Angels Rumors

Angels Make Beltre “Significant” Offer

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 18, 2010 at 8:40am CDT

SATURDAY, 8:40am: The offer to Beltre is believed to be in the five-year, $70MM range according to Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times. It has not been accepted and is unlikely to be increased.

FRIDAY, 2:42pm: Angels owner Arte Moreno told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that he has made Adrian Beltre "what [the Angels] believe is a significant offer." Beltre and agent Scott Boras, who also reportedly fielded an offer from the A’s, have not accepted Moreno’s proposal.

Moreno denies that the Angels made Carl Crawford a formal pitch before he signed with the Red Sox.

"There were rumors out there, but we never made an official offer, and no parameters were discussed," Moreno said.

Moreno says that GM Tony Reagins "never had the chance" to make the left fielder a proposal, since by the time the Angels met with him at the Winter Meetings, he already had a deal.

Odds & Ends: Hall, Wood, Jenks, Angels

By Zachary Links | December 17, 2010 at 10:01pm CDT

Some links after another busy day in baseball..

Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times wonders what the Dodgers will do now that Bill Hall is off of the market.
The one-year, $1.5MM guarantee that Kerry Wood received from the Cubs isn't close to the bids he received from the Yankees and Red Sox, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. In fact, the Yankees would have bid $10MM over two seasons if the right-hander was interested.
Bobby Jenks will give Boston's bullpen a much needed shot in the arm, writes MLB.com's Mike Bauman.
Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports wonders if the Angels plan on being frugal this winter.

Odds & Ends: Angels, Greinke, Tigers, Gregg

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 17, 2010 at 4:34pm CDT

Links for Friday, as we await the holidays and debate the merits of multiyear deals for relievers…

The Angels have been slow to address their weaknesses this winter, opines Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Earlier today Halos owner Arte Moreno denied that the club made a formal offer to outfielder Carl Crawford who was long considered to be the team's top free agent target.
Zack Greinke has changed agents, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (on Twitter). Jeff Berry and Casey Close of CAA now represent the right-hander, who had been with SFX.
John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press explains why the Tigers may not need more left-handed relievers than Daniel Schlereth and Brad Thomas. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Tigers add a low-cost free agent lefty like Mark Hendrickson or Will Ohman if one is available in the new year.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports calls Kerry Wood's decision to return to the Cubs the most touching story of the offseason.
The Yankees have spoken to the Astros about acquiring Jeff Keppinger for their bench, Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi report. The infielder is available, but a trade does not appear close.
The agent for Kevin Gregg told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun that the Orioles are one of "a few teams" still in the mix for the reliever. Gregg would like to work out a deal by the holidays and could choose a team soon.

Greinke Can’t Block Trades To Angels, Rangers, Tigers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 16, 2010 at 4:59pm CDT

Zack Greinke can block trades to 15 teams and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Yankees, Red Sox and Nationals are among them. The Tigers, Angels and Rangers, however, could acquire the right-hander without his permission.

The Yankees reportedly have limited interest in Greinke, but the Nationals have shown interest in acquiring Greinke or Matt Garza. Though the Tigers and Angels haven't been linked to Greinke much this offseason, the Rangers are often mentioned as a possible destination for the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner. They prefer him to Fausto Carmona, according to Morosi (on Twitter). Greinke has two years and $27MM remaining on his contract.

