Heyman On Pujols, Torre, Blalock, Lopez
Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt told Jon Heyman of SI.com that he wants to keep Albert Pujols in St. Louis for life, even though the first baseman will likely require a historic contract when he becomes a free agent, presumably after the 2011 season.
- The Dodgers continue to work on a one-year extension with Joe Torre. Don Mattingly appears "likely" to take over as Dodgers manager after 2011.
- The Marlins have Hank Blalock on their radar and the Rays are also in the mix.
- The Cardinals haven't ruled out making an addition and Felipe Lopez seems like a fit. Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says (via Twitter) that the Cardinals are interested in Lopez, but not 'in' on him.
Gary Sheffield’s Next Team
Gary Sheffield still wants to play. Actually, he wants to play a lot. Ten days ago, a source told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that Sheffield was still looking for an everyday job. But ask Jermaine Dye how easy it is for aging sluggers to find jobs these days. Dye is five years younger than Sheffield and hit 17 more homers last year, but he hasn't seen an offer he likes. It is not surprising to see the 41-year-old Sheffield unsigned at this point in the offseason.
- The Blue Jays have Jose Bautista and Randy Ruiz competing for at bats in the outfield and at DH, so the competition is not overwhelming. There's very little chance the rebuilding Jays could turn Sheffield into something valuable at the deadline (that applies to any club).
- The Rays already have one positionless player. Pat Burrell joins Matt Joyce, Fernando Perez, Gabe Kapler, Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez and Dan Johnson in pursuit of limited roster spots, so Sheffield doesn't appear to be a fit in Tampa.
- Like the Rays, the Red Sox, Indians, Royals, Angels, Rangers and A's have little need for an extra DH.
- The Marlins don't have much outfield depth after Chris Coghlan, Cameron Maybin and Cody Ross.
- The Cardinals and Astros have limited outfield depth, too.
- The Nationals have been adding veterans all offseason long, but they have enough outfielders already.
There doesn't appear to be an everyday job out there for Sheffield. At this point, it appears likely that he'll have to retire, wait for someone to get injured, or accept a minor league deal and a limited role.
Crawford Extension Talks Tabled Until End Of Season
Contract extension talks between Carl Crawford's agent Brian Peters and the Rays have been tabled until after the season, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Said Peters:
"We had an opportunity to exchange ideas with the club about a contract extension for Carl and it was clear to all of us that an immediate agreement was not going to materialize. Thus, we all agreed to table discussions until the end of the year. We'd like to minimize distractions for Carl and the club and keep the focus on baseball, so we don’t plan to comment upon Carl's contract status again until after the season."
Crawford reiterated that he'd love to stay. However, Topkin estimates a five-year deal in the $75MM range, and doesn't think the Rays can afford it. They'd probably have to commit around a quarter of their payroll to retain Crawford. On the open market, I can see Crawford getting a sixth guaranteed year. He won't turn 29 until August. My guess is that the Rays will not trade Crawford midseason, but will take two draft picks when he signs elsewhere.
Rays Notes: Desmond Jennings, Carlos Pena
Talking to Jim Bowden of MLB Home Plate (Twitter link), Rays Senior VP of Baseball Operations Gerry Hunsicker said it would take extraordinary circumstances for top prospect Desmond Jennings to play in the Majors this year. Jennings is regarded by most as the sixth-best prospect in the game, and it seemed quite possible that he'd muscle his way into the outfield picture this summer. If Jennings is expected to remain in Triple A, perhaps Carl Crawford is less likely to be traded (although maybe a Crawford trade qualifies as an extraordinary circumstance).
Both Crawford and Carlos Pena will be eligible for free agency after the season, and Hunsicker told Bowden it will be very difficult to retain both. Rays owner Stuart Sternberg is on record saying, "We're going to do everything we can to make sure [Crawford] stays here longer." And Rays president Matt Silverman said the team is currently focused on Crawford, with talks ongoing. That doesn't necessarily make Pena a midseason trade candidate, as the Rays need his bat to contend. Pena told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times today that he hopes to stay with the Rays beyond 2010 and is extremely grateful for the opportunity no matter what happens.
