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Archives for April 2010

Phillies In Talks With Pedro Martinez

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2:46pm: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says the Phillies and Martinez are not actively negotiating a contract.  He says the two sides are maintaining contact, but nothing is imminent.

7:47am: Chalk one up for the Spanish-speaking side of the Bristol office. Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., gave an interview in Spanish to ESPN Deportes' Will Gonzalez yesterday, noting that the defending NL champions are currently negotiating with Pedro Martinez in regard to another midseason return to Philadelphia (link and audio in Spanish).

Pedro reportedly started throwing just last week, and Amaro insists there is no rush to sign on either side. "Right now he's trying to train, still not ready to pitch," he explains, though Pedro insisted recently that he doesn't need long to be in game shape. Amaro said earlier this month that Joe Blanton's oblique injury wouldn't be enough to spur the team into signing Pedro, but noted to Gonzalez that "we're going to continue to communicate openly" with Martinez as the season unfolds and the team's needs become clear.

This winter, Pedro floated the number of $5MM for his full-season services, the same number he stuck to, in prorated form, in negotiations through June of last season. Amaro dismisses any idea that the team was about to bite at that figure during the offseason when he recalls, "We talked two or three times (this winter). In those moments, he had other ideas of how he would like to be paid." With the season now underway, the general manager puts the ball in Pedro's court, potentially setting the stage for another late spring saga of public negotiations. "The doors are open," Amaro says. "But as in all negotiations, things depend on both sides. It not only has to do with the team, (it's also) the player."

Willingham Hopes For Multiyear Deal

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Josh Willingham hopes to sign a multiyear deal with the Nationals, agent Matt Sosnick told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link).  Sosnick and the Nats agreed on a $4.6MM salary for 2010 back in January; this marks the second of three arbitration years for Willingham.  He's under team control through the 2011 season.

Willingham, 31, has a career line of .266/.364/.481 in 2,181 plate appearances.  He's been consistent, as he's had a similar line in each of his four full seasons.  UZR suggests his left field defense has been slightly below-average.  FanGraphs' Dave Cameron made a case that Willingham is a very similar player to Jason Bay, aside from their health records.

Will the Nationals commit to Willingham?  Back in January GM Mike Rizzo admitted he had been close on a couple of deals, presumably for young starters, but added, "we're in no hurry to trade Willingham."  

Blue Jays Announce Hechavarria Signing

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The Blue Jays announced today that they've signed Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria to a four-year, $10MM contract.  The official tweet came nearly a full month since news of the agreement broke.  The Blue Jays were heavily involved in Cuban free agents this winter, as they were also in the mix for Aroldis Chapman, Leslie Anderson, and Jose Julio Ruiz.  The Angels, Cubs, and Yankees were competitors for Hechavarria.

Hechavarria will receive a $4MM signing bonus, $500K in 2010, $2MM in 2011, and $1.75MM in 2012, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com (via Twitter).

ESPN's Mark Saxon introduced us to the 19-year-old Hechavarria back in February.  Cuban Ball Players provided video.  Jorge Ebro at the Nuevo Herald gave more details a few weeks ago.  Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has brought in a nice haul of young talent in his six months on the job; check out our offseason in review piece for more details.

Dye Hopes For Interest From Mariners

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Free agent outfielder Jermaine Dye has the Mariners on the list of teams he'd consider, reports ESPN's Mike Salk.  Unfortunately, the interest has not been mutual.  Dye's agent Bob Bry had this to say:

"Seattle is a team he focused on this off-season.  He was disappointed that there was not more interest from the club."

Salk says Dye would be willing to take less than a full-time role with the Mariners, and guesses that he'd sign for $3-4MM.  Dye turned down a $3MM offer from the Cubs a few months ago and recently rejected an unknown offer from the Nationals.  He also had talks with the Brewers in late March.  Dye suggested to MLB.com's Bill Ladson that many of his offers were in the $1MM range, which he seemed to find insulting.

Rather than sign Dye, the Mariners brought in Milton Bradley, Eric Byrnes, Casey Kotchman, Ken Griffey Jr., and Mike Sweeney for offensive spots.  I wasn't a fan of the approach, but the Ms figure to give the group more than eight games before turning to someone like Dye.

