Dipoto Talks Catcher, Callaspo, Trout
Angels GM Jerry Dipoto has been on the job for approximately two weeks and he's starting to get an intimate sense of his organization's strengths and weaknesses. He likes what he sees so far, but there's still a gap between the Angels' roster and where Dipoto wants it to be.
"Right now, we're a highly competitive Major League Baseball team," he told MLBTR in Milwaukee. "Where we want to be is we want to win the World Series and that’ll be the goal every year."
The Angels will look to improve their offense — particularly their ability to get on base — this winter. Jeff Mathis, a non-tender candidate with a projected salary of $1.8MM and a career OBP of .257 faces an uncertain future in Anaheim. But Dipoto, a former big league pitcher, knows the value of an above-average receiver.
"I do think there’s a lot to be said for what a catcher does behind the plate, how he calls the game," Dipoto said, speaking in general terms. "I'd be hypocritical if I told you otherwise. I always liked the guys who could catch. But there’s the balance that you have to bring to the game and that’s a fact."
Dipoto doesn't expect a major reversal in offensive production behind the plate to occur instantaneously. It's possible Mathis will return as an arbitration eligible player in 2012. However, I've heard the Angels are asking around about catchers.
Dipoto likes Alberto Callaspo’s ability to get on base, make contact and control the strike zone. At this point, it's not clear whether the versatile 28-year-old will return to third in 2012 or play another position. The Angels intend for Mike Trout to play every day whether or not he's in the Major Leagues and questions about service time will be secondary to the young outfielder's ability to excel in the Majors.
"You need to put players in a position where they can be effective, where they can change your future," Dipoto said.
Francisco Cordero Drawing Heavy Interest
At least seven teams have expressed interest in free agent right-hander Francisco Cordero, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Cordero's agent Bean Stringfellow told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon as much yesterday, but Morosi also names many of the clubs who have interest in Cordero: the Red Sox, Reds, Blue Jays, Marlins, Dodgers, Angels, and Mets.
Although Jonathan Papelbon is off the market, Cordero is one of many closers still available, along with Ryan Madson, Heath Bell, and Francisco Rodriguez, among others. The Reds declined their option on the 36-year-old Cordero at season's end, despite a successful 2011 campaign in which he posted a 2.45 ERA and reduced his BB/9 to 2.8.
Marlins Offered Jose Reyes Six Years, $90MM
The Marlins offered $90MM over six years to Jose Reyes, a source told Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They say Reyes is intrigued by playing in warm weather and for Ozzie Guillen. Reyes wants a contract worth a minimum of $100MM, however, tweeted Joel Sherman of the New York Post yesterday. More from Rosenthal and Morosi…
- The Marlins have not discussed moving Hanley Ramirez to center field.
- Many in the industry are skeptical of the sincerity of the Marlins' early offers to Reyes, Albert Pujols, Mark Buehrle, and Ryan Madson, feeling the proposals are competitive but not good enough to accept.
- The Rangers and Angels are among the teams that are interested in both C.J. Wilson and Roy Oswalt. The Nationals prefer Oswalt. Both pitchers are clients of Bob Garber.
- Heath Bell could benefit from the new collective bargaining agreement if teams no longer have to surrender a draft pick to sign Type A free agents who turned down arbitration. Ramon Hernandez too, in my opinion. I'm surprised to hear that such a change could be instituted for the 2012-13 offseason, after some teams made July trade decisions based on the old free agent compensation system.
- The Padres want to trade Jason Bartlett or Orlando Hudson. They are currently the only two players the Padres have under contract. Bartlett's $5.5MM option for 2013 will vest with 432 plate appearances in 2012.
- Rafael Furcal has drawn interest from the Rockies, Tigers, and Blue Jays as a second baseman, but he prefers to remain at shortstop.
- Rosenthal and Morosi say not to rule out the Giants on Carlos Beltran yet.
- The Angels will know more about Kendrys Morales' condition after January 1st. Morales is still recovering from a fracture in his leg suffered in May of 2010.
AL West Notes: Hernandez, Mariners, Angels, Barajas
Here's a look at a few items out of the American League West..
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik has no intentions to trade Felix Hernandez and the organization plans to build around the 25-year-old right-hander, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- The Angels called to express interest in Rod Barajas after he had already committed to the Pirates, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
- The Angels announced that former big leaguer Hal Morris has agreed to terms on a multi-year contract to become the team's director of pro scouting, writes Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times. After retiring as a player Morris scouted amateur players from 2008-2009 for the Pirates before joining the Red Sox in 2010.
Angels Have Serious Interest In C.J. Wilson
11:11pm: It doesn't appear that Wilson will sign very soon, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets. There are eight or nine teams interested in the left-hander and they plan to narrow that list down to four or five favorites. The soon-to-be 31-year-old could fetch a six-year deal.
10:09pm: After meeting with the Angels for three hours, Wilson's agent Bob Garber disclosed that the interest is mutual, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. "C.J. is extremely interested [in the Angels]. We're going to talk some more," said the agent.
Meanwhile, GM Jerry Dipoto isn't sure if Wilson's ties to Southern California will help their pursuit, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
8:14pm: The Angels have "serious" interest in free agent left-hander C.J. Wilson, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times (on Twitter). Angels GM Jerry Dipoto is meeting with Wilson's agent in Milwaukee tonight.
