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AL East Notes: Yankees, Blue Jays, Hill

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The ability of Kevin Youkilis to play third or first will allow Brian Cashman to pursue a player at either position and he still could look for a better alternative in the outfield than Juan Rivera or Matt Diaz but don't expect them to do anything dramatic, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Here's more on the Yankees and other news out of the American League East..

Quick Hits: Trout, Happ, Chavez

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The Angels' $510K renewal of Mike Trout's contract for 2013 has made minor news this week. Now FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that Trout's agent, Craig Landis, has suggested his client wanted a $1M contract for 2013. Since Trout is a pre-arbitration eligible player and does not have a long-term deal, the Angels were not obligated to pay him any more than the league minimum salary of $490K, despite Trout's exceptional 2012 performance. One source tells Rosenthal the Angels did not negotiate the deal at all. Another tells him that the Angels initially offered Trout a contract of more than $510K, but Trout did not accept it, and the Angels gave him the $510K contract as punishment. In any case, as Rosenthal suggests, the mini-controversy over Trout's 2013 salary will quickly vanish into history if the two sides can agree on a long-term deal. And, of course, salaries near the league minimum are routine for pre-arbitration eligible players, even spectacular ones. Here are more notes from around the majors.

  • The Blue Jays' offseason acquisitions of Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey have put the squeeze on several Jays pitchers, including J.A. Happ, who no longer has much of a shot at a rotation job. Nonetheless, Happ continues to prepare for the season as a starter, writes Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. "Right now I'm focused on being a starter, building up and doing what I've done in the past," says Happ. Happ could win a job in the bullpen, or he could wind up in the rotation at Triple-A Buffalo, even though he will earn $3.7MM this year.
  • Third baseman Eric Chavez, now with the Diamondbacks, says he needed to leave the Athletics organization behind after suffering numerous injuries in his last seasons there, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. Chavez left the A's after the 2010 season, and signing a minor-league deal with the Yankees gave him a chance to "restart everything" by escaping from expectations established early in his career in Oakland. Chavez hit .281/.348/.496 in a successful 2012 campaign in New York, leading to a one-year, $3MM major-league deal with Arizona for 2013.

Offseason In Review: Toronto Blue Jays

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The Blue Jays seem poised to contend for the playoffs following a series of bold offseason moves by GM Alex Anthopoulos.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

Extensions

  • R.A. Dickey, SP: two years, $25MM. $12MM Club option for 2016.
  • Josh Thole, C: two years, $2.5MM.

Notable Losses

Needs Addressed

A transformative offseason began with a change of leadership for the Blue Jays. They traded manager John Farrell to the Red Sox, ending a two-year relationship that concluded with the revelation that Farrell preferred to to manage in Boston. John Gibbons returns to Toronto, where he managed from 2004-08.

The Blue Jays re-built their rotation, acquiring R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle in a pair of high-profile trades. These pitchers provide the Blue Jays with much-needed depth following a season in which a thin rotation got exposed when injuries struck. The Blue Jays also addressed bullpen needs, bringing back Darren Oliver and acquiring Jeremy Jeffress and Esmil Rogers.

Jose Reyes - Blue Jays (PW)

The starting lineup has a new look, with Jose Reyes, Maicer Izturis and Emilio Bonifacio up the middle. These new acquisitions and holdover Rajai Davis could add significant value on the basepaths, as Dave Cameron of FanGraphs recently explained. 

Melky Cabrera becomes the team's primary left fielder after signing a two-year, $16MM contract. It's a substantial commitment for a player linked to performance enhancing drugs, but the deal has significant upside. Newcomers Mark DeRosa, Henry Blanco and Josh Thole provide the team with depth on the bench and at Triple-A Buffalo.

Anthopoulos spent aggressively on free agents Cabrera and Izturis and, after years of stockpiling prospects, traded from minor league depth. In Dickey, Johnson, Buehrle, Reyes and Cabrera the team acquired five former All-Stars. Best of all, the Blue Jays didn't have to surrender much off of their MLB roster to acquire these players and establish themselves as contenders. 

Questions Remaining

The Blue Jays have significant health questions entering the 2013 season. Jose Bautista underwent surgery on his left wrist last year and Johnson and Brandon Morrow have had trouble staying healthy in recent years (recent DL trips are reason enough to have some concern going forward, as Russell A. Carleton of Baseball Prospectus recently showed). Knee and elbow issues plagued Ricky Romero in 2012, and the left-hander put together a career-worst season. The Blue Jays can’t afford a repeat performance from Romero. 

Colby Rasmus, who played so well early on in 2012, struggled mightily in the second half. The Blue Jays need more from Rasmus in 2013. Meanwhile, Cabrera will have the chance to quiet skeptics after missing the end of the 2012 season due to a violation of MLB’s drug policy.

Adam Lind, the Blue Jays' projected designated hitter, has a 93 OPS+ over the course of his last 1500 plate appearances. He had a great 2009, but that’s a long time ago now, as ’09 All-Stars Brad Hawpe and Zach Duke can attest. If an argument exists that Lind is now anything more than a platoon hitter with little defensive value, I haven't seen it.

