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Archives for February 2011

Blue Jays, Bautista Discussing Multiyear Deal

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8:44pm: In a text message to Morosi, Bautista confirmed that the hearing has been rescheduled for Friday and the sides are talking about multiyear proposals.

6:48pm: Bautista's arbitration hearing has been postponed until Friday, tweets Morosi.

5:55pm: Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has issued the following comment, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). 

"Our arbitration hearing with Jose Bautista has been postponed to allow further negotiation between the player and the club," the GM said.

Meanwhile, Morosi also tweets that the slugger told him that he is still "very hopeful" about remaining in Toronto long term.

5:30pm: The Blue Jays are discussing a multiyear deal with Jose Bautista and have asked that his arbitration hearing be postponed until Friday, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com.

Bautista said last week that he would stop discussing long-term deals with the Blue Jays after his arbitration hearing, which had been scheduled for today. If the Blue Jays' request is granted, they will have four extra days to work out a deal with Bautista and his representatives at Proformance.

Bautista, one of five unsigned arbitration eligible players, filed for $10.5MM and the Blue Jays countered with $7.6MM, as our Arb Tracker shows. Bautista hit a major league-leading 54 homers last year and posted a .260/.378/.617 line for the Blue Jays. For more on his case click here.

Yankees Notes: Rotation, Sabathia

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Some Yankees-related news as things get underway in Tampa..

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman is still on the lookout for a starting pitcher, either via trade or free agency, writes Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees Blog.  “If it makes sense, I’m ready to rock and roll,” the GM said.  Of course, the Yankees already have plenty of candidates for the backend of the rotation in-house, including Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon, and Ivan Nova, as well as youngsters D.J. Mitchell and David Phelps.
  • Meanwhile, manager Joe Girardi says that the competition is wide open at this stage.  While that could mean that the club's in-house position battle goes down to the wire, it could also mean that there's enough time for a new acquisition to be worked into the mix.  “The chances that the fourth and fifth starter role will be answered sooner than later are not very good,” the manager said. “I think we’ll spend all spring evaluating everybody in our camp…So, basically, we have an open competition until March 30.”
  • Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) doesn't blame Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia for keeping his opt-out option open. 
  • Hank Steinbrenner isn't concerned about Sabathia opting-out of his deal, writes Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.  Steinbrenner also says that fans can expect the Yankees to contend every year.

Michael Young Rumors: Monday

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We heard earlier today that the Rangers could start exploring new trade scenarios involving Michael Young. Young can block deals to 21 clubs, but has said he would consider trades on a case by case basis, so Texas might start calling teams on Young's no-trade list. Here's the latest on the Rangers infielder, with the most recent updates up top:

  • The Marlins are interested in Young, major-league sources tell Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  However, one source with knowledge of the talks described the possibility of a deal as a "real reach."  For a deal to happen, Texas would need to assume most of the $48MM left over the final three years of Young’s contract. Young also would need to waive his partial no-trade clause for the as the Marlins are not one of the eight teams on his list.  The article notes that Young, a California native, would probably prefer a trade to the Dodgers or Rockies.
  • The Rangers are talking to at least two teams and the Rockies aren't one of them, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
  • Multiple teams are still interested in Young and there's a 50% chance the Rangers deal him, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links). Young could end up staying in Texas, though the Rangers have made some progress on potential deals.

Quick Hits: Manuel, Doumit, Twins, A’s

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Some links to check out as you celebrate Valentine's Day…

  • Phillies manager Charlie Manuel says he won't want to discuss an extension with the Phillies anymore if he doesn't have a new deal by the time the season starts, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. Manuel's contract expires after the season and his agent has been discussing a deal with the Phillies. 
  • Yahoo's Tim Brown chronicles Giants manager Bruce Bochy's path to last year's World Series championship.
  • Pirates GM Neal Huntington says Ryan Doumit "has value" to Pittsburgh, but admitted that the team could trade Doumit before Opening Day, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). As MLBTR's Mark Polishuk recently explained, it's a make or break year for the catcher/outfielder.
  • The Twins agreed to sign Dominican right-hander Felix Jorge for $250K, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Jorge has an 88-91 mph fastball with "a good delivery, a loose arm and [some] feel for spinning a solid curveball," according to Badler.
  • A's GM Billy Beane told John Sickels of Minor League Ball that he likes the idea of trading draft picks. Click through for an interesting read on what Beane looks for in a pitcher and how he evaluates some of the current Athletics.
  • Be sure to check out RotoAuthority if you're a fantasy player wondering how this year's crop of shortstops looks.

Yankees Designate Brian Schlitter For Assignment

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The Yankees announced that they designated right-hander Brian Schlitter for assignment today to create roster space for Andruw Jones, whose signing finally became official. The Yankees claimed the 25-year-old off of waivers from the Cubs last month.

