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AL East Notes: Chen, Bundy, Saltalamacchia, Sox, Rays, Jays

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The Yankees “could make a serious run” at left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, reports Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. A source tells Feinsand that the Yankees will be one of the many teams involved in talks for the Scott Boras client, and in an ideal world, the Yanks would love to add a left-handed starter. David Price, of course, is the top lefty name on the market, but Chen will have a much more reasonable asking price, Feinsand hears, as he’s seeking a five-year deal. GM Brian Cashman said at the GM Meetings that while talent trumps handedness, in an ideal setting he’d be able to balance out his rotation a bit while also providing an upgrade. The Yankees are more than familiar with Chen, having watched him pitch for the division-rival Orioles for the past four seasons.

A few more notes from the AL East…

  • Orioles righty Dylan Bundy has been shut down from Arizona Fall League action after experiencing forearm tightness, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports. It’s certainly possible that the move is primarily precautionary, as Baltimore will no doubt handle Bundy with extreme care, but it’s obviously not encouraging given his lengthy struggle with arm injuries.
  • The Orioles have reached out to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s camp, a source tells Rich Dubroff of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Baltimore has interest in Saltalamacchia in the event that Matt Wieters rejects their qualifying offer, as he’s widely expected to do. According to Dubroff, if and when Wieters declines, the O’s will have interest in adding a veteran backstop. Dubroff doesn’t explicitly state it, but based on his reporting, it seems that the Orioles view the QO as the only means by which they’ll be able to retain their longtime catcher.
  • While the Red Sox have a clear need in the rotation, they also lacked hard-throwing relievers in 2015 and, with a closer on the wrong side of 40, would be wise to explore the trade market for dominant bullpen arms, opines Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Lauber lists Drew Storen, Aroldis Chapman and Mark Melancon as potential targets, noting that the GM of each respective club at least hinted at the possibility of each pitcher’s availability this week. Chapman is well-known to be available, and that’s the wide belief on Storen, also. Lauber notes that both the Reds and Nats have needs in the outfield and in other areas of depth for the Red Sox, making alignment on a trade possible in theory.
  • Lauber’s colleague, Michael Silverman, writes in a separate column that trading for an ace might not happen for the Red Sox this winter. Silverman quotes execs from the Mets, Athletics and White Sox on the availability (or lack thereof) of the Mets’ young rotation, Sonny Gray and Chris Sale. The strong reluctance from teams with controllable pitching suggests that Sox fans shouldn’t get their hearts set on prying a front-line arm away from a club that possesses a young ace (or, in the Mets’ case, young aces) — as such pitchers are of the rarest breed.
  • Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman (not to be confused with the similarly named Boston columnist referenced in the previous bullet) spoke with Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times about his penchant for trades since moving to the top of the team’s baseball operations pyramid. As Topkin notes, Silverman has made 13 trades in 13 months, though the young exec says he didn’t necessarily plan to be so active. Silverman explained, though, that the team’s financial inability to compete for top-tier free agents and top international players (at least the ones who could make an immediate impact) forces him into the trade market. Topkin reports that the Rays aren’t even soliciting interest in Evan Longoria, nor are they planning to do so, but they’d like to move James Loney and the remaining $8MM on his contract to increase payroll flexibility and open at-bats for other players.
  • Topkin also reports (via Twitter) that the Rays are one of many clubs showing interest in free agent lefty Rich Hill. The journeyman southpaw dominated in four starts for the Red Sox late last season, creating a good deal of intrigue around him. Unlike most free agents, Hill’s lack of track record and status as an upside play shouldn’t price him out of the Rays’ range.
  • The Blue Jays would like to add at least two starting pitchers and ideally three, interim GM Tony LaCava told Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (Twitter link). In a full column, Nicholson-Smith writes that while adding that type of pitching is the goal there’s no plan to move pieces such as Jose Bautista or Edwin Encarnacion to make it happen. The Jays aren’t interested in detracting from a strength to enhance a weakness.
  • Additionally of note from Nicholson-Smith’s column is that the Blue Jays remain uncertain as to the role of Roberto Osuna in 2016. While Osuna was a brilliant closer for the team in 2015 despite his status as the league’s youngest player (20), he was being developed as a starter and could have more long-term value in that role. The team’s ability to add rotation arms this winter will likely impact what role Osuna and Aaron Sanchez occupy in 2016.

Offseason Outlook: Toronto Blue Jays

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The AL East champions will have to rebuild their pitching staff this winter, though their first priority will be sorting out an unexpected front office shuffle.

