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Rangers Acquire Robinson Chirinos

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The Rangers acquired catcher Robinson Chirinos from the Rays for a player to be named later, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  Chirinos had been designated for assignment on March 31st.

Chirinos, 28, missed the entire 2012 season after suffering a concussion.  In 2011, he hit .259/.343/.376 in 319 Triple-A plate appearances, a disappointing offensive season after a breakout 2010 factored into the Rays acquiring him from the Cubs as part of the Matt Garza trade.  After 2010, Baseball America wrote that Chirinos "always had shown an ability to handle the bat and control the strike zone, and now he has developed power to all fields."  They also praised his work behind the plate.

West Notes: Dodgers, Harang, Profar

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Yesterday, the Dodgers narrowed their starter surplus by one when they shipped Aaron Harang to the Rockies for catcher Ramon Hernandez.  Here's more on yesterday's swap and other notes out of the Western divisions.

  • The Dodgers now have seven starting pitchers, which is more livable that the eight they had yesterday, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times.  Observers might have expected the Dodgers to come away with more in the trade, but GM Ned Colletti has had months to gauge interest from around the majors and this was the best deal that he could find.
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels was asked by Jim Bowden of SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio (on Twitter) if he would consider a swap of Jurickson Profar and Oscar Taveras, but artfully dodged the question.  Cardinals GM John Mozeliak recently told Bowden that he would have to consider such an offer if presented with it.

Cafardo On Norris, Rangers, Lilly, Dodgers, Tigers

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that baseball could eventually return to Montreal.  While it has always been known as a hockey town, Montreal has been responsible for such great baseball talent as Hall of Famers Andre Dawson and Gary Carter, “Le Grand Orange,” Rusty Staub,  Tim Raines, Marquis Grissom, Cliff Floyd, Randy Johnson, Dennis Martinez, Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker, Andres Galarraga, Moises Alou, Vladimir Guerrero, and Tim Wallach.  The city is looking into the possibility of giving Expos fans something to cheer about again and they claim that the strength of the Canadian dollar coupled with revenue sharing can help make it work.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • Pitcher Bud Norris improved his stock after he beat the Rangers on Opening Day and he should bring the Astros a good haul between now and the trade deadline.  One longtime National League adviser believes that the Rangers might be the team to scoop him up.
  • After unloading Aaron Harang in yesterday's trade with the Rockies, the Dodgers would still love to find a taker for Ted Lilly, who earns $12MM this year.  However, there has been little to no interest in the veteran so far.  
  • There aren't many people who think that the recently re-signed Jose Valverde can be the Tigers' closer, but could add to their mix in the bullpen.  One AL evaluator feels that they have to move and get themselves a proven closer in a hurry.
  • Kip Wells, soon to be 36, is available and throwing 93 miles per hour, according to his agent, Burton Rocks.  The veteran reliever made seven starts over the summer for the Padres last season.

Rosenthal On Kershaw, Fernandez, Davis

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Baseball is back, and that also means the return of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Let's dive in..

  • Clayton Kershaw's people and the Dodgers are still talking with the season underway, but no one really knows what's going on behind closed doors.  At the same time, no one should be surprised if Kershaw winds up being the first true $200MM pitcher.  Inking him for a total of ten years would keep him locked up through his age 34 season and even though that length sounds crazy, Felix Hernandez is signed through age 33 and Justin Verlander through age 36.  Rosenthal's guess is an eight-year, $200MM extension on top of the two years of control that he has left.
  • It was a surprise to some that the Marlins opted to start Jose Fernandez's service clock so early, but it turns out that they had little choice thanks to an unimpressive spring from Jacob Turnerand injuries elsewhere in the rotation.  Miami did their homework on other pitchers that started their careers at a young age, including Dwight Gooden, and ultimately decided that it was the right call.
  • Many are asking why the Rangers ever parted with Chris Davis, but its a deal that made sense at the time in 2011.  Mitch Moreland had the first base job and Davis had no place in the lineup, meaning that he needed a change of scenery.  Texas GM Jon Daniels acknowledged that Davis could develop into an impact offensive player at the time, and that's exactly what happened.

West Notes: Dodgers, White, Profar, Astros

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Earlier today, we recapped the Dodgers' winter.  Here's a look at the latest on the Dodgers and more out of the AL and NL West..

