AL West Notes: Beane, Hunter, Dipoto, Perez, A’s
Adam Moore's quest to make the Mariners' Major League roster hit a big roadblock after the catcher suffered a broken wrist during Tuesday's game against the Reds. Moore will likely miss the rest of Spring Training at the minimum and he's seeing a hand specialist today to determine the severity of the injury. Moore was battling for a spot as Seattle's backup catcher, which could have been available given that Jesus Montero is expected to see a lot of time at DH this season.
Here's some more news from the AL West…
- Athletics GM Billy Beane chatted with Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News about such topics as Yoenis Cespedes, the challenges of taking the A's through another rebuilding process and the team's desire to resolve their stadium situation and possibly relocate to San Jose.
- Torii Hunter would "take less money" to return to the Angels next season, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. "They have so many young guys coming up, guys they want to give playing time to, so I know it could be difficult for me," Hunter said. "But if they're willing to keep me here, I would love to stay." Hunter's five-year, $90MM contract expires after this season and though the outfielder has said he wants to play for two or three more years, his top priority is to play for a contender, preferably the Halos.
- Angels GM Jerry Dipoto sees the battle for playing time on his club's roster as a strength, he tells MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. "The next team that wins a world championship with 25 guys, they will be the first," Dipoto said. "It keeps players fresh, it puts them in good matchup situations, it gives you depth, interchangeable pieces….Do I believe there's enough at-bats for the players here? Absolutely."
- Oliver Perez's minor league deal with the Mariners will pay him $750K if he makes the 25-man roster, reports MLB.com's Greg Johns. Perez can earn another $250K in incentives tied to innings and games pitched.
- The Mariners' wealth of minor league talent makes them "the next Tampa Bay Rays," writes ESPN's Jim Bowden (Insider subscription required), though the Mariners' higher payroll gives them a leg up on the Rays. Bowden is very high on Seattle's young pitching corps, comparing them to not just the Rays' current staff, but also to Oakland's Tim Hudson/Mark Mulder/Barry Zito trio of the early 2000's and the great Braves rotations of the 1990's.
- The Athletics and Giants released competing press releases yesterday in regards to the ongoing dispute between the two clubs over the Athletics' attempt to move to San Jose. John Shea and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle recap the more pertinent passages from each release, as the two teams argue over which has territorial rights to Santa Clara County.
West Notes: Athletics, Jimenez, Rockies, Hernandez
Items out of the AL and NL West..
- The Athletics released a statement this afternoon regarding recent reports that MLB might not allow the club to move to San Jose due to the Giants' territorial rights. The A's point out that out of "the four two-team markets in MLB, only the Giants and A's do not share the exact same geographic boundaries." The statement also emphasizes that a move to San Jose would benefit other owners when it comes to revenue sharing.
- For the first time, Ubaldo Jimenez openly admitted that he wanted to be traded from the Rockies, writes Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSportsArizona.com. The pitcher watched Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez sign long-term contracts with the club and felt as though he had been put on hold. Jimenez was looking for a trade this time last year but wasn't dealt until July 30th.
- There was some buzz about Felix Hernandez's favorable comments regarding his future in Seattle beyond 2014, but Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times cautions not to read too far into them. Hernandez signed a five-year, $78MM deal prior to the 2010 season and Baker writes that there are no immediate plans to put another deal in front of the ace.
Latest On Matt Cain
The Giants and Matt Cain appear to have positive momentum in contract extension talks, based on this passage from Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com:
From what I’ve been told, the two sides have reached greater common ground in recent weeks. Cain wants to stay and the Giants have the wherewithal to keep him. Those tend to be the most important factors. It’ll be a surprise to many, both in the organization and out, if Cain’s deal doesn’t get done before the season starts.
The Giants open the season in Arizona one month from today. Cain, a CAA Sports client, has signed extensions with the Giants twice before. The second contract bought out one free agent year, giving Cain a $15MM salary in 2012 before he's eligible for free agency. As a 27-year-old in his prime, Cain should become the seventh pitcher in baseball history to sign for more than $100MM. There's "no shot" he signs for less, a person familiar with the situation told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
West Notes: Cespedes, Cain, Beras, Murphy, Villalona
On this day in 2009, the Dodgers agreed to re-sign Manny Ramirez to a two-year, $45MM contract. Ramirez's time in Los Angeles came to an end in August of 2010 when he was claimed off of waivers by the White Sox. As a Dodger, the slugger hit .322/.433/.580 with 44 homers in 223 games. Here's a look at some items out of the AL and NL West..
