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Los Angeles Links: Wright, Dodgers, Abreu

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Here is the latest from baseball's two Los Angeles teams, even though one of them really plays in Orange County…

Dodgers Notes: Grabow, Wright, Munoz, Kroenke

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Here's the latest from the Dodgers…

  • John Grabow has exercised the out clause in his contract and has been granted his release, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick (Twitter link).  The southpaw was in the Dodgers camp on a minor league deal and had looked good in Spring Training, striking out seven batters across six scoreless innings.  Grabow would have made $800K had he made the club's roster.
  • Jamey Wright has been told he will be added to the Dodgers roster once the team completes the official paperwork, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  Hernandez previously reported that Wright can earn $900K if he makes the club's roster, with up to $500K extra in incentives based on innings pitched.  It seems like L.A. had a choice to make between Wright and Grabow and chose Wright, and by letting Grabow walk before March 30, the Dodgers save paying him an extra $100K bonus.
  • The Dodgers have agreed to sign Dominican right-hander Bryan Munoz, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.  The deal is worth $300K and will be official once Munoz passes a physical.  Munoz, 16, is represented by Kevin Bandel and throws a fastball "already touching 90 mph."  The right-hander also drew interest from the Diamondbacks, Rangers, Tigers and Twins.
  • Though Los Angeles doesn't currently have an NFL team, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell considers the city to be a league market, reports Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal.  As such, the NFL's cross-ownership rules would apply if Stan Kroenke (who owns the St. Louis Rams) wins his bid to buy the Dodgers.  If Kroenke indeed buys the team, Goodell told Bud Selig that the NFL "would move quickly" to resolve the issue.  (Both links are to Twitter.)

Quick Hits: Indians, Alvarez, Dodgers, Cabrera

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Links for Monday…

  • The Indians are still checking around for a left fielder or center fielder, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. They'd prefer a right-handed hitter to add balance to their lefty-heavy lineup.
  • GM Neal Huntington told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the Pirates haven't thought of sending Pedro Alvarez to Triple-A following his Spring Training struggles. "He's going through a tough stretch right now,” Huntington said. “Are we going to be able to get him out of it? We believe we will."
  • Bill Shaikin of the LA Times breaks down the three remaining bidders for the Dodgers and explains that MLB is expected to approve all three this week.
  • Teams have asked about Everth Cabrera, but the Padres aren't inclined to trade him, Dan Hayes of the North County Times tweets.

Quick Hits: Escalona, Duke, Garza, Soria, Lawrie

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"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).

West Links: Dodgers, Kinsler, Athletics, Giants

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Three years ago today, the Padres traded Khalil Greene to the Cardinals for Luke Gregerson and Mark Worrell. Greene hit .200/.272/.347 during his one season in St. Louis and has been out of baseball for two years while Gregerson has emerged as one of the game's best setup relievers. Here's the latest from baseball's two West divisions…

  • Bidding for the Dodgers is down to three groups according to Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter): Steven Cohen & Patrick Soon-Shiong, Magic Johnson & Stan Kasten, and Stan Kroenke.
  • The Rangers and agent Jay Franklin met on Friday to discuss a contract extension for Ian Kinsler, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Franklin is “not very optimistic” a deal will be reached before the season. Kinsler is under contract for 2012 with a $10MM club option for 2013.
  • Commissioner Bud Selig is "working actively behind the scenes" to find a resolution between the Giants and Athletics regarding Oakland's stadium situation according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • Pat Burrell has formally agreed to scout for the Giants this season, reports Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle. The slugger retired this offseason and is currently providing internal evaluations of San Francisco's prospects.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote about the evolution of the DH position, where clubs are using a rotation system similar to the Rangers last season.

Contract Details: Wright, Grabow, Theriot, Fontenot

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Some contract details from a pair of rivals in the NL West…

  • Jamey Wright and John Grabow can opt out of their minor league contracts with the Dodgers on Sunday, reports Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). If the players opt-out, the team can keep them by adding them to the 40-man roster by March 30th.
  • Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter) that decision day for Ryan Theriot's contract is March 30th, not the 29th as previously reported. If the Giants cut him by the 29th, they'll only have to pay him one-fourth of his $1.25MM salary.
  • The same is true for both Mike Fontenot ($1.05MM) and Clay Hensley ($750K) according to Schulman (on Twitter). Their contracts become guaranteed if the Giants do not cut them before the 29th.

