Quick Hits: Royals, Axford, Upton, Dunn
For two of baseball’s 30 teams, the 2012 season opens in a matter of hours. Here are the latest links from around MLB…
- The Royals acquired Humberto Quintero last week, but they continue looking for catching depth, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.
- ESPN.com’s Buster Olney asked a number of baseball people why the trade market has been slow this spring and came up with a variety of possible answers. "I think teams value their young players more, and they value the older guys less," one GM told Olney. "The lower middle class [of players] has taken a hit this winter."
- The Brewers have stayed in contact with agent Dan Horwits, the representative for closer John Axford, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. I previewed a possible extension for Axford earlier in the year.
- Justin Upton, Eric Hosmer and Bryce Harper have a good shot at being top-ten players five years from now, ESPN.com’s Keith Law writes.
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today discusses failure and expectations with a number of MLB players who have struggled after signing massive free agent deals. "You cannot have a worse feeling in sports," Adam Dunn told Nightengale. "It's tough, just so tough," Alfonso Soriano said.
Minor Moves: White Sox, Royals, Golson, Cora
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves right here:
- The Royals announced via Twitter that they have traded outfielder Greg Golson to the White Sox for cash considerations. The 26-year-old appeared in nine games for the Yankees last year and hit .263/.330/.385 in 105 games with the team’s Triple-A affiliate.
- The Cardinals announced that they released infielder Alex Cora and catcher Koyie Hill. The Cards signed Cora to a minor league deal back in February that would have been worth $800K if he made the big league roster. Hill, who spent 2011 with the Cubs, hooked on with the Cardinals in January.
Quick Hits: Getz, Utley, Phillies, Giants, Madson
Sunday afternoon linkage..
- One source told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) doubts that the Royals will trade Chris Getz as he has a good chance to open the season as the club's starting second baseman. Last week we heard that Getz could be an option for clubs seeking infield depth.
- The Phillies are said to be looking for infield depth with Chase Utley sidelined but the second baseman insists that he will be back at some point this year, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
- The spring play of Giants shortstop Joaquin Arias and the performance of Emmanuel Burriss has the club confident enough to put out trade feelers for Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot, writes Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that agent Scott Boras should have found a way to get Ryan Madson a multi-year deal this offseason.
Quick Hits: Escalona, Duke, Garza, Soria, Lawrie
"I think very highly of my client," said Zack Greinke's agent to Brewers management when the two sides opened extension talks according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Greinke, of course, represents himself. The right-hander and his sense of humor will hire an agent at some point, but for now here are some links from around the league…
- The Astros announced that left-handed reliever Sergio Escalona will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the season. "This probably makes us think about [Zach] Duke’s role if he doesn’t win a spot in the rotation," said GM Jeff Luhnow to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (Twitter link).
- Cubs GM Jed Hoyer told ESPN's Jim Bowden that he wants to sign Matt Garza long-term and build around the right-hander rather than trade him (Twitter link).
- "I hope I stay here in Kansas City," said Joakim Soria to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. Soria will miss the season with Tommy John surgery, and the Royals hold an $8MM club option for his services in 2013. "I love this organization, I feel part of this family and I appreciate what they've done for me."
- "I needed a fresh start. I needed a new team," said Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie to ESPN's Jayson Stark about his trade from the Brewers. Lawrie feels Milwaukee tried to change his effusive personality, though GM Doug Melvin disagrees.
- John Grabow and Jamey Wright will earn $800K and $900K, respectively, if they make the Dodgers according to Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). Both pitchers have incentives based on appearances, maxing out at $500K (Wright) and $200K (Grabow).
Quick Hits: Nationals, Blue Jays, Soria, Carpenter
Two weeks from now, the regular season will be underway. In the meantime, here are some links, including injury updates on a trio of pitchers…
- "We are pretty comfortable with the team that we have right now," said Nationals GM Mike Rizzo to reporters (including MLB.com's Bill Ladson). "If something comes up to improve ourselves, we'll certainly investigate it. We are not selling anybody or shopping anybody or making a lot of phone calls, because we are comfortable where we are at."
- The Blue Jays have five roster spots up for grabs – left field, fifth starter, utility infielder, two bullpen spots – but there are clear frontrunners for each job according to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. The team doesn't want to delay any official moves, but they also want to make sure everyone gets enough playing time to audition for jobs.
- Royals closer Joakim Soria will undergo Tommy John surgery on April 3rd, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (Twitter links).
- Chris Carpenter is out indefinitely with a nerve issue, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told reporters, including MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (Twitter link). Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests Carpenter will likely miss two months or more (Twitterlink).
- Joba Chamberlain dislocated his right ankle and lost a life-threatening amount of blood yesterday, Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News reports. The injury will end Chamberlain's season and could threaten his career.
- One scout says Mark Reynolds isn't appealing, especially given his $7.5MM salary, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets. The Orioles are shopping Reynolds and teammate Kevin Gregg.
