Nationals Rumors

Players Avoiding Arbitration: Monday

By Tim Dierkes | January 16, 2012 at 10:54pm CDT

In advance of tomorrow's 11am central time deadline to exchange arbitration figures, settlements will be rolling in today. Follow all of the action with MLBTR's arbitration tracker. The latest for players under $4MM:

The Braves and Eric O'Flaherty avoided arbitration, Mark Bowman of MLB.com tweets. O'Flaherty will earn $2.49MM, just shy of his projected $2.6MM salary.
The Orioles and Jim Johnson have avoided arbitration, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets. The right-hander will earn $2.625MM in 2012, just north of his projected $2.5MM salary.
The Red Sox avoided arbitration with Franklin Morales, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe tweets. The left-hander had a projected salary of $1MM and agreed to an $850K deal.
The Rays avoided arbitration with J.P. Howell, agreeing to a $1.35MM deal for 2012, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets. Matt Swartz had projected a $1.4MM salary for the left-hander.
The Royals avoided arbitration with Chris Getz, agreeing to a $967,500 deal for 2012, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets. Matt Swartz had projected a $1.2MM salary for the infielder.
The Nationals announced they've avoided arbitration with catcher Jesus Flores. Flores, who is represented by Praver/Shapiro, received $815K, MLBTR has learned.
The Brewers avoided arbitration with outfielder Nyjer Morgan, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The ACES client received $2.35MM, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
The Royals announced they've avoided arbitration with catcher Brayan Pena, a client of Wasserman Media Group. Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star says the deal is worth $875K; Matt Swartz had him at $900K.
Orioles pitcher Darren O'Day avoided arbitration for a deal worth $1.35MM, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Matt Swartz had projected the same for the Beverly Hills Sports Council client.
Yankees righty Phil Hughes agreed to a deal worth $3.2MM plus performance bonuses, tweets his agency CAA. The 25-year-old gets a $500K raise after a lost 2011 season.
The Tigers announced they've avoided arbitration with lefty Phil Coke. Coke, a client of Full Circle Sports Management, gets a $1.1MM base salary with $50K in incentives for appearances or starts, MLBTR has learned.
The Angels avoided arbitration with infielder Alberto Callaspo, signing him to a one-year deal worth $3.15MM, tweets ESPN's Keith Law. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz nailed this one, projecting a $3.1MM salary. Callaspo, a client of Eric Goldschmidt, received a $1.15MM raise for his second time through arbitration.

Gonzalez, Nationals Agree To Five-Year Extension

By Luke Adams 2 | January 15, 2012 at 3:01pm CDT

3:01pm: Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports (on Twitter) that the deal is worth $42MM, and the two option years could raise the value to $65MM.

12:49pm: The Nationals and Gio Gonzalez have agreed to terms on a five-year contract extension, the team announced. The deal runs through 2016, with club options for 2017 and 2018, and comes less than a month after the Nationals sent four prospects to the Athletics to acquire Gonzalez. The southpaw is an ACES client.

Gonzalez, 26, was eligible for arbitration for the first time as a Super Two this winter. Our projections pegged him for a $4.2MM salary in 2012. The extension will cover all four of Gonzalez's arbitration years plus one free agent year. With the two club options, the Nationals have potentially bought out three of the southpaw's free agent years.

Despite owning the rare distinction of being traded three times before making his big league debut, Gonzalez has emerged as one of the game's best young hurlers in recent years. He's coming off his strongest season to date, having recorded a 3.12 ERA and 8.8 K/9 in 32 starts. Despite leading the league in walks, the lefty earned his first All-Star berth and set a career high with 202 innings pitched.

When we looked at Gonzalez as an extension candidate last April, we mentioned that similar pitchers like Jon Lester, Ricky Romero, and Yovani Gallardo had signed five-year contracts worth approximately $30MM in recent years. Those deals also covered the pitchers' last four years of team control plus one free agent year, however none qualified as a Super Two. Gonzalez figures to command a slightly higher guaranteed salary, and MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith believes $38MM or so is fair (Twitter link).

With Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg under team control through 2015 and 2016, respectively, the top of the Nationals' rotation is set for the next half-decade. The club still has six unsigned arbitration-eligible players as our Arbitration Tracker shows: Tyler Clippard, Jesus Flores, Tom Gorzelanny, John Lannan, Mike Morse, and Zimmermann.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Prince Fielder Rumors: Saturday

By Steve Adams | January 14, 2012 at 7:11pm CDT

Yesterday it was reported that the Cubs aren't out on Prince Fielder, despite acquiring Anthony Rizzo. Fielder met with the Rangers, who, along with the Nationals and Cubs, could offer a six-year contract with an average annual value in the $22-24MM range. Fielder and Yu Darvish may not be mutually exclusive for Texas, but they may need to choose whether to invest in Fielder or Josh Hamilton long-term. Here are today's rumors:

Talks between the Nationals and Fielder are back on according to Pete Kerzel of MASNSports.com, and Washington is "again making a strong pitch" to sign him.
Signing Fielder is "just not going to happen" for the Cubs, manager Dale Svuem told reporters, including Chris De Luca and Godron Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link).
Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that the Rangers were impressed with how trim and fit Fielder looked in their meeting yesterday.
Nolan Ryan says the Rangers' meeting with Fielder yesterday was just to see where he was at in the free agent process, tweets Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star Telegram also tweets that the talks were preliminary.

