Archives for January 2012

Angels Notes: Cordero, Pujols, Haren, Santana

By Mark Polishuk | January 14, 2012 at 12:00am CDT

Here's the latest from the Big A…

With the closer market quickly shrinking, Francisco Cordero could "fall in [the] Angels' laps," reports ESPN Los Angeles' Mark Saxon.
Albert Pujols will have trouble living up to his massive contract on the field, but Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times examines how Pujols' arrival has impacted ticket sales, merchandise sales and the overall value of the franchise.
MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez looks at what it might cost the Halos to lock up Dan Haren and Ervin Santana to contract extensions. The team has options on both pitchers ($15.5MM for Haren, $13MM for Santana) for 2013. Haren will be 32 in September and, as durable as Haren has been, I'd argue the Angels should wait until this season is through before exploring an extension. A source tells Gonzalez that the Angels haven't discussed a new contract with Santana yet.
Also from Gonzalez, he reports that GM Jerry Dipoto declined to comment on the status of Erick Aybar's extension talks. LAA has already signed one infielder (Howie Kendrick) to a multiyear deal this week.

East Notes: Red Sox, Maddon, Wright, Orioles

By Mark Polishuk | January 13, 2012 at 11:14pm CDT

We know it's been quite the busy day for New York baseball, but let's see what else is happening in both the AL and NL East…

The Yankees' big acquisitions of Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda could mean the Red Sox may have to counter by signing Roy Oswalt or getting involved in the Matt Garza trade market, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
The Red Sox were interested in Kuroda but couldn't sign him without finding payroll space via another roster move, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. Bradford also notes the Sox wouldn't have been able to outbid the Yankees for Pineda since the Mariners didn't value any of Boston's prospects as much as they valued Jesus Montero.
The Red Sox and Yankees were both talking to the Mariners about a Felix Hernandez trade but the M's weren't interested, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
Joe Maddon's increasingly likely contract extension with the Rays may not be worked out until the manager returns in late January from a European vacation, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).
Mets third baseman David Wright said "it's going to be a pain" listening to his name come up in trade rumors all summer, during an interview with Cliff Floyd and Mike Ferrin of Sirius XM Radio. ESPN New York's Adam Rubin has a partial transcript of the interview.
The Orioles have not had "substantive talks" with the Cubs about Alfonso Soriano, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun looks at some of the Orioles' remaining free agent possibilities.
Braves GM Frank Wren tells David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link) that he doesn't expect to make a trade before Spring Training. "Every day that goes by it’s probably less likely. It doesn’t mean you stop trying," Wren said.

Analysis And Background Of The Montero/Pineda Deal

By Mark Polishuk | January 13, 2012 at 10:32pm CDT

It's not every day that two of baseball's best young stars are swapped for each other, but the Mariners and Yankees pulled off just such a deal today, as Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi went to Seattle in exchange for Michael Pineda and Jose Campos. Here is some of the early reaction to this stunning trade, plus some information on how the deal came together…

"The risk for both clubs is low. The reward for both clubs is outstanding. This could be a transformational deal that will have fans of both clubs buzzing about for a long time," writes MLB.com's Bernie Pleskoff.
Replacing pitching via minor leaguers or the free agent market is far easier than attracting top-caliber hitters in Seattle, notes MLB.com's Greg Johns.
Mike Salk of ESPN 710 Radio in Seattle outlines the reasons why he "loves" the deal for the Mariners. Also from Salk (on Twitter), he hears from "a non-M's baseball guy" who believes Noesi is a better long-term option than Pineda.
The trade makes the Yankees the favorites in the AL East, writes Scott Miller of CBSSports.com. Miller talks to two scouts who rave about the Yankees' sudden surplus of young pitching that also includes Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos.
Dave Cameron of the U.S.S. Mariner blog sees Montero as developing into a Carlos Lee-type of hitter who is productive but not quite a superstar. Cameron thinks the deal will look better for the Mariners if they were to sign a free agent starter like Roy Oswalt or Edwin Jackson, since then the team would have Montero's bat plus a pitcher that could match Pineda's production.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman feels he took a "huge risk" with the trade, reports The Record's Bob Klapisch (via Twitter). "I gave up a ton (for Pineda)," Cashman said. "To me, Montero is Mike Piazza. He's Miguel Cabrera."
"Some execs from other AL East teams believe Yankees just made an incredible trade," tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
The two teams were "talking for weeks" about the deal, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Each side told the other that they had limited funds to address their needs.
The Yankees initially tried to acquire Felix Hernandez from the Mariners, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) and were willing to offer a package that included Montero, Betances, Banuelos and more.

