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Rangers Notes: Cotts, Perez, Hamilton

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Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine joined Bryan Dolgin on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and addressed trade talks, extensions and the composition of the team's roster. Here are the details (audio here):

  • Levine explained that relatively innocent conversations with scouts can turn into full-blown trade talks because they highlight needs and surpluses. 
  • The Rangers don’t have an established left-handed reliever after losing Darren Oliver and Mike Gonzalez in free agency, but they’re pleased with the increased velocity non-roster invitee Neal Cotts is showing early on in camp.
  • Young pitchers such as Martin Perez have impressed the Rangers' front office and Levine expects contributions at the MLB level in the 'not-so-distant future.'
  • The Rangers consider Josh Hamilton an elite center fielder, but they continue to play him in left field since they generally believe he's more likely to stay in the lineup as a corner outfielder.
  • Though Levine didn't comment in detail on extension talks with Hamilton, he did say the club intends to keep as many of its core position players in place for as long as possible. Hamilton is eligible for free agency after the season, but the Rangers haven't ruled out in-season talks for their top position players.

Extension Updates: Garza, Kennedy, Gordon, Hamilton

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The Cardinals and Yadier Molina are closing in on a five-year deal in the $70-75MM range. Here are more updates on extension talks around the league…

Rangers Notes: Oswalt, Gonzalez, Hamilton, Nathan

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The latest on the Rangers via GM Jon Daniels and assistant GM Thad Levine:

  • Levine joined Mike Ferrin and Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio and said Texas will be present at any workouts Roy Oswalt holds. The Rangers hope to limit Neftali Feliz to 140-160 innings in 2012.
  • Levine said the Rangers and Mike Gonzalez maintain mutual interest, Bowden tweets.
  • Regarding Josh Hamilton's next contract, the outfielder's recent comments "don't play into it much," Daniels said in an online chat with Dallas Morning News readers.  The GM added, "Maybe I'm an optimist but I'd like to think that at the appropriate time, we'll sit down and be able to work something out."  Daniels noted that they'll "revisit contract talks privately at some point."
  • Asked about the limits on draft and international player spending in the new collective bargaining agreement, Daniels said, "It seems to limit teams in those areas, and if it plays out that way, I won't be a huge fan. Just think clubs should have the freedom/flexibility to make individual decisions in the best interests of their franchise – and we're all in different situations."
  • Daniels confirmed Joe Nathan is his closer.  The 37-year-old righty signed a two-year, $14.75MM deal in November, with extra benefits for games finished.
  • Highly regarded pitching prospect Martin Perez has a shot to make the team, but "Ideally, he'll get more minor league innings as a starter, which is where we see him long term."

Josh Hamilton Expects To Hit Free Agency

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SUNDAY: USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets that Hamilton expects to file for free agency this coming offseason, but says he'll give the Rangers the first crack at signing him. Hamilton would headline a strong free agent market for outfielders that could also include Shane Victorino, Nick Swisher, B.J. Upton, Lance Berkman, and Ichiro Suzuki.

FRIDAY: Josh Hamilton is mere months away from hitting free agency, and it doesn't sound as though he feels compelled to offer the Rangers a hometown discount any time soon. The outfielder suggested today that he intends on earning market value on his next contract, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.

“The Rangers have done a lot of me," Hamilton said. "I have a question. Have I done a lot for the Rangers? I think I have given them everything I’ve got. When it comes down to is, people have to understand this is a business. I love Texas, I love the fans, I love the organization and I love my teammates. But I’m not going to sit here and say I owe the Rangers. I don’t feel I owe the Rangers.”

Extension talks are currently on hold between the Rangers and Hamilton, who had an alcohol-related relapse earlier in the offseason. The 30-year-old will earn $13.75MM in 2012 as part of the two-year deal he signed last winter. Hamilton played in 121 games last year, posting a .298/.346/.536 line with 25 home runs in 538 plate appearances.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Arbitration, Hamilton, Castillo, Kazmir

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Condolences go out to the family of Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, who passed away today following a long bout with cancer. He was 57. Carter hit .262/.335/.439 and made eleven All-Star Games in his 19 seasons, 12 of which came with the Expos. He backstopped the Mets to the 1986 World Championship. Here is some news from around the league…

  • The 142 players who filed for arbitration last month averaged a 112% raise reports the AP (via ESPN). That's down from 123% last offseason and the lowest average raise since 106% in 2007. Check out our Arbitration Tracker for the answers to all of your arbitration questions.
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels reiterated that contract extension talks with Josh Hamilton are on hold, reports Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas. "The priority needs to be his recovery and his family and, secondarily, getting ready for the season," said the GM. "We're not going to get in the way of those things with contract talk.
  • The Diamondbacks have signed 16-year-old Dominican right-hander Luis Castillo for $80K according to a release, which said his fastball sits 84-87 mph. He also throws a curveball and a changeup.
  • The trade market is likely to heat up as the season progresses, writes MLB.com's Richard Justice. As he explains, most GMs feel confident in their team this time of year and prefer to take their time evaluating needs.
  • Scott Kazmir, who had been scheduled to pitch in front of scouts yesterday, won’t audition until Friday, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets. The left-handed free agent is feeling well, Olney writes.
  • Brandon Webb is throwing painlessly off of flat ground, agent Jonathan Maurer told Olney. Webb will throw in front of scouts at some point, Olney tweets.
  • Newsday’s Ken Davidoff adds up teams’ payroll commitments for 2015 and beyond and finds that nine clubs — the Orioles, Cubs, Indians, Astros, Royals, Mets, Padres, Giants and Mariners — haven’t committed a thing for ’15 or beyond.
  • Yahoo’s Jeff Passan examines the market for the top remaining free agents, including Roy Oswalt, Mike Gonzalez and a crowd of designated hitters.
  • Joe Jordan, the Phillies' new director of player development, breaks down a number of the team's top prospects with Joe Berkery of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Rangers Notes: Napoli, Payroll, Hamilton

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Yesterday, the Rangers avoided arbitration with Mike Napoli, agreeing to a one-year, $9.4MM contract for 2012.  The 30-year-old obtained the second-highest raise for any third or fourth-time eligible position player, trailing only Prince Fielder.  Here's more on the Rangers..

