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Ruiz, Ex-Agent Clash Over Split

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Jose Julio Ruiz's recent change in agents, from Jorge Luis Toca to Legacy Sports, appears to have been far from amicable. Both Ruiz and Toca lobbed barbs yesterday through the Nuevo Herald's Luis Rangel (link in Spanish).

Among the claims: Toca says the Red Sox offered $2.5MM for Ruiz, but adds the team later withdrew their offer after seeing Ruiz "out of shape and overweight" last Monday. He also says Ruiz showed up for tryouts without a glove, leading some on the Boston side to conclude the Cuban prospect had "a bad character."

According to the agent, the Rangers offered $2MM to Ruiz and the Blue Jays offered $1.5MM, even though Ruiz's tryouts in front of scouts were disastrous, with the first baseman only managing 10 or 12 hits in over 100 ABs. Toca says he was negotiating with Tampa Bay last Thursday when Ruiz called him and announced the split because "he could not stand it anymore." He says he is planning legal action against the player for expenses, claiming Ruiz used his agency to get information about teams and money to give to other agents.

Ruiz replies that far from being out of shape, he was "better than ever" in recent workouts for Texas and Toronto. In regards to the Red Sox, he says he "could not do anything" during the workout because of a hangnail on his ring finger. He claims not to know where Toca's "10 or 12 hits" figure comes from, as he never staged any official tryouts. Ruiz insists his value fell on the market because of Toca's agency communicating poorly and "not doing their job," saying, "I believe if I had been with other people, I would have signed long before."

New Site Design!

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MLB Trade Rumors has a fresh new look!  As you can see, we've revamped the logo, sidebar, and background on the main site and changed the Twitter page to match.  I hope you find it as appealing as I do.  This redesign is just one of many improvements we have planned for 2010.  Already we've improved the commenting section and added team-specific Twitter and RSS feeds.

If you have any problems loading the site, please contact us or let us know in the comments of this post.  Be sure to take a screen shot, note whether you're using a PC or Mac, and tell us what browser you're using.  Thanks for reading MLBTR!

Odds & Ends: Fielder, Wood, Stairs, Duncan

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A wrap-up of items from Wednesday…

  • We've heard that the Brewers have begun to explore the possibility of extending Prince Fielder's contract, but ESPN's Keith Law thinks "it makes no sense for the Brewers to keep Fielder" given that the team doesn't look like a contender this season or next.  Law also describes Fielder as, "the type of player who doesn't age well."
  • Kerry Wood isn't bothered by trade rumors linking him to Minnesota to fill the Joe Nathan void, reports Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com.  Castrovince adds that it's "hard to imagine" the Twins acquiring Wood given the veteran closer's $10.5MM salary in 2010 (plus an $11MM option for 2011 that vests if Wood finishes 55 games this year).
  • Speaking of Wood, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer argues that the Tribe shouldn't deal Wood to a division rival until the Indians know what kind of a team they have this season.  If they contend, then they could keep Wood for a pennant race.  If they don't contend, Wood will still have trade value at midseason.
  • Tyler Kepner of the New York Times talks to Matt Stairs, who is enjoying his role in the Padres camp as "the grandfather of the team."  Stairs said he won't go to the minors if he doesn't make San Diego's opening day roster, and he might just return to his job as a hitting coach for the University of Maine's baseball team.
  • MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports that Chris Duncan doesn't blame the Cardinals for dealing him to Boston last summer.
  • Anthony Ranaudo, thought by some to be the top pitcher available in June's Amateur Draft, may fall down the draft board after battling elbow problems, reports ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill.
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that despite Stephen Strasburg's strong outing on Tuesday, "it's not going to change my plans" about how Strasburg will be brought along.  Strasburg may well start the season in the minors, but ESPN's Buster Olney thinks it could be a brief stay: "You get the feeling that his time in the minors may be as short as it was for Tim Lincecum."  Lincecum, for the record, has made only 13 lifetime appearances in the minors and made just four minor league starts in 2007 before being called up to San Francisco.

