De La Rosa Could Sign Sooner Than Expected
Two teams have offered Jorge de la Rosa contracts and two more may make proposals within a day, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Rockies and Nationals have offered deals and the Pirates, Orioles, Rangers, Brewers and Yankees all have at least some interest in the free agent left-hander, who may sign sooner than expected.
The Rockies are not prepared to offer more than three years, but some other teams are prepared to make four-year commitments, Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post reported last week. Since the Rockies offered De La Rosa arbitration, he will cost other teams a top draft pick in June of 2011.
Octavio Dotel To Decline Arbitration
Octavio Dotel will decline the Rockies' offer of arbitration, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The Rockies will obtain a supplementary first round pick in next year's draft for losing the Type B free agent as long as he signs a major league deal with another team.
The 37-year-old pitched for three clubs in 2010, posting a 4.08 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 64 total innings. Dotel saved 21 games for the Pirates before being dealt to the Dodgers and Rockies. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested in June that Dotel may pursue a deal like the one he signed with the White Sox: $11MM for two years.
If you're wondering which ranked free agents have accepted or turned down arbitration, check out MLBTR's free agent arbitration offer tracker.
Theriot Will Draw Interest If Non-Tendered
The Dodgers may not tender Ryan Theriot a contract, but the infielder should draw interest from other clubs if he's non-tendered. MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli suggests (on Twitter) that he'll be "very, very attractive to the Orioles" if non-tendered and Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes (on Twitter) that he expects the Rockies to have interest if the Dodgers don't offer Theriot a contract.
The Dodgers agreed to terms with Juan Uribe today, so they're set at second. Rafael Furcal will play short, so there's likely no everyday role for Theriot on the team. He was a non-tender candidate before Uribe agreed to play in L.A., so it wouldn't be surprising to see the Dodgers cut him loose.
Theriot, who turns 31 next week, can play second or short. He batted .270/.321/.312 in 640 plate appearances with the Cubs and Dodgers last year, swiping 20 bases in 29 attempts. Though Theriot has never hit for power, he has some speed and a career .348 on base percentage.
The Giants, Padres, Cardinals, Nationals, Mariners and Twins could also show interest in Theriot if he hits the open market. He earned $2.6MM in 2010 and would likely see his salary jump past $3MM through the arbitration process.
Odds & Ends: Alexei Ramirez, Crawford, Hall
Five years ago today, the Blue Jays signed closer B.J. Ryan to a five-year, $47MM deal, the largest ever for a reliever (the contract was later matched in total by Joe Nathan). Ryan gave the Jays two solid seasons, earning his release in '09. Today's links:
- White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez has until Wednesday to decide whether to choose arbitration over a $1.1MM salary for 2011, reports Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune. Even as a first timer Ramirez would certainly beat that, so look for him to choose arbitration unless a multiyear deal can be hammered out. The Sox have four other arbitration eligible players: John Danks, Carlos Quentin, Tony Pena, and Bobby Jenks.
- Carl Crawford's agents at Legacy Sports are sending interested teams iPads with pro-Crawford videos preloaded, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
- Versatile free agent Bill Hall is in play for eight teams, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown. The Rockies are one interested club, tweets Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. The Yankees may be another, based on a Ken Rosenthal report from earlier this month. Renck believes the Rockies will have interest in Ryan Theriot if he's non-tendered, as well.
- Tsuyoshi Nishioka sounds eager to sign with the Twins, based on press conference quotes passed along by Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
- Scott Boras has a proposal to replace the Rule 5 draft, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports provides the details. Also, Rosenthal previews the rest of the offseason.
Who’s Looking For Starting Pitching?
We're a week from the Winter Meetings, and starting pitchers Jon Garland, Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Javier Vazquez, and Jake Westbrook have already signed – three of them with the Dodgers. For the many teams that can't afford Cliff Lee, it's down to Jorge de la Rosa, Carl Pavano, and a field of comeback candidates or back-rotation arms. Let's take a look at which teams are in the market.
