Cody Ross Rumors: Giants, Rockies, Reds
We heard earlier this week that Cody Ross was seeking a three-year contract. Here's the latest on the free agent outfielder….
- The Giants seem to have moved on from Ross, as Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link) reports the club didn't make any offer to try and re-sign the 2010 NLCS MVP. Baggarly says five other teams are in the mix for Ross' services and at least one suitor figures to offer a two-year deal.
- Baggarly also tweets "the Ross camp has had eyes on Colorado for a long time." ESPN's Jayson Stark (Twitter link) reports the Rockies could pursue Ross or Michael Cuddyer with the money the team saved from the Huston Street trade.
- The Rockies have an interest in Ross, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post, but as a "complementary player" and not on a three-year contract. Renck notes the Rockies are still discussing an Edinson Volquez trade with the Reds, with Cincinnati showing some interest in Seth Smith. If Smith is dealt, it could conceivably open room for the Rockies to acquire both Cuddyer and Ross, with Ross playing the outfield on the days Cuddyer starts at second or third.
- Reds general manager Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that Ross' agent said his client would be interested in returning to Cincinnati. Ross was briefly a Red in 2006, appearing in two games with the club. Jocketty said the two sides "kicked it around,” though the team has "some other things to do first," presumably finding a top-tier pitcher. Perhaps related to the Reds' pitching search, Jocketty said he has spoken "several times" with the Rays but he doesn't think the two sides are close on a trade.
Five Teams In On Hiroki Kuroda
The Cubs, Rockies, Diamondbacks, and others are trying for Hiroki Kuroda, tweets MLB Network's Jon Heyman, though he could still return to Japan. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick adds the Yankees and Red Sox to the list of suitors.
The Rockies also remain interested in the Reds' Edinson Volquez, tweets Troy Renck.
NL Central Rumors: Volquez, Iannetta, Bourn
The NL Central has four buyers and two sellers. The latest:
- The Reds are drawing interest from multiple teams on righty Edinson Volquez, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 28-year-old has a 5.93 ERA on the season and spent time at Triple-A. Still, he throws hard and is under team control through 2013.
- The Pirates and Rockies have yet to exchange names on Chris Iannetta, tweets Jon Paul Morosi. The Pirates added one bat today, promoting Pedro Alvarez.
- Interest in Astros center fielder Michael Bourn is still not high, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner.com. He says the Braves are not a good fit and the Nationals are highly unlikely.
- The Astros had scouts watching the Triple-A clubs of the Diamondbacks and Braves recently, writes Rosenthal.
Volquez Rejected Four-Year Extension
The Reds attempted to lock up yet another of their key young talents this offseason, but their proposal was handed back to them. Edinson Volquez told Julio Castro at the Domincan paper El Caribe (link in Spanish) that the team offered him a four-year extension, but he rejected it, preferring to bank on his value increasing over the coming season.
"They were offering me a contract for four years, the same as Johnny Cueto, but I didn't feel it was right for me. I spoke with the lawyer and the general manager, and we all agreed on a single season," Volquez explained while in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.
Volquez didn't mention the amount of the offer, but Cueto's $27MM deal is an ambitious point of comparison. Cueto has gradually developed into a reliable mid-rotation option for the team, managing at least 30 starts in each of the last three seasons, while Volquez's ultimate $1.6MM contract is reflective of two seasons cut short by elbow surgery and a 50-game PED suspension. After an up-and-down summer, he looked stronger in the final month of last season, pitching deep into games and collecting strikeouts in line with his career rate of 8.7 K/9. These results, and his offseason workouts, have Volquez feeling bullish about 2011.
"Having a good year this season is my mission. Depending on my performance, we'll seek a contract of at least four years with the team," he predicted. "I can't define the amount we're going to seek following the next year, but it's going to be for that quantity of years." And should he have second thoughts, the 27-year-old pitcher (three years older than Cueto) indicated that some manner of offer is still on the table, saying, "Things remain open in case I want to sign during Spring Training or in the middle of the season."
Reds Avoid Arbitration With Volquez
MONDAY: It's a $1.625MM deal that includes some performance bonuses, according to the AP (via the Dayton Daily News).
SUNDAY: The Reds and Edinson Volquez have avoided arbitration, coming to terms on a one-year deal, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
While no financial terms have been released yet, ESPN's Enrique Rojas reported that a deal would likely be in the $1.6MM range yesterday when we learned the two sides were nearing a deal.
