Angels Looking For Backup Catcher
SUNDAY: The Angels are said to like Chris Snyder and Ramon Hernandez with ex-Angel Bobby Wilson, in camp with the Yankees, an interesting possibility, tweets Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times. MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez adds Rod Barajas and Wil Nieves, both with the Diamondbacks, and Brett Hayes and George Kottaras, both with the Royals, as other possibilities.
FRIDAY: The Angels "have been out looking for a backup catcher," tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
The team entered the spring hoping that former high-end prospect Hank Conger would lay claim to the back-up spot behind starter Chris Iannetta. As Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times explored back in February, the team was also considering two journeymen, John Hester and Luke Carlin. Still young at 25 and offering a natural complement to Iannetta's right-handed bat, Conger seemed the obvious choice if he could move past his history of inconsistency and injury.
Despite Conger's excellent start on the offensive side of the plate this spring, however, he has struggled behind the dish. While manager Mike Scioscia has previously expressed confidence that Conger would rein in his wildness in the throwing game, Conger made three errors with his arm last Sunday. Entering his final option year, the Angels could elect to allow Conger to work out his issues back in Triple-A Salt Lake. For their part, Hester and Carlin have limited track records at the major league level and are sporting anemic batting lines in pre-season action.
If the Halos are unwilling to let Conger test his arm in a real game, the club may be looking at limited options for an upgrade. A glance at MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker reveals Matt Treanor as the lone unsigned, free agent backstop. Barring a more significant trade, the Angels could consider dealing (or scouring the waiver wire) for a more established option as teams like the Diamondbacks and Rockies decide which of their veteran catching options will make their opening day rosters.
Edward Creech contributed to this post.
AL West Notes: Angels, Ryan, Olt, Garland, Luetge
The Angels are on the lookout for a backup catcher, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com writes, confirming an earlier report by Danny Knobler of CBS (on Twitter). Hank Conger is currently slated to back up Chris Iannetta, Gonzalez notes, but Conger has struggled with his throwing this spring. Luke Carlin and John Hester are also technically candidates for the backup job, but both are minor-league veterans with limited big-league experience. The Pirates, Phillies and Rays are also reportedly in the market for catching. Here are more notes from around the AL West.
- The Rangers' Jon Daniels says he doesn't know of Nolan Ryan's plans, but that he "can't eliminate" the possibility that Ryan might leave the organization after its recent front office shakeup clouded his future with the team. Daniels' comments came in an interview with Norm Hitzges on KTCK-AM 1310 The Ticket, transcribed by the Dallas Morning News. Daniels says that the Rangers' baseball operations "have a really good thing going," and that he doesn't want Ryan to leave. Speculation about Ryan's role as CEO of the Rangers began when Daniels was promoted to president of baseball operations/GM and Rick George was promoted to president of business operations.
- Scouts have been watching Rangers prospect Mike Olt, who doesn't currently have a position with the Rangers, but that doesn't mean Texas is likely to move him, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes. Olt has not hit well this spring, but Sullivan notes that manager Ron Washington has been impressed with Olt's defense in right field. Olt hit .288/.398/.579 for Double-A Frisco in 2012 and had a cameo in the big leagues, but has not yet played at the Triple-A level.
- The Mariners will need to decide what to do with pitcher Jon Garland, who appears to have an out clause in his contract that he can exercise next week, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times writes. Garland missed much of 2011 and all of 2012 with shoulder trouble.
- Mariners hurler Lucas Luetge is in a different position than he was in 2012 after spending the year in the majors as a Rule 5 draft pick, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. Unlike last year, when Luetge's Rule 5 status meant he had to stay on the Mariners' 25-man roster the entire season, the Mariners have the option of sending Luetge to the minors. Luetge kept his head above water in 2012 despite having never before pitched above Double-A, posting a 3.98 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in 40.2 big-league innings.
Quick Hits: Pujols, Bradley, PEDs, Front Office
The Dominican Republic's exciting 3-1 win over the United States has put the Dominican squad into the semi-finals of the World Baseball Classic and left the USA fighting for its tournament life. The States will face Puerto Rico on Friday in an elimination game to decide who will take the last semi-final slot. The Netherlands and two-time defending WBC champion Japan are the other two semi-finalists.
Here is the latest from around baseball tonight…
- Albert Pujols' knee issues this spring could be nothing, but as FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi notes, even the slightest sign of injury is worrisome to the Angels given their remaining $228MM investment in Pujols through the 2021 season.
- Red Sox prospect Jackie Bradley Jr. is enjoying a big Spring Training, though Rob Bradford and Alex Speier of WEEI.com outline the reasons why Bradley may not be on Boston's Opening Day roster.
- Major League Baseball wants a tougher, zero-tolerance drug policy while the Players Association is looking for a "two-tiered penalty system" that would be less harsh on players who took banned substances unintentionally, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports. The dispute could affect (or prevent) any changes to the drug policy when the terms are re-negotiated next offseason.
