Archives for February 2011

Jose Guillen Considering Retirement

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 22, 2011 at 4:56pm CDT

Jose Guillen told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes that he will call it a career if he doesn't have a contract offer within a week (link in Spanish). Guillen says he has told his agent to gauge interest around the league in case teams are looking for an outfielder/DH. And if no teams come calling, Guillen says he'll walk away from the game.

"If I don't have any offers within a week, I will retire from baseball permanently," Guillen said, before explaining that he's ready to play after a trying 2010 season. "If I receive an attractive offer, I'm willing to try. Otherwise, I know that it's over."

Guillen, 34, posted a .258/.314/.416 line with 19 homers for the Royals and Giants last year. He struggled with neck injuries, dealt with an HGH investigation and was left off of the Giants' playoff roster.

Draft Prospect Q&A: Sonny Gray

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 22, 2011 at 3:17pm CDT

As the 2011 Draft draws closer, MLBTR will be introducing you to a handful of the top eligible prospects with a series of Q&As. The series debuts today with one of the top college pitchers in the nation.

Vanderbilt right-hander Sonny Gray has "the best curveball in college baseball," according to Baseball America, and ESPN.com's Keith Law suggested last week that he has an outside shot of being the first overall pick this June. According to Baseball America, some scouts wonder if Gray's future is in the bullpen. But with an above-average curve, a 93-96 mph fastball and a change-up, he could become a starter like Mike Minor and David Price, two Vanderbilt products who were selected in the first round.

Gray talked to MLBTR about his size, his curveball and Roy Halladay. Here's a transcript of our conversation:

Ben Nicholson-Smith – Can you describe your pitches and what kind of pitcher you are?

Sonny Gray – I’m a guy that has a pretty good fastball and I like to use it a lot. I also rely on my curveball quite a bit. It’s been a pitch that I’ve been able to go to for a while – ever since I can remember pitching. I like to throw mainly a lot of fastballs and curveballs and I’d say between fastball and curve that’s probably 85% of the pitches I throw.

Varying speeds on my curveball of course, so some are a few miles an hour harder, which can make a difference, and I mix in change-ups. I kind of like to just go after the hitter and just throw my stuff against their bat and see what I can get out of it.

BNS – It sounds like you’re pretty comfortable with your curveball at this point.

SG - Yeah, I’ve always been pretty confident in it. It’s always been something I can use and it’s always worked pretty well. If I need to make a big pitch, I’ll go to either that or my fastball, but I’m pretty confident in [the curve].

I’m really confident in my fastball as well and I’m gaining confidence in the change-up. This year I’m going to end up throwing it a lot more and I threw it quite a bit this summer, so I’ve just got to gain more confidence in that pitch and I’m starting to get that, since I’m starting to have success with it.

BNS - Is that one of your goals for the season? To keep working the change-up into the repertoire?

SG - It’s not one of my goals. My goal is to get outs and win games. If it’s throwing a change-up that certain night, then I’ll throw a change-up. If it’s not throwing any, I won’t throw any. If it’s mixing everything, I’ll mix everything. It’s just the way the flow of the game goes.

I don’t think that’s a goal – ‘today I’ve got to make sure I throw a change-up.’ I don’t really look at it that way. It’s just whatever I need for each particular outing.

BNS - Tell me about how you’ve changed or evolved as a pitcher since the Cubs took you back in [the 27th round in] ’08.

SG - I’ve changed a lot actually. I still go with the fastballs and curveballs, but I’ve added I think 25 or 30 pounds. Back then I was 5’11” and 170 or 175 [pounds] and now I’m right at 200.

I’ve learned how to pitch a lot more. In high school you can kind of throw it by people, but here you have to learn how to throw the ball to both sides of the plate – which is important – and I’ve learned a lot about the game. I’ve learned how to pitch, I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’m able to correct things now if something’s not going well, I can correct things in the moment which was something I wasn’t able to do then. Back then I’d try to rear back and throw as hard as I could if something wasn’t going right, but now I know why stuff happens and I’m able to correct if from one pitch to the next.