2011 Contract Issues: Chicago Cubs

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The Cubs have one option situation due after the season, and it's a crucial one.  Third baseman Aramis Ramirez faces a $14.6MM player option, which he'll think about after the season.  Ramirez also has a $16MM mutual option for 2012, which can vest if Ramirez wins the LCS or regular MVP award this year or next or makes the All-Star team both years.  Though he might not be able to get a $15MM salary on the open market, he could find more than one guaranteed year.  I expect history to repeat itself – Ramirez will opt out but eventually agree to an extension to stay with the Cubs.

The Cubs also have a pair of important free agents: Derrek Lee and Ted Lilly.  Both players want to stay, but it sounds like discussions will occur after the season.  The question might be more on the Cubs' side - GM Jim Hendry has a history of retaining his own free agents if he wants them back.  New Cubs Xavier Nady and Chad Tracy signed one-year deals, so they'll be eligible as well.  Ramirez, Lee, and Lilly will earn about $41MM in 2010. 

Increases to players under contract will total $6.1MM for 2011, topped by Marlon Byrd's $2.5MM bump.  On the flip side, the Cubs will pay Carlos Silva $6MM in 2011 as opposed to the $12MM they would've paid Milton Bradley.  Geovany Soto will get a raise as a first-year arbitration player, while the Cubs' second-year group includes Ryan Theriot, Carlos Marmol, Mike Fontenot, Jeff Baker, Sean Marshall, Angel Guzman, Tom Gorzelanny, and Koyie Hill. 

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.

GM Initiation: Josh Byrnes

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We're kicking off a new series here at MLBTR called GM Initiation.  Each post in the series will look at a general manager's first trade.

Josh Byrnes was hired as Diamondbacks GM on October 28th, 2005.  His first deal came on December 7th at the Winter Meetings.  Byrnes and Braves GM John Schuerholz agreed on a deal to send catcher Johnny Estrada to Arizona for relievers Oscar Villarreal and Lance Cormier.  Estrada went on to have a solid '06 campaign for the D'Backs and was used in a trade to acquire Doug Davis after the season.  Both relievers pitched two seasons for Atlanta, with Villarreal posting better numbers.

Byrnes was kind enough to answer a few questions about his first trade.

MLB Trade Rumors: 2005 marked your first Winter Meetings as a general manager.  How would you describe the experience?

Josh Byrnes: The 2005 Winter Meetings were busy. We were exploring many trades to reshape the roster. It was our first time together as a larger group in that type of setting.

MLBTR: Did you enter the '05 Meetings intent on acquiring a starting catcher?  About how many different catchers were you seriously considering?

Byrnes: We were trying to improve in the middle of the field. Later that month, we acquired Orlando Hudson, Eric Byrnes and Chris Young. Estrada was the catcher who made the most sense at the time.

MLBTR: What kind of relationship did you have with Braves GM John Schuerholz prior to the Estrada deal?  How long did it take to put the trade together?

Byrnes: I knew John a little bit. The trade came together fairly quickly. We had a few discussions at the meetings and agreed after a few conversations.

MLBTR: Does the Estrada trade hold significance for you, since it was your first acquisition?  Is the significance diminished because you were such an active trader that month?

Byrnes: I said at the time that the deal carried some significance to me because we did it with John. Certainly, he is one the best (if not the best) GM’s of all time. He is also very passionate about the game and the industry, so it is memorable to have made my first trade with John.

Free Agent Racism?

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Twins second baseman Orlando Hudson hinted that racism is why Jermaine Dye is out of work, reports Yahoo's Jeff Passan.  Hudson's comments:

"You see guys like Dye without a job.  Guy with [27 home runs and 81 RBIs] and can't get a job. Pretty much sums it up right there, no? You've got some guys who miss a year who can come back and get $5, $6 million, and a guy like Jermaine Dye can't get a job. A guy like Gary Sheffield,  a first-ballot Hall of Famer, can't get a job.  We both know what it is. You'll get it right. You'll figure it out. I'm not gonna say it because then I'll be in [trouble]."

