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Kurt Suzuki Has Interest from Twins, Mariners

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The Twins and Mariners are possibilities for veteran catcher Kurt Suzuki, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).  The Cubs are also among the clubs with interest, as noted by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle last week.

While Minnesota likes the 30-year-old, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link) hears from a person with direct knowledge that nothing is going on yet between the club and the catcher.  Suzuki hit .232/.290/.337 with five homers in his second straight season split between the A's and Nationals.  Though he's typically been solid in terms of catching base stealers, Suzuki caught just eight of 65 potential thieves in 2013 (12 percent) and graded out as one of the league's worst in terms of pitch-framing. He was highly adept at blocking pitches in the dirt, per Fangraphs, trailing only Yadier Molina in that regard.

Braves Acquire Ryan Doumit For Sean Gilmartin

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2:17pm: The Twins have confirmed the trade via press release. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports that the Braves are taking on all of Doumit's $3.5MM salary (Twitter link).

1:54pm: The Braves have acquired Ryan Doumit from the Twins in exchange for left-hander Sean Gilmartin, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

Doumit-Ryan

Doumit, who will turn 33 on April 3, is coming off a down season in which he batted .247/.314/.396 and dealt with concussion issues late in the year. However he's just one year removed from a strong .275/.320/.461 showing with a career-high 18 homers for the Twins.

Though he's not considered a strong defensive catcher, Doumit would give the Braves a cheap option behind the dish in the wake of Brian McCann's departure to the Yankees. Doumit is owed jusr $3.5MM in 2014. The Braves have Evan Gattis, Gerald Laird and Christian Bethancourt as internal options at catcher, but Bethancourt could require more seasoning, Laird is a backup and Gattis has serious OBP concerns. He alsos struggled against right-handed pitching (.236/.284/.473), which is where Doumit exceeds (.270/.330/.454).

Gilmartin, 23, entered the 2013 season ranked as the Braves' No. 4 prospect, per Baseball America, and their No. 3 prospect, per MLB.com. Though he suffered a down year, BA still ranked him 10th among Braves prospects, and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo kept his ranking strong at No. 4.

Gilmartin struggled through injuries and posted a 5.06 ERA across three levels in 2013, averaging 6.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in a total of 105 innings. Selected with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2011 draft, Gilmartin draws praise for his polish from both BA and MLB.com. BA writes that his 89-91 mph fastball has good movement and is complemented by a plus changeup and a slider with "sharp, late break." According to Mayo, "[Gilmartin's] ceiling is somewhat limited, but he's not far from being ready to step in as a middle-of-the-rotation type in the big leagues."

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports first reported that the trade was close (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Cubs, Veras, Santana, Pirates

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The Jose Veras signing makes sense for the Cubs since he comes at an affordable rate, has experience, and can groom the younger guys like Pedro Strop, opines Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com (via Twitter). Earlier tonight, the Cubs agreed to sign Veras to a one-year, $4MM deal with a $5.5MM club option for 2015.  Here's more out of the AL and NL Central..

  • Before agreeing to his deal with the Cubs, Veras tells Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (on Twitter) that he also had an offer from the Mariners. The Rockies and Astros were also among the clubs with reported interest.
  • Even after the Mike Pelfrey agreement, the Twins are maintaining dialogue with Johan Santana's representatives, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). For his part, Santana is very open to a return.
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel checked in with Brewers GM Doug Melvin and it doesn't sound like the club is closing in on a first base solution.  "It's pretty quiet," said Melvin. "We know all the names. It's a small group. Nothing changes from one day to the next. Ike Davis is the one player people talk about. Other than that, there's not much available."   Haudricourt also asked Melvin about Rangers' first baseman Mitch Moreland, but Melvin says that at last check, Texas said they won't move him. 
  • With multiple question marks, David Schoenfield of ESPN.com feels that the Pirates are likely to regress in 2014.

Minor Moves: Tolleson, Treanor, Pino

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Tonight's minor moves..