Volquez, 26, returned from Tommy John surgery last season to throw 62 2/3 quality innings. The right-hander, who was acquired by Texas in exchange for Josh Hamilton in 2007, posted a 4.34 ERA while striking out 67 hitters. He featured his typical shaky command (5.0 BB/9 in 2010, 4.7 for his career), but he showed no loss of velocity, as his 93.6mph average was the same as his career mark.
As MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows, Volquez was the club's last remaining arbitration case.
Reds, Edinson Volquez Nearing Deal
4:31pm: The two sides are close to a one-year contract worth around $1.6MM, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (via Twitter)
10:52am: Reds GM Walt Jocketty expects to reach an agreement — likely a one-year deal — this weekend with arbitration-eligible starter Edinson Volquez, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
It has seemed likely that the Reds and Volquez would avert an arbitration hearing all along, but the question has persisted whether they'd agree on a one- or multi-year deal. Volquez apparently preferred a one-year deal, blogs Fay.
Cincinnati's other young, arbitration-eligible stars — Jay Bruce, Joey Votto and Johnny Cueto — have all signed multi-year deals this offseason, buying out their arbitration eligibility.
Volquez, though, is coming off consecutive truncated seasons on account of Tommy John surgery and a 50-game suspension for using PEDs.
Reds Notes: Cueto, Volquez
A few notes from the Queen City…
- John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer has the breakdown of Johnny Cueto's new contract. The right-hander will earn $3.4MM in 2011, $5.4MM in 2012, $7.4MM in 2013, and $10MM in 2014. A $10MM club option for 2015 can be bought out for $800K.
- GM Walt Jocketty told Fay that the team and Edinson Volquez are still talking about a multi-year contract extension, and that he's confident they'll get at least a one-year deal done before an arbitration hearing (Twitter link). We first heard that the two sides were talking about a deal late last week.
Reds, Volquez Discussing Extension
The Reds have locked up Bronson Arroyo, Jay Bruce, Joey Votto and Johnny Cueto this offseason, but they may not be done yet. They are discussing the possibility of extending Edinson Volquez, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“We’re looking at both — one-year and multi-year,” GM Walt Jocketty told Fay. “We’re hopeful that we’ll get something done.”
Volquez, 27, posted a 4.31 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in 62 2/3 innings last year. He has made just 21 starts since his breakout 2008 season because he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2009.
Volquez filed at $2MM and the Reds countered with a $1.3MM proposal earlier in the week. The right-hander is the team's lone remaining unsigned arbitration eligible player. Volquez is arbitration eligible for the first time and on track to hit free agency after the 2013 season if the Reds don't extend him.
Click here to read Howard Megdal's examination of the trade that sent Josh Hamilton to Texas for Volquez.
Arbitration Figures: Tuesday
Today is the deadline for players and teams to submit arbitration figures. Let's keep track of those figures here, with the latest updates on top. You can track all of the players that avoided arbitration today here.
- MLB.com's Jane Lee tweets that Craig Breslow filed for $1.55MM, but the Athletics countered with $1.15MM.
- Zachary Levine of The Houston Chronicle has some figures for the Astros. Wandy Rodriguez filed for $10.25MM, Hunter Pence for $6.9MM. The team countered with $8MM and $5.15MM, respectively.
- Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star tweets that Billy Butler filed for $4.3MM while the Royals countered with $3.4MM.
- Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Javier Lopez filed for $2.875MM and Andres Torres for $2.6MM (Twitter link). The Giants countered with $2MM and $1.8MM, respectively.
Quick Hits: Athletics, Nunez, Rangers, Pavano, Pujols
On this day 15 years ago, Blue Jays skipper John Farrell signed with Mariners as a free agent. Let's take a look at today's links..
- Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com applauds Athletics GM Billy Beane for upgrading the club's bullpen this winter.
- Leo Nunez's $3.65MM 2011 salary is the most ever for a Marlins reliever under owner Jeffrey Loria, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel. The previous watermark was Armando Benitez's 2004 salary of $3.5MM.
- The Rangers are looking to fill their final roster spot, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg also says that the club plans on extending the contract of GM Jon Daniels this winter.
- The Pirates have made a run at Carl Pavano, but the hurler prefers the Twins as they are a contending team where he can be the ace, writes Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that he is working to sign arbitration eligible players Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto and Bill Bray before the Tuesday deadline.
- The Cardinals have to get a deal done with Albert Pujols, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.