Rangers Notes: Front Office, Young, Davis
Jon Daniels' contract extension isn't the only news out of the Rangers' camp today. Here's the latest on the defending AL champs…
- Now that Daniels is under contract through 2015, the club's next step is to lock up other front office members, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "You put good people in place and then you keep them in place," said team president Nolan Ryan. "It tells people who you are as an organization and it tells new players coming in what you are all about." Ryan said that assistant GM Thad Levine could have a new deal finalized by this weekend.
- Daniels has "exchanged hellos" with Michael Young but the two haven't talked about his offseason trade demand, the GM tells the Galloway & Co. podcast (and passed on by ESPNDallas). Young said he had no plans to speak to Daniels upon his arrival at Spring Training two weeks ago, and didn't wish to be a distraction to the team by revisiting the issue.
- In a radio interview with 103.3 ESPN's Ian Fitzsimmons (passed on by Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com), Chris Davis says he's playing third base during Spring Training, which he believes will help him find playing time somewhere, if not necessarily with Texas. The Rangers have the hot corner covered by Adrian Beltre and they have another (albeit unproven) lefty-swinging first baseman in Mitch Moreland. Davis drew trade interest last summer — no surprise given his career .311/.370/.569 line in five minor league seasons.
Rangers, Jon Daniels Agree To Extension
The Rangers agreed to a four-year contract extension with GM Jon Daniels, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Daniels' contract was set to expire after the 2011 season and his new deal covers the 2012-15 seasons.
Daniels, who took over as GM in 2005, saw the Rangers increase their win total in each of the past three years. Baseball America named Daniels the 2010 Executive of the Year after he overhauled the Rangers' farm system and led the team to its first ever World Series berth.
The Rangers' eighth GM, Daniels became the youngest GM in MLB history when he was promoted into his current role a month after his 28th birthday. For a more complete look at Daniels' work, click through to MLBTR's Transaction Tracker.
The Rangers are interested in exploring extensions for a number of their players, as well.
Quick Hits: Richard, Crawford, Feliz, Castro
Links for Friday as Jake Peavy prepares for his first game action since last July. Peavy faces the Angels in Arizona this afternoon…
- Chris Richard, an outfielder/first baseman who spent parts of five seasons in the majors with the Orioles, Rays, Rockies and Cardinals, has announced his retirement, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter).
- The Angels offered Carl Crawford $108MM with an $18MM option, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). No wonder the outfielder accepted Boston's $142MM offer.
- Vernon Wells would have accepted a trade to the Yankees, not just to the Rangers or Angels, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
- Rangers higher-ups want Neftali Feliz to make the team's rotation, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
- Astros catcher Jason Castro could miss the entire season, after tearing his right ACL, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
Rangers, Daniels Nearing Extension
6:54pm: The two sides spoke today and are moving closer to a deal, reports Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas. "I'm optimistic we're in the process of getting something done shortly," said Ryan.
8:24am: Jon Daniels and Rangers president Nolan Ryan are expected to meet today to discuss an extension for the GM, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The deal is a priority for Ryan and the sides could arrive at an agreement as soon as today, according to Grant.
Daniels led the Rangers to the World Series last year after signing Vladimir Guerrero, trading for Cliff Lee, moving C.J. Wilson to the rotation and seeing young players like Elvis Andrus and Neftali Feliz emerge as regulars. For a more complete look at Daniels' work, click through to MLBTR's Transaction Tracker.
The Rangers are interested in exploring extensions for a number of their players, as well.
Rangers May Explore Long-Term Extensions
Rangers GM Jon Daniels says that the club still may explore long-term extensions with some players before Spring Training ends, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The club currently has four notable players who could be candidates for new deals.
Even though he won't be a free agent until after the 2015 season, Elvis Andrus could be in line for an extension. As Sullivan points out, the Rangers worked out a multiyear deal with Ian Kinsler at a similar point in his career to skirt future arbitration years. Rightfielder Nelson Cruz has three years left before he can test the open market but a multiyear deal would mean avoiding two years of arbitration.
Club officials have suggested that an extension is unlikely with left-hander C.J. Wilson, who is a free agent after this season. Same goes for slugger Josh Hamilton who recently signed a two-year, $24MM deal to avoid arbitration. Even though Hamilton is the biggest name in the quartet, Sullivan writes that because the deal was just completed, the two parties probably aren't in a rush to hammer out a new one right away.
Meanwhile, the Rangers would also like to get a deal done with Daniels. Club president Nolan Ryan is confident that the two sides will work out an extension, though he won't put a timetable on it.
Quick Hits: Hall, Young, Feliz, Burnett, Buck
Links for Wednesday night..
- Longtime major leaguer Juan Castro told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he never considered retirement at any point this winter. The 38-year-old is trying to hook on with the Dodgers in 2011 for what would be his fourth stint with the club.
- Earlier today, Yankees GM Brian Cashman told versatile Astros veteran Bill Hall that the club was "this close" to signing him, tweets Jack Curry of the YES Network.
- A source close to the Rockies told Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated that the Rangers sought a "very good player" for Michael Young, but didn't elaborate on who that player might be.
- Some in the Rangers front office feel that Neftali Feliz could develop into the type of starter that would otherwise cost a bundle in a trade, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
- Yankees fans have been hard on A.J. Burnett, who is set to earn $16.5MM annually through 2013. However, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that Burnett's career numbers are not all that different from Boston's Josh Beckett.
- Outfielder Travis Buck views his arrival in the Indians locker room as a fresh start, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
AL Notes: Royals, Miller, Chavez, Napoli, Vizquel
Let's take a look at some items related to the Junior Circuit..
