NL East Notes: Phillies, Harper, Mets
The latest from the NL East…
- The Phillies are looking for infield help, so David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News explores the trade market for infielders. Alberto Callaspo of the Angels and Robert Andino of the Orioles could be available.
- Braves third baseman Chipper Jones tells Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post that he can see similarities between himself and top Nationals prospect Bryce Harper. However, Jones doesn't expect Harper, a fellow first overall draft pick, to approach him. "Let’s just say he doesn’t seem to me to be the type of kid who wants to walk up to me and pick my brain,” Jones said.
- An AL executive doubts the Nationals would get much in return if they trade John Lannan, MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets.
- The Mets maintain interest in signing C.J. Nitkowski, but only if he has no physical issues, MLB.com's Anthony DiComo tweets. The club is in no rush to complete a deal.
- Josh Thole, Gaby Sanchez, Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy, Ian Desmond, Jason Heyward, Roger Bernadina, Chris Coghlan, Giancarlo Stanton, Tommy Hanson, Jonathon Niese, Stephen Strasburg, Bobby Parnell, Cristhian Martinez, Antonio Bastardo, Jonny Venters, Ryan Webb, Ross Detwiler and Henry Rodriguez are among the NL East players who could be arbitration eligible a year from now.
Rizzo: Lannan Not Actively Being Shopped
The Nationals have an excess of starting pitching and other teams are calling about left-hander John Lannan, but GM Mike Rizzo told Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post that he is not actively shopping the club's two-time Opening Day starter…
"I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of interest," said the GM. "I haven’t made any calls. I’ve fielded several calls. … But, again, this is way too early to say we have too much starting pitching."
"I am not actively shopping him," Rizzo added. "I haven’t actively shopped him all year, all winter."
Kilgore says the team is adamant about not trading Lannan for anything less than what they consider fair value, and they're fully prepared to option him to Triple-A if necessary. The 27-year-old southpaw will earn $5MM in 2012 after losing his arbitration hearing, and a competing GM told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that the Nats should expect little in return if a new team absorbs his entire salary (Twitter link). Lannan can remain under team control as a arbitration-eligible player in 2013 before hitting the free agent market.
The Nationals added Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson to holdovers Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg this offseason. They also re-signed Chien-Ming Wang and have the out-of-options Ross Detwiler available as well. The Red Sox, Tigers, and Astros are said to be among the clubs with an eye on Lannan, who Tim Dierkes profiled as a trade candidate earlier this month.
AL Central Notes: Lannan, Pauley, Dotel, Floyd
Here's a look at some items on the Tigers and White Sox..
- The Tigers are keeping an eye on Nats pitcher John Lannan but have yet to have detailed talks involving him, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- In the end, Monday’s release of David Pauley had the feeling of a mercy move, writes Jason Beck of MLB.com. By releasing him now, the Tigers give the 28-year-old a better chance to hook on somewhere before pitching staffs are set.
- Octavio Dotel is set to pitch for his 13th club in 13 big league seasons, making him the ultimate nomad, writes Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Mike Morgan, Ron Villone, and Matt Stairs were all close, having played for a dozen teams.
- There has been concern with Jacob Turner's drop in velocity this spring, but Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) spoke with execs with other clubs who say that scouts spotted this in late 2011 as well. The Tigers have said that they are not looking to trade the right-hander but he can reportedly be had in the right deal.
- Rival executives say that the price tag for White Sox pitcher Gavin Floyd was huge over the winter, tweets Olney.
John Lannan Drawing Interest
The Red Sox, Tigers and Astros are watching John Lannan and a deal involving the left-hander is "likely" Danny Knobler of CBS Sports tweets. The Mets and Padres had interest, but balked at his $5MM salary.
Lannan doesn't have a guaranteed rotation spot in Washington after posting a 3.70 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 184 2/3 innings last year, so he's a potential trade candidate this spring. The Blue Jays, Royals and Tigers are among the teams monitoring the market for starting pitching, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported today.
Rosenthal On Braves, Blue Jays, Nationals, Gonzalez
Rival executives believe Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez may already be on ‘probation,’ Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. Last year’s team lost its grip on a playoff spot down the stretch under Gonzalez, who’s now entering his second season as Atlanta’s manager. Here are the rest of Rosenthal’s notes from around the Major Leagues…
- Special assistant Jim Fregosi may be the Braves’ leading candidate to manage should they replace Gonzalez internally.
- The Diamondbacks would have interest in catcher J.P. Arencibia if the Blue Jays made him available. Arencibia isn’t going anywhere just yet, but top catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud could force the Blue Jays to make some difficult decisions within the year.
- The Blue Jays, Royals, Tigers and others are in the market for starting pitching and many options are available, Rosenthal writes. Joe Blanton, Gavin Floyd and John Lannan are among the potential trade targets for teams seeking starters.
- The Tigers, who are currently leaning toward left-hander Andy Oliver for their final rotation spot, could be a fit for Lannan. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes examined possible fits for Lannan last week, including the Tigers.
- The Padres’ financial outlook is improving, so owner John Moores may be less eager to sell the team to CEO Jeff Moorad. Moorad has two years to complete his purchase of the club, but the deal won’t be finalized in the near future.
- The A’s are no longer interested in free agent reliever Mike Gonzalez and the White Sox aren’t currently pursuing him, Rosenthal reports. The lefty is “about ready to go” following arthroscopic knee surgery.
- Some in the industry question shortstop Ian Desmond, but the Nationals like him.
Red Sox Notes: John Lannan, Jorge Soler
Here's the latest on the Red Sox, who are trying to get back to the playoffs after two straight years on the outside looking in…
- The Red Sox did not make an offer for Nationals starter John Lannan, reports WEEI.com's Alex Speier. Yesterday we heard that they had made an offer for the southpaw, but weren't close. Speier says the Sox intend to monitor Lannan's situation this spring, but there is no indication they will seriously pursue him.
