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AL Notes: Yankees, Happ, Indians

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The Yankees made some last minute moves this week when they traded for Vernon Wells and picked up the recently-released Lyle Overbay.  Both Wells and Overbay have made the club along with Ben Francisco and Brennan Boesch, leaving Juan Rivera as the odd man out.  Tbe first baseman/outfielder was cut loose, though he did cash in on a $100K retention bonus for staying on the roster beyond Tuesday's Article XX(B) deadline.  Here's more from the Junior Circuit..

  • It's time for the Yankees to start looking for a replacement for Derek Jeter, Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Eduardo Nunez, who is manning shortstop in Jeter's absence, is not a good solution for the long haul, Matthews argues, and Jeter's age and injury status are both worrisome. Matthews also suggests that the Yankees should have acquired Jose Reyes or Yunel Escobar in the offseason.
  • Having gone in just days from being ticketed for Triple-A to being in the big-league rotation with a new contract extension, Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ is thrilled with his recent streak of good fortune, reports MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. "It certainly has been a great few days," says Happ. "There was a long time before that where it wasn't quite as easy, but this kind of makes it all worth it."
  • After his team's signings of Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, GM Chris Antonetti hopes the Indians will snag a playoff spot, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The organization felt it needed a splashy offseason to maintain the attention of its fanbase, Pluto writes. "There is risk whenever you make substantial investment," says Antonetti. "But for us, there was even more risk if we didn't."

Why I Chose My Agency: Mark DeRosa

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Blue Jays utility man Mark DeRosa is renowned for his clubhouse presence.  He's played 500+ career innings at third base, second base, shorstop, right field, and left field, and has a pair of 20 home run seasons on his resume.  The longtime CSE client spoke with MLBTR this week about his relationship with agents Lonnie Cooper and Keith Grunewald.

On his first agency:

I actually was with the Hendricks brothers before I switched to CSE.  The reason for the switch, I don't know the whole ins and outs of it, but at some point in 2003 I think it was, SFX, I don't know if they bought out the Hendricks brothers or bought their company to become part of SFX, and for those two or three years I was still dealing with this new guy I had dealt with at the Hendricks brothers up until that point, and then the Hendricks brothers decided to leave and go back and be on their own again.  But the guys that I had dealt with coming up through the minors were going to stay at SFX.  So it kind of got to a situation of, who do I choose?  Do I stay with SFX and the guys I dealt with on a daily basis, or do I go back with Alan and Randy, which at the time when I signed with them, they were the reason I signed because of what they had done in the game and how they had represented people up until that point.  

So I had a window to sit down with my wife and decide, well, if we can't choose between either of them, this is an opportunity to at least interview with some other people.  I had talked to John Smoltz, who I trust and I really looked up to as a teammate, and he said, "Before you do anything, you need to sit down with Lonnie Cooper at CSE."  So I met with Lonnie and Keith and all the people up there and it was kind of a no-brainer for me, walking out of the office.  I turned to my wife and she felt comfortable too, and I ended up signing with them.    

On his decision to go with CSE:

I was at a crossroads in my career, I was getting ready to go into a season where I was going to arbitration eligible for the first time.  After I talked with Lonnie and Keith, them being right there in Atlanta where I was playing at the time, and I felt comfortable with them.  They weren't a huge agency at the time.  Lonnie represented a lot of NBA basketball coaches and he had John [Smoltz] and a few other big leaguers at the time.  I really felt like I could get the personal attention I needed and also it was nice for me to have my agent in my backyard where I lived.  

On Lonnie and Keith:

I'm a straight shooter, I'm an honest guy, I'm not a needy client.  I'm sure they'll tell you I'm the easiest client they probably ever had.  I just want an honest opinion, I wanted to know everything about what was being said to me during free agency, good, bad, and different, from every team, but at the same time totally trusting them to push me in the right direction. Going back to 2006, the Rangers actually came to me in about August and wanted to sign me to an extension, and I hadn't made so-called "big league money" up until that point, and was really humbled by the offer, and honored, and excited.  I called Lonnie and Keith and they steered me in the right direction.  They were like, "No, you've gone this far, might as well play out the last two months and see what's on the free agent market."  I ended up signing a three-year deal with the Cubs, so everything worked out.  

