Reds Notes: Phillips, Cordero
The latest from The Queen City, courtesy of MLB.com's Mark Sheldon …
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty said the team and second baseman Brandon Phillips have "made progress, but we're not close" in negotiations for a contract extension. The Reds have already exercised Phillips' 2012 option, so he's in the fold for next season, but he has been vocal about wanting a multiyear extension beyond that for a while now. John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer speculated recently that the Reds are probably hoping to extend Phillips, 30, for something like four years and $48MM, while Sheldon points out that the Dan Uggla's five-year, $62MM pact with the Braves last offseason is a recent high-water mark for second basemen.
- As well, there have been "no new developments" between the Reds and free agent closer Francisco Cordero, according to Sheldon. Jocketty did not meet with Cordero's agent during the General Manager Meetings earlier this week in Milwaukee. "If we did not sign Coco, we'd first look outside of the organization," Jocketty said.
Francisco Cordero Drawing Heavy Interest
At least seven teams have expressed interest in free agent right-hander Francisco Cordero, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Cordero's agent Bean Stringfellow told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon as much yesterday, but Morosi also names many of the clubs who have interest in Cordero: the Red Sox, Reds, Blue Jays, Marlins, Dodgers, Angels, and Mets.
Although Jonathan Papelbon is off the market, Cordero is one of many closers still available, along with Ryan Madson, Heath Bell, and Francisco Rodriguez, among others. The Reds declined their option on the 36-year-old Cordero at season's end, despite a successful 2011 campaign in which he posted a 2.45 ERA and reduced his BB/9 to 2.8.
NL Central Notes: Cordero, Cubs, Pirates
The Astros are likely to leave the NL Central after the 2012 season. Here's the latest on some teams that are staying in the division…
- Seven or eight teams, including the Reds, have inquired on free agent closer Francisco Cordero, agent Bean Stringfellow told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Cordero is interested in returning to the Reds on a multiyear deal.
- The Cubs announced that Shiraz Rehman joined their front office as an assistant to GM Jed Hoyer. The 34-year-old spent six seasons with the Diamondbacks after interning with Hoyer, Theo Epstein and the Red Sox in 2005. He'll provide Hoyer with scouting and statistical information for possible acquisitions and coordinate the Cubs' technological efforts.
- Compensation talks between the Cubs and Red Sox for Theo Epstein are progressing amicably, Epstein told Alex Speier of WEEI.com. “I know I’m right, because I know my own faults better than Ben does," Epstein said. "I know my limitations. I’m just not worth that much. But I’m sure it will work out, one way or the other, in a way that satisfies all the parties involved."
- The Cubs will conduct a second round of managerial interviews, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux, Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum, Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. and Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin are the candidates for the position.
- The Pirates checked in on Josh Willingham and Kevin Kouzmanoff, according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. Pittsburgh has Pedro Alvarez at third and Alex Presley in the outfield, but the team appears to be considering depth options at those positions.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington jokes that he has tried to forget the 2008 trade that sent Jason Bay to Boston, according to Speier. The Pirates obtained Brandon Moss, Craig Hansen, Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris in a deal that Huntington considers his worst trade ever.
- Rod Barajas told reporters, including Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that he had offers from other teams before signing with the Pirates. He'll be the primary catcher in Pittsburgh, which figured in to his decision.
Quick Hits: Sizemore, Mariners, Reds
Congratulations to this year’s Silver Slugger winners. Here are the latest links from around MLB…
- Agent Joe Urbon told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that Grady Sizemore is "open to anything" and "not limiting his choices at all." Several teams have already expressed preliminary interest in the free agent outfielder. Ideally he would play center field, but he's open to playing left or right.
- Over at FanGraphs, MLBTR writer Mike Axisa explains why Andrew Brackman was the most expensive draft bust in baseball history. The Yankees cut ties with the former first round pick yesterday.
- Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner offers his offseason plan for the Mariners. It revolves around acquiring Joey Votto from the Reds and includes contract offers for former Seattle left-handers Jamie Moyer and Erik Bedard. In my offseason outlook for the Mariners, I suggested it makes sense for the team to pursue rotation and bullpen depth.
