Stark On Yankees, LaRoche, Phillies
The Yankees will reach a crossroads with three of their most productive players this offseason when Nick Swisher hits free agency and Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano get a little closer to the open market. Jayson Stark surveyed MLB executives about the value of those Yankees and passed along the results in his latest column at ESPN.com. Here are the details and more notes from Stark…
- Two National League executives had no reservations about spending on Cano. “Pay him what he's worth," one said. The other said Cano has a legitimate case for a $200MM extension.
- The execs praised Granderson as a person but questioned his value on the field. A $100MM contract would be excessive in the view of one executive. Both Cano and Granderson will be eligible for free agency following the 2013 season, assuming the Yankees exercise their '13 club options.
- Similarly, the executives don’t consider Swisher a candidate for a Jayson Werth-type deal (seven years and $126MM). Swisher may look to match Werth’s contract as a free agent this coming winter.
- The Nationals have considered picking up their side of Adam LaRoche’s $10MM mutual option for 2013 and keeping Bryce Harper in center field, Stark reports. Alternatively, they could sign Michael Bourn when he hits free agency, move Harper to a corner spot and trade Michael Morse. I examined LaRoche’s option in detail last week, before his recent hot streak.
- The Phillies are looking at third base and left field options for next year and that search includes players already in the organization. One scout has been impressed by 26-year-old Darin Ruf, who hit 38 home runs at Double-A this year. "He might be Matt Holliday," the scout said, praising Ruf's hitting ability.
- An old friend of Roger Clemens doesn’t believe the seven-time Cy Young Award winner when he says he’s not thinking about playing at the MLB level. The person expects Clemens to sign with the Astros this month.
Latest On Possible Extensions For Wright, Cano
David Wright is more than a year away from hitting free agency, but the Mets hope to sign him to an extension sooner, rather than later, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. The Mets don’t want to experience the tension that would occur if Wright enters the 2013 without a long-term deal, and the team’s officials sound confident they’ll find common ground with the ACES client this offseason.
Wright earns $15MM this season and his contract includes a $16MM club option for 2013 ($1MM buyout) that will definitely be exercised. The 29-year-old is playing at an MVP level this year, which means the Mets probably can’t expect to lock him up for a deal similar to Ryan Zimmerman’s six-year, $100MM contract.
Cano's contract status is similar to Wright's. The second baseman earns $14MM this year and his contract includes a $15MM club option ($2MM buyout for 2013). Like Wright, Cano is playing at an MVP level and his contract option is sure to be picked up. The Yankees have a club policy of waiting for players to hit free agency before negotiating contracts, but Cano says he’d listen if the Yankees have a proposal.
“I am always open to hearing anything,” he said, according to Sherman. “If it works for both sides, that is great. But I have to hear an offer.”
The Yankees aim to avoid the luxury tax by 2014, so GM Brian Cashman might have to get creative to retain Cano and Curtis Granderson (Granderson is also under team control through 2013). Cano, 29, felt underpaid on the contract he signed with his previous representatives and wants to make a score on his next contract, Sherman reports.
Agent Scott Boras, who represents Cano, said it costs elite prices to buy elite players out of free agent years. Boras pointed out that the Yankees generate far more revenue than most teams and said clubs sometimes have to commit to ten-year deals for the privilege of locking up an elite player for his prime years.
Cashman On Cano, Granderson, Trades, Outfield
Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman spoke with reporters prior to today's game against the Angels and Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger has the goods..
- Cashman implied that the Yankees might break policy and explore contract extensions early this winter with both Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson. The Yankees hold club options in 2013 for both Cano ($15MM) and Granderson ($13MM) but may be motivated to extend both before they hit the open market. The Yanks want to get their payroll below $189MM in 2014 to avoid stiff penalties and could make the numbers work if they lock in both players early.
- Cashman doesn't want to overpay to make improvements at the deadline that will only be "marginal." He wouldn't rule out some activity before the July 31 but he's "very skeptical" about the chances of finding something worthwhile on the market.
- The GM said that he wanted to avoid wearing Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones thin by playing them in the outfield but he seems content to wait on Brett Gardner's return rather than overspend for an outfielder via trade.
