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Minor Moves: Marrugo, Rohlinger, Sutil, Maldonado

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves right here.  News of these moves are courtesy of Matt Eddy of Baseball America unless indicated otherwise..

  • The Orioles signed 17-year-old Colombian right-hander Yeizer Marrugo to a deal with a $120K bonus, according to Ernesto Armenteros D. of El Universal (Spanish link) and passed along by Eddy.  In the El Universal story, O's scout Jorge Franco says that Marrugo's fastball topped out at 91 mph when they recently scouted him and the youngster has the talent to make it to the majors in five years.
  • The Phillies acquired right-hander Adam Worthington from the Diamondbacks as player to be named for left-hander Mike Zagurski.  The Phillies sent Zagurski to Arizona in a September trade.
  • Cubs outfielder Lou Montanez elected free agency after recently being outrighted off of the club's 40-man roster.
  • The Reds re-signed right-hander Chad Reineke after the pitcher elected free agency in October.  Reineke had a 3.84 ERA in 25 games (22 starts) with Triple-A Louisville in 2011.
  • The Rockies released shortstop Ryan Rohlinger.  Rohlinger hit .247/.353/.409 in 103 Triple-A games for Colorado and the Giants.
  • The Royals signed a pair of left-handers in Marlon Arias and Tommy Hottovy.  Arias spent seven years in the Dodgers system, but hasn't pitched domestically since becoming a free agent following the 2009 season.
  • The Marlins signed right-hander Robert Ray, who appeared in a handful of Major League games for the Blue Jays in 2009 and 2010.  They also re-signed catcher Luke Montz.
  • The Dodgers signed shorstop Luis Cruz.
  • The Diamondbacks signed shortstop Wladimir Sutil to a minor league deal, according to El Universal (Spanish link).  Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic confirmed the signing to MLBTR.
  • The Nationals have re-signed catcher Carlos Maldonado, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter).  The move was first reported by El Universal (Spanish link).  Maldonado, 32, hit .234/.361/.342 in 38 games with Triple-A Syracuse this season and spent four games on the Nats' varsity squad in 2011.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/11/minor-league-transactions-nov-15-21/

Olney On Rollins, Fielder, Red Sox

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Between his ESPN.com blog and his Twitter feed, Buster Olney has a few hot stove notes to share this morning. Let's check them out….

  • Jimmy Rollins, who turns 33 today, is seeking a five-year deal this winter, and the Phillies may have to commit that many years if they want to bring their longtime shortstop back. "I'm not sure if Rollins will get five years," said an NL evaluator. "But he's a safer bet for me than any starting pitcher on the free agent market — and some of those (or at least C.J. Wilson) will get five years…. He will get paid. The only question is whether it will be four years or five years."
  • An AL evaluator believes that, "while he's not the force at the plate that he used to be," Rollins is one of the more underrated defensive shortstops in the game.
  • Olney tweets that neither Prince Fielder nor Albert Pujols is an ideal long-term target for the Cubs, noting that Fielder makes the most sense for an AL club that could move him to DH for the back half of a long-term contract.
  • The Red Sox have narrowed their managerial search to two finalists, Bobby Valentine and Gene Lamont. Olney says some of GM Ben Cherington's peers (with other teams) are wondering if Cherington prefers Lamont while his bosses prefer Valentine, and, if so, whether it's worth it for the GM to fight ownership for his choice.

East Notes: Valentine, Red Sox, Nationals, Phillies

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Here's a look at a few items out of the AL and NL East..

  • It would be interesting to see if Bobby Valentine's style would be any different after not managing in the Major Leagues since 2002, writes Ian Browne of MLB.com.   The 61-year-old Valentine is a finalist for the Red Sox's managerial opening along with Gene Lamont.
  • The new collective bargaining agreement will undoubtedly change the way the Nationals conduct business.  Seven of the Nats' top ten prospects have been picked in the last two drafts and all seven of those players signed hours before the deadline for teams to lock up their picks, notes Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com.  All seven of those players, including Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon, got bonuses or deals well over their slot recommendations.
  • In an article for ESPN.com, Doug Glanville gives a unique take on Jimmy Rollins' free agency.  The longtime Phillies outfielder signed with the Rangers after the 2002 season only to be traded back to Philadelphia in July of 2003.