Prince Fielder Rumors: Friday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 13, 2012 at 9:52pm CDT

Prince Fielder will sign before Spring Training, but he probably won't agree to a long-term deal with the Dodgers or Marlins, or a one-year deal with the Brewers, according to yesterday's reports. Here are today's Fielder rumors, with the most recent updates up top:

An executive tells ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter link) that the Cubs, Nationals and Rangers could receive a Fielder contract structure of six years and $22-$24MM per season, but with an opt-out clause after three years.
The Rangers' pursuit of Fielder may come down to whether they believe Fielder or Josh Hamilton is the better choice for a multiyear contract, writes Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas.
Fielder will travel to see several teams in the next few days, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
The Rangers are meeting with Fielder at a Dallas area hotel today, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. It sounds as though the Rangers don't consider Fielder and Yu Darvish mutually exclusive. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram hears that the Rangers are interested in Fielder in case they don't sign Darvish (Twitter link).
One executive who speaks with the Nationals regularly tells ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark that he’s confident Fielder will end up in Washington. GM Mike Rizzo and the team’s owners won’t sign a nine or ten-year deal and may not offer the first baseman a no-trade clause, however.
The Cubs are not totally out on Fielder, Stark reports. If agent Scott Boras needs a deal somewhere, the Cubs would be open to an agreement on their own terms.
One observer tells Stark that Boras and Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria chatted briefly at this week’s owners’ meetings and that reports of a meeting are overblown.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports explains that Boras has been shut out of the big money so far this offseason and argues that the agent can turn things around by finding a massive deal for Fielder.
Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post explains how Boras could represent almost the entire Washington lineup within a couple of seasons if the Nationals sign Fielder.
Tom Verducci of SI.com explains that local and national TV revenues can help the Nationals add Fielder while keeping Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman in place even as their contracts escalate.

Reds Notes: Baker, Left Fielders, Smith, Larkin

By Mark Polishuk | January 13, 2012 at 9:40pm CDT

Some news items out of the Queen City…

Dusty Baker is only signed through 2012 and John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer isn't sure Baker will be back even if the Reds reach the postseason, noting that the club is high on Triple-A manager David Bell. Fay also addresses several other Reds-related questions from his Twitter followers in this mailbag piece.
"We'd like a guy that can play more than just left field," GM Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. "We'd like to have a guy that will fit well with the club, have a veteran influence, a veteran leadership type of guy and be a character guy." Sheldon outlines several outfielders still on the market as looking for left field depth has suddenly become the Reds' top remaining offseason priority.
Rockies outfielder Seth Smith would be a perfect platoon partner with Chris Heisey in left field, argues Fangraphs' Dave Cameron.
Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News talks to long-time Reds scout Gene Bennett, who was the driving force behind the Reds drafting newly-inducted Hall-of-Famer Barry Larkin.
In case you missed the news from earlier today, the Reds signed Ron Mahay and Clay Zavada to minor league contracts.

