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Archives for November 2011

White Sox Underestimated Market For Buehrle

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On Wednesday, the White Sox offered arbitration to Type B free agent Mark Buehrle, guaranteeing themselves compensation if he signs elsewhere.  Interest in the left-hander has skyrocketed this winter, with as many as thirteen teams reportedly in the mix for his services.  The White Sox weren't expecting this level of interest for Buehrle as they anticipated five or six teams going after him and a two-year deal being enough to retain him, a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago-Sun Times.

With this amount of interest in Buehrle and the Nationals visiting the pitcher at his home in St. Louis this week, it would seem that the White Sox will have to act fast and offer a longer deal to retain him.  Earlier today, nearly 20% of MLBTR readers voted Buerhle as the next big free agent to sign.

Latest On Boston’s Managerial Search

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The Red Sox's search for Terry Francona's replacement is drawing to a close, though yesterday we heard that the team won't make a final decision over the weekend. They don't plan on conducting any further interviews. Here's the latest on Boston's managerial search…

  • The team is expected to announce Valentine or Lamont as its next manager within the next week, a major league source told Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.
  • The search is down to two finalists according to John Tomase of The Boston Herald: Bobby Valentine and Tigers' third base coach Gene Lamont. Blue Jays' first base coach Torey Lovullo is out of the running.

Blue Jays Acquire Luis Valbuena From Indians

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The Indians have traded Luis Valbuena to the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations, according to the team's officlal Twitter account.  The infielder was designated for assignment on November 18th.

Valbuena spent the majority of 2011 with Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate where he hit .302/.372/.476 with 17 homers in 472 plate appearances.  The infielder, who turns 26 on November 30, played 194 games for the Indians' varsity squad in 2009 and 2010 and saw a good deal of time at second base.

Discussion: The Braves’ Pitching Surplus

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In the first trade of the offseason, the Braves shed $5MM of payroll when they shipped Derek Lowe to the Indians and agreed to pick up $10MM of his $15MM salary for 2012.  It was a deal that gave GM Frank Wren & Co. some much needed breathing room, and one that couldn't have been made without a good deal of pitching depth.

Even without Lowe in the mix, Atlanta still has a rotation headlined by Tim Hudson and Jair Jurrjens.  There are plenty of young hurlers available in support, including Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado , Arodys Vizcaino, Brandon Beachy, and Tommy Hanson.  While Atlanta would certainly like to avoid rushing their young pitchers into taking on major workloads, they might be better served by turning their pitching wealth into offense in 2012.

Wren claims to be content with his stockpile of arms and even though interest in Jurrjens is high, the GM is reportedly asking for a Zack Greinke-like return for the oft-injured 25-year-old.  While the Braves could come away with a solid package for Jurrjens, it's overly optimistic to put the youngster's value on a par with Greinke's. 

The Braves are looking to make a few upgrades in their lineup and would like to move on from shortstop Alex Gonzalez if they can.  They'd also like to land themselves a young center fielder as insurance if they can't retain Michael Bourn when he hits the open market after next season.  Wren would obviously love to keep Jurrjens as part of the starting five, but he can absolutely afford to flip him in order to improve elsewhere.

Orioles Notes: Reynolds, Tillman, Chen, Johnson

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Earlier this week we learned that the Orioles are close to a deal with Korean right-hander Chong Tae-Hyon and the pact should become official after he undergoes a physical.  Here's more on the O's..

Poll: Next Big Name Free Agent To Sign

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Two big name free agents came off the board within the first three weeks of the offseason, as CC Sabathia signed an extension with the Yankees and Jonathan Papelbon joined the Phillies. The two power-hitting first baseman are still on the market (Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder), as are the high-end shortstops (Jimmy Rollins and Jose Reyes) and left-handed starters (Mark Buehrle and C.J. Wilson). Looking for pure offense? There’s also Carlos Beltran and David Ortiz.

The Thanksgiving weekend has traditionally been a slow few days for the baseball hot stove, but think of it as the calm before the storm. The winter meetings are just over a week away, and clubs want to start patching the major holes on their rosters before the calendar flips to January. A full list of unsigned free agents can be found with our Free Agent Tracker, but only a select few qualify as big names. Which of those guys do you think will be the next to sign?

Red Sox, Rays Have Checked In On Luis Ayala

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The Yankees got solid work out of several players they signed to minor league contracts last season, including reliever Luis Ayala. Now, a pair of their division rivals have interest in the right-hander. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) that the Red Sox and Rays have checked in on Ayala this offseason.

