Marlins Inquired On Nolan Reimold
The Marlins recently asked the Orioles about outfielder Nolan Reimold, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (Twitter links). However, Reimold projects as Baltimore's leadoff hitter and left fielder and isn't going anywhere.
Reimold posted a .247/.328/.453 line with 13 home runs in 305 plate appearances last year. The 28-year-old has spent most of his big league career in left field, though he has some experience in right. He'll be arbitration eligible for the first time following the 2012 season. The right-handed hitting Reimold would have provided the Marlins with another corner outfield option behind Giancarlo Stanton and Logan Morrison and might have pushed Austin Kearns off of the Miami roster.
Quick Hits: Phillies, Garcia, Abreu, Beras, Mets
Saturday afternoon linkage..
- The Phillies appear to be comfortable with beginning the season with Freddy Galvis at second base and are searching for a backup utility infielder via trade rather than a starter, sources tell Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- Word is that the Yankees offered Freddy Garcia to the Marlins but Miami wasn't interested, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Garcia, who is a trade candidate following the club's signing of Andy Pettitte, is signed to a one-year deal worth $4MM plus incentives.
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia and General Manager Jerry Dipoto met with Bobby Abreu following the outfielder's comments to Lider en Deportes. DiGiovanna writes that the team may have no choice but to release the veteran if he continues to struggle and be a distraction.
- The case of Jairo Beras and his $4.5MM contract with the Rangers is in the hands of Major League Baseball, but the club is confident that he is 17 years old, writes Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telgram. Beras' biological father also told the paper that Beras is in fact 17.
- The Mets are facing a serious numbers crunch on the 40-man roster, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
Offseason In Review: Miami Marlins
The Marlins quieted skeptics by signing three of the top 20 free agents, improving the chances of a winning season under manager Ozzie Guillen as their new ballpark opens.
Major League Signings
- Jose Reyes, SS: six years, $106MM. Includes $22MM club option for 2018 with a $4MM buyout. Gave #71 overall draft pick to Mets as compensation.
- Mark Buehrle, SP: four years, $58MM.
- Heath Bell, RP: three years, $27MM. Includes $9MM vesting option for 2015.
- Greg Dobbs, 3B: two years, $3MM.
- Total spend: $194MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
Trades and Claims
- Acquired manager Ozzie Guillen and RP Ricardo Andres from White Sox for RP Jhan Marinez and If Osvaldo Martinez
- Acquired SP Wade LeBlanc from Padres for C John Baker
- Acquired C Jake Jefferies from Rays for RP Burke Badenhop
- Acquired SP Carlos Zambrano and $15.45MM from Cubs for SP Chris Volstad
Notable Losses
- Javier Vazquez, Chris Volstad, John Baker, Burke Badenhop, Clay Hensley, Brian Sanches
The Marlins made some noise this winter. They've associated with Miami rather than all of Florida, marked by an interesting new logo. They've finally got a baseball-only stadium, complete with a retractable roof and an aquarium behind home plate. They've got baseball's most colorful manager, too. The team's eventful offseason began with a trade to acquire manager Ozzie Guillen from the White Sox for a trio of prospects. Jhan Marinez and Osvaldo Martinez aren't considered top prospects, but they are potential useful pieces. The commitment to Guillen was probably as much about generating buzz as it was about finding the best possible leader.
Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest clearly had a mandate to push the team's payroll to new heights by signings the best players available. Extra money was suddenly burning a hole in the Marlins' pocket, but they were limited to what was available in the store this particular winter. I mentioned in October that the Marlins' biggest needs were the rotation, center field, and third base, but the best two free agents were first basemen.
The Marlins kicked off the Winter Meetings by overpaying Heath Bell. The 34-year-old closer continued to rack up saves last year, but his strikeout rate dropped signficantly. Beinfest, typically so good at finding cheap closers, paid a major premium for the save statistic for a reliever who may have begun his decline. Jonathan Papelbon was the only other reliever to sign for three or more years this offseason.
In the case of Jose Reyes, the Marlins' creativity was wise. They pursued him aggressively, pushing Hanley Ramirez's questionable shortstop defense to the hot corner. Ramirez seems better-suited for third base at this point in his career, and a decent season from him would top any third baseman the Marlins could have acquired. Reyes represented the rare available shortstop in his prime, and he'll be worth the money if the Marlins can just keep him moderately healthy.
The Marlins needing starting pitching badly, with Javier Vazquez showing no interest in playing in 2012. They targeted Buehrle or C.J. Wilson, and Wilson's agent Bob Garber said the Marlins "would not let it go." The Marlins were rightly willing to commit significantly more to Wilson than Buehrle, but Wilson took a discount to go to the Angels. That left Buehrle as the best available free agent starter, but only for a couple of days until Yu Darvish would be posted. The Marlins were never connected to Darvish, preferring the dependable, unspectactular Buehrle.