Indians Sign Russell Branyan
The Indians officially signed Russell Branyan today to a one-year, $2MM deal. He can earn another $1MM in incentives, and the contract includes a $5MM mutual option for 2011. ESPN.com's Buster Olney was first to report the agreement on Friday. MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince notes that Chris Gimenez was outrighted to make room for Branyan, but will remain in camp as a non-roster invitee.
Branyan, 34, hit 31 homers and slugged .520 for the Mariners last year. They offered him the chance to return on a one-year deal with a club option for 2011 and he turned it down. Branyan was looking for $20-30MM earlier in the offseason, but he didn't find offers that lucrative. Some clubs were wary of the back issues that prevented Branyan from playing after August 28th last year.
Ultimately, the Indians and Rays were finalists and Branyan chose to return to Cleveland. He figures to get at bats at first base and DH. Branyan played 35 games at third in 2008 and he has experience in the outfield, so Indians manager Manny Acta could move him around the diamond.
Jose Julio Ruiz Close To Signing
FEBRUARY 24, 4:50am: Jesus Gallo, trainer for Ruiz, tells Rangel at the Nuevo Herald that Ruiz has received bids from six major league teams and "concrete proposals" from at least three. All of the offers exceeded $1MM, but none have been sufficient to ink the 25-year-old first baseman. Last Thursday, ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure, Jr. wrote that some teams view Ruiz as being ready to join major league rosters immediately.
Gallo labels the Cuban defector's most recent try-out, on Monday against members of the Blue Jays, "his last before signing." He says Ruiz will make a decision between Wednesday and Thursday of this week.
FEBRUARY 14: Cuban first baseman Jose Julio Ruiz may be close to signing according to a report from Luis E. Rangel of the Miami-based Nuevo Herald, which was passed along by MLBTR's resident translator Nick Collias. Here are some quotes from Ruiz's agent, Jorge Luis Toca…
“In the coming week he should be signed. Perhaps we’ll be announcing something on Wednesday.”
“Toronto, Texas, Boston, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and Colorado are the ones who have shown the most interest. We are also expecting an offer from the Yankees.”
“The idea is to find a team where there is the most opportunity to rise quickly.”
With regards to the last point, Toca noted that the Yankees are the least appealing team because of the presence of Mark Teixeira. Despite that, Ruiz is currently working out at the Yanks' complex in the Dominican Republic, and Toca indicated that "millions" of dollars were being discussed with teams, as well as an invitation to Spring Training.
The 25-year-old Ruiz hit .305/.408/.467 over 52 games in the Serie Nacional last season before suddenly defecting to the Dominican. ESPN's Jorge Arangure noted that he was more than just a masher relegated to first base, offering speed and athleticism.
Heyman On Blalock, Crawford, Reynolds
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman writes that the Rays and Marlins are thought to have interest in Hank Blalock. We discussed Blalock here; his prospects are dim now that the Indians, Orioles, Braves, and Pirates have gone in different directions.
- Heyman notes that the Yankees love Carl Crawford and that could be one reason they were reluctant to give Johnny Damon a two-year deal. We discussed Crawford's situation earlier today.
- The Diamondbacks offered Mark Reynolds an extension to cover his first three arbitration years, in the $11MM range. That'd be quite a concession, since he should easily top $5MM in his first arbitration year.
- Heyman tweets that the Braves and Reds "could be in the mix" for outfielder Garret Anderson. Presumably, Anderson is in line for a minor league deal. He was linked to the Dodgers before they signed Reed Johnson.
Carl Crawford Enters Contract Year
Rays executive Andrew Friedman will probably address Carl Crawford's contract situation next week, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The 28-year-old outfielder is slated to earn $10MM in 2010 before he reaches free agency. Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said on Friday, "We're going to do everything we can to make sure he stays here longer."
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times spoke to Crawford, who would prefer not to negotiate during the season. Crawford hopes to stay with the Rays, but also noted that "you go [to free agency] to be paid like the guys playing against you."
