NL West Notes: Dodgers Owners, Lincecum, Rockies
Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays were both elected into the Hall Of Fame on this day in 1962 and 1979, respectively. As you might expect, both legends went to Cooperstown in their first year of eligibility. Mays received 409 of 432 votes; at the time, only inaugural inductees Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner had received a higher percentage of the vote.
While we ponder how in the world anyone could leave Mays, Robinson or any of the original HOF class off a ballot, here are some items from around the NL West…
- At least ten parties submitted bids to buy the Dodgers, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Among the bidders are former Dodger owner Peter O'Malley, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, and ownership groups fronted by such familiar names as Magic Johnson and Joe Torre.
- With Tim Lincecum and the Giants reportedly close on a two-year contract extension, MLB.com's Chris Haft talks to former general managers John Hart and Jim Bowden about how a short-term deal could benefit both sides.
- The Marco Scutaro trade was "a clear win" for the Rockies, writes Fangraphs' Paul Swydan, as Scutaro will solve the team's problems at second base and with the No. 2 spot in the batting order.
- The Rockies didn't, however, "outfox" the Twins in the Kevin Slowey trade, an MLB talent evaluator tells Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Slowey was only a Rockie for about six weeks before Colorado dealt him to Cleveland on January 20.
- In news from earlier today, the Padres avoided arbitration with southpaw Clayton Richard and the Diamondbacks claimed catcher Craig Tatum off waivers from the Astros.
Cody Ross Decision Expected Today
6:56pm: The Red Sox have "made some progress" with Ross, a team source tells Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
4:33pm: It sounds like Ross will probably end up with the Red Sox, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. Rubin suggests the Mets didn't want to spend more than $1MM.
3:59pm: The Braves aren't among the finalists for Ross, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets.
2:56pm: Free agent outfielder Cody Ross is expected to pick a team by the end of the day, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News tweets. The Red Sox are having an ongoing dialogue with Ross, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick tweets.
The Mets also have some interest in the free agent outfielder, but the Red Sox can offer more money and a hitter-friendly home park, according to Baggarly. The Mets aren't sure Ross fits for them, so the Red Sox and others are more likely fits, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
Ross, 31, posted a .240/.325/.405 line with 14 home runs in 461 plate appearances for the Giants in 2011, while playing all three outfield positions. The SFX client has a career .282/.349/.563 line against left-handed pitching. Ross won the NLCS MVP in 2010, when he hit three homers against the Phillies. The Braves and Rockies have also been linked to Ross this winter.
Giants, Lincecum Nearing Two-Year Deal
The Giants are nearing a two-year contract with Tim Lincecum, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The Beverly Hills Sports Council client is "very, very close" to an extension worth a little more than $40MM. A two-year deal would buy out the right-hander's final two seasons of arbitration eligibility and avoid a potentially historic hearing.
Lincecum filed for a $21.5MM salary through arbitration and the Giants countered at $17MM, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows. Both figures set new records for players with less than six years of service time. Derek Jeter ($18.5MM) and the Yankees ($14.25MM) had established the previous marks more than a decade ago, in 2001.
Lincecum, 27, has a 2.98 ERA with 9.9 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 47.1% ground ball rate in 1028 career innings. He already has two Cy Young Awards and four All-Star Game selections to his name. Only four pitchers – Roy Halladay, C.C. Sabathia, Justin Verlander and Dan Haren – have produced more wins above replacement since 2007, Lincecum's rookie season.
This post was first published on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012.
Many Teams Eyeing Gerardo Concepcion
Cuban left-hander Gerardo Concepcion has been declared a free agent and is drawing interest from many MLB teams, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports. The 18-year-old recently established residency in Mexico and was said to be close to declaring free agency last week.
The Rangers, Yankees, Cubs and White Sox have expressed the most interest in Concepcion, agent Jaime Torres said. The lefty worked out in front of Rangers personnel, including Nolan Ryan, in the Dominican Republic today. The Phillies, Giants, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Royals have also expressed interest.
Concepcion has an offer on the table and will likely sign within two weeks, according to his agent. He defected from Cuba last June while playing in the Netherlands.
Giants Optimistic About New Deal With Cain
There are early indications that the Giants will have a decent or better chance to lock Matt Cain on another long-term deal, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman adds that the club offered Tim Lincecum a deal worth at least $100MM over five years but is now focusing on one- and two-year deals after being rebuffed.
Giants people are saying only that talks are "ongoing'' with Cain, but there seems to be a fair amount of optimism they can keep Cain for less than $20MM a season. Cain already took one long team-friendly deal when he agreed to a three-year, $27.25MM contract prior to the 2010 season. Our own Luke Adams recently explored what it would take for the Giants to lock the 27-year-old up with a new deal.
