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Jocketty On Marshall, Cordero, Brackman

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The Reds acquired shutdown lefty Sean Marshall from the Cubs for three young players earlier today, and they also claimed righty Josh Judy off waivers. GM Walt Jocketty spoke to reporters about the moves and more this afternoon, so let's recap…

  • The two sides first talked about a potential Marshall trade during the GM meetings in November, reports Bruce Miles of The Daily Herald (Twitter links). Jocketty joked that his team couldn't figure out how to hit Marshall, so they decided to trade for him.
  • "No guarantees, but we're going to try to sign him," said Jocketty when asked about a long-term contract for Marshall according to John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter). The southpaw can become a free agent after the 2012 season.
  • Jocketty said if they don't sign a closer, it's a "possibility" that they'll use Marshall in that role according to Fay (on Twitter). He acknowledged that they are still talking to Francisco Cordero about a possible return.
  • “After the first of the year, we’ll take a look at some things," said Jockett to reporters (including MLB.com's Mark Sheldon). "We still want to address our bench, maybe left field and see what we can do.”
  • Within Sheldon's piece, he also reports that the Andrew Brackman signing is not yet official, but it should be done any day now. "I’m not sure what’s holding it up to be honest," said the GM.

Reds Claim Josh Judy Off Waivers

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The Reds have claimed Josh Judy off waivers from the Indians, reports MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (on Twitter). Judy was designated for assignment last week to clear room on the 40-man roster for the recently acquired Aaron Cunningham.

Judy, 25, was a 34th-round draft pick for the Tribe in 2007. He made his Major League debut last season, posting a 7.07 ERA in 14 innings out of the Cleveland bullpen. Judy has some impressive numbers over five seasons in the minors (career 2.81 ERA, 10.4 K/9 rate, 2.4 K/BB ratio), so it's not surprising he was claimed. Cincinnati's 40-man roster is now at 37.

Reds Acquire Sean Marshall For Travis Wood, Others

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The Reds have already improved their starting rotation with the addition of Mat Latos this offseason, and now they've bolstered the bullpen. In a rare intra-division trade, Cincinnati has acquired lefty reliever Sean Marshall from the Cubs for Travis Wood, Dave Sappelt, and Ronald Torreyes. Both teams have announced the trade.

Icon_12006098Marshall, 29, has established himself as one of the game's top left-handed relievers. He posted a 2.26 ERA with 9.4 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 and a 57.5% ground ball rate in 2011. He'll earn $3.1MM during the 2012 season, after which he's eligible for free agency. The Reds have been looking for a closer, but it's not clear how they'll use Marshall and how his presence will affect Cincinnati's interest in relievers such as Francisco Cordero.

Wood is a 24-year-old left-hander who's under team control through 2016. He posted a 4.84 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 with a 32.1% ground ball rate in 106 innings for the Reds this past season. Though he added value in '11, he didn't match his 2010 numbers: a 3.51 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 102 2/3 innings.

Sappelt, a 24-year-old outfielder, hit .243/.289/.318 in 118 plate appearances for Cincinnati last year, his big league debut. He produced a .313/.377/.458 batting line in 336 plate appearances for their Triple-A affiliate in 2011. Torreyes, a 19-year-old infielder, posted a .356/.398/.457 batting line in 306 plate appearances at the Low Class-A level this past season. Baseball America ranked Sappelt and Torreyes as the Reds'20th and 22nd best prospects in last year's Prospect Handbook, respectively.

Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago broke the news of the trade agreement while ESPN's Keith Law later added details (on Twitter). Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Brian Esposito

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We'll keep track of today's minor league moves right here, with the latest up top…

  • The Reds have signed catcher Brian Esposito to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, reports Stephen Goff of Examiner.com. The 32-year-old hasn't appeared in the big leagues since 2010, and hit .197/.227/.255 in 168 plate appearances in the Astros' farm system this past season. Goff notes that Esposito has a reputation of working well with young pitchers and essentially serving as an extra coach. 

Quick Hits: Beltran, Wren, Padres, Marshall

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Cornelius Alexander "Connie" Mack was born on this day in 1862.  After an 11-year playing career, Mack went on to become the manager and co-owner of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1901 and was a fixture in the A's dugout for the next half-century.  Between his 50 years with the A's (and three years managing the Pirates from 1894-96), Mack won five World Series titles and compiled a 3731-3948 record.  Needless to say, Mack's records for managerial wins and losses will never be broken.

