Doug Melvin On Free Agency, Relievers, Mets
Brewers general manager Doug Melvin spoke to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy about the team's relatively quiet offseason thus far and some other hot stove items…
- The Brewers are the only team who has yet to sign a free agent to a Major League contract, as MLBTR's Tim Dierkes recently examined. Melvin said the Brewers haven't delved into the free agent market is due to both the team's plan to "go with our young guys" and an overall lack of suitable fits for Milwaukee's payroll. “If you look at a lot of the teams that got involved in free agency in the past few years, it hasn’t been that successful for them — and then there are the players whose price range isn’t even close to what we could consider. We’re putting a lot of faith into our system," Melvin said. “We weren’t going to get [Shin-Soo] Choo. We weren’t going to get Robinson Cano,” Melvin said. “We can look at $5-$6MM, but if we think our guys are better or as good at $500K, why would we make a move just to make a move?”
- Melvin is open to adding a veteran reliever to the young arms in the Milwaukee bullpen, implying that such an addition would come in a trade. "Our bullpen is an area that we’ve talked about maybe whether we would add an experienced piece or not," the GM said.
- The Mets have discussed Ike Davis in trade talks with the Brewers (as well as the Pirates and Orioles) and Melvin confirmed that some talks had taken place. "First base, I’ve had ongoing discussions with Sandy Alderson, but we haven’t gotten to anything where we’re comfortable with the deal from our side, and he’s not been comfortable with the deal from his side.”
- While Melvin declined to say whether he found the Mets' asking price too high, Melvin did say that “I think we’ve pretty well stood by — the one thing we’ve done is we do not want to give up pitching.” The Mets reportedly asked for promising young right-hander Tyler Thornburg in exchange for Davis last month.
Walt Jocketty On Homer Bailey, Arbitration Cases
The Reds spoke with Homer Bailey's representatives before the holidays about a new long-term contract for the right-hander, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports. This isn't the first time the club has explored locking up Bailey, as the two sides reportedly discussed an extension last winter before settling on a one-year, $5.35MM contract to avoid arbitration.
Reds general manager Walt Jocketty told Sheldon that Bailey is the only one of Cincinnati's six arbitration-eligible players who is currently being considered for a long-term deal. Unsurprisingly, Jocketty sees Bailey as "probably the one guy that's going to be the most difficult [to sign] because of how well he's done and where he's at in this service class. Young pitchers are getting quite a bit."
"At this point, we really haven't discussed anybody but Homer to sign long term. Homer is the only one we've pursued, but we've had internal discussions on the other guys. We just have to see how it all fits in, financially."
Bailey is arb-eligible for the third and final time this winter, and MLBTR's Matt Swartz projects that Bailey will earn $9.3MM through the arbitration process. Another strong reason for Bailey would almost surely net him a $100MM contract in free agency next offseason, and the mid-market Reds would be hard-pressed outbid richer clubs for Bailey's services on the open market. Even locking him up now would be an expensive proposition for the Reds — MLBTR's Tim Dierkes opined that it might take more than a five-year, $85MM deal to keep Bailey in the fold since he's so close to free agency.
If the Reds can't extend Bailey this offseason, they could explore a trade, though Jocketty has said that the team wants to keep Bailey in order to help them contend in 2014. I'd guess it would also be difficult for Jocketty to find fair value for Bailey in a trade considering a suitor would only have him for one season. Since Bailey would net Cincinnati a first-round compensation pick (for turning down a qualifying offer) if he signed elsewhere in the offseason, the Reds would likely only be motivated to move the righty if they could obtain something of greater value than a first-round pick.
Of the other arbitration cases, Leake and Chapman stand out as the only possible candidates for a long-term deal. Leake, picked eighth overall in the 2009 draft, has become a solid part of the rotation in his own right, with a 3.99 ERA and 677 1/3 IP over his first four seasons. This is Leake's second year of arb-eligibility and Swartz projects him to earn $5.9MM. Chapman is projected by Swartz to earn $4.6MM through his first year of arbitration eligibility (on top of the $3MM he earns from his original contract). It's probably unlikely that the Reds would look to make a long financial commitment to a closer, especially since the chance still exists that Chapman could be moved into the rotation.
