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Archives for January 2012

Kevin Cash Retires

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Former backstop Kevin Cash has decided to retire, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. While Cash will end his playing career, he'll remain involved in the game, having been hired by the Blue Jays as a Major League advance scout.

Cash, 34, spent the majority of his career playing for AL East clubs, including stints with the Jays, Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees. He also appeared in the bigs for the Astros in 2010. In parts of eight Major League seasons, Cash posted a .526 OPS in 714 plate appearances. Most recently, Tim Wakefield's former catcher hit .244/.350/.371 in 2011 at the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock.

In his new scouting role for Toronto, Cash will return to the organization that signed him as an amateur free agent in 1999. His first non-playing MLB job likely won't be his last — according to Cafardo, Cash is "one of those guys you always thought would wind up being a Major League manager."

Quick Hits: Braves, Nakajima, Braun, Cespedes

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On this date two years ago, the Mariners traded Bill Hall and a player to be named later to the Red Sox for Casey Kotchman.  Here's a look at tonight's links..

  • Braves GM Frank Wren has a knack for dealing for players with little trade buzz, and Angels infielder Maicer Izturis would fit that bill, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  • According to a source familiar with the negotiations, shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima's issue with the Yankees offer was not the dollar figure but rather the length of the contract, according to a report from Sponichi (Japanese link).  Nakajima wanted to become a free agent after one year while the club wanted standard control (six years) over him.  Special thanks to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker for the translation.
  • The Brewers will know before the start of spring training whether Ryan Braun will be in their opening day lineup, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel.  Earlier this week, an official familiar with the appeals process told Haudricourt that he didn't like the slugger's chances of avoiding a 50-game suspension.
  • There are no fewer than six teams, and perhaps even more, that are seriously in on Yoenis Cespedes, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel.
  • Reliever David Aardsma has started throwing but will wait until he's further along in rehab before pursuing his next contract, agent Jamie Murphy told ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter).  Aardsma, 29, underwent Tommy John surgery in July.
  • Right-hander Peter Moylan has had discussions with a few teams, including the Braves, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  If all things are equal, Moylan would prefer a return to Atlanta.

AL East Notes: Damon, Ramirez, Scott, Oliver, Theriot

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Here are some items out of the American League East..

  • Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman continues to comb the market for a pair of bats but is confident that the right deals will present themselves, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  Friedman says that both Johnny Damon and Casey Kotchman are candidates to return, but Topkin writes that they would only look to bring one back if they wanted to improve at either spot.
  • Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette wouldn't say much when asked about the club's interest in Manny Ramirez, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  However, Duquette did confirm that the club still has interest in Luke Scott, who they non-tendered last month.  At least eleven teams have expressed some level of interest in the 33-year-old.
  • Blue Jays skipper John Farrell won't comment on what's holding up the official announcement of the club's deal with Darren Oliver, but it's likely related to finding spot on the 40-man roster, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.  Toronto agreed to sign the reliever to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013 earlier this week.
  • The Rays wanted Brooks Conrad on a minor-league deal but Conrad ultimately chose the Brewers because they offered greater potential for at-bats, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal adds (via Twitter) that the Rays also like Ryan Theriot as they seek out a utility infielder.

Yankees Notes: Posada, Rivera, Nakajima, Chavez

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Earlier today, we learned that Jorge Posada will announce his retirement in the next couple of weeks.  The catcher spent his entire career with the Yankees and earned five All-Star nominations across his 17-year career.  In his final year in the Bronx, Posada hit .235/.315/.398 with 14 homers in 387 plate appearances..

