Quick Hits: Rays, Athletics, Bello, Nationals, Storen
The Rays and Athletics have done the most this offseason to solidify themselves as top teams, New York Daily News' Bill Madden writes. The Rays addressed all their major needs by re-signing James Loney and adding Grant Balfour and Ryan Hanigan. The Athletics replaced Balfour with Jim Johnson and Bartolo Colon with Scott Kazmir, and they further improved their bullpen with the additions of Luke Gregerson and Eric O'Flaherty. The Yankees also added plenty of talent, Madden notes, but they still have serious issues in their infield. Here are more notes from around baseball.
- The Padres, Braves and Mets are among the teams interested in Cuban catcher Yenier Bello, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez tweets. As MLBTR's Steve Adams recently noted, it's unclear what it might take to sign Bello, but he is not as highly-regarded a prospect as players like Jose Dariel Abreu and Yasiel Puig. Sanchez had previously connected Bello to the Dodgers, Cubs and Blue Jays.
- The Diamondbacks have interest in Cuban pitchers Odrisamer Despaigne and Raciel Iglesias, Sanchez tweets. Despaigne was recently cleared to sign with an MLB team.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo says he does not expect to give extensions to arbitration-eligible pitchers Doug Fister and Tyler Clippard, MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets.
- The Nats were briefly connected to free-agent closer Grant Balfour before Balfour signed by the Rays, and they probably would have traded Drew Storen if they'd managed to sign Balfour. But Storen isn't bothered by that idea, Ladson writes. "You don’t take it personally, it part of it. It’s flattering that other teams want you, too," says Storen. "You look at it from all angles. [The Nationals] are a great team. Obviously, I don’t want to go anywhere. It’s just part of the business. Nothing new."
Odrisamer Despaigne Cleared To Sign With MLB Teams
Cuban righty Odrisamer Despaigne can now sign with a MLB club after being cleared by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reports (via Twitter). Despaigne is represented by agent Jaime Torres, who also represented players like Jose Contreras, Alexei Ramirez, and Yasiel Puig as they transitioned from Cuban baseball to the big leagues.
Despaigne, a righty, turns 27 in early April. Several clubs were noted as having watched Despaigne throw as of late October, but the list has no doubt grown since. As Sanchez notes, Despaigne has participated in two recent showcases in Mexico. The righty threw eight innings over two starts in the Mexican Pacific League in late December, allowing three earned runs and registering two strikeouts against two walks. Steve Sypa of Amazin' Avenue has a nice profile on Despaigne.
Despaigne could hold another showcase before choosing a team, Sanchez says. Several teams that had been interested in Masahiro Tanaka also showed interest in Despaigne, Sanchez adds in another tweet. Despaigne joins fellow Cuban Yenier Bello – who was also just cleared — on the list of 2014 free agents.
Twins Notes: Perkins, Mauer, International Free Agents
The Twins announced yesterday that All-Star closer Glen Perkins underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the medial meniscus in his right knee. Perkins, who saved 36 games for the Twins with a 2.30 ERA, 11.1 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9, is expected to be ready for Spring Training. Here's more out of the Twin Cities…
- Joe Mauer is symptom-free after missing the final 39 games of the regular season with a concussion, GM Terry Ryan told Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. There's been chatter of moving Mauer to first base to preserve his health in the Minnesota media, but both Ryan and Mauer himself have said that Mauer will catch in 2014.
- Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN writes that the Twins were in on Dalier Hinojosa prior to his $4.25MM agreement with the Red Sox over the weekend. Though Hinojosa has pitched as both a starter and a reliever, the Twins viewed the Cuban righty as a starter.
- Wolfson adds that the Twins will watch Cuban right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne and Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz in Mexico in the coming weeks. Despaigne's agent said yesterday he expects to negotiate a contract with a Major League team while in Mexico.
The Latest On Odrisamer Despaigne
It's been a busy week for Cuban defectors, with Jose Dariel Abreu signing a record six-year, $68MM contract with the White Sox last week and Alexander Guerrero agreeing to a deal with the Dodgers for $28MM over four years earlier today.
Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald writes that another Cuban defector, right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne, has worked out for teams in Spain but plans to travel to Mexico to put on a bigger showcase for MLB clubs (Spanish link). According to Ebro, the Phillies, Yankees, Giants, Mariners and Mets have all seen Despaigne throw in Barcelona, but the showcase in Mexico "will have a more official character."
Despaigne's agent, Jaime Torres (also the agent for Jose Contreras, Alexei Ramirez and Yasiel Puig), tells Ebro that he and his client will negotiate a big league contract with a team in Mexico:
"Everything's ready and the paperwork arrived quickly for Odrisamer. Since word got out about his escape, teams from the Majors began to get interested in the young man, and this interest has continued growing. In Mexico he'll try out in front of the scouts, and we'll negotiate the contract there."
Despaigne, who pitched this season at 26 years of age, is a veteran of eight seasons in Cuba's Serie Nacional. He owns a lifetime 51-39 record with a 3.65 ERA but was much better in his final season, posting an ERA of just 2.58. According to a recent report from Diario De Cuba, Despaigne has yet to be cleared by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Thanks to MLBTR's Nick Collias for providing the translation for this post.
AL Central Notes: Dombrowski, Gasparini, Despaigne
In what might be the most eclectic collection of names to ever headline a division notes post, here's the latest from the AL Central…
- Despite the Tigers' late-game problems this season, Dave Dombrowski has no regrets over not acquiring a proven closer last winter, the general manager tells MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. "We didn't feel there was a lock-down, shut-down option in the wintertime that fit in with what we were trying to do, role-wise and financially," Dombrowski said. "Other people may think differently, but there weren't a lot of guys out there, and we felt we had options internally. Now, it may have taken some time, but we still have a chance to do that."
- Joaquin Benoit has recently taken over the closer's role in Detroit and pitched well, which could erase any plans the Tigers had to acquire a stopper at the deadline. "Where are you going to go out and get a guy with better stuff than Benoit?" Dombrowski said.
- Marten Gasparini, the 16-year-old Italian prospect who signed a $1.3MM contract with the Royals, spoke to Fangraphs' David Laurila about his transition to North America.
- The Twins haven't asked agent Jaime Torres about the location of Cuban right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne's showcase in Barcelona tomorrow, 1500ESPN.com's Darren Wolfson reports (Twitter link). Wolfson notes in a follow-up tweet that this just means the Twins haven't informed Torres, not that they won't attend altogether, and Wolfson says the Twins "have a book" on Despaigne.
- Byron Buxton holds the top spot on Baseball America's midseason ranking of the top 50 prospects in the sport. The Twins outfielder "is even better than expected with power, speed, defense and an extremely advanced hitting approach," states BA's staff report. Buxton was ranked as the No. 10 prospect in Baseball America's preseason rankings but has risen to No. 1 after hitting .344/.424/.548 with nine homers and 33 steals in 366 PA at the low and high-A levels this season.
- In AL Central news from earlier today, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes reported that Twins right-hander P.J. Walters had cleared outright assignment waivers.
Cuban Righty Odrisamer Despaigne Nearing Free Agency
Cuban defector Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez has generated quite a bit of buzz with his showcases of late, with some reports suggesting that he could command as much as $60MM over five years. He may not be the only Cuban right-hander on the market for long though, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that Odrisamer Despaigne is hosting a showcase for MLB teams in Barcelona next week (MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez notes an open workout Tuesday afternoon). Passan adds that Despaigne is drawing "strong" interest, though not as much interest as Gonzalez (Twitter links). Both right-handers are represented by agent Jaime Torres.
Sanchez tweets that Despaigne has been working to establish residency in Spain, but it could still be another three to six weeks before he can file for free agency. Like other foreign prospects, Despaigne will also need to be cleared by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). According to a report from the Associated Press (via ESPN), Despaigne defected from the Cuban National team at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris as the team traveled to a tournament in the Netherlands.