Heyman On Pujols, Huntington, C.J. Wilson
SI's Jon Heyman leads his latest column with a discussion of the Albert Pujols situation, which is due to flare up once the season ends. Heyman's sources say the Cardinals are "not overly confident" about retaining Pujols. Heyman hears the Cardinals are not inclined to increase their offer much from nine years and around $210MM, although the SI writer thinks the team could reduce the number of years to boost the average annual value past the $23MM range. Heyman hears Pujols is "not overly thrilled" that the Cardinals' offer last winter wouldn't place him in the top ten among MLB player salaries, though by my count there are only five players currently averaging $23MM or more as their AAV.
Heyman has plenty more musings on the Pujols topic in the column; here are a few other highlights…
- The Pirates intend to extend the contract of GM Neal Huntington. He says the Bucs have waited for the draft and trade deadlines to pass. Huntington was hired four years ago.
- "There are some who could see" Rangers ace C.J. Wilson "wanting to go to his native Southern California." Heyman views the Angels as a threat for Wilson.
- Heyman says Angels people suggest they would have been willing to resume extension talks with Jered Weaver next year if they hadn't reached a deal by the team's deadline this year.
- The Twins are interested in re-signing reliever Joe Nathan, though they won't be picking up his $12MM option.
Arbitration Eligibles: Minnesota Twins
The Twins are next in our arbitration eligibles series.
- First time: Jose Mijares, Matt Tolbert, Phil Dumatrait
- Second time: Kevin Slowey, Alexi Casilla, Glen Perkins
- Third time: Francisco Liriano, Jason Repko
The Twins have a lot of non-tender candidates in this bunch: Mijares, Tolbert, Dumatrait, Slowey, and Repko. MLBTR's Steve Adams points out that the success of Perkins and the likelihood of moving Brian Duensing to the bullpen could make lefties Mijares and Dumatrait expendable. Tolbert and Repko are bench players who would cost under $1MM each, but neither has provided any offense.
Momentum for a Slowey trade has been building since at least Spring Training, though his limited 2011 contribution would probably keep his salary at $2.7MM. With Kyle Gibson going down for Tommy John surgery the Twins might prefer the depth Slowey provides. So while a non-tender is possible, it's more likely that the Twins trade or keep Slowey.
Perkins and Casilla will be retained, each projected in the $1.5MM range. Liriano had an off year, plagued with shoulder issues. He projects for a $5.7MM salary in 2012, and he's too tantalizing a talent to cut loose unless major surgery becomes necessary.
The Twins could end up with Perkins, Casilla, and Liriano on next year's roster for a total of around $8.6MM. That'd put their total around $74.35MM before accounting for minimum salary players, so if the 2011 Opening Day payroll level is maintained the Twins could have over $30MM to spend in 2012 salaries.
Steve Adams and Matt Swartz contributed to this post.
Twins Designate Chuck James For Assignment
The Twins announced today on Twitter that they've designated lefty reliever Chuck James for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot for Australia native Liam Hendriks.
James, 29, posted a 2.30 ERA, 9.6 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 62 2/3 minor league innings, but was ineffective in 10 1/3 big league frames. James won 11 games in 119 innings for the '06 Braves, but he had rotator cuff surgery in September of '08 and was subsequently cut loose.
Cafardo’s Latest: Fielder, Nathan, Hart, Mauer
One major league source told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that a lot of lefty relievers were blocked by teams and never got through waivers in August. The price tag on most of them was steep so most teams bit the bullet and decided to go with what they had. The Giants were one of those clubs as GM Brian Sabean opted to stick with Javy Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt. Here are some other highlights from Cafardo's column..
- The Mariners re-upped GM Jack Zduriencik this week and Cafardo wonders if Seattle will be in the mix with Prince Fielder this offseason, even though they already have Justin Smoak at first. It's hard to predict how much the M's will be willing to spend and it's possible that the four-year, $36MM deal given to Chone Figgins in December 2009 could make ownership gun-shy.
