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Duquette On Orioles’ Offseason Needs

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The Orioles are looking for a backup catcher, an outfielder, starting pitching and relievers, executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette told Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Duquette hopes to make trades and sign free agents in the near future to address the team’s needs. Here are the details:

  • The Orioles like Mark Reynolds’ defense better at first than at third. Duquette continued to downplay the likelihood of a major expenditure at first.
  • Expect Matt Antonelli and Chris Davis to contribute at third base in 2012, though Duquette endorses the players in considerably different ways. "He looks like a ballplayer. He's got a good look about him, and he's a former No. 1 pick,” Duquette said of Antonelli. “If you take a look at Bill James' projections, they're projecting Davis to slug at .500 next year,” he said of Davis. Duquette added that he expects Antonelli to be healthy and likes his ability to get on base.
  • Manager Buck Showalter prefers to rotate players in and out of the DH spot and Duquette will “be guided by [the manager's] preference." Don’t count on David Ortiz signing in Baltimore. “A 36-year-old DH would be a luxury for us," Duquette said.
  • The Orioles will attempt to trade for a backup catcher and they have offers out to some minor league free agents, according to Kubatko (Twitter link).
  • Earlier today, Jon Heyman reported that the Orioles have expressed interest in free agent Jason Varitek.

International Links: Hanley, Ortiz, Aybar

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Links are in Spanish…

  • As the Marlins' courtship of Jose Reyes enters its second month, it remains unclear what the addition of Reyes would mean for Hanley Ramirez. As of late October, the team reportedly still hadn't spoken with Ramirez about a position change, and according to one source, he is opposed to moving. Ramirez seemed to cede some authority to the team while attending a winter league game last Wednesday, telling Caribe Multimedia, "I am the Marlins' shortstop… As of now, I'm the shortstop. Jose Reyes is a quality player, and he would be welcome on the team if we sign him. But in this case, the front office has the last word." Ramirez's claim to the six-hole is tempered in the immediate future by his recovery from shoulder surgery, which he admitted could cause him to miss some of Spring Training.
  • We've already heard today that David Ortiz has an offer in hand and is seeking a three-year deal. Ortiz reinforced that he has value on the open market in an interview with Julio Valdez at Dominican daily El Nacional, saying,"I'd like to stay in Boston — I'd really like to stay — but I'm not going to play for free."
  • Willy Aybar recently told a panel of appellate court judges in the Dominican Republic that he has a contract with a team in Japan for the upcoming season, but as to whether he'll be able to honor it, the 28-eight-year-old said, "Only God knows." According to Guillermina Santos at the Dominican daily El Día, the judges then ordered Aybar to remain in prison for allegedly assaulting his wife and disturbing the peace earlier this month, a decision which Aybar's lawyer says he will appeal.

David Ortiz Seeks Three-Year Deal

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Free agent designated hitter David Ortiz seeks a three-year deal, reports Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.  An industry source tells Silverman Ortiz is drawing "serious interest" from more than one team and has an offer in hand.  He and the Red Sox maintain mutual interest about a new deal, and Ortiz intends to allow them to match any offer.

One wrinkle for Ortiz is that signing him comes with the tax of the loss of a draft pick, assuming he turns down Boston's arbitration offer.  If Ortiz is serious about getting multiple years, he'll have to turn down that arbitration offer on December 7th.  The Blue Jays, a somewhat reasonable match for Big Papi, probably aren't keen on giving the Red Sox their #17 pick in next year's draft.  Last week, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote that the arbitration offer is one reason the Red Sox are "more likely than not" to retain Ortiz.  

Poll: Next Big Name Free Agent To Sign

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Two big name free agents came off the board within the first three weeks of the offseason, as CC Sabathia signed an extension with the Yankees and Jonathan Papelbon joined the Phillies. The two power-hitting first baseman are still on the market (Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder), as are the high-end shortstops (Jimmy Rollins and Jose Reyes) and left-handed starters (Mark Buehrle and C.J. Wilson). Looking for pure offense? There’s also Carlos Beltran and David Ortiz.

The Thanksgiving weekend has traditionally been a slow few days for the baseball hot stove, but think of it as the calm before the storm. The winter meetings are just over a week away, and clubs want to start patching the major holes on their rosters before the calendar flips to January. A full list of unsigned free agents can be found with our Free Agent Tracker, but only a select few qualify as big names. Which of those guys do you think will be the next to sign?

List Of Free Agents Who Will Cost Draft Picks

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In case the fine distinction between Type A and Type B free agents wasn't confusing enough, MLB has added a new level of complexity to this offseason's class of ranked free agents. This year's Type A free agents have been divided into three groups and teams will only have to surrender draft choices for signing players from one of the the sub-groups. You can read about the details here and follow the arbitration offers with MLBTR's tracker, but if you're only concerned with the bottom line, look no further. Here are the six remaining players for whom teams will have to surrender a top draft pick this offseason:

Also note that the Phillies will surrender a draft pick for signing Jonathan Papelbon earlier in the offseason. No other free agents, even those who obtained offers of arbitration, will cost draft picks. This means fewer obstacles exist for teams wary of losing draft choices and more opportunities exist for ranked free agents looking to sign their next contracts. Middle relievers and second-tier position players are no doubt pleased that the MLBPA bargained for these changes.

