Michael Young Rumors: Friday
Michael Young is scheduled to arrive at the Rangers' Spring Training camp tomorrow, where he is expected to address the media in regards to his trade request. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes that the Rangers "are still talking to other teams about a trade, although nothing is imminent." As we heard on Wednesday, talks with the Angels, Rockies and Diamondbacks all seem to be stagnant at this point.
Here are today's Young-related items, with the most recent updates on top…
- The Marlins have "no interest" in Young, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. We heard earlier today that an even longer-shot Young trade partner, the Royals, were also not interested.
- Young's friend Vernon Wells isn't pleased with how the Rangers went public with Young's trade demand, reports Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Wells praised Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos for working out Wells' deal to the Angels without any media attention until the move was announced. "I dealt with it in-house, which was the right way to do things. [Young is] having to deal with it, unfortunately, publicly," Wells said. "It creates all kinds of problems. It's been handled poorly on their end, I'll say that." This is just total speculation on my part, but you wonder if Wells would consider restructuring his contract to free up some money for the Halos to acquire Young. It's a longshot, but Wells might be willing in order to both upgrade the Angels and to once again play alongside his long-time friend.
Rangers To Discuss Extending C.J. Wilson, Others
The Rangers are looking to discuss a contract extension with left-hander C.J. Wilson in the coming weeks, reports FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi. Wilson, 30, avoided arbitration with Texas by agreeing to a one-year, $7MM pact last month and will be a free agent after the 2011 season.
Wilson was drafted as a starting pitcher in 2001, but made just six Major League starts in his 2005 rookie season before being converted to a reliever. He pitched well enough out of the bullpen that the Rangers stretched him out and gave him a rotation spot last spring, and Wilson delivered in spades. Wilson posted a 3.35 ERA and a 1.83 K/BB ratio, though he also allowed a league-leading 93 walks. With Cliff Lee once again a Phillie, Wilson is ostensibly the ace of the Texas staff.
In addition to Wilson, Rangers GM Jon Daniels says the team is also looking at signing other "core players" to multiyear deals. Daniels didn't name names, but Morosi cites Elvis Andrus and Neftali Feliz as extension candidates. Andrus will be arbitration-eligible for the first time next winter, while Feliz is just finishing his first full season in the majors.
Feliz, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, could have more in common with Wilson than just a contract extension. The Rangers plan to try Feliz out as a starter this spring, so if the transition goes smoothly, Texas could save itself a lot of future arbitration dollars on a future ace by locking Feliz up right now.
Michael Young Rumors: Thursday
Albert Pujols was the center of attention yesterday, but we still managed to learn lots about Michael Young's future. Rangers GM Jon Daniels says he's not going to establish a deadline for a possible deal and remains open to potential trades. Nothing's going on with the Angels or Rockies, though the Rangers are still evaluating possible deals for the infielder. Here's the latest on Young:
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that that he hasn't talked to the Rangers about Young "at all." Melvin, who traded for Young when he was running the Rangers, says he's an admirer of Young's character and ability, but cautioned that "there doesn't seem to be a fit this year for us."
Quick Hits: Wilson, Allen, Swisher, Maholm, Tigers
Ten years ago today, the Angels signed Alberto Callaspo as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela. He spent four years in their farm system before being traded to the Diamondbacks for Jason Bulger. After a stint with the Royals, Callaspo ended up back with the Halos following a mid-summer trade last year.
Here are today's batch of links…
- MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith appeared on this week's edition of the Beyond The Box Score Podcast, so head on over and give it a listen.
- C.J. Wilson told MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that he's not thinking about his upcoming free agency, mentioning that the Rangers has never offered him a long-term deal.
- The Russell Branyan signing seems to indicate that the Diamondbacks don't see Brandon Allen as a fit anymore, says Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic (Twitter links). He adds that Arizona gauged Allen's trade value at the winter meetings, and he's heard that the Rays were high on him in the past.
- Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher said he and former agent Joe Bick "just grew apart," which is why he signed on with Dan Lozano recently, reports Ken Davidoff of Newsday.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm that he's not a fan of performance-based incentives because of the uncertainty they create.
