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Archives for January 2011

Quick Hits: Soriano, Manuel, Galarraga, Angels

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Some items from around the majors…

  • The Angels aren't one of the teams reportedly still interested in Rafael Soriano, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  The Yankees are "still trying," in spite of their earlier statements to the contrary.
  • Charlie Manuel's agent tells Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com that Manuel and the Phillies have a mutual interest in working out a contract extension before Opening Day.  Manuel has one year left on his current deal, and Salisbury speculates that he's looking for a two-year extension worth roughly $4MM per season.
  • Armando Galarraga is out of options, eligible for arbitration and has probably been squeezed out of the Detroit rotation by Brad Penny, reports Jason Beck of MLB.com.  If Galarraga gets too large of a salary bump in arbitration, the Tigers could choose to trade or just release him before Opening Day.
  • The Angels' quiet offseason has been heavily criticized, but Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com reminds us that the Halos still have a very solid team.
  • If the Twins don't re-sign Jim Thome, Kelly Thesier of MLB.com says the team could return to what it was looking for last winter: a right-handed hitting backup option in the outfield or at first base.  Thesier cites Jorge Cantu and Troy Glaus as possibilities, and we've heard the Padres were considering the same two players.  The Twins could also dip into the rest of the DH market, or look to upgrade their bullpen.
  • There isn't much historial evidence to suggest that Josh Beckett will return to his ace form over the long run, writes John Tomase of the Boston Herald.

NL Central Notes: Gorzelanny, Wood, Reds

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After looking at news from the eastern and western sides of the baseball world tonight, let's turn our attention to the NL Central…

  • Tom Gorzelanny could be the odd man out of the Cubs' crowded rotation, reports Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.  Chicago has already been shopping the left-hander this winter, and the Mets and Tigers were both reportedly interested. 
  • Before Kerry Wood signed with the Cubs, he was promised a post-retirement job with the team by chairman Tom Ricketts, Levine writes.  No specific job was mentioned, though Levine cites a radio report that said Wood had been offered a broadcasting position.
  • Walt Jocketty tells John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that the Reds "haven’t made a lot of progress" with their four remaining arbitration-eligible players.  One of those four arb-eligible Reds is Joey Votto, so it's possible his longer-term negotiations are taking up Jocketty's time.
  • The Brewers have signed Eulogio de la Cruz, reports Matthew Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter).  De La Cruz, 26, spent last season pitching in Japan.  The right-hander has an 11.84 ERA and a 9.9 BB/9 rate in 15 career Major League games with the Padres, Marlins and Tigers since 2007, though his career minor league numbers (3.73 ERA, 4.2 BB/9 rate) are more respectable.

NL West Notes: Padres, Belt, Sandoval, Rockies

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Some news about the defending World Series champs and their division rivals…

Rays, Yanks Both In On Andruw Jones, Johnny Damon

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The Yankees' interest in Andruw Jones is well-known, but now the Rays can be added to the list of suitors for the veteran outfielder, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  (Twitter link)  Tampa Bay has less of a pressing need for Jones since the club already has B.J. Upton and Desmond Jennings as right-handed hitting incumbents in the outfield, but with Upton coming off a weak 2010 season and Jennings entering his first full season in the bigs, Jones provides valuable depth should either player falter.  He could also provide some pop as a right-handed DH option.

Heyman also mentions Johnny Damon as "a possibility" for both of the AL East rivals.  Damon has expressed his own interest in playing for both clubs, and has been described as a fallback option for New York if they fail to acquire Jones.  Damon would likely play more DH than outfield in Tampa Bay, since his declining defensive value wouldn't be aided by playing on Tropicana Field's artificial surface. 

D’Backs Interested In Willie Bloomquist

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The Diamondbacks are "trying for" free agent Willie Bloomquist, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  It seemed like the Snakes were done their winter shopping last month, but it looks like they're still in the market for a utilityman; beyond Bloomquist, the D'Backs were reportedly interested in Kevin Frandsen before Frandsen signed with San Diego.

Bloomquist, 33, posted a .679 OPS in 199 plate appearances with the Royals and Reds in 2010, a shade higher than his .653 career OPS.  Bloomquist has never been renowned for his bat, but rather his ability to play virtually anywhere on the diamond.  He played at least one game at every position except pitcher and catcher in each of the last two seasons.  Bloomquist would give Arizona some veteran depth, and he could possibly work his way into the club's planned Geoff Blum/Melvin Mora platoon at third base.

Dodgers Notes: Ownership, Manny, Roman Colon

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It was one year ago today that the Dodgers signed Jay Gibbons to a minor league deal.  Gibbons made it to the big leagues for the first time since 2007, and hit well enough in limited action (an .819 OPS in 80 plate appearances) that he earned himself a Major League deal with the club for 2011 and potentially a regular platoon gig.

