Heyman On Hamels, Yankees, Oviedo
The Phillies haven’t been in touch with Cole Hamels to discuss an extension recently, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. It’s getting to the point where it would almost seem like an upset if the Phillies re-signed the left-hander, Heyman writes. Here are the details on Hamels and more of Heyman’s notes from around MLB…
- Three agents suggested to Heyman that Hamels’ next contract could fall in the $150-175MM range. The deals for left-handers Johan Santana (six years, $138MM) and C.C. Sabathia (seven years, $161MM) could provide reference points for interested teams and agent John Boggs.
- Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner says rumors that he might sell the team are a "complete fiction," (Heyman tweets). "Me and my family have no intention to sell the Yankees and expect [the franchise] to be in the family for years to come,'' Steinbrenner said. The New York Daily News reported that the Yankees are exploring the possibility of selling the team.
- Juan Carlos Oviedo, who recently received his work visa, will report to extended Spring Training soon, Heyman tweets. The pitcher formerly known as Leo Nunez will serve an eight week suspension before returning to the Marlins.
Quick Hits: Oviedo, Ransom, Greinke, Boras
Andy Pettitte's last game before his retirement was in Game 3 of the 2010 ALCS against the Rangers, featuring Jeff Francoeur. Pettitte allowed two runs over seven innings in that game and tonight, Francoeur got another look at him, this time as a member of the Royals. Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com asked him if he looked just as sharp this time around as once again allowed two runs over seven innings of work. "Absolutely," Francoeur said. "He looks good. I thought he would." Tonight's links..
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports runs down veterans on minor league deals that can ask for their releases if they are not promoted to the majors by June 1st. Interesting names include David Bush, Oliver Perez, and Doug Slaten.
- Juan Carlos Oviedo (formerly known as Leo Nunez) received his visa and will begin serving an eight week suspension when he reports, tweets Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. He adds that Oviedo will likely report in a few days.
- Diamondbacks skipper Kirk Gibson is sorry to lose Cody Ransom as he hoped to keep him after he was waived, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The infielder was claimed by the Brewers earlier today.
- As it stands now, no big league managers appear to be in danger of losing their jobs, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) lists Zack Greinke, Ryan Dempster, Kevin Youkilis, Wandy Rodriguez, and Justin Morneau as his five candidates who could be moved by July 31st.
- In a piece for ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd), Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus explains how agent Scott Boras can capitalize on this year's draft.
2013 Contract Issues: Miami Marlins
The Marlins are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series:
Eligible For Free Agency (5)
- Anibal Sanchez - Sanchez will be in high demand this offseason. He's just 28 and he continues to pitch like a top-of-the-rotation starter. The Marlins figure to make the right-hander a qualifying offer to be eligible for draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere.
- Juan Carlos Oviedo - Oviedo, the pitcher formerly known as Leo Nunez, is not part of the Marlins' long-term plans. He hasn't pitched in 2012 because of issues surrounding his age and identity.
- Randy Choate - Most modern bullpens employ lefty specialists and Choate remains effective in that role at age 36.
- Chad Gaudin - There's no reason to believe the journeyman right-hander figures into the team's 2013 plans just yet.
- Austin Kearns - Kearns has been useful as a lefty masher this year, even batting cleanup seven times. Perhaps the Marlins will want him back as a platoon bat/extra outfielder.
Contract Options (1)
- Carlos Zambrano: $19.25MM vesting option. The option vests if Zambrano places in the top four in this year's Cy Young voting and finishes the season healthy. As well as he has pitched, it seems unlikely the option will vest.
Arbitration Eligible (7)
- First time: Chris Coghlan, Gaby Sanchez, Brett Hayes, Ryan Webb
- Second time: Emilio Bonifacio, Donnie Murphy
- Third time: Edward Mujica
The Marlins face a mid-sized arbitration class that could diminish in the coming months. Coghlan could be non-tendered if the Marlins feel a gap has developed between the former Rookie of the Year's resume and his current skills. Murphy could also be non-tendered. Sanchez is now in the minors and unless he returns to Miami, his arbitration eligibility will be delayed. The Marlins saved themselves millions by delaying Giancarlo Stanton's MLB debut in 2010; he will miss the cutoff for super two eligibility by a couple of weeks. Even if the team retains all seven players, the cost should stay in the $10-15MM range.
2013 Payroll Obligation
The Marlins have already committed $85MM to next year's team, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. Revenue from their new stadium should provide ownership with the opportunity to boost payroll in 2013 and exceed their current $101.6MM tab.