Twins Notes: Mauer, Pelfrey, Garza, Morgan
SB Nation's Grant Brisbee examines the ups and downs of Joe Mauer's contract and wonders what Mauer would have signed for had he been a free agent this offseason. Mauer is owed $115MM over the remainder of his contract, and while Brisbee feels he'd fall a bit shy of that, he still predicts a healthy six-year, $101MM contract. Mauer would have been the second-best hitter in this year's free agent class, Brisbee notes, pointing out that among 2013-14 free agents, only Robinson Cano has a higher OPS+ than Mauer over the past two seasons. More Twins-related news and rumors…
- Mike Pelfrey's two-year, $11MM contract with the Twins includes $3.5MM in incentives based on innings thresholds, as broken down by Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- There isn't any change in negotiations between the Twins and Matt Garza, according to 1500 ESPN's Darren Wolfson (Twitter links). As Wolfson reported earlier this week, Minnesota is willing to meet Garza's price but only on a short-term deal, while Garza is looking for a longer commitment.
- The Twins are not one of the six teams that have expressed interest in a minor league deal for Nyjer Morgan, according to Darren Wolfson (Twitter link). Morgan recently switched agents and is weighing a return to the Majors after a strong season in Japan.
- Major League sources tell Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that a reunion between the Twins and Johan Santana is a real possibility. Minnesota has continued to discuss its former ace internally, has stayed in contact with Santana's agents and has some interest in a reunion.
- The Twins face an interesting battle for the fifth spot in their rotation, wrote MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger in his most recent Twins Inbox. Samuel Deduno, Vance Worley and Scott Diamond are all out of minor league options, but the rotation figures to have room for just one of the three with Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes, Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey all under control. That's to say nothing of top prospect Kyle Gibson, who struggled in 2013 but still projects to be in the rotation at some point. Bollinger feels that Deduno is the front-runner for the fifth spot but doesn't see a Worley or Diamond trade happening until at least midway through Spring Training, as each pitcher's value is at a low point.
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post
Chris Capuano Seeking Two-Year Deal
Free agent left-hander Chris Capuano is seeking a two-year deal and is willing to wait for that opportunity to evolve if it is not currently present, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
Capuano, 35, posted a 4.26 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 and a 46.4 percent ground-ball rate (the best of his career in a full season) over 105 2/3 frames with the Dodgers in 2013. Though his ERA numbers have been up and down over the past four seasons, Sabermetric estimators such as xFIP and SIERA both feel that his skill-set has been that of a 3.60 to 3.97 ERA pitcher in that time.
The big factor with Capuano is health — something he's struggled with throughout his career. Capuano has twice undergone Tommy John surgery, and while he looked to have overcome his injury woes when he threw 186 and 198 1/3 innings in 2011 and 2012, respectively, he was shelved by multiple injuries in 2013. Capuano saw time on the disabled list with a calf strain and a lat strain this past season, and he also threw just 4 2/3 innings in September as he battled a groin injury. He did throw three solid innings of relief and pick up a win in Game 3 of the NLDS, suggesting that he ultimately overcame that injury as well.
Capuano has posted excellent strikeout-to-walk ratios since returning from his second Tommy John surgery. From 2011-13, there are just 25 pitchers who have thrown 450 innings or more and posted a better K/BB ratio than Capuano's 3.14.
Indians Sign Scott Atchison
The Indians have signed right-hander Scott Atchison to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (on Twitter). Atchison is represented by agent Rich Thompson.
Atchison, 38 in March, was non-tendered by the Mets in November. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected him to earn $1.3MM in arbitration on the heels of a season that saw him post a 4.37 ERA in 45 1/3 innings with the Mets. Atchison averaged 5.6 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and posted a solid 48.7 percent ground-ball rate in New York last season.
Atchison is somewhat similar to Matt Albers, whom the Indians recently lost to free agency (Albers signed with the Astros). Though Albers is significantly younger, each right-hander makes up for a below-average strikeout rate by keeping the ball on the ground. Atchison's ground-ball rate isn't as pronounced as that of Albers, but he's posted superior walk rates to Albers since returning to the Majors from Japan in 2010.
Cardinals Claim Rafael Ortega
The Cardinals have claimed outfielder Rafael Ortega off waivers from the Rangers, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (on Twitter). Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish first tweeted that Ortega had been claimed by an unknown team. This is the second time Ortega has been claimed on waivers this offseason, as the Rangers initially claimed him from the Rockies back in late November.
Ortega entered the 2013 campaign ranked 15th among Rockies prospects, according to Baseball America, who called him a true center fielder with a plus, accurate arm and plus speed. BA noted that he needs to be careful not to fall in love with swinging for the fences after a home run, though he does have surprising pop for someone with a 5'11", 160-pound frame.
