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Olney On Rangers, Bell, Dodgers

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Reds slugger Joey Votto could be on his way to a second-straight MVP award, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney.  Pitchers now work around Votto with extreme wariness and the 27-year-old can no longer predict what's coming.  Because of that, the first baseman has adapted and learned to work with what he's given.  Here's more from Olney..

  • The Rangers bullpen has taken a major blow after losing closer Neftali Feliz to the disabled list.  This is a difficult time to land a reliever, especially a closer, because other teams will have a skyhigh asking price. For example, Olney writes that if Texas were to call the Padres about Heath Bell, the Padres would ask for a great deal in return, even though Bell is likely to be dealt this season.
  • In the highest offices of a handful of other teams, there is heavy speculation that Brewers owner Mark Attanasio would be the most likely candidate to move from one team to the Dodgers.  This can only happen, of course, if Major League Baseball maintains their hold on the club and if they decides to have an established owner take over the Dodgers.  Such a scenario, Olney writes, would take months to play out.

Quick Hits: Figueroa, Mock, Martin, Mets

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Links for Saturday night, after Jose Bautista extended his on-base streak to ten consecutive plate appearances…

  • The Brewers formally announced their minor league contract with infielder Luis Figueroa, reports MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy (on Twitter). The deal was first agreed to last weekend.
  • Left-hander Lee Hyde was designated for assignment by the Nationals earlier today, but Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post reports that Garrett Mock was also a candidate to get the axe. He was spared and instead placed on the disabled list.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told ESPN New York’s Andrew Marchand that the Yankees tried to acquire Russell Martin via trade in each of the last three seasons (Twitter link). Cashman got his man this winter, signing him as a free agent after the Dodgers non-tendered him.
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson indicated to Andy Martino of The New York Daily News that there just aren’t any moves to be made right now. “In this situation, there’s not a lot that someone in my situation can do,” said Alderson. “It’s almost organic. [If any moves] happen, if it’s going to happen from within.”

Rosenthal On Fielder, Marlins, Yankees, Giants

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports brings us another edition of Full Count.  Here are some highlights..

  • Prince Fielder is off to a great start and one GM predicts that he'll be one of the most interesting free agents of all-time.  The GM says that Fielder runs hard and is more athletic than most people think.  He's about to turn 27 years old which means that he's about four-and-a-half years younger than Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols.  A team like the Cubs could use Fielder against Pujols, saying that if he doesn't meet their price, they could sign Fielder instead.
  • The Marlins are second in the National League in ERA and first in bullpen ERA by a wide margin.  Theyr'e going to have to keep winning with pitching as Hanley Ramirez is off to a slow start, Logan Morrison is out with an injured foot and Mike Stanton still hasn't found his form since coming back from a hamstring strain.  Last week, Rosenthal pointed out the potential availability of Mark DeRosa and this week he says that the veteran would be a perfect fit in Florida.
  • The Yankees will soon face some decisions regarding their rotation.  Kevin Millwood has an out in his contract if he's not in the majors by May 1st.  The club might have better options such as Adam Warren and possibly Hector Noesi or David Phelps.  In addition to those prospects, Carlos Silva is working his way back into shape and Phil Hughes is about to start a rehab assignment this week.
  • Miguel Tejada is off to a rough start in 2011 as he looks less-than-sharp in the field and is hitting just .209/.239/.328.  The Giants don't have any great internal options at shortstop, so Rosenthal says to keep an eye on Jose Reyes, Marco Scutaro, J.J. Hardy as possible trade targets.

