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Heyman On Hamilton, Sanchez, Tigers

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The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter links)…

Olney On Hamilton, Tigers, Angels, Bauer

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Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher and the 2013 Angels will all benefit from Josh Hamilton's recent agreement with Los Angeles, ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes. However, Mike Scioscia, Torii Hunter and the Mariners probably won’t benefit from the deal, according to Olney. Here are some more reactions to the deal, and a look at the impact it will have. Now for some more of Olney’s notes from around MLB…

  • The Hamilton deal was made over the head of the Angels' baseball operations department, Olney reports (on Twitter).
  • Rival general managers had correctly predicted Anibal Sanchez would sign with the Tigers, Olney writes. The Tigers have made it known for weeks that they'd be willing to listen to offers for Rick Porcello, according to Olney. It now seems as though Porcello has become a trade candidate.
  • Peter Bourjos drew lots of trade interest in the first few weeks of the offseason, Olney reports. While Bourjos could be moved, the Angels have told teams they're keeping Mark Trumbo.
  • The Diamondbacks had talked to other teams about deals involving Trevor Bauer before this year's trade deadline, Olney reports.

Tigers, Mariners Discussed Boesch

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The Tigers and Mariners have had preliminary trade talks about a potential deal that would send Brennan Boesch to Seattle, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports. Danny Knobler of CBSSports reported during the Winter Meetings that the Mariners have some interest in Boesch.

The teams aren’t close to a trade, Morosi reports. However, Boesch remains an option for Seattle. The Tigers might seek left-handed relief in a deal for the outfielder, Morosi suggests.

Boesch appeared in 132 games for the Tigers this past season, posting a .240/.286/.372 batting line with 12 home runs in 503 plate appearances. The left-handed hitting 27-year-old will go to arbitration for the first time this offseason. He has a projected salary of $2.1MM for 2013.

Tigers Pursued James Shields

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The Tigers seriously pursued James Shields before the Royals acquired him, Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio and Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com report (Twitter link). Earlier today in a Twitter chat with fans Tigers president and GM Dave Dombrowski said the team is comfortable relying on Drew Smyly in the fifth rotation spot for 2013.

The Tigers offered outfielder Avisail Garcia and other prospects, Knobler reports. Though the Rays like Garcia, they preferred the Royals' offer, which included top prospect Wil Myers.

Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Doug Fister and Rick Porcello project as the Tigers' top four starters for 2013. The club has also had interest in bringing back free agent right-hander Anibal Sanchez. As Jason Beck of MLB.com explained today, the team's interest in keeping Sanchez reaches a decisive point now that Zack Greinke has agreed to terms.

Dombrowski also said his top priority would be to find “the correct right handed bat for the outfield” (all Twitter links). Though it’d be helpful for the Tigers to find someone whose skills complement the left-handed hitting Andy Dirks, it’s noteworthy that Dombrowski didn’t mention pitching. He did say the Tigers are open to adding another left-hander to the bullpen. However, when it comes to late inning relief, the Tigers sound confident in prospect Bruce Rondon. “He is a rare talent that I feel has a chance to close for us this year,” Dombrowski said.

Tigers Designate Matt Hoffman For Assignment

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The Tigers announced that they designated left-hander Matt Hoffman for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for newly signed catcher Brayan Pena.

Hoffman, 24, spent this past season with the Tigers' Triple-A team. He posted a 3.69 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 46 1/3 innings out of the bullpen in 2012. Hoffman has yet to appear at the MLB level.

Tigers To Sign Brayan Pena

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The Tigers announced that they agreed to a one-year contract with catcher Brayan Pena. Pena, a client of the Wasserman Media Group, was granted free agency by the Royals on November 28th. President and GM Dave Dombrowski suggested Pena will be an important part of Detroit's bench in 2013.

“As a switch-hitter, he will serve as a solid complement to Alex Avila as our backup catcher for the 2013 season,” Dombrowski said.

