AL West Notes: Walker, Rangers, Lohse, Angels
Top prospect Taijuan Walker's stuff has Mike Morse "excited" about being with the Mariners, MLB.com's Greg Johns reports. Morse took a few swings against the 20-year-old Walker in Spring Training on Tuesday and was surprised by what he saw, particularly given Walker's age. "He was throwing an easy 94 or 95 [mph]," Morse said. "I'm like, 'C'mon Mike, bear down, show this kid who's boss.' But stuff like that gets you excited about an organization." Here are more notes from around the A.L. West…
- The Rangers still aren't interested in free agent starter Kyle Lohse, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes. Texas has a vacancy in its rotation behind Yu Darvish, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Alexi Ogando.
- Angels reliever Kevin Jepsen is focusing on "keeping it simple" this spring, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports. Jepsen blames his struggles early in the 2012 season on a change to the grip on his two-seam fastball, which diminished his ability to throw his other pitches effectively. He allowed nine runs in seven innings through the end of April, before recovering to post a 3.02 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 44 innings for the season.
- Astros Jarred Cosart and Josh Zeid are excited to pitch against their former team, the Phillies, in their spring opener Saturday, says Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. At the 2011 trade deadline, the Phillies traded both players to the Astros, along with Jonathan Singleton and Domingo Santana, for Hunter Pence.
Quick Hits: Rangers, Nava, Helton, Cano
The Rangers have financial flexibility following a relatively quiet offseason, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). However, they aren’t desperate for a starting pitcher at this stage. Here are the latest links from around MLB…
- Daniel Nava represented himself for the early part of his MLB career, but he has now hired an agent, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports. Joe Sambito of SFX now represents Nava, who posted a .243/.352/.390 batting line in 317 plate appearances for the Red Sox in 2012. Check out MLBTR’s Agency Database for more information on player representatives.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post would be “really surprised” if Todd Helton plays again in 2014 (Twitter link). It’d be complicated for the Rockies to bring Helton back in anything but a part-time Jason Giambi-like role. Helton will earn $5MM in 2013 before hitting free agency.
- ESPN.com’s Buster Olney wonders if the Nationals could pursue Robinson Cano as a free agent next offseason (Twitter link). Cano will appeal to many teams if he reaches free agency, though there’s no guarantee that’ll happen. The Yankees appear to be prepared to discuss a significant long-term contract with their longtime second baseman.
- Olney suggested in his most recent blog entry that the Cubs and Dodgers could also bid for Cano. The Yankees' baseball operations department could be prepared to commit $189MM or so over seven years for Cano in Olney's view.
Quick Hits: Profar, Arbitration, Rockies, Epstein
Jurickson Profar tops Baseball America's newly-released list of the top 100 prospects in the game. The Cardinals, Marlins and Twins each placed six prospects amongst the top 100, and BA's John Manuel and J.J. Cooper discussed the list in a reader chat. If there was any doubt that Profar was the cream of the minor league crop, the Rangers shortstop also ranked first on the top 100 prospect lists recently released by MLB.com and ESPN's Keith Law.
Here's the latest from around the majors…
- The 133 players who filed for arbitration last month received an average salary increase of 119%, according to a report by The Associated Press. Buster Posey had the biggest raise, going from $615K in 2012 to $8MM in 2013. The AP also examines why no arb cases went to hearings this winter, the first time this has ever happened. You can check out the results of every arbitration case on MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker.
- The Denver Post's Patrick Saunders looks at a number of Rockies-related topics in a reader mailbag, including how the Rockies largely stood pat with their pitching staff over the winter, instead hoping that improved health from incumbent starters upgrades the rotation. Saunders also doesn't see Kyle Lohse as a fit with Colorado, as Lohse likely has no interest in pitching at Coors Field and the Rockies aren't keen to spend big money on a free agent starter.
- Theo Epstein talks to CSN Chicago's David Kaplan about his first 16 months as Cubs president, the progress that the franchise has made and what still has to be done to make the team successful.
- Right-hander Seth McClung has been throwing for teams, CBS Sports' Danny Knobler reports (Twitter link). McClung, 32, last pitched in the Majors in 2009 as a reliever and spot starter for the Brewers and has since pitched in the minors for the Brewers, Rangers and Cubs.
