Royals Designate Seven For Assignment
The Royals announced that they designated seven players for assignment to create 40-man roster space for players who would otherwise have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft. The Royals designated right-handers Vin Mazzaro and Chris Volstad, left-hander Ryan Verdugo, catcher Brayan Pena, infielder Clint Robinson and outfielder Derrick Robinson for assignment.
The Royals, who are also designating catcher Adam Moore for assignment, now have a full 40-man roster. They selected the contracts of left-handers Chris Dwyer, Donnie Joseph, John Lamb, Justin Marks and Mike Montgomery, and right-hander J.C. Gutierrez in related moves.
The move could amount to an early non-tender for two players. Pena was on track for a salary in the $1.1MM range as a third time arbitration eligible player. Meanwhile, Volstad projected to earn $3MM as a second time eligible player.
Royals To Designate Adam Moore For Assignment
The Royals will designate catcher Adam Moore for assignment, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter). Moore, 28, appeared in four games for the Royals in 2012.
The Royals claimed Moore off of waivers from the Mariners in July and called him up for four games after rosters expanded in September. Moore spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .259/.326/.413 batting line in 229 plate appearances.
Royals Sign Jeremy Guthrie
The Royals announced that they signed right-hander Jeremy Guthrie to a three-year contract through 2015. Excel Sports Management represents Guthrie, who hit free agency this offseason after splitting the 2012 season between the Rockies and Royals. Guthrie will earn $25MM over the course of the three-year, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (on Twitter). He'll earn $5MM in 2013, $11MM in 2014 and $9MM in 2015.
Guthrie pitched poorly in Colorado (6.35 ERA, 21 home runs allowed in 90 2/3 innings), but pitched closer to his career norms after leaving Coors Field. In 14 starts with the Royals, Guthrie posted a 3.16 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9. He has been durable enough to complete 175 innings or more in each of his six full seasons at the MLB level. However, he has allowed more hits than innings pitched in his career and remains somewhat home run prone with 1.3 home runs allowed per nine innings.
Guthrie joins Ervin Santana, Bruce Chen, Luke Hochevar and Luis Mendoza in the Royals' projected 2013 rotation. Danny Duffy, Felipe Paulino, Chris Volstad and Nathan Adcock could also be considerations for the rotation.
Tim Dierkes ranked Guthrie 48th on MLBTR’s list of the year’s top 50 free agents, predicting a deal with the Pirates. I mis-read the market for Guthrie in September, anticipating a one-year deal in the $6MM range. Credit Excel for finding a three-year guarantee for a mid-rotation starter.
One reader has correctly predicted the destinations of every top 50 free agent who has signed to this point in the offseason. Be sure to see where you rank in MLBTR's free agent prediction contest.
Photo courtesy of US Presswire.
Royals Notes: Guthrie, Minor Leaguers
The Royals have already made headlines this offseason by acquiring Ervin Santana from the Angels, but general manager Dayton Moore will have quite a bit more on his plate over the course of the winter. Here's the latest news pertaining to Kansas City…
- The Royals remain interested in Jeremy Guthrie despite recent reports that the right-hander is looking for a three-year deal, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN. Olney gives no direct indication that the Royals are considering a three-year offer, though.
- John Lamb and Mike Montgomery are both expected to be added to the 40-man roster before Tuesday, when 40-man decisions are due, according to the Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton. Top prospect Wil Myers is not, however, as he is not yet eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. The Royals are also considering Chris Dwyer, Justin Marks (who was acquired in the David DeJesus trade) and Juan Gutierrez. Dutton notes that Gutierrez's strong performance in the Venezuelan Winter League is what has made the 29-year-old veteran a candidate.
- More from Dutton, who tweets that the Royals have released minor leaguers Ysmelin Alcantara, Henry Moreno and Jose Rodriguez. Each of the three is at least 22 years old, but none appeared above Low-A ball, and none of the three topped a .661 OPS on the season.
Silverman’s Latest: Greinke, Royals, Rays, Blue Jays
Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald that he was unsure if he'd be able to acquire Miguel Cabrera (and Dontrelle Willis) in 2007. “A lot of clubs were involved and I didn’t think it was going to work for us for where we were financially,” said Dombrowski. “Once we sat down with the Marlins, it took us just a day to work out that deal. It happened very fast.”
Here are Silverman's rumors…
- The Dodgers are the favorite to sign Zack Greinke according to an insider. Both the Angels and Rangers are said to be "on the outside looking in."
- The Royals are listening to offers for Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, and even Wil Myers. The Rays, meanwhile, are listening on James Shields and Jeremy Hellickson.
- Despite their pending blockbuster, keep an eye on the Blue Jays and the pitching market. Silverman suggests that Anibal Sanchez and Edwin Jackson could be in play for Toronto.
- The Blue Jays are shopping their three catchers (John Buck, J.P. Arencibia, and Travis d'Arnaud) but are leaning towards Arencibia or d'Arnaud.
