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Archives for January 2012

Central Links: Pirates, Padilla, Tigers, Cubs

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Earlier today we learned that two Central teams were having trade talks about Matt Garza, as the Tigers are attempting to acquire the Cubs right-hander. Here's the latest from baseball's two Central divisions…

NL East Links: Lannan, Fielder, Martinez, Mets

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On this date in 2003, the Mets signed Cliff Floyd as a free agent. He went on to hit .268/.354/.478 with 81 homers during his four years in Flushing. Here's the latest from the NL East…

  • Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post makes a case for the Nationals to sign John Lannan to a modest multiyear contract extension. He speculates that a three-year deal worth approximately $20MM could work for both sides. Lannan is projected to make $4.8MM his second time through arbitration this winter.
  • In a separate piece, Kilgore presents three theories about why it's taking Prince Fielder so long to sign. He says the Jayson Werth contract could be making the Nationals hesitant about Fielder, another Scott Boras slient.
  • The Mets waived Fernando Martinez earlier today, and Adam Rubin of ESPN New York says (on Twitter) one reason he is likely to get claimed is because he has a minor league option remaining. Martinez will take up a spot on the 40-man roster, but any team can send him to the minors without a problem in 2012.
  • Rubin also notes (on Twitter) that last summer's Francisco Rodriguez trade is similar to the Billy Wagner–Chris Carter trade in that it was a salary dump meant to look like something more. The Mets also waived Danny Herrera today, who they acquired from the Brewers for K-Rod.

NL West Links: Moorad, Padres, Martinez, Dodgers

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Five years ago today, the Diamondbacks re-acquired Randy Johnson from the Yankees for Luis Vizcaino, Ross Ohlendorf, Steven Jackson, and Alberto Gonzalez. The Big Unit spent two more seasons in Arizona then one with the Giants before calling it a career. Here's the latest from the NL West…

  • Jeff Moorad's long-awaited purchase of the Padres from John Moores is nearly complete, reports MLB.com's Barry M. Bloom. The sale is estimated at $530MM and is on the agenda for approval by the owners at this Thursday's quarterly meeting.
  • Bob Nightengale of USA Today says (on Twitter) that it's a "virtual slam dunk" that the Padres sale will be approved on Thursday. Moorad needs 75% approval.
  • Dan Hayes of The North County Times reports (on Twitter) that the Padres new television deal should be completed later this week, but it is unrelated to the change in ownership.
  • Tim Sullivan of The San Diego Union-Tribune says it's refreshing to see the Padres make deals not predicated on payroll, referring specifically to the Carlos Quentin trade. “I’m committed to building a team that can win every year and that can sustain success,” said Moorad.
  • The Mets waived Fernando Martinez earlier today, who they signed for $1.35MM back in 2005. Adam Rubin of ESPN New York notes (on Twitter) that the Padres offered him more money back then, but he chose New York because of Pedro Martinez.
  • "I don't see it. Not at the moment," said Dodgers GM Ned Colletti to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick when asked about the possibility of adding a big bat, potentially even Prince Fielder. "Our payroll is what it is."

Cubs, Tigers Talking Matt Garza

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7:41pm: On Twitter, Kaplan clarifies that "down the road" means trade talks between the two teams have progressed "far beyond" the initial stages. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus hears that the Tigers are willing to talk about Turner, but they are far more reticent when it comes to third base prospect Nick Castellanos (Twitter link).

5:52pm: The Cubs and Tigers are “down the road” in talks about a deal that would sent Matt Garza to Detroit for a package of prospects, according to David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com. The Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays have also expressed serious interest in Garza, Kaplan writes. However, the Yankees aren’t comfortable with the Cubs’ asking price despite their “tremendous” interest in the right-hander. 

The Tigers appear to be willing to meet the Cubs’ asking price of multiple highly-regarded prospects, according to Kaplan. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported last week that the Tigers could move right-handed pitching prospect Jacob Turner in the right deal.

The Cubs are nearing a deal with free agent left-hander Paul Maholm. Ryan Dempster, Chris Volstad, Travis Wood and Randy Wells could fill the team’s rotation out and make Garza available. He’s under team control through 2013 and figures to earn $9MM or so in 2012 through arbitration.

Latest On Brad Lidge

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7:20pm: "At this point I probably could have taken some offers," said Lidge to MLB.com's Paul Hagen, who notes that the right-hander hopes to make a decision soon. "At the same time, they weren't quite right for me … There are a lot of teams that want you to be there in case their young guys doesn't do well — to be a setup guy. And that's great. We'll kind of see how that plays out. That might be what I have to do."

