Latest On Josh Hamilton, Rangers, Giants
Josh Hamilton is going to hit free agency following a mostly healthy season of elite production. He has 42 home runs and he's hitting .287/.358/.588, so interest should be abundant a couple of months from now when the bidding begins. In the meantime, here’s the latest on Hamilton:
- Hamilton told Yahoo’s Tim Brown that he doesn’t consider his upcoming contract discussions complicated. "I don't get it. I provide a service. I get paid for it," he said. It’s a little more complicated for the MLB executives who must determine whether Hamilton can maintain his current level of play for five-plus more years. A veteran scout told Brown Hamilton remains "in the top two or three most talented ballplayers” the scout has ever seen.
- The Rangers and Hamilton’s agent have discussed some very general ideas for what might be next in terms of contracts, but Hamilton hasn’t been present for those talks, Brown reports.
- One National League official strongly suggested the Giants could end up signing Hamilton this coming offseason, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). If the Giants sign Hamilton it’d have to be a very short-term contract for a high average annual value, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle adds (on Twitter).
Texas Notes: Lewis, Feliz, Astros, Bowa
Baseball's two Texas teams are currently at opposite ends of the spectrum, with the Rangers having won 87 games (third-best in MLB) and the Astros having just 48 victories (last in MLB). Here are some links surrounding the Lone Star State's two teams that will soon share a division…
- The Rangers hope to have both Neftali Feliz and Colby Lewis back mid-season in 2013, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Lewis signed an extension with the AL West leaders earlier today.
- Astros owner Jim Crane's emphasis on building a strong minor league product is beginning to pay off, as evidenced by Class A Lancaster's championship, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. McTaggart's piece provides a tremendously in-depth look at each level of the Astros' minor league system.
- SiriusXM's Mad Dog Radio interviewed Larry Bowa earlier today (hat tip: Andrew Fitzpatrick of SiriusXM). Bowa told host Chris Russo that he met general manager Jeff Luhnow and Crane in the process. Bowa sees value in Luhnow's sabermetric approach but told Russo that there's more to the game than the numbers can tell you. When asked if he is feeling the fire to manage another Major League team, Bowa replied: "…it’s a challenge and it would be something that I’d have to sit down and think about because they do have some talent down below."
Rangers To Extend Colby Lewis
12:55pm: Lewis can earn up to $4MM in incentives based on games started and active service time.
11:59am: The Rangers and Colby Lewis have agreed to a one-year contract extension for 2013 according to John Blake, the team's Executive Vice President of Communications (on Twitter). Lewis' deal is worth $2MM in guaranteed money plus incentives, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (on Twitter). The Octagon client had been on track for free agency this coming offseason, but he's on the 60-day disabled list and hasn't pitched since July.
Lewis, 33, signed a two-year, $5MM contract with the Rangers in January of 2010 after pitching in Japan for two years. The deal worked out well for the Rangers, who exercised their 2012 club option for Lewis after the guaranteed portion of the two-year deal expired.
The right-hander has started 16 games for this year's Rangers team, posting a 3.43 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9 in 105 innings. However, he last pitched on July 18th and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2012 season and the beginning of the 2013 season with a torn flexor tendon. From 2010-12, Lewis posted a 3.93 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 506 1/3 innings with Texas.
The Rangers' projected 2013 rotation includes Lewis, Yu Darvish, Derek Holland and Matt Harrison. Martin Perez and Neftali Feliz could also contribute, but Ryan Dempster will hit free agency.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Olney On Hamilton, Tigers, Posey
MLB executives don’t question Josh Hamilton’s ability on the field, but they’re hesitant to commit long-term to the outfielder, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports. Hamilton figures to ask for $20-25MM per season and executives are wary of guaranteeing that kind of salary to a player with off-field questions, Olney writes. Here’s Olney’s latest on the market for Hamilton, who hits free agency for the first time this offseason:
- The Rangers have their doubts about how long they want to invest in Hamilton, Olney writes. They’ve done background work on outfielders such as Justin Upton and Jacoby Ellsbury since they realize they could be in the market for an impact outfielder within a few months.
