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Reds Acquire Willie Bloomquist

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The Reds acquired Willie Bloomquist from Kansas City for a player to be named later or cash, according to a Royals press release. The 32-year-old utility man has played all three outfield positions and all four infield positions this year, so the Reds are getting one of the more versatile players in the game. He hasn't hit much, however, and his season line now sits at .265/.296/.388.

Bloomquist hits free agency after the season, when his two-year $3.1MM contract expires. He won't be a ranked free agent, so the Royals aren't missing out on the chance to obtain draft pick compensation. Since Bloomquist was acquired in September, he will be ineligible for Cincinnati's postseason roster.

Jonny Gomes’ 2011 Option

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Jonny Gomes has already set career highs in games (126), plate appearances (482), runs (63), hits (112), doubles (22) and RBI (77). Reds manager Dusty Baker has been calling on Gomes more than ever and the left fielder has seen his slash line dip, possibly because he's facing more right-handed pitching than usual. Gomes' .262/.328/.436 line is about average, but his power has dropped off this year, especially in the second half.

The Reds can retain him for $1.75MM in 2011 or buy him out for $200K. They don't have the option of turning the option down and trying to re-sign him more cheaply through arbitration; Cincinnati must release the 29-year-old if they turn his option down. The Reds could sign Gomes after releasing him, but all 30 teams would be able to make bids, too.

Despite Gomes' struggles against right-handed pitching and less-than-brilliant defense (he posted negative UZRs every year from 2005-10), the Reds will likely have some interest in retaining him for a net cost of $1.55MM. However, they non-tendered him last winter after a season in which he hit 20 homers and posted an .879 OPS, so history suggests they aren't afraid of letting Gomes hit the open market. What do you think the Reds will do? Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.

Rosenthal On Jeter, Werth, Cardinals, Reds

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Derek Jeter’s .264/.331/.372 batting line is remarkably similar to Marco Scutaro’s .271/.331/.372 line, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out. Scutaro’s a quality major league player, but the two-year $12.5MM deal he signed as a free agent last winter pales in comparison to the kind of contract Jeter seems likely to sign when he hits the open market after the season. Here’s Rosenthal’s Jeter update, plus other notes from around the majors:

  • Yankees officials do not plan to “play hardball” with Jeter this winter.  MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes suggested in May that $30MM over three years could be reasonable, but the Yankees don’t want to lowball their captain.
  • One GM who may have interest in signing Jayson Werth this offseason has doubts about the outfielder’s ability to hit in a less imposing lineup.
  • Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told Rosenthal that St. Louis made multiple waiver claims on hitters last month, though they “went nowhere.”
  • The Reds and Dusty Baker have exchanged ideas since the Reds offered Baker a one-year extension with no raise, according to Rosenthal. 

Odds & Ends: Van Mil, Werth, Millwood

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A few more Saturday night links….

Odds & Ends: Jocketty, Pirates, Indians

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Links for Friday, before Cardinals host the Reds in a must-win series…

  • Tyler Kepner of the New York Times profiles Reds GM Walt Jocketty. Former Padres GM Kevin Towers has some amusing observations about trading with his longtime rival.
  • If you haven't done so already, visit our Reverse Standings page to see how the 2011 draft order is shaping up.
  • Pirates president Frank Coonelly repeated to Bob Nightengale of USA Today that he is "extremely disappointed" in his team. Asked how safe GM Neal Huntington and manager John Russell are, Coonelly said he is “evaluating every aspect of [the team’s] operation in order to determine how [to] get the club moving in the right direction immediately.” 
  • As Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports, the Red Sox want 2010 draft pick Anthony Ranaudo to get accustomed to pro ball, but they don't want him to pitch just yet.
  • I previewed the Indians 2011 rotation last month; now Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer makes some predictions of his own right here.

Odds & Ends: Angels, Edmonds, Chapman

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More links for Monday, as Ryan Zimmerman does some damage to the Sun Life Stadiu(m) scoreboard…

White Sox, Phillies Eyeing Relief Options

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The White Sox and Phillies, having recently placed relief pitchers on the disabled list, are looking into acquiring bullpen help, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Phillies placed Danys Baez on the 15-day DL Friday, while Matt Thornton and J.J. Putz, and now Erick Threets are out for the Sox.

