Mariners Rumors

Mariners To Re-Sign Endy Chavez

By Mark Polishuk | January 23, 2014 at 3:47pm CDT

TODAY: Chavez will earn $750K if he makes the big league roster, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post, and the deal includes up to $450K in incentives tied to plate appearances. He can request his release on June 1st if he is not on the MLB roster.

YESTERDAY: The Mariners have agreed to a minor league deal with outfielder Endy Chavez, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports (Twitter link). Chavez, a Legacy Agency client, will receive an invitation to Seattle's big league Spring Training camp.

Chavez, who turns 36 in February, signed a minor league deal with the M's last March and ended up playing in 97 Major League games, seeing time at all three outfield positions and hitting .267/.290/.327 in 279 PA. Chavez joins a crowded outfield situation in Seattle, as he'll be battling Franklin Gutierrez, Willie Bloomquist, Abraham Almonte and Dustin Ackley for either bench jobs or even a regular share of starting time in left field.

AL West Notes: Darvish, O’Flaherty, Angels, Mariners

By Mark Polishuk | January 23, 2014 at 12:53am CDT

In less than two years, Yu Darvish's contract went from a big risk for the Rangers to a major bargain, ESPN Dallas' Richard Durrett writes. Between Darvish's posting fee and six-year contract (plus bonuses), Durrett calculates that Darvish will cost Texas roughly $111MM over the six years, a deal that looks very reasonable compared to the massive contracts signed by other ace pitchers around baseball since the 2010-11 offseason. Masahiro Tanaka, for instance, is set to earn twice as much as Darvish over the next four seasons though most scouts concur that Darvish is the better pitcher.

Here's some more from around the AL West…

Athletics manager Bob Melvin and assistant GM David Forst discussed the club's signing of Eric O'Flaherty in a conference call with reporters, including Joe Stiglich of CSNBayArea.com. Forst said the A's were satisfied that O'Flaherty was making good progress in his recovery from Tommy John surgery in May 2013. The reliever expressed similar confidence to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link) that he is "100 percent certain" he'll be able to pitch in the first half of the season, possibly as early as May.
The Angels aren't looking for relievers "with closer experience," GM Jerry Dipoto told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). The Halos seem set with Ernesto Frieri returning as closer and Joe Smith serving as a setup man.
In a mailbag piece, MLB.com's Greg Johns addresses such topics as why the Mariners went after Corey Hart and Logan Morrison instead of re-signing a known quantity in Kendrys Morales, as well as Seattle's chances of pursuing some of the big names remaining on free agent market.
From earlier today, the Angels agreed to sign Ian Stewart to a minor league deal, while the Mariners agreed to bring Endy Chavez back on a minor league contract.

Cubs Looking At Starters, Will Not Re-Sign Scott Baker

By Jeff Todd | January 22, 2014 at 2:24pm CDT

After losing out on Masahiro Tanaka, the Cubs remain interested in adding rotation depth, likely in the form of a relatively minor signing, reports Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. Chicago will not be in the market for one of the top remaining free agent starter, such as former Cubbie Matt Garza, unless a golden opportunity arises.

Neither is the club interested in bringing back Scott Baker, Rogers adds. According to Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (via Twitter), the Mariners and Indians are more likely landing spots for the 32-year-old righty. The Cubs signed Baker to a one-year, $5.5MM deal last year, but Baker was only able to make three starts after a long Tommy John rehab.

Chicago has been linked to other mid-tier starting options, Rogers notes, including Paul Maholm and Jason Hammel. Both pitchers would seem to fit the mold of the club's rotation signings from last year, which included Baker, Scott Feldman (one year, $6MM), and Carlos Villanueva (two years, $10MM). Internal candidates for the club's final rotation spot, according to Rogers, include Justin Grimm, Kyle Hendricks, and Chris Rusin.

AL Notes: GMs, Price, Peguero

By charliewilmoth | January 19, 2014 at 9:05pm CDT

Andrew Friedman of the Rays and Billy Beane of the Athletics have the most job security of any GMs in baseball, Scout.com's Kiley McDaniel writes. At the other end of the spectrum are Jack Zduriencik of the Mariners and Jerry Dipoto of the Angels. McDaniel writes that Zduriencik could hang on in Seattle with a playoff run in 2014, but that doesn't seem likely. Here are more notes from around the American League.