Guaranteed Contracts

Arbitration Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projections via MLB Trade Rumors)

Free Agents

The afterglow of the Blue Jays’ first postseason appearance since 1993 quickly wore off with the stunning news that Alex Anthopoulos wouldn’t be returning as Toronto’s general manager.  It was more or less expected that the Jays’ playoff run would ensure a new contract for Anthopoulos, but since that proposed extension reportedly gave the final decision-making authority to new club president/CEO Mark Shapiro, Anthopoulos said he “didn’t feel like this was the right fit” for him and walked away from the job.

Anthopoulos’ departure reportedly came as a surprise to both Shapiro and Rogers Communications (the club’s ownership group), though the Jays’ interest in a president with a baseball operations background was evident even a year ago during their flirtations with the likes of Dan Duquette and Kenny Williams.  This implied that Anthopoulos was no longer Rogers’ choice to be the top baseball voice in the organization, so expecting him to accept a loss of autonomy in the wake of a division title may have been a bit naive on ownership’s part.  If Anthopoulos’ decision truly caught the club off-guard, then the Jays are somewhat under the gun in beginning a GM search just as offseason business is getting underway.

Naming Tony LaCava as the interim general manager (and extending his contract) does ensure some continuity within the front office, and LaCava himself could be a fit as the permanent GM.  He has been a long-time assistant GM in Toronto, he briefly worked with Shapiro in Cleveland’s front office and he has been considered for GM jobs with other teams (the Pirates, Angels, Dodgers and Orioles) in the past.  Current and former members of the Indians front office like Ross Atkins, Derek Falvey, De Jon Watson, Josh Byrnes and Tyrone Brooks have been mentioned as possible candidates for the GM position, though everything seems speculative at this point.

This organizational drama has added another layer of intrigue into what was already going to be a very busy offseason for the Jays.  The most clear-cut business has already been taken care of, as the Jays exercised their club options on Jose Bautista ($14MM), R.A. Dickey ($12MM) and Edwin Encarnacion ($10MM) for 2016.  A combined $36MM is a more-than-reasonable price for two elite sluggers and a solid 200+ inning starter.

The next step for the Jays will be to explore extending Bautista and Encarnacion, which will be very interesting negotiations.  The two men are entering their respective age-35 and age-33 seasons and Bautista’s defense has been falling off to the point that he could soon be best suited as a mostly-DH type, as Encarnacion is now.  Extending any player into their late 30’s is a dicey proposition, and extending two such players could be especially risky.  The counter argument, of course, is that Bautista and Encarnacion are still two of the game’s best hitters, both posting big numbers in 2015 despite battling some nagging injuries.  While the Jays could wait to see if either declines next season, waiting also carries the risk of letting either slugger hit the open market on the heels of another big performance.  The Bautista and Encarnacion talks will be a big subplot of this Blue Jays offseason, particularly if the team favors one over the other.

With these contract option years now officially on the books, Toronto is committed to $71MM for five players next season.  The Jays will pay a projected $33MM to their nine-player arbitration class, with Josh Donaldson getting the biggest raise (from $4.3MM in 2015 to $12MM in 2016) in the wake of his MVP-caliber season.  Important contributors like Marcus Stroman, Roberto Osuna, Chris Colabello, Kevin Pillar and Aaron Sanchez are still on their pre-arb contracts, which gives the team a bit of financial breathing room as it tries to figure out how much to spend on the pitching staff.

While nine-figure payrolls aren’t new for the Jays, it has yet to be determined just how much they’re willing to spend this winter.  Last year’s Opening Day payroll was just under $126MM and that number went up during the year after their big deadline trading spree.  It’s fair to assume that Shapiro and LaCava will have at least that $126MM figure to work with in the offseason.  While it has been speculated that Rogers hired Shapiro in part because of his experience with modest payrolls in Cleveland, Shapiro wasn’t afraid to make notable signings (the Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn deals) and extensions (i.e. Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta) in his time as the Tribe’s GM and president.

It could also be that Shapiro will receive more financial leeway than Anthopoulos.  The Jays were heavily criticized by fans and local media for making virtually no major moves between the Dickey trade in December 2012 and the Donaldson trade in November 2014, and in hindsight, that seeming transactions freeze could’ve been the first sign of ownership disenchantment with Anthopoulos in the wake of the disastrous 2013 season, rather than a sign that Rogers wasn’t willing to spend.  Given how attendance and TV ratings skyrocketed from August through October, Rogers now has clear evidence that a winning team will be a huge boost to revenue.

