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Nate Schierholtz

AL East Notes: Rays, Yankees

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The Orioles' re-signing of left fielder Nate McLouth sums up the Winter Meetings Day 3 action coming out of the AL East.  The latest around the division:

  • The Rays pursued right fielder Nate Schierholtz to the end and finished a close second, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  Schierholtz ultimately signed a one-year, $2.25MM deal with the Cubs.
  • "There's a few potential outcomes that are really exciting to us and we're going to work toward trying to make them materialize," Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times earlier today.
  • The Yankees never made offers to Jeff Keppinger and Eric Chavez, tweets Jack Curry of YES Network.
  • Scott Boras questioned the Yankees' choice to reduce payroll, according to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.  Responded president Randy Levine, "Scott’s a great agent, but he’s an agent.  Last I looked, he had zero experience running a professional sports team. I think the Yankees have done pretty well following our own course. My advice to Scott is stick to your day job representing players."

Latest On Nate Schierholtz

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5:52pm: The Braves have interest in Schierholtz, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

1:00pm: The Orioles made an offer to Schierholtz that was turned down this morning, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  The O's eventually inked Nate McLouth.

9:27am: Having generated plenty of interest since hitting the free agent market last week, Nate Schierholtz is making "good progress" toward a new deal, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Olney adds that the Yankees are the early favorites to land the 28-year-old (Twitter links).

Schierholtz was traded by the Giants to the Phillies in the deadline deal that sent Hunter Pence to San Francisco. For the season, the outfielder hit .257/.321/.407 in 269 plate appearances. Despite a potential arbitration cost of around $1.6MM, according to MLBTR's projections, the Phillies elected not to tender Schierholtz a contract for 2013.

Orioles Notes: Saunders, McLouth, Correia, Schierholtz

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Orioles manager Buck Showalter addressed reporters and appeared on MLB Network Radio today to discuss a few O's-related subjects. Let's round up all things Orioles, courtesy of Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli, and Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and SiriusXM (all links go to Twitter)….

  • Orioles VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette told reporters he hopes to come home with a signed player by the end of the week.
  • The Orioles met with Joe Saunders' reps today and had preliminary talks, tweets Connolly.
  • The Orioles have interest in free agents Kevin Correia and Nate Schierholtz, and have had meetings with their agents in Nashville, tweets Connolly.
  • Showalter spoke to free agent outfielder Nate McLouth earlier today, and GM Dan Duquette is expected to meet with McLouth's agent tonight.  McLouth is looking for only a one-year deal, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, so he can re-establish his value and return to the market.
  • The Orioles haven't given up on the idea of re-signing Mark Reynolds, who the club non-tendered last week.
  • The O's are also hoping to re-sign Omar Quintanilla, another non-tender.
  • If other clubs don't value Baltimore's young players as much as the O's do, the club won't make a trade just for the sake of making one, says Showalter.
  • Baltimore's payroll will be between $90MM and $100MM next season.
  • According to Showalter, MLB's managers were asked whether they were in favor of expanding instant replay, and 29 of 30 voted yes.

Olney: Winter Meetings Preview

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The Winter Meetings begin shortly at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. ESPN's Buster Olney, in an Insider-only post, writes past Winter Meetings have been dominated by free agent signings, but some GMs say there is more groundwork laid for possible trades this year than they can remember in the recent past. Here are some of the storylines that could play out this week, according to Olney:

  • If Olney was Rangers' GM Jon Daniels, he would go all out to sign Zack Greinke and then trade some surplus pitching for offense.
  • Some rival officials remain convinced the Diamondbacks will eventually trade Justin Upton, whose contract ($38.5MM due over the next three years) has become more attractive in the wake of his brother's deal with the Braves.
  • The Indians have set the bar high in their demands for Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo. "Time will tell on whether they've lowered (the asking prices)," said a rival GM.
  • The most likely of the Rays' established starting pitchers to be dealt is Jeremy Hellickson. On paper, the best matchup appears to be the Padres.
  • The Reds are looking to acquire a leadoff hitter and could target Dexter Fowler.
  • The Phillies continue to push on Angel Pagan. If Pagan signs with Philadelphia, the Giants could look to Shane Victorino, who is looking for $9-10MM annually.
  • The Pirates have let other teams know that closer Joel Hanrahan is available and they are looking for starting pitching.
  • In a separate tweet, Olney says the perception among rival executives is the signing of David Wright makes it much easier for the Mets to trade R.A. Dickey without fear of a PR backlash.
  • Nate Schierholtz received calls from nine teams within the first 12 hours of being non-tendered with the Yankees in the mix and the Rays also a good fit (Twitter links).

National League Non-Tenders

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Here are today’s National League non-tenders. All decisions must be in by 11pm CT tonight. Be sure to track all tender decisions using MLBTR's Non-Tender Tracker. Related resources include our list of non-tender candidates, our projected arbitration salaries and our arbitration eligibles series.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

West Notes: Giants, Chavez, Dodgers, A’s

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Last night, Dodgers right-hander Chad Billingsley held the Cubs to four hits over seven innings en route to the club's 6-1 victory at home.  With Cliff Lee reportedly off the market and Ted Lilly perhaps out for the season, Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that the Dodgers will have to bank on more solid pitching out of the 28-year-old.  Here's more out of the Western divisions..

