Central Notes: Garza, Cubs, Ryan
A few items to share from the Central divisions on this quiet Saturday evening …
- Cubs starter Matt Garza's agent, Nez Balelo of CAA Sports, told the right-hander to brace himself for an "active Winter Meetings," tweets Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. We heard on Monday that the North Siders are "open for business" on the 28-year-old, who is under team control through 2013.
- Cubs owner Tom Ricketts told ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago today that he is working on a contract extension for president of business operations Crane Kenney, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. "When I look at the Cubs, we have Crane on one side and Theo on the other. I believe I have the best team in baseball," Ricketts said.
- Twins GM Terry Ryan is the subject of an interesting piece by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Ryan resigned from the same position with the Twins in 2007, citing burnout, but has returned to the post, apparently re-energized, after several years of scouting. Crasnick notes Ryan's biggest chore will be fortifying the pitching staff and adds that there's a "real chance" the Twins could re-sign reliever Matt Capps.
NL Central Notes: Garza, Marshall, Pujols, Phillips
Happy 63rd birthday to former Reds outfielder George Foster. A member of Cincinnati's Big Red Machine teams, Foster his 52 homers in 1977, a performance that won him the NL MVP Award. Foster's 52 home runs were the most hit in a season by any Major Leaguer between 1965 and 1997.
Here's the latest from the NL Central….
- Matt Garza "is exactly the type of guy we’d like to build around," Theo Epstein told reporters on Thursday, including Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Epstein said that rotation depth was a priority for the Cubs, which would seem to indicate the recent Garza trade rumors may be for naught. Epstein did say he would be "open-minded" about possibly moving assets like Garza or Sean Marshall, though in Marshall's case, Epstein said "if you have the best left-handed reliever in baseball, it’s hard to think about taking him out of that role."
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan argues it would be good for baseball if Albert Pujols "pulls a LeBron" and signs with the Cubs, since it would catalyze interest in him and his sport. The Cubs and Cardinals are both pursuing the free agent first baseman, though the Cubs’ level of interest remains unclear.
- Brandon Phillips had no new updates about the ongoing contract negotiations between he and the Reds, but he told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that "I just want to be here forever like my idol, Barry Larkin." Phillips tweeted on Tuesday that talks were "moving in the right direction."
- The Astros let president of baseball operations Tal Smith go with just two weeks of severance pay after 35 years of service with the Astros, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- What does the Cubs' signing of David DeJesus mean for Tyler Colvin? Tony Andracki of CSN Chicago examines the question.
MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also contributed to this post
Heyman On Buehrle, Garza, Reyes, Posada, Bell
Heath Bell isn’t close to signing, despite last night’s rumors, but it’s not for lack of interest. Here’s the latest on Bell and a handful of other free agents, via Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links):
- The Red Sox are content to wait out the market for closers, since so many of them are available.
- Mark Buehrle is drawing interest from 14 teams, Heyman reports.
- Opposing GMs expect the Cubs to trade Matt Garza.
- The Mets would offer Jose Reyes $80MM for five years, but would not guarantee a six or seven-year contract.
- Jorge Posada inquired with the Mets about a job and heard the team wasn't interested, according to Heyman. However, agent Seth Levinson told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that "there is no truth to that report. None" (Twitter link).
- The Marlins met with Bell and seem very aggressive. “This is no publicity stunt,” Heyman writes.
- Miami was interested in meeting with free agent closer Ryan Madson, but the right-hander declined, since their offer “wasn’t right.”
- The Mets and Orioles are among the teams showing interest in Jason Varitek, Heyman writes. The Orioles are definitely looking for backup catching help, but it appeared earlier in the week that they were uninterested in Varitek. GM Dan Duquette favors players who could catch every day if necessary.
Cubs Open For Business On Matt Garza
Teams have a clear belief that the Cubs are open for business on starter Matt Garza, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Some teams expect Garza to be dealt this winter. Earlier this month, USA Today's Bob Nightengale wrote that the Cubs are willing to listen on everyone.
Garza, 28, moved to the National League this year and posted career-bests with a 3.32 ERA and 197 strikeouts. He's under team control for 2012 and '13, and MLBTR projects a salary around $8.7MM for '12.
The Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays, three of teams that had no access to acquiring Garza when he pitched for the Rays in the AL East, figure to inquire with Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer this winter. The Rangers, Rockies, Marlins, Angels, Nationals, Reds, and Dodgers could be other interested parties, and the Twins certainly know Garza well having drafted him in '05.
What will it take to acquire Garza? The Cubs' farm system is light on top-shelf young pitching, based on rankings from Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. With Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, and Martin Perez, the Yankees and Rangers' top arms could be of particular interest to the Cubs.
Quick Hits: Street, Garza, Red Sox, Sizemore
Some links to check out as we await tonight's 11pm central time arbitration deadline…
- Though teams are interested, there's nothing imminent regarding a trade of Huston Street, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post. A source also tells Renck that the Rockies have not spoken with the Cubs about Matt Garza.
- The Red Sox won’t reach a decision on their new manager before tomorrow, a team source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti doesn't expect Grady Sizemore to play 150-160 games next year, but does think that the center fielder will play the "vast majority of games" in 2012, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.
AL West Notes: Garza, Feliz, Nathan, A’s
The Rangers signed Joe Nathan to a two-year, $14.5MM deal and announced that they’re moving Neftali Feliz to the rotation last night. Here’s the latest from the AL West, starting with some notes from Texas…
- The Rangers, who haven’t ruled out pursuing starters even after moving Feliz to the rotation, have shown interest in Matt Garza in the past, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains (Twitter links). The Cubs are willing to move Garza, so the Rangers may inquire on the right-hander.
