Quick Hits: Pujols, Jones, Nationals, Ledezma
One year ago today, the Reds won the bidding for Aroldis Chapman. The Cuban left-hander made 15 relief appearances in the majors last year and figures to have an even bigger impact on the 2011 season. Here are today's links…
- The Cardinals' negotiations with Albert Pujols could resemble the Yankees' negotiations with Alex Rodriguez, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Cardinals executives have acknowledged that an extension with their first baseman would take the organization "places it hasn't gone" in terms of contract value and potential incentive clauses, Goold writes.
- Benjamin Kabak of River Ave. Blues says he'd lean toward Andruw Jones over Marcus Thames for the Yankees in 2011.
- Meanwhile, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that the Rockies still have some interest in Jones (Twitter link).
- The Rangers are concerned that Jim Thome would prefer to return to Minnesota, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports (on Twitter). The Rangers are interested in Thome, though he's not a perfect fit for their needs.
- The Nationals need a utility player who can back Danny Espinosa up at second base and potentially play in the outfield, according to Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com. He lists Willie Bloomquist, David Eckstein and Willie Harris as possible fits.
- Dan Szymborski explains the challenges the Giants face if they want to repeat as World Champions in a piece for ESPN.
- The Blue Jays announced that they outrighted Wil Ledezma to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Olney On Qualls, Balfour, Damon, Pavano, Soriano
Ivan Nova, Craig Kimbrel and Madison Bumgarner are among the young players who will play major roles in determining their teams’ fates in 2011, as ESPN.com’s Buster Olney points out. Here are the rest of Olney’s rumors, with the latest updates up top:
- Olney hears that Chad Qualls is looking to re-establish his value with a one-year deal (Twitter link). With all due respect to Qualls, finding a mutliyear deal might never have been an option, since he posted a 7.32 ERA and allowed 85 hits in 59 innings last year.
- Teams believe Grant Balfour's asking price is dropping, according to Olney (Twitter link).
- Once Jim Thome signs, other first base/DH types will likely follow. There are lots of them out there, as MLBTR’s Free Agent Tracker shows. Vladimir Guerrero, Jason Giambi, Russell Branyan, Johnny Damon, and Manny Ramirez are still available.
- Olney says Damon “probably made a mistake in not following up on the Yankees' overtures last winter about a two-year deal.”
- Carl Pavano and the Twins continue to make progress toward a deal and the sides could reach an agreement by the end of the week.
- Rafael Soriano is prioritizing money over his 2011 role, Olney writes. Olney suggests that “if some club was willing to pay him to be its bullpen catcher for $45MM over the next three years, Soriano would consider it.”
Quick Hits: Garza, Rays, Aardsma, Iwakuma
On this day last year the Rangers agreed to sign Vladimir Guerrero to a one-year, $5MM deal. In 2011, the veteran continues to look for a home with the Orioles, Angels, and Rays said to be interested. Let's take a look at the batch of links for tonight..
- Jamey Newberg of The Newberg Report is glad that the Rangers didn't overpay to land Matt Garza. The right-hander was shipped to the Cubs in an eight-player deal.
- Speaking of the Garza deal, Dave Cameron writes in a piece for Fangraphs that there's a good chance that the Rays got better in the short term by making the trade.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times that David Aardsma's hip surgery was more extensive than first thought and the hurler might not be ready by Opening Day. The M's were shopping the 29-year-old for quite some time but now they'll wait even longer to move him.
- In an interview on 1500-ESPN, Twins GM Bill Smith revealed that the club finished a distant second in the bidding for Japanese starter Hisashi Iwakuma (information passed along by Aaron Gleeman). Minnesota offered $7.7MM for the hurler while the Athletics won the bidding with $19.1MM. Ultimately, Iwakuma and the A's couldn't agree to terms.
Twins Closing In On Deal With Pavano
JANUARY 14TH: The team is still trying to sign Pavano and hopes to have an answer over the next week, GM Bill Smith told Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
JANUARY 6TH: The Twins are nearing an agreement on a two-year deal with free-agent pitcher Carl Pavano, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The sides are making "solid progress" and should have the deal completed soon, tweets LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune.
The Nationals were rumored to have interest in Pavano, but Washington didn't make a strong push for the righty, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. He was interested in pitching for the Rockies, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post, but Colorado's interest tapered off after it re-signed Jorge De La Rosa.
Pavano, who will turn 35 on Saturday, pitched for the Twins in 2010 after they acquired him from the Indians in a midseason trade in 2009. Pavano rejuvenated his career last season (and, to a lesser extent, in '09) after an injury-riddled stint with the Yankees from 2005-08. In 2010, he posted a 3.75 ERA with a 4.8 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 221 innings. He signed a one-year deal with Minnesota prior to last season.
