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Extension Rumors: Zack Greinke, Ian Kinsler

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The baseball world is still reeling from the two historic contract extensions handed out earlier this week. Here's the latest on two players in line for similar deals…

Yankees Claim Cody Eppley

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The Yankees claimed reliever Cody Eppley off of waivers from the Rangers, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. The Rangers had designated the right-hander for assignment yesterday.

Eppley appeared in ten games with the Rangers early on last year, but spent most of the season at Triple-A. The 26-year-old posted a 3.90 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9 in 55 1/3 innings of relief with Round Rock. They Yankees will send him to Triple-A.

Extension Updates: Votto, Niese, Kinsler, Greinke

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It’s been a big week for extensions, as Joey Votto and Matt Cain signed historic contracts on Monday. Here are some extension updates from around the league, starting with a couple additional notes on Votto’s deal.

  • John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer has the annual breakdown of Votto's deal (Twitter links). He'll earn $12MM in 2014, $14MM in 2015, $20MM in 2016, $22MM in 2017, and $25MM during each of the final six years. The club option for 2024 is worth $20MM with a $7MM buyout.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has a breakdown of Jonathon Niese's new extension with the Mets (on Twitter). The southpaw gets a $250K signing bonus with annual salaries of $769.5K, $3MM, $5MM, $7MM, and $9MM. The two club options ($10MM and $11MM) can each be bought out for $500K.
  • Reds president and CEO Bob Castellini was the one driving the Votto deal, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. Other ownership groups have some concern over the ten-year deal, Crasnick adds.
  • The Rangers are discussing a long-term deal with Ian Kinsler, and while the sides are in agreement on the contract length — six years — they haven’t yet found common ground in terms of contract value, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Kinsler doesn’t want to negotiate after the season begins on Friday.
  • Casey Close, the agent for Zack Greinke, and Brewers GM Doug Melvin will speak tomorrow to “fill each other in on where discussions stand,” the GM told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Greinke had been representing himself, but his new agent will handle talks from here on.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Rangers Sign Aaron Heilman

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The Rangers have signed right-hander Aaron Heilman to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A, reports Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com (on Twitter). The Mariners released the Frontline Sports client over the weekend.

Heilman spent the first half of the 2011 campaign with the Diamondbacks, who released him in July after he posted a 6.88 ERA with 8.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 28.5% ground ball rate in 35 1/3 innings. He later signed minor league deals with the Phillies and Pirates, but didn't pitch at the Major League level after July 15th. One fifth of fly balls against him left the yard in 2011, a major reason for his unsightly ERA.

Rangers Designate Cody Eppley For Assignment

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The Rangers have designated Cody Eppley for assignment, reports Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com (on Twitter). The move opens up a 40-man roster spot for the Rangers.

Eppley appeared in ten games with the Rangers early on last year, but spent most of the season at Triple-A. The 26-year-old right-hander posted a 3.90 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9 in 55 1/3 innings of relief with Round Rock.

Offseason In Review: Texas Rangers

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The Rangers outbid the competition for Yu Darvish in the hopes that the Japanese right-hander can help put them over the top in 2012.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

Extensions

Notable Losses

Draft Picks Gained or Lost

  • Obtained 78th overall selection from Angels for Wilson. Also obtain supplementary first round pick.

Give the Rangers credit: you don't lose two consecutive World Series without fielding some pretty talented teams. They prepared for another run at their first championship by moving their closer to the rotation and winning the rights to one of the most highly coveted pitchers available.

Yu Darvish - Rangers (PW)

Yu Darvish (pictured) required a $107MM commitment, so he'll face intense scrutiny whether he succeeds or not. If he comes close to replicating the stats he put up in Japan, Rangers fans won't have much reason to miss new Angels starter C.J. Wilson. There are no guarantees of excellence, or even of mediocrity from Darvish, but this was a gamble worth taking for a large market team that had determined he could succeed in the Major Leagues.