Quick Hits: Yankees, Orioles, Selig
Here are some links to read before the Home Run Derby begins, starting with last year's derby winner…
- The Yankees have had internal discussions about a long-term contract for Robinson Cano, Jack Curry of the YES Network writes. GM Brian Cashman acknowledges that the team has considered trying to lock the second baseman up to an extension. "Oh, yeah. But we haven't done it yet," Cashman said.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com suggests the Orioles should seek upgrades aggressively without parting with elite prospects Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado. Executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette is working to add starting pitching between now and the end of July and names like Zack Greinke and Wandy Rodriguez have emerged as possibilities.
- Commissioner Bud Selig told reporters he's "very satisfied" with baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement so far, Eric Fisher of the Sports Business Journal tweets.
Quick Hits: Padres, Phillies, Drabek, Vlad
Teams interested in acquiring starting pitching help surely noticed when the Cubs placed right-hander Ryan Dempster on the disabled list with right lat tightness today. Dempster, 35, is one of the top starters known to be available in trades. Here are today’s links…
- A quick sale of the Padres may not be possible at this point, writes Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. The three apparent finalists are all leading bid groups with multiple investors, which will require extensive background work once a sale is announced.
- Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com examines the trade stock of some of the Phillies biggest names in the event that their slide continues into late July.
- Blue Jays righty Kyle Drabek is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow, tweets Barry Davis of Sportsnet.ca. This will be the second time Drabek has been through Tommy John.
- Free agent designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero isn't close to signing, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
- There's no indication the Tigers are interested in Jim Thome, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press reports. Thome, a "longtime tormentor" of the Tigers, bats left-handed, which means he’s not a perfect fit in Detroit. The Tigers are interested in acquiring a bat before the July 31st trade deadline and they'd prefer to add a right-handed hitter, Morosi reported yesterday.
- GM Brian Cashman told Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio that the Yankees haven't pursued contract extensions for Robinson Cano or Curtis Granderson, but aim to keep both players long-term (Twitter link).
- Maury Brown explains that TV deals are boosting franchise values across MLB in a piece at Baseball Prospectus.
Yankees Notes: Kuroda, Rodriguez, Sabathia, Cano
In the eyes of people like Derek Jeter, the season doesn't truly begin until the Yankees play their first home game. Here are some Yankees-related notes as the Bronx Bombers prepare to host their first game of the season…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out that transitioning to the AL East can be a daunting task for starting pitchers, but Yankees GM Brian Cashman says Hiroki Kuroda can succeed in his new division. "Our scouts really liked Kuroda and feel he will be a contributing member to an AL rotation," he said.
- Scouts haven't been impressed with Alex Rodriguez's mechanics so far this season, George A. King III of the New York Post writes. However, scouts tell King that Jeter has actually gotten faster.
- C.C. Sabathia should recover from a somewhat disappointing start to the season, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post writes. But Sherman suggests Sabathia's been a different pitcher since last July. The Yankees signed the left-hander to a nine-figure extension soon after the 2011 season ended.
- In a piece at River Ave. Blues, Mike Axisa says it's too early to worry seriously about Sabathia and explains why he fully expects the Yankees to spend big on Robinson Cano next offseason. The 29-year-old Cano is an extension candidate.
New York Notes: Cano, Murphy, Phelps
The Mets played their first game in franchise history on this date 50 years ago. The 1962 team was so bad they’ve since become the standard against which other poor teams are measured. To their credit, however, they turned things around before long and won their first World Series seven years later. Here are the latest links from New York…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post compares Ian Kinsler to Robinson Cano and wonders if Cano is really worth $5-10MM per year more than his counterpart in Texas. Sherman won’t be surprised if some teams are willing to pay Cano more than $20MM per year on a deal that could approach $200MM.
- The second baseman will hit free agency following the 2013 season, assuming the Yankees exercise his option this coming offseason. Sherman gets the sense that Cano would prefer to spend his entire career with the Yankees and GM Brian Cashman has said he views the 29-year-old as a possible Hall of Famer.
- Mike Axisa looked ahead to a possible Cano extension last night.
