Kendrick Expects More Consistency From Upton
Diamondbacks managing partner Ken Kendrick said in a radio interview on XTRA 910 AM that he expects more consistency from Justin Upton (full quotes via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic).
“He’s certainly not the Justin Upton that he has been in the past and that we would expect of him,” Kendrick said. “He’s 24 years old and it’s time for him to be a consistent performer and right now this year he’s not been that.”
Upton, who's now in the third year of a six-year, $50MM contract, has a .243/.340/.365 batting line in 212 plate appearances this year. He told reporters, including Piecoro, that Kendrick is entitled to his view.
“He’s the one who makes the decisions around here,” Upton said. “Whatever decision he decides to make or whatever he thinks about me, it’s ultimately his decision.”
In the same interview Kendrick voiced concern that Stephen Drew and his representatives at the Boras Corporation are “more focused on where Stephen's going to be a year from now than going out and supporting the team that's paying his salary.” Scott Boras responded, pointing out that it’d be best for both Drew and the Diamondbacks if the shortstop plays.
The 26-30 Diamondbacks trail the Dodgers and Giants in the NL West following a breakout 2011 season that saw them take the division with 94 wins. Piecoro explained the dynamic between Upton, Kendrick and manager Kirk Gibson in a recent blog entry.
NL West Links: Sandoval, Cuban, Kuroda, Hernandez
With Heath Bell now on his way to Miami, the Padres are more likely to look to the trade market than free agency for late-game help, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock. Some more from the NL West here….
- Ryan Morgan, Pablo Sandoval's agent, told Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News that he has had "very broad discussions" with Giants VP Bobby Evans about Sandoval's 2012 contract and that Sandoval is open to a multiyear contract. Sandoval is going through the arbitration process for the first time this winter and Baggarly thinks the two sides could revisit the idea of an extension if Sandoval shows up in great shape to Spring Training.
- Mark Cuban is interested in bidding to become the new Dodgers' owner, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Cuban will receive a "bid book" that contains the team's financial information, though having a bid book doesn't necessarily mean Cuban will indeed make a bid to buy the team.
- The Dodgers have already much of their free money this winter and are still short two starting pitchers, reports Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times. Both Dilbeck and Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) don't think the Dodgers will have enough to re-sign Hiroki Kuroda.
- Also from Knobler (via Twitter), the Rockies turned down the Braves' offer of Martin Prado in exchange for outfielder Seth Smith and prospect Nolan Arenado. Given that Arenado is one of Colorado's top prospects, this was a total pie-in-the-sky offer from the Braves.
- Newly-signed Rockies catcher Ramon Hernandez appeared on the Venezuelan sports radio show Los Cronistas today (Twitter link, in Spanish) and said he isn't sure if he'll be physically able to keep playing beyond his current contract. Hernandez will be 37 by the time his two-year deal with Colorado expires. Thanks to Nick Collias of our sister site Rumores de Beisbol for the translation.
- Justin Upton holds the top spot on Keith Law's list of the top 50 players who are 25 years old and under (ESPN Insider subscription required).
Quick Hits: Nationals, Reyes, Red Sox, Upton
Sunday night linkage..
- With the August 15th deadline a week away, the Nationals have yet to make any real progress in reaching agreements with their top four draft picks, GM Mike Rizzo told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The Nats are satisfied that infielder Anthony Rendon, pitcher Alex Meyer, supplemental round pick outfielder Brian Goodwin and third round pick Matt Purke are all in good health.
- One Mets official last week told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) that he expects the Red Sox, Angels, and Nationals to be the top competition for Jose Reyes this winter.
- Back in November when the Diamondbacks were shopping Justin Upton, it was rumored that they would likely request Daniel Bard and Jacoby Ellsbury from the Red Sox in a deal. Today, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes that it looks like a good no-deal for Arizona.
- It took a little bit of time, but outfielder Kosuke Fukudome appears to be getting used to life with the Indians, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The Tribe acquired Fukudome and roughly $3.9MM from the Cubs for minor leaguer outfielder Abner Abreu and reliever Carlton Smith.
