Everett Teaford To Play In Korea
Left-hander Everett Teaford has signed a $500K contract with the LG Twins of Korea Professional Baseball, MyKBO.net tweets. The deal includes incentives.
Teaford has spent his entire career with the Royals since being drafted by the club in 2006. Kansas City largely used the 29-year-old as a swingman in his sporadic big league appearances from 2011-2013. Over that period, which included eight starts, Teaford logged 106 innings and posted a 4.25 ERA. He has presumably been released by the Royals.
The LG Twins inked third baseman Josh Bell earlier in the offseason.
Royals To Release Ramon Hernandez
The Royals have released Ramon Hernandez at the catcher's request, tweets Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star. Hernandez had already opted out of his contract, so the move is really a formality.
Hernandez did not want to play in the minors and will likely hang up his spikes if he is unable to find an MLB job, tweets Ken Rosethal of FOX Sports.
Minor Moves: Duncan, Manzella, Russell, Rauch
Here are today's minor transactions, with the newest moves at the top of the page…
- The Diamondbacks have released first baseman Shelley Duncan, shortstop Tommy Manzella and right-hander Adam Russell, Matt Eddy reports (via Twitter). All three players signed minor league deals with the Snakes during the offseason. Duncan had a .606 OPS in 64 PA with the Rays in 2013, while Russell and Manzella last appeared in the majors in 2011 and 2010, respectively.
- The Royals released veteran reliever Jon Rauch, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star tweets. Rauch, 35, signed a minor league deal with K.C. in January. The right-hander posted a 7.56 ERA in 16 2/3 IP with the Marlins and a 2.89 ERA in 9 1/3 IP for the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate last season.
- The Nationals released infielder Mike Fontenot. The veteran last played in the Majors in 2012, spending last season with the Rays' Triple-A affiliate and then signing a minor league deal with Washington in January. Formerly a staple of the Cubs infield, Fontenot has a .265/.332/.401 line over 1586 career PA with the Cubs, Giants and Phillies.
- The Cardinals outrighted Joey Butler to Triple-A Memphis. Butler, 28, made his Major League debut last season by appearing in eight games for the Rangers, following six years in the Texas farm system that saw him post a .291/.375/.442 slash line with 72 homers over 3036 PA. The outfielder was claimed off waivers by St. Louis in October.
- The Brewers released outfielder Greg Golson, who had been signed to a minor league contract in January. Golson appeared in 40 Major League games with the Phillies, Rangers and Yankees from 2008-11 and has playing in the minors ever since.
Royals Return Rule 5 Pick Schuster To Diamondbacks
The Royals have returned Rule 5 pick Patrick Schuster to the Diamondbacks, according to the MLB transactions page. It appears that Schuster has passed through waivers this time after being claimed by the Royals just three days ago.
After being selected first overall in this year's Rule 5 draft by the Astros, Schuster was shipped to the Padres before being picked up by the Royals. But with a stacked Kansas City pen, the 23-year-old never appered to have much of a chance of making the roster, let alone sticking on it for the full season.
Instead, according to a report from Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star, the move was designed to create a reason for designating out-of-options outfielder Carlos Peguero for assignment. That, in turn, started a ten-day waiting period for Peguero. The Royals apparently hope that other clubs' 40-man spots will be occupied by the time the clock runs, making it more likely that they will be able to slip him through waivers to the minors.
Quick Hits: Royals, Wolf, Astros, Phillies
The Royals made an odd move Tuesday, claiming Rule 5 pick Patrick Schuster from the Padres and designating outfielder Carlos Peguero for assignment. As Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star notes, the Royals did not give Schuster a locker, and manager Ned Yost said he had not talked to GM Dayton Moore about Schuster. McCullough thinks the move was about Peguero — the Royals would like to keep Peguero, and they may feel ten days from now, by which time the season will have begun, is a good time to sneak him through waivers. To designate Peguero for assignment, the Royals needed to claim someone else, and Schuster just happened to be available. It doesn't sound like he'll be with the Royals long. Here are more notes from around baseball.
- Lefty Randy Wolf release by the Mariners was triggered by Wolf's annoyance at the Mariners' insistence on a 45-day advance-consent release, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune writes. Such a clause would have allowed the Mariners to drop Wolf during the first several weeks of the season and only pay a prorated portion of his big-league salary. "I principally objected to that because we negotiated in good faith in February on a very team-friendly contract," says Wolf. Wolf would have broken camp with the team if he had been willing to sign the release. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik says he wanted the clause in case Wolf, who did not pitch at all in 2013 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, did not perform well. Dutton reports that many sources within baseball say that clauses like the one Mariners wanted Wolf to sign are not unusual.
- FOX Sports' Jon Morosi, however, asks (via Twitter) whether the Yankees, for example, would have let a member of their projected starting rotation depart over a clause like this. Probably not, Morosi suggests, saying that the Mariners' decision to release Wolf "sends the wrong message."
