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).
Los Angeles Notes: Aybar, Abreu, Ownership
Happy birthday to Clayton Kershaw, who turns 24 years old today. Kershaw has plenty to celebrate this year, between being the NL Cy Young Award winner and his new two-year, $19MM contract extension with the Dodgers.
Here's the latest out of L.A. from both the Dodgers and the Angels…
- Erick Aybar said that his agents have left the Angels Spring Training camp, reports Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. It was reported earlier today that Aybar and the Halos had made only slight progress on a contract extension for the shortstop.
- Angels designated hitter Bobby Abreu tells MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez that he wants to play for three more years, though his age-40 season. Abreu just turned 38 on March 11. "That's what I want. I feel that I can keep playing," Abreu said. "I believe that you have to know when your body tells you when to stop. But I'm fine. I feel fine."
- Patrick Soon-Shiong has joined Steve Cohen's ownership group in a bid for the Dodgers, reports Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. Soon-Shiong, known as the richest man in Los Angeles, had been rumored to be joining the ownership group led by basketball legend Magic Johnson.
- Also from Shaikin, a mediator has reinstated the joint bid from Stanley Gold and the Roy Disney family into the Dodgers ownership process. The Gold/Disney group joins four other ownership groups in having their bids judged by MLB's owners, who are expected to vote on the matter by the end of the week.
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says it's too early to consider any possible roster needs before Opening Day, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. The Dodgers are also waiting until the club is sold in late April before making any possible additions to payroll.
Extension Updates: Aybar, Hamilton, Napoli, Axford
The latest on extension talks around MLB…
- The Angels and Erick Aybar have made a bit of progress toward an extension, but agent Fern Cuza says they are “not close,” Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
- Josh Hamilton told Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio that the Rangers can sign him now for considerably less than he’ll cost as a free agent after the season (Twitter links). Hamilton says his loyalty lies with the Rangers and that they will get the first chance to sign him should he reach free agency.
- Mike Napoli told Bowden he’s letting his agent handle contract talks, but that he would like to sign a long-term deal with the Rangers (Twitter link).
- The Brewers met with John Axford's agent yesterday, but the closer’s in no rush to sign an extension, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. “If conversations keep going [after Opening Day], then they keep going,” Axford said. “I’m not going to be bothered by it.”
Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Angels
The Angels stole Winter Meetings headlines by signing the offseason's best free agent hitter and pitcher in the course of a few hours.
Major League Signings
- Albert Pujols, 1B: ten years, $246,841,811. Union-calculated value; includes present-day value of personal services deal. Gave #19 overall draft pick to Cardinals as compensation.
- C.J. Wilson, SP: five years, $77.5MM. Gave #82 overall draft pick to Rangers as compensation.
- LaTroy Hawkins, RP: one year, $3MM.
- Total spend: $327.3418MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
- Jorge Cantu, Jason Isringhausen, Eric Hurley, Francisco Rodriguez, Robinzon Diaz, Ryan Langerhans, Greg Smith, Juan Rincon
Extensions
Trades and Claims
- Acquired C Chris Iannetta from Rockies for SP Tyler Chatwood.
- Acquired SP Brad Mills from Blue Jays for C Jeff Mathis.
Notable Losses
- Tyler Chatwood, Joel Pineiro, Fernando Rodney, Jeff Mathis, Robert Fish
In August, MLBTR surveyed dozens of baseball people for their GM candidates. Former big league reliever Jerry Dipoto was mentioned more than anyone else. After a thorough search, the Angels named Dipoto as Tony Reagins' replacement in late October. Dipoto came with a great drafting track record, and also had made several excellent trades as Arizona's interim GM in the summer of 2010.
Shortly after his hiring, Dipoto told ESPN's Jim Bowden catcher was one of multiple positions for which he wanted to improve the Angels' on-base percentage. Several weeks later, Dipoto backed up his words by acquiring Iannetta for Chatwood. Iannetta has a .357 career OBP, and The Fielding Bible considers him a "terrific defensive catcher." Though the Rockies may not have appreciated Iannetta, they extracted a solid bounty in Chatwood, who Baseball America ranked the 76th best prospect in baseball prior to the 2011 season. Given Iannetta's ability to void a $5MM club option for 2013 because of the trade, the Halos may have acquired only one year of control in exchange for six of Chatwood. This was the first sign the Angels were embarking on a win-now offseason. The Iannetta acquisition made non-tender candidate Jeff Mathis expendable, so Dipoto picked up Mills to essentially replace Chatwood down the rotation depth chart.