  • The Blue Jays announced that they have agreed to terms with infielder Steven Tolleson on a minor league contract with an invitation to attend big league spring training.  The 30-year-old spent last season with the White Sox's Triple-A affiliate, batting .288/.381/.426 with eight home runs.  Tolleson has appeared in 54 Major League games for Oakland (2010) and Baltimore (2012).
  • The Indians announced that they signed catcher Matt Treanor to a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training.  He'll earn $800K if he makes the big league roster, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.  Treanor had 122 plate appearances with the Dodgers in 2012, posting a less-than-stellar .175/.281/.282 slash line.  The 37-year-old did not play last season as he recovered from surgery on his left knee.
  • The Twins signed right-hander Yohan Pino to a minor league deal, according to the MLB.com transactions page.  Pino, who turns 30 on Dec. 26, spent the bulk of last season with the Reds' Triple-A affiliate, posting a 3.26 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 16 starts and 15 relief appearances. 

New York Notes: Reynolds, Baker, Murphy, Tejada

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Earlier today, the Yankees reached agreements with both Brian Roberts and Matt Thornton.They're likely to continue adding pieces, however. A source confirmed to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (Twitter link) that the Yanks have spoken to Mark Reynolds' agent, though nothing is close on that front. Here's the latest on Reynolds, the Yankees and the Mets…

  • The Yankees are in on Reynolds, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, but they'll face competition from the Twins, Angels and others in their attempt to land him.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Yankees have also expressed interest in Jeff Baker as a potential right-handed bat to get some time at second base and third base (Twitter link). Baker mashed against lefties in 2013, posting a .314/.407/.667 batting line with 10 homers.
  • Daniel Murphy has seen his name in trade rumors this offseason, but he says his agents came away from the Winter Meetings with the impression that he'll be with the Mets in 2014, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.  Sources tell Rubin that the Mets continue to listen on Murphy, but the asking price is high.
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson says that two to three teams are potential trade partners at shortstop, although the chances of Ruben Tejada starting Opening Day at the position are much better than at the end of the season, Rubin writes.  "Well, I think it is more likely certainly than it was a couple of months ago, let's say," the GM said. "But we've improved the team at other positions. And so giving Ruben a chance to reestablish himself as an everyday player isn't such a bad thing. But we'll continue to monitor what's there from the trade market and conceivably free agency, although there really isn't much left there. There are two or three teams that are possibilities."
  • Alderson also suggested he would be looking for an equivalent return to what others have received for trading first basemen. The Marlins got 23-year-old Carter Capps from the Mariners for Logan Morrison last week.
  • The Mets GM expects a fifth-starter candidate to be signed on a minor-league deal.  That would allow Jenrry Mejia, Jacob deGrom, and Rafael Montero to compete for a spot out of spring training and help ensure that top prospect Noah Syndergaard would not be blocked from a summer promotion.
  • While it's not a huge surprise, Alderson downplayed the Mets' odds of landing Masahiro Tanaka.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Braves Close To Acquiring Ryan Doumit

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The Braves and Twins are finalizing a deal that would send catcher/outfielder Ryan Doumit to Atlanta, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Doumit, who will turn 33 on April 3, is coming off a down season in which he batted .247/.314/.396 and dealt with concussion issues late in the year. However he’s just one year removed from a strong .275/.320/.461 showing with a career-high 18 homers for the Twins.

Though he’s not considered a strong defensive catcher, Doumit would give the Braves a cheap option behind the dish in the wake of Brian McCann’s departure to the Yankees. Doumit is owed jusr $3.5MM in 2014. The Braves have Evan Gattis, Gerald Laird and Christian Bethancourt as internal options at catcher, but Bethancourt could require more seasoning, Laird is a backup and Gattis has serious OBP concerns. He alsos struggled against right-handed pitching (.236/.284/.473), which is where Doumit exceeds (.270/.330/.454).

This post was originally published on Dec. 18.

Twins Sign Jason Kubel

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TUESDAY: Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Kubel will earn $2MM if he makes the roster out of Spring Training and can earn another $1MM via incentives. Kubel will earn $150K for reaching 300 and 350 plate appearances, plus $200K for reaching 400 PAs. He also will receive $150K for spending 30 and 60 days on the Major League roster and another $200K if he reaches 90 days.

FRIDAY: The Twins announced today that Jason Kubel is once again a part of their organization. Minnesota has signed the 31-year-old to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.