  • The Dodgers have a surplus of starting pitchers, leaving Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano, and Ted Lilly in limbo, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  Neither Harang nor Capuano are pleased to be in a relief role, as both feel they're still starting pitchers.
  • Hernandez's colleague, Steve Dilbeck, writes that the unhappiness of the Dodgers' reluctant trio of relievers could eventually become a problem for the team. As Dilbeck notes, pitching in long relief roles will negatively impact the contracts that Capuano and Harang can receive in free agency this offseason.
  • Rangers prospect Jurickson Profar would like to follow in the footsteps of teammate Elvis Andrus, who recently agreed to an eight-year, $120MM extension, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  With Ian Kinsler in the first year of a five-year extension and Andrus locked up through at least 2018, something will have to change before Profar can earn a spot in the everyday lineup.
  • Astros right-hander Alex White, acquired in this offseason's Wilton Lopez trade with the Rockies, will require Tommy John surgery, writes Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Vlad, Murphy, Ryan, Lester

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On this date in 2002, the Mets claimed a 26-year-old shortstop off waivers from the Brewers. He had just posted a .295/.382/.432 batting line in Triple-A Indianapolis a year prior, and would go on to make his Major League debut for the Mets that season. The infielder would bat just .216/.299/.351 in 129 plate appearances for the Mets over the next two years before being plucked off waivers again — this time by the A's. Marco Scutaro would eventually cement himself as a late bloomer and ultimately help the Giants to a World Series title before inking a three-year, $20MM contract this offseason. Here are some links from around the league as we enter the season's first full weekend…

  • Vladimir Guerrero turned down offers to play in Taiwan and in Quebec to sign with the Long Island Ducks, writes ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Crasnick goes on to explain that Guerrero's goal is to get back into Major League Baseball and chase the 500-homer plateau. He's currently 51 long balls shy with 449 in his career.
  • There have been no serious extension talks between David Murphy and the Rangers, tweets Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest. Murphy plans to play out the season and think about his next deal in the offseason.
  • Nolan Ryan will be at the Rangers home opener today, and he's taking a "wait-and-see" approach as he decides his future with the team, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that a rebound campaign from Red Sox lefty Jon Lester will likely result in a mega-deal that's comparable to some of the "silly money" deals doled out to starting pitchers around the game recently. Cafardo breaks down the track records of pitchers like Zack Greinke, Matt Cain, Cole Hamels and others and compares them to Lester.

AL West Notes: Andrus, Luhnow

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Earlier today, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs explored a hypothetical swap of super-prospects: Rangers shortstop Jurickson Profar and Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras. Even if one were to prefer the upside of Taveras to the floor of Profar, Cameron says, the present value of Profar to the middle-infield-hungry Cards tilts clearly in favor of such a deal for St. Louis. For the Rangers, though, Taveras is not quite as clean a fit, as the club would presumably need to move Nelson Cruz to first. And giving up Profar now could hurt the team's chances of landing another hypothetical trade target: Giancarlo Stanton. If Texas asked for the Cardinals to kick in something more to sweeten the deal, however, it would begin to look less attractive to St. Louis. Thus, while St. Louis GM John Mozeliak says he'd have to consider such a deal (Twitter link), Cameron concludes that it is unlikely to materialize. 

  • MLBTR has learned of some additional provisions contained in Elvis Andrus's recent extension, each of which would figure in if the Rangers ever looked to trade the shortstop. In addition to a limited no-trade clause, Andrus would obtain full no-trade protection for the balance of the contract if he is traded at any point. Further, the previously reported vesting club option for 2023 would instead become a player option if Andrus is with a different team when the contract expires in 2022 (assuming, of course, that the deal has not already terminated via one of its opt-out clauses.) The potential club option and player option both vest upon the same 2021-22 plate appearance thresholds.
  • The Astros, firmly in rebuilding mode, may well have the right baseball operations leadership to make it successful. Houston GM Jeff Luhnow, the Cardinals' scouting director from 2005-11, is credited with drafting more 2013 Opening Day major leaguers (21) than any other scouting director. Baseball America's Conor Glassey broke down Luhnow's many successes, which make up a sizeable portion of St. Louis's current (and likely future) roster.  

Rangers To Extend Elvis Andrus

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As Rangers GM Jon Daniels explained, the club has officially agreed to "an unusual deal" with 24-year-old shortstop Elvis Andrus. The deal is nominally an eight-year, $120MM extension, bringing the team's total commitment to Andrus to $131.275MM over the next ten seasons. But that is far from the entire story.