However, Lincecum seems more likely to wind up with a two-year deal rather than sign a contract into his free-agent years. We've heard all offseason that the pitcher is in search of a short-term deal. Yesterday we learned that the Giants offered a two-year, $40MM contract and Lincecum's representatives countered with a two-year, $44MM offer.
Heyman writes that baseball people believe that Cain could match Cliff Lee's $120MM deal as a free agent if he tests the market after the year, but word is that he badly wants to stay in San Francisco. Those in the industry also believe that if Lincecum can put together two more outstanding years, he can become the game's first $200MM pitcher on the open market in 2013.
Giants, Lincecum, $4MM Apart On New Contract
The Giants have offered Tim Lincecum a two-year, $40MM contract and the pitcher's representatives have countered with a two-year, $44MM offer, reports Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The small gap between the two offers leads Brown to believe that an agreement will be reached.
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reported yesterday that "significant progress" had been made between the two sides since they filed their arbitration figures (Lincecum for $21.5MM, the Giants for $17MM). A two-year contract would cover both of Lincecum's remaining arbitration years and also fit Lincecum's stated preference for short-term deals, though the Giants had also explored an eight-year extension with the two-time Cy Young Award winner earlier this winter.
Quick Hits: Lincecum, Red Sox, Gordon, Francis
Friday night links..
- The Giants and the agent for Tim Lincecum have made significant progress since exchanging arbitration figures and both sides are confident that a resolution can be reached before a hearing would be scheduled, writes Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News.
- The Reds could look to land an infielder via trade, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- It appears that talks between the Rockies and Red Sox regarding Marco Scutaro are dormant, but Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes that Boston's possible motivation for a move involving Scutaro would be to free up payroll. The club has reportedly expressed interest in White Sox starter Gavin Floyd and free agent outfielder Cody Ross, but neither move could be made unless a trade was made to offer budgetary relief according to a source.
- The Royals and Alex Gordon aren't particularly close on a deal but talks remain cordial and both sides want to get something done, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
- Left-hander Jeff Francis is starting to attract more interest from teams in the market for a starting pitcher including the Mariners, Reds, Blue Jays, and Mets, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (Twitter links)
- Jesus Montero has dealt with his visa issue and is scheduled to travel from Florida to Seattle today for his Mariners physical, tweets Ken Davidoff of Newsday.
- Braves GM Frank Wren doesn't believe that his club has a major personnel need, writes Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Wren also believes that this year's bullpen figures to be even deeper that last year's.
- Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post (via Twitter) is told that the Marlins have no interest in bringing Ivan Rodriguez back.
Giants, Romo Avoid Arbitration
The Giants avoided arbitration with Sergio Romo, agreeing to a one-year deal, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News tweets. The 28-year-old right-hander will earn $1.575MM in 2012, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, Romo filed for $1.75MM while the Giants countered at $1.3MM for a midpoint of $1.525MM.
Romo posted a 1.50 ERA with 13.1 K/9 and 0.9 BB/9 in 48 innings for the Giants in 2011. The Meister Sports Management client is under team control through 2014. Tim Lincecum, who filed for a record $21.5MM, is San Francisco's lone unsigned arbitration eligible player.
Minor Moves: Petit, Loux
Here's where we'll track the day's minor moves…
- The Indians signed infielder Gregorio Petit to a minor league deal, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets. The 27-year-old appeared in the Majors with the Athletics in 2008-09, but didn't play affiliated baseball last year. He spent the 2010 campaign with the Rangers' top affiliate, where he posted a .658 OPS in 525 plate appearances as the Oklahoma City shortstop.
- The Giants announced 25 non-roster invitees, including right-hander Shane Loux. The 32-year-old last appeared in the Majors in 2009 and spent the 2011 season as a starter for the Giants' top affiliate.
NL West Links: Maybin, Padres, Giants, D’Backs
One year ago today, the Rockies re-signed Jason Giambi to serve as their backup first baseman and primary pinch-hitter. Here's the latest out of the NL West…
- The Padres and Cameron Maybin had tabled contract extension talks for now, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (on Twitter). Maybin recently changed agents and the two sides haven't made any progress.
- Although they are just about done with their 40-man roster moves, Dan Hayes of the North County Times hears that the Padres have room for one more "protection" starting pitcher (Twitter link).
- Giants executive Bobby Evans told John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle that the team's five starters are in place (Twitter link). Evans also mentioned Gregor Blanco as possible outfield depth.
- The Diamondbacks thought they had a deal in place with Bartolo Colon before he signed with the Athletics, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider req'd). Arizona ended up signing Joe Saunders today.