BNS - You said that throwing change-ups is not one of your goals, but what goals would you say that you do have for the rest of the college season?

SG - The goal is just to get out there and give the team a chance to win every game. There’s going to be outings when I’m really good, when my stuff’s real good and there’s also going to be outings like last Friday when my stuff’s not quite there and the offense is going to have to pick me up [Gray pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and four hits and striking out six against the University of San Diego on Friday]. But to be able to give the team a chance to win every Friday night I go out there is one of my main goals.

BNS – Do you watch a lot of big league baseball? Are you a big baseball fan in general?

SG - Yeah, I am actually.

BNS - What major leaguers do you look up to?

SG - Roy Halladay does things the right way. His team follows around him; he knows how to come into a new place and maintain his work ethic.

Also the guys coming out from Vandy, guys that I’m pretty close with. I check to see how David [Price] does every time he pitches. We’ve developed a little bit of a relationship, coming from Vandy. So I look up to him and his success as well.

BNS - How much does the success of a guy like David Price or Mike Minor drive you?

SG - It does. Just to be able to see what they’ve done and try to build on that. To think what they’ve been able to accomplish and by doing it the right way. Especially coming here – the program has high expectations and I think that they kind of brought this program to a new level that hadn’t been pushed before.

And me being here I’m just trying to get to the next level that they weren’t able to make it to. And I’m going to leave it to the guys that come behind us. But we want to push the program far – to where it hasn’t been [a College World Series championship].

BNS - When you look ahead, say, five years from now, do you see yourself as a starter or do you see yourself as a reliever?

SG - I’ve always thought of myself as a starter. Some people say 'he’s shorter,' but I’ve seen myself as a starter. I closed my freshman year here at Vanderbilt and it was the first time I’d ever been out of the bullpen and it was actually an enjoyable time, I actually had a lot of fun with it.

It was a new role I hadn’t played before but once I got used to it it was something I enjoyed doing. I looked forward to throwing more than once in a week. So I’ve always seen myself as a starter, but if anything were to happen, I’m versatile, I’m not someone who’s just stuck on something and doesn’t want to try to experiment or do whatever needs to be done.

BNS - What about all of this interest in the draft? You have people like me calling, you have Baseball America writing about you, you’re on ESPN. How much of that stuff is exciting and really cool and how much of that is a distraction?

SG – I think it’s very exciting. It’s nice to receive recognition for the hard work you’ve put in from way before college, growing up playing the game. It’s nice to receive some kind of recognition, but then again you kind of have to take a step back and take a deep breath and look at the bigger picture. And for me right now the bigger picture is next Friday night and the next Friday after that. It’s just this season and this team, putting this team in position to win and stuff off the field can come off the field. It is nice to receive that stuff, but you have to take it with a grain of salt and just do what you can do.

Orlando Cabrera Expects To Play “Many Years”

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 22, 2011 at 2:45pm CDT

2:45pm: Cabrera says he's not retiring after 2011 and that his comments were misunderstood, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (Twitter links). The infielder hopes to play for many more years, according to Bastian. Cabrera says shifting to second base could prolong his career by two or three years, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer (on Twitter).

11:03am: Orlando Cabrera told the Colombian paper El Universal that he would like to reach 2000 hits (he needs 52) and 500 doubles (he needs 57) before he retires (link in Spanish, translated by MLBTR's Nick Collias). But Cabrera says he'll be ready to retire after the season, since he wants to leave the game on his own terms.

"This is my last season," Cabrera said. "Something I’ve seen in professional ball since I signed, and something that has made an impression on me, is when a manager calls a player to his office to release him. That, for me, is the saddest thing I’ve seen outside of the death of a beloved family member. It’s something indescribable, although it’s normal in this job. I’ve always said my retirement would be under my own terms, and this is a great opportunity for me. I’m leaving without them telling me, ‘We don’t want to see you anymore around here.’"