Andrus's previous three-year, $14.4MM contract expires after 2014. His new deal provides that he will receive $15MM for the following six years (2015-2020) and $14MM for the final two seasons (2021-22). Andrus also received a $2MM signing bonus. 

However, the contract also includes two opt-out clauses that give Andrus the right to become a free agent after either the 2018 or the 2019 season. If Andrus opts out at the first possible chance, as the club anticipates, then the deal will effectively revert to a four-year, $62MM extension. 

In effect, then, the Rangers have ensured control over Andrus for the next six years. The Rangers now have an enviable surplus of middle infield talent locked up with Andrus, Jurickson Profar and Ian Kinsler all under team control through at least the 2018 season. (The Rangers have a team option over Kinsler for 2018, and Profar would not be eligible for free agency until 2019 at the earliest.) The Rangers could move Kinsler to first base or outfield next season, or look to trade him this offseason. Of course, the club could also consider dealing Profar for prime talent in the outfield or rotation.

While Texas has obtained security and flexibility up the middle, the opt-out clauses also add risk, as Andrus gets two chances at a walk year. In essence, if Texas has six years of control over Andrus, then the player has control over the final four seasons. Should Andrus suffer injury or see his abilities slip, he could decide not to opt out and leave the Rangers on the hook for an additional $58MM over 2019-2022. 

There is one other (perhaps unlikely) major scenario that the contract contemplates. If Andrus chooses not to opt out but remains an effective everyday player, the deal could expand by another year and another $15MM. Here's how: Should Andrus stay in Texas and make either 550 plate appearances in 2022, or 1,100 appearances combined in 2021-22, then a $15MM team option vests for 2023. But, if Andrus reaches those PA targets and instead plays out the contract with another club (presumably as a result of a trade or waiver claim), then a $15MM player option vests for 2023. 

The possibility of a 2023 player option vesting is one potential deterrent to a future trade involving Andrus. The extension also provides Andrus with direct protection through a ten-team, partial no-trade clause that kicks in for 2016. Also, if Andrus is traded, he receives full no-trade protection (against his new team) over any subsequent deals for the duration of the contract.

Andrus

As MLBTR's Extension Tracker shows, Andrus' contract is unprecedented for a player of his type. His $120MM guarantee in new money is $1MM more than the $119MM that was guaranteed to Troy Tulowitzki following his last contract extension, but Andrus' bat isn't nearly as potent. While Tulowitzki's overall contract is still larger (he signed that extension midway through a six-year, $31MM contract), Scott Boras has managed to secure the largest extension ever for a shortstop in terms of new money. Indeed, despite being years away from the open market, Andrus bested the $106MM guarantee achieved by Jose Reyes in free agency last offseason. 

Andrus has a career .274/.342/.352 batting line and just 14 homers in 2595 plate appearances, but the Rangers are clearly paying him based on his elite defense and baserunning. Ultimate Zone Rating pegs Andrus as having saved 29 runs with his defense from 2009-12, while The Fielding Bible has him at 23. Fangraphs ranks his baserunning ability second only to Michael Bourn over that same four-year stretch.

Boras typically encourages his clients to test free agency, but the Andrus deal marks the second time in the past three weeks that a Boras client has signed a long-term extension before hitting the open market. Carlos Gomez recently signed a three-year $24MM contract Brewers despite already being controlled through the 2013 season. Perhaps frustration over free agents Kyle Lohse and, to a lesser extent, Michael Bourn this offseason have prompted a change in Boras' philosophy.

Andrus was the subject of trade rumors all offseason as a result of Profar's presence in the minor leagues and the Rangers' heavy interest in Justin Upton. General manager Jon Daniels maintained all along, however, that he refused to include Andrus in a deal. The new contract serves as an exclamation point on Texas' faith that Andrus will continue to be an elite defender whose offensive game will grow.