Kubel, a client of the Wasserman Media Group's Joel Wolfe, originally left the Twins following the 2011 season in favor of a two-year, $16MM contract with the Diamondbacks. The lefty swinger had a big first year moving from the spacious Target Field in Minneapolis to Phoenix's Chase Field, slashing .253/.327/.506 with a career-high 30 home runs. However, a great deal of Kubel's damage came in the first half of that season. Though he belted 15 second-half homers, he batted just .201/.275/.470 in the season's second half.

Things didn't get better for Kubel in 2013, as he slumped to a career-worst .216/.293/.317 batting line and found himself designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks. The Indians picked him up via trade, but Kubel collected just three hits in 18 at-bats for Cleveland (he did walk five times as well).

The Twins selected Kubel in the 12th round of the 2000 draft, and he reached elite prospect status in the middle portion of last decade, ranking 17th in the game, per Baseball America. A devastating knee injury delayed his arrival as a big league regular and likely depleted some of his speed and range. He's always graded out as a sub-par defender in the outfield, but his best overall season at the plate came for the 2009 Twins. Kubel hit .300/.369/.539 with 28 homers that season.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported the agreement (on Twitter). Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweeted that it was a minor league contract.

Central Notes: Twins, Indians, White Sox, Pirates

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Let's run through some late-night Central links …

Twins Maintain Strong Interest In Bronson Arroyo

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The Twins "remain strongly interested" in free-agent right-hander Bronson Arroyo, a source tells Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Arroyo would become the fourth free-agent starter to be signed by the Twins this offseason if a deal is consummated.

While the Twins were widely expected to pursue rotation upgrades this winter, few projected this large of an outlay. The Twins have already committed $84MM to Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes and Mike Pelfrey, and Arroyo, who some believe could receive a contract in the three-year, $36MM range, would likey push that to well above $100MM. It's a major strategy change for Minnesota, which hasn't been a major player in the free agent market in previous offseasons. The rumored interest in Arroyo suggests that GM Terry Ryan and his staff believe prospect Kyle Gibson could use more minor league seasoning after struggling mightily in 2013, his first crack at the majors. Kevin Correia, who's signed through 2014, has a claim on one of the team's two remaining rotation spots.

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted a two-year, $24MM deal for Arroyo in September. The 36-year-old had a 3.79 in 2013 and has thrown at least 199 innings every year since 2005.

AL Notes: Beckham, Yankees, Trout, O’s, Twins, M’s

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The career of the Rays' Tim Beckham, who was the first overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft, hasn't gone as planned, but Beckham finally did make it to the Majors at the tail end of the 2013 season. 2014, though, may turn out to be a lost year for him, as he tore his ACL in his right knee, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times notes (on Twitter). Beckham, who turns 24 in January, hit .276/.342/.387 in 522 plate appearances at Triple-A Durham last season. Here are more notes from around the American Legaue.

  • Yankees president Randy Levine's recent comments about Mike Trout and the Angels displeased Major League Baseball, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports. In reference to Robinson Cano's ten-year contract with the Mariners, Levine said, "If Mike Trout was here, I’d recommend the 10-year contract. But for people over 30, I don’t believe it makes sense." That led MLB to investigate whether Levine's comments broke any rules regarding tampering with another team's players. Levine says he called Angels president John Carpino to apologize, and he considers the matter settled.
  • The Orioles are still negotiating with free-agent closer Grant Balfour, but Balfour wants three years and the Orioles only want to give him two, Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun tweets. The Orioles indicate that they are willing to look elsewhere to fill their closer job if they can't find common ground with Balfour.
  • The Orioles discussed a big-league deal with Jason Kubel's agency, Wasserman Media Group, MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko reports. Kubel ended up signing a minor-league deal with the Twins, however, and Kubatko suggests that's because Kubel is very confident he'll make the team in Minnesota (Twitter links).
  • After adding Robinson Cano, Corey Hart and Logan Morrison, the Mariners still want to add a starting pitcher, a reliever and another catcher, MLB.com's Greg Johns reports. They'd like to add relief help to offset the departure of Carter Capps, who headed to the Marlins in the Morrison trade, and they're looking for a catcher because they have just two, Mike Zunino and Jesus Sucre, on their 40-man.
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