  • After signing Napoli, GM Jon Daniels said that the Rangers are now over budget and not likely to add any other free agents this off-season, writes Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram.  Daniels won't shut the door on either Roy Oswalt or Mike Gonzalez but he says that it's hard to envision signing either player with their current payroll situation.
  • Daniels added that there haven't been extension talks with Josh Hamilton as the outfielder is focusing on his health and family, Wilson tweets.
  • Napoli settling below the midpoint of the two offers makes revisiting multi-year deal more realistic, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

Rangers, Hamilton Put Extension Talks On Hold

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The Rangers have been discussing long-term contract extensions with several core players this offseason, but talks with one of them have been put on hold indefinitely. Josh Hamilton and GM Jon Daniels confirmed to reporters today that talks about a new deal have been tabled for the time being.

"We'll put that on the back-burner for now," said the outfielder while Daniels noted there are "more important things to deal with." The quotes come courtesy of CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler and The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Jeff Wilson (Twitter links).

The "more important things" Daniels referred to would be Hamilton's admitted relapse from his drug and alcohol addiction recovery earlier this week, which Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says could cost him millions. The club was already eyeing a conservative contract while Hamilton's side reportedly had Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder money in mind. Hamilton has said he will not discuss a new contract once Spring Training begins, and he can become a free agent after this coming season.

This is the second time the two sides have tabled extension talks this offseason. Negotiations were put on hold while the club worked out new deals with their arbitation-eligible players and Yu Darvish a few weeks ago.

Olney’s Latest: Cabrera, Cardinals, Hamilton

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says he hasn't spoken to a single talent evaluator who believes Miguel Cabrera will be able to play third base regularly. The Tigers have already announced that Cabrera will move back to his old position to accommodate Prince Fielder. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

  • The Cardinals did speak to teams about Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook at the winter meetings. Both players have full no-trade clauses, and Olney says that Lohse has no intention of moving. St. Louis is reportedly close to a deal with Roy Oswalt, which would give them six starters for five spots.
  • Josh Hamilton and his representatives have "visions" of the huge free agent contracts landed by Fielder and Albert Pujols while the Rangers will aim for a much more conservative deal. Hamilton has said that he'll talk about an extension up until Spring Training. He's scheduled to become a free agent after 2012.

AL West Notes: A’s, Oswalt, Hamilton, Mariners

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The Athletics signed future Hall of Famer Goose Gossage on this date 20 years ago. The right-hander spent two seasons in Oakland, though he's better known for stints with the Yankees, White Sox and Padres. Here are the latest notes and rumors from the AL West…

  • Athletics owner and managing partner Lew Wolff said the team made a $370K profit in 2011, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. That figure takes into account $32MM from other clubs via revenue sharing. The A’s may move to San Jose in the relatively near future, but at least they’re staying afloat in the meantime.
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels said on The Ben and Skin Show on ESPN Dallas that he’d love to add pitching depth such as Roy Oswalt if it makes sense in the context of the team's entire roster. "The flip side we’ve got to consider is what if that doesn’t happen? How does it all fit together? We've spent a lot of time and resources developing this younger group,” Daniels said, according to Richard Durrett.
  • Daniels also explained on The Ben and Skin Show that he plans to have extension talks with Josh Hamilton’s representatives before Spring Training (quotes via Durrett).
  • GM Jack Zduriencik and some rival executives from around the league check in with ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick about Ichiro Suzuki and the rest of the 2012 Mariners.

Rangers Notes: Hamilton, Arb Dates, Fielder

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Here's the latest on the two-time defending American League champs…

  • Josh Hamilton said he hasn't heard any new information from his agent about a possible long-term extension with Texas.  Hamilton spoke to media (including ESPN Dallas' Richard Durrett) at a Rangers winter caravan event and said he was holding to his deadline of cutting off contract talks at the start of Spring Training.  Hamilton is eligible for free agency after this season but said he wanted to remain with the team.  "We‘ve already told the Rangers that if it doesn’t happen before the season that they are the first ones we’ll come to after the season is over," Hamilton said.
  • The Rangers' arbitration hearings with Elvis Andrus, Mike Napoli and Nelson Cruz have seen respectively set for February 9, 15 and 17, reports Durrett.  The Rangers were known to be discussing a multiyear deal with Napoli, though the two sides had apparently focused on settling Napoli's 2012 contract first.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com describes the Rangers as "in, but not [a] favorite" for Prince Fielder (Twitter link).  Fielder and the Rangers "love" each other but Heyman believes Texas doesn't have the payroll left to sign Fielder after the club signed Yu Darvish.  For the full roundup of today's Fielder news, click here.
  • In case you missed the news from earlier tonight, the Rangers have been discussing Koji Uehara's availability with several other teams, including the Blue Jays.
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