Quick Hits: Hunter, Garza, Padres, Betemit
The Twins pounded out 20 hits en route to a 10-9 victory over the Angels today at Target Field. Josh Willingham hit his third homer in as many games for Minnesota, and Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau also went yard — the first time the duo have homered in the same game since July 6, 2010.
Here are some notes from around the majors…
- Torii Hunter hasn't had any discussion with the Angels about a contract extension but understands why, he tells Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. "I don't want to bother those guys," Hunter said. "They've had so much going on. I definitely feel no rush. It'd be nice (to get an extension offer) but if not, I understand….They have other guys like (Erick) Aybar they need to lock up. Plus they've got (Mike) Trout lying in the weeds." Hunter is a free agent after this season and will be 37 on Opening Day 2013. He said he wants to return the Angels, but if not, he wants to play for another contending team.
- Nez Balelo, Matt Garza's agent, is scheduled to be in Chicago during the Cubs' homestand, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said that a potential long-term deal with Garza is the sort of "big-picture issue" that can't be measured by how Garza performs early this season or even throughout 2012.
- Separate ownership groups led by agents Dennis Gilbert and Arn Tellem could be interested in buying the Padres, reports Dan Hayes of the North County Times. A source tells Hayes that any potential buyer could bring a Padres legend like Tony Gwynn, Dave Winfield or Steve Garvey to serve as the public face of the ownership group. Garvey is known to already be fronting a group that is interested in the Padres after falling short in a bid to buy the Dodgers.
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams discusses new manager Robin Ventura, several players and his expectations for the team as a whole for 2012 in a Q&A with the team's TV crew (transcribed on MLB.com).
- The well-traveled Wilson Betemit is playing for his seventh team in 10 years but is only focused on helping the Orioles, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
- Andre Ethier is very focused on playing well in 2012 and putting himself in line for a big contract either with the Dodgers or with another club when he hits free agency this winter, sources tell ESPN Los Angeles' Tony Jackson.
White Sox Acquire Jose Castro
Let's keep track of the day's minor moves right here…
- The White Sox have acquired infielder Jose Castro from the Reds according to Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). He was assigned to Triple-A Charlotte. Castro, 25, hit .306/.343/.354 in 318 plate appearances in Cincinnati's minor league system last year. He's a .262/.307/.314 career hitter in the minors and has never played in the big leagues.
White Sox To Sign Kip Wells
We'll keep track of the day's minor moves right here…
- The White Sox agreed to sign right-hander Kip Wells to a minor league deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. Wells, 34, last pitched in the Major Leagues in 2009. He broke in with the 1999 White Sox and spent three seasons in Chicago before the White Sox traded him to Pittsburgh. Wells reached 93 mph in a recent workout with the Mets.
Offseason In Review: Chicago White Sox
The White Sox invested in John Danks, but said goodbye to Ozzie Guillen, Sergio Santos, Carlos Quentin, and Mark Buehrle.
Major League Signings
- Jason Frasor, RP: one year, $3.75MM. Club option exercised; later traded to Blue Jays.
- Kosuke Fukudome, OF: one year, $1MM.
- Donald Veal, RP: Major League deal.
- Total spend: about $5.2MM.
International Signings
- P Luis Martinez ($250K)
Notable Minor League Signings
- Dan Johnson, Dallas McPherson, Brian Bruney, Shane Lindsay, Delwyn Young, Eric Stults, Scott Olsen, Conor Jackson
Extensions
- John Danks, SP: five years, $65MM.
Trades and Claims
- Acquired RP Jhan Marinez and IF Osvaldo Martinez from Marlins for manager Ozzie Guillen and RP Ricardo Andres.
- Acquired SP Nestor Molina from Blue Jays for RP Sergio Santos.
- Acquired SP Simon Castro and SP Pedro Hernandez from Padres for RF Carlos Quentin.
- Acquired SP Miles Jaye and RP Daniel Webb from Blue Jays for RP Jason Frasor.
- Acquired OF Greg Golson from Royals for cash considerations.
Notable Losses
- Mark Buehrle, Sergio Santos, Carlos Quentin, Jason Frasor, Juan Pierre, Omar Vizquel, Ramon Castro
White Sox GM Kenny Williams has always marched to the beat of a different drum, and this offseason was no exception. While Williams met expectations by sitting out free agency and trading some veterans, he also authored a surprising extension and bucked industry consensus in the nuances of his trades.
