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Latest On Josh Hamilton, Rangers, Giants

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Josh Hamilton is going to hit free agency following a mostly healthy season of elite production. He has 42 home runs and he's hitting .287/.358/.588, so interest should be abundant a couple of months from now when the bidding begins. In the meantime, here’s the latest on Hamilton:

  • Hamilton told Yahoo’s Tim Brown that he doesn’t consider his upcoming contract discussions complicated. "I don't get it. I provide a service. I get paid for it," he said. It’s a little more complicated for the MLB executives who must determine whether Hamilton can maintain his current level of play for five-plus more years. A veteran scout told Brown Hamilton remains "in the top two or three most talented ballplayers” the scout has ever seen.
  • The Rangers and Hamilton’s agent have discussed some very general ideas for what might be next in terms of contracts, but Hamilton hasn’t been present for those talks, Brown reports.
  • One National League official strongly suggested the Giants could end up signing Hamilton this coming offseason, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). If the Giants sign Hamilton it’d have to be a very short-term contract for a high average annual value, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle adds (on Twitter).

Olney On Hamilton, Tigers, Posey

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MLB executives don’t question Josh Hamilton’s ability on the field, but they’re hesitant to commit long-term to the outfielder, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports. Hamilton figures to ask for $20-25MM per season and executives are wary of guaranteeing that kind of salary to a player with off-field questions, Olney writes. Here’s Olney’s latest on the market for Hamilton, who hits free agency for the first time this offseason:

  • The Rangers have their doubts about how long they want to invest in Hamilton, Olney writes. They’ve done background work on outfielders such as Justin Upton and Jacoby Ellsbury since they realize they could be in the market for an impact outfielder within a few months.
  • The Dodgers had no intention of bidding for Hamilton even before they acquired Carl Crawford. The Angels, Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Braves, Nationals and Orioles don’t seem like logical destinations for Hamilton, Olney writes.
  • One GM said the Tigers could surprise rival teams and enter the bidding for Hamilton. Owner Mike Ilitch has a history of spending aggressively on free agents such as Prince Fielder and Magglio Ordonez.
  • The Giants could have interest in Hamilton, but Olney suggests it’d probably be conservative. The Giants will make an effort to sign Buster Posey long-term, according to Olney. Mark Polishuk recently previewed a possible extension for the San Francisco catcher.

Quick Hits: A’s, Pirates, Hurdle, Soriano

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Sunday afternoon linkage..

  • There have been indications that commissioner Bud Selig might rule on the A's move to San Jose by the end of the year, but he may be considering a ruling that could challenge both the A's and Giants to fulfill certain criteria, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  "I think there will be an effort to be Solomonesque," said someone who has spoken with Selig. "This is not a 'yes or no' sort of thing."
  • Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington says that manager Clint Hurdle's job is not in jeopardy despite the club's recent slide, according to Rob Biertempfel and Karen Price of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. 
  • Paul Swydan of Fangraphs believes that if Rafael Soriano opts out of his deal with the Yankees in search of a multi-year deal with an average value of $14MM per year, either he'll be disappointed or the team that signs him will be.  Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports opined that Soriano would be making a mistake if he cut the cord on his three-year, $35MM contract in search of a better deal.
  • The Nationals don't plan on celebrating when they officially clinch a playoff spot as the team has goals within reach more worthy of a champagne bottle, writes Amanda Comak of The Washington Times. 
  • Stephen Strasburg's season isn't completely over as he's staying involved with the team by playing catch and participating in a rehab program crafted by the Nationals, says Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post. Pitching coach Steve McCatty says the young ace has handled the transition better than outsiders may perceive. “I don’t think he’s ready for a straitjacket, if that’s what you’re getting at,” McCatty said. “… Stephen is doing fine. He’s handling it.”

Daniel Seco contributed to this post.

NL West Notes: Rockies, Giants, Tulowitzki

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On Friday, Mike Axisa checked in on the stock of free-agent-to-be Marco Scutaro.  The veteran has proved to be one of the most high-impact trade deadline pickups since being dealt from the Rockies to the Giants.  Scutaro was initially high on staying put in Colorado but has quickly warmed up to San Francisco and says that he would like to stay put.  With that said, the free agent market doesn't have a ton to offer when it comes to middle infielders and retaining the 36-year-old could cost the Giants a pretty penny.  Here's more out of the NL West..

  • Despite Troy Tulowitzki's injury-related setbacks this season, there is no sign that the Rockies are willing to explore a trade for him, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post.  Renck asked the soon-to-be 28-year-old if he would be open to possibly shifting over to third base, but the shortstop rejected that idea.
  • Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that it is highly unlikely that we will see suspended outfielder Melky Cabrera appear in a postseason game for the Giants.  Doing so would require leaving a roster spot open until the sixth playoff game of the year, which would be a sizable commitment considering that they don't know what he could bring to the table.  Beyond that, the Giants are likely upset with Cabrera on a personal level.
  • Rockies manager Jim Tracy is happy about the club's decision to go with a five-man rotation in 2013, Renck writes.  The Rockies experimented with a four-man starting rotation this season but will now modify that plan to have five starters on a 90-100 pitch count with three "piggyback" relievers.  Renck writes that the tweak should make the Rockies more appealing to veteran pitchers such as Kevin Millwood this winter.
  • More from Renck, who writes that the Rockies are working to get a better handle on how the altitude of their home ballpark effects them and how they can approach the game differently.  That has manifested itself in the form of the aforementioned pitching experiment but could also result in other creative changes going forward.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Marco Scutaro

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Few trade deadline acquisitions have had as much impact as Marco Scutaro, who has hit .341/.361/.447 in 44 games for the Giants after being acquired from the Rockies for prospect Charlie Culberson. He's continued to show off his trademark versatility by filling in at third base while Pablo Sandoval was hurt before taking over second full-time.

