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Archives for February 2012

AL Central Links: Indians, Ray, Lewis, Accardo

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Two years ago today, the Twins signed Orlando Hudson to a one-year contract worth $5MM. He hit .268/.338/.372 in 126 games for Minnesota, then signed a two-year, $11.5MM deal with the Padres after the season. Here's the latest from the AL Central…

Rockies Close To Acquiring Jeremy Guthrie

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The Rockies and Orioles are nearing an agreement that would send starter Jeremy Guthrie to Colorado, most likely for pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  Connolly believes a third piece for the Orioles was discussed, but the sides settled on Hammel and Lindstrom.  Guthrie's arbitration hearing was scheduled for this morning, but is believed to have been postponed.  With a $3MM gap, the righty's arbitration case has a sizeable spread.

Guthrie, 32, has been a regular in Baltimore's rotation since being claimed off waivers from the Indians five years ago.  Last year he posted a 4.33 ERA, 5.6 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9, and 39.6% groundball rate in 208 innings for the Orioles.  His skills suggest a 200-inning, 4.50 ERA guy in the AL East.  Guthrie will be a useful addition for a Rockies rotation long on options but short on stability, assuming his proclivity to surrender home runs doesn't worsen.  Guthrie will be eligible for free agency after the season.

Hammel, 29, posted a 4.76 ERA, 5.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 1.11 HR/9, and 43.9% groundball rate in 170 1/3 innings last year.  Acquired from the Rays three years ago, Hammel has given the Rockies 170+ innings in each of his seasons.  Prior to 2011, Hammel's skills suggested a pitcher capable of a sub-4.00 ERA.  In 2011, however, he was moved to the Rockies' bullpen in August.  He'll earn $4.75MM in 2012 and will be arbitration eligible for 2013.

Lindstrom, 31, posted a 3.00 ERA, 6.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 0.50 HR/9, and 47.3% groundball rate in 54 innings last year for the Rockies.  His strikeout rates have always seemed low for someone averaging a 96 mile-per-hour fastball.  Lindstrom, who was acquired in December 2010 from the Astros, is owed $3.6MM for 2012 and has a $4MM club option for '13.    

With the trade, Orioles vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette has subtracted his rotation's one sure thing in favor of Hammel, who was demoted from the Rockies' rotation last summer.  He did acquire two pitchers for the price of one, as well as potential 2013 control for each.

This post was first published the morning of February 6th.

Extension Candidate: Jordan Zimmermann

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The Nationals have been one of baseball's most active teams this offseason, signing both Edwin Jackson and Brad Lidge in addition to trading for and extending Gio Gonzalez. GM Mike Rizzo doesn't have to worry about the top of his rotation for a while since Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg are under control through 2016, but another one of the club's young starters can hit the open market a year earlier.

Icon_12916043Jordan Zimmermann qualified as a Super Two by little more than a week this offseason, meaning he'll be eligible for arbitration four times instead of the usual three. The two sides agreed to a $2.3MM salary for 2012 as our Arbitration Tracker shows, working out a deal before salary figures had to be exchanged. The 25-year-old right-hander broke out last season, pitching to a 3.18 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 with a 39.4% ground ball rate in 161 1/3 innings across 26 starts. His 8-11 record doesn't do his actual performance justice.

Although he has nearly three full years of service time, Zimmermann only has about a year and a half worth of big league starts to his credit. He missed part of 2009 and most of 2010 due to Tommy John surgery, but players do collect service time while on the DL. The injury and subsequent lack of innings kept his salary down this winter, and that will have a trickle down effect in future years since he's starting with a lower base salary.

As our Extension Tracker shows, the typical extension for pitchers with 2-3 years of service time has been in the four-year, $30MM range with one or two club options that buy out free agent years. Jon Lester, Yovani Gallardo, Ricky Romero, Clay Buchholz, Trevor Cahill, and Jaime Garcia all signed contracts with that framework. Zimmermann lags behind those guys in counting stats like innings and wins due to the elbow surgery, though his strikeout and walk rates match up with any of them at the time of their extensions. ERA as well.

A four-year deal for Zimmermann figures to check in a bit under $30MM given his injury history, so perhaps $22-25MM or so. That would cover his four arbitration years, and the club options could come in around the usual $10-12MM based on those similar pitchers. Zimmermann and the Nationals are in a unique position because his salaries are depressed by his elbow surgery, and the team could take advantage of that by signing him long-term at an even further reduced rate.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Latest On Roy Oswalt

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7:09pm: Rosenthal now hears that the Reds are not actively pursuing Oswalt, but they are kicking the tires on the right-hander (Twitter link).

1:53pm: Pitcher Roy Oswalt is without a contract two weeks before the start of spring workouts and a number of suitors remain in the mix for his services.  Because the right-hander's top choices – St. Louis and Texas – are dealing with budget constraints, clubs such as the Reds continue to explore the possibility of signing him, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Walt Jocketty & Co. have spoken with Oswalt’s representatives recently and would probably need to move payroll and stretch their budget in order to afford him, according to a source.  Signing the 34-year-old, the duo writes, would signal that the Reds are going all-in and looking to win before the potential departures of Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips via free agency.  Votto is signed through 2013 while Phillips is set to hit the open market next winter.

