Reds Rumors

Reds Agree To Extend Joey Votto

By Mike Axisa | April 2, 2012 at 6:01pm CDT

Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols won't be the only first basemen to cash in with historic contracts this offseason. Joey Votto and the Reds have agreed to a ten-year, $225MM contract extension according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The deal includes full no-trade protection. Dan Lozano of Icon Sports Group represents Votto.

The ten-year deal will keep Votto in Cincinnati through 2023 according to Nightengale, indicating that it's ten years on top of the two years left on his current deal. Votto signed a three-year, $38MM extension prior to last season. With this new deal, he is now under contract for the next 12 years at a total price of $251.5MM.

This is the fifth deal in MLB history to surpass the $200MM mark. Prince Fielder, Alex Rodriguez (twice), Albert Pujols, and now Votto make up the select group. This is also the largest contract ever signed by a non-free agent, surpassing Derek Jeter's ten-year, $189MM deal with the Yankees. Ben Nicholson-Smith suggested in January that an additional $161MM could be enough to keep Votto in place long-term. Though not directly related, the Dodgers' sale price of $2.15 billion can't have hurt Votto's leverage.

Votto, the 2010 NL MVP, has evolved into one of the game's elite players since debuting in 2007. He followed up his MVP season with a .309/.416/.531 line, 29 homers and 40 doubles. The 28-year-old has been a seven win player each of the past two seasons, according to FanGraphs' version of wins above replacement.

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes and Ben Nicholson-Smith first reported that the two sides were nearing an agreement. John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports all added details (all four Twitter links).

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Quick Hits: Rodriguez, Spilborghs, Votto, Hamels

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 2, 2012 at 3:40pm CDT

Matt Cain signed a five-year extension today and Joey Votto is nearing a long-term deal of his own. Here are some more links from around MLB…

Alex Rodriguez spoke glowingly about Miami and the Marlins' new stadium this weekend, as Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports writes. The Miami native didn't hold back, uttering phrases like "such a beautiful stadium," "I get chills," "a very special day" and "the Marlins do a phenomenal job." Henson wonders if the Marlins could trade for Rodriguez at some point before 2017, when his contract with the Yankees expires.
Indians outfielder Ryan Spilborghs will report to Triple-A tomorrow, unless he finds a job in the Major Leagues today, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs discusses the Votto contract talks, writing that "you have to wonder if the Reds got inspired to kick things into high gear after they saw what the new owners were willing to invest in Los Angeles."
ESPN.com's Buster Olney points out that Cole Hamels gained tremendous negotiating leverage with Matt Cain's $112.5MM extension (Twitter link).

Central Notes: Reds, Indians, Pirates, Royals

By Zachary Links | April 1, 2012 at 8:28pm CDT

A look at some items out of the Central divisions..

The Reds' acquisition of right-hander J.J. Hoover from Atlanta kills any chance the Rangers had of shipping pitchers Mark Lowe or Koji Uehara to Cincinnati, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The Reds sent Juan Francisco to the Braves earlier today to land Hoover.
The Indians need to see a significant boost in attendance this year in order to allow themselves to spend, writes Sheldon Ocker of the Beacon Journal. One way or another, the Tribe should have some breathing room this offseason with the contracts of Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore coming off of the books.
Pirates owner Bob Nutting expects his club to contend for the division title, write Bob Cohn and Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Former Nats GM Jim Bowden also weighed in on the club's future and said that he believes they will hit their stride in two years when Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon are ready.
Royals General Manager Dayton Moore spoke to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times about employing the Rays' strategy of locking up players before they become too pricey. Over the weekend, Moore inked his third extension of the offseason when he signed Alex Gordon to a four-year, $37.5MM deal.

Reds, Joey Votto Nearing Extension

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 1, 2012 at 5:59pm CDT

Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols won't be the only first basemen to cash in with historic contracts this offseason. Joey Votto and the Reds are nearing an extension that will keep the first baseman in Cincinnati for a long time, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes and Ben Nicholson-Smith have learned. Dan Lozano of Icon Sports Group represents Votto.

Terms of the deal are not known, but it wouldn't be surprising if the total contract value surpasses $200MM. Votto will earn a total of $26.5MM through 2013 on the extension he signed last winter. I suggested in January that an additional $161MM could be enough to keep Votto in place long-term.

It's a ten-year, $225MM contract according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). The deal eclipses Prince Fielder's nine-year, $214MM with the Tigers.

Just four deals in MLB history have surpassed the $200MM mark. Fielder, Alex Rodriguez (twice) and fellow Lozano client Albert Pujols make up the select group.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire. This post was originally published on April 2nd.

Braves Acquire Juan Francisco From Reds

By Zachary Links | April 1, 2012 at 11:00am CDT

The Braves acquired third baseman Juan Francisco from the Reds in exchange for right-hander J.J. Hoover, according to a press release from the team.

Francisco, 24, has appeared in 81 games for the Reds over the last three seasons, posting a slash line of .284/.331/.450. The left-handed hitter was out-of-options and MLB.com's Mark Sheldon writes that he showed up to camp overweight and did not properly rehabilitate a right calf injury that he suffered over the winter.

Hoover, 24, will report to the Reds' Triple-A affiliate. The 6'3" hurler split time between Double-A and Triple-A last season, making 14 starts and 29 relief appearances. In total, Hoover registered a 2.64 ERA with 10.0 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 2011.

