Quick Hits: Anthopoulos, O’s, Burnett, Padres, Tanaka
Some executives have become more guarded in trade discussions with Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star reports. Griffin says he spoke with one executive at the Winter Meetings who disclosed that rival GMs believe Anthopoulos sometimes talks trades merely for the purpose of gathering information. Anthopoulos reportedly expressed surprise after learning that the Tigers had dealt Doug Fister to the Nationals in November, indicating that he would have liked to submit an offer. "Would he have been given the opportunity two years ago? Perhaps," Griffin writes. Here are more late-night links from around the majors:
- Young pitcher Kevin Gausman headlines Rich Dubroff's list of reasons for optimism for Orioles fans in an article at CSN Baltimore.
- Jake Dal Porto of Beyond the Box Score examines the sinker that revived A.J. Burnett's career in 2013.
- Padres GM Josh Byrnes says his team remains in the market for at least one bullpen arm, Corey Brock of MLB.com tweets. The Friars officially announced their agreement with Joaquin Benoit earlier this evening.
- A talent evaluator tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (via Twitter) that Masahiro Tanaka's control and "off the charts" splitter separate him from Daisuke Matsuzaka at the same age.
Padres To Sign Joaquin Benoit
DECEMBER 28: The Padres have announced the deal. Corey Brock of MLB.com reports that Benoit will earn $6MM in 2014 and $8MM in 2015, and the deal includes an $8MM option for 2016 (with a $1.5MM buyout) that will vest if Benoit finishes 55 games in 2015.
DECEMBER 19: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that Benoit's contract will be a two-year, $15.5MM contract once he passes his physical.
DECEMBER 19: The Padres and right-hander Joaquin Benoit are in agreement on a deal, pending a physical, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Talks between San Diego and the ACES client were said to be heating up earlier this morning.
The 36-year-old Benoit posted a 2.01 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 with 24 saves in 67 innings for the Tigers in 2013. Passan reported last week that the Padres and Indians were both discussing deals in the neighborhood of $14MM over two years with Benoit. Since that time, Cleveland appears to have moved on by inking John Axford to a one-year deal.
Benoit fills a need for the Padres by adding an experienced arm to the back of the bullpen now that Luke Gregerson has been traded to the Athletics. San Diego already has Huston Street under control for $7MM next season, making him the likely closer, but Benoit could step into the ninth inning in the event that the oft-injured Street winds up on the disabled list.
Injuries haven't been a problem for Benoit since he missed the 2009 season following surgery to repair his right rotator cuff. Since that time, Benoit has stayed off the disabled list entirely, averaging 65 innings per season and posting a brilliant 2.53 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 259 1/3 total innings of work. In that time, opponents have batted a mere .200/.258/.333 against Benoit.
The contract is a rarity for San Diego general manager Josh Byrnes, who has given just one multiyear pact to a reliever – Street's two-year, $14MM contract — in his time as a general manager. When I spoke to him at last month's GM meetings, Byrnes told me that he would be against signing a left-handed reliever to a multiyear pact, but he clearly didn't feel the same about right-handers, or at least about Benoit specifically.
In addition to Street, Benoit will join a mix of relievers that includes Dale Thayer, Nick Vincent, Tim Stauffer and Brad Boxberger. Left-hander Patrick Schuster, acquired in a trade with the Astros (who selected him in the Rule 5 Draft) could also get a chance to compete for a job. Byrnes is known to be on the lookout for a left-handed reliever.
As I noted when projecting a two-year, $16MM contract for Benoit in my free agent profile nearly two months ago, Benoit faced steep competition on this year's open market given the presence of Joe Nathan, Grant Balfour, Fernando Rodney, Brian Wilson and many other closer-type relievers. In spite of that competition, his agents at ACES look to have done well, as he will nearly match the $16.5MM guarantee on his last contract despite it being a three-year deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Padres Designate Adys Portillo For Assignment
The Padres have designated pitcher Adys Portillo for assignment to make room for Joaquin Benoit on their 40-man roster, Corey Brock of MLB.com tweets.
Portillo is a 22-year-old right hander who has thrown just 35 innings above A-ball. He originally signed with the Padres in 2008, receiving a $2MM amateur signing bonus in a deal that was at the time the largest ever given to a Venezuelan-born player. However, he's struggled since, amassing a 4.86 ERA over five seasons in the minors.
West Notes: Choo, Astros, Kotsay
The Rangers' seven-year, $130MM agreement with Shin-Soo Choo brings total spending this offseason to around $1.543 billion, according to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan. With players such as Ervin Santana, Matt Garza and Ubaldo Jimenez still available, the 2006 record of approximately $1.75 billion appears likely to be broken, and spending is certain to eclipse $2 billion if Masahiro Tanaka is posted. There simply isn't anywhere else to put the game's booming revenues now that spending has been capped in the draft and international free agency, Passan writes. Let's look at more late-night links from the AL and NL West:
- The Choo signing shows why Jon Daniels is one of the game's best general managers, Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPNDallas.com opines. While the Rangers only narrowly missed the playoffs in 2013, swapping Ian Kinsler for Prince Fielder and bringing Choo into the fold indicate the front office understood that a major revamp of the Texas offense was required.
- Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle notes that the Astros have acquired a trio of ground ball-heavy pitchers this winter in Scott Feldman and relievers Matt Albers and Chad Qualls. The focus on grounders is an "organizational preference detectable even in the amateur draft," Drellich writes.
- Mark Kotsay will remain in the Padres organization as a special assistant to GM Josh Byrnes after retiring at the end of the 2013 season, Bill Center of U-T San Diego reports.
West Notes: Santana, Garza, Gutierrez, Padres
A look at the AL and NL West..
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (on Twitter) that he's in on two of Masahiro Tanaka, Ervin Santana, and Matt Garza.
- The Mariners are showing continued interest in Santana, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Franklin Gutierrez says that he had other offers, including one from the Indians, but "didn't think twice" about other opportunities when the Mariners called him, tweets Greg Johns of MLB.com.
- Even after adding Joaquin Benoit, free agent pitcher Josh Johnson, and trading for outfielder Seth Smith, the Padres might not be finished, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com.
- Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com wonders if the Dodgers can bank on second baseman Alexander Guerrero. Los Angeles signed the Cuban standout this winter to a four-year, $28MM deal that can increase to $32MM with incentives.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels says that not much has changed since the winter meetings, writes Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com.
Astros Acquire Jesus Guzman
The Padres have traded outfielder/first baseman Jesus Guzman to the Astros for infielder Ryan Jackson, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (on Twitter).
San Diego got interest in Guzman in late July, but he wound up staying put for the rest of the season. The 29-year-old took a step back from his previous two seasons with the Padres in 2013, hitting just .226/.297/.378 in 318 plate appearances. Prior to that, Guzman had a .277/.342/.446 slash line through 592 PAs in 2011 and 2012.
Jackson, 25, saw time in 20 big league games for the Cardinals from 2012-13 before being waived in the fall and picked up by Houston. Jackson spent the bulk of 2013 with the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate in Memphis. Over the last two years in Memphis, Jackson has a .275/.343/.371 slash line with the better results coming in 2012. The Padres put a claim in on Jackson when he was up for grabs, but the Astros were able to get him instead, Brock tweets.
Talks Heating Up Between Benoit, Padres
Talks are heating up between right-hander Joaquin Benoit and the Padres, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
Reports last week indicated that the Padres and Indians were competing for Benoit's services on a two-year deal in the $14MM range. Since that time, Cleveland has inked John Axford, so it's unclear if they're still in on Benoit. The 36-year-old Benoit posted a 2.01 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 with 24 saves in 67 innings for the Tigers in 2013. He's also drawn interest from the Rockies, but he was said to be too expensive for Colorado's tastes, as he's seeking $7-10MM annually.
West Notes: Dodgers, Giants, Astros, Benoit
The Dodgers' total player expenditures last season – including payroll for a 40-man roster, incentive bonuses, benefits and tax payment, comes out to $248MM, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. The Dodgers were assessed $11.4MM under baseball's luxury-tax system, according to a person familiar with the matter. More out of the AL and NL West..
- Giants GM Brian Sabean says the club is probably done with major league deals, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Because it would be tough to make additions to the big league roster, he's not looking at minor league invites.
- After losing Jose Veras to the Cubs earlier this evening, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow says he's looking into other pitchers, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. "We're still talking to other relievers," Luhnow said. "Again, the closer role is really going to be determined during Spring Training, and from the standpoint of Josh Fields, Chad Qualls, and Matt Albers, they all have the arm strength and pitches to pitch in the ninth inning. We'll just kind of see what develops. We're not necessarily done on pitching. We're still talking to some pitchers, and we'll see what happens."
- Corey Brock of MLB.com (on Twitter) gets the sense that Joaquin Benoit is very much in play for the Padres as they're still willing to add a difference maker in back end.
Padres Sign Alberto Gonzalez
The Padres have signed infielder Alberto Gonzalez to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, per the team's Transactions page. The deal was first reported a week ago by Hely D. Rodriguez of the Venezuelan newspaper El Siglo (Twitter link).
The 30-year-old batted a combined .193/.217/.281 in 60 plate appearances between the Cubs and Yankees in 2013. In parts of seven Major League seasons, the Venezuela native has a .239/275/.315 batting line with four homers. He has more than 400 innings of experience at shortstop, second base and third base, and he's also made brief appearances at first base and each of the outfield corners.
Padres, Indians Competing For Joaquin Benoit
4:59pm: An official with knowledge of the talks tells ESPN's Buster Olney that the Padres are in the lead for Benoit (Twitter link).
2:05pm: The Padres and Indians are both in on Benoit at two years and $14MM or more, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The Padres' offer may include a third-year option, he adds.
12:01pm: The Padres are making a strong push for free agent right-hander Joaquin Benoit, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
The move would come as somewhat of a surprise, given GM Josh Byrnes' previous aversion to multiyear pacts for relief pitchers. Huston Street is the only reliever to sign a significant multiyear deal with the Padres during Byrnes' tenure.
Benoit, 36, posted a 2.01 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 with 24 saves in 67 innings for the Tigers in 2013. He's drawn interest from the Rockies, but he was said to be too expensive for Colorado's tastes, as he's seeking $7-10MM annually. Reports yesterday indicated that the Padres were one of the most likely landing spots for Benoit, along with the Indians, Cubs, Yankees and Mariners.