Ryan Braun Links: Friday

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Details and reactions continue to trickle in on the sizable extension Ryan Braun signed with the Brewers on Thursday. Here are the latest:

  • Braun's extension includes at least $18MM in interest-free deferrals to be paid out in equal increments between 2022-31, blogs Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (per The Associated Press). All told, Milwaukee will be paying Braun till he's 47.
  • Braun's extension makes less sense than the one Troy Tulowitzki signed with the Rockies, and it may even be riskier than Ryan Howard's with the Phillies, writes Dave Cameron of Fangraphs. The fact that Braun is a bat-first player and has a shaky glove at a non-premium defensive position doesn't bode well for the Brewers' side of the deal. Interestingly, Cameron suggests Braun could eventually move to first base, which is likely to be vacated by Prince Fielder, who is a free agent at season's end and is not expected to re-sign with Milwaukee
  • To that end, while most have surmised that the Brewers' immense financial commitment to Braun signifies the end of the Prince era in Milwaukee, Fielder himself hopes that is not the case, blogs McCalvy. "You never know," Fielder said. "I hope they have a little left for me."

Brandon Wood Rumors: Pirates, Blue Jays

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26-year-old infielder Brandon Wood was designated for assignment late Tuesday by the Angels, and there is "zero chance of him clearing waivers," tweets USA Today's Bob Nightengale.  He'd be a fit for many clubs at shortstop or third base, as I outlined here, but he's more likely to land with a club that can give him some leeway to struggle in the Majors.  Claims are due in by noon eastern time today, reports Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  The latest:

  • The Blue Jays "expressed interest in trading for Wood as recently as this offseason," according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, so they could be interested now.
  • The Pirates will "almost surely" place a claim, tweets Dunlap.  They have first dibs, as 2010 records are used within the first 30 days of this season to determine waiver order.  The team's 40-man roster is currently full, so they'll either have to designate someone for assignment or put someone on the 60-day DL if they win a claim on Wood.  Keep in mind that claims might not come into play if a team simply trades for Wood.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (Twitter link) that his team discussed going after Wood, but demurred since Milwaukee has no spot for him.  I named the Brewers as one potential candidate for Wood yesterday.

Quick Hits: Braun, Lohse, Franklin, Wood

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Some news items as Matt Kemp is once again a walkoff hero for the Dodgers…

Dodgers Takeover Links: Thursday

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Yesterday MLB made a move to wrest ownership of the Dodgers from Frank McCourt, taking over financial operations for the club.  Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles wrote, "Never in the modern history of professional sports has there been such a hostile takeover."  The decision was an accumulation of all of McCourt's missteps, writes Yahoo's Tim Brown.  The takeover is a hot topic today, so we'll be adding the latest links in the top bullets.

  • Bud Selig said the Dodgers' ownership problems are "not similar" to the Mets' financial situation, reports John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times.  Selig made a slight comparison between Major League Baseball's takeover of the Dodgers and when the league stepped in to handle the Rangers' sale last year. 
  • History isn't on McCourt's side, as the courts have traditionally upheld the commissioner's jurisdiction over the sport, reports Victoria Kim, Chris Goffard and Dan Weikel for the L.A. Times.
  • Brewers owner Mark Attanasio "dismissed…completely" any interest in buying the Dodgers, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  • Athletics owner Lew Wolff is also not interested in the Dodgers, reports Shaikin.
  • A rival executive doubts McCourt will sue, talking to ESPN's Buster Olney.  The owner seems to have little chance at winning and is already short on cash.
  • This link is from yesterday, but Jonah Keri's article for FanGraphs on what it was like when MLB owned the Expos is a good read.  Meanwhile, Keri's colleague Dave Cameron notes that the Dodgers were already notorious for making payroll-neutral deals, so GM Ned Colletti can probably keep doing that this summer.
  • Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times says Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and White Sox executive Dennis Gilbert are "the two parties most often mentioned as interested buyers," assuming MLB tries to force a sale.  Tom Werner, part of Boston's ownership group, is not interested, learned Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  Shaikin notes that Selig "has anticipated the possibility of a legal challenge by McCourt, which could delay any ownership change."
  • MLB "will now have approval rights over every significant expenditure by the team, including a trade or contract extension," write David Wharton and Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times.  Former Braves and Nationals executive Stan Kasten is a candidate to be Selig's point man in charge of the Dodgers, according to ESPN Los Angeles.  John McHale Jr. and Corey Busch are other possibilities.
  • Dodgers outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier reiterated to Dylan Hernandez that they want to remain with the team.  Both players are looking at eight-figure arbitration rewards for 2012, after which they can become free agents.