- The Twins didn’t seem to have anything major working for Joe Nathan at the deadline, but they asked him to waive his trade-veto rights just in case and Nathan declined. Nathan's future with the club is uncertain as he heads into free agency but he has a shot at staying if he accepts a hometown discount. It's unlikely that the Twins will pick up his $12MM option this winter. The club can buy him out for just $2MM.
- Cafardo writes that Brewers rightfielder Corey Hart would fit nicely with the Red Sox. However, it seems likely that they'll lose Fielder this summer so they probably won't entertain a deal involving Hart.
- Twins GM Bill Smith says that Joe Mauer will be a catcher for the foreseeable future, but he continues to leave the door open for a possible shift of positions down the road. There are also no plans for the Giants to move Buster Posey elsewhere, according to Sabean.
Torii Hunter Considering Retirement After 2012
Torii Hunter is thinking about retiring once his contract is up after the 2012 season. In an interview with Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Angels outfielder says there is about a 40% chance that next season will be his last.
'I am going to retire an Angel," he said. ''Next year is my last year, and I'm going to retire an Angel. I'm going to evaluate it this offseason. That's when I'll know. It's 60-40, to the positive, that I'll keep playing."
Hunter has a .261/.332/.423 line for Los Angeles this year and was hampered in the early part of the season by a quad injury. Since getting back to better health, however, Hunter has been on fire, posting a 1.013 OPS in 118 plate appearances since August 2. Hunter will be 37 at the end of the 2012 campaign and told Souhan that he doesn't want to keep playing just for the sake of playing: "You don't want to see your skills diminish. You don't want to linger."
If Hunter did decide to return for 2013, he would give the Angels "first dibs" on bringing him back but also noted that he would enjoy returning to Minnesota, where he spent the first 11 seasons of his career. This isn't the first time Hunter has talked of rejoining the Twins, but a return could be difficult given Hunter's feelings about Twins GM Bill Smith, who he describes as having "no heart, no compassion, no nothing."
Hunter said he would have re-signed with Minnesota as a free agent after the 2007 season had the club offered him a four or five-year deal, but Smith's largest offer was for three years. Hunter believes Smith's offer was just a token effort and thinks the Twins are making a similarly half-hearted attempt to re-sign Michael Cuddyer, who is a free agent after this season and was reportedly offered a two-year, $16MM contract by the club earlier this month.
"Cuddyer is going to make less, as a free agent?" Hunter said. "I told him before, 'They'll make an offer and people will say, 'You turned down the money, you could have stayed, you're money-hungry.' "
Rockies Notes: Giambi, Cuddyer, Young, Rotation
Troy Renck of the Denver Post took some time to answer questions from his followers on Twitter just now. Renck touches on a lot of offseason topics for the Rox, so let's take a look (all links to Renck's Twitter):
- If traded, Jason Giambi would prefer to go to the Phillies, but he isn't looking to get traded and would likely be claimed before Philadelphia got a chance at him. Giambi would like to return to the Rockies next season, and Renck sees it happening.
- It's been well-documented that the Rockies would like to add a bat at third base or in the outfield, and Renck says that Michael Cuddyer will be the team's top target in free agency.
- Eric Young Jr. has shown value, but doesn't fit the club unless he's playing second base, according to Renck. Young could be traded, while Ian Stewart will likely be non-tendered.
- Renck predicts that the Opening Day rotation will consist of Jhoulys Chacin, Alex White, Esmil Rogers, and two veterans. Jorge de la Rosa, Juan Nicasio and/or Drew Pomeranz could join the mix in May. Renck notes that De La Rosa is ahead of schedule in his rehab from Tommy John surgery.
- Kevin Millwood, who currently has a 4.26 ERA in four starts (25 1/3 innings) for the Rockies, could be one of those veterans, but on a minor league deal.