Quick Hits: Lind, Rhodes, Renteria, Hunter
Saturday evening linkage …
- The Marlins are likely to discuss acquiring Blue Jays DH Adam Lind, but their pursuit will be tempered, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter). Miami optioned struggling first baseman Gaby Sanchez to Triple-A New Orleans today.
- Free agent Arthur Rhodes has remained in playing shape in case a team becomes interested in signing a lefty reliever, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Rhodes last pitched last season for the Cardinals.
- Free agent shortstop Edgar Renteria has turned down two offers and apparently wants to remain retired, according to Heyman (Twitter link). Renteria played for the Reds last year.
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia hopes outfielder Torii Hunter will return from the restricted list during the Halos' ongoing road trip, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Hunter was placed on the RL on Monday to deal with a family matter.
- Indians closer Chris Perez suggested free agents prefer not to sign with Cleveland because of poor attendance at Progressive Field, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Specifically, Perez cited Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran, who turned down an offer from the Indians this offseason in favor of a comparable one from the Cardinals.
- The Padres' youth movement will pay off someday, but things will be tough in the interim, writes Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. The Padres have one of baseball's top farm systems and will have the opportunity to build on it with six of the first 70 picks in this year's draft.
- Former Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal thinks that Dee Gordon will work out for the club in the long-term, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. The Dodgers felt that they could part with Furcal last year in part because of Gordon's presence.
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti doesn't seem to have any regrets over acquiring Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies in last year's trade, based on what he told Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. "Ubaldo's results continue to be inconsistent. His work, his preparation and his commitment hasn't wavered. He's worked tirelessly to solidify his mechanics with [pitching coach] Scott Radinsky, it just hasn't clicked consistently every five days. … With the work he's put in, I believe we'll see more consistency."
MLBTR's Dan Mennella contributed to this post.
Quick Hits: Hatcher, Wright, Giants, Duffy, Draft
The Angels announced that Mickey Hatcher has been removed from his job as the team's hitting coach. Hatcher will be replaced by Jim Eppard, who had been the hitting coach at Triple-A Salt Lake City. This was Hatcher's 13th year as the Angels' hitting coach, and his firing is surely a response to the club's overall lack of offense this season, particularly from Albert Pujols. (Ironically, Pujols hit three singles in today's 4-0 win over the A's.) Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times thinks this move came from owner Arte Moreno and is another sign that GM Jerry Dipoto is in charge of the team, not Mike Scioscia (both Twitter links).
Here are some items from around the majors…
- David Wright told Adam Rubin of ESPN New York that he hasn't been approached by the Mets about a contract extension and he hasn't thought about the possibility of in-season negotiations. We heard on Sunday that the Mets will likely offer Wright a multiyear contract, possibly sometime this summer.
- Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan, both free agents after the season, told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that they'd be open to midseason contract talks with the Giants but are both just focused on baseball for now.
- Danny Duffy's Tommy John surgery is just the latest blow in what has been a hard-luck season for the Royals, writes Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star. The Royals will essentially lose a year of control over Duffy (who will accumulate service time while on the DL) and "the pressure on the Royals…to sign a frontline starting pitcher this winter just intensified," said Mellinger.
- High school outfielder Byron Buxton holds the top spot in Baseball America's ranking of the top 100 prospects in the June amateur draft. The Astros hold the #1 overall selection.
- ESPN's Buster Olney looks at ten starting pitchers who could be trade candidates this summer.
- The early results of last offseason's trades are evaluated by MLB.com's Joey Nowak.
- Marlins Park is proving to be very pitcher-friendly, but Marlins president David Samson told reporters (including Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post) that the team wasn't planning to move in the fences after the season.
Quick Hits: Angels, Marlins, Bell, Padres
A look around the league as the Rays look to extend their winning streak to seven games as they take on the A’s at home..
- A 10-17 start isn’t what Angels owner Arte Moreno had in mind when he committed $317.5MM to Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson this winter, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. As for Pujols’ slow start, DiGiovanna argues that one month and 26 games is more than a small sample size.
- The Marlins were well aware of Heath Bell‘s declining numbers when they gave him a three-year, $27MM deal but have been caught off-guard by his command issues, writes Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America weighs in on the trade the Padres’ acquisition infielder Alexi Amarista in the Ernesto Frieri trade with the Angels. Amarista, Eddy writes, doesn’t have the tools to last as a regular on a good team but can carve out a career as a reserve and see time at multiple positions.