- Paul Maholm told Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he's willing to discuss an extension with the Pirates, which pleasantly surprised GM Neal Huntington. "Paul's done some good things for this organization," said the GM. "We'll give it due consideration." The team holds a $9.75MM club option for Maholm's services in 2012 after he earns $5.75MM in 2011.
- John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press points out that there is no dead weight on the Tigers' $105MM payroll. Detroit paid close to $24MM for Nate Robertson and Dontrelle Willis last season, who gave them 43 1/3 IP with a 4.98 ERA (all by Willis).
- Larry Stone of The Seattle Times spoke to Yankees GM Brian Cashman about last summer's near trade for Cliff Lee. Cashman said he's glad he didn't agree to Seattle's revised offer after seeing Lee sign with Philadelphia. "Now I'm like, I've got one of the premier hitting talents here, and I didn't have a two-month rental," said the GM, referring to top prospect Jesus Montero.
Michael Young Rumors: Wednesday
The Diamondbacks have discussed Michael Young with the Rangers, though a trade to Arizona remains a longshot. The Marlins have interest in Young, too, but like the D'Backs, they aren't eager to assume responsibility for the $48MM remaining on Young's contract. Here's the latest on Young, with the most recent updates up top:
- Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com spoke to an executive that said the Rangers would have to eat half of the money left on Young's contract to trade him, then predicted they wouldn't (Twitter link).
- Jeff Wilson of The Star Telegram spoke to GM Jon Daniels, who said the club will try to reach out to Young in the coming days to update him on trade talks and help clear the air. "We're not going to set a deadline or anything like that," said Daniels. "Once he's here (in Spring Training), we're going to move forward with the business of baseball. If something happens after that point, we'll address it. That's where we are."
- A source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that there is "nothing really going on" between the Angels and Rangers regarding Young (Twitter link).
- Morosi adds that talks between the Rangers and Rockies are dormant, though they could restart if Texas offers to take on more money (Twitter link).
- Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News explored three teams the Rangers could still work out a trade with.
- The Rangers are still evaluating possible Young deals, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link).
- A Rockies source tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post that Colorado doesn't have much hope of restarting talks with Texas (Twitter link).
Michael Young Rumors: Tuesday
We heard yesterday that the Rangers are talking to at least two teams about Michael Young and could still deal him. The Rockies aren't one of the two clubs, but their expansion cousins are interested. The Marlins inquired on Young, though they would likely need Texas to take on most of his contract. Here's the latest on Young with the most recent updates up top:
- Ozzie Guillen once called Young his favorite non-White Sox player in baseball, but the Chicago manager doesn't think his team will make a move to acquire the infielder, reports MLB.com's Scott Merkin. Guillen is happy with his current third base options and doesn't believe the Sox have enough payroll space to afford Young.
- A D'Backs source tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the Snakes and Rangers did discuss a Young trade at one point, but "we haven’t spoken to them for a while.”
- The Diamondbacks are interested in Young, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The D'Backs believe Young is a potential upgrade over third baseman Melvin Mora, but talks haven't developed much yet and they may not pick up. Arizona would need Texas to pick up a considerable chunk of Young's $48MM contract to make a deal work, but the Rangers are saying they don't want to include much money in a trade. Like the Marlins, the D'Backs would need Young's approval for any deal to go through.
- The Marlins appear to view Young as a $6-7MM player, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). They could want more than $30MM in salary relief in possible trades with Texas.
- The Mets never called the Rangers about Young, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The front office is concerned about the $48MM remaining on Young’s contract and his ability to play second base. The Mets, who are not on Young’s list of accepted destinations, want to evaluate their in-house second base candidates and having Young around would prevent them from doing so.
Michael Young Rumors: Monday
We heard earlier today that the Rangers could start exploring new trade scenarios involving Michael Young. Young can block deals to 21 clubs, but has said he would consider trades on a case by case basis, so Texas might start calling teams on Young's no-trade list. Here's the latest on the Rangers infielder, with the most recent updates up top:
- The Marlins are interested in Young, major-league sources tell Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. However, one source with knowledge of the talks described the possibility of a deal as a "real reach." For a deal to happen, Texas would need to assume most of the $48MM left over the final three years of Young’s contract. Young also would need to waive his partial no-trade clause for the as the Marlins are not one of the eight teams on his list. The article notes that Young, a California native, would probably prefer a trade to the Dodgers or Rockies.