Neftali Feliz will join Darvish, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis in a rotation that no longer includes Wilson or Alexi Ogando. The decision to pass on Wilson was understandable, but he'll now be an asset for their biggest rival. Ogando, who faded late in his debut season as a starter, will provide newly extended manager Ron Washington with depth.

Feliz should be more valuable to the Rangers as a starter, since he'll pitch more innings in that role. He started throughout his minor league career, so this isn't completely new to him. And if any team can convert relievers to starters it's the Rangers, who have transitioned Wilson and Ogando to the rotation under the watchful eye of pitching coach Mike Maddux.

Because the Rangers are six deep in the rotation, they didn't have room for Roy Oswalt. At the very least, Oswalt's interest in joining the Rangers shows that top-tier free agents view Texas as an appealing place to play. Several needs could emerge for the Rangers within the next 12 months, and their new TV deal should ensure that they have money to spend. They'll be well-positioned to sign players who prefer to join a contender.

The Rangers committed $14.5MM to Joe Nathan, and it seems like an awful lot for a 37-year-old who's one year removed for Tommy John surgery. However, Nathan struck out three times as many hitters as he walked last year and his fastball still checks in at 92.3 mph.

The Rangers signed Joe Beimel and former Brewers teammates Mitch Stetter and Sean Green to minor league deals, but left-handed relief remains a weakness for this team. Michael Kirkman and Robbie Ross haven't proven themselves at the Major League level, yet they'll be counted on to replace Darren Oliver and Mike Gonzalez. Despite Gonzalez's disappointing 2011 performance with the Rangers, he might be worth another shot if the team's young arms falter.

The Rangers could have been a fit for Prince Fielder, but they had the discipline to pass when his asking price soared to uncomfortable heights. As intimidating as Fielder would have been in Texas, Mitch Moreland should do just fine while earning 1/50th of Fielder's salary. Mike Napoli or Michael Young can play first against some tough left-handers when possible, reducing Moreland's exposure to same-side pitchers.

The Rangers locked up Nelson Cruz and Elvis Andrus to extensions that could save the club money in future years. Capping costs was the main motivation for the extensions, as the Rangers didn't obtain control of free agent years on either contract. Tim Dierkes questioned whether the Andrus extension was necessary and I agree that the potential savings probably don't justify the risk. The upside is limited for the Rangers on both deals, yet they took on most of the risk with these two extensions. The Derek Holland deal strikes me as an excellent fit for both sides, however. Holland obtains security, while the Rangers extend their control over the left-hander with two club options.

The Rangers tabled extension talks with Josh Hamilton after the outfielder had an alcohol-related relapse. Hamilton, a free agent next winter, may be playing his final season with the Rangers. Napoli, another prospective free agent, also enters the 2012 season without an extension despite his breakout 2011 season.

The team agreed to terms with Dominican outfield prospect Jairo Beras, but MLB and competing executives believe he is 16 and therefore too young to sign. It makes sense for the club to spend now (when doing so is permitted), before the new CBA's spending restrictions take effect.

The Rangers have increased their win total in each of the past four seasons, winning the past two division titles. The AL West figures to be considerably more competitive now that the Angels have added Wilson and Albert Pujols, so it's by no means a given that the Rangers will reach the playoffs this year. But GM Jon Daniels has assembled a well-balanced roster with enough pieces for another attempt at their elusive first championship. The Rangers appear to be one of the best teams in the game.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

 

Rangers, Ian Kinsler Discussing Six-Year Extension

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10:33pm: The Rangers will likely make a contract offer when they meet with Kinsler's representatives on Wednesday, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

7:20pm: The Rangers and Ian Kinsler are discussing a six-year extention for the second baseman, though the two sides haven't yet been able to agree on financial terms, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Kinsler's current contract expires after this season, though Texas holds a $10MM option on him for 2013.  The new deal would replace that option and run through the 2018 season.  Rosenthal says the Rangers are willing to give Kinsler a contract that would exceed Dan Uggla's five-year, $62MM pact with the Braves.