Oswalt and the Red Sox continue to have “mutual interest” in one another, according to one source with knowledge of the dialogue.  He also remains interested in returning to the Phillies, according to sources, but they haven’t been aggressive in looking for starters.

Giants Notes: Cespedes, Ramirez, Torres

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Yesterday, Giants GM Brian Sabean talked to the press about the possibility of signing Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum to contract extensions.  Here's more on San Fran..

  • Not a huge surprise here, but Sabean said that the Giants won't go after Yoenis Cespedes, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  "The price tag is probably beyond what his talent is," the GM said.  The outfielder still has a number of suitors including the Marlins, Cubs, White Sox, Orioles, and Tigers.
  • Sabean said that Ramon Ramirez was included in the Andres Torres–Angel Pagan trade in December to even out the money, Schulman tweets.  Back in December, the GM admitted that if the Giants hadn't traded Ramirez, they would have tendered the right-hander a contract.
  • Speaking of Torres, a competing baseball exec told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) that he sees the former Giant as a fifth outfielder, even though he is slated to start in center field for the Mets.  Heyman agrees with that assertion.

Athletics Evaluating Magglio Ordonez

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In addition to Manny Ramirez, the A's are also evaluating Magglio Ordonez for a spring tryout, according to Peter Gammons of MLB.com (via Twitter).  The slugger is recovering from surgery after re-fracturing his right ankle during the ALCS in 2011.

Roughly two weeks ago, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported that Ordonez could be medically cleared by this point which would in turn spark interest in him.  Ordonez, who turned 38 last Saturday, hit just .255/.303/.331 in 92 games with the Tigers last season.

Poll: Which Team Will Sign Manny Ramirez?

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Manny Ramirez’s comeback attempt isn’t your typical feel good comeback story. He abruptly retired last April following a second failed PED test, and several of his former employers had grown tired of his Manny Being Manny act. His offensive production started to wane with age, and he never had much defensive value during his career.

Ramirez, 40 in May, is one of the best hitters of his generation however, a .312/.411/.585 career hitter with 547 doubles and 555 homers. He reached base just once (a single) in 17 plate appearances with the Rays last year before calling it quits, but his comeback attempt is sincere. He’s open to a minor league contract and was scheduled to work out for teams last month. Given his career earnings — nearly $207MM according to Baseball-Reference — it’s hard to believe Ramirez is trying to get back in the game for money.

Manny is reportedly deciding between three teams at the moment: the Athletics, Blue Jays, and Orioles. All three clubs need a DH-type bat, but he would have to serve a 50-game suspension before playing. The suspension will begin once he signs a contract. The Yankees, Rangers, and Mariners could all conceivably add a DH as well, but none of those clubs have been connected to Ramirez this offseason.

Minor Moves: Brent Dlugach

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Let's keep track of the day's minor moves right here…

  • Infielder Brent Dlugach has signed with the Tigers according to his Twitter feed. "Heading to spring training at my home away from home again … Glad to be back with the Tigers," he said. Dlugach, 28, hit .222/.284/.343 in 236 plate appearances with the Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate last season after spending the first seven seasons of his career in Detroit's farm system. He has three big league plate appearances to his credit, coming back in 2009.

Indians Acquire Russ Canzler

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SATURDAY: The Rays received $100K from the Indians to complete the trade, reports MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (on Twitter).

TUESDAY: The Indians announced that they acquired Russ Canzler from the Rays for cash considerations. The Rays had designated the 25-year-old for assignment on Friday.

Canzler made his MLB debut in 2011, appearing in three games with the Rays as a September callup. He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .314/.401/.530 line with 18 home runs and 40 doubles in 549 plate appearances, and won the International League MVP. 

Canzler appeared at all four corner positions in 2011. The right-handed hitter figures to add balance to an Indians lineup that features more than its share of left-handed hitters at third base and in the corner outfield spots. It's unclear whether the addition of Canzler will affect the Indians' interest level in free agent first baseman Casey Kotchman.

The Cubs selected Canzler in the 30th round of the 2004 draft. He has options remaining, so the Indians aren't obliged to keep him in the Major Leagues, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweets.

Quick Hits: Veras, Garza, Harper, Playoffs

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Some links as Friday turns into Saturday…

  • There has been no progress in contract talks between the Brewers and reliever Jose Veras, reports MLB.com Adam McCalvy. As our Arbitration Tracker shows, the right-hander filed $2.375MM while the team countered with $2MM. Club negotiator Teddy Werner told McCalvy that he expects to return to Florida for a hearing.
  • Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com hears that the Cubs will continue to shop Matt Garza in Spring Training. The two sides avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $9.5MM today, and Knobler says the salary doesn't figure to hurt their chances of moving him.
  • "We'll be cautious yet open-minded," said Nationals GM Mike Rizzo to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com when asked about the possibility of Bryce Harper making the team out of Spring Training. "If he gives us the best chance to win, we'll keep an open mind and see where it takes us."
  • Talks continue between the union and management about expanded playoffs for 2012, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The deadline for resolution is March 1st.

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