Quick Hits: Draft, Sizemore, Royals, CBA, Greinke
Some links from around MLB…
- ESPN's Keith Law posted a list of the top 100 prospects in this year's amateur draft. High school outfielder Byron Buxton and high school shortstop Carlos Correa top the list.
- "I love this game and I don't see myself calling it quits anytime soon," said Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (Twitter link). Sizemore is currently on the DL with a back issue, the latest problem in a long line of injuries in recent years.
- Royals owner David Glass says he hasn't spoken to anyone about selling his team despite rumors to the contrary, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. "I've not talked to anyone, nor has any of my family talked to anyone," he said.
- Ben Badler of Baseball America explains how teams and player representatives are working to side-step the international spending restrictions imposed under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement. MLB is aware of the loopholes and would object more strongly to some than others.
- Recent extensions talks haven’t taken place for Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels or Tim Lincecum, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. Greinke and Hamels are eligible for free agency this offseason, while Lincecum is under team control through 2013.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that Edinson Volquez of the Padres looks like a trade candidate (Twitter link). However, six of the right-hander’s seven starts have been at Petco Park, a generally forgiving environment for pitchers.\
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Brewers Notes: Greinke, Gibbons, Payroll
MLB.com's Adam McCalvy covers a number of Brewers-related topics as part of an online chat with fans….
- When Matt Cain signed his six-year, $127.5MM extension with the Giants, McCalvy "got the sense that just blew things up" in regards to the state of Zack Greinke's contract talks with the Brewers. Before Cain's deal, McCalvy thought Greinke would "absolutely" remain in Milwaukee, and while he isn't quite as certain now, there is still a chance Greinke re-signs with the Brewers even if he reaches free agency.
- Jay Gibbons was released by the club during the final week of Spring Training. Gibbons, 35, signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee in February.
- In the unlikely event that the Brewers are out of the NL Central race by July, McCalvy still doesn't think the Brewers will sell off such players as Greinke, Shaun Marcum or Francisco Rodriguez. The team is drawing more fans than ever to Miller Park and "it would be a very tough sell to those ticket holders if you start trading away your core players."
- McCalvy says he could see the club "dial back a bit" on payroll in the coming years. The Brewers' relatively small TV market and cable TV contract will make it hard for the team to sustain its current payroll, which Cot's Baseball Contracts calculates at approximately $98.15MM for the 2012 season.
Brewers Notes: Greinke, Braddock
After dropping an 8-0 result to the Cubs at Wrigley Field today, here's the latest from the Brewers camp…
- “I’ve been told that it’s just between my agent and the team now,” said Zack Greinke in regards to the news that the Brewers and his representatives have suspended negotiations about a contract extension. Greinke told reporters (including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) that "it might have been a long shot from the beginning" that the two sides would agree on a multiyear deal. Greinke can become a free agent after the 2012 season.
- Zach Braddock is on the temporary inactive list at Triple-A Nashville, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The left-hander was inactive for the last half the 2011 season dealing with personal issues. Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash declined to talk about Braddock's situation with McCalvy. Braddock, 24, posted a 7.27 ERA in 17 1/3 innings with the Brewers last year.
- You can follow all of the breaking news out of Milwaukee on MLBTR's Brewers-centric Facebook page, Twitter and RSS feeds.
Brewers, Zack Greinke Suspend Extension Talks
The Brewers and Zack Greinke have agreed to suspend contract extension talks, GM Doug Melvin told reporters (including MLB.com's Adam McCalvy) this afternoon. Melvin said the two sides could re-start talks at a later date, but nothing is scheduled at the moment.
Greinke, 28, recently hired agent Casey Close and the two sides were talking as recently as last week. The right-hander is scheduled to become a free agent after the season, and it's been speculated that Matt Cain's new five-year, $112.5MM extension with the Giants could serve as framework for a deal. Greinke will earn $13.5MM this summer and figures to be the best righty on the open market next winter.
Brewers Notes: Greinke, Melvin, Roenicke
The latest on the Brewers, via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (links go to Twitter):
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin said he talked to Casey Close about Zack Greinke yesterday and will speak to the agent again Monday. There's no deadline for talks between the Brewers and Greinke, Close's new client.
- Melvin doesn't see "major weaknesses" on his team.
- Owner Mark Attanasio suggested the club will have the flexibility to add payroll midseason if necessary.
- Attanasio said the club is progressing nicely toward extensions for Melvin and manager Ron Roenicke. Melvin's contract expires after the 2012 season and the Brewers hold a 2013 option for Roenicke.
