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Archives for November 2012

Athletics Sign Scott Moore

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The A's signed Scott Moore to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. Moore had been outrighted off of Houston's roster nine days ago. 

Moore, 29, appeared in 72 games for the Astros this past season, playing first base, second base, third base and both corner outfield positions. In 228 plate appearances with Houston, the 2002 first rounder posted a .259/.330/.448 batting line and hit nine home runs.

Nationals Notes: LaRoche, Bourn, Harper

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Here's a look at the latest on the Nationals..

  • The Nats and first baseman Adam LaRoche are still far apart on hammering out a new deal, tweets Bill Ladson of MLB.com.  The 33-year-old would like to return to the Nationals but is also looking to land a three-year deal.  Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) also hears that there hasn't been much movement on a new contract for LaRoche, which would indicate that they are more outfield-focused at the moment.
  • With the LaRoche negotiations stalling, the Nats are seriously considering changing course and going after Michael Bourn, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN.com.  The speedster is No. 3 on Tim Dierkes' list of the Top 50 free agents.
  • In an interview on 106.7 The Fan, General Manager Mike Rizzo seemed keen on finding a leadoff hitter/centerfielder to allow Bryce Harper to move to one of the corner positions, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.  When asked about what he wants to upgrade, Rizzo said that he will be targeting a "dynamic" player in centerfield (Twitter link).
  • The Nationals, along with the Tigers, have benefited from learning how to do business with super-agent Scott Boras, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  Boras advised Nats owner Mark Lerner back in 2007 to "lose for a couple more years" and focus on building through the draft rather than spending big on free agents.  

Tigers Notes: Rondon, Sanchez, Boesch

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Here's the latest on the Tigers…

  • Tigers president and GM Dave Dombrowski told Lynn Henning of the Detroit News that the Tigers are not shopping for a closer (Twitter link). The Tigers will give relief prospect Bruce Rondon the chance to win the closer’s job in Spring Training.
  • A number of executives recently told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that they expect Anibal Sanchez to sign a deal of five years or more (all Twitter links). The free agent right-hander won’t be linked to draft pick compensation, since he wasn’t eligible to obtain a qualifying offer from the Tigers. The Tigers continue pursuing Sanchez, Morosi reports. It’s possible the 28-year-old will wait for Zack Greinke to sign in an attempt to pull up his own value. Morosi explains that the Tigers might want Greinke to sign in Los Angeles so that the Dodgers aren't bidding for Sanchez.
  • Keep in mind that while Brennan Boesch might appear to be a non-tender candidate, Dombrowski said earlier in the offseason that he'll be tendered a contract, MLB.com's Jason Beck reported. The outfielder has drawn trade interest.

Royals, Mets Discussed R.A. Dickey

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The Royals have talked to the Mets about R.A. Dickey as they continue to search for a top-of-the-rotation starter, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reported this week that the Royals have had discussions about trading Wil Myers for Jon Lester or James Shields.

The Royals aren’t looking to trade Myers and have no interest in moving Salvador Perez, Heyman writes. Alex Gordon and Billy Butler are close to untouchable and the Royals aren’t inclined to trading Alcides Escobar, either. Instead, the Royals would prefer to send the Mets younger prospects in a deal for Dickey. 

If the Royals were to acquire Dickey, the 2012 NL Cy Young winner, he’d join Jeremy Guthrie, Ervin Santana and others in Kansas City.

"Our rotation is going to better, but we're still looking for the opportunity to improve on what we've done,'' Royals GM Dayton Moore told Heyman.

The Royals seem interested in trading Luke Hochevar and Bruce Chen. Doing so might free up salary for Moore, who now has up to $6MM to spend, according to Heyman.

The Mets have explored the possibility of a contract extension with Dickey, who will earn $5MM in 2013 before hitting free agency. If they trade the knuckleballer, they’d prefer a catcher and outfield help.

Brewers, Red Sox, Angels Interested In Dempster

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The Brewers, Red Sox and Angels are among the teams showing interest in Ryan Dempster, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The free agent right-hander seeks a three-year contract.

Dempster, 35, posted a 3.38 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 43.5% ground ball rate in 173 innings for the Cubs and Rangers in 2012. The 15-year veteran saw his average fastball velocity dip below 90 mph, but he continued generating swings and misses. His 10.4% swinging strike rate was right around his career mark of 10.8%. LSW Baseball represents Dempster, who has also been linked to the Dodgers, Twins and Cubs this offseason.

Olney On Upton, Pettitte, Wright

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The center field market will be shaped in part by B.J. Upton’s deal with Atlanta, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney wrote today. Here are more notes from Olney’s column, starting with Upton…

  • The Braves signed Upton to a franchise record five-year, $75.25MM contract despite some warning signs that other organizations had identified, Olney writes. Upton has a declining on-base percentage and a bat that can be inconsistent. However, one of Olney's sources praised the deal. "He is the most talented player in the free agent market and somebody I think will age well," the person said.
  • The conversations about a 2013 contract between the Yankees and Andy Pettitte started at the GM Meetings earlier this month, agent Jim Murray told Olney. “We worked on it between then and now, talking fairly frequently," Murray said. Pettitte signed a one-year, $12MM contract yesterday.
  • Agents and executives agree that David Wright will take the Mets’ extension offer, Olney reports. It would be difficult to decline such a proposal, since there’s no guarantee he’d have similar long-term offers a year from now. MLBTR rounded up the latest on Wright earlier today. It appears the Mets have offered him $124MM for seven seasons starting in 2014.

