Minor Moves: Marrero, Thurston, Guzman
Keeping track of the day’s minor moves…
- The White Sox sent outfielder Christian Marrero to the Braves for cash considerations, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). It appears that he'll start the 2012 season in the minor leagues.
- The Phillies signed Joe Thurston, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com (on Twitter). He'll open the season in the minors. The Astros released the utility player earlier today, according to the team’s senior director of social media, Alyson Footer (Twitter link). The 32-year-old has MLB experience at second and third and in both corner outfield positions. He owns a .226/.305/.323 line in parts of seven MLB seasons.
- The Dodgers signed right-hander Kyle Smit, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets. Smit had spent the past few seasons in the Cubs’ organization.
- Cristian Guzman says the Indians released him, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). The veteran infielder signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland last month, though he didn't play affiliated baseball in 2011.
Latest On Indians, Vladimir Guerrero
Cleveland GM Chris Antonetti downplayed the Indians' interest in Vladimir Guerrero this morning, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter links). The Indians watched the free agent designated hitter hit and field yesterday in the Dominican Republic, but they don't necessarily have serious interest.
"Vladdy wants to keep playing. He asked if we wanted to see him work out. We worked him out," Antonetti said.
Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com hears that the Indians will work Guerrero out again today, which could be an indication that yesterday's workout went well (Twitter link). There doesn’t appear to be a fit between the Indians and Guerrero, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweeted earlier today. Carrying two DH types would create a roster crunch and Travis Hafner isn’t going anywhere.
Quick Hits: Hernandez, Hamels, Grabow, Wells
In what has to be one of the more unusual clubhouse transactions in baseball history, Carlos Beltran has come through on his promise to pay for ex-Mets teammate Jonathon Niese's nose job. Beltran footed the $10K bill for Niese's rhinoplasty, which, as Mets fan Jerry Seinfeld famously observed, is a pretty unusual name for such a procedure.
Some news from around the majors…
- The terms of Roberto Hernandez's restructured contract with the Indians have been reported by The Associated Press. The pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona will now earn $2.5MM in 2012 (down from $7MM) with another $2.7MM available in roster and performance bonuses. The Tribe's $9MM option on Hernandez for 2013 drops to $6MM, though Hernandez can earn that money back based on innings pitched and bonuses carried over from 2012. Cleveland also holds a $14MM team option on the right-hander for 2014 that is apparently still intact.
- Cole Hamels feels bad that his friend Ryan Madson will miss the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but Hamels said that Madson's situation won't cause him to rethink his own plans for free agency, reports Scott Miller of CBS Sports. "If you're in the game long enough, nothing can push you in a different direction and make you worry," Hamels said. "If you're able to reach free agency, you've obviously had success in the big leagues, and there are going to be teams that trust you….Surgeries are a lot better today, they're not as scary as they were 10 or 12 years ago."
- The Pirates haven't yet expressed interest in left-hander John Grabow, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Grabow exercised an out clause in his Dodgers contract earlier today and is now a free agent. Grabow was originally drafted by the Bucs in 1997 and pitched for the club from 2003-09.
- Right-hander Kip Wells threw for the Mets a few weeks ago and hit 93 mph on the radar gun, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Wells hasn't pitched in the majors since 2009 but recently signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks.
- “I’ve been a Red for 10 years now,” Joey Votto tells John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I don’t daydream about playing for another team. I don’t.” Votto is scheduled to hit free agency after 2013 but again reiterated that he hopes to remain with the Reds and is only focused on the upcoming season.
Dolan On Indians, Hernandez, Sizemore, Free Agents
Indians CEO Paul Dolan recently spoke to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer about a number of topics concerning business both on and off the field…
- Dolan wasn't "shocked" to hear about Roberto Hernandez (a.k.a. Fausto Carmona) living under a false identity, saying that the team had heard an unsubstantiated rumor about the situation last year.
- Grady Sizemore will miss at least one month of the regular season after undergoing minor back surgery, but Dolan doesn't regret re-signing the outfielder. "It's disappointing that he got hurt again," Dolan said. "But we thought it was worth the risk because no one else on the [free agent] market had even close to Grady's upside for that price."