Rosenthal On Cubs, Greinke, Beltre, Pavano

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 15, 2010 at 8:23am CDT

The Mariners could presumably ask for a king’s ransom in exchange for Felix Hernandez, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports thinks Seattle should build around the reigning Cy Young Award winner, not trade him. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

The Cubs are still willing to trade Kosuke Fukudome, but they’d likely have to cover some of the $13.5MM the outfielder is set to earn in 2011.
Were it not for his salary, the Reds might be a more serious suitor for Zack Greinke. However, a rival executive says Cincinnati is “tapped out,” payroll-wise.
The Nationals’ pursuit of Greinke has slowed and one source says it’s because of the team’s reluctance to include Jordan Zimmermann in a potential deal.
Adrian Beltre remains a “focus” for the Angels.
The Rangers, however, are more inclined to re-sign Vladimir Guerrero and add a first baseman than pursue Beltre, according to Rosenthal’s sources.
Don’t expect Texas to spend on a top free agent reliever, even if Neftali Feliz moves to the rotation.
Kerry Wood wants a two-year, $12MM deal, Rosenthal reports.
Another former Yankee, Carl Pavano, is searching for considerably more. He wants a three-year deal worth $10-11MM per season, one GM says. The Rangers are not pursuing Pavano right now.

Cliff Lee Signing: The Fallout

By Tim Dierkes | December 14, 2010 at 1:32pm CDT

Cliff Lee's unexpected five-year, $120MM deal with the Phillies has repercussions for several teams.

Rangers

Lee's agent Darek Braunecker proposed a seven-year contract that would have sealed the deal for the Rangers, and they declined.
The Rangers figure to be rumored with most available starters. They were linked to Chien-Ming Wang this morning and Brandon Webb previously, and in theory could go after Carl Pavano. Names like Zack Greinke and James Shields could also be in the mix.
GM Jon Daniels won't limit himself to starting pitching; he may consider "beefing up the offense."
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News notes that the Rangers still have to address their DH situation and will probably want to add late-inning relievers if they're to move Neftali Feliz or Alexi Ogando to the rotation.

Yankees

From Joel Sherman of the New York Post: "One Yankees executive likened what they now face as losing out on Microsoft stock and instead having to diversify the portfolio to keep it strong." The Yanks have added Russell Martin and will probably look into innings-eaters or reclamation project starters. They're also expected to add two relievers and a righty-hitting fourth outfielder. So, they'll spread the wealth.
GM Brian Cashman preached that "Plan B is patience." He feels that prices will go up with teams, and I assume agents, sensing blood in the water. He's also willing to wait until the season to make an acquisition.
Cashman says Lee's decision "doesn't affect" Andy Pettitte, who remains undecided but is feeling the pull of retirement a little stronger than normal.
Cashman talked about the failed Lee trade from July and said he's grateful it didn't happen. At this point, he says "It would be a rare situation for me to include Montero in a deal."

Phillies

They'll look to move Joe Blanton before Opening Day; CSNPhilly's Jim Salisbury tweets that there is no rush. Nonetheless, we've already looked at potential trade partners. Blanton's agent Casey Close expects a trade.

Other Teams

The Lee signing works out well for the Red Sox, explains WEEI's Rob Bradford. The Sox get Lee out of the league and have a shot at a first-round pick if the Rangers sign Adrian Beltre.
Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times believes that if the Rangers push for Beltre, it will complicate things for the Angels.

Angels Are “Offensively Focused”

By Mike Axisa | December 12, 2010 at 9:40pm CDT

After adding a pair of left-handers to their bullpen, the Angels are now "offensively focused" according to SI.com's Jon Heyman. He adds that they do not appear to be the mystery team in on Cliff Lee.

The Halos' offseason plan took a huge hit when Carl Crawford signed with the Red Sox, but they could always turn to Adrian Beltre. There has been talk about a reunion with Vladimir Guerrero as well, and there are a number of similar DH-centric types on the market, including Magglio Ordonez, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, and Jason Giambi. Those last four names are just my speculation, though.

