Amateur Signing Bonuses: Nationals
Time to wrap up our amateur signing bonus series with a trip to the nation's capitol…
- Stephen Strasburg, $7.5MM (2009)
- Bryce Harper, $6.25MM (2010)
- Ryan Zimmerman, $2.975MM (2006)
- Justin Wayne, $2.95MM (2000)
- Josh Karp, $2.65MM (2001)
Having the first overall pick in back-to-back years can get pretty expensive, especially if there happens to be one of the best and most-hyped prospects in draft history available each year.
By all accounts, Strasburg is the greatest pitching prospect in draft history, and he was paid as such. His bonus is the largest in draft history by more than a million bucks, and the total value of his four-year big league contract is $15.1MM, again the largest in draft history. He zoomed right through the minors as expected, putting just 44 men on base while striking out 65 in 55 1/3 innings before being called up on June 18th. Strasburg famously struck out 14 Pirates in his major league debut, and perhaps more famously will miss just about the entire 2011 season after needing Tommy John surgery. In a dozen starts with the Nats, Strasburg posted a 2.91 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.
Harper wasn't the greatest position player prospect in draft history, but he was certainly hyped as such. His signing bonus is tied with Donavan Tate for the second largest in draft history, and the total value of his five-year contract is $9.9MM. That's the record for non-pitchers, and Washington immediately moved Harper out from behind the plate and into right field to help him get the majors sooner. Although didn't play during the regular season after signing, Harper is hitting .323/.400/.613 in 31 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League.
For all the promise Strasburg and Harper have to offer, Zimmerman is the best player in the young history of the Washington Nationals. He was the fourth overall pick in 2005 and needed just 269 plate appearances in the minors (.336/.377/.564) before reaching the big leagues later that year. Zimmerman has been the team's regular third baseman ever since, and is a .288/.355/.484 career hitter. The performance is ever better over the last two years: .299/.375/.518.
Wayne was the fifth overall pick in the century's first draft, though his time with the then-Expos lasted just two years. He pitched to a 2.92 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 259 1/3 minor league innings with the franchise before being traded to the Marlins in an eight player deal that was highlighted by Carl Pavano and Cliff Floyd in July 2002. Although he pitched in the big leagues with Florida later that year and in each of the next two, Wayne has been out of baseball since 2005.
The Expos selected Karp sixth overall in 2001, but he certainly didn't give them their money's worth. He pitched to a 4.73 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 475 1/3 minor league innings, and has been out of baseball since having shoulder surgery after the 2005 season. Karp never reached the big leagues.
Dan Uggla Rumors: Monday
Yesterday we heard that the Marlins intend to trade Dan Uggla and that the Blue Jays could be the favorites to acquire him if a deal does occur. Here's the latest on the second baseman:
- The Cardinals have interest in Uggla, though a source told MLB.com's Matthew Leach that the club is concerned about the cost not in dollars, but players. Leach says reports of Florida's asking price "may be misleading."
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson confirmed that the Nationals have interest in Uggla. The Marlins want both pitching and a catcher in return.
- Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com tweets that there is no sign that Uggla will relent and accept the team's four-year, $48MM contract offer.
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that some clubs "perceive the Marlins are absolutely intent on moving Uggla ASAP, and they are not asking for a high rate of return — a couple of decent guys, no A-plus prospects necessary."
- The Marlins are not shopping Uggla aggressively, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (on Twitter). They are concerned over the stalled extension talks and preparing in case they can't reach a deal.
- Rival executives tell Jon Heyman of SI.com that the Marlins' four-year $48MM offer was reasonable. I thought so, too.
- Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos told Jeff Blair on the FAN 590 that both Aaron Hill and Jose Bautista would be willing to shift to third base if the Blue Jays acquire "someone who can make an impact." Hill hasn't played at the hot corner since 2005, but Anthopoulos says he has enough arm strength and athleticism to handle the shift.
Marlins Intend To Trade Uggla
After breaking off extension talks and gauging interest in their second baseman, the Marlins now plan to trade Dan Uggla, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Marlins are "down the road" in discussions with a few teams and could make a deal within the next week, according to Rosenthal's source. Rosenthal identifies the Nationals, Tigers, Braves, and Blue Jays as potential suitors who are in on the 30-year-old.
When Rosenthal ran down the list of teams who could have interest in Uggla, he noted that not every club would view the Marlin as a second baseman. Many teams with question marks at third base are considering making a play for Uggla. Meanwhile, Rosenthal indicates the Cubs and Angels are among the teams who don't have interest in acquiring Uggla, despite having a need for offense.
Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post believes that Uggla and the Marlins could still agree on an extension, but concedes that the two sides are currently "very bitter at each other." He expects Florida to actively shop Uggla at this week's GM meetings, though he suggests the team will be demanding a significant return (all Twitter links).