For me it was just about feeling good about who I was represented by.  I felt like they were a direct reflection of me, they have to be straight shooters, have to be honest, and have to surround themselves with good people.  I figured if Smoltzie was with them then I needed to sit down with them.

On the free agency process:

I wanted to know everything.  I wanted to know day-to-day stuff, which teams were calling, what they thought I could and couldn't do, what the monetary figures were.  I had an idea for who I was as a player and as a person.  That stuff never bothered me, I like to be honest.  I learned a lot of that from Bobby Cox.  A lot of managers say they have an open door policy, but Bobby lived it.  I could go in and talk to him about anything, and I didn't necessarily like everything he told me throughout my tenure with the Atlanta Braves, but I never walked got in my car that night wondering where I stood in the organization.  I wanted to be represented by people like that: tell me what they're saying, what they feel my strengths and weaknesses are, because that's going to play a big part in my decision.  

On his decision to sign with the Rangers:

[My agents] played a huge role in that decision with me signing with Texas.  Blowing out my knee at the end of '04 and getting non-tendered [by the Braves], here I am in the offseason rehabbing a torn ACL and everything that goes with that, and to have no job.  I was definitely nervous at the time.  I still felt I was going to come back and be a productive player, but what camp was I going to get into, how was I going to approach that.  Lonnie and Keith steered me in the direction of, "Where can you get with the best hitting coach?  Where can you find ABs but at the same time work on your craft and be a part of a team that has a chance to win?"  Me and Keith ended up flying down to Texas and meeting with Rudy [Jaramillo] and Buck Showalter, and I just felt like it was a good fit.  They had Mikey Young, and Soriano, and Blalock, and Teixeira.  They had their infield pretty well set, so I knew I wasn't going to get much playing time, but it offered me such an opportunity to just every day work with Rudy Jaramillo and completely overhaul my swing.  

On his reasons for jumping on the Cubs' offer quickly:

The fact that it was a guaranteed position.  I was a utility player in Texas, I had moved around, played right, second, third, short, the whole deal.  An opportunity to play in Wrigley Field for the Chicago Cubs I did not take lightly.  What an opportunity, what a historic place to play. That all factored in.  But I was going to play second base, barring injury.  I ended up moving around due to other guys being banged up, but I always had a home at second.  I felt that was huge for me.  And, to be honest with you, it was my first time hitting free agency, and I only had up until that point one full season of playing every day.  Didn't know how the market was going to play out, and wanted to kind of set it.

On his last couple of contracts with the Nationals and Blue Jays:

I have two young kids, I'm 38 years old.  I feel it's got to be worth my while to grind it out, to put the effort in that needs to be put in for 162 games.  Not only that, I'm fully cognizant of why teams bring me in.  Not only to be a sounding board for their younger players, but to be a clubhouse guy.  I still feel like I'm a viable option playing and can be productive playing.  I feel like the last couple deals, the one with Washington, the one with Toronto, Lonnie and Keith…they know me, they know what I'm about.  They gave me a chance to sign with a team that has a chance to win.  I'm all about helping the young guys, passing down knowledge, because I was never a can't-miss guy.  I picked the brains of all the great players I've played with and I've tried to incorporate their thought processes and what they do into my game, to keep me around as long as I can.  I love talking the game with the younger players, but at the same time, I wasn't just just going to hang around to help young players.  I want an opportunity to win a World Series.

