Rockies Re-Sign Jeff Francis
The Rockies have re-signed lefty Jeff Francis, the team announced (on Twitter). It's a one-year contract worth $1.5MM guaranteed with another $1.5M in incentives based on innings pitched. Francis is represented by Frontline.
Francis, 31, was drafted in the first round by the Rockies in 2002 and remained with the club through 2010. After a year and a half detour with the Royals and Reds, he rejoined the organization last June and pitched 113 innings in the Majors. Francis had decent peripheral stats but, as usual, allowed a ton of hits. Among starters with at least 100 innings in 2012, Francis' 85.3 mile per hour average fastball velocity ranked fifth-lowest. He ranks second in Rockies franchise history with 61 wins, behind Aaron Cook.
Francis probably has a claim on a rotation spot to begin the year with the 2013 Rockies, who have Jorge De La Rosa and Jhoulys Chacin penciled in. The team augmented their bullpen a few weeks ago, acquiring reliever Wilton Lopez from Houston.
The Denver Post has the breakdown of the incentives. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick originally reported the agreement (Twitter links). Photo courtesy of U.S. Presswire. Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Twins, Rockies, Reds Interested In Freddy Garcia
The Twins, Rockies and Reds are among the teams that have checked in on free agent right-hander Freddy Garcia, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter link). Garcia, who turned 36 in October, is represented by Peter E. Greenberg & Associates.
Garcia spent this past season with the Yankees, posting a 5.20 ERA with 7.5 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 40.2% ground ball rate in 107 1/3 innings. The 14-year veteran made 17 starts and appeared in 13 games as a reliever in 2012, earning a base salary of $4MM in 2012. His fastball velocity checked in below 90mph, as usual (87.5 mph on average).
Garcia hasn’t been linked to any other teams so far this offseason, but it’s not surprising to see that the Twins and Rockies checked in given that both clubs have been looking to add pitching depth. The Reds already have a full rotation, yet might be interested in Garcia as a long reliever.
Trade Notes: Hochevar, Athletics, Bourjos
The latest on some potential trade scenarios from around MLB…
- The Royals called the Rockies about Luke Hochevar, but nothing has materialized, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports (on Twitter). The Royals tendered Hochevar a contract before acquiring James Shields and Wade Davis from the Rays, which means they’re responsible for his projected $4.4MM salary. Hochevar would have been a better fit in Colorado if he had hit the open market as a non-tendered player.
- The Athletics are likely to explore trade options to acquire a shortstop now that Stephen Drew is off of the market, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter). The Red Sox agreed to sign Drew for $9.5MM, which is “quite a bit more” than Oakland offered, according to Slusser. Jed Lowrie, Asdrubal Cabrera and Dee Gordon are among the shortstops who could be traded in my view.
- The Marlins would have interest in a Ricky Nolasco for Peter Bourjos type of deal, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter). The Angels seek pitching depth and the Marlins are willing to trade Nolasco. Joe Frisaro of MLB.com wrote today about the possibility of a Nolasco-Bourjos swap, noting that Miami has longstanding interest in the Angels outfielder.
NL East Notes: Phillies, Ross, Braves, Fowler
Sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that the Phillies are intensifying their pursuit of Cody Ross. Of course there’s other clubs strongly pursuing the outfielder, including the Mariners. Here’s more out on the Phillies and the rest of the NL East..
- There were no trade talks brewing this weekend between the Braves or Rangers on Dexter Fowler, a Rockies source told Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The Braves have been in trade talks this week with several clubs and are believed to be targeting Fowler.
- The Mets may be on the verge of acquiring Travis d’Arnaud from the Blue Jays, which shows how bad they want R.A. Dickey, tweets Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. Two other execs that asked for d’Arnaud this offseason were told flat-out no.
- After picking up Mike Adams and John Lannan, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer looks at what is left for the Phillies to spend on an outfield upgrade. By Gelb’s math, the Phillies could sign an outfielder with an average annual salary of approximately $7MM and be right up against the tax threshold.
Rockies Links: Correia, Karstens, Cuddyer
Troy Renck of the Denver Post shared some Rockies items on his Twitter feed earlier today, here are the hot stove-related tweets…
- The Rockies kept an "ongoing dialogue" with Kevin Correia's representatives but didn't come close to the two-year, $10MM deal that Correia signed with the Twins earlier today.
- The Rockies have a "mild interest" in right-hander Jeff Karstens, who was non-tendered by the Pirates last month. Karstens posted a 3.97 ERA and 4.4 K/BB ratio in 90 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh in 2012, though he spent significant time on the DL and was projected to earn $3.8MM through arbitration according to MLBTR's Matt Swartz.
- From that same tweet, Renck feels that if the Rockies make a big move for pitching, it will be through a trade and not the free agent market.
- Michael Cuddyer hasn't drawn much trade interest, though Renck says the Rockies aren't particularly interested in dealing him anyway.
Minor Moves: Slaten, Manzella, Acosta, Gaudin
Here are the latest minor transactions from around the league…
- SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization announced the signing of left-handed reliever Doug Slaten. Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net (Twitter link) first reported the deal earlier this week. Slaten has a 3.52 ERA in 216 games for the Diamondbacks, Nationals and Pirates since 2006, including a 2.16 ERA in 10 games with the Bucs in 2012.
- The Rockies have signed shortstop Tommy Manzella to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invitation, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Manzella last appeared in the majors in 2010 with the Astros and has bounced around the minors with four different organizations over the last two seasons.
- Right-hander Manny Acosta has signed a one-year, $1.65MM contract with the Yomiuri Giants, according to Gene Mato, Acosta's agent (Twitter link). The deal could be worth another $500K in bonuses. Acosta, 31, was non-tendered by the Mets following a season that saw him post a 6.46 ERA over relief appearances.