Odds & Ends: Lopes, Maybin, Farrell, Cubs, Cousins
Links for Saturday…
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff provides a primer for next week's GM Meetings in Orlando. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith will be on the scene there Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times tweets that former Phillies' first base coach Davey Lopes is close to joining the Dodgers' coaching staff in an unknown capacity.
- Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse analyzes the Cameron Maybin trade, saying the outfielder doesn't need to develop into a star to represent an upgrade for the Padres.
- Richard Griffin of The Star has a one-on-one interview with new Blue Jays manager John Farrell.
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry told Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun Times that he's not worried about making a splash this offseason, but that it's "really imperative that we have two or three really good moves."
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro says that in the wake of the Maybin deal, the Marlins will give Scott Cousins a long look in center field next year (Twitter link).
- Meanwhile, Padres GM Jed Hoyer told Dan Hayes of The North County Times that Maybin is "exactly the type of player we hoped to acquire for Petco Park." (Twitter link)
- MLB.com's Jason Beck states the obvious, saying that the Marlins probably would have been better off keeping Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis and then taking the draft picks when they left as free agents. I'm not sure that keeping those two would have been financially possible, though.
- Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com writes that after catcher Erik Kratz signed with the Phillies, the Pirates will now have to bring in a catcher or two to provide depth at the Triple-A level.
- The Nationals have signed righty reliever Tim Wood to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com. Wood, who turns 28 on Tuesday, appeared in 44 games with the Marlins over the last two seasons, pitching to a 4.32 ERA with nearly as many walks (25) as strikeouts (26) in 50 innings.
- ESPN's Buster Olney expects the Cardinals to aggressively pursue Juan Uribe since they could use him at pretty much any of their non-first base infield positions (Twitter link).
- Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald reports that GM Theo Epstein said the team has talked to Kevin Youkilis about moving to third base in the event that they are unable to re-sign Adrian Beltre, who we learned is one of their priorities.
- Meanwhile, Alex Speier of WEEI.com separates fact from fiction with regards to Scott Boras' claims about Beltre.
- SI.com's Melissa Segura tweets that a new league launched in the Dominican Republic yesterday, and it features the top young free agent players the country has to offer.
Odds & Ends: Royals, Pena, Alderson, De La Rosa
Happy 133rd birthday to Archie "Moonlight" Graham. Arguably baseball's most famous one-game player (Eddie Gaedel also has a great case for this distinction), Moonlight Graham's only taste of the majors was one half-inning as a defensive replacement for the 1905 New York Giants. That half-inning grew into immortality thanks to his characterization in W.P. Kinsella's novel Shoeless Joe and its film adaptation Field Of Dreams. Graham, who passed away in 1965, went on to become a doctor in Chisholm, Minnesota following his brief playing career.
Onto some news items…
- Dayton Moore tells Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that the David DeJesus trade won't deepen the Royals' interest in the free agent market. “It’s not cost effective at this time for us to be real aggressive with major-league free agents,” Moore said.
- Even if Aubrey Huff re-signs with the Giants, CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban thinks the team should look into signing Carlos Pena.
- Fanhouse's Tom Krasovic looks at the pros and cons of Sandy Alderson's tenure as CEO of the Padres and what Mets fans might expect from their new general manager.
- Add the Brewers, Pirates and Rangers to the list of teams believed to be interested in Jorge de la Rosa, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. We know that list already includes the Nationals, Rockies and Yankees.
- If San Francisco really has soured on Pablo Sandoval due to the Panda's conditioning issues, Fangraphs' Matt Klassen thinks other teams should be contacting the Giants about a buy-low trade.
- During the season, an American League executive told Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com that Adam Dunn will stay in the NL since he genuinely wants to keep playing in the field. However, this executive predicted "Dunn will consider AL teams at least long enough to try to use them as leverage."
- The Mets will interview Jose Oquendo about the manager's job on Monday, tweets ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin.
- Chad Durbin is receiving interest from teams as both a bullpen and rotation option, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Durbin has made 75 starts in his career, but none since 2007.
- Most of the free agent catching crop will wait until "the lead domino" (Victor Martinez) signs before they look at joining new teams, says Newsday's Ken Davidoff. (Twitter link)
- Chris Coghlan will move to third base next year, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. You can tentatively cross the Marlins off the list of teams exploring the free agent market for help at the hot corner, though it's possible Coghlan could be needed to play second if Florida trades Dan Uggla.
Nationals Interested In Bloomquist, Miles, Cairo
The Nationals are interested in Willie Bloomquist, Aaron Miles and Miguel Cairo, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (on Twitter). GM Mike Rizzo is apparently looking to add versatility to his bench.
Bloomquist, 33 this month, said at the end of the season that he wanted to play every day in 2011. He batted .267/.299/.380, so it seems doubtful that teams would see him as a regular. Instead, clubs will presumably ask Bloomquist to move all around the diamond as he did last year, when he played all four infield positions and all three outfield positions.