- Yoenis Cespedes was warmly welcomed by Manny, writes Yahoo's Steve Henson. Ramirez discussed hitting extensively with his new friend, and ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that Cespedes says it's an "honor" to play with Ramirez. (Twitter link).
- There was a belief around baseball that Matt Cain was going to be an easy sign for the Giants, but that now seems less certain, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Word was that the hurler might even be prepared to sign back with the Giants for less than $100MM but that seems far less likely.
- If the league upholds Jairo Beras' contract with the Rangers, sources with several teams have said that they will be furious, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America. MLB has granted some players leniency in the past if they willingly came forward with a new age or a new identity, but that does not appear to be the case in this situation.
- Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels says that multiple teams have inquired on David Murphy, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Even though Murphy is slated to come off of the bench, Daniels says that the outfielder is a huge part of the club. The Twins inquired on Murphy back in December but Texas was unwilling to compromise their outfield depth.
- Angel Villalona's name plate has been removed from his locker and that's a sign that his visa issue isn't close to being resolved, tweets Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com. The Giants first baseman is facing legal trouble in his native Dominican Republic.
- The Athletics formally introduced Cespedes today and the outfielder said that Miguel Tejada told him that Oakland was a good organization to grow up in, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Quick Hits: Walden, Indians, A’s, Appel, Molina
Here are some notes from around the majors…
- The Angels renewed the contract of closer Jordan Walden, the team announced. The Halos also agreed to terms with 21 other players on one-year deals for 2012.
- The Indians are "looking around for a left fielder" in the wake of Grady Sizemore's injury, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. With so many outfielders already in camp, the Tribe are likely looking for no more than another part-timer on a minor league contract.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News believes Major League Baseball won't allow the Athletics to move to San Jose. Madden doesn't think three-quarters of the teams would approve of violating the Giants' territorial rights to San Jose, quoting a baseball lawyer who says teams would be wary of voting for a measure that could cost them in the future. As an example, the Phillies, Mets and Yankees wouldn't be likely to vote against territorial rights since such votes be used as precedent for a team to someday move to New Jersey.
- Right-hander Mark Appel hasn't quite pitched up to expectations for Stanford this season, writes Baseball America's Conor Glassey. In particular, Appel's K/9 rate is lower than several recent high-drafted pitchers during their sophomore years. Appel is a contender to be the first overall pick in the June amateur draft.
- Yadier Molina's five-year, $75MM extension with the Cardinals was driven by the catcher's defense and leadership, reports MLB.com's Matthew Leach. "[The St. Louis pitchers] understand his value more than sabermetricians could ever start to pick it apart, and what other people inside the game even understand," said Cards manager Mike Matheny. "There's so many intangibles. You can't put numbers to the things that this guy does in helping this team win. And I think that's [exemplified by] two world championships since he's taken over behind the plate."
Quick Hits: Burnett, Sizemore, Posey, Yankees
Now that the calendar has flipped to March, Opening Day seems that much closer. Here are some links from around MLB, starting with a pair of injury updates…
- The Pirates announced that A.J. Burnett has an orbital fracture of his right eye and will require surgery. The club didn’t provide a timetable for the right-hander, who was acquired from the Yankees last month.
- The Indians announced that Grady Sizemore underwent a “minimally invasive low back procedure” and is expected to miss two to three months.
- Agent Jeff Berry told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that no discussions about a multiyear deal for Giants catcher Buster Posey are expected to take place before Opening Day. Posey hasn't played since last May 25th, so it's more likely that an extension would become a priority next offseason.
- Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner confirmed to reporters, including Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger, that he is intent on lowering payroll below $189MM by 2014 for luxury tax purposes (Twitter link).
Bengie Molina Retires
Bengie Molina has retired, according to Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com. Molina, a catcher, played in parts of 13 seasons with the Angels, Blue Jays, Giants and Rangers, and though he did not play in 2011, he had remained open to the possibility of returning until now.
