Quick Hits: Vlad, Brewers, Yankees, Pujols
Nine years ago today, MLB announced it had withdrawn its plan to contract the Twins and Expos due to legal issues and major opposition from the players' union. Minnesota has won six division titles and moved into Target Field since then, and they now boast a $100MM+ payroll. The Expos have since relocated to Washington and moved into Nationals Park, and this winter they handed out their first $100MM+ contract.
Here's some links for Saturday…
- Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports (on Twitter) that Vladimir Guerrero is scheduled to take his physical with the Orioles this upcoming Friday in Baltimore.
- Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio spoke to Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel about letting talent dictate the team's payroll as opposed to spending for the sake of spending.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman wasn't terribly interested in the starters that were left on the open market after Cliff Lee signed with the Phillies, writes Chad Jennings of The LoHud Yankees Blog.
- In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney says there does not to appear to have been much progress in talks about a long-term contract extension between the Cardinals and Albert Pujols. The Spring Training deadline is about two weeks away.
- Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun says the Guerrero signing has created some questions, such as what the Orioles' Opening Day payroll will be.
- Minor league contract signees Eric Chavez and Ronnie Belliard will compete with four homegrown players for two spots on the Yankees' bench according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but he notes that Ramiro Pena and Eduardo Nunez have an advantage because they can play shortstop.
Orioles Notes: Guerrero, Duchscherer, Scott
It's been a surprisingly busy winter for the Orioles with their newest acquisition coming tonight in the form of a one-year, $8MM deal with Vladimir Guerrero. Here's are some of the reactions to the newest Oriole plus other pieces of O's news..
- The $8MM deal with Guerrero will bring Baltimore's payroll to roughly $93MM, up from $73MM in 2010, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun.
- Landing Guerrero puts an exclamation point on an offseason that started poorly, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. In a separate tweet, Heyman calls the $8MM deal a "miracle" for the slugger.
- New Orioles right-hander Justin Duchscherer was asked to undergo a more rigorous physical exam than most, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com. The 33-year-old has been through two hip operations over the last two years.
- The O's haven't made any progress on their arbitration case with Luke Scott, tweets Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. Both parties are still hopeful that they can avoid a hearing. Scott has already said that he would like to sign a long-term deal in Baltimore. You can keep track on all arbitration cases with MLBTR's Arb Tracker.
Quick Hits: Guerrero, Kawakami, Johnson, Dodgers
Some links from around the majors as the market for Vladimir Guerrero becomes a little clearer…
- When I looked at possible destinations for Guerrero last week, I listed the Rangers, Angels, Orioles and Blue Jays. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Rays are not in on Guerrero, which makes sense, since they already added Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez (Twitter link).
- The Braves would like to trade Kenshin Kawakami this spring, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). The Braves have a number of starting pitching options without Kawakami, especially now that they've signed Rodrigo Lopez.
- D'Backs GM Kevin Towers told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert that he considers Kelly Johnson's arbitration case a tough one, but hopes to "create some dialogue" before the sides go to a hearing. As our Arb Tracker shows, Johnson asked for $6.5MM while the D'Backs countered with a $4.7MM offer.
- Longtime Astros right-hander Brandon Backe, who last pitched in the majors in June of 2009 and is recovering from a pair of shoulder operations, told Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner that he is working toward a possible comeback.
- The Dodgers signed right-hander Merkin Valdez to a minor league deal, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The 29-year-old appeared in two games for the Blue Jays last year after spending parts of three seasons with the Giants.
Orioles Notes: Guerrero, Lee, Bergesen
The next two days will likely be pivotal for negotiations between the Orioles and Vladimir Guerrero, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Here are the details and other notes on the Orioles:
- Guerrero is looking for more than the Orioles have offered, according to Olney (on Twitter). The Orioles were told that Guerrero has an $8MM offer elsewhere over the weekend, but they offered $4.5MM or so.
