Tigers Decline Option On Jhonny Peralta
The Tigers declined their $7.25MM option on shortstop Jhonny Peralta, according to the team's Twitter feed. They'll pay a $250K buyout instead. Via that same feed comes a quote from Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski: "We remain optimistic that a deal can be worked out between Jhonny and the club." MLB.com's Jason Beck exchanged emails with Peralta's agent Seth Levinson, who shares Dombrowski's optimism.
Peralta, 28, is eligible for free agency for the first time in his career. This year he hit .249/.311/.392 with 15 home runs in 615 plate appearances for the Indians and Tigers, coming to Detroit in a July 28th trade. He played third base exclusively this year for the Indians, but spent most of his time with the Tigers at shortstop. With Brandon Inge already locked in, the Tigers would continue to use Peralta at short. On October 26th, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote that the team is "expected to reach an agreement" with Peralta on a two-year deal, perhaps a touch less than Inge's $11.5MM. It seems unlikely that the Tigers would offer Peralta arbitration on the November 23rd deadline, but he is a Type B free agent.
Odds & Ends: K-Rod, Gibbons, Ricciardi, Uehara
Links for Halloween Sunday, as we prepare to take in our last October baseball game of 2010….
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says (via Twitter) the early feeling is that Francisco Rodriguez will be back with the Mets this year. There has been speculation that they would try to trade the closer following his late-season arrest, but that would have proven difficult with his contract.
- John Gibbons has informed the Mets that he's not a candidate for their managerial opening, tweets Bob Klapisch of The Bergen Record. The former Blue Jays' manager is happy with his role as Kansas City's bench coach.
- The Mets are still trying to lure J.P. Ricciardi to their new front office, reports ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin.
- Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com notes that it doesn't appear as if the Orioles have made much of an attempt to keep Koji Uehara. Uehara finished 2010 as the team's closer, but he is scheduled to be a free agent in the not-too-distant future.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun recaps the Orioles' coaching situation, and tells us that if Don Wakamatsu doesn't land a managerial job, he'll likely be Buck Showalter's bench coach. Showalter would like the coaching staff to be finalized by mid-week.
- Dave Eiland, who was fired as the Yankees' pitching coach last week, told Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger that a reported falling out between he and Joe Girardi was "totally, absolutely false," and "ridiculous."
- How potential free agents have been performing, and continue to perform, in the postseason will have an impact on the Giants' offseason decisions, Brian Sabean tells Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. Aubrey Huff, Juan Uribe, and Pat Burrell are a few Giants who are facing possible free agency.
- Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer reminds Phillies fans that if Jayson Werth signs elsewhere, it wouldn't be the first time the club has lost a star outfielder to free agency. As Brookover notes, things turned out pretty well for the Phils in 2007, when Aaron Rowand signed with the Giants after having a career year in Philadelphia.
- In a piece for the Detroit Free Press, Josh Huebner explains why signing Carl Crawford should be the Tigers' number one priority this winter.
- Derek Jeter will likely still be playing shortstop in New York in 2011, but as Bill Madden of the New York Daily News writes, the Yankees view Eduardo Nunez as Jeter's eventual successor.
Odds & Ends: Gammons, Braves, Hurdle, Marlins
As we hope for Wilson and Cain rather than clouds and rain in San Francisco tonight, here are a few news items…
- In an appearance on WEEI's The Big Show this afternoon, Peter Gammons predicted that Cliff Lee will re-sign with Texas and Victor Martinez will sign a four- or five-year contract with Detroit since "I don't think anyone else is going to give him four or five years." Gammons also reiterated that the Red Sox have a big interest in Carl Crawford this winter. WEEI's Kirk Minihane has a partial transcript here.
- The Braves have signed Beau Torbert to a minor league contract, according to the Sioux Falls Fighting Pheasants, Torbert's American Association team. Torbert, a 17th-round pick of the Astros in 2004, was Baseball America's Independent Player Of The Year for 2010.
- The Pirates haven't interviewed a managerial candidate in two weeks, but FOXSports.com's Tracy Ringolsby believes the Bucs are waiting to speak to Clint Hurdle, who is "a serious consideration" for the job. Pittsburgh has to wait until the World Series is over to interview Hurdle, the former Rockies manager and current Rangers hitting coach.
- The Marlins hope to settle on a manager by next week, tweets Newsday's Ken Davidoff. Edwin Rodriguez is "still in the mix" according to Davidoff, which coincides with news earlier this week that the Fish were "leaning toward" keeping their current manager.
- Pedro Martinez is "looking for motivation to come back," tweets Enrique Rojas of ESPN. Martinez is training with the Dominican League's Licey Tigers, whose pitching coach is Pedro's brother (and former major league pitcher) Ramon.
