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Bowden On The Winter Meetings, Dickey, Drew

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Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio offered his five bold predictions for the Winter Meetings including the Mets trading R.A. Dickey and the Rangers re-signing Josh Hamilton to a four-year contract. Here are some other notes from Bowden (all Twitter links):

Cardinals Rumors: Burnett, Mozeliak, Non-Tenders

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The latest on the Cardinals..

Quick Hits: Giants, Cardinals, Wright

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After a relatively quiet Thanksgiving week, it’s time for MLB teams to resume their offseasons. The Rays completed a historic deal today, signing Evan Longoria to an extension that will keep him in Tampa Bay through at least 2022. Here are some more news items as teams gear up for next week’s Winter Meetings…

  • The Giants each obtained $377K for winning the World Series and the Tigers obtained $284K each for winning the AL pennant, according to the Sports Network (via the Miami Herald). Check out the article for the complete details on how the $65MM players' pool was divided between the ten playoff teams.
  • Speaking of the Giants, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle hasn’t heard anything to suggest the Giants are in on Michael Bourn or B.J. Upton (Sulia link).
  • The Cardinals continue looking for a left-handed reliever, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. GM John Mozeliak said he believes in Marc Rzepczynski but intends to find another lefty reliever. "When he was a one-man band out there he didn’t pitch as well," the GM said. "That’s why we need to find someone.” Mozeliak repeated that he's open to signing a reliever to a multiyear deal.
  • The Mets haven’t yet seriously explored trade options involving David Wright, Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal reports (on Twitter). The club could explore potential trades eventually, but for now they remain hopeful of signing the third baseman to an extension. 
  • Teams are concerned about Dan Haren’s hip, not his back, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). Haren’s bad hip won’t prevent teams from showing interest, according to Olney.
  • Jason Grilli and Stephen Drew are among the undervalued free agents remaining on the open market, Jim Bowden writes at ESPN.com.

Minor Moves: Rice, Romak, Twins

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The latest minor moves from around MLB…

  • The Mets announced that they agreed to sign left-hander Scott Rice to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training. Rice, 31, has a 4.08 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 14 minor league seasons.
  • The Mets also signed outfielder Jamie Hoffmann to a minor league contract, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. The 28-year-old spent this past season with the Orioles' Triple-A team.
  • The Cardinals agreed to a minor league contract with first baseman/right fielder Jamie Romak, MLBTR has learned. The Cardinals acquired the 27-year-old from the Royals midway through the 2012 season. In 442 total plate appearances in the upper minors, Romak posted a .260/.336/.406 batting line and hit 10 home runs and 21 doubles this past season.
  • The Blue Jays signed infielder Jim Negrych to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports (on Twitter).
  • The Twins announced that they signed 12 players to minor league contracts that include invitations to MLB Spring Training: right-handers Samuel Deduno, Shairon Martis, Luis Perdomo, Esmerling Vasquez and P.J. Walters; outfielders Brian Dinkleman and Wilkin Ramirez; infielders James Beresford and Deibinson Romero and catcher Eric Fryer. Right-hander Tom Boleska and infielder Jason Christian also signed minor league deals with the Twins.

NL Notes: LaRoche, Phillies, Reds, Cardinals

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Today is the 63rd anniversary of Jackie Robinson becoming the first African-American player to win the MVP Award. This would be the only such honor during Robinson's Hall of Fame career. Here's the latest news from the Senior Circuit:

  • Negotiations between the Nationals and Adam LaRoche are going slowly, a source tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The source also says LaRoche's top priority is to return to the Nationals, but the free agent first baseman is thinking about his two children, which is why he wants a three-year deal and has talked with several teams. 
  • A five-year, $75MM contract might be accurate for B.J. Upton but expect Michael Bourn to seek more, tweets Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 
  • Despite the declining influence of home runs to change a game, as typified by the Giants winning the World Series after slugging the fewest home runs in baseball, the Phillies still need a power surge in 2013, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Bob Brookover.
  • Centerfield is one position where the Phillies could seek to boost their power output. ESPN's Buster Olney breaks down their various centerfield options in his latest Insiders-only blog.
  • John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer sees the Reds' 2013 payroll being $92MM, but a team insider tells him the actual number could start with an eight. This would make it difficult, in Fay's opinion, to do anything in free agency except sign a closer or re-sign Ryan Ludwick.
  • Within the same piece, GM Walt Jocketty says he will wait until after Thanksgiving to speak with Scott Rolen, who is contemplating retirement.
  • The Cardinals' needs are simple for 2013, writes Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The team needs to reinforce a thin bench by adding some right-handed power and find a fourth outfielder who can generate some offense. Miklasz adds the health of shortstop Rafael Furcal is also a significant question.
  • Blessed with the deepest of pockets, the Dodgers' desire to pursue an elite starting pitcher reveals myriad ways the team can approach the process, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. Common sense, however, may still prevail at Chavez Ravine as Dodgers controlling partner Mark Walter once eloquently stated, "Pitchers break." 

