Heyman On Bautista, Wakefield, Dominguez, Perez
Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Jon Heyman of SI.com that he thought carefully before locking up Jose Bautista to a $65MM extension. "When you spend that kind of money, I don't think you can ever be completely comfortable," Anthopoulos said. "And I am one to agonize over everything, anyway,'' Both Anthopoulos and Bautista acknowledged that a second 54-homer season is unlikely, but that doesn't mean the former utility player can't produce. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors…
- Boston's front office has not seriously considered cutting Tim Wakefield.
- Dennys Reyes, who can opt out of his contract Friday, will likely make the team as well, according to Heyman.
- Two scouts say Marlins third baseman Matt Dominguez isn't ready to hit in the major leagues. However, he's an above-average defender.
- Though manager Joe Girardi won't say as much, Ivan Nova has locked up the Yankees' No. 4 starter job, according to Heyman.
- It appears that Oliver Perez will find a job. The Yankees and Brewers aren't interested.
- Scouts tell Heyman that Twins pitching prospect Kyle Gibson isn't far from the majors.
Yankees Have No Interest In Oliver Perez
Turns out the rumor was too good to be true. Yankees GM Brian Cashman says he has no interest in left-hander Oliver Perez, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch (on Twitter). The Yankees considered the former Met, according to SI.com, before concluding that they would be better off without him. "It's not something that makes sense for us," Cashman said.
The Mets released Perez yesterday, making him a free agent. If an MLB team signs Perez, they'll contribute about $400K of his salary, with the Mets responsible for the remaining $11.6MM.
Pedro Feliciano and Boone Logan give the Yankees two serviceable left-handers out of the bullpen, so they never seemed like a likely destination for the 29-year-old. The Brewers aren't interested in Perez, either.
Latest On Rotation Battles
Rotation battles are being decided left and right. Here's the latest.
- Scott Baker will serve as the Twins' fifth starter and Kevin Slowey will work out of the bullpen, tweets Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Slowey was highlighted by MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith as a potentially available starter, and the Twins appear willing to listen. With Kyle Gibson on the horizon, can the Twins spare the depth?
- Barry Enright made the Diamondbacks' rotation, reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Assuming Joe Saunders makes the cut, that leaves Armando Galarraga and Aaron Heilman duking it out for the right to fill in for Zach Duke. If Heilman sneaks into the rotation, the D'Backs have to decide by March 28th whether they want to pay Galarraga $2.3MM as their long man. If they cut him by then they'd only owe him about $569K.
- Bartolo Colon went six strong innings for the Yankees last night, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports figures this means he'll make the team somehow. Colon and Freddy Garcia have opt-out dates of March 31st and March 29th, respectively. Ivan Nova probably has the fourth starter job, leaving Colon, Garcia, and Sergio Mitre for two spots.
- The Cubs are meeting today and could decide on their fifth starter, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. If Andrew Cashner gets the nod, I can see the Cubs trying to dump Carlos Silva.
Yankees Have Some Interest In Oliver Perez
Here's one for the back pages and talk show hosts. The Yankees have discussed Oliver Perez as a potential cheap addition, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). However, GM Brian Cashman doesn't seem enthused about the 29-year-old left-hander.
The Mets released Perez earlier today, eating his $12MM contract and ending his inconsistent five-year stint in New York. If the Yankees sign Perez, they would be responsible for paying him the MLB minimum salary and their crosstown rivals would be responsible for about $11.6MM.
Longtime Met Pedro Feliciano (upper arm) and Boone Logan (back) have dealt with soreness this spring, but both lefties made progress in recent days. It seems likely that Cashman was simply being diligent when he considered Perez.
Non-Roster Notes: Chavez, Stairs, Atkins
As we cruise through Spring Training and gear up for Opening Day, let's take a look at some news on some notable non-roster invitees around the league…
- Whether or not Yankees manager Joe Girardi wants to acknowledge it, there's "no way" Eric Chavez doesn't make the team out of camp, tweets ESPN's Wallace Matthews.
- Nationals manager Jim Riggleman told MLB.com's Bill Ladson there's a "good chance" that Matt Stairs breaks camp with the team.
- MLB.com's Jennifer Langosch writes that Garrett Atkins is hoping to re-kindle his career with the Pirates, but to this point has done nothing to distinguish himself from his competition (Steve Pearce, Andy Marte, and Josh Fields). Atkins was just 4-30 this spring entering play today.
Jose Molina Says Bengie Still Wants To Play
Bengie Molina said he is retired "for now" earlier this week, but his brother Jose told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that Bengie still wants to play. He made it clear that his older brother would only sign a contract that showed him "sufficient respect," likely ruling out a minor league pact.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi asked Jose, his former player, if Bengie planned on playing this season during a Spring Training game this week, but Rosenthal says that was likely out of his own curiosity. GM Brian Cashman has said flatly the team is not looking for help at catcher despite Francisco Cervelli's fractured foot. Prospects Jesus Montero and Austin Romine are currently competing for the backup job behind Russell Martin in Cervelli's stead.
The Padres expressed interest in Bengie earlier this month, and the Astros figure to be looking for some catching help as well.
