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NL Notes: Mozeliak, Mets, Zambrano

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John Mozeliak followed an unusual career path that led him to the Cardinals' GM job, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post writes. Mozeliak's career in baseball began when a connection led to him taking then-Rockies pitcher Bryn Smith on a fly-fishing trip. That led to an invitation to pitch batting practice for the Rockies, and from there, Mozeliak worked his way into baseball operations. He headed to St. Louis in 1995, after Rockies assistant GM Walt Jocketty took the Cardinals' GM job. Mozeliak then took over for Jocketty in 2007 and has since led the Cardinals to one World Series title. Now, of course, they're pursuing a second one. Here are more notes from around the National League.

  • Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon says that his team would have made an offer to Jose Dariel Abreu if he were a corner outfielder rather than a first baseman, Newsday's Marc Carig tweets. The Mets could certainly use a powerful corner outfielder, but they also have little stability at first base, where Ike Davis and Lucas Duda were disappointing last season. Wilpon also told Carig the Mets had a "glut" of first basemen, but none of them performed particularly well last year, perhaps with the exception of depth piece Josh Satin. One wonders why these players might have impeded the Mets from making a major signing.
  • Wilpon says the Mets have received calls from teams trying to trade for a first baseman, tweets Carig.
  • Former Cubs star Carlos Zambrano wants to keep pitching, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports. "He’s playing winter ball and wants to continue his career," says agent Barry Praver. Zambrano, who last appeared in the big leagues in 2012 with the Marlins, pitched in the Phillies system in 2013, but his comeback attempt stalled due to shoulder issues.

East Notes: Strasburg, Harper, Drew, Orioles

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The Nationals informed the press today that three critically important players had undergone "successful" surgeries, none of which are expected to present obstacles to a normal Spring Training. Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com, who was first to report the news on Twitter, rounds up the latest here. Staff ace Stephen Strasburg had bone chips removed from his right elbow; outfielder Bryce Harper had work done to the bursa in his left knee; and first baseman Adam LaRoche had his left elbow cleaned up. Each is reportedly on a four to six week timetable, though as Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington notes, bone chip removal in a throwing elbow typically requires a three to four month window for a full recovery. Elsewhere in baseball's eastern divisions …

  • Stephen Drew of the Red Sox has had one of the most anemic offensive post-seasons ever, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders whether it will impact his free agency. Of course, as Sherman also details, Drew has been outstanding defensively during the Sox' run to the World Series. The expectation, he writes, is that Boston will make Drew a qualifying offer and attempt to keep him around, with the shortstop ultimately pulling down three or even four years at around $12MM a pop.
  • Looking at things from the perspectives of the New York clubs, each of whom could have a use for Drew, Sherman says that Drew figures to cost too much for the Mets' liking. For the Yankees, meanwhile, Drew seems more of a second-level possibility whose attractiveness will depend upon who else the Yanks can sign and the status of Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter.
  • With managerial openings beginning to be filled, the Orioles are likely to act soon to decide upon a pitching coach, writes Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun. The leading candidates, according to Encina, include three men with prior experience as pitching coaches (Rich Dubee, Carl Willis, and Dave Wallace) along with Andy Hawkins, the Rangers' bullpen coach.

NL East Notes: Wacha, Uggla, Phillies, Williams

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The Mets were focused on position players in the 2012 draft, which is why they took shortstop Gavin Cecchini with the draft's 12th overall selection and didn't take Michael Wacha, the New York Post's Mike Puma writes.  Paul DePodesta, the Mets' VP of player development and amateur scouting, tells Puma that "we really liked Wacha, and he was high up on our board," but the team felt it had enough minor league pitching depth already and needed help around the diamond.  Wacha, of course, ended up going to the Cardinals with the 19th overall pick and has already emerged as a star during St. Louis' postseason run.

Here's some more from around the NL East…

  • "The Braves certainly will entertain shopping" Dan Uggla, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports, and he looks at the chances of Uggla re-joining the Marlins as part of a reader mailbag.  Frisaro suggests the Braves would move Uggla if a team agrees to pay $6MM of the $26MM owed to Uggla through the 2015 season, and if the trade partner pays more, Atlanta could add a prospect.  I'd suggest that the Braves would have to sweeten the pot to move Uggla, who turns 34 in March, is a defensive liability at second base and has only hit .201/.330/.374 over the last two seasons.  The Braves have been linked to a possible deal of Uggla and a prospect to the Reds for Brandon Phillips. 
  • The Braves have "been lucky of late" to remain competitive despite overspending on Uggla and B.J. Upton, Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.  Bradley warns that the team can't afford any more of these overpriced deals, and suggests that re-signing Brian McCann would create another payroll albatross in a few years' time.
  • The Phillies' chances of re-signing Carlos Ruiz, their limited payroll and a suggestion about a David Price trade are all addressed in a Phillies-centric reader mailbag from MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
  • That limited Phillies budget could make it hard to upgrade their rotation since there won't be many bargains to be found on the pitching market this winter, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News writes.
  • Matt Williams "seems to be the best available choice" to be the Nationals' next manager, and though Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post notes some of the risks involved in the impending hiring, he feels it could be a bold move for the team.

