GM Initiation: Jon Daniels
Jon Daniels was announced as the new general manager of the Rangers on October 4th, 2005. At 28, he was the youngest GM in Major League history.
In mid-November of '05, Daniels struck his first deal. He and Cubs GM Jim Hendry agreed on a trade that would send righty Jon Leicester to Texas for a player to be named later. Minor league pitcher Clint Brannon was sent to the Cubs as the PTBNL in March. Daniels was kind enough to answer a few questions about his first trade.
MLB Trade Rumors: How long did you have your eye on Leicester before making the deal? He was coming off a rough year in Iowa; what did you see in him? As one of the Cubs' better prospects heading prior to the '05 season, were you surprised they'd part with him for a player to be named later or cash?
Jon Daniels: He was an out of options reliever – a guy we'd had good reports on in the past, had recently gotten over an injury I believe. We looked at him as a nice buy low opportunity, with a chance to pay dividends if it clicked. The Cubs didn’t have a spot for him – some clubs hold their out of options guys as long as possible – others recognize he's not part of their plans and move quicker, that's what happened here.
MLBTR: The Cubs ended up getting Brannon in March to complete the deal, but got only 7.3 A ball innings out of him. Did any of the other choices on the Cubs' list of possibilities end up playing in the Majors?
Daniels: I don't think there were other names, actually. Brannon was the only guy we discussed. He'd had some low level success the year before – might have actually set the Northwest League ERA record if I recall – but didn't do well in Chicago. That's OK – Leicester hurt himself in some odd off-field deal and didn't really pan out here – no one made out in this one.
MLBTR: Does the Leicester trade hold significance for you as your first deal, or was it overshadowed by the bigger trades that soon followed?
Daniels: Not a lot of significance other than the fact I get to say I traded for Jon "Lester" before people realize it’s the one spelled "Leicester."
MLBTR: What kind of relationship did you have with Jim Hendry prior to the Leicester trade?
Daniels: I knew Jim some from his dealings with John Hart when I worked for John. We'd spent some time together at GM and Winter Meetings before, but we didn't have a lot of history together. We've worked together a couple of times since.
MLBTR: At just 28 years old, what kind of reception did you get from other GMs after you got the job?
Daniels: Respectful and positive for the most part. My age was a novelty for the first while, but more with media and fans than with counterparts around the league, at least outwardly.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Fielder, Wells, Harden
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new Full Count video up, with a few tidbits to check out:
- A potentially otherworldly class of free agent first basemen after the 2011 season won't affect Scott Boras' handling of Prince Fielder. It's possible that Fielder could sign a long-term extension with the Brewers before then, but Rosenthal notes that Boras "rarely shows fear" when it comes to testing the open market.
- Despite a hot start and a possible willingness to waive his no-trade clause, Vernon Wells and his massive contract are unlikely to be moved. It also seems doubtful that he'd exercise his opt-out clause following the 2011 campaign. Even if he'd prefer to play for a contender, seeing him walk away from the final $63MM of his deal would be a huge shock.
- One scout thinks that Rich Harden, one of the prizes of the Rangers' offseason, looks awful, and would be very surprised if Harden had a strong year in Texas. The Rangers are, of course, more optimistic. They believe the Canadian right-hander will be fine if he throws strikes, given his ability to miss bats.
Warner Madrigal Not Designated
1:41pm: Grant has tweeted a correction, saying Madrigal has not been designated but instead transferred to the 60-day DL. According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, Major League Baseball told the Rangers they were not comfortable with Madrigal being designated while still on the 15-day DL.
1:21pm: The Rangers designated righty Warner Madrigal for assignment to make room for Matt Treanor, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The potential loss of Madrigal is linked to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who was slow to notify the team about a back injury.
Madrigal, 26, struggled in 12.6 big league innings last year. He was solid in Triple A, posting a 2.57 ERA, 8.8 K/9, and 2.0 BB/9 in 49 innings. Madrigal began his career as an outfielder in the Angels organization. According to Baseball America, the Halos "inadvertently failed to place him on the 40-man roster before the end of the [2007] World Series," allowing the Rangers to sign him as a minor league free agent. Madrigal threw in the mid-90s back then, but averaged 91.4 mph in the Majors last year. Madrigal was recently placed on the DL with forearm tightness.