One of the possible holdups, Rosenthal opines, could be Robinson Cano's next contract.  The Yankees hold a $15MM option on Cano for 2013 and Cano's next deal (whether in free agency or in an extension with New York) will assuredly pay him more.  While Cano is likely to command a larger deal, Kinsler doesn't want to be "shortchanging himself" by signing an extension that ends up worth much less than what Cano eventually earns.  The Yankees have said they plan to keep Cano, though since their team policy is to not enter into early negotiations with pending free agents, there haven't been and won't be any early hints about a new Cano contract that the Rangers and Kinsler can use as a baseline.

The Rangers apparently have just three days to hammer out a new deal with their second baseman, as Kinsler told Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he doesn't want negotiations to last into the season.  Kinsler said an extension "could" still be possible and he wants "to be treated fairly amongst his peers."

Rosenthal recently reported that the length of the contract, not the value, was the main obstacle between Kinsler and the Rangers, so it's a sign of progress that the two sides have apparently settled on a six-year deal.  Kinsler would be the fourth, and most high-profile, Ranger to sign an extension this offseason, following Elvis Andrus, Nelson Cruz and Derek Holland's multiyear deals.

AL West Notes: Rangers, Abreu, Gonzalez

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Gabe Kapler and Ivan Rodriguez each hit two homers April 3, 2000 as the Rangers celebrated an Opening Day victory over the White Sox.  The Rangers have another season-opening date with the White Sox on Friday when both teams open their 2012 campaigns.  Here's the latest from the AL West…

  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels doesn't expect his club to finalize any contract extensions before Opening Day, he told reporters (including MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan), but Daniels is still hopeful since, "all it takes is one conversation to pick something up again."  While the team prefers to have contract talks settled by Opening Day, Daniels said he is open to negotiating during the season, "if we are able to handle it quietly and not let it be a distraction."  We heard earlier today that Texas is talking about a six-year extension with Ian Kinsler.
  • An unnamed Angels player says Bobby Abreu is becoming more accepting of his backup job with the team, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports.  Abreu has spoken out about his reduced role and the Halos are known to be shopping him, with one potential deal with the Indians falling through earlier this week.
  • The Athletics released right-hander Edgar Gonzalez last week, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Gonzalez signed a minor league deal with the A's in November.  Gonzalez posted a 5.00 ERA in 26 appearances (25 of them starts) for the Rays and Rockies' Triple-A affiliates last season, appearing in one Major League game with Colorado.  The veteran righty has a 5.90 ERA in 107 career appearances with the Rockies, A's and Diamondbacks since 2003.

Central Notes: Reds, Indians, Pirates, Royals

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A look at some items out of the Central divisions..

Quick Hits: Hamilton, Axelrod, Abreu, Pelfrey, Mets

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Saturday night linkage..

  • Josh Hamilton told Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas that he's open to talking to the Rangers about a contract extension during the season. “If they want to talk to my agent, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” he said after previously indicating an unwillingness to negotiate during the season.
  • Agent Barry Axelrod has been discussing employment opportunities with the Diamondbacks, reports Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic (Twitter links). Axelrod and GM Kevin Towers are close friends.
  • Unlike agents Jeff Moorad and Arn Tellem, Scott Boras has no desire to own a major league team, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.
  • The Angels' deal to trade Bobby Abreu to the Indians fell apart due to salary concerns, a source familiar with the talks told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Cleveland wanted the veteran slugger but the two sides couldn't agree upon how much of his $9MM salary they would assume.
  • Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey was surprised to learn that his job was on the line during spring training, writes David Lennon of Newsday. The front office was kicking around the idea of releasing the 28-year-old before Opening Day to free up roughly $4MM, the non-guaranteed portion of his one-year, $5.7MM deal.
  • Scouts covering the Giants say the club is getting nervous about rotation depth, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
  • The Orioles cut minor league pitcher Josh Banks, tweets Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com. The right-hander spent most of 2011 with the Giants' Triple-A affiliate and posted a 7.27 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in twelve starts and seven relief appearances.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

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