NL West Notes: Theriot, Padres, Diamondbacks

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Jamie Moyer pitched four perfect innings against the Giants last night, and the 49-year-old's teammates were impressed with his approach, even if the opposition wasn't intimidated by his 80mph offerings. "To be able to move and get on the field, much less compete, is amazing,'' Michael Cuddyer told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Here are some more notes from the NL West…

  • Ryan Theriot’s $1.25MM contract becomes guaranteed if the Giants don’t remove him from the roster by March 29th, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. If they cut the infielder within the week, they’ll only owe him $312.5K, but the decision’s about more than the bottom line. Freddy Sanchez may start the season on the disabled list, and the Giants may want to bench Brandon Crawford against tough lefties. In other words, having Theriot on the roster could prove useful.
  • Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padres offers a Q&A about the Padres' leadership in light of Jeff Moorad's decision to step down as the club's CEO. Krasovic hears that the Padres "are headed to another owner" than Moorad or current owner John Moores.
  • Yahoo's Tim Brown makes the case that the next Dodgers owner would do well to keep manager Don Mattingly in place.
  • Manager Kirk Gibson says the Diamondbacks are "underdogs" entering the season, Mike Bauman of MLB.com writes. "That's just the kind of attitude you've got to take. You can't anything for granted," Gibson said. The Diamondbacks won the NL West with 94 regular season wins in 2011 and seem poised for another strong season.
  • Rockies third base prospect Nolan Arenado should be at the Major League level before long, even though he probably won't be on the Opening Day roster Heyman tweets.

NL West Notes: Dodgers, Padres, D’Backs, Montero

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Earlier this evening, Jeff Moorad stepped down as the CEO of the Padres.  Here's more on the situation in San Diego and other notes from the National League West..

Dodgers Designate Ramon Troncoso For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced that they designated right-hander Ramon Troncoso for assignment.  The move was made in order to reinstate Ronald Belisario from the restricted list.

Troncoso, 29, spent most of 2011 with the club's Triple-A affiliate, posting a 5.05 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 35 appearances.  Over the last four seasons, Troncoso has a 3.92 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 175 games for the Dodgers' varsity squad.

Quick Hits: Forbes, Padres, Felix, Athletics

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Forbes Magazine calculates the Yankees (unsurprisingly) as the most valuable franchise in baseball, worth an estimated $1.85 billion.  The second-place team on the list are (somewhat surprisingly) the Dodgers at $1.4 billion, up nearly 75% in value from last year as Forbes predicts the team's forthcoming sale and new TV contract will return it to top-tier status.  The Forbes list also reveals which teams lost value from last year and which didn't turn a profit in 2011, as well as looking at how cable TV deals are changing the economics of the game.

Some other news from around the majors…

  • Yasmani Grandal is happy that Padres teammate and fellow catcher Nick Hundley received a contract extension but isn't worried that Hundley's deal impacts his own future with the club, reports Dan Hayes of the North County Times.  "It doesn't matter if somebody got a deal or not. You never know what could happen," Grandal said.  "They could get traded or you could get traded. I'm not only playing for one organization. I'm playing for the 29 others that are out there. That's one way I see it, and if it's not meant to be it's not meant to be. If I don't make it to the big leagues with this club I can make it with any other team."
  • Hundley's reasonable contract could make him a strong trade candidate, opines Dave Cameron of Fangraphs, who the Padres could deal this summer if Grandal has a strong first half at Triple-A.
  • Felix Hernandez says he is asked about his future with the Mariners in almost every interview, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, and joked he might hang a banner reading "I'm not going anywhere" over his locker.
  • The Athletics are thus far very pleased with the four prospects (Tom Milone, Brad Peacock, A.J. Cole and Derek Norris) they received from the Nationals in the Gio Gonzalez trade, reports Jeff Fletcher for the Washington Times.
  • Matthew Eddy of Baseball America recaps the week's minor league transactions.
  • Vernon Wells thinks the Blue Jays could make "exceptions" to their policy of not offering contracts longer than five years, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  Ironically, Wells' seven-year, $126MM deal with Toronto in 2006 is no doubt a major reason why the current Jays management team has adopted this policy.
  • Some newly-hired bench bosses make FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal's annual list of managers on the hot seat, including Ozzie Guillen and Bobby Valentine.
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