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Texas Not Likely To Offer Hamilton Long-Term Deal

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The Rangers aren’t prepared to make Josh Hamilton a long-term contract offer when he hits free agency this offseason, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Instead, the Rangers will let the five-time All-Star listen to other teams’ offers before determining their next step.

GM Jon Daniels confirmed today that the Rangers won't make Hamilton an offer during their exclusive negotiating period, Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com reports (Twitter links). Hamilton could still re-sign with Texas, Daniels said.

Rangers people don’t see the point in offering a contract Hamilton would surely decline, Heyman writes. The 31-year-old has said he’ll give the Rangers the chance to match any offer he gets, but those offers might be beyond Texas’ spending limit. While Hamilton appears to be seeking a contract that pays him like an elite player, the Rangers aren’t comfortable offering a long-term deal worth ‘huge money.’

The Rangers would like to keep Hamilton at their price and contract length. However, Heyman’s sources have a hard time seeing the Rangers going much beyond four years. The Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers aren’t expected to pursue Hamilton, who hasn’t had contract talks with the Rangers for months. The sides aren’t likely to talk until after Hamilton hits free agency and gets a sense of his options.

Just 27% of 14,000 respondents to a recent MLBTR poll expect Hamilton to re-sign with the Rangers. He's coming off of a season in which he hit 43 home runs and posted a .285/.354/.577 batting line in 636 plate appearances.

Managerial Notes: Rangers, Red Sox, Rockies

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Managers are in the spotlight more than ever in October, since in-game decisions are heavily scrutinized throughout the postseason and it’s a busy month for hirings and firings. The latest…

  • Though there’s a lot of self-evaluation going on in Texas following the Rangers’ disappointing finish, manager Ron Washington will return in 2013, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Washington’s current contract covers the 2013-14 seasons.
  • Candidates such as Tim Wallach, Sandy Alomar Jr. and Brad Ausmus would surely come up if the Rockies look outside of the organization for potential managers, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports (on Twitter). Jim Tracy resigned as the team's manager two days ago.
  • The Red Sox will start their search for a new manager in earnest in the next few days, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. Boston will start by asking the Blue Jays for permission to speak with John Farrell, Olney reports. Ausmus could be a candidate in Boston, too.
  • Bobby Valentine may have been paid not to criticize the Red Sox following his dismissal, rival officials suggested to Olney. Such financial incentives are not uncommon, according to Olney.
  • In case you missed it, Ozzie Guillen's future with the Marlins remains unclear.

West Notes: Rangers, Tracy, Rockies, Giambi, Hamilton

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Items out of the AL and NL West..

  • Much has been made of the Rangers' Josh Hamilton dilemma this offseason, but GM Jon Daniels will also need to re-tool his pitching staff this winter, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The Rangers will have money to spend, but also have Colby Lewis and Neftali Feliz working their way back from injuries. Martin Perez remains an option for the team as well.
  • Jim Tracy told Troy E. Renck and Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post that there wasn't one particular issue that led to his resignation from the Rockies, but rather a number of factors.  It would seem that Tracy was irked by some of the club's unconventional ideas and his overall decrease in power.
  • Meanwhile, Jason Giambi would retire as a player if he were given consideration for the managerial opening, a source close to the Rockies veteran told Renck and Saunders. 
  • Given Hamilton's injury history and age, Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com doesn't think that the Rangers should give him more than three guaranteed years in a new contract.  However, Durrett believes that there's at least one team out there that will go beyond that for the outfielder.  A vesting option for a fourth year based on whether Hamilton stays healthy could be a concession the Rangers could comfortably make.
  • Dave Cameron of Fangraphs wonders if Hamilton might be the most confusing free agent ever.  Cameron could see the slugger landing a five-year, $125MM deal from a team that chooses to ignore all the risk but can also envision him taking a one-year pact somewhere to prove that his second half wasn't a sign of things to come.