- Second baseman Brandon Phillips told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he has “some leverage” in contract talks with the Reds. Fay suggests Phillips is looking for a deal in the $38-62MM range. The Reds, who picked up Phillips’ $12MM option for 2012 earlier in the week, intend to continue discussing an extension.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Fay that he remains hopeful that the team can reach a deal with Francisco Cordero. Jocketty nearly arrived at an agreement with the closer earlier this week, but the sides didn't agree to terms and the Reds declined their option on Cordero.
- The Fielding Bible recently announced its 2011 winners. Albert Pujols, Adrian Beltre and Troy Tulowitzki were among those rewarded for defensive excellence.
Reds Exercise Phillips’ Option, Decline Cordero’s
The Reds announced that they exercised Brandon Phillips' 2012 option and declined their option for Francisco Cordero (Twitter link). The Reds will pay Cordero a $1MM buyout instead of a $12MM salary and they'll pay Phillips a $12MM salary instead of a $1MM buyout.
Phillips, 30, hit .300/.353/.457 with 18 homers in 674 plate appearances for Cincinnati in 2011. He has made his desire for an extension clear, stating in September that it would feel like “a slap in my face” if the Reds pick up the option without talking long-term deal. But if the sides do discuss an extension, don't expect a hometown discount "There’s no homeboy hookup. That ain’t going to work," Phillips said.
The Reds discussed an extension for Cordero, a Type A free agent, toward the end of the regular season. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes explained in his recent offseason outlook article that the Reds "can't afford to commit $5MM a year for two more seasons of Cordero."
Free Agent Closers’ Usage
The upcoming class of free agents figures to present an interesting study in the way teams are evaluating relievers these days. After Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, many of the most recognizable names are closers or relievers who have previously closed.
Modern analysis suggests it's foolish to invest heavily in relief pitchers due to their limited contributions and volatility in year-to-year production. But someone has to get those crucial late-inning outs, and the temptation for a team that thinks it's a contender to throw a lot of money at a guy who's coming off a year in which he posted a minuscule ERA or eye-popping strikeout rate is often too great.
Undoubtedly, suitors will use a variety of criteria to evaluate free-agent closers, one of which will be usage. Because usage can encompass so many things — innings, appearances, pitches, "high-stress" pitches, and so on — it's tough to say which is the most accurate reflection of a pitcher's workload; of course, this debate continues on for starters, too.
During the season, with the launch of CloserNews.com, we began keeping an eye on relievers who had pitched on three (and four) consecutive days, as that seems to be the breaking point for when most relievers must be rested. We've tallied that up here in a spreadsheet, along with a few other measures (standard and otherwise) of reliever usage, for the upcoming class of free-agent closers.
The objective here isn't to make any bold proclamations based on who threw the most innings; I may as well pen the inevitable mea culpa right now if it were. Rather, there are some interesting tidbits of note here, a few things to file away as these relievers ready themselves for free agency and teams prepare to bid.
- Heath Bell and Francisco Cordero were the only two of this group to pitch on four consecutive days in 2011. Bell is the only one to do it twice.
- Bell's abundance of pitches certainly seems to correspond with his dip in strikeout rate (7.32 K/9 in 2011 vs. 9.22 for career). Looks like he was having trouble putting away hitters, at least relative to his past performances.
- Francisco Rodriguez paced the group by pitching on three consecutive days six times.
- Heavy usage is not unusual for K-Rod, though. He's pitched fewer than 65 innings only once in his nine full big league seasons, the red herring due to an off-field incident in 2010.
- Info was culled from Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference.
Quick Hits: Byrnes, Reds, Uehara, Young, Inge
The World Series is tied at a game apiece after the Rangers' thrilling 2-1 victory over the Cardinals tonight. As we look forward to Game Three on Saturday night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, here are a few news items to round out the evening…
- The Diamondbacks will receive "a significant level of financial relief – and perhaps total relief" when and if Josh Byrnes becomes the Padres' new general manager, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Byrnes had five and a half years remaining on his contract with Arizona when he was fired on July 1, 2010, but the Snakes could be off the hook for the remaining four years left on that deal should Byrnes get another GM job.