- The Astros object to the Associated Press' calculation of their payroll, reports Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. The AP lists their payroll as $45MM, lowest in the Majors, just behind that of the Marlins. "Outside accounting methods are estimates and don’t accurately reflect total payroll costs," says GM Jeff Luhnow. Drellich notes that the AP's calculation does not seem to include a $5.5MM payout to the Pirates for Wandy Rodriguez, for example.
- Freddy Galvis' MRSA infection has the Phillies interested in finding an extra reserve infielder who can play shortstop, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports. That could mean adding an infielder who isn't currently with the team. Galvis hopes to return to baseball activities in around a week, but he will start the season on the disabled list, and starting shortstop Jimmy Rollins, meanwhile, might need a day or two off in April when his wife has a baby. In the meantime, the Phillies will look for alternatives. "We’re still looking inside and outside the organization as far as filling that role," says GM Ruben Amaro Jr. "But we have candidates. We have guys internally and there are some guys we’re looking at outside the organization as well." Reid Brignac, an NRI in Phillies spring training, might be a possibility.
Minor Moves: Oeltjen, Laffey, Cassevah, Wolf, Hill
We'll keep tabs on the day's minor moves here:
- Outfielder Trent Oeltjen tweets (via Rotoworld) that he has signed with the Diamondbacks. Oeltjen, 31, has not appeared in the big leagues since 2011 with the Dodgers, but he has hit well at the Triple-A level, putting up a line of .255/.345/.483 for the Angels' Triple-A Salt Lake affiliate last season.
- The Orioles have released lefty Aaron Laffey, MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski tweets. Laffey pitched just 12 2/3 innings in the big leagues in 2013, spending most of it struggling at Triple-A, but he pitched 100 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays in 2012.
- The Rockies have released pitcher Bobby Cassevah, MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo tweets. Cassevah, who accumulated a 3.20 ERA with 4.7 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 from 2010-2012 in the Angels bullpen, is currently rehabbing an injury.
- Veteran lefty Randy Wolf has requested, and received, his release from the Mariners, MLB.com's Greg Johns tweets. Wolf was attempting a comeback after missing the entire 2013 season. He last appeared in the big leagues in 2012, when he pitched for the Brewers and Orioles. The Mariners told Wolf he had made the team, but he did not want to sign a 45-day advance consent release, Johns notes.
- The Blue Jays have signed pitcher Shawn Hill from the York Revolution of the Atlantic League, MLive.com's Chris Iott tweets. Hill, 32, last appeared in the big leagues in 2012 with the Jays. He posted a 5.51 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 150 1/3 innings with the Tigers' Triple-A Toledo affiliate in 2013.
- The Padres have acquired catcher Adam Moore from the Royals in exchange for cash considerations, tweets Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star. The 29-year-old has seen bit action at the MLB level in each of the last five years. In his longest stint, a 2010 run with the Mariners, Moore managed only a .513 OPS in 218 plate appearances.
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.
Royals Designate Carlos Peguero For Assignment
The Royals have designated outfielder Carlos Peguero for assignment to create roster space for Rule 5 pick Patrick Schuster, tweets Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star.
The 27-year-old former Mariner has had a sparkling spring, posting a .313/.436/.563 triple-slash in 39 plate appearances. But he always faced an uphill battle in unseating Justin Maxwell for the fourth outfielder role. He could find a new home via trade, though any team acquiring him that way (rather than by signing him if he is waived) would need to consider him a strong candidate for an Opening Day spot, as Peguero is out of options.
Royals Claim Rule 5 Pick Patrick Schuster
The Royals have claimed Rule 5 choice Patrick Schuster off of waivers from the Padres, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes reports (Twitter links). The 23-year-old southpaw was the first choice in this year's Rule 5 draft.
Kansas City will now have the same rights as did San Diego, meaning the club will need to keep him on its active roster all year in order to keep him going forward. Otherwise, he would once again hit the waiver wire and ultimately (if he clears waivers) be offered back to the Diamondbacks, his original team.
As Dierkes notes, the Royals had seemed ready to give its last pen slot to fellow lefty Francisley Bueno. Instead, perhaps, the club will see if Schuster is able to contribute enough to occupy a valuable roster slot. Of course, Kansas City would need to pass the out-of-options Bueno through waivers to stash him in the minors.
AL Central Notes: Royals, Scherzer, Quintana, Twins, Baker
One hidden key to the Royals' emergence has been the club's dedication to Latin American scouting, signing, and player development under GM Dayton Moore (and special assistant Rene Francisco), writes Rany Jazayerli of RanyontheRoyals.com. Jazayerli breaks down the team's long history of virtually no significant spending on Latin American players, and how increased investments — especially on lower-priced players like Salvador Perez, Yordano Ventura, Miguel Almonte, and Jorge Bonifacio (total commitment: $253K) — have been critical to building the team's overall talent base. Here's more from the American League Central:
- Max Scherzer requested an eight-year deal in his negotiations with the Tigers, reports Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The Tigers' reported offer was for six years and $144MM. If the sides were in agreement on the $24MM AAV, that would hypothetically put Scherzer's demands on total gaurantee at $192MM. Scherzer has injury protection through an insurance policy, Bowden adds, which perhaps has increased his willingness to wait for a larger deal on the open market.