Here are some fresh items about the boys in blue…

  • A potential sale of the Dodgers could be worth as much as $1BB, reports Mike Ozanian of Forbes.  One "billionaire" team owner tells Ozanian that the Dodgers have "a vanity premium" for many potential buyers.  Ozanian hears from some owners, executives and sports bankers that the belief exists that Frank McCourt will not be able to raise enough money to keep control of the club.  McCourt, unsurprisingly, thinks otherwise, and said as much to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times.
  • The newly-signed Tony Gwynn Jr. could win the center field job with a strong Spring Training, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.  Such a move would shift Matt Kemp to right field and Andre Ethier to left.  More realistically, however, Kemp and Ethier will stay put in center and right, respectively, and the Dodgers will use a left field platoon of Gibbons and either a yet-to-be-acquired right-handed bat or possibly Casey Blake.
  • If the team does sign another right-handed hitter, it won't be Manny Ramirez.  To the surprise of nobody, Don Mattingly tells Steve Dilbeck of the LA Times "I don’t think Manny is a viable option right now."
  • The Dodgers signed right-hander Roman Colon to a minor league deal, tweets Baseball America's Matthew Eddy.  Colon has been pitching in the Korean League since he was released by Kansas City in May.  The right-hander has a 5.12 ERA in 121 Major League appearances (all but eight of them in relief) with the Royals, Tigers and Braves since 2004.

Royals Agree To Terms With Luke Hochevar

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The Royals have avoided arbitration with Luke Hochevar, agreeing to a one-year contract with the right-hander, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  The club has confirmed the signing in a press release, and Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweets the deal is worth $1.76MM.

Hochevar, the first overall pick of the 2006 draft, is still looking for the breakout season that would pay off that high draft selection.  He missed over two months of the 2010 season with an elbow strain but contributed a 4.81 ERA and a 2.05 K/BB ratio in 18 games, 17 of them starts.  This was Hochevar's first year of arbitration eligibility.

Hochevar is the third arbitration-eligible player to reach a deal with Kansas City this winter, following Wilson Betemit and Brayan Pena.  That's three players down and four to go for the Royals, as you can follow on the MLBTR Arb Tracker.

Andy Pettitte Will Not Start 2011 Season

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8:28 PM: Cashman tells Tyler Kepner of the New York Times that "he just used a poor choice of words" in describing Pettitte's situation.  (Twitter link)  Cashman says he meant to say that Pettitte has "chosen not to pitch" rather than "chosen not to start," though this doesn't necessarily mean that Pettitte has officially retired.  In another Kepner tweet, Cashman says he hasn't spoken to Pettitte about a Clemens-esque midseason return.

8:13 PM: Andy Pettitte has informed the Yankees that if he does return for the 2011 season, he won't be ready by Opening Day, reports Stefan Bondy and Nathaniel Vinton of the New York Daily News.  Brian Cashman said Pettitte told him to "don't count on me" but the GM noted that if Pettitte wanted to pitch later in the season, the door would be open for a return.

"I don't think he's determined if he's officially finished or not, but he's chosen at this stage at least not to start in 2011," Cashman said. "If that ever changes he'll call us. We're not going to hound him or bother him."

ESPN's Buster Olney pointed out last month that Pettitte would already be behind on his offseason preparations if he chose to return, so it's possible that Pettitte may still come back and is building in extra time to get ready for his 17th Major League season. 

Pettitte could take a page from his friend Roger Clemens' book — the Rocket didn't begin his 2006 and 2007 seasons, with the Astros and Yankees respectively, until June of those years.  Clemens was able to secure $22MM from Houston and a pro-rated $4.7MM per month deal from New York, and while Pettitte wouldn't get that kind of money from the Yankees, he could command more than the rumored $12-$13MM if the Yankees found themselves desperate for pitching by May.  

Chris Young Nears Decision; Mets, Nats “In Play”

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Free agent starter Chris Young could be close to choosing a new team, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter link).  Olney cites the Mets, who have been connected to Young all winter, and also mentions that the Nationals "may be in play" for the right-hander. 

When last we heard of Young, the word was that he was willing to accept a contract worth less than $2MM due to concerns about his health.  The Mets denied they had made an offer worth more than $1MM to Young, but still reported favored Young over other free agent options as Jeff Francis. 

Washington is a new suitor for Young, but like the Mets, the Nats can also offer Young a chance to pitch in a pitcher-friendly ballpark and a shot at rebuilding his value for a long-term offer next winter.  The Nationals were known to be looking for pitching this winter, but haven't done much in that department other than signing Chien-Ming Wang and Chad Gaudin.

Rockies Avoid Arbitration With Matt Belisle

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The Rockies have agreed to a one-year, $2.35MM contract with Matt Belisle, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link).  Colorado avoids salary arbitration with Belisle, who was in his third and final arb-eligible season.

Belisle and the Rockies agreed to an $0.85MM contract for 2010, and the right-hander responded with the finest season of his seven-year Major League career.  Belisle posted a 2.93 ERA, and 8.9 K/9 rate and a very impressive 5.69 K/BB ratio in 76 games for Colorado, all of which were career bests.

Belisle, 30, is the first of six arb-eligible Rockies to settle a contract with the club.  These cases and every other arbitration-eligible player in baseball can be followed on the MLBTR Arb Tracker.

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