Urban On Lewis, Dye, Calero, Suzuki

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CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban had his weekly A's and Giants-centric chat with fans on Tuesday, and here are the hot stove highlights…

  • Urban thinks Giants outfielder Fred Lewis will be "cut loose near the end of camp."  Lewis is one of several players who are out of options for 2010.
  • Jermaine Dye isn't an option for the Giants.  Urban says the veteran slugger turned down an offer of $2MM from an unnamed team, and San Francisco wouldn't offer Dye anything more than that.  We already heard that Dye turned down a $3MM offer from the Cubs earlier this winter, so you have to wonder what kind of deal Dye thinks is still out there for him.
  • Urban predicts the Giants and Athletics will eventually settle their territorial rights dispute over San Jose and "the San Jose A's will exist within the next 5-10 years."  He also wonders why Sacramento has never been seriously considered as a possible new home for the A's.
  • The Giants made an offer to Kiko Calero over the winter but Calero signed with the Mets last week.  Urban agrees with a commenter that "the Giants did miss the boat" on not locking up the veteran reliever who posted a 1.95 ERA in 2009.

In a separate piece about Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki, Urban said that Suzuki and the A's have had "preliminary talks" about a contract extension.  Suzuki is under control through 2013, and will be eligible for arbitration for the first time after this season.  Urban quotes an anonymous AL West executive who says, "Billy [Beane] is way too smart to not lock him up at least through his arbitration years.”  The deal might not run futher than that, however, since Urban points out that catching prospect Max Stassi could be ready to take over behind the plate by the time Suzuki is ready to hit free agency.

Trade Interest In Glen Perkins?

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According to La Velle E. Neal III of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, scouts from a number of clubs (including the Rockies, Pirates and Blue Jays) watched Glen Perkins pitch on Tuesday night.  It should be noted that the scouts could've been there for any number of reasons or to see any number of players, but the presence of the Toronto scouts is notable given the rumors that the Twins are interested in acquiring Jason Frasor to fill the void left by Joe Nathan's injury.  Given the number of left-handed starting options on the Blue Jays roster, however, one wonders why they'd be looking at Perkins.  The Pirates and Rockies also don't have any obvious need for a left-handed starter, but it's possible one of these clubs could be looking at Perkins as a reliever.

Perkins posted a 5.89 ERA in 18 games (17 of them starts) with Minnesota in 2009 before his season was cut short due to a shoulder injury.  After being sent to the minors for injury rehab, Perkins complained that the move cost him major league service time and filed a grievance against the Twins that was settled over the winter.  Neal wrote in December that the Twins were looking to move Perkins in part because of this dispute.

Sweeney, Escobar Discuss Retirement

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It's no secret that veterans Mike Sweeney and Kelvim Escobar are nearing the end of their major league careers, but as both of these players discussed on Wednesday, their last days in the majors might have already occurred.

FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi reports that Sweeney will retire if he isn't on a major league roster by opening day.  The 15-year veteran signed a minor league deal with Seattle last month but told Morosi that he has no interest in going back to the minors or in taking a coaching job.  If Sweeney doesn't make the Mariners, he would try to catch on with another club and "would give priority to West Coast teams" so he could be closer to his family in San Diego. 

The injury-plagued Sweeney hasn't had more than 289 plate appearances in a season since 2005, but could still provide a team with a solid pinch-hitting option.  Sweeney hit .340/.377/.434 in 114 plate appearances against right-handers last season, and over his career has had success against both lefties and righties (.864 career OPS vs. RHP, .827 OPS vs. LHP).  Looking just at west coast options, the Angels could be in need of a right-handed compliment at DH if Hideki Matsui needs a day off.

Escobar, meanwhile, may have his career ended not by lack of opportunity, but by injury.  David Waldstein of the New York Times reports that Escobar has been bothered by shoulder pain following a four-week break from pitching after his stint in the Venezuelan winter league.  Such an injury is of particular concern to Escobar given that he has pitched just five major league innings since 2007 due to a number of shoulder problems and labrum surgery in July 2008.  Waldstein says that Escobar will get an MRI if the pain continues, and the right-hander is willing to undergo one more surgical procedure if doctors give him a decent chance of pitching again.  If not, then Escobar said he will call it a career after 12 seasons in the bigs.