Ayala, 34 in January, posted a 2.09 ERA in 56 innings for the Yankees last year, getting a ground ball 50% of the time. He struck out 6.27 batters for every nine innings pitched and walked 3.21 per nine. Ayala did not appear in the big leagues at all in 2010, and in 2009 he pitched to an ugly 5.63 ERA in 40 innings for the Twins and Marlins. His performance in New York figures to land him a guaranteed Major League contract this winter.

Quick Hits: Davis, CBA, Smith, Darvish

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On this date in 2005, the Marlins sent Carlos Delgado and $7MM to the Mets for Mike Jacobs and prospects Yusmeiro Petit and Grant Psomas. It doesn't appear that any blockbusters will take place today, but we do have some links to go along with those leftovers…

  • The Athletics have hired Chili Davis to be their new hitting coach, reports Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Maureen Mullen reported the news first (on Twitter).
  • John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle says baseball’s new labor deal is a win for the players.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports points out that the high turnover in MLB front offices could lead to increased player movement this offseason. Some general managers become attached to players they’ve obtained, but it’s easier for new GMs to deal players acquired by a previous leadership group.
  • Randy Smith told Dan Hayes of the North County Times that he’d like to become a general manager again. Smith became the youngest GM in baseball history when the Padres hired him as a 29-year-old in 1993. He went on to become the Tigers' GM before returning to the Padres, where he's now the international scouting and player development director.
  • Yu Darvish is still likely to be posted this offseason, though we won’t know officially for a couple of weeks, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). A source close to Darvish told Morosi that it's "more likely than not" that the 25-year-old will pitch in the Major Leagues next year.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Bartolo Colon

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Twelve months ago, Bartolo Colon was nothing more than an afterthought. He didn't pitch at all in 2010, and he hadn't thrown more than 100 innings in a season since winning the Cy Young Award in 2005. At 37 years old and with major arm injuries in his recent past, it wasn't unreasonable to think Colon was finished as a Major Leaguer.

The Yankees rolled the dice after losing out on Cliff Lee last offseason, signing Colon to a minor league deal in late-January. Bench coach Tony Pena had managed him in winter ball, and recommended him to New York's front office. Colon rewarded the team's faith in him by throwing 164 1/3 innings across 26 starts and three relief appearances, finishing with a 4.00 ERA and the tenth best K/BB ratio (3.38) among qualified AL pitchers.

In a free agent class lacking impact starters, Colon ranked 27th on Tim Dierkes' list of the top 50 free agents. That was ten spots ahead of his teammate Freddy Garcia, who just re-upped with the Yankees for one-year and $4MM plus incentives. Garcia threw fewer innings than Colon last year (146 2/3) but also posted a lower ERA (3.62). He also stayed relatively healthy while Colon missed close to a month with a hamstring strain and saw his velocity drop late in the season.

After settling for a $900K base salary last season, Colon will almost assuredly get a raise this winter. A two-year deal is unlikely, but like Garcia he could get $3-4MM guaranteed with incentives. Tim predicted that the Red Sox would sign Colon to stablize the back of their rotation, but a number of teams could show interest, and a reunion with the Yankees is always possible.

This Date In Transactions History: Bernie Williams

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Icon_15585003It's tough to imagine Derek Jeter or Mariano Rivera wearing something other than a Yankees' uniform, and for a long time the same was true for Bernie Williams. The former batting champ and five-time All-Star spent his entire career in pinstripes, but he came very close to joining an AL East rival during the 1998-1999 offseason.

Williams, who had just turned 30, hit .339/.422/.575 with 26 homers during the 1998 season, batting cleanup for a 114-win team. He'd hit .323/.406/.551 with 76 homers in 400 games over the previous three seasons, and was a hot commodity on the free agent market. ESPN's Buster Olney, then with The New York Times, reported that Williams rejected a five-year, $60MM contract offer from New York in mid-November, one year after they offered him a five-year, $37.5MM extension.

The Red Sox, looking to make a splash after winning 92 games but finishing 22 back in the AL East, offered Williams a six-year contract worth $90MM according to Olney. The Yankees had turned their attention to Albert Belle, who was coming off a 49-homer, .328/.399/.655 season with the White Sox. He was two years into a five-year, $55MM deal with Chicago, but a clause in his contract ensured that he would remain one of the three highest paid players in baseball. When the White Sox declined to give him a raise to meet the clause, Belle became a free agent and the Yankees' Plan B.

Williams and agent Scott Boras gave the Yankees a chance to match Boston's offer, and 13 years ago today he agreed to return to New York on a seven-year, $87.5MM contract. It was one of the largest contracts in baseball history at the time, right behind Mike Piazza's seven-year, $91MM deal with the Mets. Belle wound up with the Orioles to the tune of $65MM over five years. Williams hit .298/.386/.480 during the life of the contract, helping the Yankees to four pennants and two World Series titles.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

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