Orlando Cabrera Expects To Play “Many Years”
2:45pm: Cabrera says he's not retiring after 2011 and that his comments were misunderstood, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (Twitter links). The infielder hopes to play for many more years, according to Bastian. Cabrera says shifting to second base could prolong his career by two or three years, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer (on Twitter).
11:03am: Orlando Cabrera told the Colombian paper El Universal that he would like to reach 2000 hits (he needs 52) and 500 doubles (he needs 57) before he retires (link in Spanish, translated by MLBTR's Nick Collias). But Cabrera says he'll be ready to retire after the season, since he wants to leave the game on his own terms.
"This is my last season," Cabrera said. "Something I’ve seen in professional ball since I signed, and something that has made an impression on me, is when a manager calls a player to his office to release him. That, for me, is the saddest thing I’ve seen outside of the death of a beloved family member. It’s something indescribable, although it’s normal in this job. I’ve always said my retirement would be under my own terms, and this is a great opportunity for me. I’m leaving without them telling me, ‘We don’t want to see you anymore around here.’"
Cabrera, 36, signed a one-year, $1MM deal with the Indians this month. The Cartagena, Colombia native posted a .263/.303/.354 line in 537 appearances for the NL Central Champion Reds last year and says he drew interest from 10-12 teams this offseason.
After the 2011 season, Jose Reyes will lead a class of free agent shortstops that includes J.J. Hardy and Jimmy Rollins and potentially Rafael Furcal and Marco Scutaro.
Quick Hits: Bautista, Chapman, Mariners, Marlins
Some news items to wrap up the evening….
- In regards to the Blue Jays and Jose Bautista pushing back their arbitration hearing, a source tells FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi (Twitter link) that when hearings are delayed, it "frequently" means a long-term deal is on the way.
- Reds pitching coach Bryan Price confirms that Aroldis Chapman will pitch relief for Cincinnati this season, reports Fanhouse's John Hickey. The Reds' rotation is deep enough that they "don't have to push Chapman," Price said. "We don't need to stockpile innings on him at this stage of his career…But down the road will he start? I think he will."
- The Mariners announced that Ken Griffey Jr. will be a special consultant for the club, according to the team's Twitter feed. MLB.com's Greg Johns outlines some of the tasks Griffey will perform in his new position.
- Chris Ray tells Greg Johns that he turned down a Major League offer from another club to sign a minor league deal with the Mariners since Ray will get a chance to close or at least set up games in Seattle. "It doesn't really mean a whole lot if it's a one-year contract [elsewhere] and I'm a free agent again next year if I'm pitching basically the scrap innings," Johns said. "That's not something that will help me out in the future. From this point forward, I want to be the guy who goes in late in the ballgame."
- Jeffrey Loria thinks the Marlins are a playoff-caliber team, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Loria also hinted that Florida's payroll will rise next year when the Fish move into their new Miami stadium.
- Jorge Posada said "it wouldn't surprise" him if Andy Pettitte pitched again, reports Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
Volquez Rejected Four-Year Extension
The Reds attempted to lock up yet another of their key young talents this offseason, but their proposal was handed back to them. Edinson Volquez told Julio Castro at the Domincan paper El Caribe (link in Spanish) that the team offered him a four-year extension, but he rejected it, preferring to bank on his value increasing over the coming season.
"They were offering me a contract for four years, the same as Johnny Cueto, but I didn't feel it was right for me. I spoke with the lawyer and the general manager, and we all agreed on a single season," Volquez explained while in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.
Volquez didn't mention the amount of the offer, but Cueto's $27MM deal is an ambitious point of comparison. Cueto has gradually developed into a reliable mid-rotation option for the team, managing at least 30 starts in each of the last three seasons, while Volquez's ultimate $1.6MM contract is reflective of two seasons cut short by elbow surgery and a 50-game PED suspension. After an up-and-down summer, he looked stronger in the final month of last season, pitching deep into games and collecting strikeouts in line with his career rate of 8.7 K/9. These results, and his offseason workouts, have Volquez feeling bullish about 2011.
