The Royals and Phillies have picked up the pace on free agent outfielder Jeff Francoeur, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. The Rockies are also in on Francoeur. All three suitors were already known from past reports.
Phillies Rumors
Pat Gillick Elected To Hall Of Fame
The 16-member Expansion Era committee announced they've elected Pat Gillick to baseball's Hall of Fame. From their website:
Pat Gillick spent 27 years as the general manager for the Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners and Phillies, winning at every stop along the way, with his teams earning 11 post-season berths and three World Series championships. In his 27 years as GM, his teams finished with a winning record 20 times.
Eleven other men were on the ballot, including George Steinbrenner, Marvin Miller, and Billy Martin.
Jayson Werth Signing Reactions
Yesterday Jayson Werth signed the third-largest contract ever for an outfielder, as the Nationals locked him up for seven years and $126MM. He and Vernon Wells figure to be bumped soon by Carl Crawford, though. Many thought Werth would get five years, a few thought six, but I didn't see anyone predicting seven. Reactions:
- ESPN's Keith Law calls the contract "irresponsible" and takes on the "losing teams have to overpay" argument.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says this is "not the drastic overpay that it appears to be on the surface."
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan says that from Scott Boras' point of view, "This deal wasn’t as much about need as it was capitalizing on eagerness."
- Talking to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, Mets GM Sandy Alderson remarked, "It makes some of our contracts look pretty good. I thought they were trying to reduce the deficit in Washington."
- One GM, upon hearing the length of Werth's contract, told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports it was "absolutely bat—- crazy." CBS Sports' Danny Knobler says one American League GM "nearly fell over when I told him the terms."
- The Phillies' offer, which GM Ruben Amaro Jr. deemed "significant," was for three years and about $48MM according to CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki notes that a fourth-year vesting option would have increased the value to $60MM.
Stark On Crawford, Beltre, Lee, Greinke, Bartlett
In his latest piece for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark discusses the ripple effect that Jayson Werth's $126MM deal will have on the remaining free agents. One AL official opines that it raises Carl Crawford's price in a "big, big way": "He's looking at maybe eight years, $180 million now, maybe 10 years, $190 million." Here are the rest of Stark's hot stove notes:
- Crawford is the clear top target for the Angels, but in the past they've tried to avoid going as high as eight years for any player, let alone ten.
- Despite getting Werth's contract done already, Scott Boras often drags out negotiations for his top clients. Stark polled a dozen people across baseball on when Adrian Beltre would sign, and many predicted it wouldn't happen until Christmas or later.
- Neither the Yankees or Rangers have made a formal offer to Cliff Lee yet, but many of those baseball people polled by Stark expect a deal to get done within the next week.
- There's good news and bad news for the Royals and Zack Greinke's trade value: with many free agent arms coming off the board already, Greinke has become more valuable in a pitching-thin market. However, according to one AL source, "Greinke has been trying to convince the Royals that it's not a great idea if he's there next year," which reduces Kansas City's leverage.
- The Diamondbacks haven't totally ruled out trading Justin Upton, though it appears unlikely. Kevin Towers tells Stark "it's going to take somebody a little on the crazy side" to get anything done.
- There's a sense that Jason Bartlett is the player most likely to be traded this week. However, Stark has trouble finding a team in need of a shortstop that matches up well with the Rays, who would like a late-inning reliever in return.
- With Werth off the market, the Phillies will look to replace him with a complementary player rather than a big name. Stark lists Scott Hairston, Jeff Francoeur, and Matt Diaz as a few possible targets. Philadelphia has also been trying to find a taker for Raul Ibanez, but would likely have to eat a good chunk of salary to do so.
Odds & Ends: Hardy, Punto, Dunn, Marlins, Lee
Some items to wrap up the week…
- The Pirates were close to a trade for J.J. Hardy on Thursday night, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Pittsburgh is known to have an interest in Hardy and could still work out a deal given that the Twins tendered Hardy a contract.
- There is "mutual interest" between Nick Punto and the Indians, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. (Twitter link) The two sides will continue their talks during the winter meetings.
- Yahoo Sports' Big League Stew blog collects some of the Washington media's reaction to Adam Dunn leaving town, and it isn't very positive.
- It's looking increasingly unlikely that Arizona will trade Justin Upton, but if Upton is moved, it won't be to Florida, writes Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Rodriguez says the Marlins are looking for a left-handed bench bat and possibly a left-handed reliever, though the club is unlikely to re-sign Will Ohman.
- Phillies assistant GM Scott Proefrock tells Fox Sports Radio's Jim Bowden (Twitter link) that his club isn't interested in bringing back Cliff Lee. "That ship has sailed," Proefrock said.
- Erik Bedard tells Larry Larue of the Tacoma News Tribune that he was offered a guaranteed deal from another club but turned it down to sign a non-guaranteed contract with Seattle.
- The Mariners "are becoming a West Coast version of the Orioles, a place top-tier free agents avoid because the stench of losing is overwhelming," writes Yahoo's Steve Henson in his winter meetings preview.
Red Sox, Tigers, Phillies Seem Serious About Werth
The Red Sox, Tigers and Phillies are seen as the most serious suitors for Jayson Werth, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Red Sox met with Werth and agent Scott Boras yesterday, according to ESPNBoston.com. However, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports that the sides did not discuss contract terms yesterday. Instead, Werth, GM Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona got to know each other.
The Rangers haven't ruled out pursuing Werth, but the White Sox are not pursuing him, Morosi reports.
