Olney On Marlins, Rays, Upton
General managers say the trade market has been surprisingly stagnant, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. The value of a Wild Card berth has diminished under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement, and executives wonder if this change has affected the trade market. “There's not as much incentive to being a Wild Card team as there has been,” one NL GM told Olney. Here are the rest of Olney’s notes and rumors:
- Under the new CBA, the spending money attached to draft picks is more valuable than the picks themselves, one GM said. Teams with large spending limits have more flexibility than other clubs and can pursue players more aggressively.
- Olney spoke with officials who are convinced the Diamondbacks will trade Justin Upton. Here are all the latest rumors on Upton.
- The 43-46 Marlins and the 46-44 Rays could create a significant shift in the trade market between now and the end of July. Both Florida teams are hovering around .500 for now.
- The Marlins will be willing to discuss every player on their roster, including Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Johnson and Omar Infante, if they decide to sell, Olney writes.
Marlins Notes: Stanton, Samson, Oviedo
Marlins All-Star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton underwent successful arthroscopic knee surgery this morning. Stanton had loose bodies removed from his right knee and is expected to be out four to six weeks. He will miss the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game. As a result, the Marlins will not have a representative in Kansas City for the Midsummer Classic. This was one topic Marlins President David Samson addressed in his meeting with reporters, including Craig Davis of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
- "I spoke to MLB. I think there were a lot of different ways that Tony [La Russa] and MLB could have gone. I think it’s unfortunate. I think that every team should be represented on the line in an All-Star Game," Samson said. "Obviously MLB or Tony or whoever makes the decision had their own view of it, and it’s certainly disappointing."
- Samson flashed a sense humor regarding the All-Star snub when asked about Showtime's The Franchise: A Season with the Miami Marlins. "Instead of sending a player to the All-Star Game, I guess we’re going to send the Showtime crew and it’s going be like Where’s Waldo. We’re going to have the Showtime crew just looking for the Marlin."
- On the loss of Stanton, Samson says "it hurt. He is such an imposing force in the lineup. Carlos Lee was brought in to combine him with Stanton in the lineup. Now it’s sort of back to where you are. But Giancarlo will be back in time to help us. We’re not nearly out of it –- the second wild card or even the division.”
- Samson was asked about the team's inconsistent first half, "I think when you talk about all the excitement going into the season, that’s what leads to this level of disappointment because you don’t expect to be below .500 at the break. But the way things went I think we’re pretty happy to be this close to 500. It could have been a lot worse."
- Samson again showed his sense of humor when asked about the issues with the turf at the new Marlins Park. "The grass sort of reflects our season. It’s brown right now but getting greener."
- Manager Ozzie Guillen told reporters, including Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald, that he is looking forward to the return of Juan Carlos Oviedo calling it the "biggest trade of the year." The pitcher formerly known as Leo Nunez finishes his eight-week suspension for age and identity fraud on July 22. Upon his return, Guillen says Oviedo and Heath Bell could be sharing closer duties. "We’ll see how Bell’s throwing and we’ll flip-flop each for whatever reason. It’s going to be a big lift."
Stark On Padres, Dodgers, Stanton, Phillies
The Tigers, Phillies, Mets, White Sox and Rays are among the most surprising teams in baseball so far this season, Jayson Stark writes at ESPN.com. Here are some details from Stark's latest Rumblings & Grumblings column…
- GM Josh Byrnes admits that "this season is probably unsalvageable" for the 19-39 Padres, but he isn’t looking to trade Carlos Quentin. "We need his home run production in the middle of the order,” Byrnes told Stark. “So we're not looking to trade him in mid-June. We're definitely open to keeping him around beyond this year." The Padres haven’t yet talked to Quentin or his agent about a deal for 2013 and beyond. I set out to determine the outfielder's trade value last week.
- Rival teams say the Dodgers are looking for a starter, a lefty reliever and a bat.
- There are no indications the Marlins will look to extend Giancarlo Stanton in the near future, Stark reports. One person says the Marlins would “never” consider giving anyone, Stanton included, a seven-year deal. Stanton probably won’t qualify for arbitration until after the 2013 season.
- Anibal Sanchez will hit free agency a few months from now, but rival executives don’t expect the Marlins to sign another starting pitcher for $10MM-plus per season.
- MLB execs believe Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is aiming to make his team younger. Phillies scouts are eyeing young third basemen and center fielders as Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino near free agency.
NL East Notes: Stanton, Marlins, Halladay, Nationals
The Nationals topped the Mets tonight 5-3 behind a solid performance from starter Edwin Jackson. Here's a look at tonight's items out of the National League East..