The Rays should not trade David Price, Dayn Perry of CBS Sports writes. Price figures to be the Rays' best starter in what should be a contending season. Also, Price will likely out-produce the $14MM he'll make in 2014. If the Rays struggle this year, Keri says, they can reconsider dealing Price when the trade deadline rolls around.
The Mariners recently designated outfielder Carlos Peguero for assignment when they added John Buck. Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs points out that Peguero is out of options, and is unlikely to make it in the big leagues despite "big-time raw upside" — he strikes out too much and walks too little to take advantage of his power. Sullivan looks at players who have had seasons with strikeout and walk numbers comparable to those of Peguero's 2011 debut, and finds only a few who had meaningful careers, including Tony Armas, Don Demeter, Dick Stuart, and former Mariners star Bret Boone.

Masahiro Tanaka Rumors: Sunday

By edcreech | January 19, 2014 at 6:05pm CDT

Masahiro Tanaka will reportedly command a contract in the neighborhood of $120MM over six years (plus the expected $20MM posting fee) and is said to have received such an offer from the Diamondbacks. Here's the latest with five days remaining before Tanaka's posting period expires Friday at 4pm CT:

The Cubs' convention this weekend was rather quiet, but that might have been different if Tanaka's deadline had been a week earlier, Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago writes. One source told Rogers that the Cubs would be willing to sign Tanaka for up to six to eight years at $25MM per year, while another told him the Cubs would be willing to go with that time frame, but at a lower price.
Tanaka's decision should come Tuesday or Wednesday to allow time for further medical exams to take place prior to the Friday deadline, an AL scout tells David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com (via Twitter).
Kaplan tweets the same scout tells him the Cubs' current state is the biggest drawback in their landing Tanaka. Yesterday, we learned the Cubs made a formal offer to Tanaka, but are considered a long shot to win the bidding.
The White Sox, who also have reportedly have made a formal offer to Tanaka, are in the same boat as the Cubs, tweets Kaplan.
The Mariners may have been priced out of contention for Tanaka or the 25-year-old's interest in Seattle wasn’t as high as some thought, reports the Seattle Times' Geoff Baker.

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

West Notes: Astros, Dodgers, Mariners, Rangers

By Aaron Steen | January 18, 2014 at 9:06pm CDT

A source tells MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo that the Astros haven't discussed a long-term extension with Jason Castro yet. The 26-year-old appears to be a candidate for a long-term deal after a 2013 breakout campaign that saw him slug 18 home runs and generate 4.3 fWAR, tops among AL catchers not named Joe Mauer. However, he's now eligible for arbitration, and could become expensive quickly if he's not interested in an extension. As FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal observed recently, teams appear increasingly willing to trade players who resist being locked up. Here's more from baseball's Western divisions:

Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times notes the Dodgers' need for a utility infielder and wonders if they'll try to bring back Michael Young, who hit .314 for the club in 53 plate appearances last year after being acquired from the Phillies. GM Ned Colletti says the Dodgers have maintained contact with Young, who's reportedly considering retirement.
Cotillo hears (via Twitter) that the Mariners and the Indians are the frontrunners among the five to seven clubs interested in Scott Baker.
Also from Cotillo's Twitter, the Rangers plan to use lefty Rafael Perez, who they've inked to a minor-league deal, out of the bullpen. Perez, who didn't appear in the majors in 2013, was a starter for much of his early career in the minors. The Rangers were known to be on the hunt for a left-handed arm for their rotation following Derek Holland's recent injury.

Tony La Russa Doubts He’ll Get Mariners Job

By charliewilmoth | January 18, 2014 at 2:48pm CDT

Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa doesn't think he'll be selected as the Mariners' next president, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "It’s likely I won’t even get an interview," La Russa told fans at a Cardinals event today. "I’ve heard they’ve got a couple of good guys in house. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity and I would love to put my two cents in as to what contribution I could make. But I don’t think it’s going to happen."

The Mariners are looking for a new president to replace Chuck Armstrong, who is departing at the end of the month. A report last week indicated that the Mariners might consider La Russa if they expanded their search beyond in-house candidates, but it now appears likely that they'll hire their new executive from within.

