February 16th Deadline For Pujols Extension
The deadline for an extension between the Cardinals and Albert Pujols is earlier than anticipated. The first baseman had been scheduled to arrive in Spring Training on February 19th, but he is now expected to report on February 16th, according to ESPN. That will reduce the sides' negotiating window by three days.
The Cardinals have until Spring Training to work out a deal with Pujols’ agent, Dan Lozano, or the three-time MVP will hit free agency after the season. Earlier today, we heard that the Cardinals had yet to make Pujols a formal offer as of last weekend.
Not Much Progress Apparent For Cardinals, Pujols
Spring Training is just a week away, so the Cardinals don't have much time to lock Albert Pujols up, but if the sides are making progress it's not noticeable. Yahoo's Tim Brown reports that the Cardinals hadn't made a concrete offer as of this weekend.
By this point, the sides surely know the framework of the discussions and it's clear that Pujols is well-positioned for a nine-figure deal. According to Brown, Pujols is thought to be looking for a deal like the one Alex Rodriguez signed with the Yankees after the 2007 season (A-Rod got $275MM guaranteed and his record deal allows him to make more through bonuses). One prominent agent says Pujols is worth $36MM per year, because “now, it’s brand related. Pujols is a brand.”
Pujols, who is set to hit free agency after the season, has set a Spring Training deadline for negotiations with the Cardinals.
Michael Young Rumors: Tuesday
The Rangers announced yesterday that Michael Young has had a change of heart and requested a trade. That's not quite the way Young sees it though. He told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he has been "misled and manipulated and [has grown] sick of it." Here's the latest on Young, who can veto deals to teams other than the Cardinals, Yankees, Twins, Astros, Rockies, Dodgers, Angels and Padres, but would consider other destinations:
- The Cardinals haven't heard from the Rangers about a possible trade and don't plan to initiate discussions, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. GM John Mozeliak didn't mention Young by name, but says his roster is set at this point and that he doesn't expect "any major additions at this point." The Cardinals have discussed Young before, according to Strauss.
- It's time to forget the idea of Young going to the Astros, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The Astros like his tools, but not his contract. GM Ed Wade declined to comment on his club's interest.
- The Rangers are increasing their asking price for Young, since it's harder to find offense now that Vladimir Guerrero has agreed to terms with the Orioles, according to Rosenthal (Twitter link).
- The Twins have discussed trading for Young in previous years, but there's "zero chance" a deal happens now, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
- The Mariners will "probably stay the course," GM Jack Zduriencik tells Morosi (Twitter link).
- Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Tigers are "set" at second base (Twitter link). Detroit is also set at third and short, so Young isn't a fit.
- A Carlos Lee for Michael Young trade is a longshot, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Lee, a former Ranger, can veto deals to 14 teams, including Texas.
- The Dodgers have had preliminary talks about acquiring Young, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. However, it's "a very long shot" that the sides agree to a deal, according to a baseball source.
- There is no imminent deal with the Rockies, though Colorado has shown the most interest in Young, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
MLB Teams Sign Six Dominican League Prospects
The Dominican Prospect League announced that Major League organizations have signed six of its top prospects. Here are the details on the deals:
- The Yankees signed 20-year-old center fielder Freiter Marte for $100K. Marte had been selected to play in the DPL All-Star Game.
- Elvis Rubio, who was also chosen to play in the All-Star Game, signed with the Brewers for $95K. Rubio is a 17-year-old corner outfielder.
- If you think Rubio is young, look at who the Rays signed. Tampa Bay signed 16-year-old left-hander Luis Cepeda for $60K. The Rays get another DPL All-Star in Cepeda.
- The Cardinals signed Fernando Gonzalez, a 16-year old right-hander, for $66K. Gonzalez has drawn comparisons to a young Leo Nunez, according to the league.
- The Indians signed Kevin Calderon for $80K. The 16-year old made this year's All-Star team and is considered a top defensive catcher.
- The Pirates signed Leandro Rodriguez, a 17-year-old right-hander with a loose arm, for $80K.