- Andy MacPhail tells MASN.com's Steve Melewski that the Orioles aren't likely to re-sign any of their pending free agents before the deadline.
- Tom Gage of the Detroit News implies that Jim Thome could be the Tigers' backup plan if the team fails to sign any bigger-name free agents.
- We had heard that John Gibbons wasn't a managerial candidate in New York, but Jack Curry of the YES Network reports that the Mets have already contacted other teams for infomation about the Royals bench coach. Curry says the Mets haven't contacted Gibbons himself, but will probably do so once Sandy Alderson officially takes over as GM. (All Twitter links)
- Hoping your team can unload a bad contract this winter, or at least trade one for another team's problem? ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin has a rundown of each team's most unwieldly financial commitments.
Odds & Ends: Daniels, Takahashi, Byrnes, Lee, Gray
Links for Wednesday, as Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum duel in Game One of the World Series…
- Jon Daniels called a report indicating that he asked the Mets (through back channels) to hold off on their GM announcement until after the World Series "complete bull," according to CBSSports.com's Scott Miller. Daniels can opt out of his contract after the season since the Rangers were sold this year.
- Hisanori Takahashi switched agents from Peter Greenberg to Arn Tellem, tweets Newday's David Lennon. We learned that Takashi and the Mets were discussing an extension just a few days ago, but it appears that the lefty is positioning himself to test the free agent waters.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the "belief in the sport" is that Josh Byrnes will join the Padres' front office after losing out on the Mets GM gig. Byrnes has strong ties to San Diego's front office, most notably owner Jeff Moorad.
- Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe wonders if the Tigers and Red Sox are getting ready to battle for the same free agents in a few weeks.
- The Yankees have had internal discussions about how much money they'd be willing to offer Cliff Lee, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network.
- The Cubs outrighted Jeff Gray to Triple A, so he’s no longer on the team’s 40-man roster. The 28-year-old righty struggled through 9.1 big league innings this year.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com explains that the Red Sox will have trouble finding another pitching coach like John Farrell, the new Blue Jays manager.
- Omar Minaya isn't sure whether he'll stay with the Mets, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Heyman says there's a decent chance Minaya returns, since he gets along well with owner Fred Wilpon and incoming GM Sandy Alderson.
Tigers “Deeply Interested” In Carl Crawford
The Tigers are "deeply interested" in Carl Crawford, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. As Rosenthal points out, Crawford and Austin Jackson would provide the Tigers with excellent outfield defense in spacious Comerica Park. Crawford can hit, too; the 29-year-old batted .307/.356/.495 this year with a career-high 19 homers.
The Red Sox, Angels and Nationals are among the many potential suitors for Crawford. The Reds and Astros don't figure to pursue the left fielder, but that won't hurt his free agent stock much. He's in position to demand a $100MM deal, especially if the Yankees and Braves get involved.
The Tigers started addressing their offseason needs last week by signing Brandon Inge to an affordable extension. They may soon do the same with Jhonny Peralta, so GM Dave Dombrowski figures to have the resources to make competitive offers to Crawford and other impact bats.
Tigers, Peralta “Expected” To Agree On Extension
The Tigers have already locked up one infielder (Brandon Inge) before the start of the free agency period, and now they may be on the verge of re-signing another. Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com reports that Detroit is "expected" to spend $0.25MM to buy out Jhonny Peralta's $7MM option for 2011 and instead work out a two-year contract with the shortstop. Morosi predicts Peralta's new deal will be worth "a little less" than the $11.5MM that Inge will earn over the two guaranteed years of his contract.
Peralta had a .703 OPS in 2010, including a .253/.314/.396 line in 242 plate appearances as a Tiger. He provides solid power from the shortstop position, which is a big plus on a Detroit team that didn't generate much pop beyond Miguel Cabrera and the possibly-departing Magglio Ordonez. Without Peralta, the Tigers would be forced to explore the very thin shortstop market for a replacement that would've very likely been a downgrade.
Morosi also mentions that Peralta's pending return to Detroit puts an end to any thought of Michigan native Derek Jeter suiting up for his home-state team if he somehow couldn't reach an agreement with the Yankees.
Amateur Signing Bonuses: Tigers
Time to take our amateur signing bonus series to Motown…
- Jacob Turner, $4.7MM (2009)
- Rick Porcello, $3.58MM (2007)
- Andrew Miller, $3.55MM (2006)
- Eric Munson, $3.5MM (1999)
- Nick Castellanos, $3.45MM (2010)
Turner, a Scott Boras client and the ninth overall pick in the 2009 draft, received what was then the largest bonus ever given to a high school pitcher. The total value of his big league contract is $5.5MM with the potential to be worth $7MM. He spent his first pro season in Single-A, and is the team's best prospect thanks to a 3.28 ERA, 8.0 K/9, and 1.8 BB/9 in 115.1 innings.