That doesn’t mean, however, that the club is willing to spend the $200MM+ it will take to sign David Price to a new deal this winter.  Price has been vocal about how much he enjoyed pitching in Toronto, though with teams such as the Dodgers and Cubs likely in the running for Price’s services, it would be a surprise to see the Jays win a bidding war.  Russell Martin’s $82MM contract from last winter was the biggest free agent deal in franchise history while Vernon Wells’ $126MM deal from 2006 is still the largest overall contract the Jays have ever handed out; the team would likely have to spend as much as those two deals combined, if not more, to retain Price.

Besides Price, Marco Estrada and the possibly (but not certainly) retiring Mark Buehrle are also hitting the open market.  Estrada’s strong performance in both the regular season and postseason boosted his price tag, and the Jays could well re-sign him if that price is around three years and $30MM.  If it goes much higher, I suspect the Blue Jays would be willing to let him walk — especially since they would receive a draft pick in return, as Estrada was issued a qualifying offer.  The two sides are in the midst of discussing a multi-year deal right now, though there have been no indications that a deal is close.

As for Buehrle, he’s been leaning towards retirement for a while.  If he did come back, it might be on a one-year farewell tour type of deal with his hometown Cardinals or a return to the White Sox, rather than re-signing with the Jays.

Right now the Jays’ rotation consists of rising star Stroman, Dickey, and Drew Hutchison (whose inconsistent 2015 season makes him only a fifth starter candidate at best).  One of the two open spots could be filled internally by Osuna or Sanchez, and the latter is the likelier pick since he’d be easier to stretch out.  Sanchez was originally intended to be a reliever last spring, then became a starter in the wake of Stroman’s injury. He struggled prior to a lat injury (5.21 FIP, 42-to-37 K/BB ratio in 66 innings) but returned to thrive in a relief role.  It’s possible that a full spring of preparing solely to start will lead to better results for Sanchez, who’s just a year removed from being labeled one of baseball’s top pitching prospects.

Shifting either Sanchez or Osuna to the rotation is a risky move for a contender, however, as both are unproven as MLB starters and using either to start weakens the bullpen.  Osuna’s transition from A-ball starter in 2014 to star Major League closer in 2015 was already unlikely enough that the Jays may not want to further press their luck by pushing Osuna any further.  His 78 combined IP in the regular season and playoffs last season was a career high, so he’d certainly be on an innings limit as a starter. Thus, the Jays would need a replacement for the latter portion of the season.

Everything therefore seems to point to the Jays adding at least one notable front-of-the-rotation arm and quite possibly a mid-tier starter as well.  There’s no shortage of aces in free agency, and the Jays might not mind losing a first-rounder to sign a qualifying offer free agent since they’d be getting back a comparable draft pick back if Estrada leaves, and their current pick (No. 26) is toward the end of the first round as it is.  Aiming for free agency, however, will test how much the team is willing or able to spend.  The Jays have been linked to Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake and Jeff Samardzija in the past, though that was under Anthopoulos.  Shapiro and LaCava may have different opinions of how well either starter would fare in Toronto, especially on an expensive long-term deal.

Rather than free agency, the Blue Jays could acquire pitching via the trade market.  Shapiro has denied a report claiming he directly criticized Anthopoulos for moving top prospects at the deadline, though it would still be somewhat surprising to see the Jays continue to deal youngsters since building from within is Shapiro’s stated preference.  Dealing from the Major League roster, however, could address both the pitching staff and a couple of question marks around the diamond.

Left field, for instance, has Ben Revere as the incumbent and set to earn a $6.7MM salary through arbitration.  This could be a bit high for the Jays’ liking since Revere is a somewhat limited offensive player and has mixed reviews over his career (as per advanced metrics) as a left fielder.  The Jays could try to deal Revere as part of a package for a starter and then go with a Michael Saunders/Dalton Pompey platoon in left.  Then again, Saunders could himself be a trade or even a non-tender candidate given his $2.9MM arbitration projection.  Dealing him for value could be difficult since he barely played in 2015 due to knee injuries.  Pompey isn’t likely to be traded given his high prospect pedigree, though counting on him for anything more than a part-time role is a risk given how he looked overmatched at the plate when he began last season as the starting center fielder and was eventually demoted.