Quick Hits: Braves, Leyland, Soriano, Phillies, Rays

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Depending on what happens with Michael Bourn, the Braves could potentially have two major holes to fill in their lineup.  Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) offers some suggestions for replacing Bourn and Chipper Jones and notes that the club could have some added flexibility if Martin Prado can be shifted from left field to third base.  Ben Revere of the Twins, Peter Bourjos of the Angels, and Chris Young of the Diamondbacks could all be trade targets in center field.  There aren't a lot of great third base options on the open market but Atlanta could zero in on guys like Mike Olt of the Rangers, Chase Headley of the Padres, and maybe even the Mets David Wright.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • Tigers manager Jim Leyland has been telling people in recent days that he has no plans to retire, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  Given his desire to return, it's likely that Leyland will be managing the Tigers in 2013.  Leyland's contract expires at the end of the season.
  • Even though he has been linked the Marlins opening, Mike Lowell tells Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that he has no interest in managing at this point in his life.  The former third baseman is currently working for the MLB Network as an on-air analyst.
  • The Yankees' desire to keep their payroll under $189MM in 2014 could complicate their chances to sign Rafael Soriano to a long-term deal once he opts out, writes Heyman.  Soriano's three-year, $35MM deal seemed like a stretch last year but it now seems like the Bombers view the possibility of a last year at $14MM more favorably than the right-hander.
  • The members of the Philadelphia Daily News staff bring us their suggestions for retooling the club heading into 2013.  David Murphy believes that Ruben Amaro & Co. should start by revamping the bullpen while Marcus Hayes writes that the club should stick to making small moves while allowing the younger players to flourish.
  • Bill Parker of DRays Bay looks in the rear view mirror to discuss what the Rays could have done differently in 2012.  The trade of John Jaso to the Mariners for Josh Lueke was among the missteps highlighted.

Poll: Will Josh Hamilton Return To The Rangers?

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Immediately after the Rangers' 5-1 loss to the Orioles in the AL Wild Card game, the focus shifted to Josh Hamilton and his impending free agency.  The slugger reiterated his desire to stay in Texas and said that he would allow the club to match any offer that is put in front of him.  He also took a crack at quantifying his chances of returning and pegged them at 50/50.  It's possible that the outfielder knows just as much as we do about where he may wind up.

Typically, someone with a .285/.354/.577 batting line and 43 home runs in their walk year would be a lock for a hefty, long-term deal, but Hamilton's injury history and off-the-field concerns make him a risky signing.  He may also have less big market suitors than a free agent of his caliber would expect.  The free-spending Dodgers are already set in the outfield with Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Carl Crawford.  The Red Sox have plenty of room to work with thanks to their blockbuster deal with the Dodgers, but all signs point to them exercising caution in this offseason in order to avoid more ill-advised long-term deals.  The Cubs expect to spend, but reportedly, spending $150MM+ on one player isn't what they have in mind.  

The Rangers know that there's a limit to how much they can budget for the 31-year-old, but they may not have to stretch too far to sign him given his question marks and his fairly limited pool of suitors.  When the dust settles, do you see Hamilton in Arlington or elsewhere in 2013?

Cafardo On Johnson, Soriano, Hernandez, Hamilton

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that there are some General Managers who have a few regrets regarding last winter.  Red Sox GM Ben Cherington wishes he had done more for the rotation.  Angels GM Jerry Dipoto probably would have liked to boost the bullpen more during the team's spending frenzy which netted Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson.  Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd was asked to assess his own mistakes and said, “How long is this article? Just kidding. We all have regrets. When you make the amount of decisions we do, you make mistakes. So this year [Jeremy] Guthrie was acquired to give us innings, but Coors [Field] got him and that hurt us. We had such a lack of experience everywhere else. There was no margin for error, and I screwed up.”  Here's more from today's column..

  • Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson will be trade bait, despite talk to the contrary.  Miami could get a ton from teams like the Orioles, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Royals, Rangers, Twins, and Dodgers.  On the whole, the Marlins look like they're ready to clean house again.
  • Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano would make a lot of sense for the Rays as a DH, especially since the Cubs would pick up the bulk of his final two years under contract.  Soriano could also help the Blue Jays, Orioles, or Indians.
  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti says that he expects Shin-Shoo Choo to be back with Cleveland next season as he enters his walk year, but he will also listen to offers for the 30-year-old.  Choo could make sense for Boston as they face a similar situation with Jacoby Ellsbury.  Cafardo suggests a deal involving a pitcher like Justin Masterson.
  • Teams have offered the moon for Felix Hernandez in the past but there’s no chance that Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik is going to trade him now.  King Felix is under contract through 2014 and the M's have the money to keep him beyond that.  For his part, Hernandez is well-paid and loves playing in Seattle.
  • Josh Hamilton says that he won't take a discount to stay with the Rangers, but that's where he's likely to land as it's hard to read the market for him.  The Tigers, Nationals, Pirates, Phillies, Angels, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Orioles shouldn't be ruled out.  The Yankees and Red Sox also can't be crossed off the list but neither market is a strong fit for Hamilton.
  • Jake Peavy would appear to be a target for the Red Sox once his $22MM option is declined by the White Sox.  The 31-year-old could also end up staying put in Chicago or returning to the NL.
  • Former catcher Brad Ausmus, currently serving as a special assistant to the GM in San Diego, said that he would have interest in the Red Sox managerial vacancy.  As of Friday, however, he has yet to be contacted.  Ausmus turned down a chance to be interviewed for the Astros job earlier this fall.
  • The Red Sox are pursuing John Farrell, but Ryne Sandberg could be on their list, even though he was just named as the Phillies' third base coach and is likely being groomed for Charlie Manuel's job.  Cherington tried to get Sandberg to take Boston's Triple- A job a couple of years ago.
  • While some have accused Bobby Valentine of ignoring advanced scouting reporters, Cafardo says that he saw the manager reading them every time he visited his office.

