Latest On Marlins, Jose Valverde
11:43am: Valverde is talking with a number of teams, including the Marlins, but no deal is imminent, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
11:27am: The report that the sides are nearing a deal is "utterly false," Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports. One of Spencer's sources suspects Boras is "trying to drum up attention when no market exists."
10:23am: The Marlins are nearing a one-year deal with free agent reliever Jose Valverde, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com reports (on Twitter). The Boras Corporation represents Valverde.
Valverde, who turns 35 next month, spent the past three years as the Tigers' closer. The right-hander converted all 49 of his save chances in 2011, but his performance dropped off last year, when he posted a 3.78 ERA with 6.3 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 35 saves in 69 innings. He lost his closing job in the playoffs, with the Tigers turning to Phil Coke and others in high-leverage situations. Valverde posted a 34.0% ground ball rate in 2012 while averaging 93.4 mph with his fastball.
Valverde entered the offseason ranked 44th on MLBTR's list of top free agents available. The Mets had interest in Valverde, who was unsure if he would pitch in 2013 back in October. The Tigers made it clear that they were not going to bring him back to Detroit.
Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Wilson and Mark Lowe are among the other free agent relievers available, as MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker shows. Valverde could end up closing for the Marlins, who currently have internal options such as Steve Cishek and Ryan Webb. Follow @closernews on Twitter for closer-related fantasy baseball news and analysis.
Quick Hits: Marlins, Reds, Bourn, Lohse, Hendrickson
As February gets underway, Michael Bourn still stands as the best available free agent on the open market. Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (on Twitter) opines that the Mets, Mariners, and Rays are the teams that make the most sense for the center fielder. As for the best starter left on the free agent pile, Bowden sees the Red Sox, Rangers, Angels, Brewers, and Orioles as the best fits for Kyle Lohse. Here's more from around baseball..
- Don't look for the Marlins to make any major moves the remainder of the offseason, says Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Twitter). The team will enter spring training with the roster it currently has in place.
- Regardless of whether or not Scott Rolen joins the Reds, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the club is facing a serious roster crunch. It seems that the veteran wants to play in 2013 but money will be a determining factor in his decision. Recently, the Dodgers reached out to Rolen to express interest.
- The Orioles expect to announce the signing of veteran left-handerMark Hendrickson to a minor league contract with a spring training invite early next week, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The O's also hope to announce their deal with Jair Jurrjens and remain interested in bringing Joe Saunders back despite the depth that they've added.
- Torii Hunter says that enjoyed his time with the Angels, but he also felt misled when the club told him they didn't have enough money to keep him before signing Josh Hamilton to a five-year, $125MM deal, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. The veteran hooked on with the Tigers this winter in pursuit of a World Series ring.
- The Tigers had a tough time trying to find organizational depth this winter as many players figured that their path to the majors would be blocked, writes George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press. Regardless, assistant General Manager Al Avila says that the club is done signing minor league players and is ready for spring training.
Daniel Seco contributed to this post.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Carpenter, Mattison, Ramirez
We'll keep track of tonight's outright assignments in this post..
- The Red Sox announced that they have outrighted right-hander Chris Carpenter to Triple-A Pawtucket. Carpenter, who was DFA'd to make roster space for Mike Napoli, missed significant time in 2012 after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. He posted a 2.08 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 21 2/3 minor league innings and pitched just six major league innings last season.
- Marlins outfielder Kevin Mattison cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A New Orleans, according to Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post (on Twitter). Mattison will still be among the 72 players in major league camp with Miami. The 27-year-old was DFA'd earlier this week to make room for Sam Dyson.
- The Phillies announced that right-hander J.C. Ramirez has been outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after clearing waivers. Ramirez, 24, spent time in Double-A and Triple-A last season, posting a combined 4.01 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9.
Heyman On Abreu, Blue Jays, Rays
The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter links)…
- The Marlins and Rays are among the possibilities for Bobby Abreu, Heyman reports. Abreu, 38 in March, hopes to extend his career following an unremarkable offensive season in 2012.
