Reds Rumors

Reds Sign Ron Mahay, Clay Zavada

By Mark Polishuk | January 13, 2012 at 5:49pm CDT

The Reds have signed left-handers Ron Mahay and Clay Zavada to minor league contracts, as announced via the team's official Twitter feed. Both deals contain invitations to the Reds' Major League Spring Training camp.

Mahay, 40, last pitched in the Majors for the Twins in 2010 and was signed and released by the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Cardinals in 2011. Despite these setbacks, Mahay said last week that he wanted to continue pitching. Mahay has a career 3.83 ERA and 7.4 K/9 in 568 innings and has pitched for eight other teams in his 14-year career. He is your classic left-handed specialist, holding left-handed batters to a .689 OPS over his lengthy career (including a .520 OPS in 2010).

Zavada posted a 3.35 ERA and struck out 52 batters in 51 innnings for the D'Backs in 2009, but hasn't pitched in the Majors since that solid rookie season. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2010 and appeared in 44 games for Arizona's Double-A affiliate (posting a 3.43 ERA and a 2.19 K/BB rate). Pitching aside, Zavada is perhaps best known for his awesome, Rollie Fingers-esque mustache.

Stark On Yankees, Red Sox, Reds, Garza

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 13, 2012 at 3:20pm CDT

The new collective bargaining agreement has created millions of dollars in incentives for teams to be below the luxury tax when it reaches $189MM in 2014, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. The upcoming changes have contributed to the relatively restrained spending on the part of the Yankees and Red Sox this offseason, Stark writes. Here are the rest of his rumors…

The Yankees won’t be under the luxury tax threshold in 2012 or 2013, but they hope to spend less than $189MM in 2014, Stark writes. However, the CBA isn’t the only reason the Yankees are spending more cautiously. "I think this is what the Yankees were going to do, regardless," one of Stark’s sources said.
Hiroki Kuroda is sending signals to the Yankees and Red Sox that he’d like to sign with one of those teams, Stark reports. The Red Sox are “nowhere near close” on Kuroda while the Yankees are mostly “kicking tires,” Stark hears. Stark's colleague Buster Olney reported today that Kuroda's asking price has dropped to the $10-11MM range.
Though rival teams were surprised to see the Reds agree to terms with Ryan Madson, the move will help the team stockpile draft picks. They’ll obtain a compensatory pick when Francisco Cordero signs elsewhere and could obtain two more picks if they tender Madson a contract next offseason and he leaves as a free agent.
The Reds are going to attempt to turn Aroldis Chapman into a starter this Spring Training, though there’s some skepticism he’ll thrive in the rotation.
Chad Qualls’ name is on the Phillies’ shopping list, Stark reports.
Rival teams predict the Cubs won’t trade Matt Garza until July, when there are fewer alternatives available in free agency.
Stark hears that the Astros would pay half of the $18.5MM remaining on Carlos Lee’s contract and at least $7MM of the $11MM that Brett Myers will earn in 2012. Wandy Rodriguez is also available, though the Astros don’t appear to be nearing a deal involving the left-hander.

Quick Hits: Jurrjens, Ankiel, Mets, Darvish, Yankees

By Zachary Links | January 12, 2012 at 10:46pm CDT

Thursday night linkage..

Mark Bowman of MLB.com believes that both Martin Prado and Jair Jurrjens will be with the Braves at the start of the season.
The Nationals are still talking with Rick Ankiel, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. If he returns, it would be in a platoon/fourth outfielder role, with a chance to earn more playing time.
As a fan, losing shortsop Jose Reyes to the Marlins was difficult for Mets owner Fred Wilpon, writes Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal.
Rangers president Nolan Ryan told reporters that he expects the club to sign Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish by the 3pm Wednesday deadline, writes Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram. Ryan also believes that the negotiations will go down to the wire.
Both Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel remain possibilities for the Reds, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. GM Walt Jocketty is familiar with both outfielders from his time in St. Louis.
A person familiar with the Yankees' thinking told Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger that "January brings shifts" and it's possible that the club will add to their payroll in order to satisfy their pitching need. The Bombers are still in contact with Hiroki Kuroda and Roy Oswalt and are considering Edwin Jackson.
From a negotiation standpoint, it doesn't make sense for Yoenis Cespedes to play in the Dominican Winter League, opines Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
Right-hander Brian Gordon, whose rights were sold by the Yankees to the SK Wyverns of the Korean Professional League over the summer, will remain with in the KBL after signing with the Samsung Lions, tweets Ken Davidoff of Newsday.