Phillies Interested In Jorge Soler

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Add the Phillies to the list of clubs interested in 19-year-old Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler.  Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Phils scouting director Marti Wolever "was extremely impressed" by Soler during a recent workout in the Dominican Republic.  Yoenis Cespedes also took part in that workout and while Philadelphia is known to be looking at the high-profile Cespedes as well, Soler would come at a much cheaper price than what Cespedes will command.

Soler, of course, is cheaper because he's still just 19 and at least a few years away from being a Major League player.  In addition to the Phillies, the Yankees, Nationals, Cubs, Marlins and Rangers have also shown interest in Soler. 

As Brookover notes, "the Phillies have almost never been a team that gets in bidding wars for international players," though this winter's activity will be limited by the $2.9MM cap on international bonuses under the new collective bargaining agreement.  Given the impressive scouting reports on Soler (including how he "might have more offensive upside" than Cespedes, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan), one would think a team would've spent more than $2.9MM on Soler alone were it not for the new cap.

Olney On Rodriguez, Ibanez, Lee, Yankees

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Last night’s arbitration decisions included some particularly interesting cases, and ESPN.com’s Buster Olney offers insight into a few of them:

  • At times “winks and nods” are involved when it comes to Type B free agents. The free agents have been known to agree in advance to decline arbitration offers, since doing so doesn’t hurt their free agent value. 
  • However, GM Doug Melvin says the Brewers did not ask agent Scott Boras to decline the team’s offer to Francisco Rodriguez. "We felt that with us trading some players the last few years that this was a chance to recover with some high picks,” Melvin told Olney. The GM explained that he’s not expecting to obtain many compensation picks in the next couple of years.
  • As Olney points out, Rodriguez faces a similar decision to the one another Boras client, Rafael Soriano, faced last offseason: “take more money to be a setup man, or less to be a closer.”
  • Olney notes that Raul Ibanez’s agents have a good relationship with the Phillies and suggests it’s likely Ibanez has agreed to turn down the team’s offer.
  • There's no understanding that Derrek Lee will reject the Pirates' offer, according to Olney (on Twitter).
  • Olney suggests gentlemen's agreements are likely in place with Aaron Harang, Jose Molina and David DeJesus and that the three players will decline arbitration(Twitter link).
  • The Yankees are quietly confident that Phil Hughes will start Spring Training in improved physical condition and have a bounce-back season in 2012. They will continue to discuss available starting pitchers, even after agreeing to terms with Freddy Garcia.

National League Free Agent Arbitration Offers

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10 National League teams have free agent arbitration offer decisions to make today, and we'll update them in this post in advance of the 11pm central time deadline.  For a fantastic customizable chart with all 57 Type A/B free agents and their teams' decisions in real-time, click here.  

Updated team decisions:

Teams with automatic decisions only:

Quick Hits: Red Sox, Sizemore, Padres, Chen

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Links for Wednesday night as we await arbitration decisions from the National and American Leagues…

  • Rob Bradford of WEEI.com surveyed this offseason's stronger-than-usual relief market with the help of many Major League GMs. The Red Sox aren’t desperate for a closer, because Daniel Bard and Bobby Jenks are already in their ‘pen, but GM Ben Cherington figures to explore the market for closers after losing Jonathan Papelbon to the Phillies.
  • The Phillies, Rockies and Cubs had more interest in Grady Sizemore than any teams except the Indians, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter links). Hoynes has the details on Sizemore’s incentives: the outfielder obtains $1MM if he reaches 500 plate appearances and $500K for every 25 plate appearances until he reaches 650. 
  • The Padres aren’t likely to sign any free agent pitchers to Major League deals this offseason, according to MLB.com’s Corey Brock (on Twitter). Padres GM Josh Byrnes sent starter Wade LeBlanc to Miami yesterday.
  • The Rockies had mild interest in Bruce Chen before he re-signed in Kansas City, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). 
  • The Twins and Cubs were Chen’s primary suitors other than the Royals, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).