- Freddy Sanchez is looking to keep playing and has turned down minor league offers in hopes of finding a Major League job as a utility infielder, Sanchez's agent Paul Cobbe tells Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area. Sanchez, 35, hasn't played in a game since June 2011 due to shoulder and back injuries but around 20 teams reportedly asked to see his medical records this offseason. Cobbe says Sanchez would love to re-sign with the Giants but they don't want to sign him to a guaranteed contract.
Minor Moves: A’s, Pirates, Colon, Orioles, Hudson
Here's a look at today's minor moves, courtesy of Baseball America's Matt Eddy..
- The Athletics are close to signing Mexican League infielder Antonio Lamas to an undisclosed deal, reports John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).
- The Pirates signed right-hander Roman Colon to a minor league deal. Colon appeared in a few games for the Royals last season but spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A Omaha where he posted a 3.09 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 40 games.
- The Orioles signed left fielder Kyle Hudson, who spent the first four years of his career in the Baltimore organization. The 26-year-old hit just .264/.335/.286 for the Triple-A affiliates of the Phillies and Rays.
- Right-hander Mark Hamburger is seeking employment once again after being released by the Astros this week. The 26-year-old was a roster casualty several times last season and spent time with the Rangers, Astros, and Padres.
Daniel Seco contributed to this report.
NL Notes: Lohse, Cardinals, Mets
Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio predicts Kyle Lohse will sign with either the Brewers or Rangers as one of five moves which will happen this spring (Insider subscription required). Bowden also sees extensions for Adam Wainwright and Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. Here's the other Senior Circuit news and notes from the first Sunday of Spring Training:
- Count the Phillies out as suitors for Lohse as GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is prepared to go with the staff he has in camp, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
- Lohse will only become of interest to the Cardinals if their rotation candidates aren't panning out during Spring Training, writes CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman in a piece outlining six reasons why the Redbirds remain playoff contenders.
- One reason for the Cardinals making the postseason in three of the last four years is being ranked as one of the NL's top four teams in terms of innings pitched by the starting rotation, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Goold notes this year’s rotation is set to include four starters, beyond Wainwright, who combined have just one 190-inning season.
- The Mets could use catcher John Buck as trade bait once they promote Travis d'Arnaud in the opinion of ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin, who cites the precedent of when David Wright took over at third base.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News cautions the Mets to be prudent with their newfound financial flexibility if they dive into next year's free agent outfield pool. Madden lists Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, and Hunter Pence (all ranked in the top ten of MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings) as possible targets.
Rangers Sign Todd McDonald
We'll keep track of today's international and minor league signings here, with the newest moves at the top of the post…
- The Rangers have signed 17-year-old Australian outfielder Todd McDonald to a contract with a $475K bonus, Baseball America's Ben Badler reports. The 6'3", 185-pound McDonald is "athletic, has excellent plate discipline and a line-drive stroke from the left side," Badler writes. While scouts are divided about McDonald's power potential, he is "one of the toolsier players in Australia."
Rangers Notes: Andrus, Berkman, Borbon
Here's the latest news out of Surprise, Arizona, as the Rangers begin their Spring Training preparations…
- Elvis Andrus told reporters (including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News) that he'd be happy to continue exploring a multiyear extension with Texas. “If they want to keep talking and get to a point where there is a really great offer for my future, yeah, I’d do it for sure,” Andrus said. The team has interest in locking Andrus up, though Grant notes the two sides haven't made much progress in limited negotiations this winter.
- Grant speculates that Andrus and agent Scott Boras' idea of "a really great offer" might be an eight- or ten-year contract with an average annual value of around $15MM. The Yankees could be a "looming" factor in negotiations, Grant writes, as Andrus is under contract through the 2014 season, which is also when Derek Jeter's contract will be up.
- Lance Berkman talked to MLB.com's Alyson Footer about his decision to sign with the Rangers, his injury concerns and how close he came to retiring this offseason. Health permitting, Berkman said that he would like to play two more seasons before calling it a career.
