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Archives for March 2012

Quick Hits: Getz, Utley, Phillies, Giants, Madson

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Sunday afternoon linkage..

AL East Notes: Suzuki, Yankees, Rays, Lawrie

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With Opening Day right around the corner, the Yankees are set to enter the 2012 season with tremendous pitching depth.  Yesterday, we learned that the Bombers offered Freddy Garcia to the Marlins but couldn't get the Fish to bite on a deal.  Here's more on the Yanks' pitching and other items out of the American League East..

  • The Rays say that they haven't talked with the A's about Kurt Suzuki, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.  Earlier today, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote that the Rays have been pushing hard to land the catcher.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes the Yankees' wealth of left-handed pitching this season is a change of pace from what they've had in years past.  Aside from a David Wells here or a Sabathia there, Sherman argues that the club hasn't been successful when it comes to developing and importing lefty arms.
  • Players' union president Michael Weiner is happy about the Rays increased payroll and hopes to see the club's attendance numbers rise along with it, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  Owner Stuart Sternberg has said they made the increase essentially as an investment, hoping that spending beyond their means will lead to more wins, and, in turn, better attendance.
  • Brett Lawrie told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that he wasn't thrilled with the way that the Brewers were looking to develop him and happy to be dealt to the Blue Jays.

Cafardo On Suzuki, Oswalt, Correia, Zimmermann

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe argues that two best players at catcher and shortstop positions in camp with the Red Sox organization are Ryan Lavarnway and Jose Iglesias and believes that they absolutely should be on the final 25-man roster.  There could be disagreement from different factions of the club about what to do with the two players and it'll be interesting to see how it all turns out.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • The Rays have been trying hard to get A's catcher Kurt Suzuki but Oakland isn’t crazy about getting Wade Davis or Jeff Niemann in return.  One National League GM points out that those are the type of pitchers that Billy Beane winds up trading and would want a higher grade of pitcher. Right now, the Rays aren’t willing to pay that price.
  • The idea that Roy Oswalt wants to play in the Midwest or South can be overcome with money, according to a major league source.  To get him, Cafardo writes that the Red Sox have to loosen their purse strings.
  • Major league sources say that the Pirates would entertain a deal for right-hander Kevin Correia.
  • The Angels asked the Nationals about Jordan Zimmermann, but there’s no chance unless they part with someone like Mike Trout, and that’s not happening. 
  • Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald could get some bites if he gets squeezed out in Boston.  The Indians, Giants, and Braves are all looking for a righthanded-hitting outfielder.
  • The Yankees are being a little careful about trading their pitching depth, but it appears Freddy Garcia would be available at the right price, which may be high.
  • White Sox pitchers Gavin Floyd and John Danks are both available in the right deal, but according to one GM, Kenny Williams will want at least "two A-level prospects and a third that’s a notch below, and that might not get it done."

Quick Hits: Escalona, Duke, Garza, Soria, Lawrie

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"I think very highly of my client," said Zack Greinke's agent to Brewers management when the two sides opened extension talks according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Greinke, of course, represents himself. The right-hander and his sense of humor will hire an agent at some point, but for now here are some links from around the league…

  • The Astros announced that left-handed reliever Sergio Escalona will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the season. "This probably makes us think about [Zach] Duke’s role if he doesn’t win a spot in the rotation," said GM Jeff Luhnow to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (Twitter link).
  • Cubs GM Jed Hoyer told ESPN's Jim Bowden that he wants to sign Matt Garza long-term and build around the right-hander rather than trade him (Twitter link).
  • "I hope I stay here in Kansas City," said Joakim Soria to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. Soria will miss the season with Tommy John surgery, and the Royals hold an $8MM club option for his services in 2013. "I love this organization, I feel part of this family and I appreciate what they've done for me."
  • "I needed a fresh start. I needed a new team," said Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie to ESPN's Jayson Stark about his trade from the Brewers. Lawrie feels Milwaukee tried to change his effusive personality, though GM Doug Melvin disagrees.
  • John Grabow and Jamey Wright will earn $800K and $900K, respectively, if they make the Dodgers according to Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). Both pitchers have incentives based on appearances, maxing out at $500K (Wright) and $200K (Grabow).

Angels Emerging As Front-Runner For Oswalt?

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8:58pm: "I can't qualify for everything you hear," said GM Jerry Dipoto to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez while reiterating that he is looking for overall pitching depth. "You never have enough pitching, so it's tough for me to say that there's not a time in this season where our situation may not change, but right now, we're very happy with where our pitching is."

10:25am: The Angels are "suddenly the front-runner" for free agent right-hander Roy Oswalt, reports ESPN's Jim Bowden (on Twitter). The Red Sox remain in the mix, though the Rangers and Cardinals are fading out of the picture despite Chris Carpenter's neck problems.

Oswalt, 34, is reportedly willing to sign anywhere and is eyeing a midseason return. Earlier in the offseason he was said to only be interested in playing for a team close to his Mississippi home. Andy Pettitte's return to the Yankees for a $2.5MM minor league deal may have set the market for free agent pitchers coming back during the season, though Oswalt isn't coming out of retirement like his former Astros rotation-mate.