NL Central Notes: Madson, Wood, Miller

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 11, 2012 at 11:38pm CDT

The Reds signed Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman for $30.25MM on this date in 2010. The 23-year-old has a 3.27 ERA with 12.8 K/9 and 6.5 BB/9 through 63 1/3 innings in parts of two seasons with Cincinnati. He figures to join lefties Bill Bray and Sean Marshall in the Reds' revamped bullpen this year…

The Reds’ one-year, $8.5MM contract with Ryan Madson is “perhaps the deal of the offseason so far,” ESPN.com’s Keith Law writes. Law says the Phillies seem like losers and that their four-year, $50MM deal with Jonathan Papelbon “looks absolutely comical.”
The Cubs, who appear to be nearing a deal with Kerry Wood, reached out to the right-hander last night and stepped up their offer, David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com tweets. The Tigers and Phillies are fallback options for Wood, Kaplan notes.
Cardinals pitching prospect Shelby Miller told Casey Stern and Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio that he's looking to pitch well in Spring Training and make it difficult for the team to keep him off of the MLB roster.

Heyman On Cordero, Pena, Kotchman, Reds

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 11, 2012 at 4:58pm CDT

More than 100 free agents remain unsigned, as MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker shows. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com offers updates on a handful of them; here are the details:

Heyman could see the Phillies checking in on Francisco Cordero, but suggests Brad Lidge and Kerry Wood are more likely targets for Philadelphia.
Casey Kotchman and Carlos Pena seem to be the most likely offensive options for the Indians and both are also in play for the Rays, Heyman tweets.
Six or more teams are looking for infield depth, so Heyman examines the market for free agent infielders such as Eric Chavez, Aaron Miles and Jack Wilson.
The Reds are looking for an infielder and an outfielder, Heyman tweets. He suggests Ryan Ludwick, who played under GM Walt Jocketty in St. Louis, would be a “perfect fit” in Cincinnati, where the Reds would like to add depth in left field. The Reds have some interest in Ludwick, Rick Ankiel and Cody Ross.
The Red Sox remain interested in Joe Saunders, Hiroki Kuroda and Roy Oswalt, Heyman tweets.

Boras, Amaro Discuss Madson Deal

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 11, 2012 at 4:18pm CDT

Ryan Madson has agreed to sign with the Reds, but it wasn’t so long ago that he and the Phillies seemed close to a four-year, $44MM deal. It’s not clear what happened between Madson, agent Scott Boras, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and Phillies president David Montgomery, but Boras and Amaro have different accounts of the process. Boras says the sides agreed to a four-year, $44MM deal at which point the Phillies moved on.

"It's very simple," Boras told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick. "We never rejected any offer from Philadelphia at four years and $44 million. We advised Philadelphia that we would agree to such a proposal. And Philadelphia decided upon hearing that to go in a different direction."

Amaro has a different account of what happened leading up to the Phillies’ deal with Jonathan Papelbon. He told Crasnick that Madson and the Phillies never agreed to a deal.

"There's no question we had discussions with Ryan about bringing him back,” Amaro said. “We had several discussions about it. But no agreement was made. If we had come to an agreement, we would have signed him.''

Amaro has said Montgomery knew where discussions between Madson and the Phillies stood all along. However, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has heard that the sides were discussing details such as incentives when Amaro explained that he’d need to run the deal past Montgomery. Boras told Crasnick Madson had "numerous offers" on the table before agreeing to terms with Cincinnati.