- The Dodgers had no intention of bidding for Hamilton even before they acquired Carl Crawford. The Angels, Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Braves, Nationals and Orioles don’t seem like logical destinations for Hamilton, Olney writes.
- One GM said the Tigers could surprise rival teams and enter the bidding for Hamilton. Owner Mike Ilitch has a history of spending aggressively on free agents such as Prince Fielder and Magglio Ordonez.
- The Giants could have interest in Hamilton, but Olney suggests it’d probably be conservative. The Giants will make an effort to sign Buster Posey long-term, according to Olney. Mark Polishuk recently previewed a possible extension for the San Francisco catcher.
Rosenthal On Upton, Soriano, Olt, Porter
Highlights from the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- At the age of 28, B.J. Upton will be the youngest outfielder on the open market this winter. Rosenthal believes that Upton figures to land a deal of at least five years and virtually every NL East team could pursue him. The Marlins in particular could show strong interest as Dan Jennings was the Rays' scouting director when they drafted him in 2002. Earlier today, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com checked in with four MLB execs who had varied opinions on what kind of deal Upton will get this offseason.
- Rafael Soriano could opt-out of his three-year, $35MM deal at the end of this season in pursuit of a larger deal, but that might not be a wise choice. That would call for Soriano to forfeit his $14MM salary in 2013 and the Yankees would definitely make him a qualifying offer (around $13MM) that would require a team to give up draft pick compensation to sign him. Historically, that has hurt the value of free agent relievers.
- The Rangers had little interest in parting with Mike Olt at the deadline but some rival execs think that they'll be more willing to move him this offseason. While the Rangers have Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli as free agents and may like Olt to be a part of their offensive core going forward, he could have tremendous value as many teams are in search of a strong third base option.
- Don't be surprised if the Marlins talk to Nationals third base coach Bo Porter again in the event that they fire Ozzie Guillen. Earlier this week, the Astros met with Porter, making him the first person to interview for the managerial vacancy.
Rosenthal On Farrell, Indians, Nationals
The Blue Jays shouldn’t part with manager John Farrell unless they are confident they can hire a comparable replacement and make the Red Sox pay dearly for their former pitching coach, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The Blue Jays could start by asking for Clay Buchholz again, Rosenthal suggests. Here’s more from around MLB, starting with Farrell…
- People who know Farrell find it difficult to believe he’d try to force his way out of Toronto, Rosenthal reports. The Blue Jays appear to value Farrell and don’t want to see him leave.
- Most MLB teams wanted to develop Jurickson Profar as a pitcher when he was an amateur player, Rosenthal reports. The Rangers built a relationship with Profar, who wanted to play shortstop.
- Scouts following the Indians like the team’s up-the-middle talent, but say the body language of manager Manny Acta suggests he’s resigned to losing. The Indians are expected to consider trade offers for Justin Masterson, Shin-Soo Choo and Chris Perez this offseason and rival teams wonder if they’d listen to offers for Asdrubal Cabrera.
- Indians officials are “livid” with Perez for his comments about the team’s ownership and top baseball executives, Rosenthal writes. Perez questioned the Indians’ decision making and spending last week in an interview with Jon Paul Morosi. Some executives viewed those remarks as an attempt to get traded, Rosenthal reports.
- One Orioles person points out that Andy MacPhail traded for many of the Orioles’ key players in a series of successful deals. MacPhail dealt for players such as J.J. Hardy, Pedro Strop, Chris Davis, Tommy Hunter, Robert Andino and Adam Jones before stepping down following the 2011 season.
- Though the Nationals would like to retain Adam LaRoche, they can rely on internal options if the first baseman’s asking price reaches the three-year, $33-36MM range. Similarly, the Nationals might decide not to pursue Michael Bourn despite the long-standing expectation that they will offer him a competitive free agent contract.
