More Odds And Ends: Rays, Rangers, Burnett, Pirates
A few more random notes from the MLBiverse…
- Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman says the team’s waiver position makes it "extremely unrealistic to expect that [the Rays] will be able to get something done in August."
- Tom Hicks says the Rangers will look for free agents this offseason that fit the team, but he doubts they will offer any long-term deals to pitchers over 30. That doesn’t rule out C.C. Sabathia or Oliver Perez.
- A.J. Burnett denies he has already decided to opt out of his contract, but Jays manager Cito Gaston thinks the pitcher won’t be back.
- Dejan Kovacevic says now that the signings are concluded, the Pirates’ draft bonanza was unprecedented for the organization.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Yonder Alonso Contract Details
Dayton Daily News reporter Hal McCoy checks in with some great details about the contract signed by Reds’ first round draft choice Yonder Alonso, which is reportedly worth a little more than $4.55 million, with incentives:
- "For his last three college semesters, the Reds will contribute $78,000 – that’s $60,000 in tuition and $18,000 in books and board."
- "A trip for his immediate family will be paid for by the Reds for his first major-league game."
- Alonso "gets $25,000 if he is Rookie of the Year, $100 if he is MVP and $100,000 if he is MVP of the World Series (for what team?)."
I assume McCoy made a mistake and that Alonso gets $100K if he is MVP, because $100 doesn’t seem like much of an incentive.
Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. You can reach him here.
Reds Sign Yonder Alonso, Yorman Rodriguez
11:30pm: The Reds also inked Venezuelan outfielder Yorman Rodriguez, according to a press release.
11:09pm: MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan says Alonso signed for $4.5MM. John Manuel adds details: "$2MM bonus, $4.55MM guarantee" on a Major League deal.
10:40pm: Baseball America’s Jim Callis says the Reds have signed Alonso, most likely to a big league deal. Terms are not yet known.
6:09pm: According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Reds GM Walt Jocketty has made his final offer to first-round pick Yonder Alonso. Jocketty says Alonso backed down slightly for the first time today, so there is hope.
Draft Pick Signing Update: Posey, Matusz, Alonso
10:51am: Baggarly has the latest on Posey. He says it’s a "spitting contest" between Scott Boras and Posey’s agency to have the highest-paid draft pick.
7:46am: The latest links involved unsigned first-round draft picks.
- Sam Mellinger explains the decision Eric Hosmer faces. He might have to go against Scott Boras’ advice.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle denies Andrew Baggarly’s Buster Posey report yesterday, calling it "premature Posey-ing." Schulman talked to the Giants’ director of player personnel, who said the deal is not done and the number is not $7.5MM. There is no verbal agreement, either.
- Schulman also heard the Orioles are about to sign Brian Matusz for less than $7.5MM. Most folks believe this will get done as a Major League deal.
- The Pirates are cautiously optimistic about Pedro Alvarez. It’s possible Scott Boras could drag this out to within minutes of the deadline.
- Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein has an update on all unsigned picks. He believes both Yonder Alonso and Justin Smoak will sign. Publicly, Reds GM Walt Jocketty is 50/50 on Alonso.
- MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo gives his take on Matusz, Josh Fields, and Allan Dykstra.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Angels, D’Backs, Giambi, Ellis
Here is the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Many important Angels will reach free agency this winter: Mark Teixeira, Francisco Rodriguez, Jon Garland, and Juan Rivera. Rosenthal doesn’t expect any of these four back. Garret Anderson‘s $14MM option will not be exercised, but he could be re-signed. John Lackey and Vladimir Guerrero both have reasonable club options for ’09, but the Halos need to plan beyond that.
- Several journalists have noted the D’Backs may restock the farm system if they let Adam Dunn, Orlando Hudson, Brandon Lyon, and Juan Cruz depart as free agents after the season. They’re not worried about Dunn accepting an offer of arbitration. Why would he want a one-year deal?
- Rosenthal guesses the Indians, Mariners, Blue Jays, and A’s might have interest in Jason Giambi this winter. Giambi’s .398 OBP ranks 7th in the AL. The leader: fellow free agent Milton Bradley at a staggering .446.
- Mark Ellis surprisingly postponed negotiations with the A’s on an extension. It had been said Ellis wanted to figure out a contract before season’s end. He’s the affordable free agent alternative to Hudson.
- The Twins are trying to get creative to find bullpen help. GM Bill Smith says he’s made many waiver claims and won some.
- Rosenthal says "speculation persists" that J.P. Ricciardi will be canned after the season.
- The Tigers aren’t considering trading Magglio Ordonez, but Nate Robertson could be moved this winter. Robertson seems due for a move back to the NL. He earns $7MM in ’09 and $10MM in ’10.
- The Reds are being questioned for holding on to relievers David Weathers and Jeremy Affeldt.
Dunn Trade Details
5:05pm: According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the third player going to the Reds in the Dunn trade is catcher Wilkin Castillo. The 24 year-old ranked 14th among D’Backs prospects heading into the season, according to Baseball America. He is able to play many other positions as well.
THURSDAY, 9:52am: Owings has not yet been placed on waivers, according to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. John Fay says that’s because an injured player cannot be placed on waivers, and Owings is dealing with shoulder stiffness. Owings will be put on waivers when he’s healthy, though the deal will still be completed in the offseason if a team claims him before the Reds.