First base could be another position of depth.  Encarnacion will mostly be used as a DH, leaving Colabello and Justin Smoak splitting time at first.  Colabello was a hugely successful under-the-radar signing last winter, giving the Jays an .886 OPS in 360 PA.  Colabello is still a year away from arbitration eligibility which could make him a very attractive trade chip, especially if the Jays think he’ll come back to earth next season (given that he did post a stunningly high .411 BABIP).  Smoak, meanwhile, hit .226/.299/.470 with 18 homers in 328 PA while providing solid defense.  The switch-hitter is an ideal backup for whomever is getting the lion’s share of time at first, whether it’s Colabello or a new addition.

This is just my speculation, but Shapiro’s former team in Cleveland is one of the few that has high-quality, controllable arms potentially available this winter.  The Jays actually came close to landing Carlos Carrasco at the trade deadline for a package of Pompey, Jeff Hoffman and Daniel Norris, so it’s possible Shapiro could revisit those talks from the other side of the table to pursue Carrasco or Danny Salazar.  (Though of course, a new offer would have to be made since Hoffman and Norris have since been dealt.)

You can also make the case that the Blue Jays could just stand pat with their everyday regulars given how the team turned into world-beaters on both offense and defense once their final lineup was solidified at the deadline.  Given how injuries really left the Jays short-handed in early 2015, keeping the outfield and first base surplus intact could be a wise move, as a number of veterans in the lineup already come with notable injury histories.  Devon Travis’ return theoretically makes Ryan Goins expendable, though Goins is perhaps too valuable a bench piece to deal — he provides tremendous defense at either middle infield spot, which comes in handy since it’s far from guaranteed that Travis or Troy Tulowitzki stays healthy all year.

For now, Toronto’s bench lines up as Goins, Smoak, at least one of Saunders or Pompey and then Josh Thole (the knuckler-catching specialist for Dickey) as the backup catcher.  Dioner Navarro did a good job in the backup role last year, though he’s expected to depart for a team that can offer him more playing time.

The bullpen was a problem area for much of the year, seemingly rounding into form around the deadline, but injuries in the playoffs exposed the lack of depth.  If Sanchez is moved into the rotation, the Jays will need a new reliever to set up Osuna.  Brett Cecil pitched very well last season and could do the job, though he could be better deployed outside of a set role and used in high-leverage situations (particularly against left-handed hitters) whenever they may arise in the later innings.  Aaron Loup had solid numbers against lefty bats strictly in a LOOGY role, though the Blue Jays will probably look to bolster their bullpen southpaw corps.  Free agent Tony Sipp could be a possibility if Shapiro wanted to bring in a familiar face from his Cleveland days.

LaTroy Hawkins is retiring and Mark Lowe is a free agent, so the Jays will also need some help on the right-handed side of the bullpen ledger.  Darren O’Day, Tyler Clippard and Shawn Kelley are some of the bigger names available in free agency, though it’s worth noting that Shapiro has never pursued notable free agent reliever signings when he ran the Tribe.  Rather than spend on a righty reliever, the Blue Jays could just keep Sanchez in the bullpen for another year (with an eye to him replacing Dickey in the 2017 rotation), sign a low-cost right-hander and funnel all available money towards the rotation.

Toronto has enough clear areas of need on the roster that it’s obvious what will be targeted no matter who takes over as the full-time general manager (Shapiro will ultimately be calling the shots anyway).  The Jays certainly have work to do on the pitching front, but with so much of their league-best offense likely returning, the club has expectations of another postseason run in 2016.

Blue Jays, Marco Estrada Discussing Multi-Year Deal

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The Blue Jays and right-hander Marco Estrada are discussing a multi-year deal in advance of Friday’s deadline for Estrada to accept or decline Toronto’s one-year, $15.8MM qualifying offer, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Estrada is a client of TWC Sports.

“We’d love to have him back,” interim GM Tony LaCava told Rosenthal, without mentioning any sort of specifics regarding Estrada’s situation. “He was a big part of our success this year.”

Estrada, 32, has an interesting decision on his hands, having earned “only” about $10MM in his big league career. The qualifying offer would net him more money than he’s made as a professional to this point over just a one-year term, but it also comes without the security and stability that would come from knowing where he’ll be pitching for the next two to three seasons. Additionally, as a player whose track record is solid but doesn’t line up with his 2015 results, he’s a player that could cause teams to be skeptical about forfeiting a draft pick in order to sign. A multi-year deal would be a compromise that affords Estrada some security and gives Toronto some much-needed pitching depth, as I speculated at the time that Estrada received the QO (and discussed a week prior on the MLBTR Podcast with Jeff Todd).