"Having a good year this season is my mission. Depending on my performance, we'll seek a contract of at least four years with the team," he predicted. "I can't define the amount we're going to seek following the next year, but it's going to be for that quantity of years." And should he have second thoughts, the 27-year-old pitcher (three years older than Cueto) indicated that some manner of offer is still on the table, saying, "Things remain open in case I want to sign during Spring Training or in the middle of the season."
Quick Hits: NL Central Grades, J. Upton, Salazar
Here are some items of note for Feb. 8. On this day in 1999, the Red Sox's arbitration hearing with Midre Cummings was decided by Elizabeth Neumeier, marking the first time a woman had decided an arbitration case since its adoption by MLB in 1974. The preceeding 409 cases had all been decided by men.
- With Spring Training nearly upon us and most teams merely making a few roster tweaks here and there, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hands out his grades for the best and worst offseasons among the residents of the NL Central. The Brewers, on the strength of bolstering their rotation with Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, fared the best, writes Stark. The Cubs did well to retool a bit with the additions of Matt Garza and Carlos Pena, while the Pirates and Reds got so-so marks for their modest changes. The rebuilding Astros are pulling up the rear, and the jury is still out on the Cardinals, who have an outstanding issue to tend to with respect to a potential extension for Albert Pujols.
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers was never really interested in dealing Justin Upton this offseason, writes Tom Verducci of SI.com, but he felt it prudent to gauge other teams' interest. No offers were of particular interest to Towers, according to Verducci. Towers is interested in seeing what Upton can do under the tutelage of new hitting coach Don Baylor, under whom one-time uberprospect Carlos Gonzalez realized his full potential with the Rockies in 2010.
- Padres infielder Oscar Salazar has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment, has accepted his minor league assignment and will be in Major League camp, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com.
Quick Hits: Diamondbacks, Guerrero, Marcum, Pence
Football will dominate today's sports headlines, but ESPN.com's Jayson Stark tweets some good news for baseball fans – Super Sunday also represents the start of the last week without baseball until November! Here are today's links, as the Packers and Steelers prepare to square off in Texas….
- The Diamondbacks could hit it big in the draft this year, a rival scout tells Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Arizona will hold the No. 3 and No. 7 picks this June.
- It's time to give Peter Angelos and the Orioles credit for signing Vladimir Guerrero, writes Kevin Cowherd of The Baltimore Sun. The big ticket signing is the latest move made by the O's who will see their payroll jump from $73MM in 2010 to $93MM in 2011.
- Francisco Liriano's $4.3MM salary could impact the Brewers' negotiations with Shaun Marcum, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Both pitchers submitted a $5MM figure. Milwaukee countered with $3MM while the Twins offered Liriano $3.6MM before settling on a $4.3MM mark last week.
- An arbitration hearing for Hunter Pence and the Astros has been set for February 18th, reports Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, Pence is Houston's last remaining case, and the two sides' figures are $1.75MM apart.
- Within a piece on the Rays' bullpen, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune writes that the team is waiting until early this week to make roster moves to free room on the 40-man roster for Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez.
- The Yankees' hunt for starting pitching and the Mets' financial issues will get more attention, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post thinks the more intriguing stories in New York involve the futures of the two starting shortstops.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer previews some storylines and poses some questions for the Reds as they prepare for the season.
Quick Hits: Ohlendorf, Izzy, Edmonds, Flores
On this day in 2006, Frank Thomas officially parted ways with the White Sox, signing a free agent contract with the Athletics. The Big Hurt left Chicago after suffering through two injury-plagued years, a dispute with GM Kenny Williams and virtually no role in the team's run to the 2005 World Series title. Thomas had a huge bounce-back year with the A's, posting a .926 OPS to help lead Oakland to the ALCS.
Some news to wrap up a busy Monday night…
- Both Ross Ohlendorf and the Pirates would prefer to avoid an arbitration hearing, but "each party [is] hesitant to budge too much" from the $625K gap in proposed salaries, writes MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The Bucs don't want Ohlendorf's price driven up for future arb years, though Ohlendorf is only asking for $2.025MM in 2011. As the Arbtracker tells us, Ohlendorf is Pittsburgh's last remaining arbitration-eligible player without a contract.
- Jason Isringhausen had a throwing session for Reds pitching coach Bryan Price today and "threw the ball fine," Price told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty was non-committal about the chances of Isringhausen rejoining the Reds organization on a minor league deal. "We're not sure if we will pursue it or not," Jocketty said. "We'll discuss it in the next few days. We have quite a bit of right-handed pitching."