Cabrera, 36, signed a one-year, $1MM deal with the Indians this month. The Cartagena, Colombia native posted a .263/.303/.354 line in 537 appearances for the NL Central Champion Reds last year and says he drew interest from 10-12 teams this offseason.

After the 2011 season, Jose Reyes will lead a class of free agent shortstops that includes J.J. Hardy and Jimmy Rollins and potentially Rafael Furcal and Marco Scutaro.

NL East Notes: Werth, K-Rod, Phillies, Nationals

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 22, 2011 at 1:56pm CDT

Some notes from the NL East as MLBPA leader Michael Weiner meets with the Mets in Florida…

Jayson Werth told Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he accepted the Nationals' seven-year, $126MM offer partly because he wanted to help his fellow players. "I think once you get to free agency, you're in a big pool of players and we all really play in one organization and that's MLB," Werth said. "I guess that's how you look at it, so in that respect I was trying to maximize things and also trying to get into a situation I wanted to be in and I think Philly was going in a different direction."
Weiner told ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin that he expects the Mets to honor Francisco Rodriguez's contract, which vests at $17.5MM for 2012 if he finishes 55 games in 2011.
Bobby Bonilla, who is still on the Mets' payroll is meeting with the team today as an MLBPA representative, according to Newsday's David Lennon (on Twitter).
Mike Puma of the New York Post explains that new manager Terry Collins is fiery and ready to get mad. "I give a [expletive] about how this team plays," Collins said.
Cliff Lee tells David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News that his side feels fine, though he felt some minor pain earlier.
Brookover points out that "guaranteed money does not mean guaranteed success or perfect health," though the Phillies' investment in Lee was understandable.
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com that he hopes first overall draft pick Bryce Harper finds out how Spring Training works and learns "what it takes to be a big leaguer" in Nationals camp this year.

An Early Look At The 2011-12 Free Agent Class

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 22, 2011 at 12:33pm CDT

If this winter’s class of free agents intrigued you, just wait until next year. Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth will be distant memories when Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols and, potentially, C.C. Sabathia hit the open market this November.

Pujols did not reach an agreement with the St. Louis Cardinals last week, which means the sides stopped negotiating until after the season, when the Cardinals will have to bid against other interested teams. Not long before the Pujols negotiations ended, C.C. Sabathia declined to say definitively that he won’t opt out of his contract and the chances of Sabathia hitting free agency have never seemed better.

If Sabathia – arguably the top left-handed pitcher in the game – and Pujols – probably the best hitter in the game – hit free agency along with Fielder, it would be one of the most potent combinations the free agent market has seen in a long while. Sabathia has averaged 20 wins, 234 innings and 197 strikeouts since arriving in baseball's toughest division two winters ago and Pujols has averaged 41 home runs, a .331 batting average and a .426 on-base percentage since arriving in the majors a decade ago, so few free agent classes compare.

Lee, Crawford and Werth led this offseason’s free agent class; the 2009-10 winter featured Matt Holliday, Jason Bay and John Lackey; Sabathia himself joined current teammate Mark Teixeira in free agency after the 2008 season and Alex Rodriguez and Torii Hunter were available the offseason before that.

All of those players were considered difference makers worthy of tens of millions of dollars when they hit free agency, but to find a free agent class with as much star power as Fielder, Sabathia and Pujols, we have to go back to the 2000-01 offseason, when a 28-year-old Manny Ramirez hit free agency alongside A-Rod, who was just 25 at the time.

It’s not often that two of the game’s top sluggers join a legitimate ace on the free agent market, and that’s what MLB owners have to look forward to after the coming season. It’s not just Fielder, Sabathia and Pujols, either.