A Look At Notable Moves Of August 2010
August transactions don't boast the same excitement as their July counterparts, but they can still have ramifications for contenders and non-contenders alike. Teams readying for the postseason will often fine-tune their rosters by adding a specialty piece — a LOOGY or power bat off the bench, for example — and ones looking ahead to next year will look to shed payroll.
There's still a few days left before September arrives, and prominent players such as the Rays' B.J. Upton was claimed as recently as Friday. But in the meanwhile, here's a look back at some of the bigger names who were on the move — whether by trade or waiver claim — in August 2010, and the subsequent fallout (for the complete list, check out MLBTR's Transaction Tracker):
- Mike Sweeney, acquired by the Phillies from the Mariners on Aug. 4: Seattle sent the right-handed-hitting veteran and what remained of his $650K salary to Philly, where he hit .231/.310/.385 down the regular season's stretch and went 1-for-1 in his lone postseason at-bat. The M's later received cash from the Phils for Sweeney, who signed a one-day contract with the Royals in March and retired.
- Jim Edmonds, acquired by the Reds from the Brewers on Aug. 9: Cincinnati added Edmonds for its postseason push, sending Chris Dickerson back to Milwaukee in exchange. Edmonds didn't do much, hitting .207/.281/.586 in the regular season before being left off the Reds' postseason roster due to an Achilles injury. He retired this spring after signing a minor league deal with the Cards, while Dickerson was traded in March to the Yankees for Sergio Mitre.
- Mike Fontenot, acquired by the Giants from the Cubs on Aug. 11: The Lads scooped up Fontenot for infield depth during their run to the World Series in exchange for minor league outfielder Evan Crawford. Fontenot remains in San Francisco is under team control for through 2013, though he could be a non-tender candidate this offseason, as he was last.
- Derrek Lee, acquired by the Braves from the Cubs on Aug. 18: Lee joined Atlanta after his long tenure in Chicago, the Cubs acquiring three prospects in return. Lee was one of the better acquisitions of this period, posting a fine .287/.384/.465 line for the Braves to help them reach the postseason, though he went just 2-for-16 in their NLDS loss to the Giants. He signed with the Orioles before this season.
- Pedro Feliz, acquired by the Cardinals from the Astros on Aug. 19: St. Louis sent David Carpenter and cash to Houston in exchange for Feliz, who was added to help out at the hot corner when David Freese was injured. Feliz's already declining bat didn't improve for the Redbirds, who missed the postseason. Feliz signed a minor league deal with the Padres this month, while Carpenter is currently in the Astros' bullpen.
- Cody Ross, acquired by the Giants from the Marlins on waiver claim on Aug. 22: The Giants added an eventual World Series hero in acquiring Ross from the Marlins, who had little interest in retaining Ross, as he was becoming expensive with his final year of arbitration-eligibility looming.
- Brian Fuentes, acquired by the Twins from the Angels on Aug. 27: Minnesota added Fuentes to bolster its bullpen, and the lefty threw 9 2/3 shutout innings in the regular season and 2 2/3 shutout innings in the postseason before signing with the Athletics this offseason. The Angels acquired Loek Van Mil from the Twins as a player to be named.
- Manny Ramirez, acquired by the White Sox on a waiver claim from the Dodgers on Aug. 29: This was arguably the most notable move of the August post-deadline period, but it didn't amount to much for either teams or the player. The White Sox missed the postseason, the cash-strapped Dodgers got some salary relief, and Manny hit a quiet .261/.420/.319 before signing with the Rays this offseason (and eventually retiring).
- Manny Delcarmen, acquired by the Rockies from the Red Sox on Aug. 31: The Rox, still in contention for the wild card, needed bullpen depth, so they sent Chris Balcom-Miller to Boston for Delcarmen. The righty didn't pan out in Colorado, posting a 6.48 ERA in 8 1/3 innings for a team that missed the playoffs before being non-tendered this offseason. He's kicked around since then.