Latest On Mets, David Wright

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The Mets have made David Wright a nine-figure offer that would keep him in New York long term. Some of the details of the offer remained unclear earlier this week, prompting Wright to explain to MLBTR that he was frustrated by some published inaccuracies. However, he repeated his interest in staying with the organization long-term. "I have said from Day 1 that I want to play my entire career with the New York Mets. I remain hopeful that goal can be achieved,” Wright said. Here’s the latest on his contract talks with the Mets…

  • The Mets believe they’ve made Wright their best offer, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports. The team offered Wright a seven-year extension that would begin after the 2013 season, Martino reports. The deal would include $124MM in new money and be worth $140MM including Wright’s 2013 salary of $16MM. Now the Mets are awaiting Wright’s response. Around baseball there’s an expectation that the sides will reach an agreement, Martino writes. The Mets’ offer is backloaded with a structure similar to the one Jose Reyes and the Marlins agreed to last winter, according to the Daily News.

Marlins Could Pursue Center Fielder

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The Braves just added a high-profile center fielder, and the Phillies and Nationals have also been connected to the top options available, but those aren’t the only NL East teams exploring the outfield market. The Marlins also need a center fielder and “would love” to acquire Peter Bourjos from the Angels, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). However, a deal for Bourjos remains unlikely, so the club could pursue a free agent such as Nate McLouth.

Justin Ruggiano hit .313/.374/.535 in 320 plate appearances while playing all three outfield positions this past season and he represents one internal center field option for Miami. The 30-year-old responded to Rosenthal’s tweet and explained that the Marlins don’t need to acquire a center fielder. “I got this,” Ruggiano wrote. Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Pierre project as Miami’s corner outfielders. 

If the Mets non-tender Andres Torres as expected tomorrow, they’ll also be in the market for a center fielder. New York will presumably pursue multiple outfielders this offseason, though the Mets are expected to look for bargains instead of spending at the top of the market.

Quick Hits: Greinke, Brewers, Hanrahan, Hochevar

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The second episode of Rosters and Rumblings, the new podcast featuring MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith and Jason Martinez of MLB Depth Charts, was recorded today. Check out the podcast for analysis of B.J. Upton’s deal with the Braves and the recent contracts for pitchers such as Scott Feldman, Ryan Madson and Andy Pettitte. Here's the latest around the league as Wednesday turns into Thursday…

  • ESPN's Jayson Stark gets the sense that the Zack Greinke bidding won't get serious until the Winter Meetings start in Nashville next week (Twitter link).
  • “We’re making contacts right now … There are a lot of relievers still out there. They sit there and wait until the big guys sign," said Brewers GM Doug Melvin to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy when asked about the team's pursuit of bullpen help.
  • Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan could be on the trade block at the Winter Meetings next week according to Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune Review (on Sulia).
  • After speaking to people within the organization, Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star doesn't expect the Royals to non-tender Luke Hochevar (Twitter link). They are shopping him in trades though.
  • Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times hears that Japanese free agent reliever Kyuji Fujikawa prefers to pitch for the Angels or Cubs, though the Diamondbacks are still a possibility as well (Twitter link).
  • Minor league free agents can pay big dividends, writes MLB.com's Andrew Simon. He notes the performances of Gregor Blanco and Quintin Berry, who helped the Giants and Tigers to the World Series this year after signing minor league deals, respectively.

Minor Moves: Volstad, Pena, Balester, Solarte, Buck

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Here are Wednesday's minor moves…

  • Right-hander Chris Volstad and catcher Brayan Pena have rejected their outright assignments and elected free agency, the Royals announced (on Twitter). Both players were designated for assignment last week.
  • The Rangers have signed Collin Balester to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 26-year-old right-hander allowed 14 runs in 18 innings for the Tigers this year while pitching to a 3.64 ERA in 47 Triple-A innings.
  • The Rangers have also signed Yangervis Solarte to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training according to Morosi. The 25-year-old infielder hit .288/.340/.405 with 11 homers in 568 plate appearances for Texas' Triple-A affiliate this season.
  • The Padres have signed Travis Buck to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, report Baseball America's Matt Eddy (on Twitter). Buck, 29, hit .216/.284/.311 in 81 plate appearances for the Astros this year.
  • The Padres also re-signed catcher Eddy Rodriguez and right-hander Daniel Stange to minor league deals with invites to camp, according to Eddy. The 26-year-old Rodriguez went 1-for-5 with a homer for San Diego this year, his big league debut.

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