Minor Moves: Stavinoha, Jones, Mickolio
Here's where we'll keep track of the latest minor moves…
- The Astros signed Nick Stavinoha to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training, according to Alyson Footer of the Astros (on Twitter). The 29-year-old played for the Cardinals from 2008-10 and has a .234/.256/.325 line in 278 career plate appearances.
- Eddy has all of the latest minor league transactions at Baseball America.
- The Reds signed outfielder Daryl Jones, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 24-year-old former third round selection posted a .260/.360/.400 line for the Cardinals' top affiliates in 2011.
- Kameron Mickolio, who appeared in six games for the 2011 Diamondbacks, is on his way to play in Japan, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). The 27-year-old right-hander has a 4.83 ERA along with a 33K/17BB ratio in 31 2/3 MLB innings over the course of four seasons. Mickolio has also been involved in memorable trades for Erik Bedard and Mark Reynolds.
NL Central Notes: Furcal, Astros, Lee, Phillips
A pair of legendary former Cubs and Cardinals third basemen (Ron Santo and Ken Boyer) are among the 10 "Golden Era" figures to be considered for induction into the Hall Of Fame by the Veterans' Committee. Some other news from the NL Central…
- Rafael Furcal has told the Cardinals that he will wait for the team to hire a new manager before deciding where to play in 2012, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Paul Kinser, Furcal's agent, says six teams have already contacted him about Furcal's services but "we're not in a hurry."
- A number of Cardinals writers note in a Post-Dispatch roundtable that the club apparently has no problem in hiring a manager with no Major League experience.
- Jim Crane's purchase of the Astros will likely be approved at the owners' meetings in two weeks, reports Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle. Issues such as Crane's compensation for moving the team to the American League are still being negotiated but "for the first time since Crane and Drayton McLane shook hands on a deal almost six months ago, there’s a feeling within MLB that the deal will get done," Justice writes.
- The Pirates are trying to re-sign Derrek Lee, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer thinks the Reds are looking for an extension for Brandon Phillips in the neighborhood of four years and $48MM. Fay also discusses several other Reds-related topics with fans as part of the online chat.
- There are no hard feelings between Theo Epstein and Ryne Sandberg, Epstein tells Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. The two exchanged complimentary phone calls in the wake of the Cubs' statement that their new manager "must have managerial or coaching experience at the Major League level," which Sandberg doesn't possess.
Minor Moves: Braves, Johnson, Orr, Blue Jays
Here are today's minor moves…
- The Braves signed outfielder Jordan Parraz to a minor league deal with an adjusted big league salary, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The deal includes an invitation to Spring Training
- Dan Johnson, who was outrighted earlier today, has elected free agency, according to the Tampa Tribune (on Twitter).
- Utility player Pete Orr re-signed a minor league deal with the Phillies, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (on Twitter). The deal includes an invitation to Spring Training.
- The Blue Jays signed 16-year-old right-hander Jesus Tinoco out of Venezuela, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Meanwhile, the Reds signed 16-year-old righthander Soid Marquez.
- Here's a note for the diehard transactions fans out there: the Blue Jays actually released Adam Loewen, tweets Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star (the team announced that it had outrighted Loewen this morning). The Blue Jays would have interest in re-signing Loewen to play at Triple-A if he doesn't find a better offer. Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi tweets that Loewen became a six-year minor league free agent.
- The A's signed right-hander Edgar Gonzalez to a minor league deal, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 28-year-old appeared in one game with the Rockies in 2011, but spent most of the season at Triple-A. He posted a 5.00 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 133 1/3 innings for the top affiliates of the Rays and Rockies.
NL Central Notes: Pirates: Cardinals, Reyes
Links from the NL Central on the first day that Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder can sign with new teams…
- The Pirates have holes at catcher, first base, shortstop and in the starting rotation, as Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explains. Tim Dierkes looked ahead to the Pirates' offseason last month.
- Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Cardinals should hire Terry Francona if he wants to manage in St. Louis. Francona is a candidate for the position, as Joe Strauss reported last night. The Cardinals begin the interview process today.
- One team that inquired about Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo heard that he was next in line behind Tony La Russa, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (on Twitter).
- The Reds don’t figure to pursue Jose Reyes, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Shortstop Zack Cozart is rehabbing his injured left elbow and should be ready by Opening Day.
Quick Hits: Sizemore, Mariners, Reds
Congratulations to this year’s Silver Slugger winners. Here are the latest links from around MLB…
- Agent Joe Urbon told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that Grady Sizemore is "open to anything" and "not limiting his choices at all." Several teams have already expressed preliminary interest in the free agent outfielder. Ideally he would play center field, but he's open to playing left or right.
- Over at FanGraphs, MLBTR writer Mike Axisa explains why Andrew Brackman was the most expensive draft bust in baseball history. The Yankees cut ties with the former first round pick yesterday.
- Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner offers his offseason plan for the Mariners. It revolves around acquiring Joey Votto from the Reds and includes contract offers for former Seattle left-handers Jamie Moyer and Erik Bedard. In my offseason outlook for the Mariners, I suggested it makes sense for the team to pursue rotation and bullpen depth.
- Second baseman Brandon Phillips told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he has “some leverage” in contract talks with the Reds. Fay suggests Phillips is looking for a deal in the $38-62MM range. The Reds, who picked up Phillips’ $12MM option for 2012 earlier in the week, intend to continue discussing an extension.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Fay that he remains hopeful that the team can reach a deal with Francisco Cordero. Jocketty nearly arrived at an agreement with the closer earlier this week, but the sides didn't agree to terms and the Reds declined their option on Cordero.
- The Fielding Bible recently announced its 2011 winners. Albert Pujols, Adrian Beltre and Troy Tulowitzki were among those rewarded for defensive excellence.
Minor Moves: Burton, Reyes, Wood
Today's minor moves…
- Jared Burton elected free agency, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon (on Twitter). The 30-year-old right-hander showed promise out of the 'pen in 2007-08, but has appeared in just ten MLB games since 2010. He spent time on the 60-day DL with shoulder inflammation in 2011.
- The Padres signed 16-year-old outfielder Franmil Reyes out of the Dominican Republic for $700K, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock. Baseball America's Ben Badler has more on Reyes.
- The Pirates announced they've signed reliever Tim Wood to a minor league deal. The 28-year-old had eight big league innings for the Bucs this year, and posted a 3.49 ERA, 6.2 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 0.4 HR/9, and 24 saves in 49 Triple-A relief innings for the Pirates and Rangers.
NL Central Notes: Cardinals, Samardzija, Votto
Tony La Russa's retirement has highlighted a busy day in the NL Central. Here are the latest notes from the division…
- Former Cardinals infielder David Eckstein told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that Albert Pujols would re-sign in St. Louis if the Cards make third base coach Jose Oquendo their next manager.
- Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan told Morosi that he’s going to return to St. Louis in 2012, but it doesn’t sound as though he’s looking to manage the team (Twitter link).
- The Cubs declined Jeff Samardzija's $3MM option for 2012, according to Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald (Twitter link). Samardzija isn't yet arbitration eligible and remains under team control.
- One person with ties to the Reds says there's "not a chance" Joey Votto becomes available this offseason, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. The Reds control the first baseman's rights through 2013.
Outrighted: Thompson, Burton, Pirates, Tigers
Players outrighted off 40-man rosters today:
- The Reds announced that they outrighted Daryl Thompson and Jared Burton off of the 40-man roster. Burton would have been arbitration eligible for the second time and MLBTR projected a salary in the $900K range for the 30-year-old.
- The Pirates announced that they outrighted Brian Burres, Kevin Hart, Brandon Wood and Steve Pearce to Triple-A to create 40-man roster space. All four players can now elect free agency. Wood and Pearce would have been arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, and though neither player projected to earn even $1MM, the Pirates decided to cut them loose instead of tendering contracts.
- The Tigers outrighted catcher Omir Santos and lefty Brad Thomas, tweets MLB.com's Jason Beck. Thomas would have been arbitration eligible, but it was clear he wouldn't make it to the point of being tendered a contract after missing much of the season with an elbow injury.
Twins Claim Matt Maloney
3:50pm: The Reds announced that the Twins claimed Maloney off of waivers (Twitter link).
1:08pm: The Twins appear to have acquired 27-year-old lefty Matt Maloney from the Reds, as Maloney tweeted today, "Thanks for everything Reds…but i am now a Minnesota Twin!!! Looking forward to a great new opportunity!!"
Maloney spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a 2.99 ERA, 5.6 K/9, 1.2 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9 in 81 1/3 innings, missing much of the season with a cracked rib. Baseball America ranked him eighth among Reds prospects a few years ago, noting that his ceiling was that of a back-of-the-rotation starter.
Reds Exercise Phillips’ Option, Decline Cordero’s
The Reds announced that they exercised Brandon Phillips' 2012 option and declined their option for Francisco Cordero (Twitter link). The Reds will pay Cordero a $1MM buyout instead of a $12MM salary and they'll pay Phillips a $12MM salary instead of a $1MM buyout.
Phillips, 30, hit .300/.353/.457 with 18 homers in 674 plate appearances for Cincinnati in 2011. He has made his desire for an extension clear, stating in September that it would feel like “a slap in my face” if the Reds pick up the option without talking long-term deal. But if the sides do discuss an extension, don't expect a hometown discount "There’s no homeboy hookup. That ain’t going to work," Phillips said.
The Reds discussed an extension for Cordero, a Type A free agent, toward the end of the regular season. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes explained in his recent offseason outlook article that the Reds "can't afford to commit $5MM a year for two more seasons of Cordero."