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Archives for February 2011

Dodgers Sign Juan Rincon

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The Dodgers have signed reliever Juan Rincon to a minor-league contract, the pitcher told Augusto Cárdenas at the Venezuelan paper Diario Panorama (link in Spanish). Rincon said the contract does not include an invitation to Spring Training, but he may still end up pitching there, as he noted, "I have to go to a mini-camp in order to be ready for big league [exhibition] games."

Rincon, 32, appeared in just two games for the Rockies last season and struggled at the team's Triple-A affiliate. The right-hander has shown that he can still strike hitters out in his light major league duty over the last two seasons, but control has eluded him since his mid-2000s heyday with the Twins.

Michael Bourn Hires Scott Boras

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If you thought the busy portion of Scott Boras' offseason ended when he found deals for Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon, you were mistaken. The agent has recently added Robinson Cano and, according to Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner, now represents Michael Bourn.

Bourn, 28, led the National League in stolen bases for the second consective season in 2010, winning his second Gold Glove in center field. He hit .265/.341/.346 in 605 plate appearances to go along with 52 steals in 64 attempts.

Bourn will earn $4.4MM in 2011, his second season as an arbitration eligible player. The former SFX client will be eligible for free agency after 2012. Click here for a list of Boras' clients.

Volquez Rejected Four-Year Extension

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The Reds attempted to lock up yet another of their key young talents this offseason, but their proposal was handed back to them. Edinson Volquez told Julio Castro at the Domincan paper El Caribe (link in Spanish) that the team offered him a four-year extension, but he rejected it, preferring to bank on his value increasing over the coming season.

"They were offering me a contract for four years, the same as Johnny Cueto, but I didn't feel it was right for me. I spoke with the lawyer and the general manager, and we all agreed on a single season," Volquez explained while in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.

Volquez didn't mention the amount of the offer, but Cueto's $27MM deal is an ambitious point of comparison. Cueto has gradually developed into a reliable mid-rotation option for the team, managing at least 30 starts in each of the last three seasons, while Volquez's ultimate $1.6MM contract is reflective of two seasons cut short by elbow surgery and a 50-game PED suspension. After an up-and-down summer, he looked stronger in the final month of last season, pitching deep into games and collecting strikeouts in line with his career rate of 8.7 K/9. These results, and his offseason workouts, have Volquez feeling bullish about 2011.

"Having a good year this season is my mission. Depending on my performance, we'll seek a contract of at least four years with the team," he predicted. "I can't define the amount we're going to seek following the next year, but it's going to be for that quantity of years." And should he have second thoughts, the 27-year-old pitcher (three years older than Cueto) indicated that some manner of offer is still on the table, saying, "Things remain open in case I want to sign during Spring Training or in the middle of the season."

Albert Pujols Rumors: Friday

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The deadline for an extension between Albert Pujols and the Cardinals is nearly upon us and the sides don't appear to be making much progress in advance of Wednesday's deadline. As tempting as it is to start imagining the three-time MVP in a Royals cap or an Orioles jersey, that's probably premature. If you ask Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, talk of the deadline is overblown because the sides could decide to push it forward. Here's the latest on the Cardinals and their star first baseman, with the latest updates up top:

  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney agrees: there has been no recent progress (Twitter link).
  • One observer tells Jon Heyman of SI.com that the Cardinals and Pujols are "speaking two different languages'' and not close to a deal. By all accounts, the sides have lots of work to do, according to Heyman.
  • It looks like a Pujols extension is less likely than Mark McGwire playing this year, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).
  • Matt Holliday said on ESPN Radio that he would consider deferring part of his contract if it meant the Cardinals could extend Pujols. But Holliday tells MLB.com's Matthew Leach that the suggestion was "very hypothetical" and that the Cardinals haven't brought up the idea of deferring money.

Orioles, Guthrie Avoid Arbitration

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The Orioles avoided arbitration with Jeremy Guthrie, agreeing to a one-year deal, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The deal is worth $5.75MM plus award bonuses, according to CAA, Guthrie's agency, on Twitter. The Orioles offered $5MM and Guthrie countered with a $6.5MM submission before the sides agreed to a deal at the midpoint.

The former first rounder reached the 200-inning plateau for the second consecutive season last year, posting a 3.83 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. Guthrie, who will likely be Baltimore's Opening Day starter, has started at least 30 games for three consecutive seasons.

As I explained last month, Guthrie's case would likely have involved a discussion of durability vs. dominance. However, the sides avoided Wednesday's scheduled hearing, so the point is moot for another year.

As our Arb Tracker shows, only seven arbitration eligible players remain unsigned for 2011. All of the Orioles' arbitration eligible players are under contract for 2011, now that Guthrie and Luke Scott agreed to one-year deals. Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun points out that the Orioles haven't gone to an arbitration hearing since 2006.

Olney On Mets, Dodgers, Pujols

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A year ago it was the Rangers and Cubs. Now, the Mets and Dodgers have ownership issues, as ESPN.com's Buster Olney explains in his latest blog entry. Here are the details…

  • Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has “serious” financial problems, according to Olney. The day-to-day costs of running a team could soon create more of a need for cash for McCourt, who has looked for investors, but has not shown any interest in selling off much of the team.
  • MLB is expected to let the Dodgers ownership situation play out on its own, writes Olney. 
  • The Dodgers’ ownership issues appear to be “much more immediate” than those of the Mets, but the Mets have significant financial obligations in a number of areas. For more on the Madoff/Wilpon/Mets mess, read Howard Megdal's latest for MLBTR.
  • Both the Mets and Dodgers have been mentioned as hypothetical landing spots for Albert Pujols, who will hit free agency if he doesn’t sign an extension by the time Spring Training starts. One rival executive suggested to Olney that the Cubs could become the top bidder for Pujols if he hits the open market. "I think their ownership is gearing up for that," the executive said.