TUESDAY: John Fay heard one of the players to be named might be Micah Owings. Nick Piecoro confirms it. That seems fair. C. Trent Rosecrans says the Mariners, Giants, Padres, or Nationals claimed Owings, so they’ll have to wait until after the season to officially name him.
MONDAY, 10:27pm: C. Trent Rosecrans heard the players to be named later are on the D’Backs’ 40-man roster. Rosecrans expects it to be an MLB-ready starter and a position player.
2:14pm: Jack Magruder says Dunn’s remaining $4MM or so will be split between the two teams. He confirms the deal is for Buck plus two prospects to be named later. The price seems reasonable, and the D’Backs can snag a couple of draft picks when Dunn leaves.
1:47pm: Rosenthal has changed his report. It now says a deal was consummated just before the window expired. Dunn is a Diamondback. Apparently big trades can happen in August!
1:45pm: MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert says the D’Backs are "close to working out a deal" for Dunn for a minor league pitcher and two players to be named later.
1:41pm: Ken Rosenthal does not agree with Gambadoro’s report. Rosenthal says the D’Backs won a waiver claim on Dunn but could not complete a deal before the window expired today.
1:27pm: John Gambadoro of Arizona radio station KTAR 620 reports that the Diamondbacks have acquired outfielder Adam Dunn for three prospects, including pitcher Dallas Buck. Right field is a poor match for Dunn, but this is still an excellent move by Josh Byrnes. Dunn didn’t really make sense for the eight NL teams with a better waiver position than Arizona.
Dunn isn’t the ideal fit for Arizona, given the strikeouts and defense. But a .900 OPS more than balances out his flaws.
Stark’s Latest: Manny, Fuentes, Livan, Dunn
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings column up.
- Some teams won’t go anywhere near Manny Ramirez given the way he exited Boston. Opinions range on whether he’ll get two, three, or four years this winter. Will he turn it off again after signing a long-term deal? And will other players use the same strategy to escape their contracts?
- The Rays are likely to stand pat, despite recent injuries.
- Rockies players haven’t hit the waiver wire yet; Dan O’Dowd plans to wait until month’s end. Stark wonders whether the Cards could win a claim on Brian Fuentes. Not likely, given the contenders in front of them in waiver order.
- All kinds of near-deals in the final minutes on deadline day – John Grabow to the Phillies, Ian Snell to the Rockies, and Jason Bay to the Rays.
- Livan Hernandez‘s incentives get expensive in a hurry once he hits 160 innings, and the Twins are on the hook for those.
- Stark talked to officials from two teams who didn’t think the Reds would’ve offered Adam Dunn arbitration.
Draft Roundup: Dykstra, Smoak, Alonso
Here’s a collection of links involving unsigned first rounders.
- Kevin Towers expects talks to Allan Dykstra to go down to Friday. The Padres nearly had a deal, buy Dykstra’s physical revealed a hip problem.
- Justin Smoak reportedly wants a big league contract from the Rangers.
- The Reds want to do a minor league deal with Yonder Alonso, which has caused a stalemate. John Fay thinks he wants $7MM. Hal McCoy says the Reds are offering a $2.5MM minor league deal. Fay talked to Alonso, who may join an independent league and move in with Alex Rodriguez if need be.
Dunn Denies $100MM Rumor
THURSDAY: This is not terribly surprising. Dunn said Arroyo’s statements about his future contract demands are "false information." Hal McCoy believes Dunn.
TUESDAY: Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo spoke about the Adam Dunn trade today:
"He was going to be moved no matter what. I don’t know if he told (the media) but he made it was no secret to us that he was looking for $100 to $120 million contract. I don’t think this franchise is going to give out that kind of contract."
Could Dunn get $100MM in free agency? It’s not out of the question, with left fielders Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Lee scoring nine-figure contracts before the ’06 season. Other free agent sluggers this winter include Mark Teixeira, Pat Burrell, Milton Bradley, Raul Ibanez, Manny Ramirez, Jason Giambi, Frank Thomas, and maybe Jim Thome. Teixeira may be the only one to top $100MM.
Odds and Ends: Kielty, Ellis, Bonds, Poreda
Time to for today’s link collection.
- The Twins signed Bobby Kielty to a minor league deal. The former Twin was released by the Red Sox in July. When he’s going good, he can hit lefties pretty well.
- Peter Magowan is glad the Giants didn’t successfully pull off an attempted trade for Manny Ramirez before the ’07 season. However, as Henry Schulman notes, that might’ve prevented the Barry Zito contract.
- The Reds haven’t talked to the agents for any of their potential free agents, and no decision has been made on Adam Dunn.
- Susan Slusser wonders if the D’Backs will try to acquire second baseman Mark Ellis in the wake of Orlando Hudson‘s season-ending injury, though manager Bob Melvin does not expect an acquisition.
- It’s a moot point since they’re not interested, but Astros manager Cecil Cooper would quit if the team signed Barry Bonds.
- Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune notes that the Rockies asked for ’07 first-rounder Aaron Poreda for Brian Fuentes. Instead, Rogers believes he could get a big-league look.
- Ken Davidoff talks to agent Joe Bick about how Brian Giles went about choosing the teams on his no-trade list.
- The Rangers made their first Korean amateur signing, inking a high school righty named Tae-kyeong Ahn. They also signed Dominican outfielder Esdras Abreu, among others.