- The Rangers are talking to at least two teams and the Rockies aren't one of them, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
- Multiple teams are still interested in Young and there's a 50% chance the Rangers deal him, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links). Young could end up staying in Texas, though the Rangers have made some progress on potential deals.
Rangers Could Explore Alternate Trades For Young
The Rangers discussed a number of potential trades last week as they looked to ship Michael Young and as much of the $48MM they owe him as possible out of Texas for something valuable. GM Jon Daniels hasn't worked out a deal yet, but that doesn't mean he's short on options. ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that the Rangers still have some “potential threads to pull on to make a deal.” It remains possible that the Rangers won’t deal the infielder, however.
Olney suggested over the weekend that the Brewers could acquire Young and make him their starting shortstop. That's one possible alternate destination for Young, who can block trades to 21 clubs. Young drew little or no interest from the Yankees, Phillies, Cardinals, Twins, Mariners, Tigers, Astros and Angels and while the Rockies and Dodgers have had serious discussions about Young, they aren't close to acquiring him.
Quick Hits: Young, Papelbon, Marlins, Rangers
On this day in 1989, the Yankees re-signed Tommy John, who was 45 years old at the time. John lost seven of the 10 starts he made in '89, and was released by the Yankees on May 30th. It would be his last stint in the majors. Of course, over two decades later, the southpaw is a bigger household name than ever, immortalized as the namesake of a surgical procedure now common among pitchers: Tommy John surgery. Here are the links for Sunday, as we celebrate the return of baseball. Pitchers and catchers report!
- Jamey Newberg provides some reasons that Michael Young is unlikely to be traded. He points out that Texas doesn't match up well with contenders looking to add offense because those contending teams don't want to give up players who will help them win in 2011.
- Jonathan Papelbon doesn't know why everyone assumes he won't be with the Red Sox after 2011, tweets Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. However, in this piece from WEEI.com's Rob Bradford, Papelbon voices his desire to be the "number one guy" on free agency next offseason and says Rafael Soriano's contract helped set the bar for elite relievers.
- Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel discusses five questions about the Marlins' roster changes for 2011.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider-only link) thinks Michael Young makes a lot of sense for the Brewers. Not only would Young represent an upgrade over Yuniesky Betancourt at shortstop, but it was GM Doug Melvin who initially acquired Young from the Blue Jays in 2000. Olney acknowledges, however, that Milwaukee's minor league system has been depleted by the Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum deals, and the money situation might not work.
- It's been an up-and-down offseason for the Rangers, writes Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- The Indians view recently signed infielder Orlando Cabrera as a super utility type who could play not just second base, but also shortstop and third base as needed, according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Verducci On Weaver, Lester, Pujols, Young
Here's the latest from Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci….
- Though the Angels won their arbitration hearing with Jered Weaver, Verducci thinks the fact that the case went all the way to a hearing is "a bad sign" for Weaver's future with the Halos. It certainly doesn't help refute the purported hard feelings between the Angels and Weaver's agent Scott Boras.
- Verducci compares the contracts and basic performance stats of Weaver, Chad Billingsley, Jon Lester and Cole Hamels. Verducci guesses Boston saved at least $15MM by signing Lester to a multiyear deal before the 2009 season.
- Just three players (Todd Helton, Raul Ibanez, and Ichiro) aged 36 years old or older managed to play 100 games in the field last season and reach the league average OPS of .728, Verducci writes. This pronounced decline rate for older players is the reason the Cardinals are hesitant to pay Albert Pujols a $30MM annual salary into his late thirties.
- The Rangers are still "the best fit" for Michael Young. Verducci points out that Young should still be able to find lots of playing time with Texas, if not necessarily an everyday spot in the lineup. Given how thin the trade market for Young appears to be, Young also may not have a choice but to remain in Texas.