For the Blue Jays, the notion of keeping Estrada around on a multi-year deal at a lower annual rate than the qualifying offer’s total undoubtedly has appeal. Estrada posted an excellent 3.13 ERA in 181 innings in 2015 and enjoyed a strong postseason run as well. The Blue Jays are currently set to lose Estrada, David Price and Mark Buehrle from their rotation and also traded away Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd, thinning out internal replacement options. The club will still have blossoming ace Marcus Stroman, veteran innings-eater R.A. Dickey and the inconsistent Drew Hutchison as rotation options next season, to say nothing of 2015 bullpen pieces Aaron Sanchez and Roberto Osuna, both of whom were starters before converting to relief out of necessity this past season.

Nevertheless, the Jays lack a significant amount of rotation depth, and Estrada would give them some stability in their starting staff. The question for Toronto is how to appropriately value Estrada’s 2015 results. While the bottom-line numbers were impressive, Estrada’s strikeout and walk rates trended in the wrong direction for the fourth consecutive season, and a good deal of his run prevention stemmed from an outlier .216 batting average on balls in play. Estrada has long maintained a BABIP lower than the league average, but his BABIP should still be expected to regress to some extent in future seasons, and it’s unknown whether he can maintain 2015’s career-low homer-to-flyball ratio. If those traits prove to be somewhat sustainable, however, the Blue Jays could find themselves with a tremendous asset on their hands, as Estrada was easily the club’s most consistent performer after joining the rotation in early May.

NL West Notes: Dodgers’ Targets, Giants, Padres, Rockies

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The Dodgers are prioritizing Zack Greinke over David Price in free agency, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Los Angeles also has at least some interest in Daniel Murphy (as well as a return of Chase Utley, as previously reported elsewhere) as the team weighs the possibility of finding a left-handed hitter that can play second and third. While it’s not yet clear whether the Dodgers front office will ultimately be a team that paces actual free agent spending, it seems obvious that L.A. will play a major role in driving the market.

More from the NL West:

  • Los Angeles tried to open talks with Greinke during the season, GM Farhan Zaidi told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick (Twitter link), but he declined the invitation. That probably should not be read as any indication of Greinke’s feelings about where he’d like to play, of course, as he may well have felt that he’d be best served by seeing what the open market had to offer.
  • The Giants could be a player for Greinke, as both Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post note. According to Sherman, San Francisco could be gearing up as “big players” in both the starting pitching and outfield markets. Other executives around the league feel that GM Bobby Evans and his staff could be involved at the top of the market in both areas, Sherman explains.
  • The Padres have at least some interest in Japanese infielder Nobuhiro Matsuda, Heyman adds. (At first glance, it’s a bit difficult to see a fit given that he wouldn’t appear to be much of an option at shortstop.) The NPB veteran recently took free agency with hopes of joining an MLB organization.
  • Rockies GM Jeff Bridich said yesterday that he’d consider giving up a draft pick to sign a starter, as MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports. “The fact that it isn’t your first-round pick, the fact we do have that competitive-balance pick [between the first and second rounds], that’s where it really comes down to the fit of the pitcher and the timing of it all,” Bridich said. “You have to time it up right where you think it’s not just going to be a one-year deal for a pitcher you sign like that. There are other things you consider that way.” Bridich acknowledged that the team had at least discussed Daniel Murphy, but noted that internal talks don’t necessarily indicate serious interest, stressed that the qualifying offer was attached to the infielder, and called prior reports “complete speculation, really.”
  • Bridich also addressed the reported arrest of Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes. “Obviously, it’s a serious and unfortunate situation,” Bridich said. “Just like we’ve said, there is an ongoing investigation now. It’s serious in terms of a professional sports industry. It’s serious in terms of a larger social issue. And it’s so serious that there is a joint agreement now between MLB and the union about addressing it. So that’s where it is now. We’ll let the investigation take its course and see what becomes of it.”
  • The Dodgers recently added international scout Ismael Cruz, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reported on Twitter. Cruz had served with the Blue Jays previously. Ben Badler of Baseball America notes on Twitter that Cruz has landed several under-the-radar international signings previously, and Los Angeles may look for him to do just that as the team serves its $300K+ bonus timeout over the next two years.