In September, Williams pulled off a rare type of trade, sending allowing manager Ozzie Guillen to join the Marlins for Marinez and Martinez. Marinez and Martinez profile as a setup man and utility infielder, but it's still a win to get potential big leaguers for a manager who had seemingly already checked out. I see the appeal of replacing Guillen with Ventura, who might be Guillen's polar opposite but also a fan favorite. Someone like Davey Martinez might have been a more practical choice, however.
Sergio Santos seemed like a building block for the White Sox, even if they were mostly punting on the 2012 season. Santos was extended to a team-friendly deal in September, but traded to the Blue Jays in December with no advance warning. The hard-throwing 28-year-old closer was not known to be available. In the trade, Williams placed his bet on a lone prospect, 23-year-old starter Nestor Molina. Despite dominant numbers at High-A and in a short Double-A stint last year, Molina is seen by prospect experts as a back-of-the-rotation type. It's unlikely the White Sox agree with that assessment. They certainly had inside knowledge on Molina, having hired former Blue Jays director of Latin American operations Marco Paddy prior to the trade. Paddy later convinced Williams to spend $250K on 17-year-old Venezuelan Luis Martinez, a big step for a team typically reluctant to spend internationally outside of Cuba.
It was in response to a question, but Williams took the leap and agreed the Santos trade was "the start of a rebuilding." The GM qualified that by saying it wasn't a "falling domino rebuilding," because the offers for his starting pitching were lacking. Williams backed up his words by extending Danks about three weeks later. Coming off his worst season in quite a while, Danks didn't give much of a discount on the eve of his contract year. The White Sox made a sizeable five-year commitment, including four free agent seasons at $14.25MM apiece. Just 27 in April, Danks represented a better investment to the White Sox than longtime ace Buehrle, who had recently signed a four-year, $58MM free agent deal with Ozzie Guillen's Miami Marlins.
Danks' 2011 season was all over the map, with a reduced strikeout rate against left-handed hitters, an awful May, and strong work from June through August sandwiching a month missed from an oblique strain. In three seasons prior, he'd posted a 3.61 ERA over 608 1/3 innings. Danks' extension includes a full no-trade clause only for 2012, so Williams retains flexibility for a future trade. Danks' rotation-mate Gavin Floyd seems more likely to be dealt in the near future, as a solid mid-rotation starter who can be controlled through 2013. If the Sox aren't contending but Floyd has a decent first half, he'll be one of the better starters available.
Quentin, on the other hand, was not extended heading into his contract year. The 29-year-old right fielder was dealt to San Diego for pitching prospects Castro and Hernandez. Castro, the headliner, has decent upside even after a lost 2011 season. Still, no one considers him among the best 100 prospects in the game. Unlike the Santos trade, I think the White Sox were just taking the best they could find for Quentin rather than bucking industry consensus in their prospect evaluations. Quentin is good for only 120 games per season, his defense is average at best, and his OBP is respectable by virtue of getting hit by a pitch 20 times a year. He's not the type of difference-maker for which a team can extract top prospects.
Frasor was an unnecessary bullpen luxury for the Sox even with Santos gone, so Williams shipped him back to the Blue Jays for a couple of prospects. The deal justified Chicago's earlier decision to exercise Frasor's club option.
Ventura will provide a fresh outlook for the White Sox, especially since he has no prior coaching experience. His hire signals a youth movement, and the White Sox need results from Dayan Viciedo, Brent Morel, Gordon Beckham, and Chris Sale. However, the team's 2012 chances still hinge on disappointing well-paid players such as Adam Dunn, Alex Rios, and Jake Peavy.
Cafardo On Pelfrey, Thornton, Byrd, Gregg, Padres
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe ranks every manager in the majors, one through 30. Cafardo's top five skippers in the game for 2012 are Joe Maddon (Rays), Jim Leyland (Tigers), Mike Scioscia (Angels), Charlie Manuel (Phillies), and Joe Girardi (Yankees). Here's more from Cafardo..
- While the Mets were considering releasing right-hander Mike Pelfrey, they likely won’t do that because there should be a trade market for the veteran. The 28-year-old makes $5.6MM on a non-guaranteed deal and the Mets may be able to get something from a club looking for a back-end starter.
- White Sox left-hander Matt Thornton is a player who always draws interest, though other clubs wish he didn’t make $12MM over the next two years. With Hector Santiago and Will Ohman on the team, the closer could again be trade bait.
- The Cubs may eat some money to move outfielder Marlon Byrd, who is scheduled to earn $6.5MM this season. They may have suitors in the Braves, Phillies, and others. A National League scout indicated that Byrd’s name is being mentioned more and more as the end of spring training approaches.
- Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg is available as the O's try to rid themselves of extraneous players and save money. Gregg makes $5.6MM this year, and the Orioles don’t want his 2013 contract to kick in at $6MM if he finishes 50 games in 2012.
