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Archives for January 2011

Blue Jays, Rangers Swap Napoli, Francisco

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Hopefully Mike Napoli's suitcase is still packed. Just four days after acquiring the catcher/first baseman from the Angels, the Blue Jays have sent him back to the AL West. Napoli is heading to the Rangers for Frank Francisco and cash, the teams announced.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the deal (on Twitter) and Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports (on Twitter) that the Rangers are sending less than $1MM to Toronto.

As Rosenthal points out, Napoli will likely spell Yorvit Torrealba and Matt Treanor behind the plate and see playing time at first base. This likely means the Rangers don't have room for free agent slugger Vladimir Guerrero.

Napoli hit 26 home runs last year, reaching the 20-homer plateau for the third consecutive season. He hit .238/.316/.468 overall, with a career-high 137 strikeouts. The right-handed hitter has a .931 OPS against southpaws in his career, so he is a potential complement to Chris Davis and Mitch Moreland, two left-handed hitting first basemen who hit righties but struggle against lefties.

The Blue Jays acquired Napoli from the Angels in the deal that sent Vernon Wells to Anaheim. J.P. Arencibia and Jose Molina figure to catch regularly for the Blue Jays now that Napoli is headed to the Lone Star State. 

In an odd twist, Francisco joins the same bullpen as Jason Frasor, the only other Type A free agent to accept his team's offer of arbitration this offseason. New additions Jon Rauch and Octavio Dotel join Frasor and Francisco in Alex Anthopoulos' remade bullpen.

Francisco, 31, posted a 3.76 ERA with 10.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings for the Rangers last year. He saved 25 games in 2009 before relinquishing the closer's job to rookie Neftali Feliz in 2010.

As MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows, the midpoint for Francisco is $4.19MM and the midpoint for Napoli is $5.7MM, so the Rangers would have been taking on payroll even if they did not send cash to Toronto.

Tigers Open To Re-Signing Bonderman

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The Tigers are open to re-signing Jeremy Bonderman, but not on a major league deal. GM Dave Dombrowski told Tom Gage of the Detroit News that he would consider bringing the longtime Tiger back to Detroit.

Bonderman's four-year, $38MM extension just expired, so the 28-year-old is a free agent for the first time. The eight-year veteran is coming off a season in which he posted a 5.53 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 171 innings. Bonderman had shoulder surgery in 2008 and missed most of the 2009 season as he recovered. 

The Rangers, Cardinals, Yankees, Rockies, Cubs and Pirates have been linked to Bonderman this offseason. About 17% of over 15,000 MLBTR readers say Bonderman is the best remaining free agent starter. Click here to cast your vote.

A’s, Breslow Avoid Arbitration

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The A's avoided arbitration with Craig Breslow and agreed to a one-year, $1.4MM deal, according to MLB.com's Jane Lee (Twitter link). The A's had filed at $1.55MM and Breslow has countered with $1.15MM, so the lefty's new deal is worth slightly more than the $1.35MM midpoint.

Breslow, 30, logged 74 2/3 innings for the A's last year, posting a 3.01 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9. The five-year veteran generally induces more fly balls than ground balls; last year his fly ball rate (55.8%) nearly doubled his ground ball rate (29.6%).

Breslow majored in molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale before the Brewers took him in the 26th round of the 2002 draft.

As MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows, all of Oakland's arbitration eligible players are now under contract for 2011.

Cubs To Sign Todd Wellemeyer

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Todd Wellemeyer is returning to the team that drafted and developed him. The Cubs signed Wellemeyer to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. The right-hander can earn $800K, plus another $400K in incentives, Levine reports. Meister Sports Management represents Wellemeyer.

The Cubs drafted Wellemeyer in the fourth round of the 2000 draft and he showed some promise in the minor leagues, striking out more than a batter per inning and reaching the majors in his fourth pro season. He pitched for the Cubs from 2003-05 before they traded him to the Marlins.

Wellemeyer was a valuable starter for the 2008 Cardinals, but has struggled since. Last year, the 32-year-old pitched 58 2/3 innings for the Giants and posted a 5.68 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9. Another former Cardinal, Jeff Suppan, figures to replace Wellemeyer on the defending World Champions this year.

Stark On Potential Albert Pujols Extension

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MLB executives, owners and agents told ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark that they see Albert Pujols agreeing to an extension with the Cardinals between now and Spring Training. And the deal will likely make Pujols one of the richest players in baseball history. The sides figure to agree to a deal worth $240MM over eight years, in the estimation of Stark’s sources.

Pujols, who is scheduled to hit free agency after the season, will stop negotiating with the Cardinals once Spring Training begins. And scuttlebutt from other clubs suggests Pujols and agent Dan Lozano will start by asking for a ten-year, $300MM deal.

But Cards GM John Mozeliak is unlikely to want to pay the first baseman $30MM per season while he’s in his early forties, so Pujols’ deal may not be worth more than Alex Rodriguez’s record ten-year, $275MM contract.

If Pujols hits free agency, interest will be widespread. Even clubs like the Yankees and Red Sox, who have elite first basemen, could have interest in Pujols, according to one executive. Teams like the Cubs, Dodgers and Mets could also have interest, though there’s a good chance the first baseman won’t hit the open market.

I previewed a potential extension for Pujols earlier in the month.

22 Teams Hand Out Multiyear Free Agent Contracts

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Nearly three quarters of baseball's 30 teams signed at least one free agent to a multiyear contract this offseason. A year ago 17 clubs signed free agents to multiyear deals and that figure rose by five to 22 this winter. Only the Blue Jays, Rays, Indians, Royals, Braves, Brewers, Astros and Cubs have limited themselves to one-year commitments to this point.

