AL West Notes: Holland, Beltre
Quick notes from the game's only four-team division…
- Derek Holland told Anthony Andro of The Dallas Morning News that he didn't even know his name popped up in recent trade talks with the Rays."I didn't even hear the Matt Garza stuff," he said. "You have to sit back and just let it go. It's just talk. You don't know if it's going to happen or not. I just try to not worry about those things."
- ESPN's Buster Olney heard that the Athletics' final offer to Adrian Beltre was $76.8MM spread over six guaranteed years (Insider req'd). Beltre took five years and $80MM guaranteed from the Rangers, though a sixth year vesting option could put another $16MM in his pocket.
AL West Notes: Mariners, A’s, Daniels, Thome
The four AL West teams averaged 78 wins in 2010. Here's the latest on the A's, Rangers and Mariners as they look to win baseball's smallest division:
- The Mariners are not looking at left fielders at the moment, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- The A's issued a statement saying that owner Lew Wolff "has no interest whatsoever in purchasing the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise." Earlier in the week, ESPN.com's Buster Olney speculated that Wolff could be a potential buyer for the Dodgers.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan suggests Rangers execs Nolan Ryan and Chuck Greenberg could discuss an extension with GM Jon Daniels this week. Daniels' contract is up after the season, but he has said he would like to stay in Texas.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News explains how a potential Jim Thome signing would shape the 2011 Rangers. I examined the same issue earlier in the week.
Quick Hits: Pujols, Jones, Nationals, Ledezma
One year ago today, the Reds won the bidding for Aroldis Chapman. The Cuban left-hander made 15 relief appearances in the majors last year and figures to have an even bigger impact on the 2011 season. Here are today's links…
- The Cardinals' negotiations with Albert Pujols could resemble the Yankees' negotiations with Alex Rodriguez, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Cardinals executives have acknowledged that an extension with their first baseman would take the organization "places it hasn't gone" in terms of contract value and potential incentive clauses, Goold writes.
- Benjamin Kabak of River Ave. Blues says he'd lean toward Andruw Jones over Marcus Thames for the Yankees in 2011.
- Meanwhile, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that the Rockies still have some interest in Jones (Twitter link).
- The Rangers are concerned that Jim Thome would prefer to return to Minnesota, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports (on Twitter). The Rangers are interested in Thome, though he's not a perfect fit for their needs.
- The Nationals need a utility player who can back Danny Espinosa up at second base and potentially play in the outfield, according to Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com. He lists Willie Bloomquist, David Eckstein and Willie Harris as possible fits.
- Dan Szymborski explains the challenges the Giants face if they want to repeat as World Champions in a piece for ESPN.
- The Blue Jays announced that they outrighted Wil Ledezma to Triple-A Las Vegas.
The Rangers & Jim Thome
The Rangers may have missed out on their top offseason target, but they signed Adrian Beltre and they aren't done yet. Texas is pursuing Jim Thome, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
Any team looking to add thump against right-handed pitching is likely salivating over the .294/.430/.617 line Thome has posted against right-handers in his 20-year career. Last year was better than usual, as the slugger hit 25 homers and hit .302/.455/.698 against righties. But as productive as Thome is at the plate, he wouldn't fit effortlessly in the Rangers' lineup because he's left-handed and doesn't play defense.
Michael Young has a history of handling lefties better than Thome, but he probably wouldn't be available to spell Thome against southpaws. Mitch Moreland and Chris Davis both hit from the left side and struggle against southpaws, which makes Young a likely candidate to play first base against left-handers regardless of which first baseman wins the everyday job.
If Young plays first base against lefties, the Rangers would likely rely on Thome to DH, though he is nothing special against southpaws (career .763 OPS). Outfielders David Murphy, Julio Borbon and Engel Beltre all bat from the left side, so the Rangers wouldn't gain a platoon advantage if they were to DH Josh Hamilton against southpaws and replace him in the field.
A right-handed DH like Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez, Troy Glaus, Marcus Thames or Andruw Jones would allow the Rangers to DH Hamilton against some right-handers while a lefty-hitting outfielder like Borbon or Murphy played the field. The Rangers could DH Hamilton against righties even if they sign Thome, but not without depriving Thome of the chance to demolish right-handed pitching.
This is not to say that Thome isn't a fit in the Lone Star State. He is coming off a remarkably productive season and if he can repeat his 2010 performance, lineup shuffling would be secondary for the Rangers. Plus, the offseason isn't over. The team could sign Thome and adjust its lineup accordingly by making a secondary move or two.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Rangers Pursuing Jim Thome
Though the Rangers are out on Vladimir Guerrero, they appear interested in adding another aging but productive slugger. The team is actively trying to lure Jim Thome to Texas, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link).
Thome posted a .283/.412/.627 line in 340 plate appearances with the Twins last year, belting 25 homers. The 20-year MLB veteran was typically productive against right-handed pitching, posting a .302/.455/.698 line against righties.
Quick Hits: Garza, Rays, Aardsma, Iwakuma
On this day last year the Rangers agreed to sign Vladimir Guerrero to a one-year, $5MM deal. In 2011, the veteran continues to look for a home with the Orioles, Angels, and Rays said to be interested. Let's take a look at the batch of links for tonight..
- Jamey Newberg of The Newberg Report is glad that the Rangers didn't overpay to land Matt Garza. The right-hander was shipped to the Cubs in an eight-player deal.