Deal of Note

The blockbuster trade with Miami did more than re-stock the Blue Jays’ roster. It signaled a change in direction for a Blue Jays team that had previously spent modestly under the ownership of Rogers Communications. The Blue Jays play in one of North America’s largest markets, and they clearly view themselves as Canada’s team. Now they’re actually acting like a large market club.

The blockbuster trade improved the Blue Jays in a number of areas, none more important than the starting rotation. They had one of the worst starting rotations in baseball this past season in terms of innings, ERA, wins above replacement, strikeout rate and walk rate. Injuries contributed to the disappointing year, but the club didn’t have enough depth.

Toronto’s blockbuster trade with the Marlins addressed the issue of rotation depth in a meaningful way. Buehrle has completed 200-plus innings in every one of the last 12 seasons and Johnson rebounded from an injury-shortened 2011 season to pitch 191 1/3 innings in 2012. Gibbons and the Blue Jays would surely welcome similar performances in 2013. 

The acquisitions of Johnson and Buehrle pushed pitchers such as J.A. Happ, Chad Jenkins and Brad Lincoln down on Toronto’s depth chart. Just about every team goes through five or ten starters over the course of the season, so Happ and others will get their chances. The difference is, they’re no longer the team’s best options.

Overview

The Blue Jays entered the offseason as a flawed, 89-loss team with a manager who preferred to leave. They emerged from it as the World Series favorite — at least according to Las Vegas. In between Anthopoulos made a series of tremendous moves, restoring hope for a fan base that hasn’t had a playoff team in two decades. The players are in place. Now it’s a matter of staying healthy and meeting expectations.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Blue Jays, Marlins, Mets, Napoli

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 Here are a few notes from the AL and NL East..

  • Justin Germano appeared to have a shot at a job in the Blue Jays rotation when the Jays signed him in November, but now he's nowhere near the rotation picture, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm writes. After the acquisitions of Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey, the Jays don't have as much need for the journeyman, who struck out 52 batters and walked 21 while posting a 6.20 ERA in 69.2 innings with the Cubs and Red Sox last season. "Obviously nobody knew they were going to do what they did," Germano says. "It's not the most ideal situation for me but I'm happy to be here, and I hope I can be part of this team because they're going to do some good things this year."
  • Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, whose first big move upon taking the reigns in New York was to ship out star outfielder Carlos Beltran to San Francisco for pitching prospect Zack Wheeler, has been validated by the results, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.  While Wheeler has yet to make his regular-season debut with the Mets, the young righty's continued development and increasing "notoriety" has already led Alderson to feel what he described as a "kind of a confirmation."
  • Tim Dahlberg of the Associated Press wonders whether the Marlins' Jeffrey Loria is the worst owner in sports history.  Dahlberg cites the trade of Johnson, Buehrle and Jose Reyes to the Jays, and points to Buehrle and Reyes' backloaded contracts to suggest that trading them was part of the plan all along.
  • Mike Napoli has previously explained how surprised he was to learn that he had a potentially serious hip condition known as avascular necrosis.  As reported by ESPN's Gordon Edes, Napoli was not and is not experiencing any symptoms: "I really didn't know what was going on.  I don't feel anything. … I'm doing everything, and I feel great."  After his original three-year, $36MM deal with the Red Sox was undone when his physical revealed the condition, Napoli instead agreed to play for Boston on a one-year, $5MM deal with incentives that could bring the total value to $13MM.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

Blue Jays Claim Lars Anderson

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The Blue Jays claimed Lars Anderson off of waivers, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). The White Sox designated Anderson for assignment last week to create roster space for Conor Gillaspie.

Anderson appeared in six games for the Red Sox last year, but Boston traded the 25-year-old to the Indians for Steven Wright at the non-waiver trade deadline last July. The Indians traded Anderson to Arizona in the December trade that sent Shin-Soo Choo to Cincinnati. The White Sox then acquired Anderson by claiming him off of waivers from the Diamondbacks.

Anderson, a left-handed hitter, spent most of the 2012 season at Triple-A, where he posted a .250/.353/.396 batting line in 470 plate appearances.

AL Notes: Happ, Verlander, Ross

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On the same day that he broke Curtis Granderson’s forearm with a wild pitch, J.A. Happ finds himself facing a roster squeeze with the Blue Jays …

  • Happ is “mired in a grey zone” in Toronto, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca.  Despite solid credentials, Happ may not even earn a roster spot as a reliever with the new-look Jays.  With another potential lefty long-reliever (Brett Cecil) out of options, Toronto manager John Gibbons admits that Happ is not only “the odd man out” of the rotation, but could find himself “back down in Triple-A.”
  • Justin Verlander was merely stating the obvious when he said he hoped to become the first $200MM pitcher, MLB.com’s Jason Beck reports.  Verlander explained: “The question was posed to me: ‘Do you want to be the first $200MM pitcher?’  Well, yeah.  What kind of question is that?  Of course I do.”
  • Cody Ross revealed today that “Texas was wanting to move pretty quick” towards a deal before the outfielder signed with the Diamondbacks, Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com writes.  While it was previously reported that the Rangers had met with Ross, the Arizona-dwelling Ross explained the "crazy timing" that occurred.  Ross sat down with Texas right after learning that Arizona was interested, and by the end of the next day had “basically agreed” to sign with the Diamondbacks.

