NL Central Notes: Gonzalez, Wainwright, Willis, Bucs
It was on this day in 1986 that Rollie Fingers chose his mustache over the Reds. The veteran closer was offered a Spring Training invite by the Reds on the condition that Fingers shave his famous handlebar in order to meet with the team's facial hair policies. Fingers turned the deal down and instead retired, ending his 17-year Major League career and paving the way for his eventual induction into the Hall of Fame.
Here's the latest from around the NL Central…
- The Cardinals exchanged figures with Alex Gonzalez this offseason but couldn't come to terms, and the veteran shortstop instead signed with the Brewers, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports. The Cards' best offer was a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $1MM plus another $1MM if Gonzalez made the roster, which couldn't top Gonzalez's deal with Milwaukee. A dozen teams scouted Gonzalez's offseason workout sessions, with the Red Sox and Dodgers showing particular interest in the 36-year-old.
- Steve Hammond, Adam Wainwright's agent, is out of the country for the next 10 days so there won't be any immediate extension talks between Wainwright and the Cardinals, B.J. Rains of St. Louis 1380 AM Radio reports (via Twitter). We heard on Monday that both sides were keeping the lines of communication open about a new contract for the ace right-hander.
- Dontrelle Willis talks to CSN Chicago's Patrick Mooney about his career, his short-lived retirement, his controversial exit from the Orioles organization and his return to the Cubs on a minor league contract.
- The Pirates are desperate for success but ESPN's Buster Olney notes that the team must weigh the short-term benefit of a winning season against the long-term costs (both developmentally and financially) of calling up young starters Jameson Taillon and Gerrit Cole. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith noted earlier today that the Pirates could prevent Cole from gaining Super Two eligibility by delaying his callup until mid-June.
Brewers Considering First Base Options
The Brewers are considering first base options following the news that they’ll open the season without Mat Gamel or Corey Hart. Gamel will miss the 2013 season with an ACL injury and Hart will miss the beginning of the year with a knee injury.
Yet the Brewers are not in the mix to acquire Mike Carp, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The Mariners designated the first baseman for assignment last week and appear to be on the brink of trading him.
The Brewers will start by examining internal options instead of trading for Carp or signing a free agent such as Carlos Lee, Rosenthal reports. Taylor Green, Hunter Morris and even Alex Gonzalez are among the club’s internal options at first base. Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that Martin Maldonado, Taylor Green and Bobby Crosby could also play the position.
Rosenthal suggests GM Doug Melvin could pursue players such as Lyle Overbay, Travis Ishikawa and Juan Rivera later in Spring Training if necessary.
NL Central Notes: Pirates, Reds, Gonzalez
The latest links from the NL Central…
- Pirates manager Clint Hurdle deserves to keep his job, but hasn’t yet earned an extension in the view of Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Pirates have officially extended Hurdle, a move that “seems unnecessary” to Morosi given the Pirates’ late-season struggles in 2011-12.
- Talent evaluators are doubtful Shin-Soo Choo can provide average center field defense, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com reports. Bowden, the former GM of the Reds, suggests Jay Bruce would shift to center field if Choo struggles. The Reds acquired Choo from the Indians in a three-team trade earlier this winter.
- Alex Gonzalez has played 13,207 2/3 innings of defense at the MLB level, and all of them have been at shortstop. Yet Gonzalez could play at first base this year, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. The Brewers, who signed Gonzalez to a one-year deal earlier this month, have two injured first basemen in Corey Hart and Mat Gamel. Manager Ron Roenicke said he hopes Gonzalez embraces a utility role with the team. “If he’s wanting to play a long time, then he needs to be a utility man that can play all positions,” Roenicke said.
Multiple Teams Interested In Mike Carp
7:34pm: Brewers general manager Doug Melvin has indeed checked in on Carp, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told McCalvy that there's a good chance that Carp will be dealt in the next 24-48 hours.
7:19pm: The Twins, Red Sox and Astros are among the teams that are interested in Mike Carp, according Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). MLB.com's Greg Johns also speculates (via Twitter) that the Brewers could be a possible landing spot for Carp given Mat Gamel's season-ending injury and Corey Hart's knee surgery.
Carp, 26, has a career .255/.327/.413 batting line in 608 plate appearances. The lefty swinger was designated for assignment by the Mariners last week in order to clear roster space for the recently signed Joe Saunders. As Cafardo notes, Seattle has until Thursday of this week to make a decision regarding Carp's future.
Any team that acquires the first baseman/outfielder would be locking in four years of team control, as Carp won't be eligible for free agency until the 2016-17 offseason.
Central Notes: Cubs, Brewers, Gamel, Chapman, Reds
A look at the Central divisions..
- There are six or seven teams in the eastern or central divisions to which Alfonso Soriano would accept a trade, writes Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. The long-time Cubs outfielder made it clear last summer that he would not have accepted a potential trade to the Giants. Soriano told reporters that the Cubs know which teams he'd prefer, but stated multiple times that his first priority is to win in Chicago.
- Brewers manager Ron Roenicke announced today that Mat Gamel, who was sidelined for the final five months of the 2012 season with a torn ACL, will miss all of the 2013 season, writes Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. The Brewers were already thin at first base thanks to Corey Hart's injury. They plan to cover with in-house options, but GM Doug Melvin will look for outside options as well. McCalvy suggests (on Twitter) that they could consider the recently DFA'd Mike Carp and Daric Barton of the A's.