Nationals Still In On Fielder, Out On Cespedes

By Zachary Links | January 14, 2012 at 4:13pm CDT

The Nationals continue to be in on the Prince Fielder sweepstakes, although the club is not willing to give him a ten-year deal like Albert Pujols got from the Angels, a baseball source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Ladson also writes that the Nats are out on Yoenis Cespedes.

While the Nationals won't go to a ten-year deal for Fielder it does appear that the club is willing to give the slugger a no-trade clause. An industry source believes that the Nats want to give Fielder a six- or seven-year deal.

Ladson notes that contract length was also a stumbling block when Washington went after left-hander Mark Buehrle. The club offered a three-year deal but Buehrle ended up signing a four-year, $58MM contract with the Marlins instead.

As for Cespedes, the Nats believe that he is best suited for a corner outfield position and they already have Michael Morse, Jayson Werth, and Bryce Harper as viable options for the corner spots.

Prince Fielder Rumors: Friday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 13, 2012 at 9:52pm CDT

Prince Fielder will sign before Spring Training, but he probably won't agree to a long-term deal with the Dodgers or Marlins, or a one-year deal with the Brewers, according to yesterday's reports. Here are today's Fielder rumors, with the most recent updates up top:

An executive tells ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter link) that the Cubs, Nationals and Rangers could receive a Fielder contract structure of six years and $22-$24MM per season, but with an opt-out clause after three years.
The Rangers' pursuit of Fielder may come down to whether they believe Fielder or Josh Hamilton is the better choice for a multiyear contract, writes Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas.
Fielder will travel to see several teams in the next few days, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
The Rangers are meeting with Fielder at a Dallas area hotel today, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. It sounds as though the Rangers don't consider Fielder and Yu Darvish mutually exclusive. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram hears that the Rangers are interested in Fielder in case they don't sign Darvish (Twitter link).
One executive who speaks with the Nationals regularly tells ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark that he’s confident Fielder will end up in Washington. GM Mike Rizzo and the team’s owners won’t sign a nine or ten-year deal and may not offer the first baseman a no-trade clause, however.
The Cubs are not totally out on Fielder, Stark reports. If agent Scott Boras needs a deal somewhere, the Cubs would be open to an agreement on their own terms.
One observer tells Stark that Boras and Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria chatted briefly at this week’s owners’ meetings and that reports of a meeting are overblown.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports explains that Boras has been shut out of the big money so far this offseason and argues that the agent can turn things around by finding a massive deal for Fielder.
Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post explains how Boras could represent almost the entire Washington lineup within a couple of seasons if the Nationals sign Fielder.
Tom Verducci of SI.com explains that local and national TV revenues can help the Nationals add Fielder while keeping Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman in place even as their contracts escalate.

Prince Fielder Rumors: Wednesday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 11, 2012 at 9:51pm CDT

Prince Fielder remains available, but as MLB.com's Tom Singer shows, most elite free agents sign considerably earlier on in the offseason. In fact, there's a chance Fielder will sign the latest megadeal in baseball history. Here are the latest rumors on Fielder, as we await concrete news of his next destination…

The Nationals are “patiently and aggressively” pursuing Fielder, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports. Nationals principal owners Ted and Mark Lerner met with agent Scott Boras at the owners’ meetings this evening, according to Kilgore. Boras touched base with other owners, including Jeffrey Loria of the Marlins.
MLB.com’s Bill Ladson hears that there’s a 99% chance that the Nationals will not sign Fielder.
Someone with knowledge of the Rangers’ finances doubts they’d invest in Yu Darvish and Fielder, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Morosi notes that the Nationals are viewed as the favorites for Fielder.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com suggests Fielder may not sign until the Rangers finish negotiating with Darvish next week (Twitter link). Heyman notes that the Rangers are a “team of interest” when it comes to Fielder.

NL East Notes: Mets, Harris, Coffey

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 11, 2012 at 9:08pm CDT

The Mets officially signed Scott Hairston to a Major League deal today, but it could be a while before the team signs someone else to a big league contract. Here's the latest on the NL East, starting in New York…

The Mets appear to have finished adding players to their 40-man roster, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. They may add a player or two on a minor league deal before Spring Training, but no major moves seem likely.
The Nationals are looking for bench help and Willie Harris could re-join the team, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson tweets. We heard the Nationals were interested back in December and it has since become apparent that the Mets aren’t likely to bring the 33-year-old back. Harris spent the 2011 campaign with the Mets after a three-year stint in Washington. He can play all three outfield positions plus second and third and owns a .330 on-base percentage in 11 seasons.
There’s less than a 50% chance that right-hander Todd Coffey will re-sign with the Nationals, Ladson tweets. The Brewers, Angels and Mets have also been linked to Coffey, who averaged 72 appearances and a 3.68 ERA from 2009-11.

