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Mariners Decline 2013 Option For Olivo

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The Mariners announced that they have declined their 2013 option for Miguel Olivo. Olivo's contract included a $3MM club option for 2013, but the Mariners preferred the $750K buyout. The catcher will hit free agency once the World Series ends. 

Olivo, 34, appeared in 87 games last year, posting a .222/.239/.381 batting line in 323 plate appearances. He hit 12 home runs in total, doing more damage against left-handers (seven homers, .657 OPS) than right-handers (five homers, .590 OPS) as usual. Olivo prevented 31% of stolen base attempts against him this past season.

Super Two Cutoff To Be 2.139

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Players with at least two years and 139 days of service time will be eligible for the potentially lucrative arbitration process this offseason, according to the Associated Press (via FOXNews.com). The top 22% of players with between two and three years of MLB service qualify for arbitration under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement.

Nationals reliever Drew Storen, Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera, Mets catcher Josh Thole, Rays outfielder Sam Fuld, Rockies outfielder Tyler Colvin and Diamondbacks third baseman Chris Johnson are all eligible. 

Mariners outfielder Michael Saunders missed the cutoff by one day. Others, including Justin Smoak, Danny Valencia, Michael Brantley, Jordan Schafer, Giancarlo Stanton, Stephen Strasburg, Daniel Hudson, Dan Runzler, Andrew Cashner, Alex Burnett, Esmil Rogers and Alexi Ogando, came close to super two status without reaching the threshold.

Jonathan Lucroy, whose contract includes escalators related to super two status, will fall three days short of arbitration eligibility. The difference will cost him $2MM, as I explained last month.

Super two status entitles certain players to four years of arbitration eligibility, rather than the usual three. As a result, players who earn the super two designation generally earn more than their peers. The cutoff would have been two years and 144 days under baseball’s previous collective bargaining agreement, according to the AP. In previous years the top 17% of players with between two and three years of MLB service qualified. The players and owners agreed to a new system last fall.

Coaching Links: Mariners, Ausmus, Giambi, Alomar

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John Farrell is back in a Red Sox uniform, but that's far from the only managerial and coaching news we'll see this offseason. Here's the latest on some of the open situations throughout the league…

  • The Mariners have announced the hiring of Dave Hansen as their hitting coach, writes MLB.com's Greg Johns. Hansen, who has been serving as the Dodgers' hitting coach, finished his Major League career with the Mariners in 2005. In parts of 15 seasons, he batted .260/.360/.369.
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock spoke with Brad Ausmus earlier today and was told that Ausmus is happy where he's at and isn't currently pursuing another position (Twitter link). Ausmus has been a popular name among managerial candidates.
  • Jason Giambi is a real candidate to manage the Rockies next season and would make a good Major League manager, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Renck runs down several players he's covered throughout the years that thinks could also step into a managerial role with success, including Matt Holliday and Todd Helton. Renck also notes that a decision from the Rox could come prior to the start of the World Series, as MLB frowns on major announcements being made during the Fall Classic.
  • As of this afternoon, Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. had not received a call about interviewing to replace former Blue Jays manager John Farrell, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that if Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo follows Farrell to the Red Sox, it would likely be to serve as Farrell's bench coach.

No New Talks For Felix, Mariners

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No new extension talks have occurred between the Mariners and their 26-year-old ace, Felix Hernandez, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The right-hander's current contract covers the 2013 and 2014 seasons after which he'll be eligible for free agency.

GM Jack Zduriencik recently told Greg Johns of MLB.com that he hopes to keep Hernandez in Seattle long-term. The GM declined to publicly discuss whether the sides had had extension talks with the Octagon client.

Hernandez, the 2010 American League Cy Young Award winner, turned in another elite season in 2012. He started 33 games and pitched 232 innings, surpassing the 230-inning mark for the fourth consecutive season. He struck out nearly a batter per inning (8.7 K/9) while inducing ground balls (48.9% ground ball rate) and limiting walks (2.2 BB/9) and home runs (0.5 HR/9). As one of the game's top pitchers, Hernandez could ask for an annual salary approaching $25MM on an extension.

