Rockies Sign Carlos Torres
The Rockies have signed right-hander Carlos Torres to a minor league contract, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned.
Torres, who spent 2011 with the Yomiuri Giants organization of NPB, last appeared in the Major Leagues with the White Sox in 2010. The 29-year-old has logged 42 innings in his big league career, fanning 7.5 batters per nine innings but struggling with his control at 5.93 BB/9.
Rockies To Sign Casey Blake
The Rockies have agreed to sign Casey Blake to a one-year deal, pending a physical, Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd announced (Twitter link). The sides agreed to a non-guaranteed contract worth $2MM plus $1MM in performance bonuses, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding (on Twitter).
Blake hit .252/.342/.371 in 239 plate appearances for the Dodgers in 2011, spending considerable time on the DL with a cervical strain. He had surgery in September and the Dodgers declined his $6MM option for 2012 after the season. The Indians were among nine teams with some interest in Blake, who should be ready to play in 2012, agent Jim McDowell told MLBTR.
The move provides the Rockies with depth at third base to go along with Jordan Pacheco and Chris Nelson. Nolan Arenado, a 20-year-old third base prospect in the Rockies' system, has yet to play in Double-A.
Hiroki Kuroda May Be Nearing Deal
Yahoo’s Tim Brown heard yesterday that Hiroki Kuroda was close to agreeing to a new contract. However, it’s not clear which team is nearing a deal with the right-hander. Here are the details and more of Brown’s links from around MLB:
- The Mariners, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Rangers, Red Sox and Yankees were among the teams that informed Brown they were not the team nearing a deal with Kuroda.
- The Dodgers didn’t scout Yoenis Cespedes in earnest or consider bidding on Yu Darvish, Brown reports. It cost the Rangers $51.7MM for the rights to negotiate with Darvish and Cespedes figures to cost tens of millions as well, so the players are too expensive for the cash-strapped Dodgers to consider.
- Carlos Beltran figures to agree to terms by Sunday. His market includes the Cardinals, Blue Jays, Red Sox and a fourth team, possibly the Rays. Beltran is weighing two and three-year offers, Brown reports.
Mets Interested In Eric Young Jr.
The Mets have expressed interest in Eric Young Jr. of the Rockies, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Rubin's source indicated that the Mets may be able to obtain Young by sending Justin Turner to Colorado and that the teams continue discussing Jon Niese. However, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets that Turner's name hasn't come up yet.
Young, 26, has a .246/.324/.295 line with 15 extra base hits in 479 career plate appearances in three stints at the Major League level as an outfielder and second baseman. The Rockies' plans at second remain unclear, but the outfield has become crowded with the recent additions of Tyler Colvin and Michael Cuddyer.
The Rockies nearly traded Young to the Mariners during the Winter Meetings, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). All signs point to a trade involving Young before Spring Training, Renck reports.
NL East Notes: DeRosa, Hamels, Martinez, Prado
Ed Wade is heading back to the NL East after four years in Houston. Here are more links from the division, starting with Wade’s longtime team…
- Mark DeRosa says he's interested in playing for the Nationals, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (Twitter links). However, other teams are interested and DeRosa is not close to making a decision.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says he's comfortable heading into Spring Training with the team he has, according to Paul Hagen of MLB.com. The Phillies have already made major free agent signings, added complementary players such as Laynce Nix, Jim Thome and Dontrelle Willis and signed players to minor league deals, as our Free Agent Tracker shows.
- Those who know Cole Hamels doubt he would give the Phillies much of a discount on a potential extension, according to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. The 27-year-old John Boggs & Associates client posted a 2.79 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 52.3% ground ball rate in 215 innings this past season. He's set to hit free agency after the 2012 season (MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $14MM salary for Hamels in his final season of arbitration eligibility).
- Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com shows that the Mets already have a projected payroll in the $90MM range. GM Sandy Alderson has suggested the team's payroll could be less than $100MM, so the Mets may not have much offseason shopping remaining.
- The Mets are interested in catcher Luis Martinez, who was designated for assignment by the Padres on Sunday, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post (on Twitter). The 26-year-old hit .203/.309/.305 in 68 plate appearances with the Padres this past season.
- The Braves and Rockies have continued discussing a possible deal that would send Seth Smith to Atlanta for Martin Prado, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The Braves appear to be seeing what they can get for Jair Jurrjens first, however. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports examined possible suitors for Smith earlier today, including the Braves despite their preference for a right-handed hitter.
Minor Moves: Wil Nieves
Let's keep track of today's minor league signings here…
- The Rockies have signed catcher Wil Nieves to a minor league deal according to the MLB.com transactions page. The 34-year-old hit .140/.189/.180 in 54 plate appearances for the Brewers last season and is a .221/.268/.289 career hitter in 823 career plate appearances in the show.
Quick Hits: Mariners, Rockies, Indians, Rangers
Two years ago, the White Sox acquired Juan Pierre from the Dodgers in what was only the second-most memorable trade of the day. The day's other deal saw the Mariners and Cubs swap bad contracts, with Carlos Silva heading to Chicago in exchange for Milton Bradley. We can only hope this year's December 18th will be as eventful. For now, here are a few links from around the league…
- In an Insider-only piece at ESPN.com, Jim Bowden breaks down the five most undervalued free agents left on the market, with Carlos Beltran and Hiroki Kuroda topping his list.
