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Quick Hits: Manuel, Doumit, Twins, A’s

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Some links to check out as you celebrate Valentine's Day…

  • Phillies manager Charlie Manuel says he won't want to discuss an extension with the Phillies anymore if he doesn't have a new deal by the time the season starts, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. Manuel's contract expires after the season and his agent has been discussing a deal with the Phillies. 
  • Yahoo's Tim Brown chronicles Giants manager Bruce Bochy's path to last year's World Series championship.
  • Pirates GM Neal Huntington says Ryan Doumit "has value" to Pittsburgh, but admitted that the team could trade Doumit before Opening Day, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). As MLBTR's Mark Polishuk recently explained, it's a make or break year for the catcher/outfielder.
  • The Twins agreed to sign Dominican right-hander Felix Jorge for $250K, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Jorge has an 88-91 mph fastball with "a good delivery, a loose arm and [some] feel for spinning a solid curveball," according to Badler.
  • A's GM Billy Beane told John Sickels of Minor League Ball that he likes the idea of trading draft picks. Click through for an interesting read on what Beane looks for in a pitcher and how he evaluates some of the current Athletics.
  • Be sure to check out RotoAuthority if you're a fantasy player wondering how this year's crop of shortstops looks.

Mariners Interested In Chad Durbin

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With David Aardsma's availability for the start of the season up in the air, the Mariners are exploring ways to shore up their bullpen. Having already signed Manny Delcarmen this week, Seattle is also interested in Chad Durbin, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

While Durbin would prefer to pitch for a team that projects as a stronger playoff contender, most of the offers he has received are from teams unlikely to contend, according to the FOX report. The Twins are one contender who could use some bullpen help, but Rosenthal's and Morosi's sources say Minnesota isn't looking at Durbin.

As MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker shows, the 33-year-old right-hander is one of the more appealing bullpen arms remaining on the market, with most free agents having already signed.

Offseason In Review: Minnesota Twins

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Kicking off our Offseason In Review series, the Twins.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

This winter Twins GM Bill Smith signed Pavano and Thome again, albeit at larger commitments given their fine 2010 campaigns.  He cut ties with Hardy after one season, gambling on the international market with Nishioka rather than dealing with the weak domestic middle infield market.  The Twins also saw a large chunk of their 2010 bullpen sign elsewhere and chose not to sign replacements.

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By re-signing Pavano, the Twins maintained the starting pitching depth that allowed them to place fifth in the AL in rotation ERA in 2010.  Pavano has begun to shake the reputation he acquired during his Yankees stint.  Including the playoffs he's racked up 433 1/3 innings over 2009-10, so he's been a horse.  Still, Smith did well in waiting him out and limiting the term to two years.  Cliff Lee, Ted Lilly and Jorge de la Rosa were the only free agent starters to sign for three-plus years this offseason.  Pavano and Scott Baker are solid sidekicks to ace Francisco Liriano, who I do not believe the Twins are open to trading.       

At $3MM, the money committed to Thome remains reasonable.  He's primed to hit his 600th home run in a Twins uniform after turning down more than $4MM from the Rangers.  Once again Smith's patience paid off and he was able to negotiate a slight Minnesota discount.  On the other hand, a net price of $4.9MM for Kubel is fairly steep if he ends up spending most of his time as a platoon DH.  Hideki Matsui and Jack Cust are coming off better offensive seasons and signed for less.

The Hudson-Hardy middle infield combination is gone after one season, with the Twins importing Nishioka from Japan to play second or shortstop and going with Alexi Casilla for the other position.  Spending $14.3MM on a player with no MLB experience is a gamble, but it would have cost just under $6MM to retain Hardy.  Rather than simply non-tendering Hardy after another disappointing season, the Twins paired him with Harris and cleared $1.25MM in salary they otherwise would have been burdened with.  That the return was Hoey and Jacobson suggests the Hardy trade was more of a salary dump than anything else.

As MLBTR's Mike Axisa outlined a month ago, the Twins' bullpen took a big hit with the losses of Crain, Guerrier, Fuentes, Rauch, and Mahay.  In hindsight, the risk of offering arbitration to Type A free agent Guerrier and Type B free agent Rauch might have been worthwhile.  But more importantly, the Twins were wise not to commit multiyear contracts to their departing relievers.  They've got Joe Nathan coming back and another year of Matt Capps, and can piece together the rest of the pen without adding more veterans to an already tapped-out payroll.  The bullpen depth doesn't look good on paper, but Smith can always make midseason additions if no one emerges.

Like most teams, the Twins have concerns heading into Spring Training.  The bullpen must be sorted out.  A slew of key players are coming off "cleanup" type surgeries, and Justin Morneau is still recovering from last year's concussion.  Middle infield roles must be determined for Nishioka and Casilla.  And third baseman Danny Valencia must avoid a sophomore slump.  But these were not issues the Twins could have solved by opening the free agent checkbook in tandem with the division rival Tigers and White Sox.  Smith's trademark patience resulted in significant savings this winter, perhaps leaving some midseason flexibility for trades.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Twins Open To Trading Liriano

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Twins officials are open to the idea of trading Francisco Liriano, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Liriano, who avoided arbitration with the Twins on the weekend, is on track to hit free agency after the 2012 season if Minnesota doesn't lock him up long-term.