One team who may match up with both clubs, and the White Sox in particular, is the Toronto Blue Jays. We heard this weekend that Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Kevin Gregg, and Shawn Camp were all claimed on waivers by unknown teams. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Sox, who have waiver priority over the American League's other contenders, placed claims on one or more of Toronto's arms, though ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link) doesn't expect the Jays to make any trades.

The Reds may also kick the tires on available bullpen options; Morosi adds in a second tweet that they're open to upgrading their 'pen. George Sherrill and Brian Tallet are among the relievers we know have cleared waivers and can be traded to any club.

Odds & Ends: Owings, Zaun, Rangers, Hawpe

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Links for Thursday, exactly seven years after the Padres traded Jason Bay and Oliver Perez to the Pirates for Brian Giles. Bay and Perez are teammates once again, though Perez barely pitches and Bay is on the disabled list with a concussion…

 

Joey Votto: Extension Candidate

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Walt Jocketty knows a thing or two about extending young, MVP-caliber first basemen. The Reds GM signed Albert Pujols to his current seven-year $100MM deal in 2004, back when he was running the Cardinals. This winter, Jocketty will have to consider offering an extension to another productive young first baseman, one who has led the Reds to the top of the NL Central standings.

Joey Votto would be leading the NL in every triple crown category if it weren't for Pujols. The Reds first baseman, who homered twice and singled in the go-ahead run in yesterday's marathon win, is having himself an MVP-caliber season. Not only does he lead the league in batting average, he has higher on base and slugging percentages that any other NL player.

Votto had put together two-plus productive major league seasons heading into 2010 and he's now about to go to arbitration for the first time. I suggested Monday that Votto could reasonably ask for $7MM through arbitration next year, but what if the Reds decide to offer him an extension? How much would they have to offer the soon-to-be-27-year-old to keep him around long-term?

It depends, of course, on certain variables. The Reds could attempt to buy out any number of free agent years, may want to add an option year or two and could even include incentives or bonuses. It would be foolish to try to predict the details of a possible extension, but we can safely attempt to determine how much Votto can expect to earn for his three seasons of arbitration eligibility.

As this chart shows, Votto has produced like Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Justin Morneau, Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder and Mark Teixeira had at the same points in their respective careers. Those first basemen each made between $4.5-10MM for their first arbitration season and between $7.4-15MM for their second arbitration season. The comparisons are imperfect, but they gives us a sense of the kind of money Votto can make. 

Fielder and Teixeira made $15-20MM for their first two seasons of arbitration, so if the Reds valued Votto's first two arbitration seasons similarly and offered a proportionate raise for 2013, they'd be looking at a $30MM price tag for their first baseman's next three seasons. It wouldn't make sense for the Reds to offer an extension unless they thought they were getting a fair deal, so they may not make a proposal at all. But whether they extend Votto or not, his next three seasons could cost them about $30MM.

Odds & Ends: Hawpe, Kuroda, Angels, Antonetti

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Some more links for Tuesday night, including the latest waiver wire news…

  • Brad Hawpe is one step closer to signing with another team now that he has cleared waivers, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
  • The Dodgers put Hiroki Kuroda on waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Kuroda hits free agency after the season, but the Dodgers don't necessarily want to move him. A rival executive guaranteed Rosenthal that the Yankees will be "all over" Kuroda if he reaches them on waivers.
  • Rosenthal reports that the Angels placed Brian Fuentes, Juan Rivera, Mike Napoli and Bobby Abreu on waivers (Twitter link). The Angels are presumably curious about the interest their players draw, even if they don't intend on making a trade.
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams told reporters including Paul M. Banks of TheSportsBank that he has to "speak in generalities” about waiver claims. Rosenthal reported earlier today that the White Sox will claim Manny Ramirez if he reaches them on waivers.
  • Indians assistant GM Chris Antonetti is taking on more responsibility as he prepares to replace current GM Mark Shapiro after the season, as MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince explains.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck that the Tigers and Red Sox never agreed on a deal involving Johnny Damon (Twitter link). Damon, who has the final say, said today that he intends to stay in Detroit, even though the Red Sox claimed him on waivers.
  • Reds president and CEO Bob Castellini told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he expects the club to agree to an extension with manager Dusty Baker (Twitter link). The Reds offered Baker a deal last week.
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