Daniel Seco contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Hunter, Tigers, Brewers, Mozeliak

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Though several notable Indians players as have been the subject of trade rumors this winter, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian doesn't believe the Tribe is "on the verge of a complete overhaul."  Bastian thinks that Cleveland could trade "one or two" current stars (such as Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo, Justin Masterson, Chris Perez or Carlos Santana) but the fact that the Indians have been looking at veterans like Kevin Youkilis and Shane Victorino indicates that the club doesn't plan to be out of contention for long.

A few items from both the NL and AL Central…

  • In his introductory press conference as a Tiger (reported on by MLB.com's Jason Beck), Torii Hunter said he was "scouting clubs" during last season in case the Angels didn't bring him back.  The Tigers were his top choice, to the extent that he had his agent Larry Reynolds call Detroit VP John Westhoff to express his interest.  "Dave [Dombrowski] and I got this deal done in less than an hour," Reynolds said. "That's unheard of in our business."
  • Also from Beck, Dombrowski hinted that the Tigers were still looking for a right-handed hitting left fielder who could platoon with Andy Dirks.
  • MLB.com's Adam McCalvy attended the Brewers' annual medical symposium and explored how the team has been using medical data to keep their pitchers healthy and to look out for warning signs when acquiring pitchers.  Over the last decade, the White Sox and Brewers have had the fewest number of days spent on the DL by their pitchers.
  • The Brewers are looking for starting and relief pitching but no deals are happening soon, assistant GM Gord Ash told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.  Ash noted that the three-year deals given to Brandon League and Jeremy Affeldt raised the prices on the relief market: "That kind of pushed it up a little bit….I wouldn't say it's harder now; I'd say more expensive."
  • The Cardinals are also looking for bullpen help, and GM John Mozeliak told media (including including MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch) that the Cards may look to add a left-handed reliever in a trade given the rising cost of relief pitching.  Mozeliak also discussed such roster topics as extensions, non-tenders, the upcoming Rule 5 draft and the Cards' search for shortstop depth.

Quick Hits: Cabrera, Slowey, Cardinals, Marlins

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The Blue Jays continued adding to their roster today, agreeing to terms with free agent outfielder Melky Cabrera on a two-year contract worth $16MM. Here are some links from around MLB, starting with Cabrera…

  • The Indians had interest in Cabrera before he agreed to terms in Toronto, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports (on Twitter).
  • Not surprisingly, the Giants weren’t interested, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter). Instead, the Giants remain focused on re-signing Angel Pagan, Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com reports.
  • Right-hander Kevin Slowey, who spent this past season pitching for the Indians' Triple-A team, is generating some interest as a free agent, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The 28-year-old hit free agency earlier in the month.
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said he expects to tender contracts to all of the team’s remaining arbitration eligible players, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (on Twitter). The Cardinals recently released Kyle McClellan, but their arbitration class doesn't include other non-tender candidates.
  • Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel explains how agent David Sloane worked around the Marlins' policy of not granting no-trade clauses to make sure that Carlos Delgado wouldn't pay higher taxes if moved. Former Marlins players such as Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle face different tax laws in Toronto than they did in Miami.

Socolovich, Dickson Heading To Japan

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Right-handers Miguel Socolovich and Brandon Dickson will pitch in Japan next season. The Kyodo News reports that Socolovich has an agreement in place with the Hiroshima Carp while B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com says (on Twitter) the Cardinals will soon remove Dickson from their 40-man roster so he can sign with the Orix Buffaloes.

Socolovich, 26, allowed 11 runs in 16 1/3 innings for the Orioles and Cubs this season, his big league debut. Chicago claimed him off waivers from Baltimore after they designated him for assignment in August. Socolovich pitched to a 2.11 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 55 1/3 relief innings in Triple-A this season. He became a minor league free agent after the Cubs outrighted him at the end of the year.

Dickson, 28, has allowed ten runs in 14 2/3 career innings with the Cardinals over the last two seasons. He posted a 3.63 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 23 starts and 141 1/3 innings in Triple-A this year, his third consecutive season at the level.

Cardinals Release Kyle McClellan, Sign Rob Johnson

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The Cardinals have released Kyle McClellan and signed Rob Johnson to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, reports Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post Dispatch.

McClellan, 28, allowed 11 runs in 18 2/3 relief innings this season while missing considerable time with elbow and shoulder injuries. He had surgery in July. McClellan pitched to a 4.19 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 17 starts and 26 relief appearances for the Cardinals last year. Matt Swartz projected the right-hander to earn $2.4MM during this third trip through arbitration this winter.

Johnson, 30, hit .250/.298/.288 in 58 plate appearances with the Mets last year. He spent most of the season in Triple-A, where he put up a .207/.253/.335 batting line with four homers in 178 plate appearances. The catcher is a career .201/.277/.297 hitter at the big league level, with most of his playing time coming with the Mariners.

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