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Archives for January 2011

Rangers, Daniels Negotiating Extension

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The Rangers are negotiating a contract extension with general manager Jon Daniels, writes Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com.

Rangers president Nolan Ryan said on Jan. 20 that he expects Daniels' extension to be finalized before Spring Training, Durrett notes.

Daniels' current contract, negotiated with former Rangers owner Tom Hicks, expires after the 2011 season. That contract includes an opt-out clause in the event that ownership changed hands — which it did — but Daniels has insisted that he's happy with the Rangers and wants to remain with them.

Daniels was the youngest GM in baseball history at 28 when he originally signed on with Texas following the 2005 season. He has helped bring the organization to prominence, culminating in a World Series berth in 2010.

For a comprehensive look at all of Daniels' moves as a GM, check out our Transaction Tracker.

Olney On Mets, Young, Figgins

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The fallout continues from the Mets' announcement on Friday that a portion of the team is up for sale, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com. Here's Olney's take, as well as some other items of note …

  • The Madoff scandal could prove to be a turning point in Mets history if it leads to a change in the team's ownership. The financial implications go a long way toward explaining why the Mets' baseball-operations staff has been on a shorter payroll leash since the signing of Jason Bay, and one has to wonder how long the Mets will be operating in that mode as the legal process plays out. To that end, signing a big-ticket free agent like Albert Pujols in the near future would be difficult. Finally, was new GM Sandy Alderson aware of the Mets' financial standing when he took the job?
  • Rangers president Nolan Ryan and manager Ron Washington are on record as saying that Michael Young will be with Texas on Opening Day, as Young is well-liked by the organization and will be useful in the super utility role. Both the Rangers and Rockies say that trade talks regarding Young have not been rekindled.
  • The Athletics' rumored pursuit of Chone Figgins makes sense if you consider that he fits Oakland's preference for acquiring players who are fast and defensively sound. To boot, Figgins would cost the A's only about 60 percent of what they were willing to spend on free-agent Adrian Beltre, who signed with the rival Rangers. Olney interprets Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik's comment that Figgins is the Mariners' third baseman as a, "no comment."

Indians Interested In Kevin Millwood

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The Indians are interested in signing free-agent starter Kevin Millwood, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com, but the sides are far apart on a price.

The Royals are in interested in Millwood, as well, and the Yankees may be in play, too, depending on what happens with Andy Pettitte, according to Heyman.

Vladimir Guerrero Rumors: Saturday

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10:23am: Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said that there's no timetable on a Guerrero decision, tweets Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.

9:06am: The Orioles are "settled" on their position in contract negotiations with free-agent Vladimir Guerrero, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.

The O's offer to Vlad stands at $4.5-5MM, and if that's not enough to land him, Baltimore is OK with that, Olney says.

This, of course, after several days of hard bargaining between the Orioles and Guerrero.

Phillies Interested In Signing Jason Grilli

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The Phillies are interested in signing free-agent reliever Jason Grilli to a minor-league deal, writes Paul Hagen of Philly.com.

Grilli, a right-hander, last pitched for the Rangers in 2009. He signed a minor-league deal with the Indians prior to last season before suffering a knee injury that cost him all of the 2010 campaign.

Grilli's best season in the Majors (3.00 ERA) came in 2008, when he split time with the Tigers and Rockies. For his career, he has a 4.74 ERA over 356 2/3 innings.

Grilli, 34, is a former first-round pick of the Giants and has pitched for five teams.

Pujols Would Veto All Trade Proposals

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The Cardinals are not seriously exploring the possibility of trading first baseman Albert Pujols because the superstar slugger, who has full no-trade protection, would veto any swap, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com.

Pujols, slated to become a free agent after the 2011 season, is willing to work out a contract extension with St. Louis but has said that those talks will be tabled on Feb. 19, his first day at Spring Training, so as not to create a distraction.

That means, as Olney notes, the only remaining possibilities are that Pujols signs an extension with the Cardinals or becomes a free agent at season's end. The next 10 days are critical to the Cardinals' efforts to re-sign Pujols, tweets Olney.

Olney speculates that Pujols, who turned 31 this month, will probably command a contract similar to the one Alex Rodriguez signed with the Yankees following the 2007 season — somewhere along the lines of 10 years and $275MM.

For his career, Pujols has posted a ridiculous .331/.426/.624 over 10 seasons, never playing fewer than 143 games in any campaign.

Make Or Break Year: Grady Sizemore

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AQA10042302_Indians_At_Athletics It wasn't too long ago that Grady Sizemore was one of the best players on the planet. He hit .279/.380/.499 with 85 homers and 93 steals from 2006 through 2008, ranking third among all center fielders with a +22.5 UZR. Three All-Star Game appearances, three top-12 finishes in the MVP voting, and two Gold Gloves are fantastic accomplishments over a career. Sizemore did all that before he turned 27. 