Molina, 37, was regarded as a defense-first backstop, posting a .274/.307/.411 line with 144 homers for his career. His full-season high in long balls was 20, which came in 2009. All told, Molina accumulated 15.2 wins above replacement, according to Fangraphs' version of that metric. He earned World Series rings with the Angels in 2002 and the Giants in 2010, though he actually finished that season with the Rangers, the team that lost the World Series, after a midseason trade.
Originally signed by the (then) California Angels as an amateur free agent in 1993, Molina earned $33.48MM in his career, per Baseball-Reference.
NL West Links: Cain, Giants, Ethier, Quentin
On this date in 1999, the Diamondbacks acquired Tony Womack from the Pirates for Jason Boyd and a minor leaguer. Womack hit .269/.314/.362 in five seasons with the D'Backs, helping the club to the 2001 World Championship. Here's the latest from the NL West…
- Giants CEO Larry Baer wouldn't give away much regarding contract talks with Matt Cain except to say that they are "back and forth" and "ongoing," tweets Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.
- "I'm going to be respectful of the process here," said Baer to reporters (including MLB.com's Chris Haft) when asked about the Giants potentially relinquishing territorial rights to San Jose, allowing the Athletics to move. "You know, I think that's really important. The game is bigger than any internal machinations."
- "I can't tell you what will happen with that," said Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick when asked about signing a contract extension after the team is sold at the end of April. "The only thing I can change is the way I play. Today is today, and that's all I can handle. I'm here to play for today." Ethier can become a free agent after the season.
- Carlos Quentin is returning home to Southern California following his trade to the Padres, and Don Norcross of The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote about the excitement he brings to the team.
West Links: Cain, Conger, McCarthy
Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, a free agent after this season, discussed his contract earlier today, intimating that he won't take a hometown discount to remain in Texas. It should make for an interesting season for the All-Star. Here are some other links from around the West divisions …
- Giants pitcher Matt Cain's agents, Landon Williams and Rick Landrum, have joined CAA Sports, according to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal, and are continuing extension negotiations on behalf of the right-hander under that company (Twitter links). As with Hamilton, Cain hinted earlier this month that he's not inclined to accept a club-friendly deal.
- With Chris Iannetta on board as the Angels' starting catcher, it looks like Hank Conger will begin the season in the minors so as to avoid riding the bench in the Majors, writes Mark Saxon of ESPNLA.com. Conger could be expendable, Saxon adds, if Iannetta and the Halos exercise their $5MM mutual option for 2013.
- Athletics starter Brandon McCarthy's transition from a disappointing prospect to a post-hype breakout star in 2011 is documented by Eddie Matz of ESPN The Magazine. McCarthy overhauled his pitching approach after studying up on sabermetrics, parlaying his 2011 success (AL-best 2.86 FIP) into a $4.275MM arbitration reward for 2012 and a shot at a possible long-term extension.
Quick Hits: Oswalt, Wilson, Dotel, International Draft
Here's the latest from around the league on a historic day, as Ryan Braun became the first player to successfully appeal a banned substance-related supension…
- "It’s strictly a money thing," said Lance Berkman to reporters (including Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com) when asked about Roy Oswalt (Twitter links). "The Cardinals [offer] … wasn’t enough to lure him out of Mississippi … I think he feels like that he can get the same money in half a season as he could in a full season and he’s probably right."
- "He's under control this year and next year, and we're in the monitoring stage for obvious reasons," said Giants GM Brian Sabean to Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle when asked about the future of Brian Wilson. "We're still in the wait-and-see period." Wilson can become a free agent after 2013.
Octavio Dotel will become the first player in MLB history to play for 13 teams when he appears in his first game with the Tigers, as Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press writes. Matt Stairs, Mike Morgan and Ron Villone currently share the record with Dotel, who hopes to retire a Tiger. - Commissioner Bud Selig spoke about an international draft in this piece by Josh Leventhal of Baseball America. "We'll watch the situation carefully and make the right decision," said Selig. "I can't say [when a draft would be put in place]. We want to see how [the process] works out."
- ESPN's Keith Law published his first list of the top 50 prospects in this year's draft (Insider req'd). High school outfielder Byron Buxton topped list, following by high school righty Lucas Giolito and Stanford righty Mark Appel.