East Notes: A-Rod, Hawkins, Nationals, McLouth

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Yesterday, lawyers for Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez were barred from holding a news conference with a person they described as a "major league baseball whistleblower" when the commissioner's office obtained an order from the arbitrator hearing the case, according to the Associated Press.  As A-Rod takes care of his own offseason housekeeping, let's take a look at the latest from the AL and NL East..

  • Mets closer LaTroy Hawkins will most likely see what's out there on the open market and won't agree to a new deal in Queens before that, a source tells Marc Carig of Newsday.  However, there is certainly mutual interest in a return.  Hawkins, 40, posted a 2.93 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 in 70.2 innings of work last season.
  • James Wagner of the Washington Post conducted a Q&A with questions from Nationals fans regarding the offseason.  One of the topics brought up was the club's need for better left-handed pitching out of the bullpen.  Wagner cites free agent candidates such as ex-Nat J.P. Howell, Oliver Perez, Boone Logan, Eric O’Flaherty, and Michael Gonzalez, who is coming off of a tough year in Milwaukee.
  • There's no better candidate for the Orioles' left field job than Nate McLouth, opines Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.  The veteran, who signed a one-year, $2MM pact with the O's last offseason, could be in line for a two-year, $10MM deal, according to Tim Dierkes.  That price is likely too rich for Baltimore's blood.
  • Rodriguez's camp has also flatly denied that the third baseman has used PEDs, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.

The Latest On Odrisamer Despaigne

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It's been a busy week for Cuban defectors, with Jose Dariel Abreu signing a record six-year, $68MM contract with the White Sox last week and Alexander Guerrero agreeing to a deal with the Dodgers for $28MM over four years earlier today.

Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald writes that another Cuban defector, right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne, has worked out for teams in Spain but plans to travel to Mexico to put on a bigger showcase for MLB clubs (Spanish link). According to Ebro, the Phillies, Yankees, Giants, Mariners and Mets have all seen Despaigne throw in Barcelona, but the showcase in Mexico "will have a more official character."

Despaigne's agent, Jaime Torres (also the agent for Jose Contreras, Alexei Ramirez and Yasiel Puig), tells Ebro that he and his client will negotiate a big league contract with a team in Mexico:

"Everything's ready and the paperwork arrived quickly for Odrisamer. Since word got out about his escape, teams from the Majors began to get interested in the young man, and this interest has continued growing. In Mexico he'll try out in front of the scouts, and we'll negotiate the contract there."

Despaigne, who pitched this season at 26 years of age, is a veteran of eight seasons in Cuba's Serie Nacional. He owns a lifetime 51-39 record with a 3.65 ERA but was much better in his final season, posting an ERA of just 2.58. According to a recent report from Diario De Cuba, Despaigne has yet to be cleared by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Thanks to MLBTR's Nick Collias for providing the translation for this post.

Managerial/Coaching Notes: Cubs, Backman, Leyland

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Tony La Russa is available, but Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe hears that the Cubs haven't reached out to the former Cardinals skipper.  Meanwhile, La Russa is telling his friends that he'd be more intereted in a front office role if he were to jump back in.  Here's the latest managerial and coaching news from around baseball..

  • Rays bench coach Dave Martinez says that his interview with the Cubs for their vacant managerial position went "really well," writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  In addition to the standard topics, Martinez said they talked about lineup construction and game preparation and watched some in-game video sequences to go over what moves he would make.  The Cubs have also interviewed Padres bench coach Rick Renteria, former Indians and Nats manager Manny Acta, and former D-backs manager A.J. Hinch.
  • Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo is also in the mix for the Cubs' gig, but he says that he's not thinking about it at this time, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.  At the same time, he was open about his desire to manage a big league team and spoke fondly of Theo Epstein.
  • Wally Backman is expected to return as the Mets' Triple-A manager next season, a team insider told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.  The Mets have not been asked by any other club for permission to speak with Backman about a managerial opening.
  • When asked about whether Jim Leyland will return in 2014, GM Dave Dombrowski said that now is "not the time," tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.