  • Before the trade deadline, the Giants offered Nate Schierholtz to the Yankees in an effort to land veteran Eric Chavez, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  The Giants presumably pursued Chavez prior to acquiring Marco Scutaro, who has been plugged in at third base.  Chavez, 34, is hitting .269/.332..486 with ten homers on the year.
  • After trading for Joe Blanton and putting a claim in on Lee, the Dodgers continue to show that money is no object, writes Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports.  GM Ned Colletti seems to be happy with his newly-found flexibility, but it seems unlikely that the Phillies will part with Lee.
  • Catcher Kurt Suzuki was surprised to hear that the Athletics traded him to Washington but the veteran believes that the trade will work out for him as he will play every day, write John Shea and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Giants Acquire Hunter Pence

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The Giants have to have bolstered their lineup with an All-Star caliber outfielder for the second consecutive summer.  They acquired right fielder Hunter Pence from the Phillies for right fielder Nate Schierholtz, minor league reliever Seth Rosin and, minor league catcher/first baseman Tommy Joseph the Phillies announced.

Hunter Pence - Phillies (PW)

Pence, 29, is hitting .271/.336/.447 in 440 plate appearances for the Phillies this year.  He's under team control for 2013, though his salary could exceed $14MM.  He'll boost a Giants lineup that ranks 11th in the NL with four runs scored per game.  GM Brian Sabean snagged one of the best bats on the trade market last summer as well with Carlos Beltran, but Pence is more than a rental.  

Pence joined the Phillies one year ago in a trade with the Astros, but amidst a disappointing season GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is cleaning house.  Less than an hour ago, the Dodgers acquired another member of the Phillies' outfield in Shane Victorino. Los Angeles also acquired Hanley Ramirez and Brandon League, creating pressure for their NL West rivals.

Schierholtz, 28, appears to have requested a trade after seeing his playing time diminish. T he left-handed hitter has a .257/.327/.429 batting line in 196 plate appearances this year and a .270/.319/.412 line in his six-year career.  He's earning $1.3MM this year and can be retained through 2014 via the arbitration process.

Rosin, a 23-year-old right-hander, stand 6'6".  He has a 4.31 ERA with 10.9 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 56 1/3 innings at Class A so far this year.  The 2010 fourth round pick has struck out three times as many batters as he has walked in the minor leagues.

Joseph, 21, is hitting .260/.313/.391 in 335 Double-A plate appearances this year.  Baseball America wrote before the season that the 2009 second-rounder should be able to stay at catcher.

Jon Heyman first reported the trade today.  Two days ago, Dennis O'Donnell of KPIX was first to report that the Giants had a deal in place for Pence involving Joseph.  Todd Zolecki first reported that Rosin was in the trade.  Danny Knobler confirmed Joseph's role in the trade.

No Formal Trade Request From Nate Schierholtz

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3:38am: Schierholtz denied formally requesting a trade, talking to Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.

1:15am: Giants outfielder Nate Schierholtz has requested a trade, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Earlier this month we heard that he was unhappy with his reduced role and would welcome a move to a team with more opportunity.

Schierholtz, 28, is hitting .247/.316/.418 with five homers in 190 plate appearances this season. The left-handed hitter has been limited to spot start and pinch-hitting duties because the starting outfield trio of Melky Cabrera, Angel Pagan, and Gregor Blanco have been so good. San Francisco is seeking a right-handed outfield bat prior to Tuesday's trade deadline.

Olney On Royals, Red Sox, Dempster

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The Royals' rotation has a 5.42 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 this year, and they're averaging barely five innings per start. As ESPN.com’s Buster Olney explains, the Royals are perusing the market for starting pitchers who could help now and in the future. Here are the details:

  • The Royals have indicated to other teams that they believe they’re about two years away from being serious contenders. They’re looking for starters who could be obtained now and kept for a couple more seasons.
  • The Red Sox are also more interested in adding long-term pieces than two-month rentals, Olney writes. While there’s no indication the Red Sox are willing to trade Jon Lester, some wonder whether the left-hander would benefit from a change of scenery.
  • One GM suggested Ryan Dempster would be better off avoiding trades to American League teams this summer. Dempster, a lifelong National Leaguer, can veto any trade. An agent agreed that Dempster would be better off in a pitcher-friendly environment. "If he gets hit hard, it'll cost him," the agent told Olney. The Dodgers are viewed as the favorites to acquire Dempster, who will hit free agency after the season.
  • Olney suggests Nate Schierholtz could be a nice addition for the Yankees. The Giants outfielder has said he’d be open to a trade.

West Links: Angels, Schierholtz, Rangers, Quentin

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Here is the latest from baseball's two West divisions…

  • "We have nothing significant or imminent at this time. We're just doing our due diligence," said Angels GM Jerry Dipoto to reporters (including Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times) today (Twitter link). Check out today's Angels rumors right here.
  • Although he has not officially requested a trade, Nate Schierholtz indicated to Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle that he is ready to move on to a team with that can offer a greater opportunity. "There's not one thing I can't say I love about this place, but I think I've come to the realization that maybe I'm not their guy. I'm not in the cards having a future here," said the Giants outfielder.
  • The Rangers are focused on Cole Hamels and Zack Greinke, but Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com hears that the team's long-shot backup plan involves trading for Cliff Lee again. Lee's contract is an obstacle, plus the Phillies indicated that they're not looking to move their veteran lefty ace.
  • Scott Miller of CBSSports.com hears that the Padres may keep Carlos Quentin and try to re-sign him after the season. The Reds, Indians, Pirates, and Marlins have all inquired about his availability.
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