Marlins’ Offer To Pujols Believed To Be For Nine Years
The contract the Marlins offered to Albert Pujols "is believed to be for nine years," says Yahoo's Tim Brown. The Marlins pulled out all the stops in an attempt to woo Pujols, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick, who hears that part of the team's pitch to Pujols involved bringing in about ten players to assist in recruiting and "make the organization's interest clear." Here are the rest of the latest rumblings on the free agent who ranks atop MLBTR's Top 50….
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak expects to meet with Dan Lozano, Pujols' agent, this week, according to Crasnick. It will be the first time this offseason that the two have talked in person.
- Past reports have indicated St. Louis made Pujols an offer of nine years and $210MM before the season, but Crasnick hears that the Cardinals never topped $200MM.
- While Pujols was "surprised" that the Cardinals named Mike Matheny their new manager, the hiring isn't expected to play a major role one way or the other in Pujols' decision.
- Mozeliak said Tuesday afternoon that he "wouldn't envision" pursuing Prince Fielder even if Pujols signed elsewhere.
Mozeliak “Wouldn’t Envision” Pursuit Of Fielder
The Cardinals are going to keep discussions with Albert Pujols between the team, agent Dan Lozano and the three-time MVP himself, GM John Mozeliak said in Milwaukee today. If Pujols signs elsewhere, don't expect the Cardinals to pursue free agent first baseman Prince Fielder.
"I wouldn't envision that given the composition of our club with [Matt] Holliday, [Lance] Berkman and [Allen] Craig," he said. "Our hope again would be to find a way to keep Albert, but I wouldn't see going out on the market to do something else."
Mozeliak further broke down the Cardinals' roster in a conversation with MLBTR. Here are the details on the 2011 champions:
- Daniel Descalso, Tyler Greene, Skip Schumaker and Ryan Theriot are middle infield options for the Cardinals and they’d "be okay" entering the 2012 season with that group, Mozeliak said, before explaining that alternatives exist.
- "Before we get ahead of ourselves we want to make sure we explore other ways to improve," he said. "It doesn't necessarily mean [internal options] would be the best we can do." MLBTR projects a $3.9MM salary for Theriot and a $3.1MM salary for Schumaker in 2012, if the team offers arbitration. Both are non-tender candidates.
- The Cardinals like the defense Descalso and Greene offer.
- The Cardinals want to keep dialogue with Rafael Furcal open and they're also considering other options not currently on the roster.
Reds Will Not Trade Votto This Winter
Despite rumblings that reigning NL MVP Joey Votto could be available this offseason, Reds GM Walt Jocketty says the team will hold on to the first baseman, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). Jocketty indicated that the Reds will try to lock Votto up to a long-term deal within the next year. Here are a few other items of note from Heyman's Twitter feed:
- The Reds are among the teams who have contacted the Braves to inquire on Jair Jurrjens.
- GM John Mozeliak said the Cardinals haven't met face-to-face with Albert Pujols since the season ended, but that they've touched base with Pujols and his agent, and plan to meet.
- The Mets think Jose Reyes will give them a chance to match his best offer before he signs anywhere, but know that he's not obligated to do so.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo says if he were to pursue an impact first baseman like Pujols or Prince Fielder, he'd need to make a companion move to open up the position.
- The White Sox aren't closing the door on Mark Buehrle, but GM Ken Williams feels it'll be tough to fit him into their payroll.
Cardinals Name Mike Matheny Manager
8:09pm: Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that Matheny received a two-year deal with a club option for 2014.
5:11pm: The Cardinals have named former big league catcher Mike Matheny as their new manager, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The Cardinals will hold a press conference tomorrow morning to officially announce the move.
Matheny, 41, doesn't have managerial experience but is no stranger to the game. His Major League career spanned 13 seasons, including five with the Cardinals from 2000-2004. Several candidates interviewed for the job, with former Red Sox manager Terry Francona presenting Matheny's most notable competition. Others included Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg and Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo.
The move figures to be a popular one for many in the organization, as SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that the Cardinals players and pitching coach Dave Duncan "love Matheny" and that they view him as the "ultimate leader." That likely includes pending free agent Albert Pujols, who has "a ton of respect" for Matheny, according to this tweet from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact, if any, this decision has on Pujols' decision. Earlier in the month, former teammate David Eckstein told Morosi he thought Pujols would stay in St. Louis if Oquendo got the managerial nod.
Cards Don’t Plan To Greatly Increase Offer To Pujols
Albert Pujols is being wooed by the Miami Marlins, but that hasn't forced his former team's hand just yet. SI.com's Jon Heyman reports (on Twitter) that the Cardinals do not plan to greatly increase the nine-year, $210MM contract offer they made to Pujols before the season.
The Marlins are the only team to extend an offer to Pujols so far this offseason, but we have heard that the Angels, Dodgers, Yankees, and Rangers are unlikely to pursue the slugger. It was reported earlier today that Miami's offer "probably isn’t close to being enough" to lure Pujols away from St. Louis. Only a handful of teams can afford to match the Cardinals' original offer, so there's no reason for them to sweeten the pot just yet.