The Winter Meetings also included the Marlins' pursuit of Albert Pujols. Acquiring Pujols would have meant trading Gaby Sanchez, and a useful trade chip would have been welcome given the team's remaining needs. The Angels overshadowed the Marlins' Meetings by inking Pujols and Wilson on the final day. The Marlins were apparently willing to offer $200MM+ to Pujols, but showed little interest in Prince Fielder.
Buehrle would effectively replace Vazquez in the team's 2012 rotation, but Beinfest (and perhaps Guillen) couldn't resist pulling Zambrano out of an ugly situation in Chicago. Despite Zambrano's complete lack of trade value, the Marlins gave up a pitcher of value for him in Volstad. Maybe everyone wins from a change of scenery, but Volstad is probably the better pitcher right now and is under control for 2013. This trade was a head-scratcher from the Marlins side.
Center field was addressed internally with Emilio Bonifacio, a reasonable gamble given the lack of alternatives on the market. The Marlins pursued Yoenis Cespedes aggressively, but they wanted a commitment of more than four years. Plus, Cespedes doesn't necessarily fit with a win-now mentality. The Reyes signing certainly improved the Marlins, and losing Vazquez and Volstad for Buehrle and Zambrano is probably a wash in the rotation. Although the Marlins overpaid for Bell, they needed some kind of bullpen addition since Juan Carlos Oviedo (the former Leo Nunez) is a question mark due to identity fraud. With healthy seasons from Josh Johnson and Hanley Ramirez, the Marlins should be in the thick of the NL East race.
Quick Hits: Willis, Marlins, Reyes, Dunn, Blue Jays
Here are some miscellaneous notes from around the league…
- The Marlins are not expected to show interest in their former ace Dontrelle Willis, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter). The Phillies released Willis earlier today.
- "Before I signed here, I saw what [the Marlins were] trying to do," said Jose Reyes to David Lennon of Newsday. "That's why I decide to come here to Miami, because of the opportunity to win. Because in my ninth year in the big leagues, I don't win anything yet."
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports expects Adam Dunn to rebound from his disastrous 2011 campaign with the White Sox. The 32-year-old slugger said "ninety percent of what happened was simple, mental."
- Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava spoke to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm about a number of the team's prospects, including David Cooper, Travis d'Arnaud, and Anthony Gose.
Outrighted To The Minors: Ramon Benjamin
We'll keep track of the day's outright assignments here…
- The Marlins outrighted right-hander Ramon Benjamin to Double-A, Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets. Benjamin will miss the 2012 season while recovering from shoulder surgery. The 24-year-old posted a 3.75 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 62 1/3 innings between Class A and Double-A in 2011.
Spanish Links: Sanchez, Hanley, Contreras
Links are, you guessed it, in Spanish…
- Anibal Sanchez has looked strong this preseason, but the 29-year-old told Wilmer Reina at the Venezuelan daily La Verdad that his history of shoulder problems is more than just a memory. "I've never pitched without pain. There's always a small problem with something," Sanchez said. "I have five scars inside my shoulder, and some nerve has to be touching those." Sanchez has bounced back from three injury-shortened campaigns to log 190-plus solid innings in 2010 and 2011, but he said last month the team has yet to approach him about keeping him off the the free agent market next winter. Back in January, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith analyzed Sanchez as an extension candidate.
- Despite an offseason of predictions to the contrary, Hanley Ramirez says he is confident and, yes, even content at third base. "I feel really happy. If I had known that, I would have changed before. I really feel comfortable here," Ramirez told Juan Mercado at the Dominican paper El Día. "I like playing third base, because I'm more relaxed and it makes me focus more, because I have to be prepared for every pitch."
- Jose Contreras told Luis Rangel at the El Nuevo Herald that he feared the worst when he learned he needed surgery on his pitching arm last summer. "When they told me that, I said, 'Wow! My career is done,'" Contreras recalled. "I'm not a young man. I'm 40 years old, and an operation is difficult." However, the Cuban swingman has worked his way back and says he's nearly ready to fulfill the second year of the two-year deal he signed with the Phillies in 2010. "At the moment I can say that I feel good, and if everything goes well in Spring Training, with a couple more good outings this spring, I'll be ready for the season," Contreras said.
NL East Notes: Reyes, Utley, Vizcaino, Perez
Here's the latest from the NL East…
- Jose Reyes told reporters (including WFUV's Amit Badlani) that he signed with the Marlins because of the team's potential to contend, not just because of the money, as recently stated by Marlins president David Samson.
