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Rangers Unlikely To Acquire Darren Oliver

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The Rangers have spoken to the Blue Jays about acquiring left-hander Darren Oliver but a trade between the two clubs isn't likely, industry sources tell MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  We heard earlier this week that Oliver would retire unless the Blue Jays paid him more than his agreed-upon $3MM salary in 2013, and Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has said the team isn't interested in re-negotiating the deal. 

Oliver has been on the fence about retirement all winter but seemed to be willing to continue into his 20th Major League season if he either received a pay bump from Toronto or if he could play for the Rangers, as the veteran lefty lives in the Dallas area.  Oliver was originally drafted by the Rangers in 1988 and has pitched 317 games for Texas over three separate stints with the team.

It isn't surprising that Texas and Toronto can't come to an agreement given the unique circumstances of Oliver's situation.  The Blue Jays probably aren't inclined to both help an AL Wild Card rival and do Oliver a favor unless the Rangers made a very generous offer, and while Oliver is coming off perhaps the best season of his long career, one figures Texas won't give much up for a 42-year-old relief pitcher.

As Sullivan outlines, Robbie Ross and Michael Kirkman are slated to be the Rangers' main left-handed relievers, with Neal Cotts and Jeff Beliveau also serving as lefty options heading into Spring Training.  If Ross becomes a starting pitcher, Martin Perez (another southpaw) could rejoin the bullpen.

Blue Jays Designate Chad Beck For Assignment

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The Blue Jays designated right-hander Chad Beck for assignment, the team announced. The move creates roster space for left-hander Tommy Hottovy, who was claimed off of waivers from the Rangers.

Beck spent the 2012 season in the Blue Jays' organization, and he made 14 MLB appearances. The Pirates claimed him off of waivers in October, then Toronto re-claimed him six days ago. Beck spent the majority of the year at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he posted a 1.31 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 48 innings out of the bullpen.

Blue Jays Claim Tommy Hottovy

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The Blue Jays claimed left-hander Tommy Hottovy off of waivers from the Rangers, the teams announced. The Rangers had designated the 31-year-old for assignment on Monday to create roster space for Lance Berkman.

The Rangers acquired Hottovy from Kansas City in November for a player to be named later or cash considerations. He appeared in nine MLB games with the Royals this past season, but spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he posted a 2.52 ERA with 11.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 50 innings. The Blue Jays designated Chad Beck for assignment to create roster space for Hottovy.

Anthopoulos Talks Oliver, Thole, Extensions

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After introducing R.A. Dickey to the Toronto media, GM Alex Anthopoulos discussed the composition of his team and the possibility of more offseason moves. Here are some highlights…

  • The Blue Jays haven’t heard a final decision from Darren Oliver, who’s weighing retirement against a $3MM salary. Anthopoulos said he’d be pleased to have the left-hander back, though retirement now seems more likely. “If Darren wants to choose to come back we would certainly honor that,” Anthopoulos said. “We would be thrilled to have him.” Anthopoulos suggested Oliver could be placed on the restricted list if he doesn’t report to Spring Training on time or officially file for retirement. If Oliver doesn’t return, the Blue Jays don’t necessarily have $3MM to spend elsewhere.
  • Oliver, a Frye McCann Sports client, wants the Blue Jays to increase his salary, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported this month.
  • One of the leading reasons the Blue Jays acquired catcher Josh Thole along with Dickey was because he has experience catching the knuckleballer. “The thought is that Josh has had so much success with [Dickey], why break that up,” the GM said. 
  • Anthopoulos didn’t rule out the possibility of extending players in the coming months, but he stressed that such deals are possible at any time. And don’t expect much advance warning. “If we’re talking extensions [the media] will be the last to know if I have any say in it,” Anthopoulos said.
  • The Blue Jays are looking at ways of adding a right-handed bench player capable of playing multiple infield positions. That said, they’re considering leaving the spot open because players will inevitably become available toward the end of Spring Training when teams need roster space and out of options players get traded.
  • The Blue Jays could still add to their bullpen, though Anthopoulos said he expects to move forward with what he has. The GM has had some trade talks “on a few fronts” about the possibility, but those discussions haven’t progressed.
  • In case you missed it, Anthopoulos and Dickey are optimistic about the 2013 season.