- The Mets believe Daniel Murphy’s best position is third base, Sherman writes. Since David Wright won’t necessarily be in New York long-term, the Mets may want to see Murphy at the hot corner while Wright’s broken finger heals.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney points out that David Phelps may be emerging as an electric reliever for the Yankees.
Extension Candidate: Robinson Cano
Two of the game's best second basemen have agreed to contract extensions in the past 24 hours. Ian Kinsler took five years and $75MM from the Rangers while Brandon Phillips took six years and $72.5MM from the Reds, setting the market for elite players at the position. The Yankees and Robinson Cano were surely paying attention.
Cano, 29, will become a free agent after the Yankees exercise his no-brainer $15MM option for 2013. Kinsler – who is only five months older than Cano – was in a similar situation before signing his extension, with the Rangers holding a $10MM club option for 2013. The two are very different players – Cano hits for a much higher average while Kinsler offers some more power and speed – but they rate similarly in wins above replacement, or WAR. Since the start of 2009, Cano has compiled 16.3 WAR while Kinsler is at 15.8 WAR according to FanGraphs.
The two players may be similar, but Cano's credentials give him a better shot at a huge contract. He's a three-time All-Star, has twice finished in the top six of the MVP voting, was the Rookie of the Year Award runner-up in 2005, and has played in at least 159 games in each of the last five seasons. Kinsler is a two-time All-Star, has zero top-ten finishes in the MVP voting, and made at least one trip to the DL in five of his six big league seasons. Cano also has gaudier RBI totals, and that stuff pays.
Kinsler's extension contains the largest average annual value ($14MM) ever given a second baseman, though that will change when Cano's option is exercised. I'm sure the Yankees would love to give their second baseman the same five-year, $75MM contract Kinsler received, but that would represent a pay cut for Cano based on his salary for next season. Cano hired Scott Boras last February, and a player usually doesn't hire the super-agent so close to free agency unless he's looking for a monster payday.
Fair or not, the Yankees are going to have to give their second baseman a contract larger than what Kinsler and Phillips received if they intend to keep him beyond next season. Cano is primed for a six or seven-year guarantee with an annual salary somewhere in the $15-20MM range. If he takes a step forward and wins an MVP award this year or next, he could command even more on the open market. The Yankees insist on not negotiating new contracts until the current one expires, but they broke that policy once for Cano and it would not be surprising if they did it again.
Photo courtesy of US Presswire.
Levine: Yankees Plan To Keep Cano And Granderson
With the Yankees planning to get under the $189MM luxury tax threshold by 2014, many have wondered if the club will be able to retain both Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson after their contracts expire following the 2013 season. Today, team president Randy Levine flatly stated that the team has a plan in place to retain both stars, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
General Manager Brian Cashman says that the club will not entertain going above the $189MM mark and the front office is committed to getting below that figure. While some wonder if the Yanks can even consider marquee free agents this winter such as Matt Cain or Cole Hamels, Cashman won't rule out making a play for a high-priced player on the open market.
Yankees Exercise Cano’s, Swisher’s 2012 Options
The Yankees have exercised their 2012 club options on second baseman Robinson Cano and outfielder Nick Swisher, the team announced. Cano's option is for $14MM and Swisher's is for $10.25MM.
Cano, who turned 29 a week ago, has established himself as an elite offensive second baseman, slugging no fewer than 25 homers in each of the past three seasons to go along with his .308/.347/.496 career line. Fangraphs' UZR metric has rated Cano slightly below-average defensively in recent seasons, but his $14MM 2012 salary will still be a bargain relative to his overall production, a fact that may (or may not) have inspired his agent, Scott Boras, to angle for a new contract recently.
Swisher, 31 next month, shrugged off a sluggish start this season to hit 23 homers and post a .260/.374/.449 line, in keeping with his .254/.360/.466 career figures. He didn't fare well during the Yankees' postseason run, leading some to wonder whether the Yankees would decline his option and perhaps pursue someone like Carlos Beltran, but that was quashed yesterday.
The Yankees hold another club option on Cano for 2013 at $15MM, while Swisher is entering the final year of a five-year deal he signed with the Athletics back in May 2007.