The 22-year-old Ortega saw his season cut short by injuries in 2013, and he posted just a .228/.315/.297 batting line in 178 plate appearances when healthy. Ortega has three 30-steal campaigns under his belt in the minors and has already received a brief taste of the Majors, totaling six plate appearances with the Rockies in 2012.
Mariners Sign Humberto Quintero
The Mariners announced that they have re-signed catcher Humberto Quintero to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Quintero is represented by Octagon.
The 34-year-old Quintero split the 2013 campaign between the Phillies and Mariners, batting a combined .237/.275/.366 with four homers in 140 plate appearances. Seattle has a lack of catching depth within the organization, having only Mike Zunino, Jesus Sucre and Jesus Montero on the 40-man roster. Montero, of course, is not considered much of an option behind the plate and caught just one game at the Triple-A level after being demoted this past season. Quintero will likely compete with Sucre for the right to back up Zunino, who is considered the catcher of the future in Seattle.
Orioles Interested In Bronson Arroyo
The Orioles are among the teams to have shown interest in right-hander Bronson Arroyo, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. The question, notes Olney, is regarding contract terms.
Though they saved nearly $11MM in 2014 salary by trading Jim Johnson to the A's, the Orioles have done little with that savings to this point. They looked to be on their way to allocating a significant chunk of that money to a cheaper option in Grant Balfour, but the O's controversially backed out due to concerns over Balfour's physical.
The money saved on their ninth inning situation would likely be enough to pay Arroyo in the first year of a multiyear pact, especially if the contract were backloaded. Baltimore will have Nick Markakis' salary coming off the books following the 2014 campaign, which could allow them to pay Arroyo more following the first year of a deal.
Arroyo has also been connected to the Twins, Reds, Mets and Pirates this offseason, with the Twins and Reds being the most frequently mentioned suitors for the soon-to-be-37-year-old. Recent reports indicated that as many as four teams have made two-year offers to Arroyo, who is currently holding out for a third guaranteed season. Arroyo has thrown 199 or more innings in each of the past nine seasons, pitching to a 4.10 ERA in that time. He's also succeeded in a hitter-friendly environment — Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park — for the vast majority of that stretch.
Dodgers, Mattingly Closing In On Extension
The Dodgers are making progress on an extension with manager Don Mattingly, and a deal is expected to be completed soon, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Mattingly is under contract through the 2014 season thanks to a $1.4MM option that vested when his Dodgers defeated the Braves in the NLDS. However, Mattingly made his desire for a multiyear contract known shortly after the season in a surprisingly candid press conference.
Mattingly has led the Dodgers to three straight winning seasons, including an NL West Division Championship and an NLCS berth in 2013. His job was called into question earlier in the season when the Dodgers were struggling despite the team's gaudy payroll, but Mattingly silenced critics by helping the Dodgers to a dominant 42-8 run that placed them firmly atop the division. The deal has been in the works for some time now, as ESPN Los Angeles' Ramona Shelburne reported back in November that the two sides were discussing a multiyear deal.
Mariners Need Ownership Approval For More Major Moves
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Mariners are weighing a number of high-profile additions, including Nelson Cruz, Masahiro Tanaka and David Price, but the team needs to persuade ownership before pressing forward on those moves. That information meshes with another Rosenthal report from last month which indicated that the Mariners may be nearing their payroll limit for 2014.
Seattle's signing of Robinson Cano this offseason was clearly an ownership-level decision, and GM Jack Zduriencik made a nice followup signing by inking Corey Hart to a one-year deal to further bolster the club's offense. Zduriencik also bought low on Logan Morrison in a trade with the Marlins, hoping that the 26-year-old can still deliver on some of his top prospect hype from a few years ago. However, save for the re-signing of the oft-injured Franklin Gutierrez, it's been quiet for the Mariners since that time.
Cano is an elite bat, but it's hard to figure that his addition plus a pair of question marks is enough to turn the organization around. Hart did not play a game in 2013, and Morrison has batted .236/.321/.387 over his past 667 plate appearances after slashing .259/.351/.460 in his first 812 big league PAs. Seattle's shot at contention is further complicated by the fact that they share a division with the highly competitive Rangers and A's. The Angels, who finished third in each of the past two seasons, have added to their rotation and should see improved production out of Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton as well.