Escobar signed a $1.5MM contract with the Mets in December, so it wouldn't be a major financial blow to the club if Escobar couldn't pitch.  It would, however, further weaken the already-thin New York bullpen and it certainly wouldn't look good on the Mets given the team's myriad of injuries last season.

Talks Between Red Sox And Beckett Are Progressing

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Contract talks between the Red Sox and ace Josh Beckett are progressing according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter), and optimism is high that a deal will be reached. In a second tweet, Heyman says it may take a few weeks for the two sides to finalize a contract extension, though ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes tweets that "substantive" talks are talking place and the end of Spring Training remains the target.

Beckett's current contract expires after the 2010 season, during which he will earn $12.1MM. Once the Sox signed John Lackey, there was some thought that it may spell the end of Beckett's tenure in Boston. Lackey's five-year, $82.5MM deal could be used as framework, though there's also been some rumblings that Roy Halladay's three-year, $60MM deal may also be a fit. MLBTR's readers discussed Beckett's situation last month.

Odds & Ends: Clark, Twins, Granderson, Sizemore

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Some links for Wednesday…

Heyman On Twins, Torre, Beckett

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Let's dig into the latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • The scenario of the Twins signing a free agent starter like Jarrod Washburn and moving Francisco Liriano into the closer role is "said to be floating around Ft. Myers," possibly depending on whether Joe Nathan's contract is insured.  I'd be surprised by that approach, though; I think Liriano is primed for a big year as a starter.
  • After talking to Dodgers manager Joe Torre, Heyman isn't sure he'll stop managing after the 2011 season.
  • Heyman writes that there has been "at least some progress" between the Red Sox and Josh Beckett on an extension.

Offseason In Review: Philadelphia Phillies

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Next in our Offseason In Review series, the Phillies.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • Roy Halladay, SP: three years, $60MM.  Includes $20MM vesting option for 2014.
  • Joe Blanton, SP: three years, $24MM.
  • Shane Victorino, CF: three years, $22MM.
  • Carlos Ruiz, C: three years, $8.85MM.  Includes $5MM club option for 2013 with a $500K buyout.

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. had a baffling offseason.  He pulled off a huge deal for one of the game's best pitchers and signed him to a below-market extension, only to turn around and trade another ace to replenish the farm system.  Amaro gave out three other reasonable extensions to his own players, but overpaid for the majority of his free agent signings. 

The Polanco signing is a candidate for the worst of the offseason.  The Tigers were unwilling to offer arbitration to their Type A free agent second baseman, presumably because they felt the risk of a one-year deal in the $6-7MM range outweighed the prospect of two draft picks.  The three-year, $18MM commitment the Phillies gave Polanco in early December was the polar opposite of the one year, $1MM deal the Cardinals gave Felipe Lopez two months later. 

Amaro is aggressive in pursuing free agents he likes.  The approach made sense with his three-year, $24MM offer to Adrian Beltre, but there was no indication Polanco drew similar strong interest from other clubs.  Amaro also handed out two-year pacts to three marginal players who deserved one-year deals in Baez, Schneider, and Gload.

The Halladay trade was a huge win for the Phillies, especially when Doc signed for far less than his market value.  They gave up a couple of Top 100 prospects, but that's what win-now teams should do.  They also received $6MM, enough to go over slot on a big name or two in the June draft and help make up for the farm system hit.

On the same day as the Halladay deal, Amaro took off his "win-now" hat and decided to think about 2011 and beyond.  Lee was shipped to Seattle, costing the Phillies several wins in 2010 no matter how the prospects pan out.  Lee is hardly expensive at $9MM, and there is no indication Amaro shopped him around to get the best deal. 

The extensions to Blanton, Victorino, and Ruiz seem reasonable enough; Amaro netted cost savings and certainty over the next three years.  Extensions have become the Phillies Way in recent years, with few missteps.

Despite my complaints about their offseason, the Phillies are 2010 contenders.  They've got two aces even without Lee and an offense that should be among the NL's best.

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