Outrighted Off 40-Man Roster: Omar Poveda
Let's keep track of the day's outright assignments here…
- The Marlins have outrighted Omar Poveda to Double-A according to the MLB.com transactions page. The 24-year-old right-hander had Tommy John surgery in 2010 and has pitched to a 4.34 ERA in four Double-A starts this year. Miami originally acquired Poveda from the Rangers for Jorge Cantu two years ago. Baseball America considered him the team's 23rd best prospect prior to last season.
MLB To Suspend Oviedo For Eight Weeks
APRIL 30TH: MLB has changed its plans and will suspend Oviedo for eight weeks, not six according to Barry Jackson and Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. The suspension is not retroactive and will not begin until Oviedo secures a visa and returns to the United States.
APRIL 1ST: Major League Baseball will suspend Juan Carlos Oviedo (formerly known as Leo Nunez) for six weeks following his removal from the restricted list, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Oviedo is currently home in the Dominican Republic where he's performing community service required to acquire a visa that will allow him to come back to the United States. Jackson calls the acquistion of a visa "inevitable," but doesn't offer a timetable for when it will happen. Perhaps most importantly for the Marlins, they aren't required to pay any of Oviedo's $6MM salary while he's on the restricted list or suspended.
The Fish inked Heath Bell to a three-year pact this offseason, and Oviedo figured to be his primary setup man. He'll surrender that role to Edward Mujica, according to Jackson. In three seasons as the Marlins' closer, Oviedo totaled 198 innings and 92 saves to go along with a 3.86 ERA, 8.5 K/9, and 3.1 BB/9. He's been the center of plenty of offseason controversy after it was revealed that he was playing under a false identity.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Mitchell, Wolf
Today's minor signings..
- The Marlins signed third baseman Russ Mitchell to a minor league contract, according to CBSSports.com's transactions page. The 27-year-old hit .283/.372/.503 in 93 games for the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate last season but was designated for assignment in February. Mitchell saw time in 40 games for Los Angeles in 2010 and '11.
- The Rangers have signed right-hander Ross Wolf and will assign him to their Double-A affiliate, accoridng to Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com (via Twitter). Wolf appeared in eleven games for the A's in 2010 but hasn't appeared in the majors since. The 31-year-old was cut loose by the Orioles earlier this week.
Quick Hits: Willis, Pudge, Lopez, Alvarez
As if the Phillies didn't already have enough stars on the disabled list, Hunter Pence missed Monday's game due to a shoulder injury suffered diving for a ball Sunday against the Padres. The extent of the injury is yet unknown and Pence is considered day-to-day for the time being.
Some news from Monday in the Major Leagues…
- Dontrelle Willis talks to MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko about the situation that resulted in Willis being placed on the Orioles' restricted list. Willis is "almost dumbfounded" by how things unfolded, as he thought he and the O's had agreed to part ways since he was injured and not adjusting well to relief pitching. "I don't understand what's really going on. I don't know if there's been a miscommunication there," Willis said. "Not with me. I talked to my agent and we talked about it, I talked to the proper representation, I talked to Dan [Duquette] personally….It was face-to-face. I don't know what's going on. And now if I want to sign with another team, I can't."
- Kubatko hears that Willis has drawn interest from a team in South Korea and a team in Japan, but Matt Sosnick, Willis' agent, denies that his client has received any offers.
- The Marlins' signing of Ivan Rodriguez in 2003 was "money well spent," team president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest tells Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Beinfest doesn't regret any of the moves the club made that season (even trading then-prospect Adrian Gonzalez for Ugueth Urbina) because it led to a championship. "You always hate to trade away a talent like Adrian Gonzalez. But you make it every day if you're going to win the World Series," Beinfest said.
- Cubs manager Dale Sveum hopes Rodrigo Lopez will clear waivers and remain with the organization, reports ESPN Chicago's Doug Padilla. The right-hander was designated for assignment earlier today as the Cubs added Michael Bowden to the roster.
- Pedro Alvarez's struggles inspired a discussion of the greatest draft busts in history in this mailbag piece from Baseball America's Jim Callis. Alvarez, taken by the Pirates with the second overall pick of the 2008 draft, could be "the biggest waste of hitting talent in draft history" unless he turns himself around, Callis writes.
- Twins President Dave St. Peter told Jim Memolo and Jeff Nelson on MLB Network Radio that his team needs to pitch better to recover from its 5-11 start. St. Peter suggested the Twins could move Francisco Liriano to the bullpen temporarily. “He’s an asset for this franchise and we need to get him back into a situation where he can go deep into ballgames,” St Peter said. The 28-year-old lefty faces a make or break year and it was announced today that Liriano would skip his next start and not pitch until May 1.