Rosenthal & Morosi On Phillips, Hamels, Winfield

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 30, 2012 at 3:18pm CDT

Outgoing Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has some authority over the land surrounding Dodger Stadium and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if he’ll look to lure the NFL back to Los Angeles. Here are some more rumors and notes from Rosenthal and his colleague, Jon Paul Morosi:

Rosenthal checks in on extension candidates around the league, offering insight into the negotiations. The likely asking price for Brandon Phillips is a raise from his current $12MM salary on a four or five-year deal.
The issue in contract talks between Ian Kinsler and the Rangers is years, rather than dollars, Rosenthal writes.
The Phillies haven't had substantive extension talks with Cole Hamels in the last three weeks, Rosenthal tweets.
Hall of Famer Dave Winfield told Morosi that he has thought about teaming up with others to bid for an MLB team. “There’s been interest on my part,” Winfield said. “I really don’t need to go into more detail at this point, but that is something I’ve considered.” It’s hard not to wonder if Winfield could look to purchase the Padres, one of his former teams.

Quick Hits: Hamilton, Reds, Francis, Rays, Nady

By Zachary Links | March 28, 2012 at 10:57pm CDT

Wednesday night linkage..

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton said that it will be “miraculous” if he and the club come to terms on a new deal before Opening Day, writes Drew Davidson of the Star-Telegram.
Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports.com that while the club is making progress in multi-year contract talks with Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto, nothing is imminent.
Pitcher Jeff Francis has decided not to exercise his opt-out clause with the Reds, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Francis told the club that he’d be willing to go to Triple-A and start.
The Rays are a thorn in the side for people those who contend that teams with limited budgets can’t win, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Tampa Bay is bumping up their payroll this year in an effort to spark attendance and revenue at Tropicana Field.
After spending just one day in major league camp, it looks like Xavier Nady may have a chance to crack the Nationals’ roster, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. One spot is up for grabs between Nady and Jason Michaels, who has an out clause. The out clause may actually work against him as the player that the Nats choose will likely be sent to the minors once Michael Morse returns.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Josh Judy

By Mike Axisa | March 28, 2012 at 2:52pm CDT

Let's keep track of the day's outright assignments right here…

The Reds have outrighted Josh Judy to Triple-A according to the team's transactions page. The 26-year-old right-hander was claimed off waivers from the Indians back in December. Judy posted a 7.07 ERA in 14 innings out of the Cleveland bullpen last year, and he has some impressive minor league numbers over the last five seasons: 2.81 ERA, 10.4 K/9 rate, 2.4 K/BB ratio.

Mike Gonzalez Auditioned For Reds

By Mike Axisa | March 27, 2012 at 9:21pm CDT

Mike Gonzalez was spotted throwing a bullpen session during an audition for the Reds at their Spring Training complex on Monday, reports Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. With Sean Marshall set to close following Ryan Madson's injury, Cincinnati could be looking to add a left-handed setup man.

Gonzalez, 33, remains a free agent despite recent interest from the Red Sox, Indians, White Sox, and Rangers. The lefty reliever had knee surgery early in the offseason and appears unwilling to sign a minor league contract at the moment.

Quick Hits: Hernandez, Hamels, Grabow, Wells

By Mark Polishuk | March 26, 2012 at 11:10pm CDT

In what has to be one of the more unusual clubhouse transactions in baseball history, Carlos Beltran has come through on his promise to pay for ex-Mets teammate Jonathon Niese's nose job. Beltran footed the $10K bill for Niese's rhinoplasty, which, as Mets fan Jerry Seinfeld famously observed, is a pretty unusual name for such a procedure.

Some news from around the majors…

The terms of Roberto Hernandez's restructured contract with the Indians have been reported by The Associated Press. The pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona will now earn $2.5MM in 2012 (down from $7MM) with another $2.7MM available in roster and performance bonuses. The Tribe's $9MM option on Hernandez for 2013 drops to $6MM, though Hernandez can earn that money back based on innings pitched and bonuses carried over from 2012. Cleveland also holds a $14MM team option on the right-hander for 2014 that is apparently still intact.
Cole Hamels feels bad that his friend Ryan Madson will miss the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but Hamels said that Madson's situation won't cause him to rethink his own plans for free agency, reports Scott Miller of CBS Sports. "If you're in the game long enough, nothing can push you in a different direction and make you worry," Hamels said. "If you're able to reach free agency, you've obviously had success in the big leagues, and there are going to be teams that trust you….Surgeries are a lot better today, they're not as scary as they were 10 or 12 years ago."
The Pirates haven't yet expressed interest in left-hander John Grabow, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Grabow exercised an out clause in his Dodgers contract earlier today and is now a free agent. Grabow was originally drafted by the Bucs in 1997 and pitched for the club from 2003-09.
Right-hander Kip Wells threw for the Mets a few weeks ago and hit 93 mph on the radar gun, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Wells hasn't pitched in the majors since 2009 but recently signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks.
“I’ve been a Red for 10 years now,” Joey Votto tells John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I don’t daydream about playing for another team. I don’t.” Votto is scheduled to hit free agency after 2013 but again reiterated that he hopes to remain with the Reds and is only focused on the upcoming season.

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