Rangers Notes: Cano, Martin, Webb, Lewis
Let's check out some Rangers items as they take on the Yankees in the Bronx..
- The Rangers will undoubtedly be on the lookout for relief pitching this offseason, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
- Evan P. Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter) wonders what the Rangers would look like had they taken Robinson Cano instead of Joaquin Arias in the Alex Rodriguez trade.
- The Rangers will likely wait to announce the signing of Cuban outfielder Leonys Martin, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The 23-year-old is still being processed through the customs and immigration, and it could be beyond this week before he is ready to play for the club.
- As he works to rehabilitate his injured shoulder, Brandon Webb tells Sullivan that he would be willing to work out of the bullpen as a reliever if that's what the Rangers need when he gets back. Webb's performance bonuses for 2011 are tied to innings pitched and days on the active roster, but not to number of games started. The right-hander will earn a base of $3MM and could boost the value of the deal to $8-10MM through incentives.
- Colby Lewis will return from paternity leave on Monday but the Rangers won't have to risk losing anyone to create a roster spot, Sullivan writes. It seems likely that either Michael Kirkman or Mark Lowe will be optioned to Triple-A.
Davidoff On Sabathia, Wilson, Calero
While it's still too early in the season to draw conclusions about a player's performance, Ken Davidoff of Newsday takes note of a few impending free agents who are off to hot or cold starts. Players like Prince Fielder (hot) and Albert Pujols (cold) are locks to put up numbers and score big contracts, but some names Davidoff mentions can significantly affect their stocks based on their performances in 2011. Continued health and success from Jose Reyes should earn him a lucrative deal, while a good year from Edwin Jackson would set him up nicely in a free agent class thin on top starters. Let's check out the other updates from the Newsday piece….
- Davidoff thinks there's a "decent chance" that the Yankees and C.C. Sabathia work out a contract extension before the left-hander's opt-out date next winter.
- If that were to happen, C.J. Wilson would likely be the most desirable southpaw on the market, but Wilson is trying to avoid thinking about or talking about his walk year: "I'm just pretty much approaching it like I did last year. I'm not going to be looking at my stats too often, because that doesn't really help."
- Davidoff wonders if the Mets or another club could take a flier on Kiko Calero, who agent Burton Rocks calls a "no-risk, high-reward, high-return guy for any organization." Health is the concern with Calero, though for what it's worth, Rocks says the 36-year-old is in "fantastic shape."
Rosenthal On DeRosa, Rangers, Gonzalez, Garcia
Let's dive into the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- It's early in the season, but it already seems like the Giants' Mark DeRosa could be the odd man out in San Francisco. DeRosa is obviously versatile, but the club seems to be set at shortstop, second base, third, and in the outfield. The veteran is earning $6MM and he seems like a prime candidate to be traded.
- The Rangers are off to a hot start but the club is concerned about their lack of a dominant right-handed set-up man. Alexi Ogando was supposed to fill that role but instead, he's flourishing as a starter. Darren O'Day is coming off two strong seasons but he's viewed as more of a "seventh inning guy". Because of that, look for Texas to target a strong right-handed reliever before the deadline.
- The next young starters in line for contract extensions might be the A's Gio Gonzalez and the Cardinals' Jaime Garcia following the deals given to Trevor Cahill and Clay Buchholz. However, Gonzalez is a Super Two player, meaning that the A's might have to guarantee him another year to cover his first year of free agency.
Quick Hits: Zito, Rangers, Morgan, Angels
Links for Thursday night..
- The Giants likely can't get much for Barry Zito and therefore a deal involving him is unlikely, writes MLB.com's Chris Haft.
- Ryan Theriot enjoyed his brief stint with the Dodgers last season, writes Quinn Roberts for MLB.com. After playing 54 games for the club last season, he was shipped to the Cardinals for reliever Blake Hawksworth.
- Despite all of the uncertainty about their rotation heading into this season, it seems like the Rangers pitching is just fine, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- After bouncing around from the Pirates to the Nationals to the Brewers, Nyjer Morgan seems to be carving out a niche for himself in Milwaukee, writes George Von Benko for MLB.com. The Brewers acquired Morgan in exchange for Cutter Dykstra in late March.
- Major League Baseball announced the selection order for the draft (June 6-8) and the Padres own five of the first 58 overall selections, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com. In addition to their own first-rounder, the club has the ninth pick for failing to sign their 2010 first-round pick, pitcher Karsten Whitson. They also have three compensatory picks for Jon Garland (Dodgers), Yorvit Torrealba (Rangers) and Kevin Correia (Pirates).
