Giants Designate Guillermo Moscoso For Assignment
TODAY: Moscoso has elected free agency, per the MLB transactions page, indicating that he cleared waivers and declined to accept an outright assignment in the San Francisco system.
NOVEMBER 20: The Giants announced that they have designated pitcher Guillermo Moscoso for assignment. In related news, San Francisco added center fielder Gary Brown, right-hander Kendry Flores, third baseman Adam Duvall and right-hander Hunter Strickland to the 40-man roster.
The Giants acquired Moscoso from the Cubs in exchange for cash or a player to be named back in July. Moscoso had a 3.93 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 with Triple-A Iowa but didn't fare quite as well in his short time on the Giants' varsity squad. Moscoso turned in a 5.10 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 6.3 BB/9 in 30 innings of work.
Giants Sign Erik Cordier; Designate Monell, Peguero
The Giants have designated catcher Johnny Monell and outfielder Francisco Peguero for assignment to clear two 40-man roster spots, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. As Schulman explains, the slots were needed to make room for the club's claim of lefty Jose De Paula and the previously unreported signing of righty Erik Cordier, who has been added to the 40-man. (Twitter links.)
Monell, 27, has spent his entire career in the San Francisco organization but has seen just nine MLB plate appearances. In his first full season at Triple-A last year, Monell supplied a pleasing .275/.364/.494 line in 481 plate appearances. He did not appear among Baseball America's ranking of the organization's top thirty prospects.
Peguero, on the other hand, opened the 2013 campaign at eighth on that list, with BA saying he had "the most exciting combination of speed and power in the system" while explaining that he still needed to translate his raw power to game action and improve his strike zone awareness. Now 25 years of age, the Dominican native has seen very sparse big league action but played both of the last two years at the highest minor league level. After a meager .691 OPS campaign in 2012, he managed to bump his slash up to a .315/.350/.416 level in 314 plate appearances in 2013. He only contributed four long balls and three steals, however, and took 53 strikeouts against just 13 walks (though that was an improvement over the 82 K to 15 BB ratio he put up in his first season of Triple-A ball).
Meanwhile, Cordier, who will turn 28 before the start of the 2014 season, has been a fixture in the upper minors for the last several seasons but has yet to break into the bigs. A starter for most of his career after being drafted in the 2nd round back in 2004, Cordier worked out of the pen last year for the Pirates' top affiliate. He notched 11.0 K/9 against 4.8 BB/9 but allowed nearly a hit per inning, resulting in a 4.58 ERA in 53 innings. He had never previously flashed that kind of strikeout potential while working in the Royals and Braves systems, which could be the reason that San Francisco saw fit to trust him with a valuable roster position.
Giants Claim Jose De Paula
The Giants have claimed Jose De Paula off outright waivers from the Padres, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com. The left-hander was designated for assignment by San Diego last week along with Brad Brach, Miles Mikolas, and Jaff Decker.
In his first season at the Double-A level, De Paula posted a 3.86 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 across 14 starts. With San Francisco claiming De Paula, all four players from last week's roster shuffle are now out of DFA iimbo. Decker and Mikolas were traded to the Pirates while Brach was shipped to the Orioles.
Jose Mijares Elects Free Agency
WEDNESDAY: Mijares has elected free agency, according to the MLB.com transactions page.
TUESDAY: The Giants have outrighted Jose Mijares to Triple-A Fresno, according to Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Mijares was arbitration eligible and was due $2.1MM, making him a non-tender possibility. The re-signing of Javier Lopez, made official earlier this evening, made him expendable. Rough outings against right-handed hitters gave the 29-year-old a 4.22 ERA, but he still turned in a solid 9.9 K/9 rate (with 3.7 BB/9).
NL East Notes: Young, Cano, Nationals, Uggla, Marlins
The Mets surprised some observers when they gave outfielder Chris Young a one-year, $7.25MM contract to kick off their offseason. However, they weren't the only club with interest. Young says that the Cubs, Giants, Royals, and Red Sox all reached out to him, but the Mets were aggressive, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Here's a look at the latest out of the NL East..
- Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post makes the case for the Nationals to go after Robinson Cano. Some would argue that the Nats should go after a similarly high-impact player that will fill an actual hole for them, but Kilgore says that such a player may not come along for Washington in today's landscape.