The Twins have been hit relatively hard by free agency so far this offseason, losing Orlando Hudson, Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain, but the potential return of Pavano would keep their strong starting rotation intact.
Odds & Ends: Thome, Vladdy, Blue Jays, CarGo
As Cooperstown welcomes Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven into the Hall of Fame, some of these news items concern a few of Alomar and Blyleven's former teams and teammates…
- Jim Thome is said to be looking for a one-year deal worth as much as $8MM, reports ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill. Thome's strong 2010 season notwithstanding, that would represent a whopping increase over the $1.5MM contract he signed with Minnesota last year. The Twins have been considered the favorites to re-sign Thome, but if the team balks at that asking price, Churchill suggests they could instead turn to Vladimir Guerrero as a DH option. Churchill adds that Tampa Bay could also be interested in Guerrero if the price is right.
- Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos "conceded that it's looking more likely that" Jose Bautista will be Toronto's Opening Day third baseman rather than its right fielder, reports Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press. Anthopoulos noted that the club is still looking at other third base/right field options and also may still be in the market for another reliever. The Blue Jays have added Octavio Dotel, Chad Cordero and Wil Ledezma to their bullpen mix over the past two days.
- Carlos Gonzalez had a lengthy meeting with agent Scott Boras in December to discuss a possible extension with the Rockies, so the agreed-upon deal wasn't at all "an impulse decision," tweets The Denver Post's Troy Renck.
- Also from Renck (Twitter link), the Rockies are "not totally out" of the bidding for Joe Beimel, but other clubs "have shown stronger interest." We heard last month that the Rockies weren't one of several teams who had made Beimel a contract offer.
- The Pirates' desire to add left-handed relievers has only grown in the wake of Ledezma going to Toronto, tweets Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Speaking of the Pirates, Bucs president Frank Coonelly discussed the team's relief options and other topics in his monthly chat with fans on MLB.com.
- With so many intriguing designated hitter possibilities on the market, Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog notes that it's an unfortunate time for the Yankees to be shifting Jorge Posada into the full-time DH spot.
Pavano “Talking A Lot” With Twins; Pirates, Royals Are Options
Carl Pavano is "talking a lot" with the Twins about re-signing with the club, reports SI.com's Jon Heyman (Twitter link). Most of the Pavano rumors this winter have centered around the Nationals showing interest in the veteran starter, but given Pavano's stated desire to return to Minnesota, it's possible the Twins were just biding their time to gauge the market for the free agent. In an MLBTR poll taken last month, close to 46% of respondents predicted Pavano would re-sign with the Twins, and it's safe to say Minnesota is still the front-runner.
Between Milwaukee acquiring Zack Greinke, Texas turning their attention to the lineup by signing Adrian Beltre, and Detroit's lack of interest, it seemed like the Pavano market had shrunk to just Minnesota and Washington. Heyman's tweet, however, lists the Pirates and Royals as "other options" for the right-hander. This isn't the first we've heard of Pittsburgh possibly being interested in Pavano, but the Royals are a new suitor, though they're known to be looking for pitching to replace Greinke's innings.
Pavano ending up in either Kansas City or Pittsburgh would be, to say the least, a surprise. If one of the two teams gives him the three-year contract he's looking for, however, the extra guaranteed year could be enough to sway Pavano to join a team that isn't likely to contend over the lifetime of the deal. The Pirates and Royals might see a Pavano signing as a bellwether move to announce to players and agents that the small-market clubs are ready to be active in the market, though it could be argued that just being active in bidding achieves that same goal.
Heyman On Crawford, Pavano, CarGo
There’s word that many Angels people were in favor of offering Carl Crawford a seven-year deal worth $142MM or so, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. The Red Sox won the bidding for the All-Star left fielder with a $142MM offer that left the Angels without one of their offseason targets. Owner Arte Moreno has said that his team never made Crawford an offer, but he acknowledged the Angels' interest. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors:
- There are thought to be one or two teams looking at Carl Pavano other than the Twins and Nationals, according to Heyman. The Mariners and Rangers have been linked to Pavano this winter, but it's not clear if those clubs are currently interested.
- Heyman reports that the Rockies are still trying to lock up Carlos Gonzalez. Meanwhile Troy Renck of the Denver Post hears that the Rockies could move closer to an extension with the 25-year-old this week
Twins Notes: Thome, Pavano, Greinke
So far this offseason, the Twins have made a number of minor league deals, traded J.J. Hardy to the Orioles and added Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Twins GM Bill Smith isn't done yet, though. The club could still add Jim Thome, Carl Pavano and/or others. Here's the latest on the defending AL Central champions from La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
- There are indications that Thome’s representatives raised some “eyebrows” when Lance Berkman signed for $8MM. Thome, who signed for a $1.5MM guarantee last winter, posted a .283/.412/.627 line, while Berkman hit just .248/.368/.413.