Blue Jays To Sign Tony LaCava To Multi-Year Contract

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The Blue Jays and interim general manager Tony LaCava have agreed to a long-term contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). LaCava’s contract guarantees him some form of front office role whether or not he is made the team’s permanent general manager, according to Rosenthal.

LaCava was named interim general manager of the Blue Jays after Alex Anthopoulos resigned following the season. He presently slots in beneath new team president Mark Shapiro on the baseball operations hierarchy, but the new contract assures that there will be some continuity in the front office regardless of whether or not Shapiro decides to make an external hire to fill the team’s GM vacancy.

LaCava joined the Blue Jays’ front office that October as a special assistant to then-GM J.P. Ricciardi. He was named assistant GM in 2007 and has since gained traction as a GM candidate around the league, interviewing for multiple general manager openings. He worked with Shapiro as far back as 2002, when he was a national cross-checker with the Indians.

AL Notes: Twins, Park, Soria, Tigers’ Pen

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It was a bit of a surprise to learn that the Twins emerged with the winning posting bid for Korean slugger Byung-Ho Park. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets that there were multiple other bids of $10MM or greater, suggesting that Minnesota did not go much beyond the rest of the market to secure the rights. GM Terry Ryan explained that the club’s “evaluators think [Park] can make the transition” to the big leagues, as John Shipley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Minnesota sees the 29-year-old as a primary DH who is capable of filling in at first or even third. Ryan said that adding Park did not necessarily mean that third baseman Trevor Plouffe would need to be traded to keep exciting young power hitter Miguel Sano in the lineup. Explaining that the team is “adding, not subtracting,” Ryan said that it is “serious about the possibility of Sano playing in the outfield.”

Here’s more from the Twin Cities and their AL Central rivals in Detroit:

  • Righty Joakim Soria has drawn early interest not only from the Tigers, but also from the Twins, according to Wolfson (via Twitter). Minnesota has put out feelers on other relief arms as well, with the pen representing one priority along with the team’s catching situation.
  • Tigers GM Al Avila left no doubt in his comments today that his club intends to play at the top of the relief market, as Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports. “We’re trying to get a closer,” Avila said. “Who that guy is right now, I can’t tell you. There might be a guy there that you might not think is a closer but we do, or we might go after a guy that’s already been a closer. I don’t know where it’s going to take me right now.” 
  • The new general manager did stress, though, that starting pitching remains the priority. He also added that Detroit could also shift those starters who don’t make the rotation into the pen, possibly including recent trade addition Michael Fulmer, as Jason Beck of MLB.com tweets.
  • The Tigers are also continuing to make good on the promise to build out their analytical department, and have hired former Blue Jays assistant GM Jay Sartori to run that area, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).

Latest On Byung-ho Park

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8:52am: Yahoo’s Jeff Passan tweets that the White Sox aren’t the winner, either. That leaves the Brewers and Twins in addition to the Cubs and Reds, though the latter duo doesn’t have much of a spot for Park to play (unless Cincinnati feels he can handle left field). Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reported last week that the Twins have scouted Park quite a bit, though the Brewers seem to be a better fit from a roster standpoint, in my eyes.

8:37am: Heyman also eliminates the Rockies and the Phillies from the mix (via Twitter). That leaves the Brewers, Reds, Cubs, White Sox and Twins as the remaining options. As I noted before, the presence of Joey Votto in Cincinnati and Anthony Rizzo on the Cubs’ roster makes that pair of NL teams seem like long shots, to say the least. The White Sox and Twins each have long-term first base options in Jose Abreu and Joe Mauer, though Park could certainly split time at first and DH with either player.

8:22am: The Astros didn’t submit the winning bid for Park, either, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

NOV. 9, 7:29am: We’re down to seven possibilities on the mystery team for Park, as ESPN’s Buster Olney (Twitter link) and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Rob Biertempfel (Twitter link) report that the Pirates have not won the bidding.

There have been reports eliminating all but seven teams from the Park bidding, leaving the Phillies, Brewers, Reds, Cubs, White Sox, Twins and Astros as possibilities. And while the Reds and Cubs are technically possibilities, it’d be surprising to see either NL club post the winning bid on a first baseman, given the stars that each has entrenched at that position. The Rockies haven’t been completely ruled out, though the report below seems to indicate they’re more of a long shot than anything else at this point.

Alan Nero, Park’s agent at Octagon, tells Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that even he does not yet know which club won the bidding, adding that both league offices were closed over the weekend (Twitter link).