Even in November, Dipoto warned Bowden not to assume the Angels had no interest in Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols. However, many assumed Angels owner Arte Moreno would continue to drop out of the bidding on top free agents, and that Moreno's expected $130-140MM payroll precluded signing multiple impact players.
The Marlins had shocked baseball by committing $191MM to free agents Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Heath Bell during the 2011 Winter Meetings, and they were in play for Pujols as well. The Rule 5 draft typically signals the conclusion of the Meetings, but just as it began Yahoo's Tim Brown posted a tweet that required a double-take: the Angels had signed Pujols to a ten-year deal. The contract was worth $240MM, a figure that rose to $246.8MM once the present-day value of ten-year, $10MM personal services contract was considered. In baseball history, only Alex Rodriguez has signed for more.
With a .421 career OBP, Pujols was the best fit for Dipoto's OBP mandate. One concern, however, is that Pujols' unintentional walk rate dropped to 7.1% in 2011, after staying above 9% in almost every other season. The Angels are betting that at age 32, Pujols has many more elite, durable seasons ahead of him. Pujols is about four years older than Fielder, but is probably the game's best defensive first baseman while Fielder might be the worst, according to The Fielding Bible. The Angels signed the better player for 2012, but will Pujols still be a superstar in 2015? His backloaded contract averages a $27MM salary over the last seven years. Pujols will likely be a $30MM designated hitter by 2021, but the Angels are planning on celebrating milestones in his final playing years. Even if Pujols' contract becomes burdensome, an unceremonious breakup seems unlikely given the personal services commitment.
The Pujols signing had a ripple effect on the Angels' depth chart. First basemen Kendrys Morales and Mark Trumbo will move to designated hitter, reducing Bobby Abreu's playing time. Trumbo is also an option at third base. Vernon Wells, a below-average defensive left fielder, cannot be pushed to the DH spot to clear a starting outfield position for top prospect Mike Trout. Dipoto told Bowden in November Wells "deserves a chance to bounce back," but since that trade was Reagins' mistake, I expect a short leash. Torii Hunter is 36, Wells is 33, Abreu is 38, and Morales is coming off a broken ankle, so it's possible an injury will help sort out this logjam. If not, I think Dipoto will have the authority to release or bench Wells and/or Abreu to ensure the best possible lineup is on the field. If $2-4MM of Abreu's $9MM commitment can be cleared via trade, that route should be pursued aggressively.
Shortly after the Pujols signing, the Angels continued their spending spree by signing top free agent starter C.J. Wilson to a five-year deal. At $15.5MM per year, Wilson gave the Angels an irresistible hometown discount. With a front four of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Wilson, and Ervin Santana, they continue to boast one of the best rotations in baseball.
Dipoto allocated the least resources toward the bullpen, grabbing serviceable free agent Hawkins and taking a flyer on Isringhausen on a minor league deal. With minimal losses and quality arms in Jordan Walden, Scott Downs, Hisanori Takahashi, and Rich Thompson, the need never seemed dire.
Dipoto a finishing touch on his offseason by signing second baseman Kendrick to a four-year extension, months before the player entered his contract year. With arbitration savings and three free agent years at $9.2MM each, Kendrick's extension provides good value to the Angels. The Angels have been unable to find common ground with another impending free agent, shortstop Erick Aybar. The Fielding Bible suggests Aybar has never been Gold Glove-worthy despite his 2011 win, and maybe the best course of action is to try prospect Jean Segura in 2013 if he has all-around success in the minors this year.
The Angels' heavy spending makes them a 2012 contender, in what might be a two-horse AL West race. They have a fantastic rotation backed by strong defense, and the league's tenth-best 2011 offense will be on the rise.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Quick Hits: Wuertz, Cespedes, Helton, Dodgers
On this day in 1991, the Royals released leftfielder Bo Jackson after he suffered a serious hip injury in the NFL playoffs against the Cincinnati Bengals. That was Jackson's final NFL game but the iconic athlete eventually returned to baseball in 1993 with the White Sox and played 75 games for the Angels in '94 before the players strike brought the season to an end. Here's a look at what's happening today..
