Cafardo’s Latest: Cubs GM, Vazquez, Greene, Kubel
The Cubs' GM search has the potential to impact the Red Sox front office, if Theo Epstein or Ben Cherington are near the top of Chicago's wish list. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe leads his Sunday Baseball Notes by addressing the possibility of a mutual interest between Epstein and the Cubs. As one AL team president points out, even if that interest exists, the Red Sox don't have to grant the Cubs permission to talk to Epstein: "I don't see why they would [grant permission]. They have one of the best GMs in the game. I know if I were the team president of the Red Sox or in ownership, I wouldn't let that happen."
Here are the other highlights from Cafardo's piece:
- Brian Cashman's name has also come up in Cubs GM rumors, but Cafardo's source doesn't expect Chicago to land Cashman or Epstein: "My best guess is both stay where they are and get the paycheck they're looking for…. They're not going to make more money elsewhere. The Cubs may offer a lot, but both Boston and New York can offer more, and I think they will."
- Marlins right-hander Javier Vazquez is seriously considering retirement after this season, and appears to have made up his mind one way or the other, as he told reporters earlier this week.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak would like to see former first round pick Tyler Greene get some big league playing time in September so the club has a better idea of how to plan for 2012.
- The Red Sox were among the teams who put in a waiver claim for Jason Kubel, though they were blocked by the Indians.
Knobler On Tigers, Vargas, Fister, Marlins
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports has the latest on the market for starters, from Miami to Detroit to Seattle. Here’s the latest:
- Though the Tigers are a possible destination for Carlos Beltran, they've been focusing all of their attention on upgrading their rotation at this point (Twitter link). Derek Lowe and Jeremy Guthrie are two of the pitchers who have drawn the Tigers' interest.
- The Mariners have suggested to teams that they would discuss dealing starting pitching – specifically Jason Vargas and Doug Fister, according to Knobler. They may not get much for Erik Bedard, but they're getting calls on Adam Kennedy and Jamey Wright.
- Though the Marlins will consider trading Javier Vazquez, Leo Nunez and Randy Choate, they won't talk about Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez or Josh Johnson, according to Knobler. The Marlins are looking to add starting pitching and a third baseman, though those moves may not happen this month.
Quick Hits: Branyan, Bedard, Vazquez, Turner
On this date in 1999, the Twins traded Scott Downs and Rick Aguilera to the Cubs for Kyle Lohse and Jason Ryan. Aguilera and Ryan ended their careers years ago, but Downs has a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings for the Angels this year while Lohse owns a 2.17 ERA in 66 1/3 innings for the Cardinals.
Here are Saturday's links, as Cliff Lee prepares to pitch against his former Rangers' teammates…
- Since joining the Red Sox, the club has learned that Adrian Gonzalez is a great mentor for their young Latin players, writes Peter Gammons of MLB.com.
- As Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter) points out, the Diamondbacks' release of Russell Branyan marks the end of his time with his tenth different club. He's had multiple stops in the same place as well as the Indians had and traded him four different times while the Brewers and the Mariners each had him twice.
- In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says that any team interested in trading for Erik Bedard would have to convince themselves that he could find the same comfort zone on their team that he has with the Mariners.
- Seattle is "almost certainly in position to ask for a top prospect" for Bedard according to Olney, who has a 3.94 ERA in eight starts this year but remains an injury risk given all his shoulder trouble.
- Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez indicated that Javier Vazquez is not pitching for his job today, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Vazquez has a 7.55 ERA with more walks (24) than strikeouts (20) in 39 1/3 innings across eight starts this year, in part because his fastball velocity has disappeared.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post points out that the Yankees once drafted Mets' infielder Justin Turner, but he turned down a $200K offer as 29th round pick in 2005 and returned to school for his senior season. Turner signed with the Reds for $50K as a seventh round pick in 2006, then was traded to the Orioles in the Ryan Freel–Ramon Hernandez swap and was later claimed off waivers by the Mets. He went 3-for-4 with an RBI against the Yanks last night.
NL East Notes: Marlins, Vazquez, Sanchez, Botts
Let's check out some tidbits from the National League East..
- Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter) doesn't see Kevin Millwood as being a quality upgrade over Javier Vazquez for the Marlins. He also tweets that the Fish are hopeful that Vazquez will turn things around soon.
- Rodriguez (via Twitter) also says that he could envision the Marlins thinking about an extension for Anibal Sanchez, but not until after the season. The 27-year-old will be arbitration eligible for the final time this winter.