Dickey, Anthopoulos Optimistic For 2013

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It didn’t take long for Alex Anthopoulos to convince R.A. Dickey to sign a long-term deal with the Blue Jays. In fact, the defending National League Cy Young Award winner admits he decided to sign in Toronto as soon as he heard the general manager explain his plans for 2013 and beyond.

“I’ll tell it now that the negotiating is over, but I was all in right then,” Dickey said at an introductory press conference at Rogers Centre today. “I think this can be a special few years.”

R.A. Dickey - Mets (PW)

So do the Blue Jays. Otherwise they wouldn’t have traded top prospects Travis d'Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard, among others, to obtain the 38-year-old knuckleballer. Consider the additional cost of Dickey’s $30MM extension and the Blue Jays gave up a lot. But their GM says that’s to be expected for a player of Dickey’s caliber.

“He’s a Cy Young Award winner, you don’t get those guys for free,” Anthopoulos said. “Ultimately for the organization these guys don’t come around very often, and they don’t get traded very often, they don’t become free agents very often.”

Anthopoulos compared Dickey’s unexpected emergence to that of Jose Bautista, the former journeyman who led MLB in home runs in both 2010 and 2011. Yet unlike Bautista, Dickey enjoyed considerable success at the Major League level before his breakout season. The Blue Jays studied Dickey’s past performances and previous knuckleballers to determine what they can expect from him going forward. Anthopoulos says he likes the way Dickey’s trending, even at the age of 38.

“It took time, but the more work we started doing on him I started thinking he’s going to get better,” Anthopoulos said. “And I know it’s crazy to say as good as he was last season, but he’s gotten better each year.”

Dickey says his numbers improved once he learned to throw the knuckleball for strikes — an accomplishment reflected by a walk rate that stayed well below league average during his tenure with the Mets (2.2 BB/9 from 2010-12). It’s not uncommon for knuckleballers to continue pitching long after they turn 40, and Dickey says that's a goal of his.

“I’m hoping to play for ten more years. You never know. But this could also be my last contract.”

Even after signing a $30MM contract, Dickey said he and his family will continue living modestly and traveling to help underprivileged people elsewhere. He also stressed the importance of giving back by donating to the Jays Care Foundation with the maximum amount allowed under baseball’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Dickey, a client of agent Bo McKinnis, signed a two-year, $7.8MM deal with the Mets in January of 2011 following his first season in New York. Two winters later Dickey had a Cy Young Award on his resume, and the sides discussed a more lucrative contract without agreeing to terms. Dickey says he doesn’t have lingering regrets about the fact that the Mets didn’t match his asking price.

“No, in fact I’ve moved on from that point to being thankful that they didn’t,” he said. “It’s important for me to say that I’m very thankful to the Mets for the opportunity to cultivate a pitch. But it’s also important to not live in the past.”

When it became clear that the Mets were willing to consider trade offers for Dickey, Anthopoulos called his counterpart, Mets GM Sandy Alderson, to discuss a deal. That led to an agreement and a 72-hour window for the Blue Jays to complete an extension with their new acquisition. Though he’s pleased with the end result, Anthopoulos didn’t enjoy process of negotiating publicly.

“I hated the fact that in 72 hours the world was going to know about it and we were going to be under the microscope the entire time,” he said. “When we started the process, I made it real clear to R.A. and Bo McKinnis that we need to keep this as quiet as we could.”

With five weeks remaining before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, most of Anthopoulos’ offseason moves are now complete. Dickey, perhaps the highest profile addition of all, likes what he sees from his new GM.

“If we don’t win it won’t be because of him,” Dickey said.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Darren Oliver Wants Raise To Continue With Toronto

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FRIDAY: Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told MLB.com's Chris Toman that he doesn't expect to renegotiate Oliver's contract. "I don't want to really get into the trade talk; things can happen," said the GM. "As far as restructuring his contract, I would never say never, but his contract is his contract. That's what we signed him to … I don't see us doing that."

THURSDAY: Left-hander Darren Oliver has been contemplating retirement for most of the winter, but his decision is more complicated than it might appear.  The 42-year-old wants to play, but is not willing to return to the Blue Jays unless they increase his salary from $3MM, major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. 

Oliver would welcome a trade back to the Rangers as his family lives in the Dallas area, according to sources.  The veteran is coming off of the best season of his long career and does not want to take a pay cut in the follow-up campaign.  However, the Blue Jays are over budget and are unwilling to give him a pay bump.  A source says that Toronto has stretched their budget so far that they might have to cut in other areas just to pay Oliver his original $3MM salary.

