White Sox Only Interested In Three-Year Deal With Gordon, Cespedes
The White Sox have interest in free agent outfielders Alex Gordon and Yoenis Cespedes, but only on a deal that would promise three years or less, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports on Twitter. That’s obviously a far shorter commitment than the veterans are looking for.
Cespedes has yet to be tied closely to any particular team despite coming off of a season in which he slashed .287/.337/.604 and hit 35 home runs. Most recently, we heard that the White Sox and Orioles were looking like the most landing spots. But Baltimore is said to have no interest in nearing the $140MM price tag that we predicted here at MLBTR at the start of the offseason. And it obviously doesn’t sound as if Chicago does, either.
As I explained in a profile of Cespedes and his free agent case, it was and still is difficult to peg a specific landing spot for the Cuban native. That’s true, in large part, because there are two other premium corner outfielders available in Gordon and Justin Upton, as well as another high-end power bat in Chris Davis.
As for Gordon, who we predicted to top $100MM over five years, it seemed at one point that he could come off the board before the holidays. It’s not immediately clear whether the delay is a good or bad sign for his earning capacity, but it’s certainly possible to imagine that he’s fielding interest from multiple teams. And then there’s the involvement of the Royals, the only team he’s ever played for. Gordon himself said recently that the Royals are still in play, despite reports that their most recent offer was not competitive.
The organizations I listed as possible Cespedes suitors still arguably look like strong possible fits for either player. That includes the Angels, Giants, Tigers, Cardinals, Orioles, and White Sox. But those teams, and possibly a few others, appear to be engaged in something of a staring contest with the players and agents across the table — to say nothing of the other teams that hold veteran trade assets.
That stand-off seems unlikely to be broken by any three-year arrangement at this stage of the offseason, though it is certainly possible to imagine such an offer holding some appeal. Dangling a sky-high AAV and opt-out sweetener may ultimately be competitive, but that’s probably only an option that these players would consider after exhausting the possibilities for a longer deal.
Astros Sign Eury Perez To Minors Deal
The Astros have announced the signing of outfielder Eury Perez to a minor league pact. Houston also added righty Cesar Valdez and invited both to major league training camp this spring.
Perez, 25, received his first chance at extended big league action last year with the Braves. Over 133 plate appearances, he slashed .269/.331/.303 and contributed three stolen bases. He was non-tendered by Atlanta earlier this winter.
While he’s always been light on power, the center field-capable Perez has shown quite a bit of speed in the minors and owns a .307/.358/.402 batting line in 1,115 Triple-A plate appearances. He was once a fairly highly-regarded prospect with the Nationals and could still have some function in the majors if he can reach base enough.
The 30-year-old Valdez saw brief MLB action back in 2010, but has pitched exclusively overseas since 2012. His return to affiliated ball was likely driven by his 2015 performance in Mexico. Working for the Olmecas de Tobasco, Valdez threw 160 2/3 innings in 23 starts and racked up 9.0 K/9 against 1.6 BB/9.
The ‘Stros also announced their non-roster spring camp invites, which include some notable names from the minor league system. Among them are recent draft picks Alex Bregman and Derek Fisher as well as prospects A.J. Reed, Tony Kemp, Colin Moran, and J.D. Davis.
Central Notes: Moore, Jaso, White Sox
We took a look in at Kansas City’s potential pitching needs earlier today, and there are a few more notes from the game’s central divisions to share on a quiet New Year’s Day:
- There’s a case to be made that Royals GM Dayton Moore qualifies as MLB’s most notable figure in 2015, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick writes. While the publication gave that title to Bryce Harper, but the successful culmination of Moore’s efforts in Kansas City certain made for a notable story — particularly from a hot stove perspective.
- New Pirates first baseman John Jaso said yesterday on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (Twitter link) that he chose his new team in part due to the opportunity to play in the field. Most of the interest he saw was from American League clubs that would have utilized him as a DH, but he says he’s drawn by the challenge of being a quality defender at a new position.
- While the White Sox have had “dialogue” with the top three free agent outfielders — that’d be Justin Upton, Yoenis Cespedes, and Alex Gordon — there’s nothing close at present, Bob Nightengale of USA Today recently tweeted. That’s not particularly surprising to hear, in part because Chicago seems to be set up rather nicely to be an opportunistic buyer rather than focusing on getting a particular player at all costs.
Royals Still Interested In Adding To Rotation
The Royals are not done shopping for starting pitching, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (via Twitter). Kansas City is “still pursuing” rotation pieces for the coming season, per the report.
It’s not immediately clear what level of arm would be of interest to the Royals, whose biggest moves this winter have been the signings of reliever Joakim Soria (three years, $25MM) and starter Chris Young (two years, $11.5MM). In addition to the staff, K.C. is looking for at least one corner outfielder and could conceivably look to improve at second base.
As things stand, Young appears set to slot in alongside Danny Duffy and Kris Medlen at the back of the rotation. Righties Edinson Volquez and Yordano Ventura will presumably front the staff, which lost Johnny Cueto to free agency (as was widely expected).
There are some other depth pieces, including minor league free agent Dillon Gee, but it’s not hard to see the appeal of another arm to compete this spring and provide options during the year. After all, the club will be without Jason Vargas for most or all of 2016 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. And it gave up some promising, near-MLB arms last summer in the deals that landed Cueto and Ben Zobrist (see here and here).
There are certainly still plenty of options to choose from for GM Dayton Moore and his staff. At the top of the market, Wei-Yin Chen, Yovani Gallardo, and Ian Kennedy remain unsigned, though all would cost a draft pick to add.