- Some in the Rangers organization were concerned about Feliz’s ability to recover from his blown save in Game 6 of the World Series, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney.
- Though Nathan's deal may seem generous, two agents had pegged the 37-year-old for a two-year deal in the $14-15MM range, according to Rosenthal.
- A’s GM Billy Beane accompanied owner Lew Wolff to meet commissioner Bud Selig and discuss the team’s stadium situation earlier in the month, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The A's lost money for the first time this century, Beane told Slusser. Though they obtain tens of millions in revenue sharing each season, the A's are expected to lose several million dollars in 2011.
Sherman On Yankees’ Search For Pitching
A year ago, the Yankees showed their reluctance to bid on non-elite free agent pitchers with substantial asking prices. Unless the current market for pitching changes, GM Brian Cashman may be searching for back-of-the-rotation bargains again.
“I’d like to do something, but I am not going to do something at the current costs,” Cashman said, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
C.J. Wilson’s agent requested a New York meeting and the Yankees said they’d get back to the free agent left-hander, according to Sherman, Despite the lack of enthusiasm from the team, Wilson tops the Yankees’ list of free agent starters in terms of talent.
The Yankees have “looked into” Matt Garza, but a Cubs official downplayed the likelihood of any deal involving the right-hander, according to Sherman. The Yankees particularly like Gio Gonzalez and the Athletics are open to anything, but GM Billy Beane is asking for an ace return for Gonzalez or Trevor Cahill.
The Yankees like John Danks and the White Sox like many Yankees prospects, particularly Austin Romine. However, Danks is a free agent after 2012 and the Yankees are reluctant to over-spend on a pitcher they’ll have for just one year.
If the Yankees don't make a major acquisition before Spring Training, they could pencil C.C. Sabathia, Ivan Nova, A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes into four rotation spots. Free agent Freddy Garcia could return on a one-year deal and prospects Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances may contribute at some point in 2012.
Cubs Willing To Listen On Everyone
The Cubs are telling teams they'll listen to trade offers on everyone this winter while trying to rebuild the team to be competitive in the future, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports tweeted something very similar around the same time, so perhaps the Cubs are trying to get the word out. ESPN's Buster Olney also joined in, saying Sean Marshall and Matt Garza figure to draw the most interest between now and July 31st.
The concept of listening to offers for any player is not unexpected for new Cubs president Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer, and marks a change from Jim Hendry's reported summer stance of not listening on players he thought could help him in 2012. Still, a team drawing three million fans a year doesn't often embark on a full-on offseason rebuilding effort. The Cubs certainly haven't done that anytime recently. Hoyer isn't afraid to make an unpopular decision, though, having traded Adrian Gonzalez for prospects months after his Padres nearly won the NL West. And even after trading Gonzalez, Hoyer made a series of moves designed to keep the team competitive in 2011. The Cubs aren't ruling out anything at this point, Hoyer told MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
Garza, 27, could be one of the best available starters this offseason. He's made 30 starts each of the last four years, has AL East experience, and struck out a career-best 197 this year with the move to the NL. He's under team control for two more years, though his salary could approach $9MM in 2012 and will likely enter eight figures in '13. Marshall is under contract for $3.1MM in 2012 and eligible for free agency after that. With a 2.45 ERA, 10.1 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, and 0.2 HR/9 over the last two years, he's become an elite reliever capable of a Mike Adams-like bounty.
Red Sox Wanted Matt Garza For Epstein
The Red Sox asked the Cubs to include Matt Garza as compensation for GM Theo Epstein, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. However, the Cubs declined and the sides have moved on to minor leaguers. The Red Sox currently appear to be focused on Cubs pitching prospect Trey McNutt.
White McNutt is a valuable prospect, he's not as desirable as Garza. The 27-year-old right-hander posted a 3.32 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 for the Cubs this year and remains under team control through 2013. It's no surprise that the Red Sox were interested and it's equally unsurprising that the Cubs balked at Boston's request. The Cubs acquired Garza from the Rays in the January deal that sent Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee, Robinson Chirinos, Sam Fuld and Brandon Guyer to Tampa Bay.
NL West Notes: Rockies, Stewart, Darnell, Giants
Some NL West notes for Sunday evening..
- More on Ian Stewart from Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post as the 26-year-old says that he's willing to take a significant pay cut to stay with Colorado next season. Stewart says that the club has made no indication of the future outside of telling him to be ready for Spring Training.
- The Rockies would "love" to sign Michael Cuddyer this winter, but Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post thinks they need to focus their offseason spending on pitching rather than offense, given the structure of the NL West. Renck says the club won't get C.J. Wilson, but should "relentlessly" pursue Wandy Rodriguez in a trade, and also do the same with Matt Garza and Carl Pavano. Colorado was Pavano's second choice last offseason after re-signing with the Twins, says Renck.
- Renck's colleague Jim Armstrong tweets that Ian Stewart isn't looking for a change of scenery and will report to the Instructional League on September 27.
- Padres 2008 second rounder James Darnell will miss the Arizona Fall League and undergo surgery to clean up his labrum, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times.
- Bill Neukom's departure from the Giants came down to money and management style, according to Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- In a Q&A with Brian Murphy and Paul McCaffery KNBR Radio, Larry Baer tells fans that the Giants mission won't change much. Baer reminds that his role isn't to evaluate player mechanics, but to make sure that the organization has the funding to field the best team they can to win.
- Earlier today, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti talked about the upcoming offseason.