Quick Hits: Sanchez, Leyland, Felix, Blue Jays

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With Terry Francona now off the market, it wouldn't make a sense for the Tigers to let Jim Leyland go at the end of the year, opines Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press.  Yesterday, Leyland confirmed that he wants to continue managing in 2013, but the veteran skipper's contract will expire at the end of the year.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • If the Tigers re-sign Anibal Sanchez, they'll have to move another one of their starting pitchers, opines Jason Beck of MLB.com.  Beyond the simple numbers issue, the Tigers will be facing a payroll crunch if they choose to keep Sanchez with the same rotation in place.  Justin Verlander will earn $20MM next season, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello will head to arbitration for the second time, and Doug Fister is first-time arb eligible.  In theory, Detroit could part with one of the four and plug Drew Smyly in their place.
  • Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach is set to interview with the Red Sox for their managerial vacancy next week, tweets Ken Gurnick of the Los Angeles Times.
  • Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik wouldn't discuss whether he has had contract extension talks with ace Felix Hernandez, but reiterated that both sides are hoping that he will stay put in Seattle for the long-term, writes Greg Johns of MLB.com.  Hernandez has two years and $40.5MM left on the five-year, $78MM deal he inked in 2010.
  • Omar Vizquel opined earlier this year that the Blue Jays were in desperate need of veteran leadership, but Jose Bautista says that he doesn't agree with that assessment, writes Chris Toman of MLB.com.  "I really don't understand why everybody is making — in my eyes — a big deal out of that subject," Bautista said. "It's not something that needs to be addressed in our clubhouse."
  • Despite talk of the Phillies looking to improve with minor moves this winter, Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News wouldn't rule out Ruben Amaro making a major splash by signing the likes of B.J. Upton or Michael Bourn.

AL West Notes: Young, Washington, Mariners

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The Rangers will let Josh Hamilton reach the free agent market before bidding on him, GM Jon Daniels told reporters today. Click here for the details on Hamilton and continue reading for more AL West-related notes…

  • President/CEO Nolan Ryan said the Rangers will evaluate Hamilton's disappointing late-season play in the context of the entire 2012 season, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
  • Daniels said the Rangers haven't determined what Michael Young's role will be in 2013, Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com reports (on Twitter).
  • Daniels said he’s pleased with the job manager Ron Washington did and will continue to do, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (Twitter link).
  • Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner outlines his offseason plan for the Mariners. It includes one-year deals for Melky Cabrera, Carlos Villanueva and Travis Hafner plus a trade with the Rays.

Cafardo On Johnson, Soriano, Hernandez, Hamilton

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that there are some General Managers who have a few regrets regarding last winter.  Red Sox GM Ben Cherington wishes he had done more for the rotation.  Angels GM Jerry Dipoto probably would have liked to boost the bullpen more during the team's spending frenzy which netted Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson.  Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd was asked to assess his own mistakes and said, “How long is this article? Just kidding. We all have regrets. When you make the amount of decisions we do, you make mistakes. So this year [Jeremy] Guthrie was acquired to give us innings, but Coors [Field] got him and that hurt us. We had such a lack of experience everywhere else. There was no margin for error, and I screwed up.”  Here's more from today's column..

  • Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson will be trade bait, despite talk to the contrary.  Miami could get a ton from teams like the Orioles, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Royals, Rangers, Twins, and Dodgers.  On the whole, the Marlins look like they're ready to clean house again.
  • Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano would make a lot of sense for the Rays as a DH, especially since the Cubs would pick up the bulk of his final two years under contract.  Soriano could also help the Blue Jays, Orioles, or Indians.
  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti says that he expects Shin-Shoo Choo to be back with Cleveland next season as he enters his walk year, but he will also listen to offers for the 30-year-old.  Choo could make sense for Boston as they face a similar situation with Jacoby Ellsbury.  Cafardo suggests a deal involving a pitcher like Justin Masterson.
  • Teams have offered the moon for Felix Hernandez in the past but there’s no chance that Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik is going to trade him now.  King Felix is under contract through 2014 and the M's have the money to keep him beyond that.  For his part, Hernandez is well-paid and loves playing in Seattle.
  • Josh Hamilton says that he won't take a discount to stay with the Rangers, but that's where he's likely to land as it's hard to read the market for him.  The Tigers, Nationals, Pirates, Phillies, Angels, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Orioles shouldn't be ruled out.  The Yankees and Red Sox also can't be crossed off the list but neither market is a strong fit for Hamilton.
  • Jake Peavy would appear to be a target for the Red Sox once his $22MM option is declined by the White Sox.  The 31-year-old could also end up staying put in Chicago or returning to the NL.
  • Former catcher Brad Ausmus, currently serving as a special assistant to the GM in San Diego, said that he would have interest in the Red Sox managerial vacancy.  As of Friday, however, he has yet to be contacted.  Ausmus turned down a chance to be interviewed for the Astros job earlier this fall.
  • The Red Sox are pursuing John Farrell, but Ryne Sandberg could be on their list, even though he was just named as the Phillies' third base coach and is likely being groomed for Charlie Manuel's job.  Cherington tried to get Sandberg to take Boston's Triple- A job a couple of years ago.
  • While some have accused Bobby Valentine of ignoring advanced scouting reporters, Cafardo says that he saw the manager reading them every time he visited his office.

Minor Moves: 28 Players Elect Free Agency

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A total of 28 players — all with big league time under their belts — recently elected free agency after finishing the year in Triple-A. Here is the full list, courtesy of the International League and Pacific Coast League transaction pages…

Quick Hits: Feliz, General Managers, Mariners

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The Mariners announced (on Twitter) that long-time vice president of international operations Bob Engle informed the team that he will not sign a new contract when his deal is up on October 31st. Players like Felix Hernandez, Shin-Soo Choo, Michael Pineda, and Asdrubal Cabrera were signed under Engle's watch. Here is the latest from around the league…

  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels told reporters (including Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports) that the team may bring Neftali Feliz back as a reliever next season (Twitter link). Feliz is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and Daniels indicated that they would get him back sooner by moving him back to the bullpen.
  • It appears as though all 30 general managers will retain their jobs this offseason, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Managers and coaches won't be so lucky, however.
  • The Mariners fired scout Patrick Guerrero, reports Baseball America's Ben Badler. Guerrero, who was based in the Dominican Republic, was the club's Latin American coordinator and high-regarded.

Arbitration Eligibles: Seattle Mariners

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The Mariners are next in our 2013 Arbitration Eligibles series.  Matt Swartz's salary projections are below.

At 1.45 per nine innings, Vargas' home run rate ranked seventh-worst in baseball among qualified starters this year.  With the Mariners moving their fences in for 2013, Vargas' gopheritis could become an even larger problem at a time when his salary is expected to exceed $7MM.  On the surface, his 2012 performance of a 3.85 ERA in 217 1/3 innings seems like it'd have mild trade value even at our projected salary.  On the other hand, the Diamondbacks were unable to find a trade partner for a similar pitcher in Joe Saunders in advance of last year's non-tender deadline and chose to cut him loose.  Saunders had a higher projected salary than Vargas does, but Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik will have to make a tough decision by the November 30th non-tender deadline.

Ryan, the Mariners' starting shortstop, finished a multiyear deal and projects at a fairly modest raise through arbitration.  His offense was worse than ever this year, but his unparalleled glovework coupled with the team's lack of an MLB-ready replacement should compel the Mariners to keep him around.

Jaso, Kelley, and Kinney should be in good standing for 2013.  Relievers Kelley and Kinney both spent time in the minors this year, but each whiffed more than a batter per inning in the bigs and should earn less than a million bucks.

Center fielder Michael Saunders falls one day short of the projected Super Two cutoff.  If he were to snag Super Two status, we project him for $1.6MM.

Assuming Kinney, Jaso, Kelly, Vargas, and Ryan are retained, we're estimating a $13MM commitment for five arbitration eligible players.

Matt Swartz's arbitration projections are available exclusively at MLB Trade Rumors.  To read more about his projection model, check out this series of posts.  For more on the Mariners' offseason outlook, read Ben Nicholson-Smith's recent article.

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