Odds & Ends: Giants, Beckett, DePaula, Aubrey
Some links on what promises to be one of the best days of the year…
- Chris Haft of MLB.com writes that the Giants' bench is lacking in right-handed bats, though he doesn't suggest they'll look to make a trade.
- The Red Sox have expressed reluctance in the past to sign pitchers to long-term contracts, but MLB.com's Ian Browne notes that Josh Beckett's extension means the club has four important starters under team control through 2014.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Beckett extension was directly motivated by the Red Sox' rivalry with the Yankees.
- Beckett told reporters that he focuses on the security that comes with his extension, not the money he could potentially have obtained on the open market, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
- The San Francisco Chronicle had some nice things to say about MLBTR in its business report. Check it out.
- The Mariners remain the favorites to sign Dominican pitcher Rafael DePaula, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- Michael Aubrey cleared waivers and was outrighted to the minors, according to an Orioles press release. The team designated Aubrey for assignment last week.
- Check out this two-sport star: the White Sox hired former Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause to oversee the team's scouting in the Dominican Republic, according to ESPNChicago's Bruce Levine.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette points out that the Pirates will have the lowest Opening Day payroll in baseball and asks when the future starts for the Pirates. His answer? Once Pedro Alvarez takes over third base at PNC Park. If all goes well for Pittsburgh, that could happen before midseason.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times has the Mariners' payroll at about $89MM, a little higher than USA Today's $86.5MM figure.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels tells Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that speculation that the Rangers are looking for reasons to fire manager Ron Washington is "silly."
- As Jeff Powalisz of the Boston Globe points out, Boston's free agent acquisitions are already contributing.
- Matt Stairs will become the first modern-day position player to suit up for 12 different teams when he takes the field for the Padres, as MLB.com's Corey Brock points out.
Rangers Notes: Greenberg, Feldman
A couple of Rangers tidbits..
- Chuck Greenberg says that his group is on the verge of acquiring the Rangers, writes Richard Durrett of ESPN.com. While he says he cannot pinpoint the date that the transfer will be complete, Greenberg says that it is on track to be done on the week of April 19th.
- Meanwhile, GM Jon Daniels says that Scott Feldman will likely be the last player to be given a contract extension before Opening Day, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Texas locked up the 27-year-old yesterday to a deal that will keep him with the Rangers until at least 2012.
Odds & Ends: Posey, Jamey Wright, Lugo, Hart
Let's take a look at a few more assorted Friday links….
- After seeing Mike Leake earn a spot in the Reds' rotation without pitching in the minors, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon lists the other 20 drafted players who once made the leap straight to the show.
- The Giants officially optioned Buster Posey to Triple A Fresno, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Earlier today, we looked at a potential timeline for when we could see Posey in the majors.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets that the Indians will pay $900K to purchase Jamey Wright's minor league contract. Wright had a provision in his deal that allowed him to opt out if he wasn't on the big league roster by today.
- Julio Lugo expects to see a good deal of playing time in Baltimore, according to the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas says that the Rangers anticipate a "continued improvement" from Scott Feldman over the course of the contract they signed him to today. In a separate piece, MacMahon notes that recent addition Ryan Garko will have his playing time dictated, to a certain extent, by how Chris Davis fares early on against lefties.
- Corey Hart doesn't intend to let recent trade rumors involving him become a distraction, according to Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Rangers No Longer Interested In Lowell
In an appearance on Jim Bowden's XM 175 radio show today, Rangers GM Jon Daniels confirmed that his club no longer has any interest in acquiring Mike Lowell from the Red Sox (link goes to Bowden's Twitter). Daniels says that the team's addition of Ryan Garko off waivers eliminated their need for Lowell.
We had heard conflicting reports regarding Lowell's status lately, with one report stating that talks with the Rangers were heating up, while Sox GM Theo Epstein said there had been little action on the Lowell trade front. Texas had, of course, worked out a deal to acquire Lowell earlier in the winter before it was nixed due to questions about the 36-year-old's health.
