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Archives for March 2010

Reds Interested In Gary Matthews Jr.?

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7:53pm: John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer spoke to a Reds' source who said the team has zero interest in Matthews (link goes to Twitter). The source went so far as to name five outfielders the team has in camp that they'd take over the former Angel.

6:54pm: The Reds are interested in acquiring Gary Matthews Jr. if he can't win the Mets' centerfield job, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Sarge Jr. is currently battling Angel Pagan to replace Carlos Beltran as he recovers from knee surgery, though Olney mentions that Pagan is expected to win the job.

Cincinnati has been seeking outfield help seemingly all winter, though they did just re-sign Jonny Gomes about two weeks ago. They have five other outfielders on their 40-man roster at the moment, though Chris Heisey and Drew Stubbs have yet to experience a full season in the big leagues

The Mets acquired Matthews from the Angels back in January, and the Halos are on the hook for all but $2MM of the $23.5MM left on his deal. Even though Matthews has hit just .245/.326/.358 in 837 plate appearances over the last two seasons, $2MM for two years of a fourth or fifth outfielder isn't awful.

Dodgers Sign Pitcher From Tryout Camp

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The Dodgers have signed righthanded reliever Ricardo "Ricky" Rivas to a minor league contract, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. Rivas was the only player out of 85 to receive a deal out after participating in a tryout camp at Camelback Ranch-Glendale.

The 26-year-old Rivas spent last season with the El Paso Diablos of the independent American Association, where he posted a 4.82 ERA with a 5.5 K/9 and a 3.4 BB/9 in 37.1 innings. A 48th round pick of the Pirates in 2004, Rivas didn't sign and instead headed to Oklahoma State before jumping into the indy ranks.

Brewers Discussed Fielder Extension With Boras

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Prince Fielder told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the Brewers met with agent Scott Boras yesterday to discuss an extension for the first baseman. The details aren't clear, but Fielder knows the Brewers haven't made an offer. 

"All I know is that Scott said they talked and everything was positive," Fielder said. "I heard the talks were good. Now, they do whatever."

Brewers GM Doug Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash went for "a little trip" Wednesday, but didn't tell MLB.com's Adam McCalvy where they went. Melvin told Haudricourt that negotiations have not begun.

Fielder is under contract for this year at $10.5MM. He's under team control as an arbitration-eligible player for 2011, when he could expect a substantial raise through the arbitration process.

Mets Sign Kiko Calero

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The Mets signed Kiko Calero to a minor league deal worth up to $1.5MM. He earns $850K if he makes the team, with another $650K available in incentives. There is no opt-out if the Mets send him to the minors.

Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News tweeted news of the deal, which was announced on SNY's broadcast of this afternoon's Mets game. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted the details.

Calero had been looking for a major league deal, so the Mets deserve credit for adding him on a minor league contract, especially since there's a good chance Kelvim Escobar will start the season injured.

The 35-year-old pitched 60 innings of 1.95 ERA ball last year for the Marlins, with 10.4 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9. But the Marlins had concerns about his health and they weren't the only ones. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe heard from two executives who said Calero's medicals didn't look good (Twitter link). That didn't prevent eight teams from offering the righty minor league deals, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (via Twitter).

D’Backs Offer Mark Reynolds Extension

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The D'Backs just locked up their franchise player and they may sign another young star to an extension soon. Jon Heyman of SI.com reported that the D'Backs offered Mark Reynolds a two-year $13.5MM deal to cover the 2011-12 seasons. MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports that the sides will meet in person tomorrow to discuss a possible extension.

Heyman reported recently that the D'Backs offered to buy out Reynolds' three arbitration years for $11MM, so a two-year offer for more money is an improvement. The sides were recently discussing whether to buy out two years, in which case Reynolds would still negotiate his 2013 contract with the club, or three. We've heard for weeks that the D'Backs will work to complete the possible extension before the season starts.

Reynolds could ask for $5MM after this season and expect raises in 2012 and 2013, but he would have to produce in 2010 to make that kind of demand. Production wasn't an issue last year, when Reynolds hit 44 homers and posted an .892 OPS, playing slightly below average defense.

Reynolds, who narrowly missed being arbitraiton eligible early as a super two player, will be arbitration-eligible after 2010 and eligible for free agency after 2013 barring an extension.

Blue Jays Claim Casey Fien

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The Blue Jays claimed Casey Fien off waivers from the Red Sox, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (via Twitter). To make room for Fien, the Jays moved Scott Richmond to the 60-day DL.

It's been a busy week for Fien, who is with his third organization since Monday. The Tigers designated the reliever for assignment last week and the Red Sox claimed him Monday. He posted 10.2 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 58 Triple A innings last year and made his MLB debut. He has only faced 53 major league hitters, so it wouldn't be fair to judge him on the 7.94 ERA he posted for the Tigers.