- A rival executive described the Royals' young talent as "an embarrassment of riches" to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Speaking of Kansas City, Jonah Keri of Fangraphs examines the one-year, $2.5MM deal given to Jeff Francoeur. Even though the deals given to Francoeur and fellow outfielder Melky Cabrera (one-year, $1.25MM) are puzzling for many reasons, Keri notes that the one-year deals don't block any of the club's prospects.
- The Red Sox are hopeful that Andrew Miller will resurrect his career after signing a minor league deal with the club this winter writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. According to Miller's agent, the lefty recieved big league offers from three other teams but preferred the BoSox.
- Two ex-Mariners, Endy Chavez and Brett Tomko, are looking to make it back to the majors with the Rangers, writes Kirby Arnold of The Daily Herald.
- Now in Texas, Mike Napoli says that he knew that the Angels would trade one of their talented catchers, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The Halos had a glut at the position with Napoli, Jeff Mathis, Bobby Wilson, and Hank Conger waiting in the wings.
- White Sox veteran Omar Vizquel Is a reminder of what might have been for the M's, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.
- The Pirates are likely still in search of two lefties out of the 'pen, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Quick Hits: Phillips, Olsen, Rangers, Greinke
The great Mickey Mantle announced his retirement on this day in 1969. The Mick was coming off his worst of his 18 Major League seasons, a .237/.385/.398 performance in 1968. While a .782 OPS would be a pretty decent performance for most mortals, it was well behind Mantle's .977 career OPS. Mantle retired with 536 home runs, seven World Series rings and legendary status with both the Yankees and the sport as a whole.
Some news items…
- Brandon Phillips wants to play for the Reds beyond his current contract, and John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer speculates how much it might cost to keep Phillips in Cincinnati. The club holds a $12MM team option on Phillips for 2012, and Fay thinks Phillips would have to accept less tham $12MM per season in a new deal. Fay guesses Phillips will ask for a Dan Uggla-esque contract, while the Reds will try to sign him to a deal similar to Juan Uribe's pact with the Dodgers. If I had to guess, I'd say the Reds' financial situation might make them hard-pressed to pick up Phillips' 2012 option, let alone give him another expensive, multiyear deal. Another year of pennant contention and more fans in the Great American Ballpark would certainly change things, of course.
- It came as news to Scott Olsen that Pirates GM Neal Huntington listed him as as a bullpen candidate if he doesn't make the rotation, reports Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “They didn’t bring me in here to be a bullpen guy,” Olsen said. “They want to do that, we are going to have to have a conversation about it, and we haven’t had one about it.” Olsen's contract with Pittsburgh includes $3MM in incentives based on the number of starts that Olsen makes, so obviously Olsen has a stated interest in staying out of the bullpen.
- The Rangers' payroll for 2011 will be almost 70% higher than it was in 2010, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
- Zack Greinke says he "kind of had to play the bad guy" by requesting a trade from the Royals, reports Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. "The way things were in Kansas City, if I hadn't done that, the fans would have been outraged if I was traded," Greinke said. "The fans — I don't know why, but they really liked me."
- Keith Law of ESPN.com lists six prospects who might be "this year's Mike Trout" and have a breakout minor league campaign.
- One of Law's breakout candidates is Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos, a supplemental first-round pick (44th overall) for Detroit in 2010. John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press talked to the 18-year-old about playing alongside his childhood hero, Miguel Cabrera.
- The Cubs have already paid back the $3MM they owed Ryan Dempster in contract deferral payments, reports ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America recaps the week's minor league transactions.
Phillies Notes: Utley, Young, Durbin
The latest on the Phillies, before they take on the Blue Jays with former Toronto ace Roy Halladay on the mound…
- Chase Utley has tendinitis in his right knee and Michael Young has requested a trade, but Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News says it's a safe bet that the Phillies won't acquire Young to provide depth. The Phillies kicked the tires on Young earlier in the month.
- Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer points out that age will eventually prevent the Phillies' top players from playing as well as they have throughout their respective careers.
- Former Phillies reliever Chad Durbin agreed to sign with the Indians and some don't think Philadelphia needed the depth the right-hander provides. Bob Brookover of the Inquirer heard from one National League scout who says Durbin is "the 13th pitcher on a 12-man staff."
Cafardo’s Latest: Peavy, Gonzalez, Molina, Beltre
In today's notes column for The Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo writes about the Orioles' rebuilding process, which included renovations to the team's Spring Training and minor league facilities. "There was no magic formula," said president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail. "We're not doing anything that hasn't been done before. The Orioles I grew up with did it with scouting and player development, and we're doing it the same way now."
Here are the rest of Cafardo's rumors…
- Both Yankees and Red Sox executives spoke out against revenue sharing last week, but no one wants a salary cap and the player's union won't allow one anyway.
- The early signs are good for Jake Peavy, who is coming back from a detached lat muscle. One scout called Peavy "trade bait for sure" if he's healthy and the White Sox slip out of contention. "Though teams may come after Mark [Buehrle] first."
- John Boggs, agent for Adrian Gonzalez, has not talked to the Red Sox about an extension since December, though something may be set up soon. Boggs will not be in Florida until the third week of March.
- The Brewers don't want to bring in someone like Bengie Molina in the wake of Jonathan Lucroy's broken finger because they know their young backstop will be back in a few weeks.
- When the Red Sox drew the line at four years and $52MM for Adrian Beltre, one of their fears was his potential to get hurt given his all-out approach. Beltre suffered a calf strain recently and may be out for up to a month.