Rosenthal On Willingham, Upton, Reds, Twins
It's the middle of June and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video link) says that teams aren't sure if they'll be buying or selling as the deadline approaches..
- The Athletics certainly look like sellers but they're not ready to just give players away. Three of their more attractive hitters, David DeJesus, Coco Crisp, and Josh Willingham all make $6MM or less, salaries that are not prohibitive. The A's can keep all of them, offer them arbitration, and then collect draft picks if they go elsewhere. Right now, Willingham is the only one of the trio that projects as a Type A free agent.
- The Rays could sell even while in contention if they believe that they can build something better for the future. B.J. Upton remains a difficult call for the club. Desmond Jennings, their top prospect, wouldn't provide as much of an impact. At the same time, Upton is likely to make more than $6MM next season in arbitration. Tampa Bay could wait until the offseason to move him but they might get more value if they act sooner.
- If the Reds wanted to get creative, they could move one of their catchers for starting pitching and promote prospect Devin Mesoraco. However, the combination of Ramon Hernandez and Ryan Hanigan is one of their strengths and they might not want to disrupt the chemistry between their pitchers and catchers.
- The Twins are at the bottom of the AL Central but GM Bill Smith says that the team still believes that it's in the race. It also helps that Jason Kubel, Jim Thome, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, and Joe Mauer are all expected back soon. Minnesota isn't ready to pack it in just yet, and they're not quite ready to be mid-season sellers.
Stark On Upton, Pirates, Indians, Red Sox, Fox
One GM told ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark that he’d like to see the season shortened because it’s a mental and physical grind for the players and they could use more rest to regroup. Stark provides and passes along many suggestions, including a national doubleheader day (what’s not to like about that?) and expanding the active rosters beyond 25 players. Here are the latest rumblings from around MLB…
- Though a couple of American League teams made strong proposals for Justin Upton last winter, D’Backs president Derrick Hall says it’s doubtful that Arizona would be in first place without their 23-year-old right fielder. About two dozen teams expressed interest in the former first overall pick last offseason. Put another way, only five teams weren’t interested.
- There are signs that the 26-29 Pirates are going to make a run at .500 instead of trading MLB players for prospects this year. One NL assistant GM says he would shoot for .500 to start changing the perception that the Pirates are perennial losers.
- Though the Indians understand the injury risks for catchers (Carlos Santana missed the end of the 2010 season after a home plate collision), GM Chris Antonetti says his front office appreciates “the potential competitive advantage of getting exceptional production behind the plate.”
- They’ve already signed Kevin Millwood and now Red Sox are “poking around” for another starter to stash at Triple-A, according to Stark.
- The Orioles, who designated Jake Fox for assignment this week, are trying to trade him and at least one scout expects them to find a taker.
Who Could Get The Next Mega-Extension?
In extending Ryan Braun and Troy Tulowitzki through the year 2020, the Brewers and Rockies made bold commitments to their young stars by adding multiyear extensions on top of pre-existing contracts that already covered both men through 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Are these deals risky? Absolutely, but the contracts represent the latest step in how clubs attempt to lock up their young stars. It isn't enough to just gain cost-certainty on a player through his arbitration and first few free agent years. If a team feels they have a true franchise player, it won't hesitate to sign that player to what essentially could be a lifetime contract in order to (hopefully) avoid spending even more money to re-sign that player or a comparable star as a free agent.
Should other clubs look to explore this tactic of extending an extension, here are some of the possible candidates to join Braun and Tulowitzki in the "2020" club.
- Evan Longoria. We start off with the man with arguably the most team-friendly extension in baseball history. Longoria's six-year, $17.5MM contract signed in April 2008 contains three team option years (worth $7.5MM, $11MM and $11.5MM, respectively) that could keep him in Tampa Bay through 2016, his age-29 season. As MLBTR's Mike Axisa pointed out over the winter, however, the Rays' uncertain financial situation makes it unlikely that they would make an even longer commitment to Longoria than they already have.