NL Central Notes: Maholm, Garza, Phillips

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 10, 2012 at 9:25pm CDT

The Cardinals, Brewers, Reds, Cubs and Astros have all grabbed headlines on MLBTR today. Here's the latest on the NL Central, starting with a longtime Pirates pitcher…

Left-hander Paul Maholm told Kevin Kennedy and Jim Duquette on MLB Network Radio that he wanted to sign with an NL Central team. The Pirates expressed some interest in the left-hander, but the Cubs ultimately signed him.
Cubs GM Jed Hoyer told Casey Stern and Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio that he wanted to sign Maholm because of his youth, sinker and competitiveness.
Hoyer says the Cubs are happy to have obtained some starting pitching depth and downplayed the idea that Matt Garza will be dealt now that Maholm's aboard. "Because we have six starters doesn't mean we're going to pare down to five by any means," he said.
Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips told told Stern and Bowden he was happy to see the Reds pick his option up earlier in the offseason. He says he’s now focused on the upcoming season and doesn’t sound optimistic that an extension will be finalized any time soon. Phillips expressed his desire for an extension earlier in the offseason, explaining that he’s not going to give the Reds a hometown discount. "There’s no homeboy hookup. That ain’t going to work," Phillips said.

Ryan Madson, Reds In Serious Talks?

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 10, 2012 at 6:42pm CDT

6:42pm: A source with the Reds downplayed the team's interest in Madson, according to John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter). MLB.com's Mark Sheldon hears that Cincinnati is unlikely to get serious about the righty unless he drops his asking price.

5:16pm: Ryan Madson and the Reds are in serious talks about a new contract, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty maintains interest in Francisco Cordero and is eyeing Kerry Wood as a possible alternative.

The Marlins and Rangers have ‘thought’ about Madson and the Phillies recently checked back in on him, Heyman tweets. However, a deal with Philadelphia seems unlikely at this point, since the Phillies already signed closer Jonathan Papelbon. The Yankees aren’t interested, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

Angels GM Jerry Dipoto said last week that the Angels are "very, very unlikely" to sign Madson or another free agent closer. Dipoto said today that the Angels are “looking to create depth” in the bullpen, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez reports.

Reds Interested In Wood; Cordero May Return

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 10, 2012 at 3:18pm CDT

Reds GM Walt Jocketty says he’s hopeful to have resolved things with Francisco Cordero "one way or another" this week and that the free agent closer is up against a "soft deadline," according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. If Cordero doesn’t re-sign with Cincinnati, the Reds could turn to Kerry Wood, depending on his asking price. The club would probably not sign both Cordero and Wood, according to Jocketty.

The Cubs maintain interest in re-signing Wood, who pitched for $1.5MM last year. They’ve offered the 34-year-old a substantial raise, GM Jed Hoyer said today. Wood posted a 3.35 ERA with 10.1 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 35.8% ground ball rate in 51 innings for the Cubs in 2011 and has also drawn interest from the Phillies.

The Reds have maintained interest in re-signing Cordero throughout the offseason. The 36-year-old posted a 2.45 ERA with 5.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 50% ground ball rate in 69 2/3 innings for Cincinnati this past season and has drawn interest from other clubs, including the Angels.

Latest On Kerry Wood

By Tim Dierkes | January 10, 2012 at 10:38am CDT

10:38am: The Cubs offered Wood a "substantial" raise, GM Jed Hoyer told reporters today. Wood had a below-market base salary of $1.5MM in 2011.

9:34am: Kerry Wood's "days as a Cub appear all but over," writes Dave Kaplan of CSNChicago.com after talking to a source with knowledge of the reliever's negotiations with the team. Kaplan quotes his source:

"Woody wanted to be here despite the rebuilding process but while the Cubs were saying they wanted him back they were unwilling to pay him the market value for a solid set up man. He has heard from a number of teams that are World Series contenders and they are all willing to pay him a very fair salary to strengthen their bullpen. The Cubs expected him to pitch for another hometown discount. He has already done that for them a couple of times before. There is no reason that he should have to do that again."

Wood told Kaplan last night on WGN Sports Radio that his family plans on staying in the Chicago area for a long time whether or not he finishes his career with the Cubs. Last week Cubs president Theo Epstein said he was "actively involved in negotations" to bring Wood back, noting, "I think this one should work out." If Epstein and Wood fail to find common ground, Kaplan says the Tigers, Phillies, Reds, Angels, and others are interested.

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