Schlitter appeared in seven games for the Cubs last year and surrendered 18 hits and five walks in eight innings, striking out seven. He spent most of the season at Triple-A Iowa, where he posted a 3.15 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 45 2/3 innings in his first season at the highest level of the minors.

Chad Jennings of the Journal News heard last month that "Schlitter is built around a fastball that sits around 92 mph and reaches 94-95 with good sink. He also has a changeup and a slider’s that’s “OK” but could get better with a little work."

Dessens Deal Falls Through; Giants To Sign Lawrence

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Elmer Dessens' minor league deal with the Giants fell through and the Giants agreed to a minor league deal with Brian Lawrence, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links). Lawrence, who last pitched in the majors in 2007, will report to minor league camp.

Dessens, who would have earned $600K at the major league level, posted a 2.30 ERA and a career-low strikeout rate in 53 appearances for the Mets last year. He drew interest from teams in both leagues before agreeing to sign with the Giants, so it's possible that another club will sign him this spring.

Lawrence, 34, spent last season in the Marlins organization at Triple-A New Orleans. He started 25 games and logged 142 2/3 innings with a 4.42 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. The longtime Padres starter averaged over 200 innings from 2002-05 and has a 4.19 ERA in 963 career innings.

Cubs, Marmol Agree To Three-Year Deal

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The Cubs agreed to a three-year extension with closer Carlos Marmol, avoiding arbitration, the team announced. Marmol's deal is worth $20MM over three years, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter). Marmol will earn $3.2MM in 2011, $7MM in 2012 and $9.8MM in 2013, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter).

The 28-year-old right-hander struck out a career-high 16 batters per nine innings last year, saving 38 games and posting a 2.55 ERA. He walked lots of batters (6.0 BB/9) as usual and was exceptionally difficult to hit (4.6 H/9). Marmol's new deal keeps him in Chicago through his age-30 season.

The contract buys out Marmol's two remaining seasons of arbitration eligibility and covers his first free agent season. Agent Barry Praver represents Marmol, who earned $2.125MM last year.

As MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows, this is the second time this offseason the Cubs have agreed to an extension with an arbitration eligible pitcher. They signed Sean Marshall to a two-year deal last month. Only five arbitration eligible players remain unsigned for 2011: Jose Bautista, Kelly Johnson, Hunter Pence, Rickie Weeks and Delmon Young. 

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement.

Weaver Remains Open To Long-Term Deal

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Jered Weaver told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that he remains open to extension talks with the Angels, who beat him in arbitration last week. The Halos didn’t make progress on a deal with agent Scott Boras, but the sides could pick up talks after the season.

"From my understanding, it didn't go anywhere," Weaver said. "I'm open to it. I would love to play with the Angels for a long time, and if we can get something done, we will. But I don't want it hanging over my head through the season."

Weaver made $4.625MM last year, when he led the majors in strikeouts. He will earn $7.365MM in 2011, instead of the $8.8MM salary he asked for and won’t hit free agency until after 2012. Arbitration hearings can create or amplify tension between teams and players, but Weaver says he has a “thick skin” and that the Angels weren’t too harsh during the hearing.

"It was kind of fun," Weaver said. "It wasn't like sitting in math class where I wasn't paying attention. It was interesting … You wish you didn't have to do it, but this game has become very business-oriented."

Weaver, 28, posted a 3.01 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 224 1/3 innings last year, making the All-Star team and finishing fifth in Cy Young balloting.

MLBTR At FanGraphs: The 2010-11 Relief Market

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I'm writing a series of guest posts at FanGraphs, one of the first places baseball fans go for top analysis and stats. Today, I take a closer look at the burst of multiyear contracts for relievers. Owners were no doubt responsible to a large degree, but I argue that Brandon Lyon deserves at least a little bit of credit for setting his fellow relievers up.

AL East Links: Rays, Bautista, Yankees

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The latest from Florida, where pitchers and catchers are reporting to AL East Spring Training camps…

  • Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told Erik Hahmann of DRaysBay that "starting pitching, position players who can help you on both sides of the ball, and impact talent up the middle" are difficult or impossible for the Rays to obtain on the open market. That's why the Rays expect the upcoming draft to be some of "the most important days in the history of [the Tampa Bay] franchise." Friedman admits that the Rays face different challenges than, say, the Yankees or Red Sox, but expects his club to compete in 2011.
  • Jose Bautista, who set a deadline for extension talks with the Blue Jays, told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he is "still very hopeful” about signing long-term with the Jays. Bautista's arbitration hearing is scheduled for today, so we'll know by tomorrow whether he's going to sign an extension or make $10.5MM or $7.6MM this year.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out that some aging players are crucial to the Yankees' success in 2011.

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