Minor Moves: Joe Beimel, Logan Kensing, Manny Pina

By Jeff Todd | January 17, 2014 at 11:59pm CDT

There were a few minor moves from earlier today that got lost in the arbitration shuffle:

Seattle has also inked southpaw Joe Beimel, tweets Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. The 36-year-old last pitched in the bigs in 2011, but Brown says his velocity has returned after making a full recovery from Tommy John surgery.
The Mariners have signed righty Logan Kensing and catcher Manny Pina to minor league deals with Spring Training invites, according to the club's non-roster invitee page. Kensing, 31, has a 5.79 ERA in 161 2/3 MLB innings. He made one appearance last year for the Rockies, but last saw the show in 2009. Pina 26, has had two brief cups of coffee with the Royals. At Triple-A last year for the Kansas City organization, he put up a .228/.274/.359 triple-slash in 325 plate appearances.
Only one player remains in DFA limbo at the moment, per MLBTR's DFA Tracker: Carlos Peguero of the Mariners.

Mariners Sign John Buck

By Jeff Todd | January 16, 2014 at 4:49pm CDT

The Mariners announced today that they've added to their catching depth by inking veteran backstop John Buck to a one-year contract. Buck's contract is a Major League deal that is reportedly worth $1MM and should make him the favorite to serve as Seattle's backup catcher. The 33-year-old is a client of the ACES agency.

Buck, an All-Star back in 2010, got off to a hot start last season for the Mets. He ended April with a .844 OPS and 9 home runs, but faded over the course of the year. Buck ended up with a composite .219/.285/.362 line in 431 plate appearances for the year, though he did swat 15 home runs. His overall numbers line up with the figures he posted over the previous two seasons, falling well shy of his two best seasons: 2009 (.247/.299/.484) and 2010 (.281/.314/.489, 20 home runs).

Buck has appeared in at least 100 games in eight of the last nine seasons, making him a durable option. He has rated positively in terms of blocking pitches in the dirt, but has been ranked among the worst pitch framers in the game. Indeed, according to StatCorner (hat tip to Dave Cameron of Fangraphs), Buck came in dead last among all catchers in framing last year, costing the Mets over 20 runs.

Buck inked a three-year, $18MM contract with the Marlins after those big 2009-10 campaigns, but — depending upon how one values catchers, in particular — never quite lived up to the deal. Fangraphs figures his value at 4.1 WAR over the life of the deal, while Baseball Reference pegs it at just 1.1. And further downward adjustment could be warranted to account for Buck's poor framing metrics. He was ultimately dealt three times over the life of the contract: first to the Blue Jays, then to the Mets, and then to the Pirates. Hitting the open market for a third time, Buck ultimately settled for a relatively modest guarantee this time around.

Young catcher Mike Zunino figures to be the Seattle's primary catching option for 2014 (and beyond), but Buck will presumably leapfrog 25-year-old Jesus Sucre and veteran Humberto Quintero on the depth chart. As MLBTR's Aaron Steen has noted, the unseasoned Zunino could probably stand to spend more time in the minors or in a reduced role. With Buck's long history as a starter, however, he is a plausible candidate to see significant time behind the big league dish.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported that the two sides were nearing a deal, and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported (on Twitter) that the two sides had reached a $1MM agreement.

Steve Adams contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mariners Designate Carlos Peguero For Assignment

By Steve Adams | January 16, 2014 at 4:36pm CDT

The Mariners announced that they have designated outfielder Carlos Peguero for assignment in order to clear a roster spot for the recently signed John Buck.

The 26-year-old Peguero offers tremendous left-handed power but struggles against left-handed pitching and has long had a serious problem with strikeouts. He batted .260/.321/.460 in 505 Triple-A plate appearances last season and boasts a career .230 ISO (slugging minus batting average) in the minor leagues. However, Peguero has batted just .195/.242/.380 in the Majors.

Baseball America ranked him among Seattle's Top 30 prospect four times, twice placing him as high as No. 11. In their most recent write-up, they noted Peguero's freakish athleticism and surprising speed for a 6'5", 247-pound player, stating that he could be an average defender at a corner outfield spot. However, they also noted that he's likely a platoon player that will always post troubling strikeout numbers due to an inability to recognize breaking pitches.

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