Make no mistake – it’s a top-heavy class without much starting pitching or many middle-of-the-order hitters other than Fielder and Pujols. Prospective free agents Rickie Weeks and Jose Bautista signed extensions and Adrian Gonzalez will do the same in April, so those power bats are off the market.

Kelly Johnson, Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins highlight a middle infield class that includes a number of capable second basemen and Carlos Beltran, David DeJesus and Josh Willingham are among the top outfielders who will become available.

Yu Darvish, the 24-year-old right-hander who has dominated hitters in Japan and expressed interest in pitching in MLB, could join Sabathia in the class of available starters. Left-handers Mark Buehrle and C.J. Wilson will also hit free agency, but the real depth is in the bullpen.

Shutdown relievers Heath Bell, Jonathan Broxton, Matt Capps, Francisco Cordero, Ryan Franklin, Brad Lidge, Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Rauch, Francisco Rodriguez, Rafael Soriano, Koji Uehara and Jose Valverde could all hit free agency next offseason in what would be the most impressive relief class in recent memory.

None of those closers will provide as much intrigue as Pujols, who will hit free agency under unique circumstances. He doesn’t compare well with current players other than Rodriguez and even A-Rod is an imperfect point of reference for Pujols, who has better rate stats, but less impressive counting stats than Rodriguez did when he signed his record-breaking ten-year, $275MM contract with the Yankees.

Baseball-Reference lists Ken Griffey Jr., Manny Ramirez and Juan Gonzalez as similar batters to Pujols through age 30. Seven Hall of Famers fill out the top ten list of Pujols’ most statistically comparable players, so he is in select company. Not only is the nine-time All-Star and two-time defending NL home run champion one of the best players of his generation, he's one of the best players of all time.

Pujols’ numbers compare favorably with the ones that inner-circle Hall of Famers like Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron had accumulated at similar points in their careers. Agent Dan Lozano won’t mention the old timers’ modest contracts in negotiations with interested teams, though he’ll likely justify his client’s asking price by pointing out just how rare hitters like Pujols really are.

There are top free agents every year, but players like Fielder and Sabathia aren’t out there every winter. And if Pujols has a typical year in 2011? He and Lozano will be able to argue convincingly that players of Pujols' caliber are special talents and deserved to be paid in accordance with their place in history.

AL East Links: Bautista, Francona, Wakefield, Phelps

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 22, 2011 at 12:16pm CDT

The latest from the AL East, as Derek Jeter deflects Hank Steinbrenner's criticism…

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark argues quite convincingly that Jose Bautista is the face of the Blue Jays. Toronto manager John Farrell compared Bautista to Jayson Werth, another late bloomer who signed a big contract this offseason.
The Red Sox intend to pick up Terry Francona's two-year option at the end of the year, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Francona says he doesn't know how the Red Sox intend to approach the option, which is worth a total of $9MM.
John Tomase of the Boston Herald re-imagines the 1988 draft and suggests Tim Wakefield, then a first base prospect with some power, would have been worthy of a seventh overall selection. The Pirates drafted the future Red Sox knuckleballer in the eighth round.
Former Blue Jays and Yankees DH Josh Phelps signed with the Italian Baseball League team Telemarket Rimini according to mister-baseball.com. The 32-year-old former top prospect hit 64 homers in the majors, including 20 for the 2003 Blue Jays.
ESPN.com's Keith Law includes Blue Jays prospect Brett Lawrie on his list of young players who are ready for the majors in one respect, but who need development in other areas. Lawrie's bat is nearly ready, but the Blue Jays need to figure out his future position.

Red Sox Will Extend Gonzalez “For Sure”

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 22, 2011 at 8:53am CDT

Red Sox president Larry Lucchino confirmed on WEEI's the Dennis & Callahan Show what most of the team’s fans have been assuming since December. The Red Sox will extend Adrian Gonzalez before he hits free agency after the season.

"We're not going to let him get away," Lucchino said. "We're going to get him signed for sure."

