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AL West Notes: Gray, Mariners, Luhnow, Ryan

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Sonny Gray underwent surgery on his left thumb today and is expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training, the Athletics announced via their Twitter feed.  Gray said he would still be pitching if Oakland was in the ALCS, despite the tear in his thumb's UCL that he suffered on a Prince Fielder line drive in Game Five of the ALDS.  The A's obviously want Gray fit for 2014 given how impressive the right-hander looked in his rookie season — Gray posted a 2.67 ERA, 9.4 K/9 and 3.35 K/BB over 12 regular season games (10 starts) and then posted a 2.08 ERA over 13 innings in two postseason starts.

Here's the latest from around the AL West…

  • Eric Wedge and the Mariners have different accounts of why exactly they parted ways, but CBS Sports' Jon Heyman notes it was clear that a change was necessary at manager given the differences between the two sides. 
  • Also in the piece, Heyman reports that the Mariners have Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo on their list of possible manager candidates.
  • The Mariners aren't likely to make a play for David Price this offseason, MLB.com's Greg Johns writes as part of a reader mailbag.  Seattle has been linked to Price in at least one rumor but Johns thinks if the M's are going to deal prospects for any major star, it will be for a big hitter.
  • Reid Ryan, the Astros' president of business operations and Nolan Ryan's son, tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that he hasn't spoken to his father about joining the 'Stros now that the elder Ryan has stepped down as the Rangers' CEO.  Astros owner Jim Crane would be open to Ryan taking on a role with the team, saying "We have Reid here, and [Nolan] is certainly welcome as a family member to hang out with us. I like Nolan, and at some point, if Nolan wanted to do something, we're all ears."
  • In AL West news from earlier today on MLBTR, you can check out Charlie Wilmoth's Offseason Outlook entry on the Rangers, a collection of Rangers notes, and Steve Adams' free agent profile of A's closer Grant Balfour.

Minor Moves: Rays, Cubs, Purcey, Okajima

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves here..

  • Infielder Ryan Roberts, 1B/OF Shelley Duncan, outfielder Jason Bourgeois and right-hander J.D. Martin have all elected to become free agents, MLBDailyDish.com's Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter links).  All four players were outrighted off the Rays' roster earlier this season.
  • Also from Cotillo (Twitter links), catcher J.C. Boscan and outfielder Darnell McDonald have elected to become free agents.  Both players were outrighted off the Cubs' 40-man roster last week.
  • The White Sox announced they have outrighted David Purcey to Triple-A Charlotte. Purcey, 31, posted a 2.13 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 in 24 relief appearances. The club's 40-man roster is now at 36.  Purcey was one of Chicago's arbitration eligible players this winter.
  • Left-hander Hideki Okajima and right-hander Chris Resop have elected free agency from the Athletics, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (Twitter link).  Okajima, 38 in December, pitched in five big league games for the A's but spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A where he posted a 4.22 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 37 appearances.  Resop, 31 in November, also spent the lion's share of the year in Triple-A and had a 6.81 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9.
  • Reds right-hander Jose Arredondo, Angels right-hander Robert Coello, and Marlins third baseman Gil Velazquez have elected free agency under Article XX(D), according to Eddy (via Twitter).  Arredondo struggled at the Triple-A level in 2013, posting a 5.87 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 6.5 BB/9.  Coello made 16 big league relief appearances in 2013 and put up a 3.71 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.
  • At Baseball America, Eddy has the full list of the past week's minor league transactions.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

Quick Hits: Rangers, Price, Rodon, Cubs

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Nolan Ryan might be missing out on a really fun offseason.  Rival talent evaluators believe that the Rangers are going to be very aggressive this winter and pursue the likes of David Price, Masahiro Tanaka, and Brian McCann, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  Texas is eager to right the ship after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2009.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • The 2014 draft class has potential to be the best class since 2011, write John Manuel and Clint Longenecker of Baseball America.  Left-hander Carlos Rodon stands out as the top talent in the group while power pitcher Jeff Hoffman would be the No. 2 pick if the draft was today.
  • Top international prospects Eloy Jimenez and Gleyber Torres are pretty far along in their development considering that they're just 16, but they'll be working to adjust to the U.S. culturally, writes MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.  "They're not raw in their physical abilities, it's just being raw to the United States, how things are run," said Cubs Minor League hitting coordinator Anthony Iapoce. "As far as the way they play the game, they're pretty advanced for 16 years old. They're not raw as far as their tools. Their tools are in place."
  • Pirates first baseman Justin Morneau will look to sign with a winner this offseason, writes Sid Hartman of the Star-Tribune.  Because of that, a return to the Twins seems highly unlikely, unless he finds an extremely weak market for his services.

AL East Notes: Rays, Orioles, Price, Dickerson, Hammel

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The Orioles need an ace and Rays David Price will likely be on the trade market this winter.  However, Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com doesn't see Tampa Bay even considering an intra-division trade and the O's might not have enough to land him.  More from the AL East..

  • Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com has a hard time imagining that the Rays would part with Price in a deal with Texas without the inclusion of Jurickson Profar.  Without the shortstop being involved, the Rangers would have to exhaust much of the top part of their farm system.  While sacrificing Profar would certainly sting, Texas has to be tempted by the idea of pairing Price with Yu Darvish at the top of their rotation. 
  • The Orioles have a lot of questions to address when it comes to their 40-man roster, including what to do with Chris Dickerson, writes Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com.  The outfielder was one of the final players cut during spring training and rejoined the big league club during the first week of the season.  
  • Jason Hammel made $6.75MM with the Orioles in 2013 and Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com asks how much he is worth to the O's in 2014.  The right-hander had a strong 2012 season but followed it up with a 4.97 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in '13.

Rays, White Sox To Complete Jesse Crain Trade

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WEDNESDAY, 11:07am: The Rays will send infielder Ben Kline and left-hander Sean Bierman as the players to be named later and cash considerations to the White Sox, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 7:49pm: The Rays will send Bierman to the White Sox as a part of this summer's Jesse Crain trade, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).  Another player will also go from Tampa Bay to Chicago in the trade and it is likely to be finalized tomorrow.  Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (Twitter link) first reported Bierman's inclusion in the deal.

Bierman, who turns 25 on Sunday, posted a 2.55 ERA in 14 starts and four relief appearances in 2013 between the club's Class-A and Class-A Advanced affiliates this season.  The lefty was not ranked among the Rays' top 30 prospects by Baseball America heading into the '13 season.

Earlier tonight, Tim Dierkes looked at the offseason ahead for the White Sox.

East Notes: Red Sox, Rays, Ripken

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Red Sox free agents will be key to this year's market, but Boston's decisions about which players they'll extend qualifying offers will strongly affect the market as well, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Jacoby Ellsbury will, obviously, almost certainly receive a qualifying offer. Sherman also expects that Mike Napoli, Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia will, and qualifying offers would significantly dampen the market for those three players. Teams will not want to forfeit draft picks to sign Napoli, Drew or Saltalamacchia, who, as free agents, would likely receive less per year than the $14.1MM qualifying offer, even if draft pick forfeiture didn't exist. Here are more notes from the East divisions.

  • The Rays face a number of tough decisions this offseason, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. At the center of their offseason, of course, is pitcher David Price, who is set to receive a raise on his $10.1MM 2013 contract in arbitration. Assuming the Rays pick up their options on Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar, they'll have an additional $23.6MM tied up in those two plus Evan Longoria, Joel Peralta and Matt Moore. Add in ten more arbitration-eligible players, nine free agents and what's likely to still be a very low 2014 budget, and Andrew Friedman and the Rays' front office are likely to have their hands full this winter.
  • Hiring Cal Ripken to replace the retiring Davey Johnson as manager would be a bad idea for the Nationals, Mike Harris of the Washington Times writes. Harris argues that the Nats don't need to make a flashy choice for their managerial job. They don't need a manager who will receive tons of media attention (even if he doesn't ask for it). Instead, what they need is a manager with experience, and while Ripken might be a good manager once he has experience, he doesn't have it yet. Nats bench coach Randy Knorr and Diamondbacks third base coach Matt Williams would be better choices, Harris says.

Cafardo On Price, BoSox, Granderson, Loney, Dodgers

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While David Price has resigned himself to being traded, the Rays appear to be trying to figure out ways to make their ace the focal point of their pitching staff for many years to come, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Cafardo notes, however, the Rays' front office realizes it could be a losing battle, so a trade is likely with nearly half of baseball rumored to be interested in the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. "It's a big name, a big-time pitcher," one National League GM told Cafardo. "Even if you feel you don't need that level of pitcher, you look into it because he's so special and such a game changer. You do more than kick the tires. You try to make something happen, and I think you'll see teams that don't even need him step up." Here's more from Cafardo's column:

  • The Red Sox will likely trade one of their veteran starters to make room for their young arms. Cafardo suggests Jon Lester and Jake Peavy could be available while Ryan Dempster, John Lackey, and Felix Doubront are also vulnerable.
  • Jacoby Ellsbury is a perfect fit for the Mariners and Carlos Beltran likewise for the Orioles.
  • Curtis Granderson will likely receive a qualifying offer from the Yankees and there's a strong possibility he would take it because he could post his biggest numbers at Yankee Stadium.
  • The Dodgers will make Andre Ethier and/or Matt Kemp available this winter. Kemp will come with injury concerns, but that shouldn't prevent a team from taking a chance on his talent.
  • James Loney has rebuilt his value with a strong season in Tampa (.299/.348/.430 with a 2.1 oWAR in 158 games and 598 plate appearances). Loney could find a market with the Rangers, if the Rays don't re-sign the free agent first baseman.
  • Reds pitching coach Bryan Price appears to be the front-runner to replace Dusty Baker as manager in Cincinnati while Nationals bench coach Randy Knorr is in a strong position to take over from Davey Johnson, unless ownership wants a bigger name as its new manager.