- The Blue Jays are still in the bullpen market along with the Mets, Heyman reports. The Marlins, Astros and Dodgers might also be involved in pursuit of relievers, Heyman adds. Here are the details on the Mets’ bullpen targets.
- The Rays will likely officially announce their deals with Kyle Farnsworth, Luke Scott and Kelly Johnson next week, Heyman reports.
AL East Notes: Overbay, Hafner, Yankees
The Yankees and Red Sox have had decidedly different offseasons, but their winter plans converged yesterday when both teams added left-handed bats on relatively low-risk deals. The Yankees agreed to sign Travis Hafner and the Red Sox reached a deal with Lyle Overbay. Here’s the latest from the AL East…
- Hafner chose the Yankees over the Rays, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes (Twitter link). The Rays already have a left-handed hitting designated hitter of their own in Luke Scott.
- Before the Overbay deal was completed, the Red Sox had a National League team offer to get them Chris Coghlan from the Marlins in a three-way trade, Peter Gammons of MLB Network reports (on Twitter). As Gammons notes, the 27-year-old Coghlan has seen his production diminish annually since winning the 2009 Rookie of the Year award.
- The Yankees appear to be the third best team in the AL East at this point, Richard Justice of MLB.com writes. However, the division seems so tight that almost any outcome is imaginable, so Justice explains how the Yankees can win again in 2013.
Marlins Claim Dyson, Designate Mattison
The Marlins claimed right-hander Sam Dyson off of waivers from the Blue Jays, Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post reports (on Twitter). The Marlins designated center fielder Kevin Mattison for assignment in a related move.
The Blue Jays designated Dyson for assignment last week to create roster space for Mark DeRosa. The 24-year-old made his MLB debut this past season, appearing in two games at the big league level. He spent most of the season in the minor leagues, posting a 3.04 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 74 innings at Class A and Double-A.
Mattison also made his MLB debut in 2012. He appeared in three games last May, but spent most of the season at Triple-A. The 27-year-old posted a .241/.310/.394 batting line with 13 home runs in 539 plate appearances at New Orleans.
NL East Links: Marrero, Prado, Silverio
A few notable NL East players and teams are mentioned in Paul Swydan's ESPN Insider piece (subscription required) about "certain players who get overlooked by their own teams." Swydan suggests that the Phillies may have lost faith in Domonic Brown and could trade him to a team like the Twins, while the Mets could explore acquiring Casper Wells, who is struggling for playing time in Seattle.
Here are some links from around the NL East…
- Chris Marrero could become trade bait for the Nationals during Spring Training, opines MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The Nats took Marrero with the 15th overall pick of the 2006 draft but the first baseman has struggled to stay healthy and looks to be blocked at first base behind Adam LaRoche and Tyler Moore. Marrero, 24, has hit .284/.353/.452 with 86 homers in 2791 minor league plate appearances and received 117 PAs at the Major League level with Washington in 2011.
- The Braves "had gained a strong sense this would have been [Martin Prado's] final season in Atlanta" after difficult arbitration negotiations and Prado's demands for a $12MM average annual salary in a multiyear deal, MLB.com's Mark Bowman writes. This made him expendable enough to be traded to the Diamondbacks in last week's deal for Justin Upton.
- It was just over a year ago that outfielder Alfredo Silverio was severely injured in a car accident that sidelined him for the entire 2012 season. Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald chronicles how Silverio has recovered and is now trying to catch on with the Marlins after being selected off the Dodgers' roster in the Rule 5 Draft. Silverio, 25, hit .292/.326/.479 in 2385 minor league plate appearances in the Dodgers' system, topping out at an .883 OPS at Double-A in 2011.
- Over at Roto Authority, MLBTR's fantasy baseball affiliate, I recently looked which of two NL East pitchers (Roy Halladay and Kris Medlen) was a better fantasy bet for the 2013 season.
Quick Hits: Rodriguez, Red Sox, Mets
Links from around MLB on a day that a number of prominent players were linked to a supplier of performance enhancing drugs…
- Earlier today ESPN.com's Buster Olney suggested the Yankees will deal with Alex Rodriguez in a calculated manner following the news that the third baseman has been linked to the Biogenesis clinic in Miami. Olney's colleagues Wallace Matthews and Andrew Marchand have since reported that the Yankees are trying to void Rodriguez's contract, which is valued at $114MM over the course of the next five seasons.
- Boston manager John Farrell suggested the Red Sox could add depth at first base in the near future, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports. "I think we'll probably have some additions before camp opens up in that area," Farrell said. Check out Speier's piece for a position-by-position breakdown of the Red Sox.
- The Mets are still in the market for relief help and could even pursue a closer, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The Mets signed right-hander Scott Atchison to a minor league deal today. For the latest on closers around the league follow @closernews throughout the fantasy baseball season.
- Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said he hasn't ruled out making another modest signing or two, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.
NL East Notes: Marlins, Mets, Phillies
Two NL East teams, the Nationals and Phillies, have projected payrolls surpassing $100MM for the 2013 season. Meanwhile, the Mets and Braves project to spend $80MM and $83MM on payroll, respectively. The Marlins will round out the division with a payroll in the $30-40MM range. Here are some links from the NL East, starting in Miami
- Tension exists between Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria and some MLB players, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald explains. “Players don’t trust him,” one prominent agent told Jackson following the Marlins’ recent trade with Toronto. Players say the owner gets too close for comfort. “He’s always looking in the dugout,” one former Marlin told Jackson. “Mind your business!"
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson sounds more optimistic about adding a reliever than acquiring an outfielder, Dan Martin of the New York Post writes. The Mets are hesitant to hand Frank Francisco the closer job again and have expressed interest in Brian Wilson and others.
- Alderson discussed his offseason plans in detail on MLB Network Radio yesterday. For the latest on closers around the league follow @closernews throughout the fantasy baseball season.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. expects his team will compete in the NL East, even as division rivals make improvements, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports. "Absolutely. It's up to the players to prove me right, I guess," the GM said.
Quick Hits: Napoli, Red Sox, Bourn, Mets, Marlins
It took the Red Sox quite a while to finalize their agreement with Mike Napoli this offseason over concern about a potential hip issue. Fortunately, his doctor says that the hip problem was detected early enough to prevent it from getting worse over time, writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. The two sides wound up re-working their three-year, $36MM pact into a one-year, $5MM deal with incentives that could boost it to $13MM in total. Here's more from around baseball..
- A source tells Marc Carig of Newsday (on Twitter) that the MLBPA could file a grievance on the Michael Bourn/compensatory draft pick issue, even if the Mets don't agree to terms with the outfielder first. There has been talk of the players union supporting the Mets if they choose to argue against having to surrender a first-round pick to sign a free agent like Bourn.
- It appears that the Mets will face some stiff competition in the NL East as they vie with the Nationals and Braves, but GM Sandy Alderson says that he isn't sweating it too much, writes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. "I would agree that the Nationals and the Braves appear to be very good teams for '13 and beyond," Alderson said. "But many teams have been described as set up well for the long haul, and it hasn't always worked out as described.
- The Marlins have made former West Virginia football standout Pat White an offer to get back into baseball, but the quarterback and one of his associates told Orlando Alzugaray of 640 AM that baseball is only a Plan B if football doesn't work out, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. White won't completely rule out going to spring training with Miami, but he is also considering a two-year contract offer the Canadian Football League and has spoken to representatives for at least eight NFL teams.
- The Royals now have three catchers on the 40-man roster after claiming George Kottaras earlier today, but GM Dayton Moore isn't sure how many backstops will make the cut for Opening Day, writes Pete Grathoff of The Kansas City Star. The 29-year-old Kottaras will earn $1MM this season and will remain under team control as an arbitration eligible player through 2015.