Reds Notes: Hermida, Nix, Renteria
The Reds officially added Jeremy Hermida today, and now John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer brings us some more rumors from the Queen City…
- The Hermida signing does not mean the team is done looking for a lefty hitting outfielder to platoon with Jonny Gomes. "We’re still looking at other guys," said GM Walt Jocketty. "But we’re going to give him a good opportunity. Hopefully, we can bring in some other guys to compete. Competition is a good thing."
- "Possibly," replied Jocketty when asked about the possibility of bringing Laynce Nix back. "We haven’t talked about it lately. We've been concentrating on other guys." The Mariners offered Nix a contract last month.
- Jocketty confirmed that there is nothing new with Edgar Renteria. The club spoke to the shortstop's representatives recently, though he is talking with the Giants again.
Reds To Sign Jeremy Hermida
The Reds agreed to sign Jeremy Hermida to a minor league deal, according to the team (on Twitter). The move fills out Cincinnati's outfield and lessens the need for Fred Lewis or Scott Podsednik. Career Sports represents Hermida, who turns 27 this month.
Hermida joins Drew Stubbs, Jonny Gomes and Chris Heisey in a primarily right-handed outfield (Jay Bruce is the lone lefty hitter). Hermida bats from the left side and has a career .267/.342/.432 line against righties, so he could provide manager Dusty Baker with an alternative starter most days. The former first rounder hit .216/.268/.351 for the Red Sox and A's last year, playing left and right.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported the agreement and MLB.com's Mark Sheldon first reported that the sides were close to a deal.
Reds Notes: Renteria, Votto, Podsednik, Nix
Let's take a look at some Reds-related tidbits courtesy of The Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay..
- Fay writes that "it is believed" that the Reds have made an offer to free agent shortstop Edgar Renteria. The veteran said that the Giants' offer of $1MM showed "a lack of respect", leaving the Reds with a chance of signing the 2010 World Series MVP.
- The news of Carlos Gonzalez's impending seven-year, $80MMM deal with the Rockies will likely have a ripple effect on the Reds' talks with Joey Votto. Reds GM Walt Jocketty says that he hasn't seen the numbers on Cargo's new contract but Cincy can expect Votto to ask for even more money. The 27-year-old, Fay writes, had two very good years prior to his brilliant season in 2010 while last year was Gonzalez's first in the majors. Jocketty says that he hasn't talked to Votto's representation in recent weeks however due to the holidays.
- The Reds are reportedly close to signing Jeremy Hermida to a minor league deal but they may continue to look for a left-handed hitting outfielder. Jocketty confirmed that he talked to the agents for Fred Lewis and Scott Podsednik before the holidays.
- Speaking of left-handed hitting outfielders, the Reds haven't had any recent contact with Laynce Nix. The Reds were under the impression that Nix was Seattle-bound after receiving a contract offer from the M's in December, but no deal has been reached.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Reds Close To Signing Hermida
The Reds are close to signing outfielder Jeremy Hermida to a minor league deal, a baseball source told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Sheldon cautions that the deal has not been finalized and the club has yet to make a formal announcement.
It's no secret that the Reds have been looking for a left-handed hitting outfielder to come off of the bench and Hermida could fit the bill, provided that he proves himself in Spring Training. The former first-round pick had a down year in 2010 but has a respectable career slash line of .259/.335/.417 across six big league seasons.
Renteria Wants To Play Two More Years
FRIDAY: ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas tweeted in Spanish yesterday evening that the Reds actually made an offer to Renteria "several weeks ago," and that if he hasn't signed yet, it's because of a difference in money between the two sides. On the other hand, the amount of years could also be an issue, since Renteria said in an interview yesterday that he's planning to play two more years, according to El Universal in Venezuela (link in Spanish). –Nick Collias
THURSDAY: GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that Arthur Rhodes’ agreement with the Rangers frees up money for the Reds. The club has spoken to the agents for Scott Podsednik and Edgar Renteria, since they are potential fits for the 2011 roster.
“What we’re looking for is veteran outfielder, preferably a left-handed hitting outfielder and an infielder who can back up at shortstop,” Jocketty told Fay.
Renteria suggested the Giants' $1MM offer showed a "lack of respect" from the team and the Marlins don't appear interested, so the Reds have a chance at signing the veteran infielder. Renteria played for the Cardinals from 1999-2004, while Jocketty was the St. Louis GM. Podsednik, who bats from the left side, has also drawn interest from the Angels this winter.
The Reds have spoken to other unnamed free agents and likely have about $4MM to spend, Fay writes. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes anticipated this week that the Reds needed a "lefty reliever, left-handed hitting outfielder/leadoff hitter [and] backup shortstop."
Unfinished Business: NL Central
We looked at the NL East earlier; now it's time to examine the unfinished business of NL Central clubs.
- Cubs: Starting pitcher. ESPN's Bruce Levine says the Cubs are still talking to Tampa Bay about Matt Garza, though the Rays seem to prefer to hang on to him. The Cubs' rotation is already five-deep, so adding a back-end guy wouldn't make sense.
- Reds: Lefty reliever, left-handed hitting outfielder/leadoff hitter, backup shortstop, Joey Votto extension. The Reds have a small amount of cash to play with after Arthur Rhodes signed with the Rangers. Scott Podsednik or Fred Lewis could fit into their tight budget. NL MVP Votto will be tough to lock up, but he's under team control through 2013 anyway.
- Astros: Lefty reliever. The Astros will probably stay in-house for left-handed relief, though they could make a minor move. They also appear reluctant to sign a left fielder and affect Brett Wallace's playing time. Their last move may be trading Jeff Keppinger to clear a little payroll.