Uspw_6511012Scutaro, 36, owns a .293/.336/.388 overall batting line this season between Colorado and San Francisco. He hit .299/.358/.423 in 445 plate appearances for the Red Sox a year ago, before they exercised his $6MM option and traded him to the Rockies. Other than that versatility, Scutaro's calling card is his ability to make contact and get on-base. He's struck out in just 7.8% of his plate appearances this year, the second lowest mark in baseball. His career 8.7% walk rate is rock solid as well.

Earlier this week Scutaro made it clear that he would like to return to the Giants next season, so much so that he would be open to re-signing during the exclusive negotiating period after the World Series. The upcoming free agent class is light on quality middle infielders though, so his services will definitely be in high demand especially when you factor in his strong second half performance for a contender.

Scutaro originally signed a two-year $12.5MM contract with the Red Sox prior to the 2010 season (plus the option), and I don't think it's completely out of the question that he signs a similar multiyear deal this winter despite being three years older. The middle infield market offers few viable alternatives, and his versatility means he won't be locked into one position. The Giants are shedding Freddy Sanchez's $6MM salary after the season, money that could be easily reinvested in the team's current second baseman.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Scutaro Hopes To Return To Giants

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While Marco Scutaro seemed less-than-enthused about leaving the Rockies when he was traded in July, the veteran now says that he hopes to return to San Francisco next season, writes Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com. 

“I would love to come back here,” Scutaro said. “I really love it here. There are great fans, it’s a great place to play. More important, it’s a place where you have a chance to win every year.” 

The infielder went on to say that he would be open to re-signing during the exclusivity window after the season, before he would hit the open market.  Baggarly hears that the Giants will work hard to re-sign Scutaro after the season as they're in need of someone to handle second base for a year or two before Joe Panik is ready.

In 139 games for the Rockies and Giants this season, Scutaro has a slash line of .293/.336/.388 with six home runs.  Yesterday, Ben Nicholson-Smith broke down Fangraphs' list of the top free agent infielders, which included Scutaro.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Steve Edlefsen

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We'll keep track of today's outrights in this post …

  • Giants pitcher Steve Edlefsen has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Fresno, according to Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area (via Twitter). Edlefsen, a 27-year-old right-hander, was designated for assignment last week and has made 27 career appearances with San Francisco.

Olney On Upton, Young, Wilson

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Buster Posey has a legitimate chance at the NL MVP this year, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. Posey has 20 home runs and a .327/.402/.531 batting line with nearly six wins above replacement (5.8 according to FanGraphs, 5.5 according to Baseball-Reference). Here are more of Olney’s notes from the NL West…

  • Rival executives expect the Diamondbacks to trade Justin Upton this winter, Olney reports. Some team officials believe the Diamondbacks will also trade center fielder Chris Young, possibly for a shortstop. Young earns $8.5MM next year and his contract includes an $11MM club option for 2014, so he'd represent a more affordable alternative to free agents such as B.J. Upton, Michael Bourn and Shane Victorino. Arizona could then enter the 2013 season with a projected outfield of Gerardo Parra, Jason Kubel and Adam Eaton.
  • Olney suggests the Giants will move on from Brian Wilson this offseason. Wilson, who appeared in two games this year before undergoing Tommy John surgery, will be arbitration eligible this coming offseason. He’ll be expensive if the Giants tender him a contract, as he earned an $8.5MM salary in 2012. It’d make sense for the Giants to see if there’s trade interest in the 30-year-old, Olney writes.

Cafardo On Red Sox, Cabrera, Okajima, Quentin

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Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington will focus on trying to fix his team’s pitching from top to bottom this offseason, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  Since drafting Jon Lester in 2002, the only major league starting pitchers the Red Sox have developed are Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, and Justin Masterson.  And while they had good luck with relievers Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard, Craig Hansen and Michael Bowden didn't work out as well.  When it comes to grooming their pitchers of the future, Cafardo suggests that the Red Sox should reach out to Rick Peterson to help steer the ship.  Here's more from today's column..

  • If Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera doesn't have any additional fallout relating to his 50-game suspension, GMs that were asked said they would look at him as a one-year contract possibility.  However, one GM noted that “If there’s competition for him, someone will go multiyear.”
  • Former Red Sox left-hander Hideki Okajima is in Japan and trying to work his way back to the majors.  Okajima is pitching extremely well in Japan, where many thought he wanted to stay, but  he wants another shot at the majors and may get it.
  • Carlos Quentin's contract is very reasonable for the small-market Padres, but they could still be open to moving him this offseason.  Quentin inked a three-year, $27MM extension with the club in July that includes a $10MM mutual option for 2016.
  • One veteran talent evaluator thinks many teams missed the boat on acquiring Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano.  While he’s not the centerpiece of any lineup he would be a good left field option for a team seeking a righthanded middle-of-the-order bat.
  • The Cubs will likely make a push for Red Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan, bullpen coach Gary Tuck, and possibly even bench coach Tim Bogar.  However, Bogar might prefer to stay in Boston.

Eric Hacker Elects Free Agency

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Right-hander Eric Hacker has rejected his outright assignment to pursue opportunities in Japan or Korea, reports Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). The Giants designated him for assignment earlier this week and then outrighted him to Triple-A today.

Hacker, 29, allowed six runs in 9 2/3 innings with San Francisco earlier this season. He spent the bulk of the year with Triple-A Fresno, posting a 4.01 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 25 starts and one relief appearance. Hacker has a 4.76 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in five Triple-A campaigns.

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