The Twins don’t plan to sign Liriano to an extension, according to Christensen. Long-term talks “went nowhere” and Liriano hinted at a three-year, $39MM extension when the sides discussed a deal, according to Christensen. 

There would be demand for the left-hander if the Twins made him available. Liriano posted a 3.62 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 191 2/3 innings last year. He appears to have recovered completely from Tommy John surgery and makes just $4.3MM in 2011.

Michael Young Rumors: Tuesday

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The Rangers announced yesterday that Michael Young has had a change of heart and requested a trade. That's not quite the way Young sees it though. He told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he has been "misled and manipulated and [has grown] sick of it." Here's the latest on Young, who can veto deals to teams other than the Cardinals, Yankees, Twins, Astros, Rockies, Dodgers, Angels and Padres, but would consider other destinations:

  • The Cardinals haven't heard from the Rangers about a possible trade and don't plan to initiate discussions, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. GM John Mozeliak didn't mention Young by name, but says his roster is set at this point and that he doesn't expect "any major additions at this point." The Cardinals have discussed Young before, according to Strauss.
  • It's time to forget the idea of Young going to the Astros, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The Astros like his tools, but not his contract. GM Ed Wade declined to comment on his club's interest.
  • The Rangers are increasing their asking price for Young, since it's harder to find offense now that Vladimir Guerrero has agreed to terms with the Orioles, according to Rosenthal (Twitter link).
  • The Twins have discussed trading for Young in previous years, but there's "zero chance" a deal happens now, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
  • The Mariners will "probably stay the course," GM Jack Zduriencik tells Morosi (Twitter link).
  • Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Tigers are "set" at second base (Twitter link). Detroit is also set at third and short, so Young isn't a fit.
  • A Carlos Lee for Michael Young trade is a longshot, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Lee, a former Ranger, can veto deals to 14 teams, including Texas.
  • The Dodgers have had preliminary talks about acquiring Young, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. However, it's "a very long shot" that the sides agree to a deal, according to a baseball source.
  • There is no imminent deal with the Rockies, though Colorado has shown the most interest in Young, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.

Michael Young Requests Trade

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TUESDAY, 12:10am: Young feels a breach of trust occurred with the Rangers in part because they told him they were not trying to trade him when they actually were, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.  Stark adds that Young would be willing to consider expanding his eight-team list on a "case-to-case basis."

MONDAY, 10:34pm: MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan has the list of eight teams Young is willing to accept a trade to: Cardinals, Yankees, Twins, Astros, Rockies, Dodgers, Angels, and Padres. The team has said they are dealing with just those eight teams right now.

9:45pm: Grant passes along some strong words from Young…

"I've kept a low profile out of respect for the team, the coaching staff, my family and the fans because I didn't want to put anybody on an unnecessary roller-coaster. Now, I think it's important to address the inaccurate portrayal that is being painted. The suggestion that I've simply had a change of heart and asked for a trade is a manipulation of the truth."

"I want to be traded because I've been misled and manipulated and I'm sick of it."

Young wouldn't elaborate when asked how he was "misled and manipulated," instead saying it "would be unproductive for everybody, particularly my teammates and coaches. I know the truth and Jon Daniels knows the truth and I will sleep well."

9:16pm: Jeff Wilson of The Star Telegram hears that the Rangers would be willing to trade Young within the AL West as long as it helps improve the team. He reminds us that Texas traded high-end prospects to a division rival for Cliff Lee just last summer.

5:06pm: Michael Young has officially requested a trade according to Rangers GM Jon Daniels, reports Anthony Andro of The Star Telegram (Twitter links). The request came about a week ago, though Daniels said "nothing's imminent" according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter).

"It's not our first choice," said Daniels. "We'd like to go to camp with him … If we can accomodate his request and upgrade the club he would like to do that."

Those quotes come courtesy of Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News and Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter links). Team president Nolan Ryan said they're "going to do what’s in the best interest of the ballclub" according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Ryan would not speculate about whether the team would eat some of Young's salary, and he said he expects "proper compensation" for his third baseman according to Andro and Renck (Twitter links).

This is not the first time Young has requested a trade from the Rangers. He did so before the 2009 season, after the club asked him to play third base in deference to Elvis Andrus. Obviously nothing came of that, but Young still had a clearly defined role with the team back then. Now he's expected to be a part-time infielder and part-time DH with Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli on board.

Young, 34, has been mentioned in trade talk all winter, most notably with the Rockies. He was said to have "grown disillusioned about his diminished role" over the weekend, and we heard that Colorado would need Texas to eat about $20MM of the $48MM left on Young's salary to make a deal happen.