- Jeff Francoeur, acquired by the Rangers from the Mets on Aug. 31: Texas sent Joaquin Arias to the Mets for Frenchy, who played well in his brief time in Texas, hitting .340/.357/.491 down the stretch and seeing playing time during the postseason. Arias was waived by the Mets, while Francoeur signed the Royals this offseason and recently inked a two-year extension.
Rosenthal On Kubel, Carroll, Ramirez, Fielder, Pujols
Let's take a look at the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- The free agent market for outfielders is rather thin and after Carlos Beltran, Jason Kubel might be the next most attractive option. Rosenthal floats the idea of Kubel going to a more hitter-friendly park, such as Fenway where he can replace a departing J.D. Drew. The Twins want to re-sign Kubel, but he intends to test the market.
- Veteran Jamey Carroll is on waivers and almost certain to be claimed. The Dodgers might be more open to dealing Carroll than they were before the July 31st deadline. Justin Sellers has played well, Dee Gordon should be back soon, and Ivan DeJesus is a candidate for promotion. The Brewers had interest in him before the trade deadline but they've since acquired Jerry Hairston Jr. and Rickie Weeks will return to action soon.
- Aramis Ramirez has cleared waivers but he'll remain with the Cubs this month. His agent, Paul Kinzer, told Rosenthal in July that his client might be open to waiving his no-trade clause in August, but he's since turned red hot and will play it out in Chicago. He'll be a very interesting decision for the Cubs' next GM and maybe an interesting free agent.
- Rosenthal says that the choice between Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder is no longer obvious. Fielder has had the better season and he's nearly four-and-a-half years younger than Pujols. Still, Pujols has 31 homers and a slugging percentage that's just ten points lower. The big question for both men is how will they look three years and five years from now.
Quick Hits: Kubel, Bell, Marlins, Upton
Hurricane Irene has resulted in the cancellation of five Saturday games, but we still have plenty of news for your to pore over..
- The Indians and Twins did exchange names on a potential Jason Kubel deal but Minnesota wanted more than the Tribe was willing to give for a short-term rental, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- More from Rosenthal (via Twitter) as he says that the talks between the Padres and Giants on Heath Bell never got very far. The claim was more than just a block, but the Giants didn't want to give up real value for the closer.
- The Marlins preference is to hire a manager who they believe will hold that job for years to come rather than keep Jack McKeon, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. McKeon will celebrate his 81st birthday this fall.
- No surprise here but Olney tweets that it's unlikely that we'll see B.J. Upton traded following the waiver claim. The Rays would probably be benefit from listening to multiple teams this winter.
Quick Hits: Dempster, Wright, Kubel, Bell, Thome
Let's take a look at some links as the northeast prepares for Hurricane Irene..
- Cubs starter Ryan Dempster was non-committal when asked about his player option for 2012, but he doesn't sound like he wants to leave town either, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. The 34-year-old's 2012 option is worth $14MM.
- Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com wonders if the Cubs will keep Reed Johnson in the fold in 2012. Johnson, he points out, could help groom top prospect Brett Jackson next season. This year the 34-year-old is hitting .347/.385/.539 in 209 plate appearances.
- Despite his insistence to the contrary, the swirl of trade rumors throughout the season have bothered David Wright, a Mets staffer told Andy Martino of the Daily News. The third baseman surprisingly cleared waivers this week. Wright is owed $15MM next year and can void a $16MM club option for 2013 if he is dealt.
- Jason Kubel is happy to still be a member of the Twins, tweets Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Earlier this evening we learned that the Indians were the team to place the winning claim on him, not the White Sox as once thought.
- Padres closer Heath Bell didn't let the recent round of trade speculation get to him, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com. Earlier today, Ben Nicholson-Smith outlined the club's options regarding Bell this offseason.
- Veteran Jim Thome is happy to return to the Tribe as the elder statesman, writes Zack Meisel of MLB.com. The slugger will celebrate his 41st birthday tomorrow.