Minor Moves: Igarashi, Brewers, Royals
Here are some minor transactions from both MLB and Japan, with the most recent items at the top of the page…
- The NPL's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have signed right-hander Ryota Igarashi to a three-year contract, according to Yahoo Japan (via NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman). Igarashi appeared in two games each for the Yankees and Blue Jays in 2012, allowing a total of eight runs in four innings pitched. The 33-year-old posted a 6.41 ERA in 73 innings with the Yankees, Jays and Mets over the last three seasons. Igarashi originally came to North America on a two-year, $3MM contract with the Mets before the 2010 season.
- The Brewers signed right-hander Eulogio De La Cruz and southpaw Zach Kroenke to minor league contracts, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- The Royals announced the signings of infielder Brandon Wood, left-hander Atahualpa Severino and right-handers Brian Sanches and Anthony Ortega to minor league contracts.
Minor Moves: Wagner, Angels, Rhymes, Wood
Some minor league deals from around the baseball world…
- The Blue Jays have signed right-hander Neil Wagner to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, MLBTR has learned. Wagner has a 3.77 ERA, 2.95 K:BB ratio and 10.2 K/9 rate in 312 career minor league relief appearances in the Padres, A's, and Indians' systems, plus pitched five Major League innings with Oakland in 2011.
- The Angels signed Billy Buckner, Luke Carlin, Brendan Harris, Trent Oeltjen, Jo-Jo Reyes and J.B. Shuck to minor league contracts with invites to the Major League Spring Training camp, reports MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez.
- The Nationals have signed infielder Will Rhymes to a minor league contract with a Spring Training invite, reports the Beverly Hills Sports Council's Twitter page. (Rhymes is represented by the BHSC.) Rhymes was designated for assignment by Tampa Bay in September and has a .266/.328/.343 line in 449 career plate appearances over three seasons with the Tigers and Rays.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America recaps the week's minor league transactions, including news of Brandon Wood signing a minor league deal with the Royals. Wood, the former Angels third baseman who was once considered one of the top prospects in the game, last appeared in the Majors with the Pirates in 2011 and posted a .722 OPS for the Rockies' Triple-A team in 2012.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Royals, Butler, Myers, Rays, Astros
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that Royals GM Dayton Moore is "feeling the heat," in the sense that many want the team to use their prospect base to acquire veterans who can help them win now like the Blue Jays did with their recent blockbuster. Here's more from Rosenthal on Kansas City…
- Even after acquiring Ervin Santana, the Royals can still fit a free agent like Jeremy Guthrie into their payroll on a back-loaded, multiyear contract.
- The Mariners covet Billy Butler and would conceivably part with young, high-end pitching to acquire him. Butler is under contract through 2014 with a club option for 2015, though the Royals are unsure if they have enough offense to move him right now.
- The Rays like top prospect Wil Myers, though the Royals are conflicted about moving him even for a pitcher like Jeremy Hellickson or Matt Moore.
- The Astros could be another trade partner for Kansas City since the price to acquire Bud Norris or Lucas Harrell would be lower than it would be for Hellickson or Moore. The impact would be less too, however.
- Moore is under contract through 2014 and does not appear to be in danger of losing his job, says Rosenthal.
Minor Moves: Rangers, Bourgeois, Hill
The latest minor moves…
- The Rangers have signed left-hander Neal Cotts, catcher Juan Apodaca, right-hander Yonata Ortega, and outfielders Jim Adduci and Aaron Cunningham to minor league deals, according to Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest. Cotts and Cunningham both have extensive Major League experience.
- Outfielder Jason Bourgeois has cleared waivers and can now elect free agency, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Bourgeois, 30, appeared in 30 games for the Royals this past season, playing left and center field.
- The Tigers signed right-hander Shawn Hill to a minor league contract, James Schmehl of MLive.com reports. Hill elected free agency last month after the Blue Jays removed him from the 40-man roster. The 31-year-old appeared in one game for the Blue Jays this past season, pitching three scoreless innings. He spent most of the 2012 season at Triple-A where he posted a 4.52 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 89 2/3 innings.
AL Central Notes: Tigers, Sanchez, Soria, Bonderman
The latest out of the AL Central..
- The price for Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez could be going up, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Sanchez asked one team for $90MM across six years and another for $100MM over seven years, according to Heyman.
- Joakim Soria has received interest from the Red Sox, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Royals declined their $8MM option for Soria on Halloween, but the right-hander has said that re-signing with Kansas City would be good for him and his family.
- More from Morosi (via Twitter), who hears from sources that the Tigers have offered Jeremy Bonderman a contract. Bonderman hasn't pitched in the majors since 2010 but he says that his arm feels good following reconstructive surgery.
- The Royals announced that they have signed first baseman Ian Gac and outfielder Luis Durango to minor league contracts. Durango spent last season with the Braves' Triple-A affiliate, hitting .289/.352/.335 in 565 plate appearances.