Giants Close To Extending Pence
12:31pm: The Giants have agreed on a five-year deal with Pence, tweets John Fay of the San Francisco Chronicle.
12:27pm: The deal would cover five years, tweets FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. In a short piece, Heyman also says that a five-year term is expected and notes that an announcement could come as soon as today.
12:18pm: The Giants are nearing a $90MM deal with Pence, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
8:44am: The Giants' extension discussions with outfielder Hunter Pence took on increasing urgency yesterday, according to reports from the San Francisco Chronicle's Henry Schulman and CSNBayArea.com's Andrew Baggarly. Pence was seen huddling in conversation with team president Larry Baer in the reporter-filled clubhouse.
Conveniently-placed ears managed to overhear some of the discussion, according to MLB.com's Chris Haft, and among the things that passed between them was the phrase "I'm sure we'll get something done." Afterward, the 30-year-old outfielder confirmed what everyone suspected and acknowledged that talks were picking up steam. “They’re about to get back to me, seriously,” said Pence. “So we’re either really close or really far away.” When asked whether that could mean a deal by the end of the weekend, Pence said: "Yeah. I’ll know shortly. We’ll just say we’re talking, I guess.”
Baer's surprisingly public negotiation maneuver came after a night that the organization had already dedicated to Pence, who received the Willie Mac award as the club's most inspirational player. To make the night extra special, the club even conned Pence into giving up his mother's phone numbers so it could secretly arrange for her to attend.
Giants Notes: Zito, Abreu, Tanaka
If he had the choice to do it over again, Giants GM Brian Sabean says he would still have signed Barry Zito to his massive seven-year, $126MM contract, Andrew Baggarly of Comcast Sports Net Bay Area tweets. That's likely merely a case of a GM expressing confidence in and goodwill toward his player, since Zito has essentially been a back-of-the-rotation starter since the contract was signed, never posting an ERA better than his 4.03 mark in 2009. Zito has totaled just 5.9 fWAR over the life of the contract (which expires at the end of the season), making him one of the most overpaid players in baseball history. Here are more notes on the Giants.
- Sabean is bearish on the free agent market, both for pitching and hitting, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. He will instead prioritize retaining his own players. The Giants will, however, be looking for another starting pitcher, even if they keep Tim Lincecum.
- Sabean says the window of opportunity that led to the Giants winning the 2012 World Series is now shut, tweets John Shea of the Chronicle. "We've got to create a new window," Sabean says.
- The Giants aren't likely to be top bidders for international players like Cuban first baseman Jose Abreu or Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, tweets Baggarly. Sabean has scouted Abreu in the Dominican Republic, but Shea writes that the Giants didn't think highly of Abreu's swing or his defense.
California Links: Lincecum, Zito, Wolff, Ellis
Tim Lincecum could be making his last start with the Giants tonight and he tells John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that he would like to remain a Giant but is open to other options. "I've always said I'd like to see the relationship go further. But until I know what's on the table, I can't really dismiss anything else. I try to take advice from my agent and do something that's going to make me happy as well," Lincecum said. He also noted that he is open to pitching anywhere, be it away from the west coast or in a warmer climate. Lincecum has an edge over at least one other notable free agent hurler, as over 62% of MLBTR readers polled would prefer to sign Lincecum over Ubaldo Jimenez.
Here are some more news items from baseball's California squads…
- Speaking of last starts with the Giants, Barry Zito pitched five innings of two-run ball on Wednesday to earn a win in what was very likely his final outing in the orange-and-black. The veteran southpaw told reporters (including MLB.com's Chris Haft) that his time in San Francisco was "95 percent great and the other 5 percent terrible," and Zito was widely praised by his teammates. Zito posted a 4.62 ERA after signing a seven-year, $126MM deal with the Giants that is widely regarded as one of the worst contracts in baseball history. At age 35, Zito says he has "no idea" if he'll try to continue his career next season, saying a decision will come later.
- Athletics owner Lew Wolff discussed how the A's have (again) rebuilt themselves into contenders, how he works with general manager Billy Beane, and the Oakland stadium situation as part of a wide-ranging interview with MLB.com's Barry M. Bloom.