Dipoto has publicly expressed his interest in Wilson, who appears to have serious interest in joining the Angels. Several teams are already showing willingness to commit five years to Wilson, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). The southpaw is drawing heavy interest already, despite a lackluster showing in the postseason.
Wilson's a Type A free agent, but there's talk that teams will no longer have to surrender draft picks to sign top free agents under the upcoming collective bargaining agreement.
Heavy Interest In C.J. Wilson
Interest has been heavy in free agent lefty C.J. Wilson, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, despite his disappointing postseason. The Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays, Marlins, Nationals, and Rangers have already expressed interest, reports Morosi. All six clubs had been expected to be in the mix.
An official with an involved club expects at least five years with a sixth-year option for Wilson, while another official believes six years guaranteed is possible. Could a sixth year push Wilson to $100MM? In an August 30th poll, 78% of nearly 7,000 MLBTR readers polled felt Wilson would fall short of nine figures.
Rangers GM Jon Daniels recently commented on Wilson to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, saying, "We would like to have him back. We know he's in a great position. He'll explore his options. We'll prepare for both possibilities." At the least, the Rangers are expected to offer arbitration to the Type A free agent nine days from now. If Wilson does leave the Rangers, they could end up with a top 20 draft pick as compensation if the Nationals, Jays, or Angels sign him and the current system remains in place for 2012. Out of Morosi's five competing suitors, only the Marlins have a protected first-round pick.
Doumit Turned Down Dodgers Offer
The Dodgers offered free agent catcher Ryan Doumit a one-year deal for just under $3MM and the catcher turned it down, a source close to the team told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). The Angels, meanwhile, still haven't called on the veteran.
Doumit has reportedly received several offers and plans to sign with a team before the month is through. Yesterday, Doumit's agent Paul Cobbe said that his client could sign within the next few days.
The 30-year-old hit .303/.353/.477 in 236 plate appearances last season.
Angels Notes: Wilson, Pujols, Fielder, Dipoto
In yesterday's collection of Angels notes, we heard that the team has touched base with C.J. Wilson. GM Jerry Dipoto said his club is "intrigued" by the possibility of signing the left-hander away from the rival Rangers, according to Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. Let's round up a few more Angels-related links….
- Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio tweets that Wilson, who is from Southern California and is living there this winter, has "serious interest" in the Angels.
- Within his ESPN.com blog (Insider only), Buster Olney says baseball people that have talked to the Angels don't think the club will be among the bidders for Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder. Dipoto said earlier this week that, while an impact first baseman isn't the team's most pressing need, the Angels "don't want to lock the door" on the possibility of signing Pujols or Fielder.
- The baseball people who spoke to Olney also feel like Dipoto is "in full control of the decisions" for the Angels, with Mike Scioscia entirely focused on managing.
Angels Notes: Wilson, Bullpen, Coaches
Here's the latest on the Halos….
- General manager Jerry Dipoto has "reached out" to C.J. Wilson's representation, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), though DiPoto added it's "very early in the courting period." In his Offseason Outlook piece about the Angels, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith estimated the club would have roughly $10-$20MM in payroll space to work with this winter, so the Angels could afford to pay Wilson the $12-15MM average annual salary he's likely to receive on the free agent market and still have a bit of cash left over to address other roster holes.
- From that same DiGiovanna link, Dipoto also said the Angels are looking at right-handed relievers.
- The Angels' coaching staff have all had their contracts renewed and will be back in 2012, Dipoto tells DiGiovanna (Twitter link).
- Keep up on all the latest Halos news by following MLBTR's Angels-specific Facebook page, Twitter feed and RSS feed.
Dipoto Talks Angels Offseason
10:43pm: Dipoto said the Angels aren't interested in Aramis Ramirez but are interested in C.J. Wilson, according to Bowden (all links go to Twitter). Dipoto said he's looking for an upgrade at catcher, improved on-base percentage in the lineup and a rotation stabilizer. The Angels intend to tender a contract to Kendrys Morales, who hasn't played since an ill-fated walk-off celebration in 2010.
9:47pm: Angels GM Jerry Dipoto told ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden that the Angels may be interested in Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols. Morales and Rookie of the Year candidate Mark Trumbo provide the Angels with two internal options at first base, but Dipoto hasn’t ruled out others.
"Don't assume that we have no interest in Fielder or Pujols," Dipoto said. "We don't want to lock the door. We are a high-revenue team and I'm a big believer in acquiring impact players. However, they are not our greatest need and are not priority number one on our list."
Dipoto explained that the Angels intend to pursue right-handed relievers this offseason in order to strengthen the back of their bullpen. Meanwhile, top prospect Mike Trout hasn’t assured himself of a starting job in the Major Leagues yet. Torii Hunter, Peter Bourjos and Vernon Wells have everyday outfield jobs heading into Spring Training and the Angels intend to find regular at bats for the 20-year-old Trout.
"I know one thing, he's going to play every day and if it's not in the Major Leagues then it will be in our farm system," Dipoto said.
For a detailed look at the team's offseason outlook, click here.