Heyman On Rangers, Phillies, Draft

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The latest from Jon Heyman of SI.com (all links go to Twitter):

  • Other than the Indians, the Rangers were the only team that told Grady Sizemore he’d play center field, according to Heyman. The outfielder re-signed in Cleveland today for a base salary of $5MM with up to $4MM in incentives.
  • The Phillies were a “strong option” for Sizemore, but they wanted him in left field, Heyman reports.
  • Heyman has future slot recommendations for amateur draft picks. MLB recommends a bonus of $7.2MM for the first overall pick and the recommendations decrease to $6.2MM, $5.2MM, $4.2MM, $3.5MM and $3.2MM for picks #2-6. The final selection of the first round will have a recommended bonus of $1.6MM. Given the penalties for teams that surpass MLB's recommended bonuses, Stephen Strasburg's $15.1MM deal will probably remain a record for a while.
  • MLBTR has details on, analysis of and reaction to the CBA.

Quick Hits: Cespedes, Red Sox, Phillies, Barmes

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Congratulations to Justin Verlander, the 2011 American League MVP. Here are some links for Monday night, starting with a note on the contract status of one of Verlander’s former teammates…

  • The value of the Yankees' 2013 option on Curtis Granderson increased from $13MM to $15MM thanks to the center fielder's top-five finish in the MVP voting.
  • Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com hears Cuban center fielder Yoenis Cespedes could obtain $45MM and suggests the 26-year-old will eventually sign for “quite a bit more” (Twitter link). One evaluator told Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun that Cespedes will sign for “way over [the] top” money (Twitter link). It appears that he’ll cost $35-50MM, if not more.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington confirmed Craig Shipley will no longer be the team’s VP of player personnel and international operations, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com (on Twitter).
  • Ryne Sandberg will return as the Phillies’ Triple-A manager in 2012, according to MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat. 
  • ESPN.com’s Keith Law doesn’t endorse the Pirates’ two-year, $10.5MM deal with Clint Barmes. Pittsburgh would have been better off picking up Ronny Cedeno’s $3MM option for 2012, Law argues. 
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America looks back at the 2005-07 drafts and shows that the Cardinals (24) and Padres (22) have developed the most Major Leaguers from those three drafts to this point.

Latest On Andrew Bailey

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4:43pm: The Mariners have inquired on Bailey, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).  Olney suggests the A's will definitely move the reliever this offseason.

12:48pm: The A's are very willing to trade Bailey, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  He notes that the Phillies had interest before they signed Jonathan Papelbon.

11:19am: A Reds source agrees that Alonso is way too much for Bailey, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.  Sheldon notes that starting pitching is a more pressing need for the Reds than a closer.

9:00am: The Reds are talking about a possible deal for Athletics closer Andrew Bailey, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  The A's are interested in Yonder Alonso, tweets Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM and ESPN.com.  The Reds have a need at the back end of their bullpen, with Francisco Cordero entertaining offers as a free agent.  The Blue Jays are also known to have Bailey on the radar.

Bailey, 27, posted a 3.24 ERA, 8.9 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9, and 37.1% groundball rate in 41 2/3 innings this year.  He missed time with an oblique injury in 2010, and also had elbow surgery in September of that year.  Effects of the procedure caused him to miss most of the first two months of the 2011 campaign.

Bailey is under team control through 2014, and we project him for a reasonable $3.5MM in 2012 as he'll be arbitration eligible for the first time. 

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