- Mark Ellis' excellent second base glove and his veteran leadership have made him an underrated part of the Dodgers' success, ESPN Los Angeles' Mark Saxon writes. Ellis turned 36 in June and has a .264/.317/.343 batting line in 466 PA, so it's questionable if the Dodgers will exercise their $5.75MM team option on Ellis for 2014. Whether L.A. keeps him or not, Ellis said he intends to play next season.
- Earlier tonight, we collected a batch of Angels-related notes.
Rosenthal On Sveum, Yankees, Giants
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a lot of interesting stuff in today's column and we'll take a look at some of the highlights below..
- The Cubs never hired Dale Sveum as a long-term answer in the dugout. Instead, he was brought aboard as a bridge to a big-name manager who would "complete the job" once the team was ready to win. Rosenthal says that both the Cubs and the skipper were aware of this when the hire was made nearly two years ago. Sveum has just one year remaining on his deal and it has been speculated that Yankees skipper Joe Girardi could be a candidate.
- While the Yankees have been routinely criticized for their development of young talent, the 2006 draft stands as quite a success. However, notables Ian Kennedy, Mark Melancon, Zach McAllister, and George Kontos are now elsewhere. GM Brian Cashman was aware of the club's history of trading away promising young talent, which led to his disagreement with Tampa brass over the Alfonso Soriano deal. Cashman denies reports that say he opposed the trade but admits that he opposed the timing of it. He believes that if they waited until they got closer to Aug. 31st deadline, the Cubs would have taken a lesser prospect than pitcher Corey Black.
- One rival executive expects the Giants to make a play for a Cuban free agent like Jose Dariel Abreu or second baseman Alexander Guerrero. The exec believes that the Giants have seen the impact of Cuban players Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes right in their own backyard and will look to join in this winter. It also helps that San Francisco is in need of some offense.
Quick Hits: Marquis, Bastardo, Vogelsong, Pettitte
Despite undergoing Tommy John surgery on July 30, Jason Marquis isn't ready to end his career at age 35. The veteran right-hander told MLB.com's Corey Brock that he is making good progress in rehab and intends to pitch in 2014, though the nature of his injury will keep him on the DL for at least the first two months of the season. Marquis will be a free agent this winter and it's possible a team (maybe even the Padres, his current club) will sign him to a low-risk minor league contract come April or May.
Here's some news as we dive into the final six days of the regular season…
- Though Antonio Bastardo is currently serving a 50-game suspension for PED use, the Phillies are likely to tender him a contract this offseason, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The southpaw had a 2.32 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 42 2/3 relief innings for the Phils this year and has posted a 3.13 ERA, 11.7 K/9 and 2.71 K/BB ratio in 152 2/3 IP since the start of the 2011 season. Bastardo earned $1.4MM this season (though he lost approximately $420K of his salary to suspension) and will be arbitration-eligible for the second time this winter.
- Ryan Vogelsong tells Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News that he is hoping the Giants pick up its $6.5MM club option on his services for 2014. "If I was pitching better right now, it's probably not even a question," Vogelsong said. "But I feel I still have a lot to bring to the game and this team. It's no secret I love it here. I want to be back and hope they pick it up." Vogelsong has struggled through an injury-plagued season that saw the righty post a 5.90 ERA in 18 starts.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman saw Andy Pettitte's retirement coming and he tells Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger that this time, Pettitte is leaving for good. “I’ve known for a while that this was going to be it,” Cashman said. “I know that I won’t be able to convince him like I’ve done in the past."
- Dillon Gee and Jonathan Niese could be trade chips for the Mets this winter as the team looks to add batting help, but Michael Baron of Metsblog.com thinks the two pitchers could stay put for at least another year until the Mets determine how long Matt Harvey will be sidelined.
Giants Notes: Miller, Pence, Lincecum, Lopez
Famed Giants broadcaster Jon Miller sat down with Howard Megdal of Sports On Earth to discuss the team's disappointing campaign. He says that the team faces a whole new ballgame now that the long-time rival Dodgers are running a massive budget. San Francisco is somewhat hampered by its $20MM+ annual stadium payments, says Miller, who notes that "the cost of a superstar bat, or a superstar pitcher, has to go to the mortgage every year."
