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Cardinals Rumors

Quick Hits: Jackson, Perkins, Lane, Nitkowski

By Mark Polishuk | March 8, 2012 at 10:27pm CDT

Happy birthday to Hall-of-Famer Jim Rice, who turns 59 today.  On a more somber note, it was on this day in 1999 that the legendary Joe DiMaggio passed away at age 84 after a battle with lung cancer.

Here's some news from around the majors as we head into the end of the work week…

  • Edwin Jackson tells Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he didn't receive any interest from the Cardinals about returning to the team.  "There was no involvement with the Cardinals. Pitching wasn't a department they needed help in. Their rotation is pretty much set," Jackson said.  "It was a place I wouldn't have minded going back to…but, coming into the offseason, it was never a place I realistically thought I had a chance to go back to."
  • Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities radio details Glen Perkins' path from filing a grievance against the Twins in 2009 and seemingly being on the outs with the club to today's three-year extension that keeps the southpaw in Minnesota through 2015.
  • Jason Lane talks to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic about his attempt to return to the Major Leagues as a pitcher, and how a chance meeting with Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers last summer led to Lane getting a minor league deal with Arizona.
  • C.J. Nitkowski, who last pitched in the majors in 2005, threw a bullpen session with the Mets on Thursday, reports MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.  Nitkowski pitched in Japan and Korea from 2007-2010 and, as MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince details, underwent a controversial blood-and-stem cell treatment last year.  Nitkowski was the ninth overall pick of the 1994 amateur draft and pitched for eight teams in a 10-year Major League career, including a five-game stint with the Mets in 2001.
  • The long-term effects of Lucas Giolito's UCL strain have yet to be determined, but Baseball America's Conor Glassey examines how the injury could impact Giolito's position in the 2012 amateur draft.
  • The Mexican Baseball League has announced that Jose Canseco will not play for Quintana Roo Tigers after the slugger allegedly took a banned substance and refused to take a drug test, reports ESPN's news news services.  League president Plinio Escalante told ESPN Deportes that testosterone was the banned substance.  Canseco has denied the charge on his Twitter account.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Minnesota Twins New York Mets St. Louis Cardinals Edwin Jackson Glen Perkins Jason Lane Jose Canseco Lucas Giolito

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NL Central Notes: Molina, Astros, Das

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 5, 2012 at 8:50pm CDT

There's been lots of Pirates buzz today, following Andrew McCutchen's six year, $51.5MM contract extension. Here are some notes on the rest of the division…

  • Yadier Molina's representatives were preparing to aim for a seven-year deal in the $140MM range if the catcher had reached free agency, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Some teams might have been willing to part with that kind of cash for Molina, an elite two-way player. "He's like the Deion Sanders of catchers,'' one executive told Heyman. Molina, who would have been eligible for free agency following the 2012 season, signed a five-year, $75MM extension with the Cardinals last week.
  • Astros GM Jeff Luhnow tells Tyler Kepner of the New York Times that he believes discipline is necessary for building an MLB team. “The analogy I use is blackjack,” Luhnow said. “You play perfect strategy over a long haul, that’s going to be your best outcome." Tim Dierkes spoke with Luhnow last week.
  • Arbitrator Shyam Das was recently in the news for ruling in favor of Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, but as Cary Spivak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explains, the 67-year-old former law professor has ruled on a number of important MLB issues in the past. Das has dealt with trades, player discipline and other disputes between the players' union and MLB. Spivak's piece offers a personal look at the low-profile arbitrator.
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Houston Astros St. Louis Cardinals Yadier Molina

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Quick Hits: Walden, Indians, A’s, Appel, Molina

By Mark Polishuk | March 3, 2012 at 10:32pm CDT

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."
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Cleveland Guardians Los Angeles Angels Oakland Athletics San Francisco Giants St. Louis Cardinals Jordan Walden Mark Appel Yadier Molina

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NL Central Notes: Burnett, Cardinals, Astros

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 2, 2012 at 2:07pm CDT

Though two NL Central veterans dominated headlines this offseason, Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder signed with American League teams and Aramis Ramirez's three-year, $36MM deal with the Brewers was the largest free agent contract by any of the division's six teams. Here are the latest links from the NL Central…

  • The Pirates announced that they expect A.J. Burnett’s eye injury to sideline him until two or three months from now. The right-hander underwent surgery today after injuring himself in a bunting drill.
  • Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that the Cardinals couldn't take the chance of letting Yadier Molina hit free agency. "We didn't extend Molina because he had a good year offensively last year,” he said. “We extended him because of the bulk of the work since he became a regular in 2005." Molina and the Cardinals finalized a five-year, $75MM extension yesterday.
  • Four of the ten people Astros GM Jeff Luhnow has hired might be described as geeks or nerds, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reports from the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston (Twitter links). Luhnow said he’s had a clean slate, since the Astros weren't doing much in terms of analytics before hiring him.
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Houston Astros Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals A.J. Burnett Yadier Molina

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Catcher Extension Notes: Perez, Molina, Ruiz

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 2, 2012 at 9:06am CDT

The 2013 class of free agent catchers is taking shape. Yadier Molina and the Cardinals signed a five-year, $75MM extension this week, but Miguel Montero and Russell Martin have tabled extension talks for now and Mike Napoli expects to test free agency. Here are the latest notes on catcher extensions in MLB…