- There is nothing new to report on the Reds' negotiations with Brandon Phillips or Francisco Cordero, Reds GM Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- Koji Uehara has told people close to him that he wants to return to the Orioles, reports MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. After being dealt to Texas in July, Uehara struggled in the first two rounds of the playoffs and was left off the Rangers' World Series roster. The Japanese right-hander made enough appearances to activate a $4MM vesting option for 2012, so if the O's want Uehara back, the Rangers would probably be happy to unload him.
- The Red Sox have given the Athletics permission to interview pitching coach Curt Young about the pitching coach vacancy in Oakland, reports Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link) reports Young and the A's are already in negotiations. Young served as Oakland's pitching coach from 2004-2010 before going to Boston to replace John Farrell last winter.
- The Tigers have enough money coming off the books this winter that Tom Gage of the Detroit News thinks Brandon Inge's contract could be swallowed if the team can find a better third base option on the trade market. Inge is set to earn $5.5MM in 2012 and the Tigers hold a $6MM club option on their longtime third baseman for 2013.
NL Central Notes: Astros, Lee, Reds
The NL Central's two playoff representatives both play tonight. The Cardinals host the Phillies in St. Louis and the Brewers could eliminate the D'Backs in Phoenix. Here's the latest on the division's non-playoff teams as we await today's games…
- Prospective Astros owner Jim Crane hasn’t received a formal proposal from MLB regarding compensation for a possible move to the American League, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle. However, Crane has had increased dialogue about a possible league change.
- The Pirates will make a run at re-signing Derrek Lee, according to MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch. Lee didn’t reveal much about his 2012 plans during the season and has maintained that he’s keeping his options open, even retirement.
- The Pirates announced that their entire coaching staff will return in 2012.
- The Reds haven't discussed possible extensions with Francisco Cordero or Brandon Phillips since the season ended last week, GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The GM hopes to resume talks next week with Cordero, who will likely agree to a two-year deal, and Phillips, who won't be giving the Reds a hometown discount.
- MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes previewed the Cubs’ class of arbitration eligible players this morning.
NL Central Notes: Cubs, Cordero, Pirates, Barmes
The Astros are playing spoiler against a former bitter rival of theirs tonight, as they try to halt the Cardinals’ improbable playoff bid. Here are some notes from the NL Central, while the two clubs play in Houston…
- Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts told Cubs reporters, including Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, that he's looking to name a GM as soon as possible, but cautions that there's "no point in rushing" the process. Ricketts pointed to the Diamondbacks to remind reporters that turnarounds can happen quickly in baseball under the right circumstances.
- Ricketts added that he expects GM candidates to see the four-year extension that director of player personnel Oneri Fleita obtained this summer as a positive.
- It's looking like the Reds will complete a deal with Francisco Cordero instead of picking up his $12MM option for 2012 ($1MM buyout), according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter). We heard yesterday that Reds GM Walt Jocketty is optimistic about working out a deal with his closer. For the latest on Cordero and other MLB closers, check out CloserNews.com.
- Ryan Doumit told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he thinks his chances of returning to Pittsburgh in 2012 are "slim" (Twitter link). The Pirates hold a $7.25MM option ($500K buyout) for the backstop next year.
- Clint Barmes told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that he would like to return to the Astros next year. However, the shortstop is open to exploring other options and he realizes that Houston’s ownership changes could affect offseason plans. Earlier in the month, I revisited the trade that sent Barmes to the Astros.
Reds Notes: Brandon Phillips & Francisco Cordero
The Reds extended GM Walt Jocketty through 2014 earlier this week, and now the GM is focused on getting some of his big name players under contract beyond this season. Let's round up the latest…
- Jocketty met with the Levinson Brothers today, representatives for second baseman Brandon Phillips. MLB.com's Mark Sheldon says talks were preliminary in nature. "It went fine," said the GM. "We had talked a little bit in the past. It was more a kind of guidelines of what we're trying to do. Once the season is over, we'll talk again."
- Jocketty added that if they can't find a middle ground, they will exercise Phillips' $12MM option for next season and then "keep working on it."
- John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports (on Twitter) that Jocketty said he's optimistic about getting something done with closer Francisco Cordero in the near future. An extension will "probably" be a two-year deal. Like Phillips, the Reds hold a $12MM for Cordero's services in 2012.