NL East Notes: Mets, Abreu, Marlins, Nats, Baker

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The Mets were said to be intrigued by Jose Dariel Abreu's power but ultimately, they weren't one of the finalists for him and they weren't the team to sign him.  Why didn't GM Sandy Alderson take the plunge?  The Mets figure that they have first base covered between Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, and Josh Satin with possible support from Daniel Murphy and Wilmer Flores, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The Mets weren't the only team in their division intrigued by the Serie Nacional star, however.  Here's more out of the NL East..

  • The Marlins were among the finalists for the Cuban slugger, but they bowed out of the bidding when it went north of $60MM, tweets Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.  The Red Sox, Astros, Rangers, and Giants were also said to be among the clubs in the mix this week.
  • The Nationals had interest in Abreu, but the dollar amount got "crazy" in their view, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link). 
  • Dusty Baker isn't expected to be a candidate for the Nationals' managerial job, Kilgore tweets.  Baker contacted GM Mike Rizzo last week about his interest in the position but there doesn't seem to be any interest on Washington's end.
  • A talent evaluator with knowledge of the Nationals' manager search tells ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter link) that he would be shocked if Diamondbacks third base coach Matt Williams isn't hired.
  • Braves GM Frank Wren recognizes that he needs to add experience to his rotation, writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman.  Atlanta considered making a play for Jake Peavy at the trade deadline but those thoughts quickly fizzled when it became apparent that they didn't have the pieces necessary to close that deal.

Minor Moves: Astros, Mets, Phillies

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves here.

  • The Astros have outrighted outfielder Trevor Crowe and pitcher Jorge De Leon, according to a team press release. Crowe, a former first-round pick of the Indians, hit .218/.287/.291 in 181 plate appearances with the Astros in 2013. With Crowe's departure, the only Astro remaining who is eligible for arbitration is Jason Castro. De Leon pitched ten innings of relief for Houston after spending much of the year with Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Oklahoma City.
  • The Mets have outrighted relievers Greg Burke and Sean Henn, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York tweets. Burke, 31, pitched 31 2/3 innings for New York in 2013, posting a 5.68 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9. He also made 31 appearances for Triple-A Las Vegas. Before 2013, Burke had not appeared in the Majors since 2009, when he was with the Padres. Henn appeared in four games with the Mets in 2013, pitching most of the season in Las Vegas.
  • The Phillies outrighted four players to Triple-A Lehigh Valley: outfielders Casper Wells and Roger Bernadina, left-hander Cesar Jimenez, and right-hander J.C. Ramirez.  Wells, who also spent time with the White Sox and Mariners in 2013, had a dismal .126/.186/.147 combined slash line in 102 plate apparances.  Ramirez posted a 7.50 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9 in 18 relief appearances but posted stronger numbers at Lehigh Valley.  Bernadina hit .291/.372/.405 for the Nats in 2012 but he had an OPS of just .545 in '13.
  • Correcting an earlier item, the Phillies did not re-sign Michael Martinez. We regret the error.

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

Dodgers Claim Baxter, Designate Castellanos

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The Dodgers announced they have claimed Mike Baxter off waivers from the Mets.  To make room on the 40-man roster for Baxter, L.A. designated fellow outfielder Alex Castellanos for assignment.

Baxter, 29 in December, hit just .189/.303/.250 in 74 games for the Mets in 2013.  In 2012, however, Baxter slashed .263/.365/.413 with three homers in 211 plate appearances appearances.  Baxter has significant experience playing in both left and right field.

Castellanos, 27, has 24 big league games to his credit over the last two years with the Dodgers but spent the bulk of that time in Triple-A.  In 199 games at Triple-A Albuquerque, the outfielder hit .291/.382/.525.  The Dodgers acquired Castellanos in July 2011 from the Cardinals for Rafael Furcal and cash.

To keep track of Castellanos and all other players in DFA limbo, be sure to check out MLBTR's DFA Tracker.  Baxter is the second player to be plucked from the Mets roster this afternoon following the Angels' claim on Robert Carson.

Angels Claim Robert Carson

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The Angels announced that they have claimed Robert Carson off waivers from the Mets.  The Halos' 40-man roster is now at 37.

Across the last two years, Carson has made 31 relief appearances for the Mets, pitching to a 6.82 ERA with 3.5 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9.  In parts of two Triple-A seasons, the left-hander has a 3.45 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9.  Carson was ranked as the 17th best prospect in the Mets' system before the start of the season by Baseball America.

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