NOV. 8, 9:51pm: The winning bid wasn’t posted by the Royals or Braves, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan reports (Twitter links).  “It’s safe to assume” the Rays didn’t have the winning bid either, the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin tweets.

9:10pm: The Athletics and Marlins also didn’t have the top bid, Heyman tweets.

7:24pm: The Mariners and Diamondbacks didn’t place bids on Park, as per tweets from CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman and Zach Buchanan of AZCentral.com.  Also, the Giants can be eliminated from contention, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  The Rockies might also be out, as MLB.com’s Thomas Harding doesn’t “think anything is happening there.”

2:39pm: Italian artist Michelangelo is famously misquoted as saying that he sculpted the historic David statue by chipping away the parts that did not look like David.  Perhaps that is how we will whittle down the field of suitors for first baseman Byung-Ho Park until we unravel the mystery team that submitted the winning bid to negotiate with the Korean star.  Failing that, we might just have to wait until Monday, when the announcement is formally made.

On Friday, Korea’s Nexen Heroes accepted a $12.85MM bid on the rights to negotiate a big league contract with Park.  As of today, we still don’t know which MLB club won the posting process, but one team out there now has a thirty day window with which to hammer out a deal with one of the winter’s most intriguing and mysterious free agents.

The Blue Jays are not the winning team, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter), and the winning bid was not submitted by the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, or Angels, either (link),  The Cardinals, who are looking at various first base options, tendered an unsuccessful bid for the 29-year-old, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  James Wagner of the Washington Post (on Twitter) heard that the Nats did not have interest.  Late last week, the Indians, Tigers, Rangers, Orioles, Padres, and Red Sox were also crossed off the list by various reporters.

If Park and his new club do not reach agreement on a contract, Nexen will lose out on the posting fee and the winning team will have to move on to a Plan B at first base.  The reported $12.85MM fell shy of the $25MM+ posting amount commanded by lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu, but it easily tops what the Pirates paid Nexen last year (~$5MM) for the rights to reach a deal with infielder Jung-Ho Kang. After the team-to-team transfer was arrived at, Kang and the Bucs agreed to a four-year, $11MM guarantee.

In the recently-released list of MLBTR’s top fifty free agents, Tim Dierkes predicted that Park would command a $10MM posting fee and a five-year, $40MM contract from the winning team. The first part of that was close, but it remains to be seen how negotiations will proceed.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Blue Jays, Anthopoulos

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Dave Dombrowski has never shied away from free agent splashes, but he’s really made his bones with trades.  Now, with the GM Meetings on the horizon, it will be interesting to see how the new Red Sox president of baseball operations knows his new farm system, Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal writes.  Dombrowski has indicated that he might deal from the team’s organizational outfield depth, but deciding who to move and who to hold can be tricky.  DD will have to evaluate outfielders from the majors like Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. down to minor leaguers Manuel Margot and Andrew Benintendi.

Here’s more out of the AL East:

  • When asked if he could eventually return to the Blue Jays as GM, Alex Anthopoulos told Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette of SiriusXM (via Twitter links) that there is “no chance.”  When asked if he’d seek out another GM job, AA said, “Certainly not in the near term. Going forward, I would be open to it. I don’t know I need to do it again.”  Anthopoulos also refuted reports that new Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro was critical of his summer trades.  Shapiro himself shot those rumors down in a press conference last week.
  • There’s a lot of pressure on Dombrowski to acquire an ace, but ultimately any big ticket move will be the call of Red Sox owner John Henry, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald writes. It is well known that Henry is against long-term, high-priced deals for aging pitchers, but one industry insider speculates that he will defer to Dombrowski’s judgment “on one big fish” this winter.  Last year, the Red Sox went into April without a true ace and while there were other factors holding them back, they wound up with a second consecutive last-place finish.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com looked at MLBTR’s projection of a six-year, $144MM deal for Orioles slugger Chris Davis and gave his own take.

AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Yankees, Rays

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Alex Anthopoulos’ abrupt departure from the Blue Jays came as a surprise to team president Mark Shapiro, but finding a new GM is now just one of many tasks ahead of him, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm writes. Chisholm notes that Shapiro seems happy with interim GM Tony LaCava for now. “I’m comfortable in Tony guiding our baseball operations staff,” says Shapiro. “It’s not just Tony, just like it wasn’t me, not just Alex. There’s a strong group of people in that room.” Anthopoulos’ departure right before the beginning of free agency was inconvenient, but Shapiro (who is, of course, himself a former GM) sounds confident that it won’t hold the Jays back. Here’s more from the AL East.