- Angels outfielder Torii Hunter would "love to stay" with the Halos but understands that at age 37, and with Los Angeles having plenty of money on the books, this season may be his last, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. The five-year, $90MM deal that Hunter signed prior to the 2008 season expires after this year.
- Free agent starter Javy Vazquez is not considering coming out of retirement, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
- Free agent reliever Michael Wuertz will throw for teams on Thursday in Tempe, Arizona, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The Twins are expected to be among the clubs in attendance.
- Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes was willing to sign with the Cubs and had reason to believe that he might wind up in Chicago, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Ultimately, the Cubs offered six years for $36MM while the Athletics offered that same number for four years. The Cuban star also said that he was seeking either a four-year deal or one that was for eight years or more. Through a translator, Cespedes said that he probably would have wound up in Chicago had the Cubs offered him the same deal before the A's did.
- Rockies first baseman Todd Helton insists that he hasn't thought about retirement, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post. The 38-year-old has two years remaining on his contract.
- More from Renck as he writes that Esmil Rogers is a trade candidate for the club. Rogers, Edgmer Escalona, and Josh Outman are battling for the final spot in the bullpen. Rogers is out of options and could be moved.
- Dodgers play-by-play announcer Vin Scully addressed the club's ownership situation prior to yesterday's broadcast and said that he doesn't believe it is having any effect on the players at all, writes J.P. Hoornstra of the LA Daily News.
Rosenthal On Dodgers, La Russa, Cahill, Angels
The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- If Steve Cohen winds up buying the Dodgers, Tony La Russa would reportedly become a key decision-maker for the club. According to rival executives, La Russa's strong personality might diminish the Dodgers’ chances of hiring one of the top current general managers. It's far from certain that Cohen will get the team or that he would in fact hire LaRussa in a top role, but GMs like the Rays’ Andrew Friedman or the Diamondbacks’ Kevin Towers likely would not leave their current situations for limited autonomy in L.A.
- Rival executives still find it curious that the Athletics traded Trevor Cahill and one told Rosenthal that GM Billy Beane "must have known something." Beane was likely troubled by what he saw out of the right-hander's advanced metrics. Cahill, who is under a club-friendly long-term contract, had an abnormally low BABIP of .237 in 2010, his breakout year. When Cahill’s BABIP increased to .306 in 2011, his performance suffered accordingly.
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia said at the start of spring training that Bobby Abreu could get 400 plate appearances, but that doesn't seem likely with Kendrys Morales on track to be the team’s designated hitter. The Halos have been looking to move the 38-year-old for quite some time and he hasn't helped his case by coming into camp overweight. The veteran would likely have been cut by now if he wasn't guaranteed $9MM for 2012.
- Meanwhile, fellow Halos trade candidate Mark Trumbo told Rosenthal that he is becoming increasingly comfortable at third base, though he still has much to learn.
Quick Hits: Cain, Hamels, Aybar, K-Rod, Escobar
Happy birthday to Kevin Youkilis (33), Jon Jay (27) and Leo Nun…er, make that Juan Oviedo (30). This is the first time Oviedo has been able to publicly celebrate his actual birthday in several years, as he kept a listed birthday of August 14, 1983 while living under the Leo Nunez identity.
Here's some news from around the major leagues as we head into Friday…
- Matt Cain's agent Rick Landrum tells John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that "we'll never give up hope" that Cain and the Giants can work out a contract extension before Opening Day. There hasn't been much progress in recent negotiations but the two sides "remain open for business," as Shea writes.
- In addition to Cain, there have been no new developments over the last week in Cole Hamels' extension talks with the Phillies, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
- Also from Olney (via Twitter), he hears from evaluators that there isn't much trade talk overall around the majors. Olney predicts things will probably pick up in 10 days or so, once teams start to sort out their needs for their Opening Day rosters.
- Angels GM Jerry Dipoto has had at least two face-to-face meetings since Monday with Erick Aybar's representatives, reports Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. Aybar is believed to be looking for an extension of at least five years. Dipoto recently said that he thought an extension with Aybar was possible, if not necessarily by Opening Day.