- Marlins star Giancarlo Stanton admitted to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com that the thought of a multiyear deal crossed his mind recently when Adam Jones signed a five-year, $85.5MM extension with the Orioles. However, the rightfielder made it clear that he's not dwelling on it either. "It's not like I'm thinking, 'Tomorrow I'm going to get a call or we're going to have a meeting','" Stanton said. "I really don't care until the time comes. The better I play, maybe the faster they'll want to do something."
- Phillies hurler Roy Halladay likely won't hit the required number of innings to help make his 2014 option vest, but he still hopes to end his career in Philadelphia, writes MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Halladay is set to earn $20MM in each of the next two seasons with a $20MM vesting option for '14.
- The Nationals have held workouts for 16-year-old outfielder Gustavo Cabrera and 17-year-old shortstop Wendell Rijo, two of the top Dominican prospects eligible to sign before July 2nd, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
Marlins Have Discussed Extension For Stanton
11:42pm: The team hasn't yet reached out to Stanton about a potential contract extension, reports MLB.com's Peter Gammons (on Twitter).
8:13am: The Marlins have discussed the possibility of presenting Giancarlo Stanton with a "big, crooked" contract offer, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Wasserman Media Group represents Stanton, who isn't yet arbitration eligible.
When MLBTR's Mike Axisa examined the possibility of an extension for Stanton earlier this offseason, he pointed out that Justin Upton ($50MM), Jay Bruce ($51MM) and Carlos Gonzalez ($80MM) signed recent long-term deals that could be relevant to Stanton's case. We can now add Andrew McCutchen ($51.5MM) to the list as well.
Gonzalez, Upton, Bruce and McCutchen had accumulated two or more years of service time by the time they signed long-term, but Stanton has just one year and 118 days of MLB service at this point. He won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2016 season.
Stanton's career power numbers and rate stats are comparable to the ones Gonzalez had when he signed a year ago, so Gonzalez's seven-year, $80MM contract could be a target for Stanton. If he signs long-term, his contract may include an escalator in case he qualifies for super two status following the 2012 season.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Extension Updates: Hosmer, Stanton, Molina
The Cardinals will officially announce their five-year extension with Yadier Molina this afternoon. In the meantime, here are some extension-related links…
- Eric Hosmer told Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star that he's more open to signing a long-term deal with the Royals now that his friend Salvador Perez has an extension that will keep him in Kansas City. Perez signed a five-year, $7MM deal earlier in the week.
- The Marlins haven't yet tried to go long-term with Giancarlo Stanton, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. Mike Axisa previewed a possible extension for Stanton, who went by the name of Mike for his first two seasons in the Major Leagues. He is under team control through 2016
- Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch looks ahead to the Cardinals' future payroll commitments and points out that Albert Pujols' decision to sign with the Angels probably helped the Cardinals retain Molina long-term.
Extension Candidate: Mike Stanton
With offense on the decline around the league, power is at a premium these days. Few players have more of it than Mike Stanton, the Marlins' 22-year-old wunderkind. Since making his Major League debut on June 8th of 2010, his 56 homers are the sixth most in baseball behind Jose Bautista (79), Albert Pujols (65), Mark Teixeira (64), Curtis Granderson (62), and Prince Fielder (61). That's elite company, especially for someone so young.
The Marlins went on a spending spree this offseason, importing Ozzie Guillen, Jose Reyes, Carlos Zambrano, Heath Bell, and Mark Buehrle, but perhaps their wisest signing could be locking Stanton into a long-term deal. There's certainly no rush since he won't be arbitration-eligible until after 2013 or a free agent until after 2016, but power pays in arbitration and Stanton could get expensive in a hurry. Look no further than Fielder, who turned his impressive power output into $33.5MM during his three arbitration years. It would have been more if he hadn't given up his first two arbitration years as part of a two-year, $18MM contract.
A number of young outfielders have signed long-term contracts in recent years and can serve as reference points for a Stanton extension. Justin Upton signed away his three arbitration years for $20.75MM, Carlos Gonzalez for $23.5MM, and Jay Bruce for $22.5MM. Upton, CarGo, and Bruce also gave up their first two years of free agency for an average of $13.3MM per season. Those same five years of Stanton's career figure to cost the Fish upwards of $50MM.
For what it's worth, the Marlins signed Hanley Ramirez to a six-year contract prior to the 2009 season, which would have been his first as an arbitration-eligible player. They secured his three arbitration years for $23.5MM and then three additional free agent years for an average of $15.5MM annually. Ramirez did have a Rookie of the Year award and two top-11 finishes in the NL MVP voting at that point, so Stanton would figure to come slightly cheaper, assuming they act now.