- Miller tells Megdal that he expects the Giants will try to bring back both of their top free agents, Hunter Pence and Tim Lincecum.
- San Francisco has decided that it will extend qualifying offers to both Pence and Lincecum, reports CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman, with the expectation that neither will accept. Heyman reiterates that, as we learned a week back, San Francisco has decided to prioritize a long-term deal with Pence. That does not mean, he hastens to add, that the team is not interested in exploring a new contract with the popular Lincecum.
- Regarding Pence, Heyman says that the Giants "are believed to have signaled a willingness" to meet the four-year, $56MM that Nick Swisher recently received from the Indians. Heyman notes that Pence's representatives at BHSC could point to the Andre Ethier extension (five years, $85MM) or even the Jayson Werth deal (seven years, $126MM) to justify a higher asking price.
- Left-handed reliever Javier Lopez says he believes he will return to San Francisco, but knows that the team has other more pressing priorities, reports Chris Haft of MLB.com. "The front office and coaching staff are on the same page as far as my wanting to stay here," said the 36-year-old southpaw. "San Francisco is a beautiful place to play, and I love playing there. … But there are a lot of spots that need to be filled before they get to me." Lopez earned $4.25MM this year, and threw 38 2/3 innings of 1.63 ERA baseball and registering a sturdy 8.1 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9. He has held lefties to a .154/.211/.225 line.
Bidding For Alexander Guerrero “Wide Open” Again
3:43pm: The Dodgers are no longer willing to pay Guerrero $32MM and may not pursue him at all, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal notes that the team's position may merely be strategic; they could be backing off that number simply so Boras doesn't use that as a baseline when negotiating with other clubs.
3:15pm: Just over a week ago, it seemed that Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero was close to signing a five-year, $32MM contract with the Dodgers. SInce that time, however, the 26-year-old has left his former agent, Rudy Santin, in favor of the Boras Corporation. Boras described the bidding as "wide open," writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, who reports that the Red Sox, Reds, Rangers and Giants all have interest in Guerrero and are fighting the Dodgers for his services.
MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez tweeted yesterday that Sanchez is looking for an overall better deal than the previously rumored agreement. Dodgers GM Ned Colletti wouldn't comment when asked by Heyman about the situation, stating that he wouldn't publicly discusss contract negotiations.
The Rangers seem a curious fit for Guerrero, with Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler and Jurickson Profar all already in the fold. The Reds would have to use him at shortstop or perhaps third base due to the presence of Brandon Phillips, despite the fact that many scouts have predicted Guerrero will have to transition to second base to play in the Majors. Boston has Dustin Pedroia at second base, and Xander Bogaerts projects as their long-term answer at shortstop. The Giants, too, are a curious fit with Marco Scutaro under contract, Brandon Crawford at short and Pablo Sandoval at third base.
Guerrero hit .290/.402/.576 with 21 home runs in 328 plate appearances in his final season inSerie Nacional. As Matthew Pouliot of NBC Sports pointed out last January, Guerrero OPSed .997 or better each year in Cuba from 2009-11. Heyman points out that Guerrero could have an impact on Robinson Cano's market this offseason if bidding drags on and teams believe Guerrero to be superior to other second base options, as Guerrero will naturally be more affordable than Cano.
NL West Notes: Balentien, Giants, Tanaka, D’Backs
Wladimir Balentien smashed his 56th home run for the Yakult Swallows on Sunday to break Sadaharu Oh's Japanese single-season record and some within the Giants organization have wondered if they could find a way to acquire him, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. There's one problem, however - Balentien signed a three-year deal with the Swallows before this season, which means he will not be a free agent until the end of 2015. “He wants to come back. That’s what he told me two or three weeks ago. His dream is to come back and play in the major leagues," said Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulens. “We’ve talked about him, but nobody knows how to go about it, to get out of the contract." While the idea has been batted around, Schulman cautions that the conversations have been theoretical and have not involved GM Brian Sabean. Here's more out of the NL West..