Pena, who turns 31 next month, appeared in 68 games for the Royals in 2012, posting a .236/.262/.321 batting line in 226 plate appearances. He has a .248/.286/.350 batting line in eight seasons with the Braves and Royals. Former Tigers backup Gerald Laird signed with Atlanta earlier this offseason.

Zack Greinke Signing Reaction

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Zack Greinke's record-setting six-year, $147MM contract with the Dodgers will have a ripple effect throughout baseball. MLB.com's Peter Gammons lists five things to watch for in the aftermath of Greinke's signing including what kind of deal will Casey Close, who represents both Greinke and his new teammate Clayton Kershaw, be able to negotiate for the young left-hander. Other aftershocks include:

  • The Rays may be in a better position to deal one of their starting pitchers, as their value should be enhanced in talks with the Rangers, Royals, Diamondbacks, Rockies, or whichever other teams are interested, according to the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin. 
  • After losing out on Greinke, the Rangers will turn their attention to R.A. Dickey, James Shields, and possibly Anibal Sanchez, writes Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. 
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels told reporters, including T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, "We'd like to add to our starting depth and we'd like to acquire an impact guy. But we're not casting a wide net to add a starter at any cost."
  • The Tigers are affected both short-term and long-term, opines MLB.com's Jason Beck. Short-term, the Tigers could benefit because the Greinke signing should take the Dodgers out of the bidding for Sanchez and no other suitor for the right-hander has such superior financial resources. Long-term, potential contract extensions for Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer (represented by SFX and Scott Boras, respectively, according to MLBTR's Agency Database) could become much more expensive. 
  • Earlier today, we learned how one executive believes the entire economic landscape of the game is going to change drastically because of the Dodgers' spending. And, the Greinke signing will not allay those fears.

Tigers Targeting Late-Inning Relief

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The Tigers are targeting relievers capable of closing in trade talks, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). Jose Valverde is expected to sign elsewhere as a free agent, which means the Tigers don’t have an established late-inning reliever.

GM Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland have publicly expressed optimism that relief prospect Bruce Rondon could become the team's closer in 2013. Still, it wouldn't hurt to add depth to a bullpen that also features Joaquin Benoit, Phil Coke and Octavio Dotel.

Though there's been lots of speculation about Rafael Soriano and Detroit, a team official recently told Peter Gammons of MLB Network that it "ain't happening." Chris Perez and Joel Hanrahan are two closers who could be dealt, and the Tigers could pursue any number of setup relievers.

Athletics Notes: Drew, Peralta, Nakajima, Rule 5

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The A's have been pursuing a reunion with Stephen Drew, but Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle has some information on the team's fallback plans should they fail to do so…

  • A major league executive tells Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter) that he believes Drew will sign with the A's for one year with an additional player option for 2014.
  • If Drew ends up signing elsewhere and the Tigers do indeed find a new shortstop (possibly Drew himself), the A's would likely make a move to acquire Jhonny Peralta. Peralta and his $6MM salary would obviously be expendable to the Tigers in that scenario.
  • The two don't immediately line up on paper as a fit given the Tigers' need for a right-handed hitting outfielder (the Tigers aren't interested in Michael Taylor). However, Slusser writes that Detroit likes Jemile Weeks and would contemplate moving him to the outfield. There's no guarantee the A's would move Weeks, however, even though they demoted him to Triple-A this season.
  • Hiroyuki Nakajima is still in play for the A's, and he's seeking a three-year deal worth about $5MM annually. Most believe he'll have trouble doing better than one year and an option, though.
  • Contrary to some national reports, Grant Green and Brad Peacock were not on the table in the team's Yunel Escobar trade discussions with the Marlins.
  • The A's aren't likely to select a player in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft tomorrow, but there's a good chance that they lose 2007 first-rounder James Simmons to another club. Simmons, the 26th overall selection that year, posted a 2.98 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and 3.1 K/9 in 63 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2012. The 26-year-old also turned in a dominant performance in the Arizona Fall League.
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