The Red Sox now have 39 players on their 40-man roster, according to a team press release.

Offseason In Review: Texas Rangers

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Next in our Offseason In Review series, the Rangers.

Major League Signings

  • Rich Harden, SP: one year, $7.5MM.  Includes $11MM mutual option for 2011 with a $1MM buyout.
  • Vladimir Guerrero, DH: one year, $6.5MM.  Includes $9MM mutual option for 2011 with a $1MM buyout
  • Colby Lewis, SP: two years, $5MM.  Includes $3.25MM club option for 2012 with a $250K buyout.
  • Darren Oliver, RP: one year, $3.5MM.  Includes $3.25MM club/vesting option for 2011 with a $500K buyout.
  • Total spend: $22.5MM.

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

Rangers GM Jon Daniels chose to gamble on upside this winter with the signings of Harden, Lewis, and Guerrero.  Harden could provide 150 innings of sub-3.00 ball, but he could also succumb to injuries or continue his homer-prone ways of '09.  Lewis could prove his massive success in Japan the last two years was no fluke, or his skills could be lost in translation.  Vlad could return to his 600 plate appearance/.900 OPS glory days, or he could have another injury-plagued year.

I like the strategy.  Daniels did not play it safe with the money he had available, yet his moves will not hurt the franchise long-term.  Don't forget that the Rangers have the best farm system in baseball.  Given the club option, Lewis could even be helping the Rangers affordably in 2012. 

If Vlad and Josh Hamilton are able to stay healthy, the Rangers should have a slightly above-average offense (based on CHONE projections).  Their attack looks powerful – only Elvis Andrus projects to slug under .400.  The rotation seems unpredictable.  We already discussed Harden and Lewis, while projections suggest Scott Feldman and Tommy Hunter will regress.  Options run deep, with studs like Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz in the mix, Martin Perez drawing raves, and Brandon McCarthy and Matt Harrison battling for innings.

The Rangers deserve credit for a strong offseason.  If they're in contention midseason and need another piece, no team is better-positioned to trade for a star player.

Mauer’s Agent Arrives At Twins’ Camp

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As expected, uncovering details on the Joe Mauer extension talks has proven difficult.  Still, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune learned that Mauer's agent Ron Shapiro arrived at Twins' camp in Fort Myers, Florida.  Neal explains:

While it's being shaped as Shapiro's annual visit to spring training, the sides are expected to hold face-to-face discussions about the future of the Twins' MVP catcher.

In a slightly pessimistic note, Neal speaks of "indications that progress has slowed recently."  But don't worry Twins fans, SI's Jon Heyman (Twitter) and ESPN's Buster Olney both speak of optimism about these talks.  Neal still contends that no deadlines have been set.  Yahoo's Jeff Passan reported on November 30th that Mauer "plans on ending contract negotiations if a deal isn't struck by the end of spring training."

Tom Tango of Inside The Book recently tackled Mauer's value in an ESPN article, and determined that somewhere between $145-176MM would be appropriate for eight years.

Dodgers Agree To Terms With Garret Anderson

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The Dodgers have agreed to terms with Garret Anderson on a minor-league deal that will be worth $550K if he makes the team. The 37-year-old can opt out of his contract if he doesn't find himself on the Dodgers' major league roster by a certain date. 

Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times first reported the news and tweeted details; Jon Heyman of SI.com also added contract details (via Twitter).

Anderson, 37, hit .268/.303/.401 in 534 plate appearances with the Braves last season.  UZR/150 had him at 16.5 runs below average in left field in 2009 – strictly backup material at this point in his career.  The Dodgers signed five other outfielders to minor league deals this winter: Alfredo Amezaga, Brian Barton, Brian Giles, Prentice Redman, and Michael Restovich.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Braves, Cardinals

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March goes in like a lion, but the lion is cut when the rosters get trimmed to 25…

  • Benjamin Kabak at River Avenue Blues takes a look at how the Yankees can include an ownership stake in Derek Jeter's next contract.
  • Former Yankee Melky Cabrera is also in the news, with MLB.com's Mark Bowman detailing how his game translates in the National League. As should surprise no one who has watched both leagues lately, the move figures to help Melky.
  • Brian Walton of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat has a rundown of the Cardinals' 21 new signings from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Tops among the new signings appears to be Amauris Capellan, an outfielder who has drawn comparisons to Raul Mondesi.
  • Taiwan Baseball has an update on Min-Tzu Chen, an outfielder-turned-pitcher three months ago, who is now sporting a fastball at 90-93 MPH. According to the site, the Royals and Padres have both made offers in the $150K-$200K range.
  • Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe thinks the Red Sox may have found something special in offseason acquisition Boof Bonser.

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