Miles, 33, batted .281/.311/.317 for the Cardinals last year. He played short, second and third and even pitched two scoreless innings (lowering his career ERA to 3.60).
The Reds have had preliminary talks about re-signing Cairo, who batted .290/.353/.410 in 226 plate appearances last year. The 15-year veteran played five positions for Cincinnati.
Nationals Interested In Jorge De La Rosa
Like the Yankees, the Nationals are pursuing both of the winter’s top free agent left-handers. Not only is Washington eyeing Cliff Lee, the front office is interested in Jorge de la Rosa, according to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson.
When Nationals GM Mike Rizzo was Arizona’s scouting director, he signed De La Rosa to his first pro contract. Twelve years later, the Nationals are looking for front of the rotation starters and De La Rosa is available. Another pitcher with ties to Rizzo, Brandon Webb, is on the Nationals’ radar this winter.
The Yankees and Rockies are among the teams known to have interest in De La Rosa. Assuming Colorado offers arbitration, signing the lefty will cost a top draft pick since he's a Type A free agent. The 29-year-old battled finger injuries in 2010, but still posted a 4.22 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 121 2/3 innings.
Odds & Ends: Beltre, Counsell, Greinke, Kuroda
Thursday night linkage..
- Agent Scott Boras said in an interview on MLB Network Radio that he has never seen more interest in a player than he has for client Adrian Beltre.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journel-Sentinel (via Twitter) that he is "making progress" towards a deal with Craig Counsell.
- Zack Greinke has yet to present the Royals with his list of clubs that he refuses to be traded to, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that A's GM Billy Beane said that no move will be ruled out this winter except for dealing starters Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez, and Dallas Braden.
- A source told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that he thinks the Diamondbacks will look for a short-term solution at first base. As Morosi points out, this would mean that Paul Konerko would not be the answer in Arizona.
- John Romano of the St. Petersburg Times thinks the Rays should re-sign Carlos Pena.
- Nats reliever Joe Bisenius has elected free agency after being outrighted, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The fireballer was a September call-up this year but made just five appearances.
- Jayson Stark of ESPN (via Twitter) expects free agent Hiroki Kuroda to remain with the Dodgers.
- While Justin Marks may not blossom into a superstar, some think that he could develop into a No. 3 or 4 starter, writes MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. The Royals acquired the left-hander from Oakland along with Vin Mazzaro in exchange for David DeJesus.
- In an interview on MLB Network Radio, free agent Craig Counsell said there's a "definite possibility" that he could return to the Brewers.
Rosenthal On A’s, Westbrook, Uribe, Soriano
You’ve heard by now that the A’s acquired David DeJesus, but he was far from the only bat they considered trading for. GM Billy Beane was after Josh Willingham and considered making a deal for Dan Uggla, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The A’s probably aren’t done adding offense. Beane told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he’d still like to make an upgrade or two (Twitter link). Here are the rest of Rosenthal’s rumors.
- The Red Sox aren’t likely to offer Adrian Beltre a five-year deal.
- The Cardinals are still in contact with Jake Westbrook, but they would prefer to reach a two-year deal and Westbrook might be able to get three years from another club, so talks appear to be losing momentum.
- Orlando Cabrera and Juan Uribe are already drawing more interest than they did at this time last year, according to Rosenthal.
- The White Sox are checking in on Rafael Soriano and, as Rosenthal points out, that’s yet another sign that they’re open to trading or non-tendering Bobby Jenks.
Rizzo Talks Nationals First Base Outlook
For a six minute segment, Nationals Mike Rizzo provided a lot of good hot stove insight to Kevin Kennedy and Jim Duquette on MLB Network/Sirius XM Radio today. We've got Rizzo's full thoughts on Cliff Lee here, but here's what else he had to say:
- Asked about Adam Dunn, Rizzo began his answer by talking about how the Nationals believe "championship teams are built on pitching, defense, speed, and athleticism" – none of which Dunn is known for. The extended comments about the team's philosophy seemed to be prepping fans for Dunn's departure, but then Rizzo added, "We love Adam Dunn. We've certainly had interest throughout the year, and he's a guy that we continue to have communications with."
- Asked about other first base options, Rizzo replied that it's a good year to be looking, with several viable options out there. He added, "As always, we're looking for a guy that plays both sides of the ball, that can produce offensively and play good defense for us also."
- Fittingly, Kennedy then recommended Carlos Pena. Rizzo commented, "We've been Carlos Pena guys here. He fits what we're doing. He's one of a handful of guys that would give us what we're looking for." However, Rizzo then reiterated the the team remains in communication with Dunn, adding "He's been our first choice all along." Pena certainly fits Rizzo's description, while James Loney and Derrek Lee might too.
- Rizzo spoke again about his desire to improve the depth and quality of his rotation, whether via free agency or trade. He noted that he'd like to improve the bullpen as well.