This is the second extension of the calendar year for the Rangers, who inked Opening Day starter Matt Harrison to a five-year, $55MM deal in January.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported that the two sides were nearing an agreement. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports was the first to report an agreement had been reached. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan added details surrounding the opt-out clause and option year. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the deal would include two out clauses (Twitter link). Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest tweeted Andrus's signing bonus and annual salary, and reported on the official press conference. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Taveras, Profar, Posey, Zimmerman

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In an interview with MLB Network Radio's Casey Stern and Jim Bowden (audio link), Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said that he would have to consider a hypothetical swap of Oscar Taveras and the Rangers' Jurickson Profar.  Mozeliak went on to say that while the club is well set in the outfield for years to come, they're not quite as strong in the middle infield.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • Since word of the Elvis Andrus extension leaked, the Rangers have received at least a couple of trade inquiries on Profar, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  However, Rangers people say they are as high on Profar as ever and have no intention or need to trade him.
  • Even though it's costly to secure insurance for baseball contracts, the Giants are looking into a policy for Buster Posey's lucrative deal, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. An insurer might demand an exclusion for any injury related to the left ankle that he damaged in the 2011 collision with the Marlins' Scott Cousins. 
  • Nationals third baseman and Brodie Van Wagenen client Ryan Zimmerman is intrigued by Jay-Z's partnership with CAA, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.  “When you get a guy like [Jay-Z], who wants to get involved in baseball — he is obviously one of the icons of our generation for his music,” Zimmerman said. “I think he has become a very savvy and smart businessman. It will be interesting to see what happens and where it goes and how it goes."

Quick Hits: Red Sox, Posey, Cano, Indians

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Pirates GM Neal Huntington and Rays GM Andrew Friedman claim that their decisions to leave Gerrit Cole (Pirates) and Wil Myers (Rays) in the minors to start the 2013 season were motivated not by service-time concerns, but by those players' readiness, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo reports. Mayo says the scouts he's spoken to can't blame Huntington for sending Cole to Triple-A Indianapolis, since Cole has very limited experience at that level. Friedman, meanwhile, says that he needs to be sure a player is ready before having him compete in the tough AL East. "The AL East will expose very quickly any weaknesses that you have," he says. "So when we bring someone here, we need to feel that he's ready to step in and help us win right away."

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington, in contrast, says his organization promoted Jackie Bradley Jr. to start the season — even though doing so could affect Bradley's timetable for free agency — because Bradley is one of the organization's 25 best players, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports. "At the end, if there was that level of confidence that he was part of the best 25-man roster, then we felt he should be on the team. That’s part of our responsibility to the fans and to the organization," Cherington says. In addition, Cherington notes, the Red Sox begin their season with plenty of games within their division, and it's especially crucial that they do well in those games. Their first four series against the Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles and Rays, all AL East opponents. Here are more notes from around the majors.

  • The Giants have locked up catcher Buster Posey with an eight-year, $159MM extension, but in Keith Law's latest podcast for ESPN, Posey's agent, Jeff Berry of Creative Artist Agency (CAA), contemplates what might have happened if Posey and the Giants had decided to go year-to-year through the arbitration system. Berry argues that Posey's situation would have been unique, because Posey has won an MVP and a Rookie of the Year award and has played for two World Series-winning teams, but after missing much of 2011 to injury, he doesn't have particularly impressive career bulk counting stats, which are a factor in arbitration hearings. "The challenge, first and foremost, in the arb system was looking at, 'Wow, this guy has accomplished things that no one else has ever done, but [among superstars in the arbitration process] he's also played less than anyone,'" Berry says.
  • Reacting to Robinson Cano's decision to fire Scott Boras and hire CAA and the rapper Jay-Z as his representation, one agent says that "Jay-Z doesn’t know s— about baseball," Michael O'Keeffe of the New York Daily News writes. "You don’t hire a real estate agent to do neurosurgery," the agent continues. O'Keeffe goes on to note that, of course, Jay-Z will not be negotiating a deal for Cano, who will be a free agent after the season. That duty will go to CAA, which represents Posey and a number of other MLB stars. Here are more reactions to Cano's agency switch.
  • This year's Indians are excited about the team's offseason spending spree, Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. "Hats off to Chris Antonetti and the Dolan family, after losing 94 games [in 2012] they very easily could have folded up shop and said, 'Let’s wait for a few more young kids to develop and see what we’ve got,'" says Jason Giambi, who signed a minor-league deal with Cleveland in February. Instead, he says, "[t]hey went out and got some guys and spent some money. They put together a good ballclub, now we have to answer the bell and play good."
  • The Rangers had scouts watching pitcher Joba Chamberlain in spring training, but the Rangers and Yankees never ended up discussing a deal, George A. King III and Zach Braziller of the New York Post write. King and Braziller note that Chamberlain impressed the Yankees with a spring training performance that included nine strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings.
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