Odds & Ends: Arroyo, Varitek, Angels, Werth

By Mike Axisa | December 11, 2010 at 7:14pm CDT

The Red Sox officially introduced Carl Crawford to Red Sox Nation at a press conference this morning, but that's not the only hot stove news today…

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports provides the details of Bronson Arroyo's new contract. The righty will earn $6.5MM in 2011, $7MM in 2012, and then $18MM in 2013. All but $3MM of that 2013 salary is deferred, though it all has to be paid up front if he's traded.
Jason Varitek told MLB.com's Evan Drellich that he was considering retirement earlier this offseason, and that he's glad the Red Sox made his decision for him.
MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan looks at some other pitchers that signed long-term contracts, with Cliff Lee obviously in mind.
John A. Tomase of the Boston Herald gives us an inside look at how the Crawford deal went down.
An Angels source denies that the club matched an offer for Crawford, writes ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes.
WEEI.com's Rob Bradford tweets that the Angels made Crawford a comparable offer and set a 11pm deadline on Wednesday, but the Red Sox got the deal done at 10:50.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets the breakdown of Jayson Werth's contract. His $4MM signing bonus will be paid between January 2011 and January 2012, and his annual salaries are as follows: $10MM, $13MM, $16MM, $20MM, $21MM, $21MM, and $21MM.
Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun wonders if there's room for the recently acquired Brendan Harris and re-signed Cesar Izturis on the Orioles. Harris is not on the 40-man roster, so he could start the 2011 season in the minors.
Scott Ostler of The San Francisco Chronicle looks at why the Giants and A's have trouble luring free agents to their teams.
Curious how all of last week's free agent activity affected the 2011 draft order? Then look at the changes here. Once the Kevin Correia and Miguel Olivo signings are made official, two more supplemental first round picks will be added.

Rangers Look To Be Out Of Beltre Bidding

By Mark Polishuk | December 10, 2010 at 9:32pm CDT

The Rangers are "backing off for now" on any pursuit of Adrian Beltre, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Texas is "not at all optimistic" about its chances of signing the free agent third baseman, and without a chance of getting Beltre, the Rangers have similarly halted the Michael Young trade market. This market may not have been all that sturdy, as Rosenthal notes that a Young trade was a "longshot from [the] start."

If Texas is out of the picture, that eliminates one more big-market player from the Beltre sweepstakes. It may be down to just the Angels as the only serious bidders for Beltre's services, unless the Athletics get back in the hunt. The pressure seemed to be on Los Angeles to get a deal done with Beltre once the club's top free agent target (Carl Crawford) signed with Boston, but the Halos may be able to sign Beltre at a relative bargain price if they're the only team in the race. Scott Boras may have to look hard for another mystery team to join the fray unless Beltre is willing to sign with a non-contender with money to spend, like Baltimore.

Angels Reach Agreement With Scott Downs

By Mark Polishuk | December 10, 2010 at 7:20pm CDT

The Angels have agreed to terms on a three-year, $15MM contract with Scott Downs. Peter Gammons was the first to report the numbers of the deal, while FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal adds that the deal is pending a physical and Downs can earn up to an extra $1MM based on games finished (both Twitter links). Downs is represented by CAA.

Downs has quietly been one of the AL's best relievers in recent years, posting a 2.36 ERA, a 7.8 K/9 rate and a 2.63 K/BB ratio over the last four seasons in Toronto.

Since Downs is a Type A free agent, the Blue Jays will receive two draft picks for the left-hander — one a first-round compensation pick, and a second-round pick from Los Angeles since the Halos' first-rounder is protected. If the Angels were to sign a higher-ranked Type A free agent (such as Adrian Beltre or Rafael Soriano), then the pick they send to Toronto will be bumped down a round.

The Halos have now added two solid lefty arms to their bullpen in Downs and Hisanori Takahashi, who was signed last week. GM Tony Reagins tells Dan Woike of the Orange County Register that the Angels are now satisfied with their bullpen and rotation and they won't be adding any more relievers (Twitter links), which would seem to take the club out of the Soriano sweepstakes. If Soriano is too expensive, L.A. could be satisfied with Fernando Rodney as their closer, or perhaps they're looking at a Rodney/Downs righty-lefty closing platoon, which would explain Downs' incentive bonus for games finished.

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