- Brewers: None. After signing Takashi Saito today, the Brewers might be done with a successful offseason. They have Yuniesky Betancourt at shortstop and Carlos Gomez/Chris Dickerson in center, but don't appear to be looking for upgrades.
- Pirates: Veteran reliever, starting pitcher, taker for Ryan Doumit. Despite the signings of Kevin Correia and Scott Olsen, MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch says they're still looking for starting pitching. They've also been in on Octavio Dotel and others and appear to be shopping Doumit.
- Cardinals: Albert Pujols extension, pitching depth. There was word on December 8th from Joe Strauss that the Cards were shopping for a sixth starter and big league reliever, though MLB.com's Matthew Leach wrote six days ago that they appear to be done adding Major Leaguers. An established backup third baseman wouldn't hurt. The dominating story for the next several weeks should be Pujols, who will be perilously close to free agency if the Cards don't get something done before spring training.
Brandon Webb Closing In On Decision?
2:46pm: Stark provides an update saying that Webb is "closing in" on a decision. While the team hasn't confirmed its interest, many MLB executives call Cincinnati a "perfect fit" for Webb, according to Stark.
2:32pm: Cincinnati is the "principal challenger" to Texas for Webb's services, according to Ken Rosenthal's Major League sources.
While the Reds haven't confirmed their interest in the former Cy Young winner, Rosenthal notes some interesting connections to both clubs. Texas team physician Keith Meister performed a cleanup on Webb's shoulder in 2009, while Reds pitching coach Bryan Price and trainer Paul Lessard both worked with Webb in Arizona.
11:37am: The Cubs and Nationals are out on Brandon Webb, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark. Stark says Webb is down to two teams now: the Rangers and a mystery NL Central club.
The Reds are not believed to be said mystery team but Stark says Cincinnati has been "quietly poking around for a starter with top-of-the-rotation potential." The Pirates haven't talked to Webb since late-November, and although the Brewers have scouted him, their level of interest seems low since the Zack Greinke trade. The Cardinals are known to be seeking starting pitching depth, and then there's the Astros. The now 31-year-old right-hander is expected to decide on a team soon.
More than 27% of over 15,000 MLBTR readers expect Webb to sign with Texas.
Reds Notes: Webb, Cueto, Votto, Podsednik
Here's the latest from the Queen City, courtesy of The Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay…
- With Arthur Rhodes set to join the Rangers, the Reds now have money to spend elsewhere, including on a shortstop, lefty hitting outfielder, and potentially a rehabbing starting pitcher.
- Assistant GM Bob Miller told Fay that the Reds have not had any recent conversations with Brandon Webb.
- Miller also confirmed that there have been no further talks with Johnny Cueto about a long-term extension. Earlier this month we heard that the two sides had some preliminary discussions about a contract.
- "That's not going to happen quick," said Miller when asked about an extension for NL MVP Joey Votto. The two sides have had some talks, however.
- Miller confirmed the team's interest in Scott Podsednik.
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Blanton, Garza, LaRoche
This has been a pretty good few months for Giants fans. Not only did their team end a 56-year World Series drought, but now TV announcers Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper are close to six-year extensions to continue broadcasting Giants games, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Onto some other Thursday news…
- Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com looks at Hal Steinbrenner's "frugal approach" and how it won't go over well in New York if the Yankees don't win.
- Andy Pettitte has delayed his retirement decision long enough that if he does choose to return next year, he's already behind on his preseason preparations, observes ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
- In an MLB.com mailbag, Ian Browne thinks the Red Sox will look to acquire a veteran backup infielder or "a Bill Hall-type who can play the infield and outfield."
- The Yankees have "had internal chats" about signing Manny Ramirez, tweets Jack Curry of the YES Network. Curry rates the odds of Ramirez in pinstripes as even slimmer than those of the Yanks signing Johnny Damon, which Curry says "is also unlikely."
- With the pitching market so thin, baseball sources tell MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that the Phillies shouldn't have any trouble dealing Joe Blanton and might not even have to eat much of the $17MM Blanton is owed through 2012.
- MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez and Matthew Leach go point/counterpoint on whether or not the Rays should be shopping Matt Garza.
- Buck Showalter denies reports that the Orioles have made a three-year, $21MM offer to Adam LaRoche, tweets MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli.
- ESPN's Keith Law chats with fans about a number of topics, including the Zack Greinke trade, Kerry Wood's deal with the Cubs, and various teams' minor league systems and prospects.
- Speaking of the Greinke trade, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon explains why Cincinnati didn't make a move for the ace right-hander and discusses other Reds-related matters in a fan mailbag.
- In a separate piece, Sheldon writes that the Reds will look internally to replace Arthur Rhodes, who agreed to a contract with Texas today.
Reds Interested In Scott Podsednik
The Reds are interested in Scott Podsednik, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. As the FOX writers point out, Podsednik could platoon with Jonny Gomes in left field. Podsednik has a career .283/.344/.391 line against right-handers and Gomes has a career .276/.371/.507 line against southpaws.
Podsednik can still run, make good contact and get on base (.342 OBP last year, .352 in 2009). However, he isn't the base stealer he once was and doesn't hit for much power. Now 34, Podsednik is probably not going to steal 70 bases or be an elite leadoff hitter, but he's in position to command a raise from the $1.75MM salary he earned last year.
The Angels are interested in Podsednik and, earlier in the winter, the Dodgers seemed open to bringing the outfielder back. It will not cost a draft pick to sign Podsednik, who was not offered arbitraiton.