Over the course of the entire 2009-10 offseason, 27 free agents signed multiyear contracts. This offseason, teams handed out 44 multiyear free agent contracts, as MLBTR’s Transaction Tracker shows*. 

There's a chance that Vladimir Guerrero, Scott Podsednik or another free agent signs with one of the eight clubs above, but that seems unlikely at this point in the winter. There probably won't be any more multiyear free agent contracts for the 2010-11 offseason.

Most teams spent on free agents this winter, but it's worth noting that small-market clubs weren't the only ones shying away from the winter's robust free agent market. Teams such as the Braves and Cubs also avoided long-term free agent contracts, while small-market clubs including the Pirates and A's signed multiple free agents to multiyear deals. 

*I am not counting Tsuyoshi Nishioka's deal, since he was not available on the open market. No extensions for players under team control count, either. I am counting the extensions for Ted Lilly and Brandon Inge, since they were on the brink of hitting the open market, when they signed their respective contracts.

Brewers Seek Veteran Bench Help

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The Brewers are looking to add veteran bench help and Mark Kotsay is a possibility, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Brewers showed interest in Willie Harris before he signed with the Mets and could look to sign Kotsay, who could pinch-hit for Carlos Gomez.

Kotsay, 35, hit .239/.306/.376 in 359 plate appearances for the White Sox last year. The left-handed batter hit eight homers while playing first base and right field.

The Brewers already have a number of outfield options. They recently signed Jeremy Reed to a minor league deal and outfielders Chris Dickerson, Brandon Boggs, Caleb Gindl and Logan Schafer will also be in Brewers camp this spring. Gomez, Ryan Braun and Corey Hart are the team's starting outfielders. 

Make Or Break Year: Nate McLouth

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We tend to hear a lot about "selling high" on a player during the offseason, which means trading a player when his value is at its absolute apex. It's a difficult thing to do for a number of reasons, especially when it involves a young player who might just be on the upswing of his career. Pirates GM Neal Huntington sold high on Nate McLouth two summers ago, dealing his All Star center fielder to the Braves for three young players in June of 2009.

The year before the trade, the then 27-year-old McLouth broke out by hitting .276/.356/.497 with 26 homers, earning a Gold Glove for his defensive effort in center field. At the time of the trade he was hitting a more than respectable .256/.349/.470. Unsurprisingly, reaction to the trade was mostly negative in Pittsburgh, and it didn't go over well in the clubhouse either.

McLouth gave the Braves a respectable .257/.354/.419 performance in the three months after the trade, but the good times ended there. He hit just .118/.217/.196 in Spring Training last year, then followed that up with a .176/.295/.282 performance in his first 205 plate appearances of the season. A collision with Jason Heyward sent McLouth to the disabled list with a concussion in early-June, then Atlanta decided to send him to minors after he returned in late-July. He hit just .234/.338/.383 in 151 trips to the plate in Triple-A before finishing the season with a .263/.358/.509 performance (68 PA) while playing sparingly after coming back up in late-August.

Since the trade, the now-29-year-old McLouth has hit just .229/.330/.379 with 17 homers in 684 plate appearances. His -25.8 UZR since 2008 ranks 48th out of 58 qualified outfielders, just a touch better than Carlos Lee. Was 2010 a fluke season for McLouth, or was it the sign of a bigger problem after the league got a chance to put together a book on him?

The Pirates gave McLouth a three-year contract extension before the 2009 season, and right now it seems pretty unlikely that the Braves will exercise his $10.65MM club option for 2012 after the upcoming season without significant improvement in his performance. His main competition in center field is Jordan Schafer (.201/.268/.255 in 307 minor league PA in 2010), so McLouth will definitely have the opportunity to show what he's got before hitting the open market in a little more than ten months.

Poll: Best Remaining Free Agent Starting Pitcher

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Pitchers and catchers are due to report in about three weeks, and by now all of the high-end free agents have come off the board. Heck, even second tier options have signed by now. That leaves just reclamation-type projects and players with considerable flaws, especially when it comes to pitching.

As MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker shows, starters like Kevin Millwood, Jeremy Bonderman, Freddy Garcia, Doug Davis, Rodrigo Lopez, Todd Wellemeyer and Brian Moehler remain unsigned. Andy Pettitte is clearly the best of the unsigned bunch, but it's the Yankees or retirement for him, and right now it looks like the latter is winning out. Neither Pedro Martinez, Braden Looper, or Jarrod Washburn have appeared in a big league game in over a year. John Maine, Justin Duchscherer and Jamie Moyer are coming off injuries, Tommy John surgery in Moyer's case.

There are still a number of teams looking for rotation help, including the Yankees, Orioles, Nationals, Pirates and Indians. Which of those unsigned starters represents the best option?

Contract Details: Loe & Francis

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Here are some details about a pair of recently signed contracts…

  • Kameron Loe's new deal with the Brewers contains $115K in incentives tied to pitching appearances according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The right-hander will earn $25K for 50 games, $30K for 55 games, $35K for 60 games, $10K for 76 games, and $15K for 78 games. Loe appeared in 53 games for the Brew Crew last season despite not being called up from the minors until June 1st.
  • Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports that Jeff Francis' contract with the Royals calls for $800K in incentives based on starts, and another $1.2MM in incentives based on innings pitched (Twitter links). The escalators start to kick in at 15 starts and 110 innings, respectively.

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