- Derrek Lee told Rick Apperson of BaseballNation.net that he signed with the Orioles because they offered the most money ($7.25MM plus incentives) and because he likes Baltimore and is excited to play with some of the Orioles' young players under Buck Showalter.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun suggests Brad Bergesen will join Justin Duchscherer, Jeremy Guthrie and Brian Matusz in the starting rotation. Jake Arrieta and Chris Tillman seem likely to compete for the final rotation spot, but lots can change in two months.
Quick Hits: Rockies, Guerrero, Lee, Indians, Athletics
On this day in 1999 the Yankees sent Mike Lowell to the Marlins for Todd Noel, Mark Johnson and Ed Yarnall. Here are some links for tonight as we anticipate more roster shakeups..
- The Rockies signed catcher Ben Petralli to a minor league deal, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The 25-year-old was drafted five times between 2004 and 2008 and played independent baseball last season.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if the Rays might consider moving Johnny Damon to first base, allowing them to sign free agent DH Vladimir Guerrero.
- Derrek Lee will make the greatest impact of any Orioles offseason acquisition, opines Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer asked Indians GM Chris Antonetti and two scouts to evaluate the young talent that the club received in exchange for their three stars.
- Even though several Athletics are under contract for just one more year, MLB.com's Jane Lee doesn't expect that many of them will be dealt for prospects.
Tigers Not Signing Bonderman Or Guerrero
3:23pm: The Tigers aren't signing Vladimir Guerrero, either. "There's not a fit for us," Dombrowski told Gage. "We're not involved with that at all and haven't been."
2:44pm: Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has been open to re-signing Jeremy Bonderman throughout the offseason, but the longtime Tiger will not be returning to Detroit. "We are not signing Jeremy Bonderman," Dombrowski told Tom Gage of the Detroit News (on Twitter).
Last year Bonderman had his first full season since undergoing shoulder surgery in 2008. The 28-year-old logged 171 innings, posting a 5.53 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. Bonderman, who is about to begin his ninth big league season, is a free agent for the first time. Gage suggests Bonderman could be on the verge of signing with another club.
Quick Hits: Chavez, Vlad, Pierzynski, Royals
Happy 51st birthday to Steve Sax! Sax was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1982, played on two World Series champions, made five All-Star teams, and holds a special bit of pop culture history as one of Mr. Burns' softball ringers on The Simpsons.
Today's news tidbits…
- As part of a Dodgers-related mailbag, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick cites the Blue Jays, Marlins and Indians as teams that could offer Eric Chavez more playing time than the Dodgers could. Toronto's interest in Chavez is well-known, but Florida and Cleveland are new to the mix. Other teams known to be looking are Chavez include the Yankees, White Sox and Mariners.
- The Angels are looking for a leadoff man and bench help, and don't seem to be interested in Vladimir Guerrero, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com. The Orioles look like they're Guerrero's most ardent suitors at this point.
- A.J. Pierzynski tells Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that he was all but officially signed by the Dodgers before the White Sox swooped in with an offer to bring the catcher back to Chicago. "It all came together in a 15-minute span," Pierzynski said. "I was pretty much resigned to the fact I wasn't coming back." Had Pierzynski not returned, the White Sox would have focused on Miguel Olivo as a replacement behind the plate.
- The Chone Figgins-to-Oakland rumor looks to be dead, which Joe Pawlikowski of Fangraphs thinks may be a good thing for the A's.
- The Royals are converting prospect Wil Myers from catcher to outfielder, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
Vladimir Guerrero Rumors: Saturday
10:23am: Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said that there's no timetable on a Guerrero decision, tweets Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.
9:06am: The Orioles are "settled" on their position in contract negotiations with free-agent Vladimir Guerrero, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
The O's offer to Vlad stands at $4.5-5MM, and if that's not enough to land him, Baltimore is OK with that, Olney says.