11:43am: The Phillies remain in touch with Brad Lidge and the Angels are on the periphery, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The Rockies are not on Lidge, he adds.

Lidge, 35, posted a 1.40 ERA, 10.7 K/9, 6.1 BB/9, and 57.4% groundball rate with no home runs allowed in 19 1/3 innings for the Phillies last year.  His season began in July after recovery from a shoulder injury, and the former flamethrower was down to 89 miles per hour for his average fastball.

Rangers, Holland Put Extension Talks On Hold

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The Rangers and left-handed starter Derek Holland have stopped discussing a possible contract extension for the time being, Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com reports. The Rangers and Holland’s representatives at Martini Sports Management started discussing a long-term deal in December, but aren’t likely to resume negotiations this offseason.

Holland, who missed this year's super two cutoff and is not yet arbitration eligible, will remain under team control through 2015. A five-year deal would buy out one pre-arbitration season, his three years of arbitration eligibility and his first season of free agency.

The 25-year-old posted a 3.95 ERA with 7.4 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 46.4% ground ball rate in 198 innings this past season. He set career highs in everything from ERA to innings to strikeouts (162) to wins above replacement (3.6).

Yovani Gallardo, Ricky Romero, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Trevor Cahill are unavoidable points of reference for the Rangers and Holland’s representatives. All five starters signed five-year deals in the $30MM range at similar stages in their respective careers. Holland has more career innings than any of those pitchers did at the time of their extensions, but none of them had a career ERA above 3.94 at the time of their deals, while Holland has a career mark of 4.73. Options are often a point of contention in extension talks, so it's worth noting that the deals for Cahill and Buchholz include two club options, while the other deals include just one.

Angels, Kendrick Agree To Four-Year Deal

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The Angels have reached an agreement with Howie Kendrick on a four-year contract, the team announced. The deal is worth $33.5MM, Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times tweets.  It will cover the 28-year-old's final year of arbitration and first three years of free agency.

Kendrick is coming off of his best season to date as he hit .285/.338/.464 with 18 homers in 583 plate appearances. Earlier this week, GM Jerry Dipoto confirmed that he opened up talks with the agents for Kendrick and Erick Aybar.  Like Kendrick, Aybar also has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining.

Last night, our own Mark Polishuk examined the second baseman's case for an extension.  According to MLBTR's projections, Kendrick was set to earn $5.2MM in 2012 through arbitration.

By signing an extension with the Angels, Kendrick avoids having to contend with fellow second baseman Brandon Phillips on the open market next offseason.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the deal and Bob Nightengale of USA Today added the contract value. 

Contract Details: Tejeda, Blue Jays, Phillies, Pirates

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MLB.com's beat reporters have been digging up details on some recent minor league deals. Here are the latest updates:

Martinez, Herrera On Waivers

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Former top prospect Fernando Martinez and left-handed reliever Danny Herrera are on waivers, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Mets need to clear 40-man roster space for Scott Hairston and Ronny Cedeno.

Martinez, 23, has a .183/.250/.290 line in 145 plate appearances with the Mets since 2009. He spent most of the 2011 season at Triple-A, posting a .260/.329/.417 line with 19 extra base hits in 250 plate appearances. Baseball America named him one of the top 100 prospects in the game before each of the 2007-10 seasons.

Herrera, 27, joined the Mets in last summer's Francisco Rodriguez trade. The sidearmer pitched 9 2/3 innings in the Major Leagues in 2011 and spent most of the season at Triple-A. He posted a 2.20 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 for the top affiliates of the Brewers and Mets. He can declare free agency if he clears waivers.

Minor Moves: James Skelton, Chris Seddon

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Here's where we'll keep track of today's minor moves…

  • The Nationals agreed to sign catcher James Skelton to a minor league deal, MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets. The 26-year-old spent the 2011 season with Cincinnati's top affiliates, posting a .221/.360/.346 line in 174 plate appearances.
  • The Indians announced that they signed left-hander Chris Seddon to a minor league contract that inlcudes an invitation to Spring Training. The 28-year-old has MLB experience with the 2007 Marlins and the 2010 Mariners, but spent the 2011 season at the Triple-A level, where he posted a 6.27 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 149 1/3 innings of work. He'll enter Spring Training as a starter and at the moment it looks as though he'll provide depth at Triple-A, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.

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