- The Dodgers have scouted Japanese right-handed pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, a source tells Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Earlier today we learned that the rival Angels are also looking at the Rakuten Golden Eagles standout.
- Diamondbacks left-hander Matt Reynolds learned that he'll require Tommy John surgery after his MRI was reviewed, according to Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona (via Twitter). The 28-year-old, who posted a 1.98 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 30 relief outings this season, will probably go under the knife with Dr. James Andrews next week.
- Keith Law of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) runs down the players that have exceeded his expectations this season, highlighted by the MVP-caliber play of Diamondbacks standout Paul Goldschmidt.
Giants Want To Add Power In Offseason
Manager Bruce Bochy says that the Giants are hoping to add "somebody who can drive the ball" in the coming offseason, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. This is not terribly surprising, being as the club ranks 26th in the bigs in slugging percentage and stands atop none but the Marlins in home runs and isolated power.
The most obvious area to add pop would be left field. San Francisco is set in center and seems interested in returning Hunter Pence in right. While the team did muster about two wins above replacement from its left fielders this year, most of it derived from exceptional defense from Gregor Blanco and Andres Torres. That lineup spot produced just seven long balls, however.
The difficulty, of course, comes in the market for power-hitting left fielders, which seems longer on demand than supply. Indeed, we just took a look at much the same question with regard to San Fran's division foes from Arizona, who similarly have a compelling young first baseman and a desire to add pop elsewhere. The Giants probably have more payroll flexibility than do the Diamondbacks: San Francisco has already guaranteed $84.23MM in 2014, but that is still $52.68MM under its 2013 payroll and it only figures to pay a hefty arbitration salary to Belt, who will just be in his first season of eligibility. Though Schulman says that the Giants could be in the mix for free agents like Carlos Beltran, or might even consider dealing a young arm for an outfielder, power would figure to be easier and cheaper to add at the first base position.
Given the market situation, Schulman suggests an interesting alternative method that GM Brian Sabean could employ to infuse pop into the lineup: namely, moving Brandon Belt to left field and adding a first baseman. Bochy seemingly considers it realistic that the team may ask Belt to prepare to play in the outfield, though he was talking about a part-time role that would keep Belt in the lineup when Buster Posey plays first. According to Schulman, however, a full-time move is not out of the question for the athletic 25-year-old, who has established himself this year with a 143 OPS+. Indeed, the smooth-swinging Belt does have professional experience in the outfield, including 36 MLB games.
Whether or not Sabean will pursue this strategy remains to be seen, of course, but it would open up more avenues to bring additional power into AT&T Park. The free agent market for first basemen includes Kendrys Morales and Mike Napoli. Cuban defector Jose Abreu has also been rumored to be on the Giants' radar.
NL West Notes: Chavez, D-backs’ Closers, Lincecum
We just looked at the Diamondbacks' pending search for a power bat. Here are some more notes on the D-backs and their NL West rivals:
- As noted in my earlier post, the team's second-best power source this year has come from third baseman Eric Chavez, who has done a nice job on a one-year, $3MM deal. As Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic reports, the 35-year-old is interested in returning, and only wants a one-year deal since he isn't sure how long he'll want to keep going. GM Kevin Towers says that "there's still probably a need" for Chavez next year, and that the team could utilize his left-handed bat in a platoon with rookie Matt Davidson.
- Arizona also has some question marks at the back end of its bullpen, writes Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The team owes $7MM to J.J. Putz and $6MM to Heath Bell (even after the Marlins pick up part of the tab) in 2014, but has used Brad Ziegler at closer of late. Ziegler earned $3.15MM this year, and should get a nice raise in his final year of arbitration after logging another 60+ inning, sub-3.00 ERA season while picking up double-digit saves. Though Arizona might wish to shed some of these obligations, only Ziegler seems like he would draw much interest.
- If Giants starter Tim Lincecum reaches the open market, he could be in a better position than one might expect, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes on Sulia. While teams used to worry about how Lincecum would perform when he lost velocity, says a Schulman source, they now know and may feel more comfortable making a long-term commitment. We heard yesterday that the Giants have opened negotiations on an extension with one soon-to-be free agent, Hunter Pence, but have yet to do so with Lincecum.