- Modern front offices are blending both analytical thinking with traditional scouting techniques, MLB.com's Paul Hagen writes.
West Notes: Rangers, Ryan, Giants, Cabrera
Here's a look at some items out of the AL and NL West..
- Rangers co-chairman Bob Simpson met with CEO Nolan Ryan in an attempt to smooth things out and sounded upbeat about the talk, writes Randy Galloway of the Star-Telegram. “Its been positive. We are working through it, and so far the results are positive. I wouldn’t say it’s been resolved, but hopefully we can get there," said Simpson. One member of the team’s ownership group told Galloway that prior to this, Ryan had had no contact with either Simpson or co-owner Ray Davis in almost a week, despite attempts by both to reach him.
- The Giants were involved in talks with Melky Cabrera about a lucrative contract extension just prior to his suspension for PEDs last season, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. General Manager Brian Sabean and Cabrera's reps at ACES were discussing an extension worth something in range of $75-$85MM.
- A veteran of 24 MLB seasons, Omar Vizquel is now serving as a spring training coach with the Angels and the 45-year-old has his eye on eventually landing a managerial job, writes Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
Quick Hits: Stewart, Young, Bray, Athletics
About 40% of MLBTR readers that participated in tonight's poll believe that the Angels should have paid Mike Trout $1MM or more to avoid any sort of conflict with their budding superstar. Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (on Twitter) sees that as being too steep of a price as the Halos held all of the leverage and gain virtually nothing from a pay bump. Here are some links from around baseball as Friday turns to Saturday..
- Cubs third baseman Ian Stewart is anxious to get back on the field and show that he can stay healthy, writes Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. Stewart inked a non-guaranteed $2MM deal with Chicago this winter and could be cut loose for a small termination fee.
- The Phillies' Michael Young knows that people are critical of his range but the third baseman believes that he has made the necessary adjustments to settle into the position, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The veteran is looking to make a smooth transition to his new role following the December trade that brought him over from the Rangers.
- The Nationals sent Bill Bray down to minor league camp last week to work on his mechanics and the club will have until the middle of the season to evaluate him in the minors, writes James Wagner of the Washington Post. A person familiar with Bray’s contract told Wagner that his opt-out date isn’t until June, giving the Nats plenty of time to try and get the left-hander up to speed.
- David Laurila of Fangraphs spoke with A's director of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference about the club's use of statistical analysis.
How Much Should The Angels Have Paid Mike Trout?
Earlier this month, the Angels renewed the contract of outfield sensation Mike Trout for $510K, $20K over the league minimum. Trout, of course, had an otherworldly campaign, winning Rookie of the Year and finishing second in the AL MVP vote. Baseball's collective bargaining agreement allows teams to set salaries for players who are not yet arbitration eligible, so Trout's agent Craig Landis had no leverage to negotiate.
That didn't stop Landis from issuing a statement, in which he said Trout's salary "falls well short of a 'fair' contract." Trout's season was uncommon, but good players with less than two years of Major League service being renewed is not. This became a news story only because of Landis' statement. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported this week that Landis implied to the Angels that Trout wanted a $1MM salary, which would have topped the $900K the Phillies bestowed upon Ryan Howard after his '06 MVP season.
Some might say the Phillies were foolish for giving Howard $520K above the league minimum in '07, because that gift did not buy enough goodwill to prevent the two sides from going to an arbitration hearing a year later. The same argument could be taken by the Angels, who chose not to make an exception to their service-time based pay scale.
In contrast, a few members of today's Clubhouse Confidential panel at this week's excellent SABR Analytics conference, particularly Dave Cameron of FanGraphs, opined that the Halos should have given Trout the million dollars he reportedly sought. Cameron's stance is that the Angels could have treated the extra $510K as a worthy public relations expenditure. The Angels would have made headlines for their generosity, and setting a precedent for their future zero-to-three players would not be a concern since Trout's situation is so rare. Now, it's your turn to weigh in — choose the number that you like best.
How much should the Angels have paid Mike Trout?
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$1MM or more 44% (7,093)
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$510K 27% (4,380)
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$700K 8% (1,285)
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$800K 8% (1,278)
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$900K 6% (1,002)
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$600K 6% (953)
Total votes: 15,991
Quick Hits: Mets, Rangers, Hamilton
The strength of the 2013 Mets appears to be their rotation, but when you compare New York's starting five to the rotations of the Nationals, Phillies and Braves, the group no longer seems as intimidating. As Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes, the Mets seem even more vulnerable in areas such as the outfield and the bullpen. Here are some more links from around the Major Leagues, starting in New York…
- Free agent right-hander Francisco Rodriguez said he "definitely" wants to return to the Mets and "redeem himself" in New York, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports (Twitterlinks). While the Mets won't rule out a reunion with Rodriguez, it doesn't seem like a 'front burner issue' for the team in Martino's view.
- The Rangers must find a way to keep CEO Nolan Ryan in place, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. In Rosenthal's view it would be a shame if the Hall of Famer left after the contributions he has made in Texas. It’s possible Ryan will leave the team, but the Rangers say they want him to stay.
