Quick Hits: Astros, Sizemore, A’s, Phillies, CBA
On a day when Jonathan Papelbon switched teams and the Miami Marlins were officially born, the biggest and best news was unquestionably Wilson Ramos' rescue from kidnappers in his native Venezuela. Here are a few other items as we head into the weekend…
- The Astros' potential sale to Jim Crane is on the agenda at next week's owners meetings, reports The Associated Press. Two sources say Crane, Drayton McLane and Major League Baseball have "reached an understanding" on how the Astros could move to the American League in 2013.
- Crane could be getting as much as an $80MM discount off his original price for the team by agreeing to move the Astros to the AL, tweets Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman.
- Grady Sizemore is looking for a one-year contract so he can re-establish his value for a longer-term deal next winter, reports Jon Heyman (Twitter link). Heyman makes the comparison to the one-year deal Adrian Beltre signed with the Red Sox before the 2010 season, which saw Beltre have a big season and earn a multiyear deal with the Rangers last winter. Sizemore won't match the $10MM Beltre got from Boston, but a $6-7MM deal with incentives seems reasonable.
- Heyman says the Athletics are interested in Sizemore but are worried about his health and his asking price.
- With the Phillies reportedly interested in both Sizemore and Jason Kubel, Fangraphs' Eric Seidman argues that Sizemore is the better choice for the Phils.
- The Phillies want to sign Michael Cuddyer and re-sign Jimmy Rollins but the club finds both players' asking prices to be too high, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- Major League Baseball and the Players' Association are expected to "continue to negotiate amicably" about the new collective bargaining agreement over the weekend, reports Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Also from Rosenthal, he thinks teams take a major risk by hiring managers with little or no Major League managing or coaching experience.
- The Pirates' offseason moves will be influenced by the number of players on the roster who are out of options, writes MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
NL Central Links: Wandy, Reds, Cards’ Manager
Some NL Central linkage …
- Astros GM Ed Wade said today on MLB Network Radio that he is open to all offers on left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, tweets Jim Bowden. The Astros tried to move Rodriguez in a post-deadline transaction in August, but they were unable to reach agreement on trade with the Rockies when Colorado was awarded a waiver claim on the southpaw. We heard a couple weeks ago, though, that some expect the Rockies to again pursue Rodriguez this offseason.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty said that Cincinnati is more likelty to pursue players via trades than free agency this offseason, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The club's most pressing needs, according to Fay, are a top-of-the-rotation starter and a right-handed-hitting power bat.
- The Cardinals' won't expand their candidate list beyond Mike Matheny, Terry Francona, Ryne Sandberg, Jose Oquendo, Joe McEwing and Chris Maloney, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com, who's hearing great things about Matheny and wouldn't be surprised if Matheny were named the next skipper in an upset (Twitter links).
Minor Moves: Stavinoha, Jones, Mickolio
Here's where we'll keep track of the latest minor moves…
- The Astros signed Nick Stavinoha to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training, according to Alyson Footer of the Astros (on Twitter). The 29-year-old played for the Cardinals from 2008-10 and has a .234/.256/.325 line in 278 career plate appearances.
- Eddy has all of the latest minor league transactions at Baseball America.
- The Reds signed outfielder Daryl Jones, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 24-year-old former third round selection posted a .260/.360/.400 line for the Cardinals' top affiliates in 2011.
- Kameron Mickolio, who appeared in six games for the 2011 Diamondbacks, is on his way to play in Japan, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). The 27-year-old right-hander has a 4.83 ERA along with a 33K/17BB ratio in 31 2/3 MLB innings over the course of four seasons. Mickolio has also been involved in memorable trades for Erik Bedard and Mark Reynolds.
Astros Sign Travis Buck
The Astros signed outfielder Travis Buck, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 27-year-old appeared in 50 games for the Indians in 2011 before electing free agency at the end of the season.
Buck played all three outfield positions for Cleveland, hitting .228/.275/.342 in 160 plate appearances. In five seasons with the Indians and Athletics, Buck has a .246/.320/.408 line, so he could provide useful depth for the Astros, who are thin in the outfield after trading Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn this past summer.
Central Notes: Tigers, Cain, Cubs, Barmes
The Tigers signed Jhonny Peralta to a two-year deal on this date in 2010. The shortstop responded with 21 homers and a .299/.345/.478 line in 2011 and the Tigers won their division. Here's the latest from baseball's central divisions, starting in Detroit…
- Jonathan Maurer, the agent for free agent second baseman Jamey Carroll, told Lynn Henning of the Detroit News that the Tigers would be viewed "enthusiastically" should they approach Carroll about a deal. Obtaining a second baseman is one of the Tigers' offseason challenges.
- It doesn’t appear that the Tigers will talk seriously with free agent reliever Joe Nathan, according to Henning.
- Royals GM Dayton Moore told Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that he’s “got to give” Lorenzo Cain a chance to play. The Royals created space for Cain yesterday, shipping Melky Cabrera to San Francisco for Jonathan Sanchez.
- The Cubs will interview Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. for their managerial opening later this week, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. The Red Sox are also interviewing the former catcher.
- Astros GM Ed Wade re-stated his interest in bringing shortstop Clint Barmes back, but he’s not sure the free agent will re-sign in Houston. “I just don't know if it's going to work in our situation," Wade told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. Agent Barry Meister expects a “significant market” for Barmes.
Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers Interested In Buehrle
6:05pm: It's highly unlikely that the Yankees will make a serious run for Buehrle, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
1:54pm: The Yankees, Red Sox, and Rangers are interested in free agent lefty Mark Buehrle, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, and the Marlins are meeting with him today. Buehrle, 32, posted a 3.59 ERA, 4.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.92 HR/9, and 44.9% groundball rate in 205 1/3 innings this year. The long time White Sox starter has pitched 200+ innings in every season since 2001.
The Marlins and Blue Jays are the teams most aggressively pursuing trades for starting pitchers, add Rosenthal and Morosi. One GM said of the Jays' Alex Anthopoulos, "You can’t pin him down. He has interest in every one of your players."
James Shields, Wade Davis, Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill, Jair Jurrjens, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Chad Billingsley, and Wandy Rodriguez are the pitchers "known or thought to be available in trades," according to the FOX writers. Cahill and Billingsley are the new names here, but it's unclear whether they fall under "known" or "thought." The availability of Rodriguez will depend on whether Jim Crane is approved as new Astros owner next week, as Crane does not share Drayton McLane's reluctance to move the 32-year-old.
NL Central Notes: Furcal, Astros, Lee, Phillips
A pair of legendary former Cubs and Cardinals third basemen (Ron Santo and Ken Boyer) are among the 10 "Golden Era" figures to be considered for induction into the Hall Of Fame by the Veterans' Committee. Some other news from the NL Central…
- Rafael Furcal has told the Cardinals that he will wait for the team to hire a new manager before deciding where to play in 2012, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Paul Kinser, Furcal's agent, says six teams have already contacted him about Furcal's services but "we're not in a hurry."
- A number of Cardinals writers note in a Post-Dispatch roundtable that the club apparently has no problem in hiring a manager with no Major League experience.
- Jim Crane's purchase of the Astros will likely be approved at the owners' meetings in two weeks, reports Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle. Issues such as Crane's compensation for moving the team to the American League are still being negotiated but "for the first time since Crane and Drayton McLane shook hands on a deal almost six months ago, there’s a feeling within MLB that the deal will get done," Justice writes.
- The Pirates are trying to re-sign Derrek Lee, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer thinks the Reds are looking for an extension for Brandon Phillips in the neighborhood of four years and $48MM. Fay also discusses several other Reds-related topics with fans as part of the online chat.
- There are no hard feelings between Theo Epstein and Ryne Sandberg, Epstein tells Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. The two exchanged complimentary phone calls in the wake of the Cubs' statement that their new manager "must have managerial or coaching experience at the Major League level," which Sandberg doesn't possess.
Astros Claim Brian Bixler
The Astros announced that they claimed utility player Brian Bixler off of waivers from the Nationals. Houston's 40-man roster now includes 38 players.
Bixler, 29, appeared in 79 games for the Nationals, playing all three outfield positions, shortstop, third base and first base. He posted a .205/.267/.265 line in 94 plate appearances. The Pirates selected Bixler in the second round of the 2004 draft and sold him to the Nationals in 2010.
NL Central Notes: Cardinals, Pirates, Astros
Here's the latest on the Cubs and here's a look ahead to the Cardinals' offseason. Now for some notes from the rest of the division…
- Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan says he expects to remain with the team in 2012, though the commitment depends on their next manager, his responsibilities and his family situation, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington explained that the Pirates declined their options on Chris Snyder, Ryan Doumit, Ronny Cedeno and Paul Maholm because he’d rather use those resources to “see what's out there," according to Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus breaks down the Astros’ top 11 prospects and Jarred Cosart, George Springer and Jonathan Singleton lead the pack. The Astros acquired Cosart and Singleton from the Phillies for Hunter Pence and they selected Springer with their top pick in this year’s draft.
Astros Unlikely To Be Major Players In Free Agency
The Astros went into full blown rebuilding mode by trading Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, Hunter Pence, and Michael Bourn over the last 15 months, and the team is now focused on youth and building from within. As part of that process, GM Ed Wade told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that Houston is unlikely to be a major player in free agency this offseason…
"We'll do all the legwork we normally do and be prepared to read and react as opportunities present themselves, but I don't see us being major players in the free-agent market," said Wade. "I think the course we set out on actually a year ago with the Oswalt and Berkman trades, it's a course we have to continue to follow.
"We'll try to infuse as many young players into our situation as we possibly can and that being the case, we're committed to trying to stay young and build that core nucleus from within. I just don't see a scenario where we're major players in the market, but there could be opportunities to present themselves along the way that we have to be prepared for."
Wade also reiterated that he would like to re-sign Clint Barmes, but the team's "economic environment" probably will not allow them to do so. There is only one-year and $18.5MM left on Carlos Lee's contract, though the team still owes Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers a combined $39.5MM over the next two seasons. Jim Crane is awaiting approval from the other owners before he can finalize his purchase of the team from Drayton McLane, and he'll likely be faced with the opportunity of moving the team to the American League.
In our Offseason Outlook, Tim Dierkes mentioned that the Astros could import some relievers on one-year contracts with an eye towards flipping them at the trade deadline or recouping compensatory draft picks next winter. Houston will pick first overall in the 2012 draft after finishing with the worst record in the game this season.