- The Angels are grateful to have picked up left-handed relievers Hisanori Takahashi and Scott Downs this offseason, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
Rangers Notes: Young, Martin, Profar
The Rangers top WEEI.com's power rankings for the second consecutive week, despite Josh Hamilton's injury. Here's the latest on the defending AL Champions…
- The Rangers haven't had conversations with other teams about Michael Young since near the end of Spring Training, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. It doesn't appear that the Rangers will make a deal before his ten and five rights kick in this May.
- Leonys Martin, the Cuban outfielder who is about to sign with the Rangers, has speed and a good arm, but limited power, various talent evaluators tell Olney. Despite his defensive tools, he isn't yet a Michael Bourn-type defender and may never become elite on defense, according to one evaluator.
- As Jamey Newberg writes at MLB.com, shortstop prospect Jurickson Profar is bound to appear in future trade rumors, since the switch-hitting 18-year-old has impressed since signing with Texas two summers ago.
Heyman On Hamilton, Young, Felix, Royals
Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton is out for six to eight weeks after enduring a non-displaced fracture of his right shoulder and, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com, some people in Cincinnati may not be completely surprised. After the 2007 season, Reds medical people strongly suggested that the front office should trade Hamilton because of his health reports. Here’s the latest on the Rangers and other notes from around the league:
- The Rangers were “extremely close” to sending Michael Young to Colorado about a month before Spring Training, according to Heyman. The Rockies loved Young and he would have welcomed a trade to Denver or to either L.A. team. The infielder has since reconciled himself to his role in Texas.
- A rival GM says he’d trade Felix Hernandez to the Yankees for Ivan Nova, Dellin Betances, Manny Banuelos and Jesus Montero if he were running the Mariners.
- One GM says Royals GM Dayton Moore did a good job of ‘bottom feeding’ this winter to come up with left-handers Bruce Chen and Jeff Francis on affordable deals.
- Andres Torres suffered an Achilles injury, so the Giants need outfield depth and are unlikely to release Aaron Rowand soon. Rowand has a .923 OPS so far including two hits yesterday.
Rangers Expected To Sign Leonys Martin Today
The Rangers are expected to sign Cuban outfielder Leonys Martin today for a signing bonus in the neighborhood of $15MM, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Martin, who will receive a 40-man roster spot, took his physical yesterday. Grant believes Martin could become a Major League option at some point this season.
The 23-year-old outfielder became a free agent last month after defecting from Cuba last year and establishing residency in Mexico. Back in September, Baseball America's John Manuel wrote that Martin's "best tools are his speed and defense." ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. tweeted in March that Martin is "considered an elite prospect."
Michael Young Not Seeking Trade
Rangers infielder Michael Young appeared on ESPN's Mike & Mike show today, and he's backed off from his February trade request:
"At this point now, my thoughts are completely on the Texas Rangers. That's the way it should be. I'm not going to sit here and say I want to leave a team that's 9-1, a team that went to the World Series last year. Right now a trade is the furthest thing from my mind. Once the season rolls around, it's time to play baseball. I'm not going to concern myself with things I can't control."
So far this year, Young has played seven games at DH, two at second base, and one at first base for the Rangers.
The Dodgers, who lost shortstop Rafael Furcal to a broken thumb last night, "recently checked back" with the Rangers on Young according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (Twitter link). However, Brown says the price hasn't dropped and the Dodgers passed.
Rangers Notes: Thad Levine, C.J. Wilson
At 9-1, the Rangers have the best record in baseball. They've scored a healthy six runs per game and lead the league with a 2.22 ERA. The latest on the club:
- Assistant GM Thad Levine agreed to an extension that runs through 2015, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Levine told ESPN's Richard Durrett he's honored and thankful for the job security. Jon Daniels brought Levine aboard in October of 2005, two weeks after he was hired as GM.
- Durrett has an excerpt from Jayson Stark's upcoming column, in which Stark spoke to Rangers lefty C.J. Wilson. The 30-year-old can be a free agent after the season. "The winning thing is more important than anything else," Wilson told Stark. Wilson agrees with Roy Halladay that free agency is more about picking where you play than about making the most money. The Rangers made an offer to Wilson in March, which you can read about here.
- While we're talking Rangers, head here to read MLBTR's Offseason In Review from last week.
Rangers Sign Manny Corpas
The Rangers signed Manny Corpas to a minor league deal, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). The Rockies released Corpas this November, two months after he underwent Tommy John ligament replacement surgery. Corpas probably won't pitch in 2011, while he recovers.
Corpas posted a 4.62 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 42.5% ground ball rate in 2010. Defense independent pitching stats suggest his ERA should have been lower last year, and he was one of the youngest free agents available.