- Julio Borbon is facing a make-or-break situation in Spring Training but the outfielder told reporters (including ESPN Dallas' Richard Durrett) that he changed his offseason regimen and is confident of making the Opening Day roster. Borbon is out of options and would have to clear waivers to be sent to the minors, though the Rangers may not have room for him with Craig Gentry, Leonys Martin and Mike Olt all in the mix for part-time outfield jobs.
Quick Hits: Rangers, Orioles, Granderson, Cubs
The Rangers enter Spring Training in search of a utility infielder and fear they may have to find the answer internally as free agents may be scared off by a lack of playing time, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. "We've been really fortunate to have great infields over the past decade," GM Jon Daniels said. "That's always been an issue and something we've heard about from free agents. That's why promoting guys from within gets around that, and trading for guys gets around that." Let's check in across league to catch up on the latest headlines and stories making news.
- Orioles GM Dan Duquette believes his team stands to enjoy another strong season given the talent he has in his lineup as well as pitching staff even without making a major move this winter, says Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.
- Curtis Granderson stands to collect quite the paycheck when he hits the free agent market this fall given his hitting prowess and the weak crop of center fielders set to become available, writes Andy McCullough of The Star-Ledger.
- Matt Garza's tenure with the Cubs may extend beyond the 2013 season thanks to the draft compensation rules currently plaguing Kyle Lohse and his chances of signing with a team, says Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
AL Central Notes: Perez, Scherzer, White Sox, Twins
The latest from the AL Central on the day before Michael Bourn is expected to take his physical with the Indians…
- Chris Perez said he was pleased to see the Indians agree to terms with Bourn, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "It feels like we're a big market club," Perez said. Last fall the closer publicly criticized Indians ownership and management for their decision making and spending.
- Max Scherzer said the Tigers brought up the possibility of a long-term contract this winter, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports. “We talked about it,” Scherzer said. “But we were more focused on just getting one year done." Agent Scott Boras represents Scherzer, who said he loves Detroit and the Tigers organization. Scherzer is on track to hit free agency following the 2014 season.
- A.J. Pierzynski said he's not disappointed to have moved on from the White Sox to the Rangers, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. "I'm excited about the new opportunity here and the chance to come to a team that definitely has a team to be very competitive, with a goal of going to the playoffs," he said. Pierzynski, who obtained a one-year, $7.5MM deal from the Rangers, described the signing as "bittersweet."
- The Twins have a new-look rotation after adding pitching reinforcements during the offseason, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com writes.
AL West Notes: Cabrera, Athletics, Garland
The baseball community is buzzing over Michael Bourn's four-year pact with the Indians, but there's more news than just that in the baseball world. Here's a collection of links pertaining to the AL West…
- Right-hander Fernando Cabrera, who signed a minor league contract with the Angels in January, can opt out of his deal if he is not on the Major League roster by July 31 according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (Twitter link).
- John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group tweets that Athletics manager Bob Melvin called Hiroyuki Nakajima and told him not to worry about the club's acquisition of Jed Lowrie. The A's traded for Lowrie a week ago.
- There's no bad blood between Bartolo Colon and his teammates, writes CSN Bay Area's Casey Pratt. The Athletics have welcomed Colon back with open arms, and his teammates are glad to have him back in the fold as they look to defend their AL West title.
- A scout texted Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and praised the Mariners for their minor league pact with Jon Garland. The scout tells Rosenthal that Garland looks healthy and was impressive in a recent workout. Garland told Rosenthal that his decision not to go to camp with the Indians after agreeing to a minor league deal with them last winter may have been the best decision of his career because it helped him finally get back to 100 percent. Cleveland GM Chris Antonetti called Garland's decision "very classy."
- Kenji Nimura, who served as Hiroki Kuroda's intepreter for the Yankees last season, will now assume that role with Yu Darvish of the Rangers, Newsday's David Lennon tweets.
- Ryan Madson suffered a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, which means he probably won't be ready to take the reins as the Angels' closer on Opening Day, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. Remember fantasy baseball players, you can keep track of all the latest closer-related injuries and news this season by following Tim Dierkes' @closernews on Twitter.