- The Padres were discussing a one-year, $9MM contract with Francisco Rodriguez over the winter before the club saw an opportunity to acquire Huston Street, reports Scott Miller of CBS Sports. San Diego also talked to free agent Frank Francisco and asked the Athletics about Andrew Bailey.
- The Royals' extension with Alcides Escobar is the team's latest step in locking up its young talent, reports MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. "[Owners] Dan and David Glass are determined to keep as many of these young players together as we can, knowing full well that it has to fit within our salary structure and our payroll going forward," Moore said. "It's going to get a little sticky for us, it's going to get a little hairy as we get into 2014-15-16." Moore declined to comment on the progress of contract talks with another of Kansas City's young stars, Alex Gordon.
- The well-traveled Octavio Dotel shares some of his road stories with ESPN's Jayson Stark. Dotel will set a new Major League record once he plays his first game for the Tigers this season by becoming the first player to suit up for 13 different teams.
- "I feel comfortable we finally got to a level [where we] can be competitive every single year," Tigers owner Mike Ilitch told media (including MLB.com's Jason Beck) during a visit to Spring Training today. "That's always been my goal. I feel good about that. It would be hard to screw that up once you get there. You tell yourself you want to stay there now."
- The Orioles could be looking for backup catching help if Taylor Teagarden's back injury lingers into the season, reports CSN Baltimore's Rich Dubroff. Veteran Ronny Paulino is Matt Wieters' backup for now, but Paulino only just arrived in camp due to a visa issue.
Extension Updates: Phillips, Aybar
As MLBTR’s Extension Tracker shows, teams and players have signed 34 extensions since last September. Who’s going to be next? A couple of Gold Glove middle infielders may sign soon. Here’s the latest:
- Fern Cuza, the agent for shortstop Erick Aybar, arrived in Angels camp last night and is expected to meet with GM Jerry Dipoto this week, Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports. Cuza will discuss the possibility of a long-term deal for Aybar, who's on track to hit free agency after the 2012 season.
- It appears that the agents for Brandon Phillips met with the Reds today, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. “I don’t know . . . probably,” Phillips said. GM Walt Jocketty, who wouldn't comment on the negotiations, hadn't discussed a deal with Phillips' representatives since the Winter Meetings.
Mets May Look To Trade D.J. Carrasco
Bobby Parnell seems likely to earn one of the final spots in the Mets bullpen, leaving the last spot up for grabs between Miguel Batista and D.J. Carrasco. Batista looks to have an advantage in the race, making Carrasco a candidate to be traded, two Mets officials tell Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
One official said the team has discussed whether Miami could be a fit for Carrasco, because the pitcher enjoyed success while playing for then-White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen in 2008 and '09. A third team source mentioned that the Angels could have interest as GM Jerry DiPoto traded for Carrasco while serving as the interim GM of Arizona in 2010.
Carrasco's performance last season could make him a tough sell but the Mets are hoping GMs are willing to look past it. The 34-year-old, who is set to make $1.2MM on the back end of a two-year deal, turned in a 6.02 ERA with 4.9 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 2011.
Quick Hits: Yankees, Orioles, Ramirez, Red Sox
Friday night linkage..
- Curtis Granderson might prove to be too pricey for the Yankees down the road, writes John Harper of the New York Daily News. Both the center fielder and Robinson Cano will be eligible for free agency after the 2013 season.
- Things remain quiet between the Angels and shortstop Erick Aybar when it comes to talks on a new deal, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. If they don’t work out a new contract with Aybar, the Halos could re-sign veteran Maicer Izturis after this season or turn the keys over to 22-year-old Jean Segura.
- Orioles General Manager Dan Duquette is grateful to have another shot in MLB, writes Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. Duquette left Boston with a reputation for being somewhat unapproachable but has returned in Baltimore determined to be more communicative.
- Marlins skipper Ozzie Guillen says that Hanley Ramirez has embraced third base despite early reports to the contrary, writes Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated.
- Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider req’d) runs down seven players who he believes are poised to bounce back in 2012. Among those on the list are Ramirez, Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes, and Indians rightfielder Shin-Soo Choo.
- Reliever Chris Carpenter found his way to the Red Sox through the compensation agreement with the Cubs and one of the few people that can relate is former outfielder Randy Winn. Winn was shipped from the Rays to the Mariners in exchange for manager Lou Piniella and minor leaguer Antonio Perez.