- Josh Hamilton says he isn't out for revenge against the Rangers this season, but one Texas official tells Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that he is skeptical of that assertion. The Rangers person predicted that the slugger may hit 50 homers in his first year with the Angels, fueled in part by a grudge against his former club.
- Within the piece, Heyman reports that the Mariners offered Hamilton about $90MM for four years with vesting options for two additional seasons. The Rangers offered a three-year deal with three additional options, Heyman reports. Hamilton obtained a five-year, $125MM contract from the Angels.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Quick Hits: Trout, Happ, Chavez
The Angels' $510K renewal of Mike Trout's contract for 2013 has made minor news this week. Now FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that Trout's agent, Craig Landis, has suggested his client wanted a $1M contract for 2013. Since Trout is a pre-arbitration eligible player and does not have a long-term deal, the Angels were not obligated to pay him any more than the league minimum salary of $490K, despite Trout's exceptional 2012 performance. One source tells Rosenthal the Angels did not negotiate the deal at all. Another tells him that the Angels initially offered Trout a contract of more than $510K, but Trout did not accept it, and the Angels gave him the $510K contract as punishment. In any case, as Rosenthal suggests, the mini-controversy over Trout's 2013 salary will quickly vanish into history if the two sides can agree on a long-term deal. And, of course, salaries near the league minimum are routine for pre-arbitration eligible players, even spectacular ones. Here are more notes from around the majors.
- The Blue Jays' offseason acquisitions of Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey have put the squeeze on several Jays pitchers, including J.A. Happ, who no longer has much of a shot at a rotation job. Nonetheless, Happ continues to prepare for the season as a starter, writes Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. "Right now I'm focused on being a starter, building up and doing what I've done in the past," says Happ. Happ could win a job in the bullpen, or he could wind up in the rotation at Triple-A Buffalo, even though he will earn $3.7MM this year.
- Third baseman Eric Chavez, now with the Diamondbacks, says he needed to leave the Athletics organization behind after suffering numerous injuries in his last seasons there, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. Chavez left the A's after the 2010 season, and signing a minor-league deal with the Yankees gave him a chance to "restart everything" by escaping from expectations established early in his career in Oakland. Chavez hit .281/.348/.496 in a successful 2012 campaign in New York, leading to a one-year, $3MM major-league deal with Arizona for 2013.
Angels Release Hiroyuki Kobayashi
The Angels released right-hander Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports (on Twitter). The team had signed Kobayashi to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training last month.
The 34-year-old didn't pitch for an MLB or NPB team in 2012, but he posted a 3.00 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 39 innings of relief for the Hanshin Tigers in 2011. He first moved to the bullpen in 2010, saving 29 games for the Chiba Lotte Marines. The Pirates and Diamondbacks were linked to Kobayashi following the 2010 season.
West Notes: Trout, D’backs, Wilson, Crawford, Rockies
In an ESPN Insider piece (subscription required), Buster Olney lists the Angels renewing Mike Trout's contract for $510K as one of the biggest issues facing baseball today. Craig Landis, the agent for the AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP runner-up, said the renewal "falls well short of a 'fair' contract." Jeff Miller of the Orange County Register agrees considering Joe Blanton will receive a $500K bonus from the Angels if he throws 200 innings and the team gave a $250K signing bonus to free agent reliever Sean Burnett. Olney, however, writes it makes almost no sense for Trout to refuse to sign his contract tender and have a negotiation flare-up so early in his career because he will reap millions from the system later on. For his part, the 21-year-old is quoted by Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter) as saying, "I've got to keep putting up numbers. My time will come." Elsewhere from MLB's West Divisions:
- MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports the Angels don't expect any of this will ruffle enough feathers to sour Trout's desire to sign an extension and cites similar situations involving Adam Jones, Derek Jeter, Ryan Howard, David Wright, and Jered Weaver.
- The Diamondbacks renewed Wade Miley's contract for $500,500, tweets CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman. The left-hander earned All-Star honors last year while finishing second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.
- Giants manager Bruce Bochy told Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio the team has not closed the door on former closer Brian Wilson (Twitter link).
- The Dodgers will have questions to answer in left field and the leadoff spot because Carl Crawford will likely not be ready to open the season, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Manager Don Mattingly will use a variety of in-house options including Cuban import Yasel Puig.
- If non-roster invitee third baseman Nolan Arenado continues his torrid play during camp and shows he's ready, it could allow the Rockies to use their depth at third base to acquire more pitching, tweets the Denver Post's Troy Renck.
- Cody Ross was disappointed by the lack of interest from West Coast teams during his free agency this offseason until the Diamondbacks called "out of nowhere," reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. "My wife and I were jumping up and down," said Ross, a Phoenix resident. "We were so excited to live at home and play at home and be around a good bunch of guys and great coaches, and a front office that’s committed to winning."
- Earlier today, we learned Hunter Pence would rather sign a long-term contract with the Giants rather than test free agency.