The Angels have reportedly been seeking pitching depth behind their strong front four of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, C.J. Wilson, and Ervin Santana, though they are said to be targeting out of options players and non-roster invitees. Oswalt at a salary similar to Pettitte's could be the bargain of the year.

Extension Candidate: Matt Wieters

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Catchers often take a few years to adjust to big league life after being called up from the minors, in part because they have to learn a pitching staff in addition to focusing on their own development. The Buster Posey-types who have an immediate impact are few and far between. Matt Wieters was the best prospect in all of baseball before the 2009 season according to Baseball America, but it wasn't until 2011 that he started to put it all together.

Icon_13072813Wieters, 25, hit .262/.328/.450 with 22 homers for the Orioles last season and was named to his first All-Star Game. A switch-hitter, Wieters was Barry Bonds from the right side (.339/.430/.694) and Neifi Perez from the left (.235/.291/.371). His career splits are much less pronounced, however. Wieters won the Gold Glove Award for his work behind the plate, and also won the Fielding Bible Award at the position for those of you who prefer a more analytical approach to defense. His career may have started slowly, but now Wieters is starting to break out.

Quality catching is hard to find, which is why teams are eager to lock up their young backstops these days. Nick Hundley (three years, $9MM) and Salvador Perez (five years, $7MM) traded their arbitration-eligible years for guaranteed payouts this offseason while Yadier Molina set the market for free agent backstops with his five-year, $75MM contract. A Molina-like payday may be unavoidable for the Orioles and Wieters down the road, but the club certainly has reasons to look into buying out his arbitration years as well some potential free agent years with an extension.

Molina ($9.25MM), Kurt Suzuki ($14.85MM), Brian McCann ($15.5MM), and Joe Mauer ($20.5MM) all signed away their three arbitration years for similar amounts as part of a multi-year extension. The free agent years surrendered as part of those four extensions range in value from $5.25MM (Molina) to $12.5MM (Mauer). Miguel Montero did not sign an extension but will earn $11.1MM during his three arbitration years. Using those five backstops as a blueprint, a five-year contract worth $22-25MM could make sense for both the O's and Wieters. It would cover his final pre-arbitration year (2012), all three arbitration years ($13-15MM total), and one free agent year ($9-10MM). Options for additional free agent years are, as they say, optional.

It's worth noting that Wieters is a Scott Boras client, but the superagent has been willing to let clients like Jered Weaver, Carlos Gonzalez, Stephen Drew, and Elvis Andrus sign long-term extensions in recent years. Baltimore hired new GM Dan Duquette back in November and they're just starting to pick up the pieces of a franchise that's finished in the AL East cellar in each of the last four years. Wieters could be part of the next contending Orioles team, and the club might want to gain some cost certainty before he continues his breakout and gets even more expensive.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

The Latest On Matt Cain & Tim Lincecum

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There's an "understanding" between the Giants and Matt Cain that they'll try to wrap up contract extension talks before the Opening Day, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. There is no evidence they are close to a deal or that they've even made progress in recent weeks. Extension talks with Tim Lincecum are on hold so the team can focus on Cain given the short window.

The Giants made Cain an initial offer a few weeks ago, though the 27-year-old right-hander is said to be seeking a nine-figure guarantee. The team's offer was not close to $100MM according to Heyman. Cain will earn $15MM in 2012 before hitting the open market next winter, when he will arguably be the best free agent right-handed starter since Mike Mussina in 2000.

Lincecum signed a two-year extension worth $40.5MM this offseason, and San Francisco offered him a five-year deal worth roughly $100MM not too long ago. The two sides are said to be $75MM or so apart.

Quick Hits: Phillies, Garcia, Abreu, Beras, Mets

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Saturday afternoon linkage..

  • The Phillies appear to be comfortable with beginning the season with Freddy Galvis at second base and are searching for a backup utility infielder via trade rather than a starter, sources tell Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
  • Word is that the Yankees offered Freddy Garcia to the Marlins but Miami wasn't interested, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  Garcia, who is a trade candidate following the club's signing of Andy Pettitte, is signed to a one-year deal worth $4MM plus incentives.
  • Angels manager Mike Scioscia and General Manager Jerry Dipoto met with Bobby Abreu following the outfielder's comments to Lider en Deportes.  DiGiovanna writes that the team may have no choice but to release the veteran if he continues to struggle and be a distraction.
  • The case of Jairo Beras and his $4.5MM contract with the Rangers is in the hands of Major League Baseball, but the club is confident that he is 17 years old, writes Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telgram.  Beras' biological father also told the paper that Beras is in fact 17.
  • The Mets are facing a serious numbers crunch on the 40-man roster, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

Braves Looking For Outfield, Infield Depth

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Earlier today, the Braves announced that Chipper Jones will undergo surgery on his left knee and is expected to be sidelined approximately three weeks.  General Manager Frank Wren said that he was looking to acquire backup outfield help even before the injury and will continue to do so, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

While Johnny Damon remains unsigned, it's unclear how much interest the Braves have in the outfielder, O'Brien tweets.  Meanwhile, the Braves are looking for more infield depth as well, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.  However, Stark notes that Jack Wilson could be back in action as soon as Sunday.

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