Reaction To Ryan Braun’s Extension

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The Brewers already had Ryan Braun under contract through 2015, but they doubled their commitment to their star outfielder today by signing him to a five-year, $105MM extension that will keep Braun in Milwaukee through the 2020 season.  The length and timing of the extension has already generated a lot of reaction from the baseball media.  To wit…

  • The extension is "a mistake," writes Dan Szymborski for ESPN.com (Insider subscription required), since Braun will be on the decline by the time his extension begins in his age 31 season.
  • Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com thinks the club "could have waited a year or two to extend" Braun and feels the extension is risky.  However, Knobler noted that mid-market teams like Milwaukee and Colorado (who signed Troy Tulowitzki to a similarly lengthy extension in November) face a risk in letting star players even approach free agency, citing Albert Pujols and the Cardinals as an example.  Knobler has a point — had St. Louis signed Pujols to a five-year, $105MM extension covering 2012-2017 after, say, the 2006 season, the Cards would look like geniuses right now.
  • Also in reference to the Tulowitzki contract, Fangraphs' Joe Pawlikowski notes that the Brewers, like the Rockies did in November, are betting on significant contract inflation in baseball over the next decade.
  • The overwhelming consensus from almost every writer is that Braun's extension solidifies the fact that the Brewers won't try to re-sign Prince Fielder this winter.  Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin, however, says that Braun's deal won't have much effect on what the Brewers may or may not do with Fielder, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.

Brewers Extend Ryan Braun Through 2020

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The Brewers extended left fielder Ryan Braun through the 2020 season, the team announced.  The extension is for five years and $105MM, tweets CAA Sports, while MLB.com's Adam McCalvy has the year-by-year breakdown.  The contract includes a mutual option for 2021 worth up to $20MM with a $4MM buyout.  McCalvy notes that the deal includes a $10MM signing bonus, a no-trade provision, and some deferred salary.  The deferrals were key to the deal, CAA agent Nez Balelo told McCalvy.

Braun was already under contract through 2015 on a precedent-setting deal.  As I noted on Monday, the Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki is the only other player under contract through the 2020 season.  Braun and Tulo were drafted fifth and seventh overall in 2005, respectively, and both tacked monster extensions on top of their old team-friendly contracts in 2011.  Like Tulo's deal, Braun's contract actually takes a dip in salary toward the end.  My biggest concern with Tulo's deal was the difficulty in projecting injury risk rather than performance decline.  Braun seems a safer bet than Tulowitzki to remain healthy, though Braun signed his contract even further away from free agency and does not play a premium position.

Braun's new contract represents the largest contract in Brewers history, as did his previous $45MM deal.  His agency notes the $21MM average annual value on the new extension is the second-highest ever for an outfielder, ranking behind only Manny Ramirez's $22.5MM AAV on his last Dodgers deal.  Among all position players, Adrian Gonzalez, Mark Teixeira, Joe Mauer, Ryan Howard, and Alex Rodriguez also have higher AAVs.

Braun will turn 37 shortly after his contract ends, so he may be a Brewer for his entire career, notes Balelo.  Braun's career batting line so far: .308/.367/.557 with 133 home runs in 2627 plate appearances.  This is likely his final season playing alongside the Brewers' other superstar slugger, Prince Fielder, who will be eligible for free agency.

Brewers Outright George Kottaras

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Aside from signing Ryan Braun through 2020, the Brewers announced a series of transactions today.  Catcher George Kottaras was outrighted to Triple-A Nashville, leaving the team's 40-man roster at 38.  Also, Mike McClendon was optioned, LaTroy Hawkins was reinstated, and Zack Greinke's rehab assignment will continue Sunday for the Nashville Sounds.

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