- The Giants have agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Chad Gaudin, reports Janie McCauley of the Associated Press (via Twitter). Gaudin posted a 4.54 ERA in 46 relief appearances for the Marlins last season.
- The Yankees have signed catcher Bobby Wilson to a minor league deal that contains a Spring Training invite, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter link). Wilson hit .211/.277/.292 batting line in 201 plate appearances with the Angels last season and was both claimed on waivers and non-tendered by the Blue Jays earlier this offseason.
- The Yankees have also signed infielder Gil Velazquez to a minor league deal, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). The 33-year-old Velazquez received 57 PAs with the Marlins last year and also has Major League exerperience with the Angels and Red Sox.
- The Cardinals have signed 18-year-old Dominican right-hander Alex Reyes to a contract worth $950K, reports MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter).
- The Nationals signed 16-year-old Dominican third baseman Neivy Pilier to a $225K deal, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America.
- The Nationals signed infielder Brian Bocock to a minor league contract, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson (Twitter link). Bocock last played in the majors in 2010 and has spent the last two seasons playing in the Phillies, Pirates and Blue Jays organizations.
- The Padres acquired left-hander Chris Rearick from the Rays in exchange for infielder Vince Belnome, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (via Twitter).
- The Phillies have announced the signings of Andres Blanco, Josh Fields, Cesar Jimenez, Steven Lerud, Michael Martinez, Zach Miner, Jermaine Mitchell, Pete Orr and Humberto Quintero to minor league contracts with invitations to Spring Training.
Braves Still Involved In Multiple Trade Talks
The Braves have already made one notable trade this offseason (Tommy Hanson for Jordan Walden), and Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says they are still involved in multiple trade talks (Twitter links). Emilio Bonifacio and Dexter Fowler are believed to be among their targets.
O'Brien notes the Braves did make a strong push for Shin-Soo Choo before he was traded to the Reds, but the team wasn't going to overpay for a player one year away from free agency. Atlanta has been seeking outfield help this offseason, though Martin Prado's versatility also allows them to seek a third baseman if they choose.
NL West Notes: Rockies, Fowler, Greinke, Dodgers
The Diamondbacks could be on the verge of completing a three-team deal with the Indians and Reds, but that's not all that's happening in the National League West..
- If the deal sending Shin-Soo Choo to the Reds goes through, it'll be much less likely that the Rockies will trade Dexter Fowler this winter, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets. Their best remaining chance for a trade partner for Fowler would be the Mariners if they strike out on Josh Hamilton and Michael Bourn.
- In the wake of the Zack Greinke signing, the Dodgers could wind up making Clayton Kershaw baseball's first $30MM-a-year pitcher, writes Dylan Hernandez of Los Angeles Times. However, the Dodgers are unlikely to offer him no-trade protection. Of course, they could get creative like they did in the case of Greinke. If the former Angel is traded, he can opt-out of his contract at the end of that season.
- At today's introductory press conference, Greinke explained that he kept in touch with the Angels throughout the offseason but the two sides never got to talking about contract details, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
- General Manager Ned Colletti said the Dodgers are probably done spending, more or less, according to Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Colletti also said that there was a 24-hour lull in the talks with Greinke, which made the club nervous for a short time, tweets Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
- Greinke said that the Angels' number one selling point was the chance to play alongside Mike Trout for the next six years, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
- The Rockies have made it clear since the end of the season that they are not shopping Michael Cuddyer, but they have to listen as they look to acquire more pitching, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The Phillies and Yankees could both use a corner outfielder and Renck says the situation is worth monitoring.
NL West Notes: Rockies, Ryu, Pagan, Scutaro
The Diamondbacks' agreement with Brandon McCarthy was the biggest news out of the NL West today, but here are a few more items from around the division…..
- Several teams asked the Rockies about Carlos Gonzalez during the Winter Meetings, reports ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (Twitter link). The Rockies told clubs that both Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki weren't available, having not changed their stance from last month about trading their top two stars.
- The Dodgers' negotiations with Ryu Hyun-Jin will go right down to Sunday's deadline, a team source tells ESPN.com's Jim Bowden (Twitter link). Los Angeles will lose negotiating rights with the Korean left-hander if a deal can't be worked out by Sunday. The two sides were thought to be far apart on Tuesday, though the Dodgers and agent Scott Boras had exchanged offers and were continuing talks.
- The Padres are using their bullpen depth, infield depth and Jesus Guzman as trade bait, says Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune as part of his most recent chat with readers.
- Marco Scutaro and Angel Pagan told reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News) that they looking for, respectively, a fourth guaranteed year and the most expensive possible contract, and were both happy that the Giants met their desires. “I know my age,” Scutaro said. “I was looking for the best contract. This might be my last one. When (the Giants) made the best offer, it was very exciting.”
Minor Moves: Rockies, Jayson Nix, Travis Webb
Here are some minor transactions from around baseball…
- The Rockies have signed Justin Berg, Hernan Iribarren, Jeff Manship, Gustavo Molina and Henry Wrigley to minor league contracts, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post. All five are invited to the Rockies' big league Spring Training camp.
- The Yankees have outrighted Jayson Nix off the 40-man roster and assigned him to Triple-A, tweets Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Nix accepted his assignment after being designated for assignment and clearing waivers, as he agreed after signing his one-year, $900K contract with the club last week.
- The Brewers have signed left-hander Travis Webb to a minor league contract, the team announced. The deal contained an invitation to the Major League Spring Training camp. Webb, 28, has a 4.13 ERA and 8.5 K/9 rate in 186 career games (88 starts) in the Reds' minor league system since 2006, pitching primarily as a reliever over the last two seasons.