Oliver signed a one-year, $4MM deal with the Blue Jays last January with a $3MM option for 2013 that could have been bought out for $500K.  Sources tell Rosenthal that Oliver signed the deal knowing that he would likely call it career after 2012.  A trade to the Rangers could satisfy all parties involved, however, as Oliver would be more flexible in his financial demands if he is closer to home.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Blue Jays Claim Chad Beck

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The Blue Jays claimed right-hander Chad Beck off of waivers from Pittsburgh, the Pirates announced. The 27-year-old had been designated for assignment on December 26th.

Beck spent the 2012 season in the Blue Jays' organization, appearing in 14 games at the MLB level. The Pirates had claimed him off of waivers from Toronto on October 25th. Beck posted a 6.32 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 15 2/3 innings with Toronto this past season. He spent the majority of the year at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he posted a 1.31 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 48 innings out of the bullpen.

Quick Hits: Stanton, Indians, Blue Jays, Rays

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The Marlins should trade Giancarlo Stanton and the sooner they do it, the better, opines MLB.com’s Hal Bodley.  The 23-year-old, he argues, really won’t make the difference between winning and losing as this team rebuilds.  Stanton would obviously net the Marlins a strong package of prospects – players who would be ready to contribute down the road when Miami would hopefully be ready to contend.  Here’s more from around baseball as we head into Friday..

  • After their next free agent signing, Indians General Manager Chris Antonetti said the team has “used the vast majority of our [financial] resources” for the offseason, tweets Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.  It’s safe to assume that Antonetti was referring to Brett Myers’ one-year, $7MM deal when he referred to the team’s next signing.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (video link) believes that the Blue Jays had the best offseason of any team in the majors because of their blockbuster with the Marlins and their trade for R.A. Dickey.  Meanwhile, the Rangers have had the most disappointing winter thus far because of their misses on their top free agent targets.
  • ESPN.com’s Buster Olney ranked the top ten infields in the majors and slotted the Rays in at No. 4.  Olney writes that first baseman James Loney is likely getting his last full-time shot to show that he can be a consistent run producer.
  • Antonetti also said that the recently re-acquired Russ Canzler will be among the Indians’ internal DH options this year, Bastian tweets.
  • Troy Renck of The Denver Post (on Twitter) expects the Rockies to have interest in free agent Brandon Webb.

AL East Notes: Vazquez, Rays, Price, Red Sox

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Earlier today, we learned that the Nationals are interested in free agent starter Javier Vazquez, who is considering a return to MLB.  The Red Sox are also set to watch Vazquez pitch in Puerto Rico on Friday, but they're not the only team out of the American League East with an eye on the veteran.  More on that and other news from the division..

  • Alex Cora, who serves as the GM of Vazquez's team in Puerto Rico, told WEEI's Hot Stove Show that the Blue Jays have also been scouting the 36-year-old, according to Alex Speier on Twitter.  It's not clear if the Red Sox or Blue Jays would be willing to give Vazquez a big league contract, but the Nationals aren't believed to be considering it.
  • Cy Young winning left-hander David Price was happy to avoid arbitration with the Rays and says that he is open to a contract extension, writes Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.  “If it’s right, we’ll do it,” Price said. “If not, I have to understand it’s a business first and foremost. (The Rays) want to win this year but also be able to win in the future as well. They have to do what’s best for the franchise.”  Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman won't rule out an extension, but acknowledged that there are a number of variables to consider.
  • Also on WEEI's Hot Stove Show, Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein opined that the Red Sox's haul of prospects in their blockbuster deal with the Dodgers was more valuable than the financial flexibility they gained in the deal, Speier writes.  The former Boston GM spoke very highly of right-handers Allen Webster and Rubby De La Rosa.

Indians Claim Russ Canzler

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The Indians have claimed infielder Russ Canzler back from the Blue Jays via waivers, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports (on Twitter). The Blue Jays had claimed Canzler from Cleveland on December 21st, not long after the Indians designated him for assignment.

Canzler appeared in 26 games for the Indians this past season. The 26-year-old posted a .269/.299/.398 batting line in 97 MLB plate appearances while playing first base and left field. He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .265/.328/.487 batting line with 22 home runs and 36 doubles in 539 plate appearances.

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