This, of course, after several days of hard bargaining between the Orioles and Guerrero.
Orioles Not Making Progress With Vladimir Guerrero
6:05pm: Olney says the O's are being told that Guerrero has an $8MM offer in hand, which is about $3.5MM more than they are willing to spend, including incentives (Twitter link). Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reported that Baltimore's offer falls in the $3MM to $5MM range.
MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli hears that the two sides are not close to a contract, while SI.com's Jon Heyman hasn't heard of any recent progress. (Twitter links)
5:21pm: The Orioles and Vladimir Guerrero are making progress in their talks, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). If a deal does get worked out, Guerrero would assume DH duties and push Luke Scott to left field according to Buster.
Yesterday we heard that the O's offered Vlad a one-year deal worth about $2MM, but the former AL MVP wasn't terribly enthusiastic about it. As Ben Nicholson-Smith explained, Guerrero's market is limited, so it's tough to see him signing for much more than what was offered. He hit .300/.345/.496 with 29 homers for the Rangers last season, earning $6.5MM in the process.
Anthopoulos Talks Hill, Encarnacion, Wells, Arencibia
Alex Anthopoulos says he has has 'tinkered' and 'talked' about acquiring a third baseman and won't rule out potential acquisitions. But the Blue Jays GM remains confident in Jose Bautista's ability to play the position all season long. The defending AL home run champ played 48 games at third last year and spent 225 games at the hot corner for the Pirates from 2007-08, so the Blue Jays say they're set at third.
Last year's third baseman, Edwin Encarnacion, will combine with Adam Lind to play first base and DH. The Blue Jays are hopeful that Lind can handle first defensively and they're optimistic about Encarnacion's power potential. Anthopoulos says he thinks Encarnacion has "one more gear in there" and while he hesitated before comparing him to Bautista, the GM says he can see Encarnacion hitting 30 homers or more in 2011.
The Blue Jays are also looking for a bounceback season from Aaron Hill, and they have a decision to make before the season starts. The team can either exercise Hill's 2012-14 options before the coming season begins or they can wait until the offseason, at which point they'll be able to exercise his 2012-13 options or just his 2012 option. Anthopoulos declined to elaborate on the team's plan, but did emphasize that the sides aren't bound to Hill's current deal.
“There’s a lot of flexibility,” Anthopoulos told a crowd of about 500 Blue Jays fans at last night's State of the Franchise event. “We’re not tied into anything. There’s nothing that prevents us from sitting down with Aaron and his agent and saying we want to do a five-year deal, four-year deal, six-year deal.”
Anthopoulos also discussed one multiyear deal that has become the responsibility of another organization. He declined to confirm reports that the Blue Jays are sending $5MM to the Angels as part of the Vernon Wells trade.
"The deal that was announced [Wells straight up for Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera] was the deal that was agreed to," he said.
The Blue Jays have money to spend now that they've unloaded most or all of Wells' deal and they remain open to making acquisitions. Anthopoulos, a Montreal native and former Expos employee, says he can relate to fans who want a bona fide slugger like Vladimir Guerrero.
"I understand," Anthopoulos said. "He was one of my favorite players growing up and he's someone that I admire."
However, Anthopoulos exaplined that he doesn't want to acquire players who get playing time in place of developing players. For example, the Blue Jays intend to provide their top catching prospect with the chance to show major league pitchers why he won the Pacific Coast League MVP last year.
“We really don’t want to get in the way of J.P. Arencibia because we do believe that he’s an important component of this team” Anthopoulos said. “He has nothing more to prove down [in the minors]. He needs to get an opportunity to play up here and we might have to let him live through some struggles early on.”
If the Blue Jays don't spend on free agents or through trades, they say they'll have more to spend on player development, the amateur draft and international free agency. Amateur spending will not end the Blue Jays' 17-year playoff drought immediately, but it's promising news for fans of a team that has seven of the first 78 selections in the upcoming June draft.