- Though recent long-term signings like Sizemore, Travis Hafner and Jake Westbrook have suffered injuries, Dolan said he is still open to signing players to such deals, though not without some caution. "If Chris [Antonetti] and Mark [Shapiro] comes to us with a long-term deal they want to make, we will seriously consider it. They have not done that [lately]," Dolan said. "We will remain open, but in totality, how successful have those kind of deals been? More often than not, they have been failures."
- Dolan disputed a recent Forbes article that claimed the Indians made a $30MM profit in 2011, arguing that while the club "made a little bit" of profit, that money went back into the team. Dolan said the MLB Players Association cited the Indians as a franchise that was properly using the league's revenue sharing system.
- Dolan was surprised when GM Chris Antonetti approached him about the Ubaldo Jimenez deal last summer. "Like most fans, I'm used to us trading for prospects — not trading some of our best prospects," Dolan said. "I was happy to see us take that approach and try to win."
- It doesn't concern Dolan that the Indians don't have any players under contract past 2013, as the CEO notes that the team has control over many of its young stars like Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis for years to come.
- Dolan didn't address rumors that the team was looking to sell cable network Sports Time Ohio, but said, "We are always looking to add revenue on the TV side of things."
- It doesn't sound as if Dolan was totally satisfied with baseball's new collective bargaining agreement. "We achieved labor peace," said Dolan. "But we didn't address the fundamental problems [such as a lack of a salary cap]."
- Dolan said that there have been no "serious buyers" interested in purchasing the team during his ownership stint. He would possibly have interest in a minority investor, should such an interested investor come forward.
- The Tigers' signing of Prince Fielder dwarfed the Tribe's modest payroll increase of $50MM to $70MM. "I understand that makes us look bad," Dolan said. "I don't understand the foundation of what they are doing … OK, in the short term, I do understand it, but long term …" The Tigers' desire to win now makes them "operate much different than most franchises. Even the teams in major markets tend to operate as we do — they spend what they take in and don't go way above that."
Indians Work Out Vladimir Guerrero
Vladimir Guerrero worked out in front of Indians scouts at the team's Dominican Republic academy, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes Los Angeles. A club representative declined to confirm that the workout took place, but sources tell Rojas that Guerrero was fit and that the Tribe has "a genuine interest" in the veteran slugger.
Guerrero has received little interest from Major League teams this offseason but his agent Fern Cuza recently said his client wanted to play in 2012 and would even explore playing in Japan. Cleveland is known to be looking for a right-handed bat to help balance out its lefty-heavy lineup, but Guerrero is a defensive liability in the outfield and thus would be limited to being a part-time DH or as a pinch-hitter.
As I wrote last month for Roto Authority, the Indians are already juggling a number of options between their DH, first base and left field slots. Signing Guerrero to be part of a righty-lefty DH platoon with Travis Hafner would limit the playing time for Shelley Duncan and Matt LaPorta, but if Guerrero is able to recapture a bit of his old form, I think that's a sacrifice the Tribe would happily make. Guerrero is a career .322/.400/.572 hitter against left-handed pitching.
Quick Hits: Indians, Alvarez, Dodgers, Cabrera
Links for Monday…
- The Indians are still checking around for a left fielder or center fielder, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. They'd prefer a right-handed hitter to add balance to their lefty-heavy lineup.
- GM Neal Huntington told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the Pirates haven't thought of sending Pedro Alvarez to Triple-A following his Spring Training struggles. "He's going through a tough stretch right now,” Huntington said. “Are we going to be able to get him out of it? We believe we will."
- Bill Shaikin of the LA Times breaks down the three remaining bidders for the Dodgers and explains that MLB is expected to approve all three this week.
- Teams have asked about Everth Cabrera, but the Padres aren't inclined to trade him, Dan Hayes of the North County Times tweets.