- In today's inbox, a reader asks Joe Frisaro of MLB.com if there's a possibility that Dan Uggla could return to the Marlins this winter. Frisaro doesn't see the second baseman coming back to Miami since his cost and declining numbers over past two seasons raise red flags. Besides that, bringing him back would block Derek Dietrich and/or Donovan Solano from playing second.
- The Marlins announced two additions to their baseball operations staff. Mike Berger was named Vice President/Assistant GM while Jeff McAvoy will take over as the new Director of Pro Scouting.
Giants Sign Javier Lopez
NOVEMBER 26: The Giants confirmed the deal via press release.
NOVEMBER 21: Giants GM Brian Sabean has shown an affinity for retaining his own guys, even if it comes at top-of-the-market value, and he's done so again by agreeing to terms with left-hander Javier Lopez on a three-year deal. Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area tweets that contract that has been in the works is a done deal, pending a physical. 
It's reported to guarantee Lopez, a client of Meister Sports Management, $13MM for his age 36-38 seasons. An official announcement is expected today.
Lopez, 36, pitched to a 1.83 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings in 2013, primarily working as a lefty specialist for the Giants. Lopez was incredibly good in that role, limiting opposing left-handers to a minuscule .156/.208/.222 slash line.
Lopez's previous contract paid him $8.5MM over a two-year term, so in terms of average annual value, his new contract gives him a yearly raise from $4.25MM to $4.33MM. That's not an exorbitant raise, but it's probably fair to question the decision to guarantee three years to a reliever who will turn 37 next July.
Lopez was clearly one of the top lefty relievers on the market, if not the top lefty on the market. Now that he has a new contract in hand — and a lucrative one at that — southpaws Boone Logan, J.P. Howell and Scott Downs stand to benefit from what they hope will be a market-setting deal.
The Giants' relief corps figures to be solid in 2014, with Lopez, Jeremy Affeldt and Santiago Casilla forming a bridge to photo-bombing bullpen anchor Sergio Romo. Sabean has already been highly active in the past few months, agreeing to extensions with Hunter Pence and Tim Lincecum in addition to inking Tim Hudson to bolster the team's rotation.
Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area first tweeted that the Giants were fully engaged in contract talks with Lopez. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports added that it would be a multiyear deal (Twitter link), Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that it'd be a three-year deal (on Twitter), and Steve Berman reported the $13MM value. Rosenthal also tweeted earlier today that the guarantee language was the last remaining aspect needing to be ironed out.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Quick Hits: Closers, Twins, Narveson, Kinsler, Lopez
The Red Sox' recent experience shows the need for teams to be flexible at the closer position, writes ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The Sox traded four players last offseason to get Joel Hanrahan (and infielder Brock Holt), but Hanrahan quickly went down with an elbow injury. They then replaced him with Andrew Bailey, and then Koji Uehara, who pitched brilliantly. The Red Sox weren't the only playoff team that changed closers for one reason or another, Crasnick notes — so did the Cardinals, Pirates, Tigers, Dodgers and Indians. That's worth keeping in mind this offseason, where the market for closers includes Joe Nathan, Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit, Brian Wilson, Fernando Rodney and Edward Mujica. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.
- The Twins are interested in starting pitchers Gavin Floyd and Chris Capuano, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Floyd's agent, Mike Moye, says his client is progressing well in his return from Tommy John surgery, and Berardino suggests Floyd will be ready to go by the time spring training games begin. The Twins' top target is still Bronson Arroyo, Berardino notes.
- One under-the-radar starting pitcher on the free agent market is Chris Narveson, who pitched this winter for Licey, in the Dominican. A number of scouts have their eyes on Narveson, Crasnick tweets. Narveson missed much of the 2012 and 2013 seasons due to injury, but was a reliable member of the Brewers' rotation in 2010 and 2011.
- Ian Kinsler could block trades to all but ten teams, but he didn't put the Tigers on the list because he liked their chances of winning a championship, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press reports. That's what allowed the Rangers to deal Kinsler to Detroit. "I’m really excited," he says. "Our chance to win the World Series is better than anyone's."