In a January article, ESPN's Buster Olney noted that Crawford "may turn out to be one of the big beneficiaries" of teams' increasing emphasis on defense. Disciples of UZR might suggest Crawford is worth north of $15MM a year, potentially more than a quarter of the Rays' projected 2011 payroll.
Odds & Ends: Damon, A’s, Beckett, Reynolds, Dye
Sunday links….
- Joe Cowley at the Chicago Sun-Times has Kenny Williams' final take on missing out on Johnny Damon to the Tigers. Cowley's piece also expands a bit on the Dye note we've linked to below.
- The A's received cash to complete the trades for both Adam Rosales and Dana Eveland, writes Susan Slusser.
- Regarding his current contract situation, Josh Beckett says he and the Red Sox "talked about talking," according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier. Beckett says he won't have anything to say about the situation during Spring Training or even after. Speier's piece also contains video highlights of Beckett's press conference, including his take on Mike Lowell's situation.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert has a series of tweets regarding Mark Reynolds, who hopes to have his contract situation resolved within the next couple weeks. Reynolds says that the deadline for talks is still Opening Day. Gilbert adds that the current discussion is whether to buy out two or three arbitration years.
- White Sox GM Ken Williams considered pursuing Jermaine Dye, but felt that the Sox' need for a left-handed bat was more pressing, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
- MLB.com's Scott Merkin tweets that John Danks and the White Sox did not discuss a multi-year deal this offseason.
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports, via Twitter, that the Rays were in the mix for Johnny Damon until the end, bidding more than every team but the Tigers.
- Jim Leyland says that Damon's arrival in Detroit won't mean any less at-bats for Carlos Guillen, according to John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian breaks down (via Twitter) the early-round draft picks the Blue Jays will now hold this summer, following the Mets' agreement with Rod Barajas.
- Former Brave Greg Norton will head into 2010 as a coach instead of a player for the first time. He'll serve as the hitting coach for the New Orleans Zephyrs, the Marlins' Triple-A affiliate.
- WEEI's Alex Speier takes a look at the first impression made in Red Sox camp by slick-fielding shortstop Jose Iglesias. Many felt the Sox overpaid for the Cuban prospect last summer, but according to Speier, the Cubs were willing to pay even more.
Johnny Damon Rumors: Friday
7:15pm: Morosi and Ken Rosenthal at FOX Sports provide another Damon update, writing that the Tigers' offer to the outfielder could be worth up to about $7.5MM, with some of it deferred. They acknowledge that it's anyone's guess where the 36-year-old lands, suggesting that the Rays and Braves could still be under-the-radar players for Damon.
5:36pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that, according to Dombrowski, Williams' comments will not affect the Tigers' approach to Damon.
5:00pm: Let's not rule the White Sox out completely. Williams told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that Damon has until Sunday morning to take the team's last offer.
4:27pm: Williams told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that Damon and Boras were willing to be creative (Twitter link). Ultimately, Williams says "the total dollars and cents didn't make sense" for the White Sox.
3:41pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Scott Boras wants two things from the Tigers. First, he's asking them to remove all deferred money from the one-year $7MM deal they have offered. Second, he wants the Tigers to add a second year (Twitter links).
3:26pm: The White Sox have pulled their offer to Damon, reports Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. White Sox GM Kenny Williams said he had to withdraw it.
"It became clear to us in our recent negotiations that the money that we were offering was not going to be good enough for Johnny at this time," Williams said.
Williams said the White Sox are "very much interested in" Damon. Levine hears that the White Sox offered him $6MM. Levine's sources tell him that the Tigers never offered a two-year deal; they have only offered a one-year $7MM contract.
9:29am: Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski went public with his interest in Johnny Damon yesterday, confirming to Patrick Zier of the Lakeland Ledger that he's offered Damon a contract. Dombrowski would not discuss the particulars of the offer, though a source of Zier's "would be very surprised if it's for more than one year."
As you know, Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald finds the White Sox an unlikely landing spot for Damon given GM Kenny Williams' plan to "talk about this on Sunday."
ESPN's Buster Olney spoke to one executive involved in Damon talks in recent months who said, "There is so much BS out there, and [I] don't want to contribute to it."