On whether a small agency offers an advantage over the big ones:

To each his own, to be honest with you.  It works for me.  I like being able to call Lonnie and get him on the phone whenever I need him.  I like to be able to pick his brain, because not only is he a great agent, he's also a great businessman.  Not all of our talks revolve around baseball.  He cares about how my family is doing, he's completely involved in what I'm going to do after the game.  That stuff matters to me.  Is he willing to pick up the phone and sit with me for an hour whenever I need to talk to him.  And then there's Keith, who has become more than my agent, he's become my buddy.  We play golf in the offseason, just someone I can confide in, knows probably my darkest secrets.  He's become a great friend over the years.

Check out our other interviews in the Why I Chose My Agency series with Ted Lilly, Ryan Ludwick, Cody Ross, Aramis Ramirez, Adam Wainwright, Jeremy Affeldt, David Wright, Jay Bruce, Matt Holliday, Jamey Carroll and Jake Odorizzi.

Blue Jays Extend J.A. Happ

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The Blue Jays have agreed to extend recently-named fifth starter J.A. Happ, reports Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com on Twitter. Happ will receive $5.2MM for 2014, his final arbitration-eligible year, in addition to the $3.7MM he was already owed for this season. Chisholm also tweets that the Jays obtained an option for the 2015 season at $6.7MM.

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It has been a quick change of events for Happ, a client of Jay Fee Sports Group. Not long ago, he was reportedly the "odd man out" and unhappy with the prospect of a bullpen role or trip to the minors. Now, with Toronto's decision to keep Ricky Romero off of the Opening Day roster, Happ finds himself with both a rotation spot and a new deal.

Happ, a 30-year-old lefty, joined Toronto last season in a mid-season trade with the Astros. He pitched to a 4.79 ERA over 144 2/3 innings split between Toronto and Houston last year, along with 9.0 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9. For his career, Happ has registered a 4.19 ERA and averaged 7.6 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.

Interestingly, MLBTR's Extension Tracker reveals no recent starters who agreed to an extension with the structure of Happ's deal. Happ, who has over four years of MLB service time, gave up control over his first season of free agent eligibility in exchange for guaranteed money in his final year of arbitration. 

In sum and substance, in return for locking in $5.2MM in new money for 2014, Happ has given up a chance at a larger payday down the line. This offseason, comparable starters like Jeremy Guthrie (three years, $25MM) and Joe Blanton (two years, $15MM) managed to land multi-year deals with better annual value than Happ would be looking at if Toronto exercises his option. While Guthrie and Blanton have longer track records of logging 190+ inning seasons, Happ is younger than both and appears to have an opportunity to showcase himself over the next two seasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cubs Claim Guillermo Moscoso

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The Cubs announced that they have claimed Guillermo Moscoso off of waivers from the Blue Jays.  Right-handed pitcher Arodys Vizcaino, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, was placed on the 60-day disabled list to make room for Moscoso on the 40-man roster. 

The Blue Jays claimed Moscoso off of waivers just a week-and-a-half ago.  Last season with the Rockies, the 29-year-old posted a 6.12 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 50 innings.  He also started 21 games for the 2011 Athletics, posting a 3.38 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 128 innings.

Blue Jays Option Ricky Romero To High-A

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The Blue Jays have optioned starting pitcher Ricky Romero to High-A Dunedin, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. Romero is guaranteed $7.5MM by Toronto for the 2013 season.

Toronto had reportedly been deciding whether to allow the former Opening Day starter and All-Star to work out his issues on the big league club, or whether instead to turn to J.A. Happ to fill out the rotation, as CBS Sports' Danny Knobler explained earlier today. In conjunction with the Romero move, Happ has been told that he will be the fifth starter by GM Alex Anthopoulos, Davidi further tweets. 

 

Anthopoulos On Dickey, Marlins, Reyes, Johnson

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Recently, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star sat down with Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos and touched on a number of topics.  Here are some of the highlights from their chat..