- Boston will pursue 19-year-old Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, reports Speier. Soler is still waiting to be declared a free agent by MLB, but Speier says most in the industry (including the Red Sox) expect him to sign with the Cubs.
- Check out our Transaction Tracker for a recap of all the Red Sox's moves this offseason.
NL East Notes: Nitkowski, Lannan, Nickeas, Harper
Earlier today, we learned that the Mets may look into dealing righty reliever D.J. Carrasco. Here are a couple more notes on the Amazin's within this batch of NL East links …
- The Mets like what they saw out of C.J. Nitkowski's audition on Thursday and are working to sign him to a minor league deal, writes Ken Davidoff of Newsday. An agreement seems likely between the club and the 39-year-old.
- The Nationals are taking offers on lefty John Lannan, but they're not desperate to trade him, as his $5MM salary for this season is manageable, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN.com. The Red Sox have made an offer for Lannan, but it wasn't close, Bowden adds.
- Mets catcher Mike Nickeas may not necessarily be a lock to nab the team's backup catcher role despite already being on the 40-man roster, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Mets may instead go with Rob Johnson, in which case Nickeas would be placed on waivers and be expected to clear.
- Nats prized prospect Byrce Harper will likely begin the season in the minor leagues despite manager Davey Johnson's desire to have the right fielder break camp with the big club, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. However, a midseason callup is possible for Harper, Heyman adds. Harper turned 19 in October and has a full season of minor league experience under his belt after being the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2010.
- Mets skipper Terry Collins acknowledged to Joel Sherman of the New York Post that he may in fact be only a transitional manager for the club, perhaps being replaced when the team is ready to compete again: “I realize the possibilities,” Collins said. The Mets have already exercised Collins' 2013 option, however.
Cafardo On Phillies, Blanton, Lannan, Ramirez
In this morning's column, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe takes a look at some of the emerging storylines in the American League East. In New York, Francisco Cervelli is set to be the backup catcher, but could become trade bait for the Yankees with Austin Romine knocking on the door. The catching situation with Tampa Bay is also worth keeping an eye on as Jose Molina needs a backup. The Rays could pick up Ivan Rodriguez or deal from their pitching surplus to fill the vacancy. If they trade Jeff Niemann or Wade Davis, Cafardo writes that it would be for a catcher. Here's more from Cafardo..
- The Phillies are making it clear to teams that they would eat as much as $2MM of Joe Blanton’s $8MM deal in a trade. Moving Blanton would allow the Phillies to have payroll flexibility and bump Kyle Kendrick into the No. 5 spot in the rotation. Yesterday, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos scouted the Phillies game and left after Blanton's exit.
- Meanwhile, the Nationals continue to dangle left-hander John Lannan. The club is spreading word that the 27-year-old is available in a deal, particularly one for a center fielder.
- The Braves are in need of a left field power bat and right-hander Jair Jurrjens could be the trade bait for one.
- At some point, Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar will have to move to second base to make room for Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria. Escobar loves being a shortstop, so there is a bit of trepidation among some in the organization as to how he will accept this.
- Meanwhile, many feel that the Marlins' Hanley Ramirez won't stay happy for long at third base and eventually will demand a trade.
- With several teams in the market for a center fielder, Cafardo asked a National League scout if the Yankees would entertain a deal for Brett Gardner. Gardner is currently slated to start in left field for the Yanks but a National League scout said that at some point the club might seek out a more traditional left field option.
- The Red Sox are impressed with Chris Carpenter's live fastball but privately they are not happy with what they wound up getting in exchange for Theo Epstein.
Quick Hits: Phillips, Lannan, Aramis
Saturday afternoon linkage …
- Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty expects to meet with Brandon Phillips’ agents soon, writes Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Things have been quiet between the two parties regarding a potential contract extension since the latter part of the offseason. Phillips can hit free agency after this season.
- Bill Ladson and Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com write that with trade rumors surrounding John Lannan, the pitcher has to know he's probably auditioning for more than just the Nationals this spring. One source told Ladson earlier this week that he believes the Nats will trade the hurler before Opening Day.
- Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez found out from Cubs president Theo Epstein in October that the North Siders wouldn't be picking up his 2012 option, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. "[Epstein] said they were going to go young," Ramirez said.
MLBTR's Dan Mennella contributed to this post.
NL East Notes: Lannan, Samson, Reyes, Hamels
National League East teams averaged 84 wins last year, more than any division in baseball except the AL East. Here are some links from Florida, where NL East teams are preparing for the 2012 campaign…
- Bill Ladson of MLB.com hears from one person who believes the Nationals will trade John Lannan before Opening Day. The Nationals might seek prospects for Lannan, a Spring Training trade candidate.
- Marlins president David Samson recently said Miami's politicians are "not the intellectual cream of the crop," according to the business publication Miami Today. Samson suggested the population of Miami, which partially funded the Marlins' new stadium, is unintelligent. "We're not the smartest people in Miami," he said. His words are causing a stir, but he told the Miami Herald that he was "misquoted, misrepresented, mis-everything." UPDATE: Here's a clip of the comments. To my ear it does appear they were taken out of context.
- Samson also said Jose Reyes was all about the money this offseason, but Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports that Reyes would have considered a deal worth less than $106MM from the Mets and was shocked when New York didn't make him an offer. Reyes would have seriously considered a five-year deal if the Mets had offered one, Martino reports.
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com asked three agents what Cole Hamels would obtain as a free agent after the season and heard guesses in the $150-175MM range. C.C. Sabathia’s seven-year, $161MM deal remains the record for pitchers, but Hamels could challenge it if he hits free agency after 2012.