- Robinson Cano. Cano signed a four-year, $30MM extension before the 2008 season that also includes team option years for 2012 ($14MM) and 2013 ($15MM). New York will obviously keep Cano in the fold through his age-30 season by picking up those two options, unless those years get replaced by a longer-term contract. Cano hired Scott Boras as his agent in February and while Cano said he isn't planning to ask for an extension before his current deal expires, the second baseman is clearly already thinking ahead.
- Justin Upton. The first overall pick of the already-legendary 2005 draft is signed through 2015 on a six-year, $51.25MM extension that will run out when he's 28 years old and right in the middle of his prime years. The Diamondbacks explored a few deals for Upton over the winter and set off a flurry of speculation, but it appears as if GM Kevin Towers was simply doing his due diligence to see if another team would go overboard with a trade offer. Upton had a slightly disappointing (.799 OPS) 2010 season, so Arizona might wait for at least one more superstar campaign from their young star to make sure he's worth the risk of another multiyear extension.
- Hanley Ramirez. It seems odd to think of the Marlins doling out any major extensions, let alone two to the same player. With the team moving into its new Miami ballpark next year, though, the extra revenue could make another multiyear deal for Ramirez into a reality — not to mention generating some goodwill amongst Marlins fans to get them to spring for season tickets. Ramirez is under contract through 2014 on a six-year, $70MM deal and 2015 will be his age-31 season. If Florida did explore an extension for Ramirez, they would surely have to factor in a move away from shortstop, since his defensive woes (a career -9.4 UZR/150) are likely to worsen as he ages.
- Ryan Zimmerman. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith recently outlined how the Nationals' previous extension with Zimmerman — a five-year, $45MM pact that runs through 2013 — was a terrific bargain for the club. Given Zimmerman's production, age (he'll be 29 when his deal runs out) and Washington's willingness to spend, Zimmerman is probably the most likely player on this list to receive a Braun/Tulowitzki-esque deal.
- Joey Votto. The Reds took the first step towards locking up the reigning NL MVP when they signed Votto to a three-year, $38MM pact that covered the first baseman's arbitration years. Votto is still on pace to hit free agency as a 30-year-old in his prime, and as one agent put it, "the Reds took on all the risk" with this initial deal. Cincinnati has put itself in position to contend over the next few seasons, so that will theoretically take care of the Great American Ballpark's attendance problems and make it possible for the team to get Votto signed to an even longer-term contract.
- Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera signed an eight-year, $152.3MM extension with the Tigers before the 2008 season. He'll turn 33 in 2016, and that advanced age plus his off-the-field issues make him an unlikely extension candidate. Detroit has the money and Cabrera has put up Cooperstown-worthy numbers throughout his career, but there just may be too much risk involved for the Tigers to commit more money to the slugger.
A History Of Upton Brothers Trade Rumors
B.J. Upton has spent nearly a decade in the Rays organization. His brother, Justin, has spent all six years of his pro career with Arizona. Neither one has ever been traded, B.J. has shown interest in signing a long term deal and Justin signed an extension that keeps him under team control through 2015. Yet without fail, one of the Upton brothers always seems to be all over MLBTR.
Just about every team has been linked to at least one of the two brothers over the years, as you can see below. Here's a historical look at the Upton brothers' involvement in trade rumors:
- The Nationals are scouting him now.
- He was linked to the Braves in November of 2010.
- The Dodgers were a speculative destination last summer.
- The Phillies asked for him in last summer's Jayson Werth talks.
- His name came up in discussions with the Mariners last July.
- The Nationals targeted Upton last May.
- Back when Roy Halladay was available, Upton was linked to the Blue Jays.
- The Rangers and White Sox were interested in November of 2009.
- Unnamed teams expressed interest in Upton back in 2008.
- The Twins were interested in him in 2007.
- The Marlins were also interested in Upton four years ago.
- The Red Sox were linked to the younger Upton throughout this past offseason. By some accounts they were the only team to seriously discuss an Upton trade last winter.
- You thought B.J. drew lots of interest? 15 or 16 teams approached the D'Backs about Justin this November.