- Meanwhile, the White Sox were able to secure seven years of control rights over their own prized starter, Jose Quintana, for a total guarantee that maybe as low as $21MM (if he does not qualify for Super Two status). Of course, unlike Scherzer, Quintana has just 1.133 years of service and did not win the AL Cy Young last year. Nevertheless, the deal looks like a smart investment for a Chicago club that has purchased prime years of several players at seemingly reasonable rates. As Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports, GM Rick Hahn sees the value in early extensions, which "frees us up to allocate our resources to other needs." Hahn explained: "You've seen the magnitude of what some of these deals have gotten to in free agency. It makes sense to try to get out in front of that sometimes, to try to get the price points locked in before the market continues to grow … ."
- Twins assistant GM Rob Antony had several updates today, as Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Infielder Jason Bartlett has agreed to push back his March 25 opt-out to the March 30 Opening Day roster deadline, which gives both sides more time to assess their options. Meanwhile, the club is still in discussions on a new deal with reliever Matt Guerrier, who was released because the club did not want to pay the Article XX(B) free agent signee a $100K retention bonus to stash him in the minors.
- Though the Twins have had some exploratory discussions about an extension with second baseman Brian Dozier, the 26-year-old tells Berardino that a deal is probably not happening at this point. That is not surprising, as Dozier has just 1.100 on his service clock and still has some questions to answer as a player. But he indicated that there is a positive vibe between the two sides and a hope that talks could pick up in the future. "We had some talks or whatever," he said. "Obviously nothing took place but it was a bunch of good postive feedback on both ends.It's very unlikely anything will be coming soon or during the season or anything. We'll let another year play out and see where it goes. That was just a thing to see where everybody was. I think [the Twins] would be in the near future open to it and we definitely are."
- The Indians were one of the clubs vying for Scott Baker's services before the offseason, and just released Aaron Harang. Nevertheless, Cleveland will not pursue the starter at this point, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. Baker was released today by the Mariners after deciding he would rather test the market than accept an assignment to Triple-A.
AL Central Notes: Miguel Cabrera, Kipnis, Twins
The AL Central has already been in the news twice this morning, with the Tigers trading for veteran shortstop Alex Gonzalez and the Twins releasing reliever Matt Guerrier. More from the division:
- "Word is there is some early optimism" in contract talks between the Tigers and superstar Miguel Cabrera, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Heyman believes Cabrera should top Alex Rodriguez's $27.5MM average annual value, but probably won't be able to score a ten-year deal. With Cabrera already signed through 2015, a new deal would begin with his age-33 campaign. The Tigers recently broke off talks with pitcher Max Scherzer, who is eligible for free agency after this season.
- Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis says everyone on the team was rooting for Justin Masterson to get a deal done, but added, "Everyone in this room, at one point of time, has experienced the business side of this game," talking to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Kipnis offered nothing to reveal the state of his own contract negotiations, which have the typical Opening Day deadline. The Tribe opens their season in Oakland a week from today. Kipnis remains under team control through 2017.
- Infielder Eduardo Escobar and veteran Jason Kubel have made the Twins, tweets La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Escobar is out of options, while Kubel is subject to tomorrow's $100K retention bonus deadline. Neal's colleague Phil Miller has quotes from non-roster invitee Jason Bartlett, who appears to be on the losing end of the team's backup infielder battle.
- Twins second baseman Brian Dozier calls an extension "very unlikely," but he remains open to midseason talks, tweets Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Dozier, 27 in May, is already under team control through 2018.
- "For the way we're set up with our finances and our payroll, starting pitching costs a lot of money to maintain, so that's why it's important to develop it," Royals assistant general manager for scouting and player development J.J. Picollo tells MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis. Callis names Yordano Ventura, Kyle Zimmer, Sean Manaea, and Miguel Almonte as the team's top young arms.
- For the White Sox, "the most recent [roster] cuts stem from the decision to retain a third first baseman based on latent talisman powers," writes Jim Margalus of South Side Sox in reference to the team's decision to bring Paul Konerko back.
- What is it like finding out you've been traded? "I was literally on the field, taking ground balls, when the GM, Jerry (Dipoto) comes running out, pulls me off the field with (manager Mike Scioscia)," new Tigers infielder Andrew Romine tells Dick Scanlon of the Detroit Free Press. He added, "We go in and have a meeting and right away: 'Hey, we’re trading you over to Detroit for a left-handed pitcher.'"
- For a reminder which AL Central players are out of options, check out my post from March 6th.