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein says there's "no timetable" for talks between the team and its new first baseman, but it would be a surprise if the sides don't agree to a long-term deal by April. The Red Sox avoid a luxury tax hit if they wait until the season begins, so they may be inclined to finalize the deal in April, as they did with Josh Beckett last year. Though Gonzalez has denied that he has an agreement with the Red Sox, the sides have been working toward a long-term deal since December.

Kirk Minihane has the transcript of Lucchino's comments and the audio's here.

Quick Hits: Athletics, Cabrera, Jeter, Braves, Janssen

By Zachary Links | February 21, 2011 at 10:53pm CDT

Let's take a look at some links for Monday night..

Jane Lee of MLB.com writes that Athletics manager Bob Geren believes that his club has improved by leaps and bounds this winter.
Recent addition Orlando Cabrera might not hold the Indians' starting second-base job for long, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
Yankees captain Derek Jeter is not going to be happy about the comments made by Hank Steinbrenner earlier today, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out that Braves GM Frank Wren is now under contract for the same period as manager Fredi Gonzalez, whom he hired to replace Bobby Cox. Earlier today the two sides agreed to a two-year contract extension.
There may not be a spot in the Blue Jays' bullpen for pitcher Casey Janssen but the veteran says he's not looking for a way out of Toronto, writes Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.
New to San Diego, Jorge Cantu says that he's ready to produce even though he'll be asked to move around the diamond, writes MLB.com's Tom Singer. The Padres offically inked Cantu to a one-year deal worth $850K towards the end of January.
Speaking of brand new members of the Pads, Kevin Frandsen is delighted to be back in the National League, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times.

Astros To Sign Alberto Arias

By Zachary Links | February 21, 2011 at 8:50pm CDT

The Houston Astros have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed reliever Alberto Arias, tweets Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle. The 27-year-old will earn just under $440K.

The hurler missed the entire 2010 season after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder surgery, but GM Ed Wade and manager Brad Mills intend to give him every opportunity to earn an Opening Day roster spot in the bullpen, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner.com. Making the squad could prove to be more difficult than once thought as Goff writes that Arias told the team that he felt discomfort in his throwing shoulder yesterday.

Arias made 42 appearances for the Astros in 2009, posting an ERA of 3.35 with 7.7 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9.

Steinbrenner On Jeter, Luxury Tax, Burnett, Soriano

By Zachary Links | February 21, 2011 at 7:22pm CDT

It doesn't take much to coax Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner into giving his thoughts on the state of the franchise and baseball as a whole. The outspoken part-owner sounded off on a number of topics to reporters today, writes Bryan Hoch of MLB.com..

Steinbrenner seems worried about the team's drive to win, saying "I think maybe they celebrated a little bit too much last year," the co-chairman said. "Some of the players are too busy building mansions and other things and not concentrating on winning." Shortstop Derek Jeter built a mansion in Florida during the offseason after negotiating a new three-year, $51MM deal. When asked if the comment was directed at the team captain, Steinbrenner insisted that he wasn't singling anybody out.
The Yankees' 2010 payments as a result of luxury tax and revenue sharing programs are expected to total about $130 million, Steinbrenner said. He continued to say that the Yankees are allied with other major market teams on the issue and believes that Commissioner Bud Selig wants to "correct it in some way." Hoch noted that in a recent interview on Boston's 98.5 the Sports Hub, the commish said that he is happy with the system as it stands today.
Steinbrenner says that pitcher A.J. Burnett seems "very hungry" for a bounce-back season. Last year, Burnett turned in a 5.26 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9. The 34-year-old right-hander is set to earn $16.5MM annually through 2013.
Skipper Joe Girardi, closer Mariano Rivera and several hitters were consulted on the idea of signing Rafael Soriano, Steinbrenner said. Last week, Rivera said that he had not been consulted about the signing but was happy to have the reliever aboard.

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