- Melvin confirmed extension talks will also continue with closer John Axford, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
Extension Rumors: Zack Greinke, Ian Kinsler
The baseball world is still reeling from the two historic contract extensions handed out earlier this week. Here's the latest on two players in line for similar deals…
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel that he has yet to meet with Casey Close, the recently-hired agent of Zack Greinke (Twitter link). The right-hander can become a free agent after this season.
- "I don't know how to answer that … It's been a very confusing process," said Ian Kinsler when asked if the Rangers have made him a formal offer according to Drew Davison of The Forth Worth Star-Telegram. The two sides have been discussing a six-year extension recently.
Extension Updates: Votto, Niese, Kinsler, Greinke
It’s been a big week for extensions, as Joey Votto and Matt Cain signed historic contracts on Monday. Here are some extension updates from around the league, starting with a couple additional notes on Votto’s deal.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer has the annual breakdown of Votto's deal (Twitter links). He'll earn $12MM in 2014, $14MM in 2015, $20MM in 2016, $22MM in 2017, and $25MM during each of the final six years. The club option for 2024 is worth $20MM with a $7MM buyout.
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has a breakdown of Jonathon Niese's new extension with the Mets (on Twitter). The southpaw gets a $250K signing bonus with annual salaries of $769.5K, $3MM, $5MM, $7MM, and $9MM. The two club options ($10MM and $11MM) can each be bought out for $500K.
- Reds president and CEO Bob Castellini was the one driving the Votto deal, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. Other ownership groups have some concern over the ten-year deal, Crasnick adds.
- The Rangers are discussing a long-term deal with Ian Kinsler, and while the sides are in agreement on the contract length — six years — they haven’t yet found common ground in terms of contract value, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Kinsler doesn’t want to negotiate after the season begins on Friday.
- Casey Close, the agent for Zack Greinke, and Brewers GM Doug Melvin will speak tomorrow to “fill each other in on where discussions stand,” the GM told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Greinke had been representing himself, but his new agent will handle talks from here on.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Casey Close To Represent Zack Greinke
Casey Close of Excel Sports Management will represent Zack Greinke as the right-hander embarks on the final season of his contract with the Brewers, Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio tweets. If Matt Cain's recent contract provides any indication, Close could seek a $100MM payday for his newest client before long.
"I can’t really get into if I think I compare to him or I don’t think I compare to him," Greinke told reporters yesterday. "That’s more business stuff I don’t feel like giving y’all my opinion on.”
Greinke left CAA — Close's former agency — this fall and had been operating without an agent in the meantime. MLBTR's Agency Database offers a complete look at Close's client list.
Greinke will earn $13.5MM this season and will hit free agency this coming offseason unless the Brewers sign him long-term. The 28-year-old posted a 3.83 ERA with 10.5 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 47.3% ground ball rate in 171 2/3 innings for the Brewers in 2011, his first campaign in the National League.
The Latest On Zack Greinke
Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke spoke to reporters about a variety of contract-related topics today. Here's a recap courtesy of MLB.com's Adam McCalvy and Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel (all Twitter links)…
- “We’ll see,” said Greinke when asked if Matt Cain's extension will impact his extension talks with the Brewers. “Obviously, he’s really good. I can’t really get into if I think I compare to him or I don’t think I compare to him. That’s more business stuff I don’t feel like giving y’all my opinion on.”
- Greinke said the only person he's spoken to about his contract situation is his wife, so he's unsure where reports of him being close to hiring an agent are coming from. "Sometimes it's accurate; sometimes it's not," he said. "I don't want to say what's accurate and what's not … Especially with business stuff, I don't think it's important for you guys to know until it actually comes out."
- ESPN's Buster Olney says (on Twitter) that Greinke's market as a free agent next offseason will be more limited than Cole Hamels' given "[his] past." Some teams could avoid him all together.
Zack Greinke Close To Picking Agent
Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke continues to interview agents for representation and is expected to make a decision this week prior to Opening Day, a source tells Jim Bowden of ESPN (via Twitter). Casey Close of Excel Sports Management appears to be the frontrunner, according to Bowden (Twitter link).
Greinke has been operating without an agent since leaving CAA last spring. The 28-year-old figures to be one of the top free agent starters following this season and says that he is open to signing an extension with Milwaukee. Earlier this month, Greinke indicated that he wouldn't look to hire an agent until after the 2012 season.
For a look at other players represented by Excel Sports Management, head over to MLBTR's Agency Database.