Red Sox Notes: Ortiz, Valentine, Wilson

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Major League Baseball's new collective bargaining agreement will make it harder for teams to spend big on amateur talent, which leaves them looking for new ways to build a competitive advantage. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports suggests clubs should invest in scouting to ensure that the money they do spend impacts the Major League roster. Here's more from Morosi on the Boston Red Sox:

  • Morosi says it's more likely than not that David Ortiz will return to Boston for another season. The Red Sox offered the free agent DH arbitration in a climate that no longer rewards one-dimensional sluggers as generously as it once did.
  • Bobby Valentine remains the favorite to be named Boston's next manager, according to Morosi. Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont and Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo remain in the mix as well.
  • The Red Sox continue pursuing C.J. Wilson, according to Morosi. Many other clubs, including the Yankees and Blue Jays also have some interest in the free agent left-hander.

Heyman On Ortiz, Rodriguez, Nathan

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Now that this year's arbitration offers are officially in, the free agent market has become that much easier to read. Jon Heyman of SI.com examines some of last night’s decisions and provides more notes from around the league (all Twitter links): 

  • One agent predicts David Ortiz could get $16MM if he accepts Boston’s offer of arbitration. Heyman suggests a two-year deal in the $25-28MM range could also work for both sides.
  • Though the Brewers took on some risk by offering Francisco Rodriguez arbitration, the right-hander seeks a multiyear deal and a closing job, so he’ll decline Milwaukee’s offer. The Brewers already have John Axford in place, so for Rodriguez to close games he’ll have to move on.
  • The Twins offered Joe Nathan a two-year deal that would have guaranteed him a bit less than the $14.75MM contract he signed in Texas. However, one AL executive told Heyman that Nathan "wanted to go to Texas."

American League Free Agent Arbitration Offers

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10 American League teams have free agent arbitration offer decisions to make, and we'll update them in this post throughout the day 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 decisions still due:

Cafardo On Red Sox, Ortiz, Saunders, Oswalt

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The Red Sox need a manager with some backbone, background, and one with plenty of experience, writes Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe.  Because the team lacked discipline last season, he writes, Boston isn't the place for a young manager at this time.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • Orioles GM Dan Duquette met with Fern Cuza, David Ortiz’s agent, at the GM meetings.  Duquette and Cuza have been close over the years and worked together on deals for Cuza client Pedro Martinez.  Cafardo writes that Ortiz would be an intriguing figure at Camden Yards but in a radio interview over the weekend, Duquette said that he was wary of signing a high-priced DH.
  • Whether the Diamondbacks tender Joe Saunders a contract or not, he becomes an interesting possibility for the Red Sox as a back-of-the-rotation starter.  MLBTR projects that Saunders is in line for $8.7MM in arbitration this year and readers' opinions were split on whether or not the hurler would be tendered.
  • Cubs GM Theo Epstein will listen to offers on Matt Garza and just about anyone on his team in order to replentish his farm system.
  • Roy Oswalt’s agent, Bob Garber, spoke to Red Sox GM Ben Cherington last Wednesday.  The Sox could use his leadership in the rotation but the veteran's price could be prohibitive.
  • One scout who watched Yoenis Cespedes work out last week said that the Cuban outfielder has great power but has concerns that he could be prone to striking out frequently.
  • As the Red Sox look for a pitching coach, Dave Wallace is an interesting name to keep in mind.  Wallace served as Boston’s pitching coach before John Farrell.  Minor league pitching coordinator Bob McClure could also be an option, depending on who the team's next manager is.
  • Cafardo opines that the Cubs should give up outfielder Tyler Colvin to the Red Sox to wrap up their Theo Epstein compensation talks.

East Notes: Ortiz, Braves, Soler, Sizemore, Yankees

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The Red Sox traded Coco Crisp to the Royals for Ramon Ramirez three years ago today, and four years prior to that the Nationals traded Maicer Izturis and Juan Rivera to the Angels for Jose Guillen. Here's the latest from baseball's two East divisions…

  • Infielder Matt Antonelli will undergo a physical on Monday to finalize his major league deal with the Orioles, tweets Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.
  • Orioles GM Dan Duquette didn't sound terribly interested in signing a high-priced DH such as David Ortiz during an interview on WEEI (audio link, 9:00 mark).
  • If Liberty Media decided to sell the Braves, Mark Cuban wouldn't pursue the franchise, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  A recent AJC poll showed 95% of readers would like Cuban to buy the team but the eccentric owner told O'Brien that he would prefer to buy a team that is in need of a lot of help.  Liberty Media has the right to sell the team after the current CBA expires on December 11th, but there's no evidence that a sale is imminent.
  • The Marlins have already scouted Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. The 19-year-old has been working out for teams in the Dominican Republic, and yesterday we heard that the Rangers have scouted him as well.
  • The Indians and Grady Sizemore are in "serious discussions" about a reunion, but the Phillies had interest in the outfielder according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Current GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and former GM Pat Gillick visited Sizemore in Arizona on the first day of free agency.
  • “The free agent guys haven’t made me any offers,” said Yankees GM Brian Cashman to Dan Martin of The New York Post. “The free agent [market] is moving at a glacial speed. And the category I’m shopping in, I don’t believe guys are jumping off the board this week. The players I’m interested in won’t be coming off the board anytime soon."
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