- Astros – They subtracted Felipe Paulino, and have been linked to Brandon McCarthy and Jeff Francis. GM Ed Wade explained earlier this month that he'd like to add someone on a one-year deal similar to the Brett Myers contract.
- Athletics – They showed their desire to add starting pitching by bidding $19.1MM for the right to negotiate with Hisashi Iwakuma. If they're unable to reach a deal with him by Wednesday of next week, the A's could check out the free agent market. They're known to be interested in McCarthy.
- Brewers – They're in on McCarthy, Francis, and Jarrod Washburn, but are expected to focus on trade possibilities as they look to add a starter or two.
- Cubs – The Cubs have five starters, but could add insurance with Jeremy Bonderman, Aaron Harang, Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, or Brandon Webb.
- Diamondbacks – They were linked to McCarthy prior to acquiring Zach Duke. With their front four settled, I expect them to worry about other needs.
- Mariners – They've been linked to McCarthy and Jeff Francis, suggesting they're targeting injury comeback candidates.
- Mets – The rumor mill has been quiet, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post can see them getting in on a reclamation-project starter in the new year.
- Nationals – The Nationals are seeking pitching by trade, free agency, or both. They're in on Lee, De La Rosa, Webb, and Pavano at the least.
- Orioles – They apparently have tepid interest in De La Rosa, and have been linked to position players more frequently this offseason.
- Padres – Garland's gone and Kevin Correia is a free agent. The Padres have been linked to McCarthy and will probably seek late bargains.
- Pirates – They seem very likely to sign some kind of free agent starter this winter. They've moved on from Duke and are eyeing Scott Olsen, De La Rosa, Webb, and Francis.
- Rangers – They could move Neftali Feliz to the rotation, but the top priority is signing Lee. If Lee signs elsewhere they're expected to look into Zack Greinke. They're known to be in on Webb, and happen to employ Webb's surgeon Dr. Keith Meister as the team physician.
- Reds – They've been loosely linked to Webb based mainly on geography, but already made a big commitment to Bronson Arroyo and don't have a ton of spending money.
- Rockies – They're likely to add a starter and are in on Webb and Francis. They could also look at trades and lesser free agents, but at least they've added Paulino.
- Royals – The Royals cut Brian Bannister and are interested in Kevin Millwood, to name one option. If Kyle Davies is non-tendered on Thursday that would heighten their need.
- Tigers – They seem content with their rotation options, but they were among the seven clubs linked to McCarthy.
- Twins – They'll need an arm, possibly Pavano. They placed a bid on Iwakuma and have been tied to Webb. Washburn could also work.
- White Sox – They haven't been linked to anyone, and appear to be in good shape even with Jake Peavy missing the beginning of the season given the possibility of moving Chris Sale into the rotation. However, I won't rule Kenny Williams out if he finds one of the aforementioned free agent arms intriguing.
- Yankees – They're the favorites for Lee, and Andy Pettitte might be leaning toward a return. The Yankees are not expected to participate in the next bracket of free agent starters if one of those options falls through, and the trade market is barren if Greinke is off-limits.
- The Angels, Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers, Giants, Indians, Marlins, Phillies, Rays, and Red Sox have either stayed out of the rumor mill or already made their additions. Still, it would not be a shock for some of these teams to add starting pitching.
Rockies Reach Agreement With De La Rosa
10:38pm: The Rockies will pay De La Rosa $32-33MM over three years, according to Rosenthal (on Twitter). Renck says the Rockies and De La Rosa have an agreement in principle, though there is still some question about whether the lefty prefers two or three years.
9:06pm: It's a big day for the Rockies. Not only are they nearing a mega-deal with their All-Star shortstop, they're close to a three-year contract with Jorge de la Rosa, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). De La Rosa and teammate Troy Tulowitzki are both represented by TWC Sports.
Rosenthal reported earlier tonight that the Nationals also made De La Rosa an offer. The Pirates, Orioles, Rangers, Brewers and Yankees also had some interest in Type A free agent. The Rockies would have obtained two compensation picks had De La Rosa signed elsewhere.
