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Archives for April 2012

Talks Accelerate Between Giants, Cain

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The volume of dialogue has increased between the Giants and Matt Cain's representatives as Friday's  deadline edges near, sources tell Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.  While the deadline of Friday has been characterized as soft, the pitcher would like talks to be wrapped up prior to the Giants' Opening Day.

Sources tell Baggarly that Cain's camp has not shown any signs of lowering their asking price.  It's believed that five years and $100MM is the floor in negotiations and it's not known if the Giants have even offered that much.  In a chat with fans on Thursday, CEO Larry Baer insisted the club was not making "lowball" offers to the 27-year-old.

Central Notes: Reds, Indians, Pirates, Royals

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A look at some items out of the Central divisions..

MLBTR Originals

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Here's a look back at the original reporting and analysis from MLBTR's writing team this week..

Reds, Joey Votto Nearing Extension

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Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols won't be the only first basemen to cash in with historic contracts this offseason. Joey Votto and the Reds are nearing an extension that will keep the first baseman in Cincinnati for a long time, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes and Ben Nicholson-Smith have learned. Dan Lozano of Icon Sports Group represents Votto.

Joey Votto - Reds (PW)

Terms of the deal are not known, but it wouldn't be surprising if the total contract value surpasses $200MM. Votto will earn a total of $26.5MM through 2013 on the extension he signed last winter. I suggested in January that an additional $161MM could be enough to keep Votto in place long-term.

It's a ten-year, $225MM contract according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). The deal eclipses Prince Fielder's nine-year, $214MM with the Tigers.

Votto, the 2010 NL MVP, has evolved into one of the game's elite players since debuting in 2007. He followed up his MVP season with a .309/.416/.531 line, 29 homers and 40 doubles. The 28-year-old has been a seven win player each of the past two seasons, according to FanGraphs' version of wins above replacement.

Just four deals in MLB history have surpassed the $200MM mark. Fielder, Alex Rodriguez (twice) and fellow Lozano client Albert Pujols make up the select group.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire. This post was originally published on April 2nd.

Mets, Niese On The Verge Of Extension

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5:08pm: Niese's contract extension would be for five years, a source confirmed to Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter).  The two sides are still discussing dollars and a deal could be reached "quickly".

4:10pm: While nothing is official yet, the contract has a chance to be completed before Opening Day, a source with "direct knowledge" of the talks tells Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).

3:48pm: Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal tweets that the paramaters for the contract are in place, but that it'd be wrong to suggest that it's a done deal. Costa does say that a deal is "likely," however. Rubin echoes the sentiment in a followup tweet.

3:38pm: The Mets have agreed to a long-term deal with Jonathon Niese, according to ESPN's Adam Rubin. The 25-year-old left-hander is represented by O'Connell Sports Management.

Rubin writes that Niese's contract is believed to be similar to the five-year, $28.5MM extension that Derek Holland signed with the Rangers last month. As Rubin points out, the two have similar service time to date. Niese, like Holland, was already under team control for four more seasons.

Niese posted a 4.40 ERA in 157 1/3 innings of work last season with solid rate stats of 7.9 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, and a 51.5% groundball rate. He was the victim of some bad luck, as evidenced by an above average .333 BABIP and an abnormally low 67% strand rate. Stats such as FIP (3.36) and SIERA (3.42) suggest that his ERA could have been up to a full run lower.

The deal would likely represent the largest contract extension of general manager Sandy Alderson's tenure, as MLBTR's Extension Tracker shows. Previously, Alderson has agreed on smaller extensions with both Tim Byrdak and R.A. Dickey.

Minor Moves: Scales, Bulger

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We'll keep track of minor Sunday's minor transactions here…

  • Bobby Scales has signed a minor league deal with the Mets and will report to Triple-A Buffalo, according to ESPN's Adam Rubin (on Twitter). The 34-year-old has spent most of his career in the minor leagues, but did see 158 plate appearances with the Cubs in the 2009-10 seasons.
  • The Yankees have signed Jason Bulger to a minor league contract, tweets MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. He'll pitch at Triple-A. After signing a minor league deal with the Twins this winter, Bulger disappointed in Spring Training, allowing 10 earned runs on eight hits and five walks in four innings. He last enjoyed success in 2009 with the Angels.

Cain Expected To Sign Five-Year Deal

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The Giants will sign right-hander Matt Cain to an extension "in the neighborhood of" five years and $110MM by Opening Day, two sources tell John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Landon Williams and Rick Landrum of CAA Sports represent Cain, who had been scheduled to hit free agency following the 2012 season.

Cain has emerged as a frontline starter in recent years and the upcoming deal would establish a record for right-handed pitchers, as long as it's worth more than $105MM. The 27-year-old has completed 200 innings in five consecutive seasons, and has impressive career rate stats. He consistently outperforms his strong peripheral stats to post low ERAs. Most recently, he posted a 2.88 ERA with 7.3 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 41.7% ground ball rate in 221 2/3 innings last year. 

The deal figures to affect at least two other ace pitchers: Tim Lincecum and Cole Hamels. Lincecum is on track for free agency following the 2013 season and Hamels will be eligible for free agency this winter. Should Hamels reach a deal with the Phillies, it will presumably mirror Cain's contract. Zack Greinke could also use Cain's deal as a reference point in talks with the Brewers.

Cain will earn $15MM in 2012. Luke Adams of MLBTR anticipated the terms of the upcoming extension with considerable accuracy in December.

This post was originally published on April 2nd, 2012.

Mariners Release Aaron Heilman

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The Mariners have released Aaron Heilman from their minor league camp, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).

Heilman, 33, signed a minor league deal with the Mariners this past January after posting a 6.88 ERA, 8.4 K/9, and 2.8 BB/9 in 35 1/3 innings for the Diamondbacks last season. He struggled to keep the ball on the ground, with a 38.5% groundball rate, which resulted in a whopping eight homers allowed.

The FrontLine Sports client has a career 4.40 ERA, 7.8 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, and 43.1% groundball rate in 630 innings as both a starter and reliever for the Mets, Cubs, and Diamondbacks.

Zack Greinke Close To Picking Agent

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Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke continues to interview agents for representation and is expected to make a decision this week prior to Opening Day, a source tells Jim Bowden of ESPN (via Twitter).  Casey Close of Excel Sports Management appears to be the frontrunner, according to Bowden (Twitter link). 

Greinke has been operating without an agent since leaving CAA last spring.  The 28-year-old figures to be one of the top free agent starters following this season and says that he is open to signing an extension with Milwaukee.  Earlier this month, Greinke indicated that he wouldn't look to hire an agent until after the 2012 season.

For a look at other players represented by Excel Sports Management, head over to MLBTR's Agency Database.

Braves Acquire Juan Francisco From Reds

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The Braves acquired third baseman Juan Francisco from the Reds in exchange for right-hander J.J. Hoover, according to a press release from the team. 

Francisco, 24, has appeared in 81 games for the Reds over the last three seasons, posting a slash line of .284/.331/.450.  The left-handed hitter was out-of-options and MLB.com's Mark Sheldon writes that he showed up to camp overweight and did not properly rehabilitate a right calf injury that he suffered over the winter.

Hoover, 24, will report to the Reds' Triple-A affiliate.  The 6'3" hurler split time between Double-A and Triple-A last season, making 14 starts and 29 relief appearances.  In total, Hoover registered a 2.64 ERA with 10.0 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 2011.

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