Before there was Turner there was Porcello, who matched Josh Beckett for the most guaranteed money ever given to a high school arm ($7MM). He reached the majors after just one season in the minors, and has a 4.43 ERA with 2.1 BB/9 and 4.7 K/9 in 333.1 innings for the Tigers. Castellanos was the 44th overall pick this year, and his bonus is the largest ever given to a player outside of the first round. He started his career with a .333/.414/.417 performance in 29 rookie ball plate appearances.
Miller was the consensus top talent in the 2006 draft, but lasted until the sixth pick because of bonus demands. The Tigers were happy to pay him, but they rushed him to the big leagues later that year. Miller posted a 5.69 ERA in 74.1 innings for the Tigers before being traded to Marlins in December 2007 as part of the package for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis.
Munson was the third overall pick in the 1999 draft after a monster collegiate career at USC. His bonus was the franchise record for close to a decade before Porcello came along. Munson received 885 plate appearances for the Tigers from 2000-2004, hitting just .215/.287/.414 along the way. He was granted his release after the 2004 season, and has bounced from team to team ever since.
Amazingly, this list doesn't including Kyle Sleeth (third overall in 2003) and Justin Verlander (second overall in 2004), who received $3.35MM and $3.12MM bonuses, respectively. The Tigers aren't shy about spending on young players, that's for sure.
Odds & Ends: Mets, Inge, Reynolds, Angels
On this date in 1974, the Yankees and Giants swapped Bobby Bonds and Bobby Murcer in one of the many deals that had Bonds packing his bags. Now, the Yankees and Giants are preoccupied with something else entirely: trying to reach the World Series. Here are today's links…
- Dodgers assistant GM Logan White isn’t going anywhere. He was a candidate to become the Mets’ next GM, but he’ll be staying with the Dodgers, according to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick (on Twitter).
- Brandon Inge, who just signed an extension that will keep him in Detroit through 2012, says he hopes to stay there until the Tigers kick him out, according to Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com wonders if the Orioles should make a play for Mark Reynolds. The D'Backs third baseman would instantly become Baltimore's most powerful hitter.
- MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer suggests the Angels rank the best free agent hitters in this order: Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre, Jayson Werth and Adam Dunn.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if the Cubs and Angels will pursue Cliff Lee this winter and suggests the lefty has set himself up for a six-year $150MM deal.
Odds & Ends: Beimel, Angels, Mets, Peralta, Dunn
On this date 27 years ago, the Padres signed Sandy Alomar Jr. as an amateur free agent. Now, the former catcher is one of four finalists for the Blue Jays managerial opening. Here are today's links, as the Phillies send the NLCS back to Philadelphia…
- Joe Beimel tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he'd like to return to Colorado next year: "The Rockies are my first choice. I definitely want to be back. But after the last two offseasons, it's hard to know what to expect."
- The Angels promoted Ric Wilson, making him their new scouting director, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
- Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon says the team completed its initial round of interviews and will narrow the group of candidates "by early next week," according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski says he's "optimistic" about reaching a deal with Jhonny Peralta, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. The Tigers have a $7MM option for the infielder's services in 2011.
- Now that Detroit is presumably out of the running for Adrian Beltre, Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Tigers look like real players for Adam Dunn (Twitter link).
- Remember Larry Bigbie, the former first rounder who played parts of six seasons in the major leagues? He's making a comeback and was recently named to Baseball America's 2010 All-Independent Leagues Team.
- The Marlins outrighted Jay Buente, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (on Twitter). That means the 27-year-old righty is no longer on the 40-man roster.
Tigers, Inge Agree To Two-Year Extension
The longest tenured Tiger is staying in Detroit. The Tigers announced that they signed Brandon Inge to a two-year extension with a club option for 2013. Inge's deal is worth $11.5MM, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (on Twitter). The third baseman earns $5.5MM in 2011 and 2012 and will either earn $6MM or a $500K buyout in 2013. Inge's four-year $24MM deal expired after the season, and he soon began discussing a multi-year extension with the Tigers.
Inge, 33, batted .247/.321/.397 last year with 13 homers. As usual, the ten-year veteran showed some power, struck out frequently and hit for a low average. According to UZR, Inge also played above-average defense for the sixth consecutive season. Though he no longer contributes behind the plate or in the outfield, Inge gives the Tigers excellent defense at the hot corner.
Early in the season, I suggested the 2009 All-Star was headed for a $4-6MM guarantee, but Inge did considerably better than that. The extension gives Scott Boras one less potential destination for Adrian Beltre, the best player on this year's free agent third base market.