- The Mets' signing of Jason Botts will help replenish Triple-A Buffalo, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The club also inked infielder Luis Figueroa and acquired outfielder Bubba Bell for the same purpose.
Quick Hits: Vazquez, Mets, Brewers, Rays, O’s
Here are some items of note for Sunday. On this day in 1941, 70 years ago, Joe DiMaggio began his Major League-record 56-game hitting streak, a mark that still stands today and has been largely unchallenged, as Jayson Stark of ESPN.com writes.
- It doesn't sound like the Marlins are ready to give up on Javier Vazquez, writes Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post. The Fish are paying Vazquez $7MM this year, but he allowed six runs in four innings today to raise his season ERA to 7.55.
- The New York Post's Brad Hamilton reminds us that on July 1, the Mets will begin paying Bobby Bonilla $1.2MM each year for the next 25 years. New York struck that deal in 1999 to avoid paying the $5.9MM remaining on his contract when they released him.
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy writes that despite the offensive woes of Carlos Gomez and Yuniesky Betancourt, the Brewers are sticking with them for the time being.
- Operating on a tight budget has its advantages for teams like the Rays, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Without extra cash to commit to pricey free agents, clubs like Tampa are rarely encumbered by poorly producing, highly compensated veterans, Sherman explains.
- Meanwhile, the Orioles would like to emulate the Rays' formula for success, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com.
- Should the Yankees come to part ways with Jorge Posada in the wake of Saturday's incident, they could use the DH spot to rest veterans like Alex Rodriguez, or they could pursue a new DH like Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com (subcription needed). Beltran is off to a great start with the Mets this season and could draw interest on the trade market, although Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs recently speculated that Beltran wouldn't yield much more than salary relief for the Mets.
- Pete Rose is still seeking a second chance to manage, and he thinks it's hypocritical that players and coaches who have used PEDs, abused alcohol and been involved in domestic-violence incidents remain in the game, according to an Associated Press report (via ESPN.com).
NL East Notes: Beltran, Cox, Vazquez
On this date five years ago, the Mets signed Pedro Feliciano, who had spent the previous season playing for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the NPB. He posted a 3.09 ERA from 2006-10, appearing in more than half of the Mets' games during that time. Feliciano and his durable left arm still play for a New York team, but he will now show up for work at Yankee Stadium. Here's the latest on the NL East…
- Carlos Beltran says he'll move to right field to keep Angel Pagan in center. Beltran explained that Carlos Delgado and agent Scott Boras helped him make the decision, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Beltran, a free agent after the season, says he feels capable of playing center field, but wants to do what's best for the Mets.
- ESPN.com's Jayson Stark details the transition from Bobby Cox to Fredi Gonzalez, explaining that the Braves were not looking for something "dramatically different from the previous administration." Gonzalez says the Braves model is "really not broke," so he isn't looking to make radical changes.
- New acquisition Javier Vazquez was only throwing 88 mph yesterday, but the Marlins aren't concerned about his velocity, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Vazquez, who has consistently thrown 91-92 mph throughout his career, averaged 88.7 mph on his fastball last year.
Players Who Cannot Be Offered Arbitration
Last offseason, agents negotiated four contracts known to include the bonus of prohibiting the team from offering arbitration if the player received Type A status. Aside from Orlando Hudson, none of the four came close to Type A (Hudson was a B). In general, none of the 14 Type As who were offered arbitration in November saw their market adversely affected, though Jason Frasor and Frank Francisco played it safe and accepted. It was thought that Grant Balfour might have a hard time finding a deal, but the Athletics inked him for two years and $8.1MM.
Three contracts signed this winter prevent the team from offering arbitration if the player is a Type A at the end of the term:
- Javier Vazquez, ACES. The Yankees may have been counting on snagging a draft pick upon Vazquez's departure, but he slipped to Type B with a lousy 2010. If Vazquez pushes himself back to A status with a strong season for the Marlins, they won't be able to offer arbitration.
- Kevin Correia, Lapa/Leventhal. This agency snagged the "no arbitration offer" clause for Justin Duchscherer last offseason as well. Correia signed a two-year deal with the Pirates, so this clause applies to the 2012-13 offseason. More importantly, Correia has a million bucks in incentives for '12.
- Carl Pavano, O'Connell Sports Management. As a Type B after the '09 season, Pavano accepted the Twins' arbitration offer and took the one-year deal. He moved up to a Type A this winter, and the draft pick cost possibly did give a few teams pause. After the '12 season, Pavano will not be saddled with that cost.