  • Posada instructed his agents, Seth and Sam Levinson of ACES, not to make calls on his behalf this offseason, a source told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  However, the agents fielded calls and accepted offers as Posada waited until after the holidays to make his final determination.
  • Speaking of members of the Core Four, closer Mariano Rivera has said he might know by Spring Training whether he intends to keep pitching when his contract expires after this year, but won't say which way he's leaning, writes Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger.  The 42-year-old posted a 1.91 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9 last season.
  • General Manager Brian Cashman isn't sure if the club will have interest in Hiroyuki Nakajima when he'll be an unrestricted free agent after the 2012 season, writes Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News.  As expected, the Yankees are now in on Eric Chavez after being unable to come to terms on a deal with Nakajima.
  • McCarron also writes that Cashman & Co. believe that other teams are seeking too much on the trade market in return for pitching.
  • Nakajima is a classic example of the flaws in the posting process, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  While waiting one more year isn't a terrible outcome for the shortstop, it had serious consequences for another Japanese player, right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma.  Iwakuma nearly had a four-year, $36MM deal with the A's last offseason but wound up inking a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Mariners this week.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) hears that Nakajima was offered about $1MM by the Yankees, but the bigger issue for him was the role he would have had with the Bombers.  The infielder was a starter and a star player for the Saitama Seibu Lions.

Orioles Notes: Soriano, Pitching, Ramirez, Miller

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Yesterday, we heard that the Orioles and Cubs talked about a deal involving Alfonso Soriano.  In order to ship the outfielder elsewhere, the Cubs would have to eat a substantial portion of the $54MM remaining on his contract.  Here's more on Soriano and the Orioles..

  • Talks between the Orioles and Cubs were probably not very serious, sources told Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com.  Dan Duquette doesn't want to spend heavily on a designated hitter and even if the Cubs ate about 80% of the $54MM owed to Soriano, the O's would still be on the hook for $3-4MM for each of the next three seasons.
  • Dubroff adds that if Duquette shells out a big contract this winter, it'll be for a pitcher, not for a one-dimensional DH.  Former O's reliever Mike Gonzalez is still on the open market, but it's not likely that he'll get the chance to redeem himself in Baltimore.
  • The Orioles and Blue Jays have both evaluated Manny Ramirez, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (Spanish link).  According to a source, both clubs sent scouts to watch Ramirez hit in an indoor cage in Miami.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter) writes that executive director of international recruiting Fred Ferreira and manager Buck Showalter watched Ramirez take batting practice shortly after the Winter Meetings.
  • The Orioles didn't trade for Jai Miller because of concerns over Nick Markakis' health, writes Kubatko.  Miller is seen as an upgrade over former first-round pick Brandon Snyder, and a better overall player than Matt Angle.  The O's acquired Miller for $45K from the Athletics on Tuesday.
  • The Orioles signed Korean right-hander Eun Chul Choi to a minor league deal, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun.  Not much is known about the 6-foot-5 hurler, but based on comments from Duquette, it seems that his signing marks the beginning of a serious push into Korea by the organization.

Jorge Posada To Announce Retirement

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Jorge Posada will announce his retirement within the next two weeks, a source tells Sweeny Murti of WFAN (via Twitter).  Previously, it was reported that Posada wanted to continue playing in 2012 if he could find the right situation.

Posada spent his entire 17 big league career with the Yankees after being drafted by the club in the 24th round of the 1990 draft.  The catcher hit .273/.374/.474 for his career with 275 home runs.  In total, Posada earned five All-Star nominations, including his resurgent 2007 campaign.  That year, Posada hit .338/.426/.543 with 20 home runs and finished sixth in the voting for AL MVP.

According to Baseball Reference, Posada earned more than $117MM lifetime from the Yankees.  The catcher re-upped with the Bombers prior to the 2008 season with a four-year, $52.4MM deal.

Two weeks ago, the catcher's father said that Posada was receiving interest from the Rays, Phillies, and Orioles.  It's unclear how strong the interest was from those clubs as he didn't seem to be a clear fit for any of them.  The O's were said to be after someone who could catch everyday if neccessary and the 40-year-old Posada likely couldn't provide that.

Poll: Should The Angels Trade Trumbo Or Morales?

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Albert Pujols is a great problem to have. The Angels created a serious logjam by signing the greatest hitter of the generation last month, as they now have about five players — Mark Trumbo, Kendrys Morales, Vernon Wells, Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu — competing for the two corner outfield spots and DH. That doesn't include Mike Trout, another outfielder and arguably the best prospect in baseball.