NL West Notes: Kemp, Price, CarGo, Tulo, Gray

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The Dodgers announced this week that Matt Kemp underwent surgery to repair the A-C joint in his left shoulder. Kemp, who was ruled out for the postseason due to an ankle injury, is expected to be ready for Spring Training, at which point the Dodgers will possess an interesting outfield logjam due to the presence of Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier. Here's more out of the NL West…

  • On yesterday's Baseball Tonight Podcast, ESPN's Buster Olney told colleague Tim Kurkjian that the Dodgers are expected to be the most aggressive team in pursuing a trade for David Price this offseason. A Price acquisition would give the Dodgers an unthinkably dominant front four of Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Price and Hyun-jin Ryu. Olney also names the Mariners and Rangers as possibilities, though he questions whether or not Price would want to sign an extension in Seattle.
  • Rockies owner Dick Monfort says Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki are staying put, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. "The plan is to keep them. Next year, yes. And my plan is to always keep them," Monfort said. "Is that the smartest thing in the world to do? I don't know. But for our fans I think it's the best thing to do."
  • Monfort also noted to Renck that the Rockies' payroll is expected to rise from this year's mark of $83.7MM to the $90-95MM range in 2014. He would like the team to add a starting pitcher and another big bat this offseason. MLBTR's Zach Links recently looked at the club's needs in the Colorado installment of the offseason outlook series.
  • MLB.com's Jim Callis called Rockies 2013 first-rounder Jonathan Gray "the class of the 2013 draft," saying that he has a higher ceiling than that of fellow Top 3 picks Mark Appel (Astros) and Kris Bryant (Cubs). Callis notes that the Rockies have had trouble developing pitching, but opines that Gray has clear ace potential and could reach the Majors in a hurry.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Price Preparing Himself To Be Traded

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Manager Joe Maddon told Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune that change is part of the Rays culture, and it's because of that reality that ace left-hander David Price is mentally preparing for a trade this offseason, writes Mooney. Price spoke to reporters on a conference call and offered the following take:

 “If you go with what's been done in the past, I guess you're going to have to think you're going to get traded … This is a place I love to be. My teammates and everyone in the organization knows that. It's part of baseball and it's something I've seen go on, it's kind of something I somewhat prepared myself for."

Teammates Alex Cobb and Ben Zobrist both say that they try not to think about the fact that this could have been Price's final season with the team and that they hope the Rays find a way to retain him. However, as Price alluded to, the Rays have a history of selling high on their starters as their price tag begins to rise. Tampa Bay dealt Matt Garza to the Cubs when he had three years of team control remaining, and they traded James Shields last winter when Shields had two years of control remaining. Price, who earned just over $10.1MM in 2013, is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to see that number jump to $13.1MM in arbitration next year.

The 28-year-old Price was the first overall pick in the 2007 draft and has blossomed into one of the game's best pitchers, taking home the AL Cy Young Award in 2012. He had a "down season" by his standards in 2013 — partly due to a triceps injury that shelved him for more than a month — but still posted a 3.33 ERA with 7.3 K/9, a league-leading 1.3 BB/9 and 44.9 percent ground-ball rate.

If and when Price hits the trading block, he will instantly become one of the most sought-after trade targets in recent memory. Last winter, the Royals surrendered Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi, Mike Montgomery and Patrick Leonard to acquire Shields and Wade Davis, and it's logical to imagine that Price could command a similar or even larger package. Like Shields, he has two years of team control remaining, but Price has been the more consistently dominant of the two since his 2010 breakout season.

Of course, the Rays could hang onto Price for another season and pay him the roughly $13MM he's owed as well. That would be more than the Rays have paid any player in the past, but it's a level they were comfortable committing to Evan Longoria on an average annual basis through the 2023 season. The team has $16MM coming off the books in free agent contracts in the form of Roberto Hernandez, Luke Scott, Kelly Johnson, Jose Molina, James Loney and Kyle Farnsworth, as well as non-tender candidates in Jeff Niemann (projected $3.4MM salary) and Sam Fuld ($900K). Niemann and Fuld combined to earn $3.725MM in 2013.

Rays Notes: Rodney, Delmon

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The Rays' season came to an end last night in a Game 4 loss to the Red Sox in the ALDS, but owner Stu Sternberg, executive VP Andrew Freidman and manager Joe Maddon all considered the team's 92-win season a success, writes MLB.com's Adam Berry. Evan Longoria tells Berry that it's frustrating to have been to the postseason four times and not won the World Series, but he's happy to be a part of a team that's had that opportunity. Joel Peralta voiced his confidence that the Rays' front office will add pieces to better position the team for a deep run in 2014. Here's more on the Rays…

  • Peralta told Bill Chastain of MLB.com that he and his teammates would all like the Rays to bring back closer Fernando Rodney. Peralta calls Rodney "one of the best teammates" he's had, noting that the two are like brothers. He feels that Rodney would sacrifice money on the free agent market to return to the Rays for a third season.
  • Chastain also writes that Delmon Young, who re-joined the team in August after being released by the Phillies, would like to return to the Rays in 2014 as well. Young cited the Rays' depth of pitching and offensive stars like Longoria and Wil Myers as reasons he'd like to return. He said he's unsure of the team' offseason plans but is looking forward to his first healthy offseason since 2010-11.
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