Michael Young Requests Trade
TUESDAY, 12:10am: Young feels a breach of trust occurred with the Rangers in part because they told him they were not trying to trade him when they actually were, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. Stark adds that Young would be willing to consider expanding his eight-team list on a "case-to-case basis."
MONDAY, 10:34pm: MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan has the list of eight teams Young is willing to accept a trade to: Cardinals, Yankees, Twins, Astros, Rockies, Dodgers, Angels, and Padres. The team has said they are dealing with just those eight teams right now.
9:45pm: Grant passes along some strong words from Young…
"I've kept a low profile out of respect for the team, the coaching staff, my family and the fans because I didn't want to put anybody on an unnecessary roller-coaster. Now, I think it's important to address the inaccurate portrayal that is being painted. The suggestion that I've simply had a change of heart and asked for a trade is a manipulation of the truth."
"I want to be traded because I've been misled and manipulated and I'm sick of it."
Young wouldn't elaborate when asked how he was "misled and manipulated," instead saying it "would be unproductive for everybody, particularly my teammates and coaches. I know the truth and Jon Daniels knows the truth and I will sleep well."
9:16pm: Jeff Wilson of The Star Telegram hears that the Rangers would be willing to trade Young within the AL West as long as it helps improve the team. He reminds us that Texas traded high-end prospects to a division rival for Cliff Lee just last summer.
5:06pm: Michael Young has officially requested a trade according to Rangers GM Jon Daniels, reports Anthony Andro of The Star Telegram (Twitter links). The request came about a week ago, though Daniels said "nothing's imminent" according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter).
"It's not our first choice," said Daniels. "We'd like to go to camp with him … If we can accomodate his request and upgrade the club he would like to do that."
Those quotes come courtesy of Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News and Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter links). Team president Nolan Ryan said they're "going to do what’s in the best interest of the ballclub" according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Ryan would not speculate about whether the team would eat some of Young's salary, and he said he expects "proper compensation" for his third baseman according to Andro and Renck (Twitter links).
This is not the first time Young has requested a trade from the Rangers. He did so before the 2009 season, after the club asked him to play third base in deference to Elvis Andrus. Obviously nothing came of that, but Young still had a clearly defined role with the team back then. Now he's expected to be a part-time infielder and part-time DH with Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli on board.
Young, 34, has been mentioned in trade talk all winter, most notably with the Rockies. He was said to have "grown disillusioned about his diminished role" over the weekend, and we heard that Colorado would need Texas to eat about $20MM of the $48MM left on Young's salary to make a deal happen.
Young has a limited no-trade clause that allows him to block deals to all but eight teams, however Colorado is one of the eight. Ryan says that Young will not expand the list of teams he's willing to go to even though some of the clubs on the no-trade list have expressed interest in acquiring him according to Renck and Andro (all Twitter links). Daniels would not specify which teams have inquired about Young.
If Texas was willing to trade within the division, they might find suitors in the Angels and Athletics, though that is speculation on my part. Both clubs whiffed on Beltre and are known to be seeking upgrades at the hot corner. Colorado would use Young at second base full-time.
Olney On Pujols Negotiations
Now that the Super Bowl is over, the countdown can really begin. Spring Training is just days away, but that's not the countdown in question. The Cardinals have to lock Albert Pujols up by Spring Training or bid for him on the open market after the season and as ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes, contract talks are “not moving at all.”
Pujols appears to be pursuing a "Mt. Everest" contract whether it's in St. Louis or elsewhere. Other clubs – Olney names the Angels, Dodgers and Mets as examples – could re-brand themselves by signing Pujols, arguably the game's best player.
But it's too early to assume that Pujols is hitting the open market. Talks haven't been going well for a few days, but as we saw with negotiations between Derek Jeter and the Yankees, teams and players can make progress in a hurry.
Pujols Talks Not Going Well
6:29pm: Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch heard that the two sides are "nowhere close" according to someone in Pujols' camp. He says the Cardinals remain reluctant to counter the ten-year, $300MM structure Pujols' side presented last year and are "leery of setting Pujols' market for fear their proposal could be rejected and eventually shopped should he reach free agency."