  • The Blue Jays wouldn't have made a deal for R.A. Dickey had they not completed the Marlins blockbuster first.  In Anthopoulos' view, the club would not have been "one R.A." away from contending without the likes of Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Josh Johnson in the fold.
  • Anthopoulos feels as though he paid a steep price to land Dickey, but that it was worth it given that he was the final piece in helping to push the club to an elite level.  The Blue Jays weren't interested in fortifying the rotation with a No. 3 or 4 starter but instead wanted Dickey at the top of the rotation to push everyone else down a peg.
  • From a trade standpoint, Anthopoulos says that he has learned over the years to have less balls in the air and to focus on the one or two deals that have a realistic chance of happening.  That narrowed scope, he says, helped make the blockbuster deal with the Marlins a reality.
  • Within the organization, opinions were split on the deal with the Marlins, but AA ultimately had the final say and pulled the trigger.  Feelings were similar on the five-year, $64MM extension that Jose Bautista signed with the club, but the GM ultimately pushed that through as well.
  • Griffin asked Anthopoulous if he believes that changes to the draft and international free agent signing rules were directed at creative GMs such as himself, but he doesn't see it that way.  However, AA notes that the new cap for international spending hurts teams like the Blue Jays that have opted to shed big league payroll in order to free up money.  
  • Anthopoulos is glad that the team has purposely stayed away from giving expensive, overly-lengthy deals to free agents.  While Reyes and Buehrle both have "free agent contracts", he's comfortable with them because of their talent level.  In the case of Reyes, he's the only player on the team with five years to go on his deal and he's just 29 years old, not 32 or 33.
  • Even if the Marlins deal didn't take place, the Blue Jays still would have chosen John Gibbons as manager.
  • There has been less change in the Blue Jays' front office lately than in years past and Anthopoulos attributes that to increased stability in the organization rather than his own increased comfort level.

Multiple Teams Showing Interest In Chris Young

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MONDAY: The Blue Jays, Orioles, Twins, Indians, Cubs, Cardinals, Red Sox, Brewers and Mets all have scouts on hand for Young's start against the Astros today, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). However, as he's quick to note, that doesn't necessarily mean that each team is there to scout Young specifically.

For what it's worth, Young was terrific in his outing, scattering two hits, a walk and an unearned run over four innings to go along with a pair of strikeouts.

SUNDAY, 2:10pm: The Pirates are intrigued by Young, tweets the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Rob Biertempfel. However, Biertempfel wonders whether the Pirates can assure Young he'd be on roster the whole year and, if not, whether or not Young would be interested.

11:25am: The minor league deal that Chris Young signed with the Nationals last month contains an opt-out clause that he can exercise today. However, Young is scheduled to pitch in a Grapefruit League game tomorrow. Dan Kolko of MASNsports tweets that Young is planning on making that start tomorrow and then making a decision. Young says he has received interest from other teams, and it was reported on Friday that Young likely won't make the roster.

The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore adds that the Nationals hope to retain Young and view him as the clear favorite for a rotation spot if one of their starting five were to suffer an injury. Young is interested in staying in the organization in the event that he can't find a Major League job elsewhere.

The 33-year-old Young posted a 4.15 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 115 innings for the Mets last season. However, teams in smaller ballparks will likely be wary of Young's alarming 58.2 percent fly-ball rate. Among pitchers with 100 innings or more, Young's fly-ball rate was far and away the highest in baseball, while his 22.3 percent ground-ball rate was far and away the lowest.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

AL Notes: Blue Jays, Astros, Loe

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Former Expos and Orioles GM Jim Beattie, who's now a pro scout for the Blue Jays, says the Jays are looking for help at second base and in their bullpen, Bob Elliott of the Canadian Baseball Network notes. "We’re always looking for pitching depth in the bullpen and our situation at second place is a little unsettled," Beattie says. "We have two guys (Emilio Bonifacio and Maicer Izturis) there but they’re not everyday guys." Here are more notes from the American League.