Angels Notes: Wilson, Pujols, Fielder, Dipoto
In yesterday's collection of Angels notes, we heard that the team has touched base with C.J. Wilson. GM Jerry Dipoto said his club is "intrigued" by the possibility of signing the left-hander away from the rival Rangers, according to Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. Let's round up a few more Angels-related links….
- Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio tweets that Wilson, who is from Southern California and is living there this winter, has "serious interest" in the Angels.
- Within his ESPN.com blog (Insider only), Buster Olney says baseball people that have talked to the Angels don't think the club will be among the bidders for Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder. Dipoto said earlier this week that, while an impact first baseman isn't the team's most pressing need, the Angels "don't want to lock the door" on the possibility of signing Pujols or Fielder.
- The baseball people who spoke to Olney also feel like Dipoto is "in full control of the decisions" for the Angels, with Mike Scioscia entirely focused on managing.
Marlins Rumors: Reyes, Pujols, Buehrle, Madson
The Miami Marlins were officially born yesterday, and they grabbed some headlines by extending contract offers to free agents Jose Reyes, Albert Pujols, and Mark Buehrle. They also expressed some interest in Ryan Madson. Let's round up the latest from South Beach…
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that Reyes "loved his visit" to the team's new ballpark this past Wednesday, and he would like to play in Miami. SI.com's Heyman hears that Reyes is the team's top free agent target (Twitter link).
- Within the same piece, Frisaro says that people connected to the team have told him that their offer to Pujols "probably isn’t close to being enough" to land the free agent slugger.
- Talks with Reyes, Pujols, Madson, and Buehrle are "preliminary" according to Heyman (on Twitter), so there's no threat of all four players accepting offers.
- ESPN's Buster Olney called the Marlins' strategy fascinating (on Twitter), but cautions that it is risky. The 1997 team also went for quick fixes, then had to tear it all down immediately after winning the World Series.
Marlins Make Offers to Pujols, Reyes, Buehrle
9:51pm: Loria confirmed the club made the offers, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Marlins president David Samson, however, said the team had no official comment. When asked if the club could afford all three players, Samson said “It’s a problem we never suspected could happen. That’s the true answer.”
5:03pm: The Marlins have made "substantial offers" to both Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and have also offered a contract to Mark Buehrle, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (both Twitter links). The team met with Pujols today, Reyes on Wednesday and Buehrle on Tuesday but apparently already felt comfortable enough to make contract offers, though Heyman reports there is "nothing close" to a deal with any of the three.
Miami's aggressiveness is no surprise, given how the Marlins have been in hot pursuit of several top free agents already this offseason. It's unlikely that Pujols, Reyes or Buehrle would sign so early without fully exploring the market for their services, though a blow-away offer from the Marlins could change their minds.
The Marlins' payroll was expected to increase by as much as $35MM this winter, but signing Pujols, Reyes and Buehrle would add at least $60MM to the 2012 payroll. That's a big outlay for three players — to put it in perspective, Cot's Baseball Contracts lists the entire Marlins payroll for 2011 as just under $57.7MM. Given how committed Jeffrey Loria is to put a competitive team into his new ballpark, we may have been conservative with our estimates about how much the Marlins are willing to spend this winter.
Marlins Notes: Pujols, Cespedes, Reyes
The Marlins will unveil their new uniforms and logos tonight, when they officially become the Miami Marlins. Here's the latest on the team, which has begun the offseason in style, courting several big-name free agents…
- The Marlins are serious about signing Albert Pujols and intend to make a competitive offer, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria covets Pujols and envisions him at first base in 2012, according to Spencer.
- The Marlins are meeting with Pujols and agent Dan Lozano today. You can read the details here.
- The Marlins like what they saw from Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes yesterday, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. "We think we're a great fit because we're Miami, and we're a natural destination for any Cuban player, any Latin player," Marlins president David Samson said. "We are the Gateway to the Americas. We're the Miami Marlins. I think that he agrees, but we have to make a deal that makes sense for both parties."
- The Marlins are more likely to sign Jose Reyes and Cespedes than Pujols, according to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro.
Marlins To Meet With Pujols
11:29am: The Marlins are meeting with Pujols and agent Dan Lozano this afternoon, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).
FRIDAY, 10:32am: Pujols is in Miami today and will likely meet with the Marlins and tour their new ballpark tomorrow, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (on Twitter). ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick hears that the Marlins are trying to set the meeting up today, but may give Pujols the tour tomorrow (Twitter link).
THURSDAY: The Marlins are scheduled to meet with free agent first baseman Albert Pujols in Miami within the next few days, possibly as soon as Saturday, a source tells Matthew Leach of MLB.com.
It's tough to gauge how serious the Marlins might be about signing Pujols, who figures to command a contract comfortably north of $200MM, but they have already been linked, to varying degrees, to a handful of free agents, such as Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, C.J. Wilson, Mark Buehrle and Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, throughout the early goings of the offseason. It has been widely reported that the Marlins will increase their payroll substantially in 2012 as they head into a new ballpark at the site of now-demolished Orange Bowl.
It's not yet known whether the Cardinals and Pujols have had any discussions regarding a new contract, according to Leach.