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman is “open to anything” as he sees how the winter unfolds, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal writes. Last offseason, Cashman traded several players he had no particular intention of dealing, including Shane Greene, Manny Banuelos and Martin Prado.  “You have to be pretty aggressive and open to trade a good young pitcher under team control (Greene), a left-handed prospect (Banuelos) or a guy like Prado who fits you like a glove,” says Cashman. Cashman adds that he’s not looking to trade top young players Luis Severino, Greg Bird or Aaron Judge, but emphasizes that his ears are open to all possibilities.
  • The Rays still see Brad Miller, acquired in a recent six-player deal with the Mariners, as a potential starting shortstop, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. “We’ve been impressed by his work at shortstop, and it’s always a plus to have a left-handed-hitting middle infielder,” says president of baseball operations. “We’ll take him and the many other guys we have and head into Spring Training feeling good about our situation in the middle infield.” The Rays are likely to use Logan Morrison at DH. “He certainly has the type of bat that fits in the DH role, and we’re excited about that bat,” says Silverman. “You add him to our lineup and we’re immediately more formidable, especially against right-handed pitching.”

Players To Receive Qualifying Offers

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The deadline for players to extend qualifying offers to their free agents is 5pm ET today. The value of this year’s qualifying offer — which is equated by taking the average salary of the game’s 125 highest-paid players — is $15.8MM. Teams can extend the QO to free agents who spent the entire year with that club (i.e. were not midseason signings/trade acquisitions), giving the player one week to accept or decline the deal. Should the player accept — and to this point, no one has ever accepted a QO — he is immediately under contract for the following season at that $15.8MM salary and cannot be traded without his consent until the following June. If a player rejects and signs with a new club, his former team is awarded a compensatory draft pick at the end of the first round the following year. Any team that signs a player that has rejected a QO must forfeit its top unprotected draft pick. (The top 10 picks in next year’s draft are protected under the collective bargaining agreement.) Those wishing to drill down deeper into the specifics of the qualifying offer can check out MLBTR’s full explanation of the qualifying offer system.

The previous one-year record for number of player to receive a QO is 13, but with a deep crop of free-agent talent this offseason, a new record will absolutely be set. I see as many as 22 realistic QO candidates in this year’s free agent class, though some of those are admittedly borderline calls whose teams may decide not to make the risk. To this point, the Royals have already made the obvious decision to extend a QO to Alex Gordon (as they announced yesterday). That was the lone formal announcement prior to Friday.

All that said, here’s the list of formal qualifying offers to be extended (we’ll update accordingly throughout the day)…

  • The Orioles announced that they’ve issued qualifying offers to first baseman Chris Davis, lefty Wei-Yin Chen, and catcher Matt Wieters. Though reports at times questioned whether Baltimore would extend the $15.8MM offer to Wieters, it always seemed a near-lock that that the team would do so (with expectations that he’ll reject it and look for multiple years in free agency).
  • The White Sox have officially announced their qualifying offer to Jeff Samardzija, which was essentially a foregone conclusion. It’s been known that Samardzija will receive a qualifying offer and widely reported that he will reject said offer for quite some time.

Earlier Updates

  • Hisashi Iwakuma (Mariners), Dexter Fowler (Cubs) and Daniel Murphy (Mets) will all receive qualifying offers, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Each of the moves was widely expected, although Heyman also hears that the Padres have made up their mind and will make a qualifying offer to Ian Kennedy. That situation was a bit more up in the air, though Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune said two nights ago that it was a “likely” outcome, and we at MLBTR have voiced the belief that the Padres should and would make the QO on multiple occasions.
  • The Blue Jays have now announced that Marco Estrada will receive a qualifying offer on the strength of his impressive 2015 regular season and playoff performance. (A full breakdown of Estrada’s qualifying offer can be read here.)
  • The Cardinals announced that they have extended the qualifying offer to both Jason Heyward and John Lackey. Each decision was widely anticipated, as they 26-year-old Heyward is poised to cash in on an enormous contract due to his youth, defensive prowess and solid contributions at the plate and on the bases. Lackey recently turned 37, but he’s completely rejuvenated his career over the past three seasons and is well-positioned to land a sizable multi-year deal this winter even with draft pick compensation attached to his name
  • As noted above, the Royals announced their qualifying offer to Alex Gordon on Thursday afternoon.
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