Olney On Free Agents, Yankees, Nationals

By Tim Dierkes | January 10, 2012 at 2:14pm CDT

The latest from ESPN's Buster Olney…

Some agents are showing renewed aggression, with spring training five weeks away. One executive Olney spoke to noted, "There are some good value buys out there. If you've got some extra cash, there are some good pitchers left." Among free agent starters, I think Bartolo Colon, Jeff Francis, Jon Garland, Rich Harden, Edwin Jackson, Hiroki Kuroda, Kevin Millwood, Roy Oswalt, Brad Penny, Joel Pineiro, and Joe Saunders will land big league deals, with a few more in the running.
The Yankees will determine in the next couple weeks whether to expand their budget. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports says they're still talking to Kuroda, Jackson, and Oswalt, but nothing is close.
The Nationals seek another reliever, and Olney suggests someone in the Todd Coffey mold if not Coffey himself.

Extension Candidate: Michael Morse

By Tim Dierkes | January 10, 2012 at 9:13am CDT

Michael Morse's emergence for the Nationals began in 2010, when he hit 15 home runs in a half-season. Given the chance to play every day in 2011, Morse's production more than held up. The first baseman/left fielder hit .303/.360/.550 with 31 home runs in 575 plate appearances, snagging a couple of down-ballot MVP votes.

Morse turns 30 in March and has four years and 114 days of Major League service time. Matt Swartz's projections for MLBTR call for approximately a $3.9MM salary for 2012, Morse's second time through arbitration. The Nationals control him for the 2013 season as well.

Morse is represented by ACES, an agency that has shown an openness to extensions in the past. Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has a few on his ledger as well, for Ryan Zimmerman and Sean Burnett. As a player who will be 30 when the season begins with one full strong season on his resume, I imagine Morse will be more open than most to signing an extension two years away from free agency.

Comparables will be hard to come by. Two players who signed three-year deals with between four and five years of service might be factors: Michael Cuddyer and Carlos Pena. Cuddyer and Pena signed three-year extensions for about $24MM in January of 2008, guaranteeing two arbitration years and one free agent season. Cuddyer's contract had a club option for a second free agent season.

Cuddyer and Pena actually weren't directly comparable. Cuddyer was not coming off his best season, and had accumulated his service in a normal way. Pena was coming off a monster 46 home run, 121 RBI campaign after spending most of 2006 in the minors. Morse's platform year sits between that of Cuddyer and Pena, and his career AVG/OBP/SLG tops Pena if batting average is considered. However, Morse gets crushed in career counting stats, having only one full season to his credit. Morse has 383 career games and 1260 plate appearances, compared to 600+ games and 2300+ plate appearances each for Cuddyer and Pena. Plus, Cuddyer and Pena signed four years ago.

Morse, ACES, and the Nationals might have to forge somewhat new territory. I propose $3.5MM for 2012, $6MM for 2013, and $9MM for 2014, for a total of $18.5MM over three years. The Nationals will probably want a club option for a fourth year, perhaps at $10MM. If the $18.5MM range seems low, remember that Morse earned only $1.35MM in 2011 and his 2012-13 salaries will stem from that amount.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

NL East Links: Lannan, Fielder, Martinez, Mets

By Mike Axisa | January 9, 2012 at 9:34pm CDT

On this date in 2003, the Mets signed Cliff Floyd as a free agent. He went on to hit .268/.354/.478 with 81 homers during his four years in Flushing. Here's the latest from the NL East…

Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post makes a case for the Nationals to sign John Lannan to a modest multiyear contract extension. He speculates that a three-year deal worth approximately $20MM could work for both sides. Lannan is projected to make $4.8MM his second time through arbitration this winter.
In a separate piece, Kilgore presents three theories about why it's taking Prince Fielder so long to sign. He says the Jayson Werth contract could be making the Nationals hesitant about Fielder, another Scott Boras slient.
The Mets waived Fernando Martinez earlier today, and Adam Rubin of ESPN New York says (on Twitter) one reason he is likely to get claimed is because he has a minor league option remaining. Martinez will take up a spot on the 40-man roster, but any team can send him to the minors without a problem in 2012.
Rubin also notes (on Twitter) that last summer's Francisco Rodriguez trade is similar to the Billy Wagner–Chris Carter trade in that it was a salary dump meant to look like something more. The Mets also waived Danny Herrera today, who they acquired from the Brewers for K-Rod.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Nationals Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect