago argues, since the savings from cutting Stewart would be insignificant. The Cubs can avoid paying most of Stewart's one-year, non-guaranteed contract if they release him in Spring Training, but the entire cost of the deal is just $2MM.
Quick Hits: Ramirez, Acta, Blue Jays, Cubs
Sunday afternoon linkage..
- Unable to find an MLB opportunity, Manny Ramirez has agreed to sign with the EDA Rhinos of the China Professional League, agent Barry Praver told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Late last month, we learned that Manny Ramirez had a verbal agreement in place with the club but had the option of backing out if he landed a deal with an MLB team before March 7th.
- Former Nationals skipper Manny Acta has joined ESPN as an analyst but he still hopes to return to the dugout as a manager, writes James Wagner of the Washington Post. Acta said he was contacted by some teams for jobs as a bench coach or special assistant this winter but none as a manager. After managing two organizations during rebuilding stages, he plans to wait for the “right opportunity.”
- It would appear that the out-of-options Jeremy Jeffress has a good chance of making the Blue Jays as he has impressed in spring training, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- There's lots of trade talk surrounding Carlos Marmol and Alfonso Soriano, but Cubs manager Dale Sveum is unfazed by it, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Cubs Told Carlos Marmol’s Agent To Expect Trade
Top Cubs officials have told Carlos Marmol's representatives at Kinzer Management Group to expect a trade this season, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. However, Marmol won't be going anywhere in the next couple of weeks, despite the increasing trade talk surrounding him.
Theo Epstein & Co. could look to move the closer once he presumably re-establishes his trade value this summer and Kyuji Fujikawa shows that he has adjusted to the majors. Some people in baseball have doubts about Marmol's ability to be the go-to guy in the ninth and one high-level evaluator for a contending team told Wittenmyer that he feels the veteran simply can't close.
Marmol, 30, is set to earn $9.8MM in the final year of his contract. Several teams have reportedly inquired on the veteran, including the Tigers.
Quick Hits: Stewart, Young, Bray, Athletics
About 40% of MLBTR readers that participated in tonight's poll believe that the Angels should have paid Mike Trout $1MM or more to avoid any sort of conflict with their budding superstar. Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (on Twitter) sees that as being too steep of a price as the Halos held all of the leverage and gain virtually nothing from a pay bump. Here are some links from around baseball as Friday turns to Saturday..
- Cubs third baseman Ian Stewart is anxious to get back on the field and show that he can stay healthy, writes Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. Stewart inked a non-guaranteed $2MM deal with Chicago this winter and could be cut loose for a small termination fee.
- The Phillies' Michael Young knows that people are critical of his range but the third baseman believes that he has made the necessary adjustments to settle into the position, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The veteran is looking to make a smooth transition to his new role following the December trade that brought him over from the Rangers.
- The Nationals sent Bill Bray down to minor league camp last week to work on his mechanics and the club will have until the middle of the season to evaluate him in the minors, writes James Wagner of the Washington Post. A person familiar with Bray’s contract told Wagner that his opt-out date isn’t until June, giving the Nats plenty of time to try and get the left-hander up to speed.
- David Laurila of Fangraphs spoke with A's director of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference about the club's use of statistical analysis.
Quick Hits: Padres, Marmol, Tigers
Teams hoping to trade for Chase Headley will have to wait — at least for a few months. Padres general manager Josh Byrnes told Peter Gammons of MLB Network that San Diego executives have worked hard to assemble an improved offensive team. “We're not breaking it up now," Byrnes said (Twitter links). As Gammons notes, it’s possible the Padres will re-consider their stance in July. Here are some notes from around MLB…
- Carlos Marmol’s name surfaced in trade talk this week, but said today that he expects to be with the Cubs all year despite the rumors. "I don't believe in anything," he said, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter).
- Tigers manager Jim Leyland said he intends to keep managing as long as he can, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). "I'm not retiring, whether we win or we don't win," Leyland said. The 68-year-old obtained a one-year contract from the Tigers after leading the team to the World Series.
- Many of the teams expected to contend in 2013 are already facing significant questions, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com writes. The Tigers (closer), Cardinals (shortstop), Yankees (lineup), Rangers (rotation) and Dodgers (outfield) have issues to address this spring.
- Daisuke Matsuzaka can opt out of his deal with the Indians on March 26th, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
NL Central Notes: Villanueva, Snider, Pirates, Reds
Brewers GM Doug Melvin is in good health following a unique Spring Training injury. As MLB.com's Evan Drellich and Adam McCalvy relate, Melvin was stung by an Arizona bark scorpion on Wednesday night and, after his left hand swelled up, made a three-hour visit to a local emergency room. Here's the latest from around the NL Central…
- Cubs swingman Carlos Villanueva tells MLB.com's Carrie Muskat that long relievers (like himself) who can make spot starts are "definitely underappreciated" around baseball. “There’s no market for it,” Villanueva said. “When you go arbitration with somebody, you hear you’re not good enough to start, you’re not good enough to close, and it obviously drives the value down."
- After struggling to live up to his potential in Toronto, Travis Snider is eager to get a fresh start with the Pirates, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo writes.
- Snider is one of a dozen former first-round draft picks that could play key roles for the Pirates in 2013, according to MLB.com's Tom Singer. The Bucs have acquired several former first-rounders (like Snider or Jason Grilli) and have plenty of homegrown top picks in the fold.
- Jason Donald delivered the controversial hit that broke up Armando Galarraga's near-perfect game in 2010 and now the two are teammates with the Reds. "We never have an in-depth discussion, but it was, 'Oh, hey … good to see you again,'" Donald told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. "It wasn't anything like, 'Hey, you remember when I ruined the best game of your life?' He's such a good guy and I know he understands. It's something we can both look back on and know we were a part of history."
- Earlier today on MLBTR, we featured a collection of Cardinals Notes and some Astros-related items as part of a Texas Notes post.
Tigers Notes: Marmol, Cubs, Boesch
The Tigers will consider trading for a closer and Carlos Marmol of the Cubs is drawing interest, so there's a possible matchup on paper. Manager Jim Leyland and GM Dave Dombrowski have publicly downplayed the chances of a trade, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation. Here are some Tigers-related notes…
- One scout notes that Marmol has issues limiting walks, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com. "Less control than [Al] Alburquerque," the scout said (Twitter link). Marmol has a career walk rate of 6.0 BB/9 in seven MLB seasons.
- Beck revisits recent trade rumors involving the Cubs and Tigers, pointing out that three of the four best-paid Cubs have been linked to the Tigers in trade rumors in the last 15 months. Alfonso Soriano, Matt Garza and Marmol have all been connected to the Tigers on this site in the last year-plus.
- John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press argues that the Tigers don't need an experienced closer. Lowe notes that the closers for last year's National League division winners had a total of five career saves entering the 2012 season.
- Brennan Boesch is now healthy, so speculation about possible trades will resume, Lowe writes. Boesch doesn't have a clear role on the 2013 Tigers and could be dealt this spring.
Carlos Marmol Drawing Trade Interest
Closer Carlos Marmol doesn't appear long for the Cubs and is likely to start the season elsewhere, writes Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. League sources say that several teams, including the Tigers, are taking a hard look at the reliever. Earlier today we learned that Detroit is actively trying to deal for a closer amidst concerns about rookie Bruce Rondon.
Marmol will earn nearly $10MM in the final year of his deal and can veto a trade to four West Coast clubs. One source says that Marmol would most likely waive that clause if it meant that he would be going to a contender.
Levine writes that the Cubs don't feel pressure to move Marmol but they would likely part with him for young pitching. Offseason acquisition Kyuji Fujikawa would step in as closer if Marmol is shipped elsewhere.
Recently, General Manager Jed Hoyer publicly asserted that Marmol would be the team's closer heading into this season. The Cubs nearly shipped the 30-year-old to the Angels in November for starter Dan Haren.