Stark On Soriano, Quentin, Phillies, Astros
As ESPN.com's Jayson Stark points out in this week's Rumblings & Grumblings, there's not much starting pitching available after Cliff Lee and Carl Pavano. Stark examines alternatives for pitching-starved teams and provides some rumors along the way. Here they are:
- Though it appeared to some baseball people as though the Angels were trying to sign Rafael Soriano before the Winter Meetings, it now appears that their search for relief pitching is secondary to their pursuit of Carl Crawford.
- Stark sees indications that the Angels are showing "very little" interest in Jayson Werth so far this offseason.
- The White Sox still say they're not shopping Carlos Quentin, but rival teams say Chicago will listen to offers.
- The Phillies don't plan on pursuing a trade for Quentin, according to Stark.
- Arthur Rhodes appears to be one of Philadelphia's top left-handed relief targets, followed by Pedro Feliciano. Neither reliever would cost the Phillies a draft pick, which is their preference.
- The Astros have quietly been shopping for an affordable outfielder who bats from the left side.
Odds & Ends: Berkman, Edmonds, De La Rosa
On this date in 1998, the Orioles signed Albert Belle to a five-year, $65MM deal. He batted .289/.374/.509 with Baltimore, but didn't play at all after the 2000 season. Here are today's links…
- Stop by at 2pm CDT for this week's chat.
- Oakland’s immediate goal is to sign Lance Berkman, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The A's met with Berkman and Adam Dunn yesterday.
- Rosenthal suggests the A’s likely want to hear back from Scott Boras and Adrian Beltre about the five-year, $64MM offer they reportedly made in November.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan asks Bud Selig to leave the playoffs alone and suggests the commissioner could improve the game by introducing more instant replay and asking major TV networks to show a more diverse selection of teams.
- Jim Edmonds is contemplating playing one more season, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- The Phillies are more likely to pursue free agent left-handers who don't cost a draft pick, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). In other words, they'd rather not give up a pick to sign Scott Downs.
- Speaking of relievers, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun explains that the Orioles have interest in any competent veteran reliever and will kick the tires on most.
- The Mets re-signed former big leaguer Mike O'Connor according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (on Twitter). The 30-year-old left-hander last pitched in the majors for the 2008 Nationals, but he appeared in 51 games at Triple-A Buffalo in 2010, posting 8.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 for the top Mets affiliate.
- The Pirates made a competitive offer for Jorge de la Rosa before he agreed to a deal with the Rockies, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter).
- De La Rosa's agents approached the Padres about a potential deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. San Diego couldn't afford the lefty, though they were interested.
This Date In Transactions History: November 27th
Let's hope into the wayback machine and look at a few notable moves that took place on past 11/27s…
- The Phillies agreed to terms with Adam Eaton to a three-year, $24.5MM contract on this date in 2006. Since the Phils went on to win the World Series in 2008, this signing was totally worth it, right? Believers in the butterfly effect might agree, but to most, Eaton was a huge bust for Philadelphia. The right-hander posted a 6.10 ERA in 51 appearances (49 of them starts) and the Phillies outright released Eaton before the 2009 season and ate the remaining $8.75MM on his contract.
- The Yankees made a much more valuable signing on November 27, 2006, inking Mike Mussina to a two-year, $22MM deal. The Moose struggled in 2007 but bounced back in a major way in 2008 — a 3.37 ERA, 4.84 K/BB ratio and tied for the league lead with 34 starts. Mussina turned 40 in December 2008 and decided to retire, thus missing out on New York's World Series title the next season.
- The Dodgers took a chance on the oft-injured Eric Davis when they acquired the Reds star (and pitcher Kip Gross) from Cincinnati on this date in 1991 in exchange for Tim Belcher and John Wetteland. Davis posted just a .677 OPS in 730 plate appearances with L.A. before being traded to Detroit on August 31, 1993. Davis didn't regain his old form until 1996-98, when he delivered three solid seasons with the Reds and Orioles. The key figure in this trade ended up being Wetteland, but the Reds flipped him to Montreal just two weeks after acquiring him from Los Angeles. Wetteland developed into a star closer for the Expos, Yankees and Rangers, and was named MVP of the 1996 World Series.
- Speaking of Yankee postseason stars, the Bronx Bombers picked up third baseman Graig Nettles on this day in 1972. Nettles and catcher Jerry Moses were acquired from the Indians for an unremarkable four-player package. The defensively-stellar Nettles made five All-Star appearances in his 11 seasons as a Yankee, racking up 1396 hits and almost as many witty quotes to sportswriters.
- Finally, one more New York team made an important addition on this date in 1967. The Mets acquired manager Gil Hodges from the Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers) in exchange for pitcher Bill Denehy and $100K. Denehy only pitched in 34 more games in the majors, while Hodges went on to lead the Mets to their Amazin' upset win in the 1969 World Series. The former Dodger great managed the Mets for two more seasons before his untimely death of a heart attack at age 47.
Phillies Notes: Werth, Quentin, Willingham
Let's check out some Phillies news courtesy of MLB.com's Todd Zolecki..
- For some time we have heard that the Phillies are not serious about keeping Jayson Werth as he is said to be seeking something similar to the seven-year, $120MM that Matt Holliday secured last winter. However, the Phillies could be in position to bring Werth back if his market falls and he instead looks for a deal in the range of four years.
- If Werth does not return to Philadelphia in 2011, the club likely won't sign someone to replace him if it's not a clear upgrade. There are several right fielders who will be available via free agency and trade, and one player that reportedly interests the Phillies is Carlos Quentin of the White Sox. However, Zolecki feels that he's not the strong right-handed bat the club wants and we learned last week that Chicago is not shopping him.
- Of the names that have been mentioned, Zolecki feels that Josh Willingham, Jeff Francoeur, and Matt Diaz make the most sense for the club as they are affordable and "ideal platoon players."