- Reliever Javier Lopez, who recently signed for three years and $13MM, figures he might have been able to get similar money elsewhere, but he chose to stay with the Giants because he's happy in San Francisco, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. "In my case, I felt I wanted to be in a comfortable setting first and in a place that I feel has a chance to win. That’s why I chose San Francisco," he says. "I knew the offers would be around the same dollars, so it was just a matter of happiness."
NL West Notes: Lopez, Kemp, Rockies, Padres
The Giants and Javier Lopez have finalized a three-year, $13MM contract, pending a physical, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the exam may not take place until next week. Here's more out of the NL West…
- Matt Kemp doesn't want to be traded, but he's accepted the fact that it's a possibility and rumors of potential deals aren't going away, agent Dave Stewart tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Mariners have been linked to Kemp, and Rosenthal adds that the Rangers spoke with the Dodgers at the GM Meetings as well, though they consider Kemp's contract too prohibitive. Kemp's preference, should he be traded, is too end up with a winning team, but Stewart made it clear that Kemp's desire is to spend his career in Dodger blue.
- Even though they have a deal in place for veteran right-hander LaTroy Hawkins to be their closer, the Rockies say the job of rebuilding their bullpen is not complete, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. "We don't look at it like our bullpen is closed," assistant GM Bill Geivett said. "It's only Nov. 19, and we've just made one move, so we are still looking for ways to improve our club." Joe Smith and Edward Mujica are among the options available, but they'll likely be seeking three-year comittments.
- A left-handed hitter remains the Padres' priority, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com. A starting pitching upgrade wasn't at the top of the Pads' list this offseason, but Josh Johnson was a clear upgrade at the top of the rotation.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Quick Hits: Giants, Arroyo, De La Cruz, Cano, Blanco
Giants assistant GM Bobby Evans told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (Twitter link) that the club still likes Bronson Arroyo, even after signing Tim Hudson. "Bronson Arroyo is not out of our picture," Evans said. The Giants made a two-year, $23MM commitment to Hudson yesterday. Here's tonight's look around the majors..
- Kelvin De La Cruz is out of options, so the Orioles must be planning on having him in their big league bullpen, tweets Tim Dierkes of MLBTR. The O's won't be able to remove him from the 40-man roster without him passing through waivers, and they signed him to a Major League deal despite his lack of MLB experience.
- In his latest mailbag, Mark Bowman of MLB.com writes that while the Braves will certainly make every attempt to move Dan Uggla and a piece of the $26MM he is owed over the next two seasons, they understand it will not be easy. Teams that can't afford to sign top second baseman Robinson Cano can look into signing Omar Infante or trading for the likes of Ian Kinsler or Howie Kendrick.
- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News says that the Mets should be serious players for Cano. The Mets met with Cano's agents, Brodie Van Wagenen and Jay-Z, last night, but all indications are that they won't be in the mix for his services.
- Catcher Henry Blanco, 42, is looking to play one more season, Tim tweets. The veteran is likely to have a career in coaching once he's through playing. Blanco saw 50 games of big league action for the Blue Jays and Mariners last season.
Giants Nearing Three-Year Deal With Javier Lopez
12:40pm: Lopez's deal will be worth $13MM over three years, according to Steve Berman, who also reported San Francisco's Tim Hudson signing this week.
WEDNESDAY, 10:42am: Lopez will receive a three-year deal, but the agreement is not yet finalized, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 3:07pm: Giants vice president Bobby Evans tells Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio that the two sides have agreed on base salary and years but are still working out the other elements of the contract. There's nothing in writing yet, according to Evans (Twitter links).
2:33pm: The Giants close on multi-year deal with Lopez, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
1:53pm: The Giants are "fully engaged" with Javier Lopez and hope to re-sign him in the near future, general manager Brian Sabean tells Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area (Twitter link).
Lopez, 36, pitched to a 1.83 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings in 2013, primarily working as a lefty specialist for the Giants. Lopez was incredibly good in that role, limiting opposing left-handers to a minuscule .156/.208/.222 slash line.
Lopez just wrapped up a two-year, $8.5MM contract with the Giants and is said to be looking for another multiyear deal on the free agent market. The Giants acquired Lopez from the Pirates in exchange for John Bowker and Joe Martinez after the Buccos had signed him to a minor league deal in the 2009-10 offseason. He's spent the past three-and-a-half years with the Giants, earning a pair of World Series rings and posting a 2.26 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 147 1/3 innings of relief.