- Speaking of the Garza deal, Dave Cameron writes in a piece for Fangraphs that there's a good chance that the Rays got better in the short term by making the trade.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times that David Aardsma's hip surgery was more extensive than first thought and the hurler might not be ready by Opening Day. The M's were shopping the 29-year-old for quite some time but now they'll wait even longer to move him.
- In an interview on 1500-ESPN, Twins GM Bill Smith revealed that the club finished a distant second in the bidding for Japanese starter Hisashi Iwakuma (information passed along by Aaron Gleeman). Minnesota offered $7.7MM for the hurler while the Athletics won the bidding with $19.1MM. Ultimately, Iwakuma and the A's couldn't agree to terms.
Quick Hits: Liz, Rangers, Cubs, Nationals, Gonzalez
Links for Saturday evening…
- Curious about how all the recent free agent activity has impacted the 2011 draft order? Check out the updated order here.
- Right-hander Radhames Liz has signed with the LG Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization according to the Yahoo! Sports transactions log. MLBTR has confirmed the signing. The Padres released Liz earlier this week.
- MLB.com's Peter Gammons says the Rangers thought they'd be able to acquire Robinson Chirinos from the Cubs, then package him with Derek Holland, Engel Beltre, and Frank Francisco to get Matt Garza from the Rays. Texas would have kicked in some money to offset Francisco's salary.
- "We're not giving away the farm to try and win in one year," said Cubs GM Jim Hendry when asked about the Garza deal, according to Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Garza is still under team control through 2013.
- It appears that the Nationals will have a smaller payroll than last year, according to Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com.
- Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports applauds the Rockies for keeping their nucleus together. Earlier this week Colorado agreed to terms with Carlos Gonzalez on a contract extension.
- The Orioles' may have trouble finding an undervalued lefty reliever on a one-year deal, writes Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.
- Joe Torre is in talks to become the next executive vice president of operations for MLB, according to Teri Thompson and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. Torre stepped down as Dodgers manager towards the end of 2010 season.
- Matt Murton talked to Anna Katherine Clemmons of ESPN The Magazine about his time in Japan.
Athletics Acquire Guillermo Moscoso, DFA Humber
12:27pm: The A's designated Phil Humber for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Moscoso, according to the team. Humber was claimed off waivers from the Royals last month.
11:44am: The Athletics have acquired Guillermo Moscoso from the Rangers, reports Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). Oscar Prieto Rojas first reported the deal (on Twitter). Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News tweets that Texas will receive minor league right-hander Ryan Kelly.
The 27-year-old Moscoso was designated for assignment just yesterday. He spent the majority of 2010 pitching for Texas' Triple-A affiliate, posting a 5.18 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 123 1/3 innings. He has a 3.46 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in parts of six minor league seasons, and his brief major league career features a 4.30 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in 11 appearances. The Rangers originally acquired Moscoso from the Tigers in exchange for Gerald Laird.
Oakland acquired Kelly from the Pirates in exchange for Corey Wimberly just last month. The 23-year-old had a 4.20 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 75 innings for Pittsburgh's Single-A affiliate in 2010, almost all in relief.
Olney’s Latest: Garza, Angels, Delgado, Yankees
In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney solicited the opinions of various talent evaluators about yesterday's Matt Garza trade. The general consensus is that the Cubs made the move with the idea of contending in 2011 while the Rays made the move geared towards reloading for the future, somewhat acknowledging that the upcoming season "will be very difficult."
Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…
- Two sources tell Buster that the Angels' final offer to Adrian Beltre was $77MM guaranteed, or $3MM less than the guarantee he got from Texas.
- Carlos Delgado wants to come back, but it'll be very tough to do so when the free agent market features plenty of healthier DH-types.
- The Yankees are seeking a capable back-of-the-rotation innings-eater, but there are very few pitchers that fit that description available.
Reaction To The Matt Garza Trade
The Cubs and Rays agreed today on an eight-player swap headlined by right-hander Matt Garza. Here's some early reaction and analysis of the big deal, including news of another team that had an offer for Garza on the table…
- ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required) loves the trade for the Rays: "they got more for Garza than Kansas City did for Zack Greinke although their package of players is, collectively, further away than what the Royals got." Law had Hak-Ju Lee ranked as the top prospect in Chicago's system and calls the 20-year-old shortstop "the star of the deal" for Tampa Bay.
- The trade is a "slight overpay" for the Cubs, writes Fangraphs' Joe Pawlikowski, but overall he likes the deal. Pawlikowski also cites concerns about how Garza will fare at Wrigley Field given Garza's propensity for giving up fly balls.
- Kevin Kaduk of Yahoo Sports has no problem with the trade itself, but calls Garza just a "Band-Aid" on the Cubs' problems since he doesn't think Chicago is close to contending.
- Tampa Bay fans won't be pleased to see Garza go, but Erik Hahmann of the DRaysBay blog notes that Andrew Friedman has had success with past unpopular trades.
- Mike Bauman of MLB.com writes that the Rays organization is strong enough to recover from the losses of Garza, Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena and Jason Bartlett this winter.
- The Rangers made Tampa Bay an offer for Garza that offered "more 2011 impact," tweets Peter Gammons. The Cubs' prospect package, however, has a "higher longterm ceiling."
- A high-profile trade naturally invites some questions from fans wondering why their clubs didn't make a move for the star player in question. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that neither the Yankees or Mets contacted the Rays about Garza. Meanwhile, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post hears from Baseball America's Jim Callis that the Nationals simply didn't have the minor league depth to match Chicago's package.