- Two court-ordered appraisals suggest the value of the Mariners' franchise is much higher than what Forbes reported earlier this year, as Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times writes.
- Noting that Michael Cuddyer is a "heck of a stocking stuffer," Troy Renck of the Denver Post details the rest of the Rockies' Christmas wish list.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer fields Indians-related questions in a mailbag. Among the topics discussed: Kendrys Morales, Manny Ramirez, and the so-called "surprising" trade GM Chris Antonetti discussed at the Winter Meetings.
- Jamey Newberg of the Newberg Report examines what a Rangers package for Mat Latos might have looked like.
Quick Hits: Kubel, Chapman, Aoki, Cuddyer
On this day last year, the Padres traded Brandon Gomes, Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos, and Cole Figueroa to the Rays for Jason Bartlett and a player to be named later (though Tampa would eventually send cash instead). Here's some notes from around the league…
- The Reds have had conversations with Jason Kubel, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). GM Walt Jocketty told Fay (Twitter link) that the club does not have the type of money to sign someone to a Josh Willingham-type deal.
- Even after trading for Mat Latos, Reds GM Walt Jocketty still plans on using Aroldis Chapman as a starter, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnatti Enquirer. Jocketty did leave room for a change of heart, however, noting that things could change later on.
- We should soon find out which team won the bidding for Japanese outfielder Norichika Aoki, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
- ESPN's Keith Law feels that the Rockies overpaid for Michael Cuddyer, who he considers to be a part-time player (ESPN Insider link). In Law's opinion, Colorado is receiving perhaps a one win upgrade over Seth Smith, but paying $7-8MM more than Smith would earn.
- In that same piece, Law says that he likes the Twins' gamble on Josh Willingham better, but notes that he should be a DH rather than an outfielder and that the contract is still a gamble because Willingham showed signs of decline in 2011.
- Willingham told MLB.com's Jane Lee that leaving the Athletics wasn't an easy decision, but GM Billy Beane was honest and up front about the fact that he could probably only offer a one-year deal through arbitration.
- Juan C. Rodriguez of the Miami Sun-Sentinel provides some details on the heavily backloaded contracts that Heath Bell, Jose Reyes, and Mark Buehrle received from the Marlins. Bell's vesting option triggers if he finishes 55 games in 2014, or a combined 100 between 2013-14. He and Buehrle both took signing bonuses deferred withiout interest, and all three have contractual obligations to donate to charity each season.
- Law (via Twitter) prefers Aaron Cunningham to Cory Burns. The Indians acquired Cunningham from the Padres in exchange for Burns yesterday.
Mets Need To Be “Knocked Out” By Offer For Niese
The Mets aren't actively shopping Jonathon Niese, and despite an earlier report that they were interested in trading him for a package around Rockies outfielder Seth Smith, they have "zero interest" in such a deal according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (in these four tweets).
New York would have to be "knocked out" to trade Niese, who is not yet arbitration eligible and owns 286 strikeouts and 106 walks in 331 innings over the past two seasons. His ERA is a pedestrian 4.30 in that time, though his 49.5% groundball rate and advanced metrics like FIP (3.75) and SIERA (3.67) tell a different story.
At the Winter Meetings, we heard that the Mets would be willing to move any player other than David Wright, and several teams showed interest in the 25-year-old Niese, viewing him as a potentially cheaper alternative to Gio Gonzalez. Reports since then say that there have been "no significant talks," however, and Crasnick's strong words suggest that Niese won't be easy to acquire at all.
Rockies Talking To Brad Lidge
10:58pm: “It’s no secret that Brad would be comfortable in Colorado if something can be worked out,” agent Rex Gary tells Troy Renck. “He has no timetable. A lot of things are important to him. Colorado is home and geography is certainly a factor he will weigh heavily.” Gary reiterated that Lidge isn't insisting on a closing job with his new club and is open to other bullpen roles.
6:42pm: The Rockies have had discussions with Brad Lidge's representatives, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The Rockies have been mentioned as a natural landing spot for Lidge, given that Lidge grew up in nearby Englewood, Colorado and (according to Renck) still has a home in the state. The Rockies are also in the market for bullpen help after trading Huston Street. An experienced closer like Lidge would either be a nice complement to Rafael Betancourt or could supplant Betancourt entirely as the club's preferred ninth-inning option.
Lidge, who turns 35 next week, had his contract bought out by $1.5MM in October by the Phillies, who preferred the buyout to picking up Lidge's $12.5MM option for 2012. The Phils also declined to offer Lidge salary arbitration, so Philadelphia won't get a compensatory draft pick should Lidge (a Type B free agent) sign elsewhere. The veteran right-hander posted a 1.40 ERA last season but was limited to just 19 1/3 innings due to a rotator cuff injury.
In addition to the Rockies, the Red Sox and Mets have also been connected to Lidge this winter.