Offseason In Review: Minnesota Twins

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Kicking off our Offseason In Review series, the Twins.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

This winter Twins GM Bill Smith signed Pavano and Thome again, albeit at larger commitments given their fine 2010 campaigns.  He cut ties with Hardy after one season, gambling on the international market with Nishioka rather than dealing with the weak domestic middle infield market.  The Twins also saw a large chunk of their 2010 bullpen sign elsewhere and chose not to sign replacements.

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By re-signing Pavano, the Twins maintained the starting pitching depth that allowed them to place fifth in the AL in rotation ERA in 2010.  Pavano has begun to shake the reputation he acquired during his Yankees stint.  Including the playoffs he's racked up 433 1/3 innings over 2009-10, so he's been a horse.  Still, Smith did well in waiting him out and limiting the term to two years.  Cliff Lee, Ted Lilly and Jorge de la Rosa were the only free agent starters to sign for three-plus years this offseason.  Pavano and Scott Baker are solid sidekicks to ace Francisco Liriano, who I do not believe the Twins are open to trading.       

At $3MM, the money committed to Thome remains reasonable.  He's primed to hit his 600th home run in a Twins uniform after turning down more than $4MM from the Rangers.  Once again Smith's patience paid off and he was able to negotiate a slight Minnesota discount.  On the other hand, a net price of $4.9MM for Kubel is fairly steep if he ends up spending most of his time as a platoon DH.  Hideki Matsui and Jack Cust are coming off better offensive seasons and signed for less.

The Hudson-Hardy middle infield combination is gone after one season, with the Twins importing Nishioka from Japan to play second or shortstop and going with Alexi Casilla for the other position.  Spending $14.3MM on a player with no MLB experience is a gamble, but it would have cost just under $6MM to retain Hardy.  Rather than simply non-tendering Hardy after another disappointing season, the Twins paired him with Harris and cleared $1.25MM in salary they otherwise would have been burdened with.  That the return was Hoey and Jacobson suggests the Hardy trade was more of a salary dump than anything else.

As MLBTR's Mike Axisa outlined a month ago, the Twins' bullpen took a big hit with the losses of Crain, Guerrier, Fuentes, Rauch, and Mahay.  In hindsight, the risk of offering arbitration to Type A free agent Guerrier and Type B free agent Rauch might have been worthwhile.  But more importantly, the Twins were wise not to commit multiyear contracts to their departing relievers.  They've got Joe Nathan coming back and another year of Matt Capps, and can piece together the rest of the pen without adding more veterans to an already tapped-out payroll.  The bullpen depth doesn't look good on paper, but Smith can always make midseason additions if no one emerges.

Like most teams, the Twins have concerns heading into Spring Training.  The bullpen must be sorted out.  A slew of key players are coming off "cleanup" type surgeries, and Justin Morneau is still recovering from last year's concussion.  Middle infield roles must be determined for Nishioka and Casilla.  And third baseman Danny Valencia must avoid a sophomore slump.  But these were not issues the Twins could have solved by opening the free agent checkbook in tandem with the division rival Tigers and White Sox.  Smith's trademark patience resulted in significant savings this winter, perhaps leaving some midseason flexibility for trades.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Quick Hits: Drese, Johnson, Delcarmen, Reyes

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Eleven year ago today, the Ken Griffey Jr. era came to an end in Seattle. The Mariners traded their franchise player to the Reds for a four player package highlighted by Mike Cameron and Brett Tomko, and later that day Junior signed a nine-year, $116.5MM contract. 

Here's a few links for the evening…

Make Or Break Year: Joel Zumaya

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46520100620057_Dbacks_at_Tigers Long before Aroldis Chapman defected from Cuba, Joel Zumaya was the guy breaking all sorts of velocity records. During the 2006 ALDS, MLB Advanced Media's pitch tracking system clocked one of his fastballs at 104.8 mph, heights previously unreached. Zumaya, now 26, burst onto the scene that year with a 1.94 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 83 1/3 innings, holding opponents to a .187/.287/.270 batting line. The Tigers had their closer-in-waiting with Todd Jones nearing the end of his career, but injuries started to strike.

Since the start of the 2007 season, Zumaya has been on the 60-day disabled list five times, at least once per season. He had shoulder surgery to repair an AC joint separation in 2007, an injury he suffered helping his family move items in advance of California wildfires. Two years later he had another surgery on his shoulder, this time to correct a non-union stress fracture. Last year he suffered perhaps the ugliest injury of all, fracturing a bone in his elbow mid-pitch. 

That breakout 2006 season has been followed by four seasons with no more than 38 1/3 innings. Zumaya has been effective when he's been on the mound though, striking out 8.1 batters per nine and pitching to a 3.78 ERA over the last four years. He's not what he was that rookie season, but he's certainly been a quality relief arm, and quality relief arms have been rewarded with handsome multiyear contracts this winter.

Zumaya is now entering his final season of team control. He and the Tigers have already agreed to a $1.4MM salary for 2011, but that's a pittance compared to what he could make in the future with a strong and, most importantly, healthy season. Zumaya has already started throwing off a mound and is on track for Opening Day, but that's just step one of a season-long process.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Giants Sign Edgar Gonzalez

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The Giants have signed infielder Edgar Gonzalez to a minor league contract, reports Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter). He did not receive an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

Gonzalez, 32, appeared in 193 games with the Padres between 2008 and 2009, hitting .255/.312/.381 in 522 plate appearances while playing all four infield positions and the corner outfield spots. He spent the 2010 season with the Yomiuri Giants, and is the older brother of former Padres teammate Adrian Gonzalez.

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