- The Brewers will need to sign a starting pitcher and fix their bullpen this coming offseason, Rosenthal writes.
Brewers Claim Miguel De Los Santos
The Brewers have claimed left-hander Miguel De Los Santos off waivers from the Rangers, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Texas released De Los Santos on Friday after designating him for assignment on September 1.
The 24-year-old posted a 5.22 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 in 58 2/3 innings at Double-A Frisco this year covering 22 relief appearances and four starts. Baseball America ranked De Los Santos 29th among Rangers prospects before the season, crediting him for the best changeup in the organization.
This is the second De Los Santos the Brewers have acquired in the last five weeks. Milwaukee picked up Fautino De Los Santos, no relation, from the A's in exchange for George Kottaras on July 29. The Brewers now have one open spot on their 40-man roster. For the latest on teams with open 40-man roster spots, check out Ben Nicholson-Smith's post from earlier in the week.
Rangers Release Miguel De Los Santos
The Rangers released left-hander Miguel De Los Santos, according to the team’s website. The move comes six days after the team removed the De Los Santos from its 40-man roster and designated him for assignment.
The 24-year-old posted a 5.22 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 in 58 2/3 innings at Double-A this year. He started four games for the Frisco RoughRiders and pitched out of the bullpen in 22 others. Baseball America ranked De Los Santos 29th among Rangers prospects before the season, crediting him for the best changeup in the organization.
AL West Notes: McCarthy, Maddon, Profar, Mariners
The Rangers are the only AL West club in action tonight, as a win over the Royals can stretch Texas' lead in the division to six games over the A's. Here's the latest from the AL West…
- Athletics right-hander Brandon McCarthy underwent surgery last night to stabilize a skull fracture and remove an epidural hemorrhage, according to a team press release. A CT scan taken today revealed that McCarthy's condition improved, and A's GM Billy Beane is quoted as saying McCarthy is "stable, awake and alert." McCarthy was struck in the head yesterday by a line drive off the bat of Erick Aybar.
- Scott Miller of CBS Sports relates how, in 1996, then-Angels GM Bill Bavasi tried to hire Sparky Anderson as the Halos' manager, with the idea that Joe Maddon (then a coach with the team) would take over from Anderson after two years. The idea didn't come to fruition but Maddon remained on the staff and served as Mike Scioscia's bench coach when the Angels won the 2002 World Series, before eventually moving on to manage the Rays.
- Jurickson Profar tops MLB.com's latest ranking of the 100 best prospects in baseball. The Rangers shortstop made his Major League debut on Sunday and homered in his first plate appearance. From that same list, the Mariners have the highest overall ranking for their multiple prospects, led by starters Taijuan Walker (fifth) and Danny Hultzen (ninth).
Quick Hits: Rockies, Mets, Profar
The Braves defeated the Rockies 1-0 this afternoon behind one unearned run and another strong start from Tim Hudson. Atlanta now has a 78-60 record and their chances of making the playoffs exceed 90%, according to Baseball Prospectus. Here are today’s links, starting in Colorado…
- There are still no winners in the trade that sent Ubaldo Jimenez to Cleveland for Alex White and Drew Pomeranz, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes. White and Pomeranz have been disappointments in the year-plus since the 2011 trade and both must improve the command of their secondary pitches to start seeing better results, Renck writes.
- The Mets are expected reduce their losses from the $70MM range to $23MM this year, Josh Kosman of the New York Post reports. The Mets cut their payroll considerably last offseason and it currently sits in the $94.5MM range, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. Their payroll is expected to stay in the same range for 2013.
- Jurickson Profar belongs at the MLB level even if he isn't as physically imposing as some of the sport's other young stars, Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes. Profar, the 19-year-old shortstop prospect who was recently called up by the Rangers, has impressive makeup at a young age, Passan writes.