- There are no indications that Pavano has a three-year offer, according to Neal, who wonders whether the Twins have even offered a two-year deal.
- It’s not clear that the Twins can afford both Thome and Pavano, since both are coming off strong seasons and the Twins’ payroll is already high.
- There’s word that the Royals were not interested in discussing potential Zack Greinke trades with their AL Central rivals. The Indians and Twins did appear to have interest in Greinke, Neal writes.
The Twins’ Rebuilt Bullpen
The Rays have been the center of the free agent defection universe this winter, most notably losing franchise player Carl Crawford to the division rival Red Sox. Tampa has also waved goodbye to key relievers Dan Wheeler, Joaquin Benoit, and Randy Choate, and figure to do the same to Chad Qualls, Grant Balfour, and Rafael Soriano. They'll feature a completely rebuilt bullpen when the 2011 season begins, but they're not alone.
The Twins, owners of one of the game's best bullpens in 2010 (3.49 ERA), have also dealt with a mass bullpen exodus. Setup men Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier left town for three-year deals while Brian Fuentes is looking for a similar contract as well. Jon Rauch and Ron Mahay are free agents that remaining unsigned. That fivesome combined for 240 1/3 innings with a 3.03 ERA, which will certainly be tough to replace.
Matt Capps finished the season as the team's closer, and he'll return as an arbitration-eligible player. Lefty Jose Mijares returns as well, joining fellow southpaw and Rule 5 pick Scott Diamond. The latter could end up the rotation, however. Anthony Slama was up briefly in 2010, but he and his impressive minor league track record (1.95 ERA, 12.5 K/9) figure to get a longer look in 2011. Alex Burnett, Glen Perkins, Rob Delaney, and Jeff Manship will also be returning. Hard throwing Triple-A righty Jim Hoey came over in the J.J. Hardy swap.
The Twins also have a rather significant relief ace in the hole. Joe Nathan is returning from Tommy John surgery and is expected to be ready for the start of the season, so he'll presumably step right back into his familiar closer's role. That pushes Capps back into a setup role, mitigating the loss of Crain and Guerrier somewhat. Pat Neshek will also be further away from Tommy John surgery, and he could be a major addition if he returns to his 2006-2007 form (2.68 ERA, 10.6 K/9 in 107 1/3 innings).
If the current cast of characters doesn't workout, GM Bill Smith has shown the willingness to go out and trade for bullpen help during the season. He acquired both Fuentes and Capps this past summer and Rauch the summer before. Two years ago he swung a move for Eddie Guardado. Next winter's crop of free agent relievers includes Heath Bell, Jonathan Papelbon, Jonathan Broxton, Francisco Cordero, Ryan Franklin, and Mike Gonzalez, some of whom will surely be made available in trades.
Minnesota lost a lot of quality relievers this offseason, but they still have a strong end-game duo in Nathan and Capps. There are enough warm bodies to try in middle relief, but if nothing sticks they can always go outside the organization for help. Fixing a bullpen in-season is standard practice in today's game, and 2011 will be no different for the Twinkies.
Cafardo On Blanton, Beltre, Indians, LaRoche
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe names ten teams who might reap the benefits of bargain shopping as the winter winds down. The Rays, Mets, Yankees, and Angels top the list of clubs Cafardo thinks could make discounted moves in the coming weeks. Here are the rest of his hot stove notes:
- While the Mets will be hunting for affordable starting pitching options, don't expect the Phillies to trade Joe Blanton within the division.
- The Angels are making sure they don't bid against themselves on Adrian Beltre, and could eventually land the third baseman for a lesser price than Scott Boras is seeking.
- The Indians could make some more moves if they want to continue stockpiling prospects. Other teams would have interest in players like Chris Perez, Rafael Perez, Joe Smith, and Fausto Carmona, while Cleveland would "love to trade" Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner.
- The Nationals "know it’s tough to get players to buy into the future of the team," writes Cafardo. As such, they may eventually commit to Adam LaRoche for the three years he's looking for.
- Jim Masteralexis, Manny Delcarmen's agent, says several teams are interested in his client, and Cafardo warns not to bet against the Rays.
- Carl Pavano may make a decision this week, and it appears that while he'd prefer to return to Minnesota, the Nationals will offer the better contract. Of course, we already saw one top free agent pitcher choose comfort over more guaranteed money, when Cliff Lee signed with the Phillies.