Passan is correct in that the perception of racism in the free agent market is a problem.  But let's look at individual cases referenced in the article:

  • Gary Sheffield hit well in 312 plate appearances for the Mets last year, but was lousy the year prior.  The 41-year-old is a big negative on defense.  He battled knee, back, and hamstring injuries, and sat out a game in August when the Mets declined his request for a contract extension.
  • Passan provides good examples in Kenny Lofton and Ray Durham.  But Lofton was said to be asking for $2.5-3MM by some, $6MM by others.  In the spring of '08 Lofton was a near 41-year-old part-time player with suspect defense.  Durham, 37 at the time, turned down an $850K offer from the Nationals.  He was still able to hit, but his defense was questionable.  Isn't it possible that the common thread here is age and defense rather than race?  Luis Gonzalez and Jim Edmonds couldn't find anything after the '08 season either.
  • Passan names three white players who did get paid this winter:  Aubrey Huff, Garrett Atkins, and Xavier Nady.  Presumably Passan is implying that if these three got $3-4.5MM, Dye should've too.  However, Huff and Atkins were both named by team execs are two of the worst signings of the offseason.  It's very possible that the Giants and Orioles just made bad signings.  One exec told me he preferred Hank Blalock, who signed a $925K minor league deal, to Huff.  And the Cubs made similar offers to both Dye and Nady.  Nady was coming off a lost season, but he's younger and had more first base experience. 
  • Dye has been picky; he said yesterday that to move his family to Washington, D.C. he'd require "a little bit more."  When the Rangers were interested, there was word that Dye did not want a full-time DH job.  Dye appears unwilling to settle for the $1.5-2MM players like Jim Thome and Russell Branyan received. 
  • Hudson referred to players who missed a year and got $5-6MM.  Presumably he's talking about Ben Sheets, but the situation isn't comparable to Dye.  Coco Crisp snagged $5.5MM (also from the A's) coming off a 49-game season cut short by surgeries on both shoulders.  The pair of moves was about the A's making injury upside plays.  Unlike the older free agents forced out of the game, Crisp is known for his defense.
  • Hudson's point deserves consideration, but he has to acknowledge the shift toward defense and youth as well.

Nationals Made Offer To Jermaine Dye

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11:01pm: One Ladson source theorized that the Nationals considered $4MM a fair price for Dye, though the amount of their actual offer is unknown.  Dye told Ladson that he's received offers in the $1MM range, which is "a negative in itself, no matter what."

1:26pm: The Nationals made an offer to free agent outfielder Jermaine Dye according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter), however it wasn't enough for him to uproot his family. Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com says the two sides haven't had any discussions in some time, while Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post says that any future conversations appear unlikely.

We've seen Dye connected to the Nats before, but apparently the team is content with it's Willy Taveras–Willie Harris platoon. The Brewers have also expressed interest in the 36-year-old recently.

Tim took a look at why Dye was still a free agent a few weeks ago, as well as what he could do to change that.

Odds & Ends: Stanton, Hechavarria, Cordero, Haeger

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Monday night links..

  • The Marlins won't rush prospect Mike Stanton to the majors, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos says that the club is hoping to make an announcement in the next day or two, tweets Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press.  However, Anthopoulos wouldn't confirm that the announcement could have to do with the signing of Adeiny Hechavarria.  Last week, Hechavarria's visa was approved, opening the door for him to take his physical.
  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer believes that Chad Cordero could be a "useful" major leaguer again.  The 28-year-old has been out of MLB for nearly two years and is attempting to mount a comeback with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate.
  • Charlie Haeger went through a long journey before becoming a member of the Dodgers' rotation, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.

Discussion: Aaron Harang

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After Aroldis Chapman's strong debut for Triple-A Louisville, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer was asked (via Twitter) if a repeat of that could force the Reds to trade Aaron Harang.  Fay, of course, said it was too early for GM Walt Jocketty to take such action.  However, the Reds could look to move the veteran pitcher if Chapman makes his way to the big leagues and impresses there as well.

The 31-year-old Harang is set to earn $12.5MM this season with a club option of $12.75MM for 2011 that can be bought out for a modest $2MM.  In 2009, he posted a 4.21 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 – numbers that are consistent with his career average.  The xFIP metric was even kinder to the righty, as he notched a 3.96 – a marked improvement over his 4.39 the year prior.

If the Reds find themselves in a position where they can move Harang, what teams could you see inquiring on him?

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