Amaro On Pitching, Papelbon, Howard, Thome

By Mark Polishuk | January 13, 2012 at 9:15pm CDT

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. spoke to FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi about his team's offseason moves, and what he still might have in store before Opening Day…

Amaro would like to add a left-handed reliever or rotation depth, provided either could be had at a reasonable price. The club would also like to add a bench option who can provide some added speed.
The team is happy with its four-year, $50MM deal with Jonathan Papelbon, even after ex-closer Ryan Madson signed a one-year, $8.5MM deal with the Reds that looks like a major bargain. “That’s the beauty and difficulty of free agency,” Amaro said. “We knew there were other teams who were going to be very competitive in the market for closers. Once we got to an AAV (average annual value) of $12.5 million with Papelbon, we felt that was a reasonable deal for us to make….Markets can be fluid and difficult to gauge. I’m happy with the player we have.”
Ryan Howard was recently cleared to resume weight-bearing and strength-building exercises but Amaro says the club is being "very cautious" with their star first baseman. Howard ruptured his left Achilles tendon while making the last out of the NLDS and his DL stint will last into next season. Amaro says it would be "great" if Howard could return to the Phillies by May.
Amaro is satisfied with his club's internal first base options, including Jim Thome, who Amaro says could play first up to four or five times per month. “Our medical people are surprised at the shape he’s in,” Amaro said. “They think he might be better now than he was when we first signed him in 2002.” Thome has been a full-time DH and pinch-hitter for the last four seasons.

Yankees Looking For Hitting, Carlos Pena On “Radar”

By Mark Polishuk | January 13, 2012 at 8:48pm CDT

Now that the Yankees have addressed their pitching issues with two major transactions, the club is looking to add some offense, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Carlos Pena is "now on their radar," and Heyman says the Bronx Bombers could be looking at other hitters as well.

Pena, a Scott Boras client, hit .225/.357/.462 with 28 homers for the Cubs last season. He has been linked the Rays and Indians this winter, though overall it's been a fairly quiet offseason for the free agent slugger due to the presence of Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder in the free agent first base market. If he signed with New York, Pena would become the team's primary designated hitter, with Alex Rodriguez or Andruw Jones getting the occasional start at DH when the Yankees faced a left-hander. The Yankees put in a waiver claim on Pena in August but the Cubs pulled him back.

Red Sox Avoid Arbitration With Ryan Sweeney

By Mark Polishuk | January 13, 2012 at 8:10pm CDT

The Red Sox have agreed to a one-year, $1.75MM deal with Ryan Sweeney, reports The Associated Press. The deal allows Boston to avoid going to arbitration with Sweeney, who was arb-eligible for the second time in his career. Sweeney is represented by Reynolds Sports Management.

Sweeney was acquired by the Sox as part of the Andrew Bailey trade last month. The left-handed batter hit .265/.346/.341 in 299 plate appearances for the A's last season and is currently slated to be part of a right field platoon at Fenway Park next year.

Matt Swartz projected Sweeney to earn $1.6MM in arbitration this winter. The Red Sox have eight more arb-eligible players, as per MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker, including such big names as Bailey, David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury and Daniel Bard.

Mariners Close To Deal For “Young Impact Hitter”

By Mark Polishuk | January 13, 2012 at 6:36pm CDT

6:36pm: The trade could involve Michael Pineda and Yankees prospect Jesus Montero, as Larry Stone of the Seattle Times has heard "rumblings in that direction" (Twitter link).

6:06pm: The Mariners have moved closer to a trade that would net them a "young impact hitter," reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. A source calls the trade "significant" and says Brandon League is not part of the deal (both links via Twitter).

Pirates Agree To Terms With Chris Resop, Avoid Arb

By Mark Polishuk | January 13, 2012 at 6:11pm CDT

The Pirates have agreed to a one-year, $850K deal with reliever Chris Resop, allowing them to avoid arbitration with the right-hander, reports The Associated Press. Resop, 29, posted a 4.39 ERA, a 10.2 K/9 rate and a 9.4 H/9 rate in 76 appearances with Pittsburgh last season, though advanced stats such as xFIP (3.53) and BABIP (.344) suggest Resop was a bit unlucky.

Resop is the second Pirate to avoid arbitration this winter, after Jason Grilli. The Pirates still have six other arb-eligible players, according to the MLBTR Arbitration Tracker.

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