  • One agent joked to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that Royals GM Dayton Moore “must have been wearing a ski mask” to convince Salvador Perez to sign a five-year, $7MM extension (Twitter link). I examined the extension earlier in the week, explaining what Perez will have to do for the Royals to break even.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggests the Diamondbacks and Braves might be ticked off by Molina's extension. The deal figures to shift the market for catchers and it may now cost more to retain the likes of Montero and Brian McCann. Rosenthal says the Cardinals' deal with Molina is an overpay, but an understandable one given the value of Molina's defense. 
  • David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News explains that the Molina deal isn't a fair point of reference for Carlos Ruiz. Though Ruiz and Molina have posted similar offensive numbers in recent years, the Phillies’ catcher won't hit free agency until he's entering his age-35 season and allowed stolen bases with much greater frequency than Molina in 2011.
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Kansas City Royals Philadelphia Phillies St. Louis Cardinals Carlos Ruiz Salvador Perez Yadier Molina

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Cardinals Extend Yadier Molina

By Tim Dierkes | March 1, 2012 at 1:20pm CDT

The Cardinals announced a five-year, $75MM contract extension with catcher Yadier Molina this afternoon.  The deal includes a no-trade clause and a mutual option for 2018 that's worth an additional $15MM.  Molina is represented by Melvin Roman of MDR Sports Management.

Molina, 29, is considered by many to be the game's best defensive catcher.  His offense took a leap forward in 2011, as he posted a .305/.349/.465 line in 518 plate appearances.  Molina has been durable, averaging 145 games over the last three years including the postseason.  The $15MM salary and five-year term probably represents market value for Molina, but it may have been more difficult for GM John Mozeliak to hammer out a deal after the season.  

Molina's contract is the third-largest in baseball history for a backstop, behind Joe Mauer's $184MM and Mike Piazza's $91MM.  On the Cardinals, Molina is second only to Matt Holliday in average annual value.  This is Molina's second multiyear deal with the Cardinals, as they locked him up affordably four years ago.

The 2012-13 free agent class for catchers remains deep with Molina off the board, with Miguel Montero, Mike Napoli, Russell Martin, and Chris Iannetta.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first tweeted the news and added existence of the vesting option later on.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported the value of the contract.  Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch first said the deal was all but done and Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch first reported the mutual option.

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St. Louis Cardinals Transactions Yadier Molina

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Extension Updates: Hosmer, Stanton, Molina

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 1, 2012 at 10:01am CDT

The Cardinals will officially announce their five-year extension with Yadier Molina this afternoon. In the meantime, here are some extension-related links…

  • Eric Hosmer told Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star that he's more open to signing a long-term deal with the Royals now that his friend Salvador Perez has an extension that will keep him in Kansas City. Perez signed a five-year, $7MM deal earlier in the week.
  • The Marlins haven't yet tried to go long-term with Giancarlo Stanton, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. Mike Axisa previewed a possible extension for Stanton, who went by the name of Mike for his first two seasons in the Major Leagues. He is under team control through 2016
  • Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch looks ahead to the Cardinals' future payroll commitments and points out that Albert Pujols' decision to sign with the Angels probably helped the Cardinals retain Molina long-term.
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Kansas City Royals Miami Marlins St. Louis Cardinals Eric Hosmer Giancarlo Stanton Yadier Molina

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Cardinals, Yadier Molina Closing In On Extension

By Tim Dierkes | February 27, 2012 at 8:28pm CDT

8:28pm: The deal is in the $70-75MM range, Rosenthal tweets.

6:20pm: The sides are "very close" on a five-year extension worth north of $60MM, reports Rosenthal (Twitter links).

4:29pm: Both sides are "very optimistic" and terms are "all but finalized," Strauss tweets. The deal's average annual value would likely exceed $10MM, Strauss reports. Resolution is expected this week. 

2:47pm: "We are making progress and hopefully we can work something out," Yadier Molina's agent Melvin Roman said to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports today, regarding contract extension talks for the Cardinals catcher.  Rosenthal's sources say the Cards "likely are willing to give him a deal of four and possibly five years."  The FOX writer expects a salary in the $10-12MM range.

On Friday, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweeted, "Movement on Molina is significant enough that a source familiar with the situation believes an agreement could be reached within a week."  Earlier, Roman indicated Molina did not want to negotiate during the season, according to Strauss.  The Cardinals open the season April 4th at the Marlins' new ballpark.

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NL Central Notes: Oswalt, Molina, Braun

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 24, 2012 at 2:38pm CDT

Ryan Braun publicly denied taking banned substances at Brewers camp today, expressing a willingness to bet his life that the substance in question never entered his body. Braun called the current drug testing system ‘fatally flawed’ and respectfully disagreed with MLB’s reaction to yesterday’s news that he won his appeal. Here’s the latest from the NL Central…

  • Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears the Cardinals recently boosted their offer to Roy Oswalt to $5MM from $3MM (Twitter links). Oswalt announced yesterday that he will look to sign midseason.
  • The Cardinals have made enough progress in extension talks with Yadier Molina that an agreement could be in place within a week, Strauss reports.
  • Major League Baseball is a big loser in the aftermath of Braun's appeal, since an old wound has been re-opened, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes.
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Milwaukee Brewers St. Louis Cardinals Roy Oswalt Ryan Braun Yadier Molina

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Quick Hits: Oswalt, Wilson, Dotel, International Draft

By Mike Axisa | February 23, 2012 at 10:14pm CDT

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.
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