1:06pm: Contract talks between the Cardinals and Albert Pujols are headed in the wrong direction, major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The clock is ticking as there are less than two weeks until the first baseman’s self-imposed deadline for an agreement. The Cards' position players report to Spring Training on February 18th.
Even though talks between the two sides are fluid, the Cardinals are balking at the 31-year-old’s asking price. The slugger is seeking a contract that will reflect his status as the game's top player, meaning that he's likely looking to top Alex Rodriguez's ten-year, $275MM deal.
If Pujols does hit the open market after the 2011 season, Rosenthal writes that the Cubs, Rangers, and Angels are among the teams that could pursue Pujols. The Mets and Dodgers also could jump into the fray provided that their financial situations improve. The Yankees and Red Sox are obviously set long term at the first base position but Rosenthal posits that either team could get creative in an attempt to land Pujols.
Cardinals To Sign Jim Edmonds
Jim Edmonds is returning to St. Louis after a three-year absence. The Cardinals announced that they agreed to sign Edmonds to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, (Twitter link).
It appeared likely that Edmonds would retire last weekend, but the 40-year-old is returning for an 18th season in the major leagues. Eight of those seasons came in St. Louis, where Edmonds hit .285/.393/.555 from 2000-07 and was a key player on the '06 World Champions.
Edmonds appeared in just 86 games last year after sitting out the 2009 season, but he can still play. He posted a .276/.342/.504 line for the Reds and Brewers, adding 11 homers and 23 doubles. The eight-time Gold Glove winner played first base and all three outfield positions.
Heyman On Lee, Cabrera, Wells, Pujols, Hamilton
Owner Chuck Greenberg and the Rangers were slower to offer Cliff Lee a competitive deal than other interested clubs, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Lee's camp wanted to keep the Rangers involved in the bidding, though they started with a 'lowball' offer before offering $100MM and, eventually, even more. The Rangers justified their lower offers by pointing out that Texas has no state income tax, but Lee asked around and determined that he wouldn't save that much, since he lives in Arkansas.
Talks between Lee and the Phillies broke off twice before the sides reached an agreement. If the Phillies hadn't completed the deal, the Yankees would have been seen as the favorites to sign the lefty, according to Heyman. Here are the rest of his rumors:
- One GM says Orlando Cabrera isn't being reasonable. "I don't think he gets the position he's in," the GM said, alluding to the lack of job openings remaining for the shortstop.
- The Rangers didn't show serious interest in Vernon Wells, according to Heyman.
- Executives around the game believe that Albert Pujols will sign an extension with the Cardinals. If the sides don't reach a deal by Spring Training, Pujols will be a free agent after the season, in which case the Cubs may be "best positioned" to pursue him, in the opinion of one executive.
- The Angels are still interested in signing or trading for a leadoff hitter. Scott Podsednik is out there, and could be a fit in L.A.
- One executive believes the Rangers will lose to Josh Hamilton if the sides go to an arbitration hearing. Heyman hears that the Rangers won't bring up Hamilton's history of substance abuse in a hearing. Keep track of all the remaining arbitration cases using our Arb Tracker.
Pujols Would Veto All Trade Proposals
The Cardinals are not seriously exploring the possibility of trading first baseman Albert Pujols because the superstar slugger, who has full no-trade protection, would veto any swap, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
Pujols, slated to become a free agent after the 2011 season, is willing to work out a contract extension with St. Louis but has said that those talks will be tabled on Feb. 19, his first day at Spring Training, so as not to create a distraction.
That means, as Olney notes, the only remaining possibilities are that Pujols signs an extension with the Cardinals or becomes a free agent at season's end. The next 10 days are critical to the Cardinals' efforts to re-sign Pujols, tweets Olney.
Olney speculates that Pujols, who turned 31 this month, will probably command a contract similar to the one Alex Rodriguez signed with the Yankees following the 2007 season — somewhere along the lines of 10 years and $275MM.
For his career, Pujols has posted a ridiculous .331/.426/.624 over 10 seasons, never playing fewer than 143 games in any campaign.