- Chase Utley's chronic right knee tendinitis "is not going away. More than likely, it might never go away," says Phillies manager Charlie Manuel told reporters, including CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury. Utley has yet to play during Spring Training and the Phillies are known to be looking for infield depth for not only Utley, but also Ryan Howard and Placido Polanco. Prospect Freddy Galvis has seen a lot of time at second this spring, and Manuel thinks he could potentially handle the position should Utley miss significant time during the season.
- Braves right-hander Arodys Vizcaino will visit with Dr. James Andrews on Monday, reports MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Vizcaino has been suffering from ulnar neuritis in his right elbow and could potentially face Tommy John surgery if Andrews feels the ailment is serious enough. Vizcaino is one of Atlanta's several top-tier pitching prospects and was recently ranked as the 40th-best prospect in the sport by Baseball America.
- The Nationals optioned Eury Perez to Double-A today but some front office officials think he could be eventually be their answer in center field, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Adam Jones, B.J. Upton and Gerardo Parra are just a few of the many names that have been connected to Washington's search for a long-term center fielder. The 21-year-old Perez is coming off a .283/.319/.321 season for Class A Potomac in 2011 but he turned a lot of heads with an impressive Spring Training performance.
- For more Nationals news, check out this collection of Nats links from earlier today.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Sean West, Harold Garcia
We'll keep track of which players get outrighted off of 40-man rosters right here…
- The Marlins outrighted left-hander Sean West to Triple-A New Orleans after he cleared waivers, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets. West spent the 2011 season as a starter with New Orleans, posting a 5.59 ERA in 87 innings.
- The Phillies announced that they outrighted infielder Harold Garcia off of their 40-man roster. He'll miss most of the season recovering from microfracture surgery on his right knee. Garcia, 25, spent the 2011 season with the Phillies' Double-A affiliate, but appeared in just 12 games. The shortstop/third baseman has a .292/.372/.432 line in 1634 minor league plate appearances over the course of seven seasons.
Cafardo On Phillies, Blanton, Lannan, Ramirez
In this morning's column, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe takes a look at some of the emerging storylines in the American League East. In New York, Francisco Cervelli is set to be the backup catcher, but could become trade bait for the Yankees with Austin Romine knocking on the door. The catching situation with Tampa Bay is also worth keeping an eye on as Jose Molina needs a backup. The Rays could pick up Ivan Rodriguez or deal from their pitching surplus to fill the vacancy. If they trade Jeff Niemann or Wade Davis, Cafardo writes that it would be for a catcher. Here's more from Cafardo..
- The Phillies are making it clear to teams that they would eat as much as $2MM of Joe Blanton’s $8MM deal in a trade. Moving Blanton would allow the Phillies to have payroll flexibility and bump Kyle Kendrick into the No. 5 spot in the rotation. Yesterday, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos scouted the Phillies game and left after Blanton's exit.
- Meanwhile, the Nationals continue to dangle left-hander John Lannan. The club is spreading word that the 27-year-old is available in a deal, particularly one for a center fielder.
- The Braves are in need of a left field power bat and right-hander Jair Jurrjens could be the trade bait for one.
- At some point, Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar will have to move to second base to make room for Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria. Escobar loves being a shortstop, so there is a bit of trepidation among some in the organization as to how he will accept this.
- Meanwhile, many feel that the Marlins' Hanley Ramirez won't stay happy for long at third base and eventually will demand a trade.
- With several teams in the market for a center fielder, Cafardo asked a National League scout if the Yankees would entertain a deal for Brett Gardner. Gardner is currently slated to start in left field for the Yanks but a National League scout said that at some point the club might seek out a more traditional left field option.
- The Red Sox are impressed with Chris Carpenter's live fastball but privately they are not happy with what they wound up getting in exchange for Theo Epstein.
Mets May Look To Trade D.J. Carrasco
Bobby Parnell seems likely to earn one of the final spots in the Mets bullpen, leaving the last spot up for grabs between Miguel Batista and D.J. Carrasco. Batista looks to have an advantage in the race, making Carrasco a candidate to be traded, two Mets officials tell Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
One official said the team has discussed whether Miami could be a fit for Carrasco, because the pitcher enjoyed success while playing for then-White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen in 2008 and '09. A third team source mentioned that the Angels could have interest as GM Jerry DiPoto traded for Carrasco while serving as the interim GM of Arizona in 2010.
Carrasco's performance last season could make him a tough sell but the Mets are hoping GMs are willing to look past it. The 34-year-old, who is set to make $1.2MM on the back end of a two-year deal, turned in a 6.02 ERA with 4.9 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 2011.