A week ago, it appeared that the Rangers and Marlins were the primary candidates to trade for Lowell. However, the Marlins denied any interest, and now that the Rangers have followed suit, it's looking increasingly likely that Lowell will be a Red Sox for the foreseeable future.
Rangers Extend Scott Feldman Through 2012
The Rangers have extended Scott Feldman through 2012, according to a team press release. The contract, which guarantees Feldman $13.925MM, includes a club option for 2013 and supersedes the $2.425MM deal the sides agreed to in January for the upcoming season.
Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has the details (via Twitter): Feldman makes $2.425MM in 2010, $4.4MM in 2011 and $6.5MM in 2012. The Rangers can pick up a $9.2MM option up for 2013 or buy Feldman out for $600K.
Feldman, 27, was entering his first arbitration season, so the deal buys out all three of his arbitration years and gives the Rangers the option of retaining him for his first free agent season.
Feldman gets $13.325MM for his three arbitration years, which is less than Fausto Carmona ($13.75MM), Ian Snell ($14MM) or Ervin Santana (17.8MM) got for the same chunk of their careers. Those three pitchers recently signed extensions covering their arb years, too.
Royals Acquire Luis Mendoza
The Royals acquired Luis Mendoza from the Rangers for cash considerations, according to a team press release. The 26-year-old right-hander pitched 111.1 innings for Triple A Oklahoma City last year, posting a 4.53 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9. He got roughed up in his lone big league appearance last season, when he allowed four earned runs in one innings for the Rangers.
Mendoza was out of options, which meant the Rangers couldn't have assigned him to the minors without passing him through waivers first. The Royals placed Mendoza on their 40-man roster, which is now full.
Latin Links: Martinez, Maya, Ramirez, Escobar
A rumor by any other name smells just as sweet. Links are in Spanish…
- Pedro Martinez has largely been linked in rumors to National League teams this winter, but Vladimir Guerrero thought recently his former Expo teammate might join him in Arlington. "Early in March, when I reported to Texas' spring training, I heard a fair amount about the possibility that Pedro was going to sign here, but it didn't happen," Guerrero told Juan Mercado at the Dominican paper El Dia. Martinez showed last year he wasn't afraid to pitch the stretch run in a hitter's park, as National League batters actually fared significantly better against Martinez on the road (.322/.362/.517 in 20 IP) than at Citizens Bank Ball Park (.225/.274/.701 in 24 IP) during his two months with the Phillies.
- The flurry of activity this offseason in regard to Cuban prospects is likely "the tip of the iceberg," Rangers scout Juan Alvarez tells the Nuevo Herald's Jorge Ebro. The latest signings from the island, of pitchers Reinier Roibal by the Giants and Sergio Espinosa by the Rays, were relatively low on fanfare, but Ebro quotes a source saying interest is quickly heating up for 27-year-old Cuban right-hander Yuniesky Maya. Maya has been linked this winter primarily to the Red Sox, who reportedly view him as a starter.
- In an interview with the Venezuelan paper El Tiempo, Max Ramirez clarifies recent reports that he is focusing on first base as his quickest route to the Rangers' major league roster. While he admits to taking some grounders, "They still consider me as a catcher and I think that's where I have more opportunities now," Ramirez says. Earlier this week the 25-year-old's name popped up once again as a possible trade chip for Mike Lowell, but that window likely closed for the time being when the Rangers claimed Ryan Garko off waivers yesterday. Nevertheless, as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Gil LeBreton recently noted, Ramirez is the odd man out at any position in Texas, especially after the team acquired catcher Matt Treanor from the Brewers.
- Kelvim Escobar is throwing again and will stay in extended spring training for the Mets, but the team isn't counting on having him in the bullpen any time soon. A day before his previously stated April 1 deadline to decide whether to sit out 2010, Escobar told Lider en Deportes' Carlos Valmore Rodriguez that neither he nor the team are throwing up their hands on his one year, $1.25MM contract. Escobar says of Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel, "They always tell me not to worry, they don't want me in April or May, because that's not when you win the World Series. (They tell me) they need me for a long time, to take my time and not rush myself, to be patient about things."