- The contract was negotiated six years ago, but Scott Boras client Carlos Beltran can't be offered arbitration after '11. Beltran was pretty close to Type A for 2009-10 despite playing in only 145 games over that span. Given his $18.5MM salary the arbitration offer question is probably moot for the Mets anyway.
Spanish Links: Carlos Gonzalez, Colon, Vazquez
Because sometimes, turning to his native tongue can help a player say what he really means…
- "There is progress" in the extension talks between Carlos Gonzalez and the Rockies, the Venezuelan outfielder told Wilmer Reina at La Verdad. Gonzalez said he is leaving all negotations up to his agent Scott Boras, but he seemed to be thinking like a free agent when he said, "I met with [Boras] in Florida and we talked about many things, especially the market value players have obtained after the contracts of [Jayson] Werth and [Carl] Crawford."
- The Indians have been following the progress of Bartolo Colon in the Dominican winter leagues, manager Manny Acta told Pedro G. Briceño at the Dominican paper Listin Diario. Whether the team has interest in actually signing the 37-year-old has been disputed stateside, as ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas tweeted a "si" last week, which the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes countered with a clear "no." For Colon's part, he logged his first subpar start of the winter three days ago, giving up six runs (three earned) and eight hits over six innings against the Toros del Este.
- Javier Vazquez applauded his new NL East rival Cliff Lee for choosing the team for which he wanted to play, even though it meant leaving money on the table. "I wasn't in the same situation as him, but I had a few contract offers of two years," Vazquez told Rubén A. Rodriguez at El Nuevo Dia in Puerto Rico. "For me, the most important thing was playing for the teams I wanted. I gave my agent a list of those teams. If I hadn't ended up with one of those, I don't know what would have happened." Vazquez ultimately signed for one-year and $7MM with the Marlins, who were clear front-runners for his services throughout the winter.
Marlins Sign Javier Vazquez
After a second disappointing stint with the Yankees, Javier Vazquez is returning to the National League. Vazquez has officially signed a one-year contract worth $7MM with the Marlins. He also receives a full no-trade clause, and the team has agreed not to offer the righty arbitration next offseason.
Since the season ended, the Marlins have appeared to be one of the favorites to sign the 34-year-old; Florida had a little cash to spend on pitching after trading Dan Uggla to the Braves, and Vazquez expressed interest in joining the team, which plays its home games near his native Puerto Rico. The Nationals, Cubs, and Rockies also had varying levels of interest in Vazquez, who passed on two-year offers for the chance to pitch close to home.
Vazquez agreed to turn down an arbitration offer from the Yankees, which means New York will receive a supplementary pick in next year's draft. Because Vazquez is a Type B free agent, the Marlins will not have to surrender a pick in the deal.
Although he struggled to a 5.32 ERA and was eventually removed from the Yankees' rotation in 2010, Vazquez was extremely effective the last time he played in the NL East. In 2009, he finished fourth in Cy Young voting, pitching to a 2.87 ERA and striking out more than a batter per inning for the Braves. I named him as a pitcher who could benefit from a move to the NL this winter, so joining the Marlins makes him a decent bet to bounce back in 2011.
Bill Ladson of MLB.com first wrote that the two sides were closing in on a deal, while Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) reported that an agreement had been reached. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports later tweeted the contract details.
Odds & Ends: Vazquez, Nationals, Yankees, Werth
Links for Sunday…
- Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel says (via Twitter) that the Marlins never give out no-trade clauses, but they gave one to Javier Vazquez to get his price down.
- Meanwhile, Ben Goessling of MASN Sports looks at some pitching options for the Nationals now that Vazquez is off the board.
- With the Yanks and Derek Jeter still far apart during negotiations, Seth Livingstone of USA Today looks at some other star Yankees that ended their career elsewhere.
- Jayson Werth told CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury that he's not close to signing via text message. "It’s very early. I will make an informed decision in due time," said the free agent outfielder.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains why Juan Uribe would make sense for the Dodgers.
- Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wonders if the Pirates are sincere with their interest in several big name free agents, but he notes they do in fact have money to spend.
- In the wake of Victor Martinez signing with the Tigers, John Tomase of The Boston Herald looks at how the Red Sox have done with their extra draft picks over the years.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says that Magglio Ordonez remains a possibility for the Tigers (Twitter link), who have already committed close to $90MM for four players this offseason.
- Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News explains how declining his option and not offering Vladimir Guerrero arbitration suggests the Rangers want him back.
- Right-hander Waldis Joaquin, who was released by the Giants then claimed off waivers by the White Sox, have rejected the claim and elected to become a free agent according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin (Twitter link).