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Archives for February 2011

Padres Notes: Bell, Zaun, Bullpen

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Here's the latest from the Padres as they try to match their surprising 2010 season…

Michael Young Rumors: Tuesday

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We heard yesterday that the Rangers are talking to at least two teams about Michael Young and could still deal him. The Rockies aren't one of the two clubs, but their expansion cousins are interested. The Marlins inquired on Young, though they would likely need Texas to take on most of his contract. Here's the latest on Young with the most recent updates up top:

  • Ozzie Guillen once called Young his favorite non-White Sox player in baseball, but the Chicago manager doesn't think his team will make a move to acquire the infielder, reports MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  Guillen is happy with his current third base options and doesn't believe the Sox have enough payroll space to afford Young.
  • A D'Backs source tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the Snakes and Rangers did discuss a Young trade at one point, but "we haven’t spoken to them for a while.”
  • The Diamondbacks are interested in Young, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The D'Backs believe Young is a potential upgrade over third baseman Melvin Mora, but talks haven't developed much yet and they may not pick up. Arizona would need Texas to pick up a considerable chunk of Young's $48MM contract to make a deal work, but the Rangers are saying they don't want to include much money in a trade. Like the Marlins, the D'Backs would need Young's approval for any deal to go through.
  • The Marlins appear to view Young as a $6-7MM player, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). They could want more than $30MM in salary relief in possible trades with Texas.
  • The Mets never called the Rangers about Young, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The front office is concerned about the $48MM remaining on Young’s contract and his ability to play second base. The Mets, who are not on Young’s list of accepted destinations, want to evaluate their in-house second base candidates and having Young around would prevent them from doing so.

Buchholz Sees Lester Extension As “A Good Starting Point”

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When MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith mentioned Clay Buchholz as an extension candidate last September, Ben noted that Buchholz's rotation mate Jon Lester was a close comparable.  Buchholz himself apparently agrees with the comparison, as he told WEEI.com's Alex Speier that he would appreciate a multiyear deal akin to the five-year, $30MM pact that Lester signed with the Red Sox before the 2009 season, or the similar extensions signed by Ricky Romero in Toronto and Yovani Gallardo in Milwaukee.

“I think that would definitely be a base model for it — numbers-wise, security reasons, I think every player with less than three years of service time, that’s what they strive for,” said Buchholz. “I’m not saying I’m as good as Lester or I deserve what he got, but just from the other guys who signed their deal in the past year or so with the same service, I think that’s definitely a good starting point if there ever was one.”

The Sox haven't approached Buchholz about an extension this winter, and if the team waits until sometime during or after the 2011 season to explore a long-term deal, another strong season from Buchholz could make his extension more expensive than the deals signed by Lester, Gallardo or Romero.  There's no question Boston can afford to extend the right-hander, but doing so sooner rather than later might save the team an extra $5-10MM on a contract.  Buchholz will be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season.  

Mets Sign Jason Isringhausen

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The Mets have signed right-hander Jason Isringhausen to a minor league contract that includes an invite to their Major League Spring Training camp, reports Newsday's David Lennon. (Twitter link)

Isringhausen, 38, last pitched in the majors in 2009 with the Rays before undergoing Tommy John surgery.  He signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati last summer and threw just 5 2/3 innings for the Reds' Triple-A affiliate.  Isringhausen threw a bullpen session for the Reds last month and another for the Mets today, so obviously the Mets brass liked what they saw from the 14-year veteran.

Isringhausen was originally drafted by the Mets in the 44th round of the 1991 draft, and he pitched for the club from 1995-99 before being traded to Oakland in July 1999.  It was after leaving the Mets that "Izzy" blossomed into a top closer, accumulating 272 saves and a 2.81 ERA between 2000 and 2008 with the A's and Cardinals.

Central Notes: La Russa, Boras, Astros, Looper

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In a ceremony today at the White House for winners of the Presidential Medal Of Freedom, President Obama described Cardinals legend Stan Musial as "an icon, untarnished, a beloved pillar of the community, a gentleman you would want your kids to emulate."  Congratulations to Musial for adding this prestigious award to his overflowing list of lifetime achievements.