  • Astros GM Jeff Luhnow explains the rationale that led the team to replace Jed Lowrie with Tyler Greene, and then to replace Greene with Ronny Cedeno, Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle reports. "When the Cardinals released Ronny Cedeno, he was a player that we had targeted during the offseason. But we had Lowrie most of the offseason, so we weren't aggressive," says Luhnow. "When (Cedeno) became available, we went back to our original plan, which was to try and get him in here." The Cardinals signed Cedeno in late January, while the Astros did not trade Lowrie (to the Athletics) until early February.
  • Reliever Kameron Loe is hoping to stay with the Mariners, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times writes. The Mariners need to decide by Tuesday whether to open a roster spot for Loe, or the non-roster pitcher could exercise an out clause in his contract. "I hope we can work something out," Loe says. "I really like it here." Loe posted a 4.61 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 68 1/3 innings for the Brewers in 2012.
    Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/24/3305044/loe-hoping-to-remain-with-mariners.html#storylink=cpy

East Notes: Blue Jays, Mets, Santana, Phillies, Wang

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Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos sat down for an interview with Sportsnet.ca (video link), discussing (among other things) the club's rotation battle between Ricky Romero and J.A. Happ. The GM said that while Happ will "factor into this club, and it doesn't mean that he can't factor into this club on opening day in some role, some capacity," the team will "do everything we can with Romero" in the spring before taking him out of a starting role. 

  • Further addressing the issue of rotational depth, Anthopoulos acknowledged that the club lacks "household names" in that area. While the Jays "have 4-A guys," the GM says he wants to add "someone who is a little bit better than that, … a Happ type of guy." The team is "active … trying to do some things, trying to make some trades" for a starting-caliber arm that can be used in the bullpen or stashed in the minors, although some player on the current roster "wouldn't be happy, because somebody would be out of a job."
  • The Mets appear prepared to enter the season without adding to their mix of outfielders, reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. “I think we’ve got a sense of who the five or six are who might be on the team," said GM Sandy Alderson. "What we have is what we’re going to have, and we’re not entirely displeased with that.”
  • Rubin also notes that the Mets could be dealing with a long absence from starter Johan Santana, who is still a ways away from returning to the mound, let alone doing so in a big league game. Santana acknowledged that his absence is indefinite: “I’m making progress. It’s just I don’t know when I’m going to be pitching again.” According to Rubin, “there is now an open question about whether Santana’s shoulder and his career will ever be the same.” 
  • After sending Darin Ruf down to work on his defense, Phillies’ GM Ruben Amaro Jr. acknowledged that there is a chance the Phillies may look to acquire another outfielder via trade, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. “There’s a lot of time left.  If we can improve the team we’ll do it.”
  • The Yankees have made their signing of Chien-Ming Wang to a minor-league deal official, according to a team press release.  Wang will enter his age-33 season looking for another chance to pitch in pinstripes, and to regain the success he had during his first stint with the club.

Kyle Lohse Rumors: Friday

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Kyle Lohse continues pitching simulated games in anticipation of signing with an MLB team before the amateur draft takes place in June. The market for the right-hander finally seems to be taking shape. The Angels haven't fully ruled out Lohse and the Rockies have done their due diligence. The Rangers and Brewers are keeping tabs on Lohse, but the Royals and Reds don't appear to be talking to agent Scott Boras.

Here are today’s Lohse rumors with the most recent items up top…

  • GM Jon Daniels told Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio that the Rangers aren't likely to sign Lohse (Twitter links). Daniels didn't completely rule out a deal, however. Rival general managers say Lohse remains unsigned because of Boras' demands, not just the new draft pick compensation rules, Bowden writes.

Earlier updates

  • The Blue Jays are at their payroll limit and will not pursue Lohse, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). While Ricky Romero has looked shaky this spring, J.A. Happ provides insurance as an extra starter.
  • Lohse told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that he’s “in an awkward spot” now that the season is approaching. The 34-year-old is scheduled to pitch a simulated game at a local community college today. Boras predicted to Nightengale that teams will intensify their pursuit of Lohse once younger pitchers falter. "His value only rises because there's a greater need now. The demand for him is created by attrition when teams learn that their younger pitching can't meet their need.” The agent said “plenty” of teams are interested.
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