- Craig Fehrman of Cincinnati Magazine profiled Aroldis Chapman and the journey that brought the left-hander to the Reds. The piece includes Chapman's daring move to defect from Cuba and the unique events that led him to changing representation while auditioning for teams.
- The Twins are not among the clubs that have expressed interest in Mark Prior, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). Prior is working on strengthening his shoulder in an attempt to hook on with a team in spring training.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
NL Notes: Lohse, Cardinals, Mets
Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio predicts Kyle Lohse will sign with either the Brewers or Rangers as one of five moves which will happen this spring (Insider subscription required). Bowden also sees extensions for Adam Wainwright and Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. Here's the other Senior Circuit news and notes from the first Sunday of Spring Training:
- Count the Phillies out as suitors for Lohse as GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is prepared to go with the staff he has in camp, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
- Lohse will only become of interest to the Cardinals if their rotation candidates aren't panning out during Spring Training, writes CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman in a piece outlining six reasons why the Redbirds remain playoff contenders.
- One reason for the Cardinals making the postseason in three of the last four years is being ranked as one of the NL's top four teams in terms of innings pitched by the starting rotation, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Goold notes this year’s rotation is set to include four starters, beyond Wainwright, who combined have just one 190-inning season.
- The Mets could use catcher John Buck as trade bait once they promote Travis d'Arnaud in the opinion of ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin, who cites the precedent of when David Wright took over at third base.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News cautions the Mets to be prudent with their newfound financial flexibility if they dive into next year's free agent outfield pool. Madden lists Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, and Hunter Pence (all ranked in the top ten of MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings) as possible targets.
NL Central Notes: Lohse, Brewers, Scutaro, Cardinals
Here's a look at the latest out of the National League Central..
- We recently heard that agent Scott Boras is working hard to sell the Angels on Kyle Lohse and owner Mark Attanasio says that he is doing the same with the Brewers. "Our ears are always open. We don't want to lead our fans on in any way. There's not an active conversation. But our ears are always open. [GM] Doug [Melvin] and his group are always looking to improve the team," said the owner, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- Marco Scutaro had a two-year, $18MM offer from the Cardinals on the table but instead took a three-year, $20MM deal to remain with the Giants, writes Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com. Scutaro's representatives told the Giants early on in the offseason that $20MM over three years would get the job done and they held true to their word, despite a higher average annual value and a recruiting pitch from Matt Holliday.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wonders if the Cardinals are too old. The Cards have an average age of 30.5, making them the fourth oldest team in the majors behind the Yankees, Phillies, and Rangers.
Kyle Lohse Rumors: Wednesday
The Nationals don't presently have interest in Kyle Lohse, the Cardinals don't expect to add starting pitching, and the Indians don't appear to have interest in Lohse. In other words the market for the Scott Boras client remains unclear even as Spring Training gets started. Here’s the latest with the most recent rumors up top…
- A Red Sox source indicated to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that a deal with Lohse seems unlikely. WEEI.com reported last week that the Red Sox aren't likely to sign Lohse.
Earlier Updates:
- While the Brewers might seem like a fit for Lohse, GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he hasn't had any conversations with Scott Boras. "We aren't talking to him," Melvin said. The GM acknowledged that Boras has spoken with owner Mark Attanasio but said "there's nothing going on" there.
- Agent Scott Boras has repeatedly tried to engage the Angels about Lohse, but so far the club has passed, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). The Angels have already sacrificed a top draft pick to sign Josh Hamilton. Their rotation currently consists of Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Joe Blanton, Tommy Hanson and Jason Vargas.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told reporters today that Gio Gonzalez's connections with the Biogenesis clinic in Miami did not "intensify" the team's search for a starting pitcher, Amanda Comak of the Washington Times reports (on Twitter).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Padres Claim Fautino De Los Santos
The Padres claimed right-hander Fautino De Los Santos off of waivers from Milwaukee, according to the Brewers. The Brewers officially announced the signing of Alex Gonzalez in a related move.
De Los Santos appeared in six games for the Athletics in 2012, pitching out of the bullpen. The A's traded the 26-year-old to Milwaukee last July in the deal that sent George Kottaras to Oakland. De Los Santos posted a 5.80 ERA with 10.9 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 49 2/3 innings of relief work at Triple-A in 2012.
Brewers Sign Alex Gonzalez
The Brewers have officially signed free agent shortstop Alex Gonzalez to a one-year, Major League contract. Gonzalez, a client of agent Eric Goldschmidt, will obtain a $1.5MM guarantee and could earn an additional $1MM in incentives.
Gonzalez played for the Brewers in 2012, but appeared in just 24 games after signing for $4.25MM. The Brewers placed Gonzalez on the disabled list with an ACL tear in early May, and he didn't play again. Before hitting the disabled list, the 35-year-old posted a .259/.326/.457 batting line in 89 plate appearances. In general, Gonzalez has been a low-average, low-OBP hitter with some power and a steady glove throughout his 14-year MLB career.
Gonzalez provides the Brewers with an experienced alternative to Jean Segura. Segura, 22, joined the Brewers in the Zack Greinke trade last summer and hit .264/.321/.331 in 163 late summer plate appearances with Milwaukee.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the deal (all Twitter links).