Let's look at the middle of the baseball map for news from the NL and AL Central divisions…

  • Tony La Russa is facing sharp criticism over his comments that the MLBPA was pressuring Albert Pujols to sign a record-setting contract.  Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports calls La Russa's statement "excessive and nonsensical."  Agent Scott Boras, speaking to Jim Duquette and Kevin Kennedy on MLB Network Radio today, said La Russa's comments were "really not well thought out" and lacking in evidence.
  • Boras noted that he hasn't spoken "at length" with his client Matt Holliday about Holliday's recent statement that he would consider deferring money from his own contract if it meant St. Louis could keep Pujols.  "Matt is very generous and Matt really wants the best for his team and he wants to win," Boras said.  Thanks to Andrew FitzPatrick of SiriusXM for providing a transcript of Boras' interview.
  • Ed Wade discussed Hunter Pence's leadership abilities, his club's bullpen depth, Brett Wallace's opportunity to win an everyday job and other Astros topics in a media Q&A session.  MLB.com's Brian McTaggart has the partial transcript.
  • Braden Looper tells MLB.com's Carrie Muskat that he would've retired if he hadn't been signed by the Cubs, since he and his family live in the Chicago area.  Looper expressed his interest in pitching for the Cubs last winter and sat out the 2010 season after not finding an acceptable contract.
  • Chris Antonetti says the chances of the Indians acquiring another starter are "slim," tweets Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
  • Also from Hoynes, Orlando Cabrera's deal with the Tribe will become official once the infielder passes a physical over the next two days.
  • Daniel Hudson talks to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune about the deal that sent the young right-hander from the White Sox to the Diamondbacks last summer.
  • The Royals finalized their $300K contract with Dominican pitcher Darwin Castillo, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  The team has yet to determine if the 6'5" right-hander will go to the Arizona Rookie League or pitch for the Royals' Dominican academy.

Oswalt On Retirement; Hamels On Future In Philly

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Roy Oswalt is still considering retirement after the 2011 season, while his rotation mate Cole Hamels wants to sign an extension to stay in Philadelphia, reports Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.

Oswalt told Morosi last February that "this year [2010] and next year will probably be it."  Oswalt didn't sound quite as definitive on Monday, but said that retirement is still on his mind.

“I’ll play this year and see how it goes,” Oswalt said. “I’ll see where my body’s at and pretty much go from there.”

2011 is the last guaranteed year on Oswalt's contract.  The Phils hold a $16MM option on the veteran right-hander for 2012, and Oswalt can choose to opt out of this option himself, though doing so would reduce the $2MM buyout price.  Oswalt turns 34 in August but is still pitching at a high enough level that if he remains in good form through this season, the Phillies probably wouldn't hesitate to exercise that option. 

Oswalt has never played for a World Series winner, so it's possible the Phillies' performance this season will influence his future plans.  If the Phils win the Series, Oswalt could choose to walk away from the game on the high note of his first championship.  If the club falls short, Oswalt could decide to return in 2012 to take one last shot at a title on a Phillies team that is still set up to contend.

Oswalt's retirement would make a long-term extension for Hamels even more of a priority than it probably already is for the Phils.  Hamels is entering the last year of a three-year, $20.5MM pact he signed with Philadelphia before the 2009 season, but the left-hander still has one more year of arbitration eligibility left as a Super Two player.

We heard in January that the Phillies hadn't begun to discuss a multiyear deal with Hamels, but the left-hander told Rosenthal/Morosi that he is very interested in remaining in Philadelphia.

“I want to be here as long as I possibly can,” Hamels said. “It’s why Cliff ( Lee) came back. It’s the reason Roy ( Halladay) wanted to be here. It’s a great place to play….I want to be here for the majority of my time of being a baseball player. I’ve never looked at anything else.”