A new era of Marlins' baseball begins next season with a new name, a new stadium, and several new high-profile players. Getting Stanton — one of their core homegrown players and a .261/.344/.525 career hitter — under contract long-term would be an excellent finish to a productive and franchise-altering offseason.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
NL East Links: Marlins, Vazquez, Braves, Nationals
Twelve years ago today, the Mets traded Octavio Dotel, Roger Cedeno, and Kyle Kessel to the Astros for Mike Hampton and Derek Bell. Hampton pitched to a 3.14 ERA in 217 2/3 innings during his one season in New York, then signed his monster eight-year, $121MM contract with the Rockies that winter. Here's the latest from continually improving the NL East…
- The Marlins were willing to part with top minor leaguers to acquire Gio Gonzalez, but MLB.com's Joe Frisaro says they weren't willing to move anyone from their everyday lineup. Both Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton are considered "off limits."
- Within the same piece, Frisaro says that Javier Vazquez continues to maintain that he is retiring. The Marlins do not expect him back and are looking elsewhere for pitching.
- In a comment on one of his blog posts, Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution explains why the Braves have less money to spend this winter than many believe.
- Baseball people keep waiting for Nationals GM Mike Rizzo to "bail out" Scott Boras on one of his free agents according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). Unsigned Boras clients include Prince Fielder, Edwin Jackson, Johnny Damon, Carlos Pena, and Ryan Madson.
- Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider takes a look at the far-reaching implications of yesterday's Gonzalez trade for the Nationals.
- Amanda Comack of The Washington Times tries to sort out the Nationals pitching staff following the Gio trade.
The Latest On Gio Gonzalez
The Tigers, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Rangers are among the teams pursuing Athletics left-hander Gio Gonzalez, reports Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. The bidding figures to heat up a bit once the posting period for Yu Darvish ends at 4pm CT tomorrow. Here's the latest on Gonzalez, courtesy of Knobler…
- The Athletics did indeed ask the Marlins for Mike Stanton in a trade, though the talks understandably went nowhere.
- A's GM Billy Beane in enamored with Tigers' top pitching prospect Jacob Turner, and Detroit is willing to move him for Gonzalez. They balked at Beane's request for prospects Nick Castellanos and Drew Smyly in addition to Turner, though.
- If the Tigers don't swing a trade for Gonzalez, Knobler says that they'll likely find a Brad Penny-type to be their fifth starter (Twitter links). They also want to find an upgrade at second or third base.
- The Red Sox have shown just as much interest in Gio as they have closer Andrew Bailey.
- The Phillies also inquired about Gonzalez, but the Athletics didn't like what they had to offer.
Marlins Notes: Hanley, Morrison, Pujols, Fielder
The Marlins held an introductory press conference for Mark Buehrle today, and here are a few hot stove details from those proceedings and beyond…
- The Marlins have "poked around in the market" to see what interest there would be in Hanley Ramirez, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. The team claimed Ramirez wouldn't be dealt in the wake of Jose Reyes' signing but even coming off a down year, Ramirez would be a big trade chip.
- Logan Morrison is "drawing more trade interest" than any other Miami player, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Still, it is "highly, highly unlikely" Morrison is sent elsewhere.
- Team president David Samson denied reports that the Marlins offered Albert Pujols a near-record contract, saying the club's offer was worth a bit more than $200MM, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported yesterday that Miami offered Pujols a ten-year, $275MM deal that could have ultimately been worth $300MM with incentives and because Florida has no state income tax.
- When asked if the club would pursue Prince Fielder, owner Jeffrey Loria replied "Oh, I don't know about that. We'll see," reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. In another tweet, Capozzi hears from a source that the Marlins never had interest in Fielder.
- Juan C. Rodriguez reports the Marlins also aren't interested in free agent starter Edwin Jackson (Twitter link).
- The Marlins are planning to have internal discussions about an extension for Mike Stanton, Capozzi reports (via Twitter). There is no time frame, however, as the club is waiting until "after [the] dust settles" on their busy offseason. Stanton is already under team control through 2016 and doesn't reach arbitration for two more years.
- MLB.com's Anthony DiComo details the incentive clauses and the year-by-year breakdown of Jose Reyes' six-year deal. Reyes will earn $10MM in each of the next two seasons, $16MM in 2014, and then $22MM in each of the final three guaranteed seasons. The Marlins have a $22MM team option on Reyes for 2018 that can be bought out for $4MM.