Piecoro’s Latest On Paniagua
It seemed like a simple enough story when the Yankees agreed to terms on a $1.1MM deal with Dominican right-hander Juan Paniagua, who had served a one-year suspension for identity fraud, on March 10 (as first reported by Ben Badler of Baseball America). Earlier this week, though, Badler wrote about the unintended consequences of a since-changed rule, as well as the Diamondbacks' reaction to losing out on the now highly touted prospect.
Today, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has more on Paniagua's original, voided deal, and the righty's future prospects.
Ultimately, it was the Diamondbacks' decision to void Paniagua's $17K deal, because neither they nor Major League Baseball could verify the player's identity. This after Paniagua — then going by the name Juan Collado — had played for Arizona's Dominican Summer League team in parts of two seasons under an old rule. It allowed international free agents to play for their would-be teams while their contracts awaited approval from the commissioner's office.
Now, Paniagua's new deal with the Yankees is still awaiting approval, and under the new rules, he may not play for the Yankees organization until a decision is rendered. It bears watching whether the new deal will be approved, because, according to Piecoro, that is not a given:
There still is a lot of skepticism about whether he’ll actually get off the island and into the U.S. The fact that he changed his name, but not his birthday, is a red flag.
We’ll see if he actually gets to the states to play in the minors and if he actually gets the $1.1 million.
Paniagua has apparently maintained all along that his birthday is April 4, 1990, even when he was going by the Collado surname.
Nevertheless, Piecoro writes that a situation like Paniagua's — in which the player benefits financially — is extremely rare; the great majority of international free agents whose contracts are voided for fraud end up losing money in the long run. So, although Arizona lost out on what looks like a promising player, this doesn't seem to be a very common happening.
Quick Hits: Shields, Cardinals, Lawrie, Montero
Links for Friday, as Ichiro donates over $1.2MM to victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan…
- Scot Shields, who announced his retirement today, said on a conference call that he drew interest this offseason before calling it a career. "There were some teams interested, but nothing seemed like the right fit," Shields said.
- A longtime GM tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that he has heard "less trade talk this spring than in any other year [he has] been on the job" (Twitter link).
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Cardinals are excited about their rotation despite Adam Wainwright's elbow injury. The Cards will go with Chris Carpenter Jaime Garcia, Jake Westbrook, Kyle Lohse and Kyle McClellan.
- Blue Jays prospect Brett Lawrie joined CAA, according to the agency (on Twitter). As MLBTR's newly launched Agency Database shows, CAA also represents Blue Jays J.P. Arencibia and Travis Snider.
- Scouts tell Joel Sherman of the New York Post that they aren't enthusiastic about Jesus Montero's ability to catch in the major leagues.
Quick Hits: Rays, Wainwright, Lubanski, Eckstein
We wish Luis Salazar the best as he recovers from eye surgery. Doctors were unable to prevent the Braves minor league manager from losing his eye after a line drive hit him in the face. Here are today's links…
- Braves outfielder Nate McLouth leads off Steve Henson's list of rebound candidates in 2011 at Yahoo Sports. As MLBTR's Mike Axisa has pointed out, it's a make or break year for McLouth.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times examines the Rays' remade bullpen.
- Adam Wainwright tells B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest that he hasn’t talked to the Cardinals about his two-year, $21MM option for 2012-13. But as the rehabbing right-hander suggests, somebody will pick him up if the Cards don’t.
- The Marlins released outfielder Chris Lubanski, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). The Marlins signed the 2003 first rounder to a minor league deal in December after he posted an .899 OPS for Toronto's Triple-A affiliate in 2010.
- The Mets have made it clear to free agent infielder David Eckstein that they have no interest in him, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. One person familiar with the Mets tells Heyman that it's about "fifty-fifty" whether Luis Castillo opens the season as the team's second baseman.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic explains how after a name change and a suspension, Juan Paniagua got a $1.1MM bonus from the Yankees instead of a $17K bonus from the D'Backs (link at USA Today).
- Tim Dierkes breaks down the closing situation for all 30 MLB teams in a must-read piece at RotoAuthority.
Yankees Watched Millwood Pitch
7:53pm: The Yankees were the only team to watch Millwood today, according to Sherman (Twitter links). The Yankees clocked his fastball at 85 mph and say they'll only offer a minor league deal. However, Millwood still wants a Major League contract.
Millwood seeks $4MM and the Yankees are willing to offer a low seven-figure (presumably minor league) deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
3:38pm: The Yankees were among the teams that watched Kevin Millwood throw this morning, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links). Millwood rejected a minor league offer from the Yankees less than a month ago, but the team appears to maintain interest in the right-hander.
Millwood posted a career-low ground ball rate and a career-high fly ball rate last year and allowed 30 homers. He posted a 5.10 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 last year in his first season as an Oriole.
The numbers aren't particularly impressive, but Millwood's durability is. The 36-year-old has averaged 31 starts per season since joining the Braves' rotation in 1998. Last year was typical for Millwood, as he started 31 games and logged 190 2/3 innings.
Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon and Ivan Nova have pitched well enough that the Yankees don't seem as desperate for starting options as they did earlier in the winter, when Andy Pettitte first announced his retirement. The Cardinals, another potential destination for Millwood, appear to have found their fifth starter in former setup man Kyle McClellan, so they are not longer an obvious fit for Millwood, either.