NL East Notes: Chipper, Zimmerman, Lee, Trump

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NL East teams have nearly finished their offseason shopping, but could make a move or two while Spring Training is underway. Here are the details…

  • Chipper Jones was thinking about retirement last year, but tells Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) that he wants to play until the end of his current contract, which is guaranteed through the 2012 season.  The Braves hold a $7MM option on Jones for 2013 which can also vest if Jones plays a certain number of games over the next two seasons.
  • Ryan Zimmerman pushed the Nationals to re-sign his friend Adam Dunn, but Zimmerman said his disappointment over Dunn's depature shouldn't be interpreted as criticism of the the club, writes CSNWashington's Mark Zuckerman.  "I was just expressing more frustrations of losing a teammate and a friend than anything," Zimmerman said.  "I think a lot of people took it as I was taking a stab at [the Nats] or talking bad about them, which was completely the opposite."
  • Michael Weiner said the MLBPA was happy with Cliff Lee's decision to sign with the Phillies, rather than sign for larger contracts in Texas or New York, tweets Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan.  "Not only were we not upset Cliff got to go to the Phillies, we applauded him," Weiner said.
  • Donald Trump told Alison Leigh Cowan and Ken Belson of the New York Times that he's interested in buying a majority stake in the Mets. Trump says he called Fred Wilpon about two weeks ago to set up a meeting.
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson says it's "unlikely" that the Mets discuss an extension with Jose Reyes before Opening Day, according to ESPNNewYork's Adam Rubin. Reyes is set to hit free agency after the season and has said he's open to a long-term deal. The $1 billion lawsuit against the Mets owners won't prevent the Mets from signing Reyes to a multiyear deal, Alderson said.
  • Jason Isringhausen auditioned for the Mets today, according to Newsday's David Lennon (on Twitter). Alderson and two of his assistants, J.P. Ricciardi and Paul DePodesta, are familiar with the longtime closer from his time in Oakland. Isringhausen first appeared in the majors as a starter for the Mets in 1995.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Phillies' starters would rather pitch than talk about their place in baseball history.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

Cubs Acquire Robert Coello

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The Cubs acquired Robert Coello from the Red Sox for minor league infielder Tony Thomas, the teams announced. The Red Sox designated Coello for assignment last week and moved closer to a deal this afternoon.

Coello led Red Sox minor leaguers with 130 strikeouts last year, before pitching in the Dominican Winter League and the Mexican Pacific League. He spent last season in the upper minors, where he posted a 3.86 ERA with 10.9 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 107 1/3 innings as a starter and reliever. The Red Sox called the 26-year-old up for a six-game stint in the majors at the end of the season. The Reds drafted Coello as a catcher in 2004 and the Angels converted him to a pitcher before the 2007 season.

Thomas, 24, placed second in the Southern League in triples (11) and fourth in slugging percentage (.485) last year. The 2007 third rounder was at Double-A for the second consecutive season; he posted a .276/.338/.485 line with 15 stolen bases in 17 attempts.

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reported yesterday that the Red Sox were moving toward a trade.

Brewers, Weeks Discussing Long-Term Deal

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The Brewers and Rickie Weeks are discussing an extension that would buy out at least two of the second baseman's free agent seasons, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The deal would be for three to five years and would eliminate the need for Thursday's scheduled arbitration hearing.

As MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows, Weeks is one of four arbitration eligible players who don't have contracts for 2011. Kelly Johnson, a top comparable for Weeks, settled for $5.85MM earlier today. That's below the midpoint for Weeks and the Brewers, but today's agreement doesn't necessarily hurt Weeks, who was working from a higher base salary ($2.75MM) than Johnson.

Next winter's crop of free agent second basemen will become a little less interesting if Weeks signs long-term. He is scheduled to hit free agency after the 2011 season. The Brewers picked up negotiations with Weeks last week after setting talks aside for a while.

Red Sox Expect To Trade Robert Coello

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The Red Sox expect to trade right-hander Robert Coello within a couple days, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. A few teams are interested in the 26-year-old, who was designated for assignment last week to create roster space for Alfredo Aceves.

Coello pitched in both the Dominican Winter League and the Mexican Pacific League this winter after leading Red Sox minor leaguers with 130 strikeouts in 2010. The Cincinnati Reds draft choice spent most of the 2010 season pitching for Boston's top affiliates, before appearing in six games with the Red Sox. He posted a 3.86 ERA with 10.9 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 107 1/3 innings as a swingman in the upper minors.

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