Quick Hits: Marlins, Diamondbacks, Teheran, Blue Jays

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This morning, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria took out ad space in multiple South Florida newspapers to pen an open letter to fans of the club.  In addition to defending the club's expensive new ballpark, Loria battled back against those who have been critical of the team's personnel decisions.  "The controversial trade we made with the Toronto Blue Jays was approved by Commissioner Bud Selig and has been almost universally celebrated by baseball experts outside of Miami for its value," said the owner.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • The Diamondbacks probably could have gotten right-hander Julio Teheran in the Justin Upton deal but they would have received less back, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).  It wasn't worthwhile for Arizona, however, as they preferred fellow righty Randall Delgado.
  • New Blue Jays reliever Michael Schwimer says that the Phillies told him a "handful" of teams were interested in dealing for him, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.  The reliever added that he is "really happy" that they sent him to Toronto.
  • Even though the Indians have added a great deal of offensive firepower this offseason, manager Terry Francona still sounds confident about Jason Giambi's chances of making the team, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  Giambi signed a one-year, $750K minor league deal with the Tribe earlier this winter.
  • Royals GM Dayton Moore told Renck that he traded for starter Jeremy Guthrie based on his road numbers when pitching for the Rockies.  Guthrie was competitive in visiting ballparks, but struggled when on the hill at Coors Field.

Quick Hits: Phillies, Schwimer, Blue Jays, Rockies

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Saturday afternoon linkage..

  • Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro says that he traded Michael Schwimer to the Blue Jays earlier today because the club will have some looming 40-man roster issues and they already had excess bullpen depth, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • Meanwhile, Schwimer says that the players' union has not closed an inquiry into whether he was optioned to the minors last season while injured, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.  The Phillies said the reliever was healthy while he claims that he was dealing with a biceps issue.  Schwimer can file a grievance with the union and seek lost service time and back pay up to $75K, but the outcome won't affect the Blue Jays, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (on Twitter).
  • The Rockies' interest in Rays pitcher Jeff Niemann makes sense as they have had interest in him in years past and he is affordable at $3MM, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter links).  However, Renck would be surprised if the Rockies did something before seeing the rotation cycle through a few times.

Blue Jays Acquire Michael Schwimer From Phillies

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The Phillies announced that they have traded reliever Michael Schwimer to the Blue Jays for minor league first baseman Art Charles.  Schwimer appeared in 35 games for the Phillies last season.

Schwimer, who turned 27 on Tuesday, posted a 4.46 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 2012.  He has put up even more impressive numbers across three seasons at the Triple-A level, boasting a 2.12 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.  Standing at 6'8", Schwimer was a three-sport athlete coming out of high school and passed on a basketball scholarship at Duke to pitch at Virginia.

Charles, 22, is a left-handed hitting first baseman who spent part of last season with Toronto's Class-A Short Season affiliate in Vancouver.  Charles was drafted twice before being selected by the Blue Jays in the 20th round in 2010.

Quick Hits: Hernandez, Morneau, Blue Jays, McClellan

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Earlier this week, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports speculated that the Rockies could trade a catcher in order to bolster their pitching staff and of the team's three backstops, Ramon Hernandez would be the most likely to go.  The 36-year-old, who is earning $3.2MM this season on the backend of his two-year deal, has learned not to be bothered by trade talk, writes MLB.com's Thomas Harding.  "I remember when I was with the Reds, it was the same thing..The last few days before the deadline, the Giants' manager told me, 'You're leaving with us. You're going back to San Francisco.' Then later on I was told I wasn't going anywhere until the end, right at the deadline. Then the Reds put me on waivers, somebody claimed me, they pulled me back out, and I didn't go anywhere."  Here's more from around baseball..

  • Twins star Justin Morneau downplayed comments he made earlier this week in which he said that it would be "very cool" to play for the Blue Jays since he grew up in Canada, writes Phil Miller of the Star-Tribune.  While he didn't disown the remark but he did restate his desire to win in Minnesota.
  • Pitcher Kyle McClellan wants to be more than just insurance for the Rangers this season, writes Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com.  The right-hander signed a minor league deal with Texas this winter and can opt out of his deal on March 22nd if he does not make the big league roster.  The Rangers could potentially use McClellan as a starter or place him in the bullpen.
  • John Maine is looking to get back on track with the Marlins in 2013 and the former Mets hurler says that he is throwing without pain for the first time since 2012, writes Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.
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