- Padres owner John Moores could earn a substantial profit when he sells his team, partly because bidders who fail to purchase the Dodgers may view Padres as consolation prize, Jon Paul Morosi writes at FOX Sports.
- Former All-Star reliever Chad Cordero tells Jonathan Hacohen of MLB Reports that he's getting the itch to play again and will attempt to come back to the Major Leagues in 2013. The 30-year-old reliever took time off to deal with the death of his infant daughter, but he's not ready to give up on baseball yet.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Offseason In Review: Kansas City Royals
The Royals sat out the trade market for top starting pitchers, instead adding a pair of short-term lefties to their rotation, supplementing their bullpen, and extending a couple of up-the-middle position players.
Major League Signings
- Bruce Chen, SP: two years, $9MM.
- Jonathan Broxton, RP: one year, $4MM.
- Yuniesky Betancourt, IF: one year, $2MM.
- Jose Mijares, RP: one year, $925K.
- Total spend: $15.925MM
Notable Minor League Signings
Extensions
- Salvador Perez, C: five years, $7MM. Include three club options.
- Alcides Escobar, SS: four years, $10.5MM. Includes two club options.
- Ned Yost, manager: exercised 2013 club option.
Trades and Claims
- Acquired SP Jonathan Sanchez and SP Ryan Verdugo from Giants for OF Melky Cabrera
- Acquired RP Brooks Pounders and IF Diego Goris from Pirates for IF/OF Yamaico Navarro
- Acquired cash from Yankees for RP Cesar Cabral, who was taken from Red Sox in Rule 5 draft
- Acquired OF Jason Bourgeois and C Humberto Quintero from Astros for RP Kevin Chapman and a player to be named later
Notable Losses
- Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francis, Yamaico Navarro, Jeff Bianchi
The Royals aren't quite ready to pounce. In an offseason that included trades of starting pitchers Trevor Cahill, Mat Latos, Gio Gonzalez, and Michael Pineda, Royals GM Dayton Moore settled for stopgaps Jonathan Sanchez and Bruce Chen.
Melky Cabrera wasn't part of Moore's long-term plan, despite an age 26 career year for the Royals in 2011. Though Lorenzo Cain turns 26 himself in April, he'll be a defensive upgrade over Cabrera in center field and remains under team control for the full six years. Allowing Cain to take over in center and taking a one-year look at Sanchez in the rotation is a better fit for Kansas City. The 29-year-old Sanchez tantalizes with big strikeout rates, and is at least useful when he's healthy and keeps his walk rate below five per nine innings.
Chen, 34, received the first multiyear deal of his career to return to the Royals' rotation. A back injury cost him over a month in 2011, limiting him to 25 starts. Chen (pictured) posted a 3.77 ERA last year, but his peripheral stats suggest his ERA will come in a full run higher. Rather than jump on Chen for two guaranteed years in November, the Royals would have been better served to go bargain hunting for starting pitchers on one-year deals in late December and January, around when Jason Marquis, Paul Maholm, and Bartolo Colon signed. The departed Jeff Francis, who was no worse than Chen in the Royals' rotation, signed a minor league deal with the Reds in late January.
A hunting trip with Ned Yost, Jeff Francoeur, and Jeff Foxworthy on the comedian's property helped secure Broxton on a reasonable one-year deal. The huge righty is a year removed from relief dominance. Along with Greg Holland, the Royals have the talent to survive the late innings without closer Joakim Soria if his spring elbow soreness proves serious. Southpaw Mijares was signed on the cheap for lefty matchups.
The Royals' other minor moves were led by the signing of Betancourt, who started at shortstop for the club for a year and a half before being traded to Milwaukee in last offseason's Zack Greinke trade. The Royals' press release made sure to stress Betancourt's utility role. It remains to be seen how Betancourt's poor shortstop defense will carry over to second and third base. Of the team's minor league signings, Gutierrez is a fairly interesting 2013 play once he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
The Royals extended catcher Salvador Perez with just 50 days of Major League service time, taking a page from the Rays' playbook. Unlike Evan Longoria and Matt Moore, Perez profiles as more of a solid regular than a star. With three club options and a guarantee of just $7MM, it'll still be hard for the Royals to lose money here unless Perez completely flames out. Perez is off to a rough post-contract start, with knee surgery knocking him out for 12 to 14 weeks. The injury necessitated the acquisition of Quintero. We'll have to see the player to be named to properly judge that deal.
Escobar isn't similar to Perez, as the shortstop has over two years of Major League service. Upon locking up Escobar, Moore noted the payroll is "going to get a little sticky for us, it's going to get a little hairy as we get into 2014-15-16." That doesn't apply much to Escobar, whose fantastic defensive skills wouldn't have been highly-compensated in arbitration in '14 or '15. Instead, this contract gives the team affordable club options on two free agent years.