Cafardo On Suzuki, Oswalt, Correia, Zimmermann
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe argues that two best players at catcher and shortstop positions in camp with the Red Sox organization are Ryan Lavarnway and Jose Iglesias and believes that they absolutely should be on the final 25-man roster. There could be disagreement from different factions of the club about what to do with the two players and it'll be interesting to see how it all turns out. Here's more from Cafardo..
- The Rays have been trying hard to get A's catcher Kurt Suzuki but Oakland isn’t crazy about getting Wade Davis or Jeff Niemann in return. One National League GM points out that those are the type of pitchers that Billy Beane winds up trading and would want a higher grade of pitcher. Right now, the Rays aren’t willing to pay that price.
- The idea that Roy Oswalt wants to play in the Midwest or South can be overcome with money, according to a major league source. To get him, Cafardo writes that the Red Sox have to loosen their purse strings.
- Major league sources say that the Pirates would entertain a deal for right-hander Kevin Correia.
- The Angels asked the Nationals about Jordan Zimmermann, but there’s no chance unless they part with someone like Mike Trout, and that’s not happening.
- Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald could get some bites if he gets squeezed out in Boston. The Indians, Giants, and Braves are all looking for a righthanded-hitting outfielder.
- The Yankees are being a little careful about trading their pitching depth, but it appears Freddy Garcia would be available at the right price, which may be high.
- White Sox pitchers Gavin Floyd and John Danks are both available in the right deal, but according to one GM, Kenny Williams will want at least "two A-level prospects and a third that’s a notch below, and that might not get it done."
Tigers Claim Kelvin De La Cruz
The Tigers announced that they claimed left-hander Kelvin De La Cruz off of waivers from the Indians. The Tigers have optioned the 23-year-old to Double-A.
It's been a busy few months for De La Cruz, who has been traded to the Rangers, re-acquired by the Indians and then designated for assignment. He posted a 4.19 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 in 86 innings as a starter and reliever at Double-A last year. The 6'5" lefty has typically walked and struck out lots of opponents, as his career rates of 8.9 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 indicate.
Quick Hits: Wuertz, Oswalt, Jimenez, Matsuzaka
Earlier today Chipper Jones announced he’ll retire following the 2012 season. Here are some other updates from around the Major Leagues…
- Michael Wuertz threw for 15 teams today, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
- Roy Oswalt doesn’t expect to pitch in the Major Leagues before June, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. The Cardinals have uncertainty atop their rotation and other openings could emerge around the league, but the free agent right-hander seems content to wait for now.
- Ubaldo Jimenez explained to Yahoo's Jeff Passan that the disappointing ending to his tenure in Colorado wasn't related to money. “It’s not about the contract,” Jimenez said. “People are going to say that. They know what it is.” The Indians are optimistic that Jimenez will put together a healthy season reminiscent of his breakout 2010 campaign.
- Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said Daisuke Matsuzaka could join the rotation by early June, according to MLB.com's Ian Browne. The right-hander is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
AL Central Links: Lillibridge, Guerra, Indians, Inge
It was on this day in 1968 that the Royals officially became the Royals, as the new expansion franchise officially announced its name a year before taking the field. The name was inspired by both the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League and Kansas City's annual "American Royal" horse show.
Here's the latest from the AL Central…
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik "would love" to have Brent Lillibridge but knows the White Sox aren't going to trade him, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
- Right-hander Deolis Guerra is the last player from the Johan Santana trade still with the Twins, and Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune looks at how Guerra has revitalized his career after a move to the bullpen.
- Felix Pie and Ryan Spilborghs can each opt out of their minor league contracts with the Indians on April 3, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Fred Lewis, another non-roster invitee, can opt out on June 1.
- Brandon Inge is going through another year of change as he tries to hold onto his spot on the Tigers' roster by moving to second base, writes Scott Miller of CBS Sports.
- Andy Oliver's struggles don't make it any more likely that the Tigers will look outside the organization for a fifth starter, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck. Duane Below and Drew Smyly are still contenders for the job and the Nationals' John Lannan, the most plausible trade candidate, may stay in Washington due to Chien-Ming Wang's hamstring injury.