It's clear that Grady and his ladies were well on their way to superstardom, but injuries started to get in the way. He battled a sore elbow early in the 2009 season, eventually hitting the disabled list for over three weeks with inflammation. With the Indians out of the race and his batting line sitting at a respectable but un-Grady-like .248/.343/.445 in early-September, Sizemore shut it down for the season and had surgery on both his elbow and abdomen.

Healthy at the outset of the 2010, Sizemore's season lasted all of 33 games. He hurt his knee sliding into a base in April then re-aggravated the injury the next month, playing his final game of the season on May 16th. Sizemore hit just .211/.271/.289, and had mirofracture surgery on his left knee in early-June. The six-to-nine month recovery time has him on track for Opening Day, and ESPN's Buster Olney reported last week that Grady has started hitting off a tee, the first wave of baseball activity he's performed since the surgery.

The Indians made waves by signing Sizemore to a six-year, $23.45MM contract back in 2006, then the largest contract (in terms of guaranteed money) ever given to a player with less than two years of service time. That contract expires at the end of the 2011 season, though the team will have to decide between a $9MM club option for 2012 or a $500K buyout.

That option looked like a no-brainer not too long ago, but it's been two full seasons since Sizemore was healthy enough to play more than 106 games, and it's been close to two calendar years since he was completely healthy and productive. We've heard that the Indians would love to trade their second highest paid player, but he's got to prove his health before the team can even think about getting fair value in return. 

Sizemore won't turn 29 until August, and a return to his MVP-caliber form will ensure that his option is picked up. If he doesn't rebound, he'll hit the open market with his stock at an all-time low. 

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Red Sox Notes: Starting Pitcher, Cuban Prospects

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Three years ago today, the Red Sox acquired David Aardsma from the White Sox for a pair of minor leaguers. Aardsma pitched to a 5.55 ERA in 48 2/3 innings for Boston in 2008, then was shipped to the Mariners after the season. Here's the latest from Beantown…

  • GM Theo Epstein told WEEI.com's Rob Bradford that the team's Spring Training roster is fully constructed. "Who knows when there might be a waiver claim, or one more minor league sign," said the GM, "but, we’re more or less set."
  • Epstein said one thing they would target on a minor league deal is a starting pitcher. "We do feel OK about our starting depth. That's one area we’re still looking, there might be a late minor-league sign, somebody who can go to Triple-A."
  • Alex Speier, Bradford's colleague at WWEI.com, wrote about the Red Sox and their cache of Cuban talent at the minor league level, highlighted by shortstop Jose Iglesias. 

Quick Hits: Duchscherer, Ohlendorf, Tolleson

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Links for Friday…

  • Justin Duchscherer threw 50-55 pitches in front of two teams today, including the Orioles according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. Duchscherer has invited every team except the Athletics to a public workout next Tuesday. Connolly says it's possible he'll sign before then. (Twitter links)
  • "Both sides of the table are hopeful of finding a solution without going to a hearing," said Pirates GM Neal Huntington to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch when asked about Ross Ohlendorf's arbitration case. "But both sides are fully prepared to go to a hearing if that's the only way to find a resolution. That's not an ideal ending, and I think both sides are fully aware of the ramifications if we had to go there." Pittsburgh hasn't gone to a hearing with a player since Jack Wilson in 2004. Our Arbitration Tracker shows that Ohlendorf filed for $2.02MM, the team $1.4MM.
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock says we shouldn't expect the Padres to move any starting pitchers in Spring Training this year.
  • The Athletics announced that infielder Steven Tolleson has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A. He was designated for assignment last week when Oakland announced the Brian Fuentes signing.

Blue Jays Avoid Arbitration With Jason Frasor

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The Blue Jays and Jason Frasor have agreed to a one-year contract worth $3.5MM according to a press release. The deal also includes a club option for 2012 worth $3.75MM. Frasor accepted arbitration back in November rather than hit the open market as a Type-A free agent reliever. 

The 33-year-old right-hander posted a 3.68 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 63 2/3 innings last season, and over the last two years he owns a 3.12 ERA, 9.0 K/9, and 3.2 BB/9. Frasor is the incumbent in a rebuilt Toronto bullpen that lost Scott Downs and Kevin Gregg but added Carlos Villanueva, Octavio Dotel, Jon Rauch, and Frank Francisco.

Our Arbitration Tracker shows that Frasor filed for $3.73MM while the team countered with $3.25MM. The new deal essentially splits the two figures.

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