The team and left fielder Alex Gordon have mutual interest in an extension, but they've been unable to find common ground. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Gordon will "almost certainly will want more than $55 million," the current club record. From the Royals' point of view, I'd be looking to do more of an improved Corey Hart-type deal: $9MM for his final arbitration year (2013) and $22MM for a pair of free agent years (2014-15). For Gordon to set a team record, the Royals will have to buy out at least four free agent years. That kind of commitment is a gamble until Gordon proves his 2011 levels of health and performance are sustainable.
The Royals are poised for another step forward at the big league level, especially if players like Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Salvador Perez, Luke Hochevar, and Felipe Paulino expand upon partial seasons of big league success. The Royals have at least three potential front-rotation starters in the farm system in Mike Montgomery, Jake Odorizzi, and John Lamb, but only Montgomery has a 2012 estimated time of arrival. GM Dayton Moore seems to have an eye on truly contending in 2014, telling MLB.com's Richard Justice, "We're not there yet. We won 71 games last year. I do feel we're going to win more games in 2012 and 2013 — and a lot more in 2014." Perhaps Moore will make a play for an ace starting pitcher prior to the '14 season, after which his own contract will be up.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Royals Acquire Jason Bourgeois, Humberto Quintero
5:36pm: Luhnow told reporters (including MLB.com's Brian McTaggart) that the player to be named later will be the "key component" of the trade (Twitter links). Astros Sr. Director of Social Media Alyson Footer says it'll be a while before that player is named, however. It's probably worth noting that any player drafted last year can not officially be traded yet, so they can only be included in a deal as a player to be named right now.
3:38pm: The Royals have acquired outfielder Jason Bourgeois and catcher Humberto Quintero from the Astros for minor league left-hander Kevin Chapman and a player to be named later. Both teams have announced the trade.
Bourgeois posted a .294/.323/.357 line with 31 stolen bases last year, while playing all three outfield positions and appearing at second base. The 30-year-old will be arbitration eligible for the first time after the 2012 season.
Quintero, 32, appeared in 79 games last year, posting a .240/.258/.317 line in 272 plate appearances. He'll earn $1MM in 2012 and hit free agency after the season. He and Brayan Pena will share the Royals' catching duties while Salvador Perez recovers from a knee operation.
“Jason and Humberto were a big part of this team last year and both will be missed,” Astros GM Jeff Luhnow stated. “This deal gives us an opportunity to add prospect depth and we are excited about both players coming our way.”
Chapman, a fourth round selection in 2010, split last season between Class A and Double-A in the Royals' minor league system. The 6'4" 24-year-old posted a 4.94 ERA with 13.1 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 62 total innings of relief in 2011.
The move likely means Jordan Schafer will assume the starting center field role in Houston. The Astros have catchers Chris Snyder and Jason Castro, so they could afford to part with Quintero and his salary. Meanwhile, projected Royals starter Lorenzo Cain could find himself competing with Bourgeois for playing time. The Royals placed Perez and Manny Pina on the 60-day disabled list to create roster space for their new acquisitions.
Royals Continue Eyeing Catching Help
The Royals completed a trade for Humberto Quintero this afternoon, but the club isn't necessarily done yet. They continue looking for catching depth, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.
The Royals are short on catching, since Salvador Perez underwent a knee operation and will be sidelined for months. Yesterday I outlined some options catching options GM Dayton Moore might have interest in pursuing. Brayan Pena and Quintero figure to share the Major League catching duties, but Moore seeks Triple-A depth, Rosenthal writes.
Jason Bourgeois, Humberto Quintero Traded
Jason Bourgeois and Humberto Quintero of the Astros have been traded, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports (all Twitter links). The Nationals have been linked to Bourgeois while the Royals and Phillies are known to be looking for catching depth. The Royals have been trying to trade for Quintero, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets.
NL East Notes: Vizcaino, Phillies, Mets, Lannan
Earlier today MLBTR's Tim Dierkes reviewed the Marlins' busy offseason. Here are some more links from the NL East…
- Braves GM Frank Wren told reporters that reliever Arodys Vizcaino will miss the 2012 season after undergoing Tommy John ligament replacement surgery. The 21-year-old right-hander appeared in 17 games with the Braves last year and entered the season as the 40th-best prospect in MLB, according to Baseball America.
- The Phillies could start the season with prospect Freddy Galvis at second base, or explore the trade market for alternatives. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney hears from rival executives that there’s a short list of veteran middle infielders available in trades. Maicer Izturis, Alberto Callaspo, Chris Getz and Blake DeWitt appear to be options for teams seeking infield depth.
- Even though they're short on left-handed relief, the Mets are unlikely to sign C.J. Nitkowski, Hong-Chih Kuo or Dontrelle Willis, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports.
- Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hears the Nationals "still have a lot of motivation" to trade John Lannan and his $5MM salary (Twitter link).