- Jim Edmonds' agent tells Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link) that Edmonds will "probably" know by early next week if he'll retire or try to come back in 2011. Walt Jocketty recently opined that Edmonds would retire.
- If Jesus Flores proves he's healthy during Spring Training, MLB.com's Bill Ladson thinks the Nationals might try to trade him to a catcher-needy team.
- The Orioles had no shortage of needs this offseason, but Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun points out that the O's have "at least theoretically, filled each of the roster's gaping holes that loomed in October."
- The Twins and Royals both appear to be finished their winter additions. MLB.com's Kelly Thesier says Minnesota is out of payroll space, and Dayton Moore tells Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star that the Royals are done shopping "unless something comes up that we’re not expecting." Moore wouldn't comment on rumors that K.C. is looking at Kevin Millwood.
Reds Avoid Arbitration With Volquez
MONDAY: It's a $1.625MM deal that includes some performance bonuses, according to the AP (via the Dayton Daily News).
SUNDAY: The Reds and Edinson Volquez have avoided arbitration, coming to terms on a one-year deal, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
While no financial terms have been released yet, ESPN's Enrique Rojas reported that a deal would likely be in the $1.6MM range yesterday when we learned the two sides were nearing a deal.
Volquez, 26, returned from Tommy John surgery last season to throw 62 2/3 quality innings. The right-hander, who was acquired by Texas in exchange for Josh Hamilton in 2007, posted a 4.34 ERA while striking out 67 hitters. He featured his typical shaky command (5.0 BB/9 in 2010, 4.7 for his career), but he showed no loss of velocity, as his 93.6mph average was the same as his career mark.
As MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows, Volquez was the club's last remaining arbitration case.
Jocketty Hopes New Deals Will Improve Attendance
The Reds have been very aggressive about signing their own players to long-term contract extensions this winter, and GM Walt Jocketty hopes the moves will improve the team's attendance according to Hal McCoy of The Dayton Daily News.
"If we continue to win … our attendance will improve, our revenues will improve and we’ll be in great shape to try and re-sign these guys," said Jocketty.
McCoy says the target appears to be 2.8MM fans in 2011, which would be an increase of about 800K fans from last season according to the data in his post. Cincinnati has consistently drawn about 2MM fans a year since the Great American Ballpark opened in 2003. The team's first division title and playoff appearance since 1995 will certainly help increase interest.
As our Transactions Tracker shows, the Reds have doled out over $150MM in contract extensions to four players this offseason: Jay Bruce, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, and NL MVP Joey Votto. Edinson Volquez is rumored to be next in line.
Reds, Edinson Volquez Nearing Deal
4:31pm: The two sides are close to a one-year contract worth around $1.6MM, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (via Twitter)
10:52am: Reds GM Walt Jocketty expects to reach an agreement — likely a one-year deal — this weekend with arbitration-eligible starter Edinson Volquez, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
It has seemed likely that the Reds and Volquez would avert an arbitration hearing all along, but the question has persisted whether they'd agree on a one- or multi-year deal. Volquez apparently preferred a one-year deal, blogs Fay.
Cincinnati's other young, arbitration-eligible stars — Jay Bruce, Joey Votto and Johnny Cueto — have all signed multi-year deals this offseason, buying out their arbitration eligibility.
Volquez, though, is coming off consecutive truncated seasons on account of Tommy John surgery and a 50-game suspension for using PEDs.
Jim Edmonds Likely To Retire
Jim Edmonds is probably going to retire, according to Reds GM Walt Jocketty, blogs John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Edmonds has been contemplating whether he'd return in 2011 after playing well (.276/.342/.504) in 86 games with the Brewers and Reds in 2010. Unsatisfied with contract offers after the 2008 season, he sat out all of 2009.
Despite Edmond's surprisingly solid effort in 2010, it's unlikely that his retirement will have much of a ripple effect on any rosters. He might only have gotten a minor-league deal this offseason, anyway, as he did last offseason from the Brewers.
If this is the end for Edmonds, it will have been a heck of a career. In 17 seasons, he's hit .284/.376/.527, claimed eight Gold Gloves and won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2006.