Now that De La Rosa, Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, Javier Vazquez, Jon Garland and Jake Westbrook have signed deals, there's not much left on the starting pitching market other than Cliff Lee and Carl Pavano. As MLBTR's Tim Dierkes explained earlier today, many teams could be looking to add starters.
Rockies Interested In Brandon Webb
Let's add the Rockies to the ever-growing number of teams interested in free agent right-hander Brandon Webb. Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets that Colorado has expressed interest in the sinkerballer, who would be a nice fit in Coors Field if healthy.
The Cubs, Pirates, Twins, Rangers, and Nationals are already in on Webb, who is a big unknown at this point. He hasn't been on a big league mound in close to 21 months because of shoulder problems. Two weeks ago, Webb's agent Jonathan Maurer gave MLBTR his take on Webb's September/October instructional games. Maurer said Webb is expected to prepare at a normal pace and is ready to make 30-plus starts in 2011.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
Nine Teams Interested In Jesse Crain
Joaquin Benoit was the top right-handed setup man available on the free agent market, but with him off the board teams now appear to be turning their attention to Jesse Crain. MLB.com's Peter Gammons tweets that a total of nine teams – the Rays, Rockies, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Mariners, Orioles, Cubs, Nationals, and Blue Jays – are "already in" on the former Twin.
Crain, 29, has returned from a 2007 shoulder surgery to post a 3.70 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 182.1 innings over the last three seasons. In 68 innings this year, he posted a career-high 8.2 K/9 and a career-low .215 batting average against. Minnesota offered the Type-B free agent arbitration, so the club will receive a draft pick if he signs elsewhere even though the signing team will not have to give one up.
Renck On Rockies’ Pitching Targets
Jon Garland, Hiroki Kuroda and Jake Westbrook were three of the top names on Colorado's wish list of free agent starters, but all three signed elsewhere. Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter links) chimes in about some other arms that have caught the Rockies' interest.
- The Rockies could join the Cubs and at least four other teams in the Brandon Webb sweepstakes. Renck says Colorado "might check in on Webb later."
- There's no better than a "50-50" chance that Jeff Francis re-signs with the Rockies. Francis is looking for a "one-year deal, [with] guaranteed money," so it may just be a case of whether or not the Rockies want to outbid other interested teams.
- Tampa Bay is "in holding mode" with its pitchers right now, which may be preventing Colorado from making a serious bid for Matt Garza or James Shields.
- Some of Colorado's "secondary targets" include Jeremy Bonderman, Dave Bush, Aaron Harang and Kevin Millwood. Renck specifies that Bush and Harang would be offered minor league contracts, but if no veteran pitchers are signed, then Esmil Rogers and the newly-acquired Felipe Paulino "would both get a shot in the rotation."
Renck On De La Rosa, Floyd, Nationals
Troy Renck of the Denver Post shared a few Rockies-related items and opinions with his Twitter followers today. All links within quote marks are tweets unless noted otherwise…
- Renck feels it's "highly unlikely" that Jorge de la Rosa will re-sign with Colorado. As we heard last week, the Rockies aren't prepared to offer the free agent starter anything more than a three-year contract, and one of the many clubs interested in De La Rosa will offer him at least four years.
- Renck personally would have pursued De La Rosa had he been the Rockies GM, but he thinks the club should "shift toward" trading for Gavin Floyd and acquiring two of Kevin Kouzmanoff, Jose Lopez or Josh Willingham. Kouzmanoff and Lopez have drawn some interest from the Rockies already.
- The White Sox "like Ian Stewart," Renck said in regards to rumors from earlier in the week that Chicago and Colorado had at least discussed swapping the third baseman for Floyd. Stewart would give the Sox some left-handed pop, possibly in a third base platoon with Dayan Viciedo.
- Also noted in Renck's previous Twitter link was the fact that the Nationals "want pitching in every trade. Either big league pitching or guys who are close [to the majors]."
- Type A free agent Carl Pavano will turn 35 in January and would cost the Rockies a draft pick to sign him, but Renck feels Pavano is "worth the risk" if the Rockies can't get Floyd.