- Cafardo expects long-term extension talks between Cole Hamels and the Phillies to move slowly.
- One American League owner said of the Padres, "They’re probably a half-billion to $700MM purchase. And I don’t believe that many, or any, of the finalists for the Dodgers would be interested."
White Sox Sign Conor Jackson
The White Sox have signed Conor Jackson to a minor league contract, reports Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). The SFX client was assigned to Triple-A.
Jackson, 29, was released by the Rangers earlier this month. He hit .244/.310/.341 in 390 plate appearances for the Athletics and Red Sox last year. Jackson has plenty of experience in both outfield corners and first base, and he typically does his best work against left-handed pitchers.
Minor Moves: Marrero, Thurston, Guzman
Keeping track of the day’s minor moves…
- The White Sox sent outfielder Christian Marrero to the Braves for cash considerations, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). It appears that he'll start the 2012 season in the minor leagues.
- The Phillies signed Joe Thurston, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com (on Twitter). He'll open the season in the minors. The Astros released the utility player earlier today, according to the team’s senior director of social media, Alyson Footer (Twitter link). The 32-year-old has MLB experience at second and third and in both corner outfield positions. He owns a .226/.305/.323 line in parts of seven MLB seasons.
- The Dodgers signed right-hander Kyle Smit, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets. Smit had spent the past few seasons in the Cubs’ organization.
- Cristian Guzman says the Indians released him, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). The veteran infielder signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland last month, though he didn't play affiliated baseball in 2011.
Heyman On Lannan, Tigers, Abreu, Zito, Dunn
Here's the latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..
- The Tigers' interest in John Lannan is only lukewarm at best and one executive told Heyman (via Twitter) that American League teams are leery of what switching leagues would do. For their part, the Nationals still seem eager to move the left-hander.
- With no real playing time likely available to Bobby Abreu, it might be for the best for the Angels to simply release the veteran, Heyman writes. Even though Abreu's agents, Peter and Edward Greenberg, said his recent comments were taken out of context, Abreu is obviously frustrated and unhappy about his situation.
- Is Barry Zito's contract the worst free agent deal ever? – Heyman believes that it is and it tops his top ten list. John Lackey, Gary Matthews, Carl Pavano, and Mike Hampton round out the top five.
- There are several theories as to why Adam Dunn wasn't able to produce last year, including the idea that his big contract got to him, writes Heyman. The 32-year-old hit .159/.292/.277 in 122 games last season.
Minor Moves: White Sox, Royals, Golson, Cora
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves right here:
- The Royals announced via Twitter that they have traded outfielder Greg Golson to the White Sox for cash considerations. The 26-year-old appeared in nine games for the Yankees last year and hit .263/.330/.385 in 105 games with the team’s Triple-A affiliate.
- The Cardinals announced that they released infielder Alex Cora and catcher Koyie Hill. The Cards signed Cora to a minor league deal back in February that would have been worth $800K if he made the big league roster. Hill, who spent 2011 with the Cubs, hooked on with the Cardinals in January.
Cafardo On Suzuki, Oswalt, Correia, Zimmermann
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe argues that two best players at catcher and shortstop positions in camp with the Red Sox organization are Ryan Lavarnway and Jose Iglesias and believes that they absolutely should be on the final 25-man roster. There could be disagreement from different factions of the club about what to do with the two players and it'll be interesting to see how it all turns out. Here's more from Cafardo..
- The Rays have been trying hard to get A's catcher Kurt Suzuki but Oakland isn’t crazy about getting Wade Davis or Jeff Niemann in return. One National League GM points out that those are the type of pitchers that Billy Beane winds up trading and would want a higher grade of pitcher. Right now, the Rays aren’t willing to pay that price.
- The idea that Roy Oswalt wants to play in the Midwest or South can be overcome with money, according to a major league source. To get him, Cafardo writes that the Red Sox have to loosen their purse strings.
- Major league sources say that the Pirates would entertain a deal for right-hander Kevin Correia.
- The Angels asked the Nationals about Jordan Zimmermann, but there’s no chance unless they part with someone like Mike Trout, and that’s not happening.
- Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald could get some bites if he gets squeezed out in Boston. The Indians, Giants, and Braves are all looking for a righthanded-hitting outfielder.
- The Yankees are being a little careful about trading their pitching depth, but it appears Freddy Garcia would be available at the right price, which may be high.
- White Sox pitchers Gavin Floyd and John Danks are both available in the right deal, but according to one GM, Kenny Williams will want at least "two A-level prospects and a third that’s a notch below, and that might not get it done."