Some news from around the majors…

  • The Indians made "an aggressive" two-year contract offer to Carlos Beltran worth "very close" to the $26MM Beltran received from the Cardinals, a source tells Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
  • The Braves have been rather quiet this offseason but "the fact is we like our team," GM Frank Wren tells David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  "We continue to have some conversations,” Wren said.  “We’d have liked to have gotten something done in November in some areas, but just weren’t the matches….We’re continuing to work different options. This was not a good free-agent year, not a lot of players that impacted teams, especially in the areas we would like to get better in.”  Wren said the Braves may wait to see how their players perform during Spring Training before deciding if they need to bring in some new acquisitions.
  • The Padres still have around $7-$9MM to spend this winter, observes Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune as part of his weekly chat with fans. 
  • Center also discusses Anthony Rizzo trade rumors, citing the Rays and Cubs as the most interested parties.  Center thinks teams who miss out on Prince Fielder (such as possibly the Mariners and Orioles) could look at Rizzo as well.
  • The Reds will use Sean Marshall as a setup man, not as a closer, once their deal with the Cubs is finalized, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.  Fay also wonders if the Reds are working out a contract extension with Marshall, as the price of Travis Wood plus two prospects seems high for a reliever who is only under control through 2012.
  • The Mariners are still interested in Jeff Francis, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  Seattle wants a veteran like Francis for the rotation to serve as a bridge for the team's young pitchers.  We heard about the Mariners' interest in Francis earlier this month, and the Twins, Pirates, Cubs and Rockies have also been linked to the Canadian left-hander.
  • Patrick Ebert of Perfect Game runs down the 10 biggest stories that emerged from this year's amateur draft.
  • Former Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez told Todd Hollandsworth and Jim Memolo of MLB Network Radio (as reported by MLB.com's Joe Frisaro) that he didn't agree with Miami's signing of Jose Reyes.  "You already have an All-Star shortstop, why spend money on another All-Star shortstop?" Rodriguez asked.  "Why not put the money into another player, like Albert Pujols or a front-line pitcher?”  Rodriguez also wondered how "a very proud player" like Hanley Ramirez would handle switching positions and having Reyes be the center of media attention in Miami.
  • The Giants haven't spent much to address their lack of hitting this winter, writes Fangraphs' Wendy Thurm.

Reds, Cubs Close On Swapping Wood, Marshall

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11:52pm: The deal is close, a source tells Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com, and it includes the Cubs receiving two minor leaguers along with Wood.  Rosenthal and Morosi say the trade discussions are in the advanced stages.    

9:12pm: The Reds and Cubs are discussing a trade that would involve starter Travis Wood going to Chicago in exchange for reliever Sean Marshall, Major League sources tell Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. It's not known whether other players would be included in the potential swap, according to the report.

After acquiring Mat Latos in a trade with the Padres last week, Reds GM Walt Jocketty suggested he'd like to focus on bolstering his bullpen. Cincinnati is without a nominal closer as of now – incumbent Francisco Cordero remains on the free agent market - so perhaps Marshall, who has settled in as an effective late-inning reliever for the Cubs the past couple seasons, could man that role for the Reds.

Wood, meanwhile, is a player Cubs president Theo Epstein liked last season when Epstein was still with the Red Sox, the sources tell FOXSports. In just about one full season of work – 35 starts, 208 innings over two seasons – at the Major League level, Wood has posted 6.99 K/9, 2.85 BB/9 and a tendency to produce fly balls (31.4% GB rate).

Despite being only 24 and under team control for five more years, Wood has perhaps become expendable with the Reds now having six other starters in Latos, Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Homer Bailey, Bronson Arroyo and Aroldis Chapman.

Marshall will earn $3.1MM in 2012 and is slated to become a free agent at season's end. He'll turn 30 in August.

Reds Notes: Cordero, Ross, Kubel

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The Reds acquired Mat Latos over the weekend, but they continue to search for a closer and a left fielder, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. GM Walt Jocketty explained that he expects to add an arm before he adds a bat.

"First, we'll address the bullpen a little bit," he said. "Once I get pitching done and know what we have left to spend, we'll know more about left field."

The Reds have resumed talks with free agent closer Francisco Cordero, though Jocketty says nothing is close. Free agent outfielder Cody Ross is still "part of the mix" and the Reds were in touch with his agent last week. The Reds had some interest in Jason Kubel before he agreed to a two-year, $15MM deal with the Diamondbacks. "The level money-wise, we weren't going to get to that level," Jocketty said.

Royals Eyeing Young Starters

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Some young starting pitchers appeal to the Royals as possible trade candidates, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The Royals had interest in Mat Latos before the Padres sent him to Cincinnati and they still like Gio Gonzalez, the highly-coveted A’s left-hander.

However, the Royals don't want to part with outfield prospect Wil Myers or left-hander Mike Montgomery in any deal, Rosenthal reports. The Royals like the potential that young starters like Montgomery provide and believe Myers has the potential to hit in the middle of the order in the Major Leagues.

Royals GM Dayton Moore traded for Jonathan Sanchez and re-signed Bruce Chen earlier this offseason. The two southpaws join right-handers Luke Hochevar and Felipe Paulino in the team's projected 2012 rotation. Danny Duffy, Aaron Crow and Everett Teaford are also candidates to start for manager Ned Yost.

Quick Hits: Reds, Dodgers, Hanrahan, Chavez

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On this day one year ago, the Brewers recieved Zack Greinke, Yuniesky Betancourt, and cash from the Royals for Jake Odorizzi, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, and Jeremy Jeffress.  Here's are a few links for Sunday evening..

AL East Rumors: Latos, Blue Jays, Rays, Red Sox

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The latest out of the AL East:

  • Peter Gammons of MLB Network tweets that the Blue Jays "went to the end" on Mat Latos, though the Reds ultimately won out. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also hears Toronto was a finalist on Latos, though he doesn't know the details of their offer (Twitter links). The Jays are one team that could have comfortably matched the quantity and quality of the prospects Cincinnati sent to San Diego.
  • While the Rays would ideally like to add another reliever with high-leverage experience, GM Andrew Friedman tells Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times he's comfortable with the bullpen arms he has now.
  • The Red Sox probably aren't done making moves, though they don't seem inclined to make a big splash such as a Gio Gonzalez trade, writes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.
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