- The Mariners, Marlins, Orioles and Yankees showed interest and even the Rockies inquired. He was also on the Blue Jays' radar last offseason.
D'Backs GM Kevin Towers maintained over the winter that he'd have to be overwhelmed to move Justin. B.J., meanwhile, earns $4.8MM this year and becomes a free agent after the 2012 season. He'll become even more expensive through arbitration next year and the Rays are on a tight budget. That can only mean one thing: B.J. will continue to be a regular in trade rumors this summer.
Cafardo’s Latest: Red Sox, Upton, Minaya, Saito
After extending Adrian Gonzalez this week, the Red Sox have guaranteed nearly $300MM to their two big offseason acquisitions, Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. However, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, some baseball people feel that Jayson Werth would have made more sense for the Sox than Crawford. One AL GM says he's "not sure that many of us are unhappy they chose Crawford over Werth," adding that Werth seemed to be a better fit for Boston's lefty-heavy lineup. Here are the rest of the highlights from Cafardo's Sunday Notes:
- The Red Sox may not have even been in on Crawford or Werth this winter if they had re-signed Jason Bay a year earlier. A National League GM calls Bay leaving Boston "one of the worst decisions both by a team and by the player," suggesting that both sides miss each other.
- According to Cafardo, Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers was willing to deal Justin Upton to the Red Sox in the offseason, but only if he got the Adrian Gonzalez package or Clay Buchholz in return.
- Several teams have spoken to Omar Minaya about potential job openings. Minaya, who dubs himself a "free agent," says he's still sorting through everything and searching for the best fit, but he could make a decision soon.
- Cafardo points out that spending time on the disabled list could cost Takashi Saito a good chunk of money this season. Currently on the shelf with a hamstring injury, Saito can earn up to five $100K bonuses based on time spent on the active roster.
Upton Wants To Stay In Arizona
Early on this offseason, Justin Upton was the subject of trade rumors as a new regime in Arizona gauged the market on their young star. Upton addressed those rumblings this afternoon at Chase Field, writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.
"At the time, I was prepared to deal with whatever happened. I want to be here. I’m here, I want to play for the D-Backs. I’m not ready to leave. I’m going to be a part of this team this year and hopefully we can turn this thing around," said the 23-year-old.
The rightfielder went on to say that he was surprised by the trade talks but added that "it happens to people every year." Upton also insisted that his feelings were not hurt by the rumors and understood GM Kevin Towers' desire to look into improving the team any way possible.
Upton hit .273/.356/.442 with 17 homers in 133 games last season, a down year by his standards. Many teams inquired on the youngster this winter but all were unwilling to meet the D'Backs' asking price.
Quick Hits: NL Central Grades, J. Upton, Salazar
Here are some items of note for Feb. 8. On this day in 1999, the Red Sox's arbitration hearing with Midre Cummings was decided by Elizabeth Neumeier, marking the first time a woman had decided an arbitration case since its adoption by MLB in 1974. The preceeding 409 cases had all been decided by men.
- With Spring Training nearly upon us and most teams merely making a few roster tweaks here and there, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hands out his grades for the best and worst offseasons among the residents of the NL Central. The Brewers, on the strength of bolstering their rotation with Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, fared the best, writes Stark. The Cubs did well to retool a bit with the additions of Matt Garza and Carlos Pena, while the Pirates and Reds got so-so marks for their modest changes. The rebuilding Astros are pulling up the rear, and the jury is still out on the Cardinals, who have an outstanding issue to tend to with respect to a potential extension for Albert Pujols.
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers was never really interested in dealing Justin Upton this offseason, writes Tom Verducci of SI.com, but he felt it prudent to gauge other teams' interest. No offers were of particular interest to Towers, according to Verducci. Towers is interested in seeing what Upton can do under the tutelage of new hitting coach Don Baylor, under whom one-time uberprospect Carlos Gonzalez realized his full potential with the Rockies in 2010.
- Padres infielder Oscar Salazar has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment, has accepted his minor league assignment and will be in Major League camp, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com.