Young has a limited no-trade clause that allows him to block deals to all but eight teams, however Colorado is one of the eight. Ryan says that Young will not expand the list of teams he's willing to go to even though some of the clubs on the no-trade list have expressed interest in acquiring him according to Renck and Andro (all Twitter links). Daniels would not specify which teams have inquired about Young.

If Texas was willing to trade within the division, they might find suitors in the Angels and Athletics, though that is speculation on my part. Both clubs whiffed on Beltre and are known to be seeking upgrades at the hot corner. Colorado would use Young at second base full-time.

Twins, Liriano Avoid Arbitration

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The Twins have agreed to terms with pitcher Francisco Liriano on a one-year, $4.3MM deal, avoiding arbitration, according to a team press release.  The left-hander is represented by Legacy Sports.

This one-year deal marks a signficant raise for Liriano, who skirted arbitration with the Twins last year for $1.6MM.  The two sides met exactly in the middle this time as the pitcher asked for $5MM and the club countered with an offer of $3.6MM.  This offseason was Liriano's second go-round as an arb-eligible player.

Liriano, 27, turned in a 3.62 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 31 starts last season.  According to MLBTR's Arb Tracker, the Twins have just one more unsettled case to tackle in outfielder Delmon Young. 

Quick Hits: Ohlendorf, Izzy, Edmonds, Flores

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On this day in 2006, Frank Thomas officially parted ways with the White Sox, signing a free agent contract with the Athletics.  The Big Hurt left Chicago after suffering through two injury-plagued years, a dispute with GM Kenny Williams and virtually no role in the team's run to the 2005 World Series title.  Thomas had a huge bounce-back year with the A's, posting a .926 OPS to help lead Oakland to the ALCS.

Some news to wrap up a busy Monday night…

  • Both Ross Ohlendorf and the Pirates would prefer to avoid an arbitration hearing, but "each party [is] hesitant to budge too much" from the $625K gap in proposed salaries, writes MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.  The Bucs don't want Ohlendorf's price driven up for future arb years, though Ohlendorf is only asking for $2.025MM in 2011.  As the Arbtracker tells us, Ohlendorf is Pittsburgh's last remaining arbitration-eligible player without a contract.
  • Jason Isringhausen had a throwing session for Reds pitching coach Bryan Price today and "threw the ball fine," Price told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.  Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty was non-committal about the chances of Isringhausen rejoining the Reds organization on a minor league deal.  "We're not sure if we will pursue it or not," Jocketty said.  "We'll discuss it in the next few days. We have quite a bit of right-handed pitching."
  • Jim Edmonds' agent tells Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link) that Edmonds will "probably" know by early next week if he'll retire or try to come back in 2011.  Walt Jocketty recently opined that Edmonds would retire. 
  • If Jesus Flores proves he's healthy during Spring Training, MLB.com's Bill Ladson thinks the Nationals might try to trade him to a catcher-needy team.
  • The Orioles had no shortage of needs this offseason, but Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun points out that the O's have "at least theoretically, filled each of the roster's gaping holes that loomed in October."
  • The Twins and Royals both appear to be finished their winter additions.  MLB.com's Kelly Thesier says Minnesota is out of payroll space, and Dayton Moore tells Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star that the Royals are done shopping "unless something comes up that we’re not expecting."  Moore wouldn't comment on rumors that K.C. is looking at Kevin Millwood.

Quick Hits: Weeks, Dodgers, Cuddyer, Mets

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On this day 20 years ago, the Atlanta Braves signed Falcons cornerback Deion Sanders as a free agent. Though he struggled in his first year as a Brave, 'Prime Time' was a key contributor for the National League champs in 1992; he hit .304/.346/.495 with 26 stolen bases in 325 regular season plate appearances and added eight hits and five steals in four World Series games. Sanders ended up leaving both Atlanta franchises in 1994, but not before he racked up 75 stolen bases and ten touchdowns for the Braves and Falcons respectively. Here are Sunday's links:

Arbitration Rumors: Marcum, Weeks, Liriano, Young

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17 arbitration eligible players remain unsigned, according to MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker, and only four teams have more than one outstanding case. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and MLB.com's Kelly Thesier provide negotiation updates on two of those clubs with multiple cases, the Brewers and Twins….

  • Brewers negotiator Teddy Werner is optimistic that the team will reach agreements with both Shaun Marcum and Rickie Weeks without going to a hearing.
  • Both players are exclusively discussing one-year deals with the Brewers, though Werner conveyed the club's desire to work out a long-term extension with Weeks later this year.
  • Like the Brewers, the Twins appear to be focusing on one-year deals, rather than multiyear extensions, with their arbitration eligible players, Francisco Liriano and Delmon Young. "Right now, we're focused on trying to get them signed for 2011, and we'll go from there," Minnesota GM Bill Smith told Thesier.
  • Smith appears willing to go to a hearing with either player if they can't settle on a figure the Twins like: "We'll continue to work on these two guys, and if we can reach agreement, we will. If not, then there's an arbitration panel that will do it."
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