Rangers Notes: Adams, Ogando, Hamilton

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Earlier today, we learned that Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton will give the club a chance to match any offer and categorized his chances of returning at 50/50.  Here's more on the Rangers as their offseason gets underway…

  • Reliever Mike Adams, who is a free agent this winter, would like to return to the Rangers, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Adams will certainly test the open market though, saying, "I'm going to take advantage of it. It's strictly business."  The right-hander earned $4.4MM in 2012 and posted a 3.27 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and BB/9 2.9.
  • Meanwhile, Adams will meet with a specialist on Thursday regarding his Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and says he expects to have surgery, tweets Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest.
  • The Rangers have rotation holes to fill, but they may be able to turn to an in-house solution as Alexi Ogando says that he wants to be a starting pitcher in 2013, Wilson tweets.
  • Allowing Hamilton to walk may seem like an easy call in the wake of his late-season struggles, but it's anything but, writes Richard Justice for MLB.com.

Minor Moves: 28 Players Elect Free Agency

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A total of 28 players — all with big league time under their belts — recently elected free agency after finishing the year in Triple-A. Here is the full list, courtesy of the International League and Pacific Coast League transaction pages…

Hamilton Will Give Texas Chance To Match Any Offer

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Josh Hamilton's season came to an unceremonious end last night, as he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a ground ball double play during the Rangers' loss in the AL Wild Card play-in game. After the game, the outfielder told reporters (including Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports) that the odds of him returning to Texas are "50-50," and that he would give the team the chance to match any offer (Twitter links).

"I always would love to stay here," said Hamilton according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas. "They understand that. They know that. When we talked earlier in the year, we didn't get things worked out, so we said we'd wait until the year was over. They obviously get first shot. I told them they'd get first shot at the end of the year. We'll see what happens."

The 31-year-old Hamilton had a remarkable regular season, hitting .285/.354/.577 with 43 home runs in 636 plate appearances. He avoided the DL for the first time since 2008, though he did battle some sinus and vision problems late in the year. Hamilton seemed to indicate that they were still an issue after last night's game, and he finished the season by going 8-for-35 (.229) with 16 strikeouts and no walks in his final eight games and 35 plate appearances.

The two sides discussed a contract extension during Spring Training and into the regular season, but decided to suspend talks in early-August. Hamilton will be the top hitter on the free agent market this winter, though he will be one of the riskiest big-ticket free agents in history given his off-the-field concerns and injury issues. A long-term contract worth $100MM+ is not unreasonable given his production.

Quick Hits: Feliz, General Managers, Mariners

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The Mariners announced (on Twitter) that long-time vice president of international operations Bob Engle informed the team that he will not sign a new contract when his deal is up on October 31st. Players like Felix Hernandez, Shin-Soo Choo, Michael Pineda, and Asdrubal Cabrera were signed under Engle's watch. Here is the latest from around the league…

  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels told reporters (including Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports) that the team may bring Neftali Feliz back as a reliever next season (Twitter link). Feliz is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and Daniels indicated that they would get him back sooner by moving him back to the bullpen.
  • It appears as though all 30 general managers will retain their jobs this offseason, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Managers and coaches won't be so lucky, however.
  • The Mariners fired scout Patrick Guerrero, reports Baseball America's Ben Badler. Guerrero, who was based in the Dominican Republic, was the club's Latin American coordinator and high-regarded.
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