The Angels have indicated a willingness to keep Abreu because his left-handed bat helps balance out a righty heavy lineup, plus Wells and Hunter are unlikely to be traded given their salaries. Trumbo and Morales are first basemen like Pujols, and figure to be among the first to go if a trade is made.

Trumbo, 26 next week and with five years of team control left, finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2011. That was due to his gaudy home run (29) and RBI (87) totals though, not his batting average (.254) or OBP (.291). Power is becoming harder to find these days, and Trumbo certainly has plenty of it. We know the Angels are looking for bullpen help, and if yesterday's Anthony Rizzo trade is any indication, the Angels could get a young, cost controlled power arm for their bullpen by dealing their incumbent first baseman. I'm just speculating, but the Indians, Pirates, Brewers, and Rays make sense as trade partners.

Morales, on the other hand, is 28 with just two more years of team control left. His value is way down because he hasn't played in a year and a half due to leg and ankle injuries, though he's recently been cleared "ramp up" baseball activities during his rehab according to Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times. Prior to the injury, he'd hit .302/.353/.548 with 45 homers in 203 games from 2009-2010. The Halos would probably be selling low on Morales by trading him now, but they stand to save just about $3MM by moving him according to our projections. Again, those same four teams make sense as trade partners.

The Angels have indicated that Trumbo will work out at third base during Spring Training to see if he can get some at-bats there, but they might not have a better trade chip at their disposal (assuming Trout is off the table). It's worth noting that they just signed Jorge Cantu to a minor league deal to serve as depth at both corner infield spots, so they have some protection there.

Brewers Sign Brooks Conrad

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The Brewers have signed Brooks Conrad to a minor league contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Paragon Sports International client will compete for a utility job in Spring Training.

Conrad, 32 next week, was non-tendered by the Braves last month, though they had interest in re-signing him to a minor league deal. He hit .223/.325/.388 with four homers in 122 plate appearances in 2011 while playing first, second, and third bases. The switch-hitter is one season removed from a .250/.324/.487 effort in 2010, and his career numbers are significantly better against left-handed pitchers.

Olney’s Latest: Red Sox, Fielder, Cubs, Mariners

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney wrote about how Daniel Bard's potential transition to rotation could turn the Red Sox's staff from a question mark into a strength. He says they will look to add a starter or two via free agency as the asking prices drop, and notes that the Yankees are taking a similar approach. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

  • The acquisition of Anthony Rizzo changes nothing for the Cubs and their pursuit of Prince Fielder. Olney calls it an "apples and oranges" situation given the price tag of the two players. The Cubs' brass has been acting with zero urgency in talks with Fielder, and they've always been leery about giving him a long-term deal.
  • The team most interested in Fielder — and most willing to pay big — might be the Mariners. Whether or not he wants to play in Seattle is another matter.
  • Baseball officials as well as some in the union are under the assumption that the playoff field will be increased to ten teams in 2012. Playoff expansion will happen in 2013, but the new collective bargaining agreement gives the league the option of putting it in play this year.

This post has been corrected to say that the Mariners "might be" the club most interested in Fielder, not that they are.

Rangers Checking In On Ryan Madson

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The Rangers are checking in on free agent closer Ryan Madson, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Texas is still looking for bullpen help even after signing Joe Nathan. 

Just yesterday we heard that a contender could make a surprise play for Madson, and the Rangers would certainly qualify. In addition to Nathan, they also have Mike Adams and Koji Uehara at the back of their bullpen. That didn't stop them from looking into acquiring Andrew Bailey, however. If they were to get serious about Madson, it probably wouldn't happen until after the Yu Darvish situation is resolved.

Nearly 4,400 MLBTR readers believed the Angels would sign Madson when polled last month. The Rangers weren't an option in the poll, but more than 2,800 readers expected him to sign with a team that wasn't listed.

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