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Cafardo On Red Sox, Soriano, Madson, Mahay

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Within this week's Sunday Baseball Notes, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported that Kevin Cash has decided to end his playing career. Let's take a look at a few other notes Cafardo shared in his column….

  • Addressing the starting rotation, Red Sox GM Ben Cherington says the team may "buy low on some guys and create a competition in camp." One buy-low candidate the Sox are known to be eyeing is Paul Maholm. Cafardo expects the former Pirate to sign a one-year, incentive-laden deal somewhere.
  • The Red Sox may also have Joe Saunders on their radar. One NL scout weighed in on the southpaw: "You'd be afraid that he'd give up some homers at Fenway. But on the other hand, when you've got a guy who can pitch 200 innings from the No. 4 spot in your rotation, I'm telling you, that is effective because that's one of the bullpen spots in the rotation. I mean, that's where you normally believe you have to use a lot of your pen, and if a guy like that saves you, that's important."
  • The Cubs are willing to absorb most of the $54MM remaining on Alfonso Soriano's contract in order to facilitate a trade.
  • According to Cafardo, many teams, including the Red Sox, Cardinals, and Rays, will become more interested in Ryan Madson if and when his asking price drops. I have my doubts that Madson will become inexpensive enough for the Rays to get too involved.
  • 40-year-old lefty Ron Mahay says he feels great and intends to continue his pitching career. Mahay recorded a 3.44 ERA in 34 innings for the Twins in 2010, but couldn't crack the big league roster for the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, or Cardinals in 2011.

Kevin Cash Retires

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Former backstop Kevin Cash has decided to retire, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. While Cash will end his playing career, he'll remain involved in the game, having been hired by the Blue Jays as a Major League advance scout.

Cash, 34, spent the majority of his career playing for AL East clubs, including stints with the Jays, Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees. He also appeared in the bigs for the Astros in 2010. In parts of eight Major League seasons, Cash posted a .526 OPS in 714 plate appearances. Most recently, Tim Wakefield's former catcher hit .244/.350/.371 in 2011 at the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock.

In his new scouting role for Toronto, Cash will return to the organization that signed him as an amateur free agent in 1999. His first non-playing MLB job likely won't be his last — according to Cafardo, Cash is "one of those guys you always thought would wind up being a Major League manager."

Cubs Reach Agreement With Reed Johnson

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The Cubs and Reed Johnson have agreed to terms on a one-year, Major League contract, the team announced. It's a $1.15MM deal, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement on December 21st (via Twitter).

Johnson, 35, has spent three of the last four seasons with the Cubs, and is coming off one of his best years. In 266 plate appearances, the veteran hit .309/.348/.467 while spending time at all three outfield positions.

Coming off a down year in 2010 (.657 OPS), Johnson signed a minor league deal for $900K with the Cubs, so the Wasserman Media Group client should be in line for a slight salary bump after his solid 2011.

Two Teams Have “Viable” Interest In Iwakuma

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MONDAY: Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Athletics are "lukewarm" on Iwakuma, but there are two teams with "viable" interest in the right-hander. Oakland is not one of them, however.

SUNDAY: There are four teams talking to free agent Japanese right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma, according to Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter). The Athletics, who won the bidding on Iwakuma last winter but couldn't work out a contract, are one of the four, says Stiglich.

The Rakuten Golden Eagles posted Iwakuma a year ago, but ultimately re-signed him after the righty was unable to agree to a deal with the A's. Oakland bid about $19.1MM for the right to exclusively negotiate with Iwakuma, but were reluctant to commit the type of salary the pitcher was seeking on top of the posting fee.

Iwakuma has now reached free agency, so the Sosnick-Cobbe client can sign a contract with any MLB club. Besides the A's, the Twins may be one of the four clubs involved. They placed second in the Iwakuma bidding last year, and were said to have him on their radar last month. Perhaps the Orioles are in as well — Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun wrote this week that Dan Duquette is "exceptionally well-versed in international players," and the O's have targeted arms such as Tsuyoshi Wada and Wei-Yin Chin since the new GM's arrival.

Extension Candidate: Matt Cain

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Heading into this offseason, pundits seemed unable to agree whether C.J. Wilson or Yu Darvish was the most desirable pitcher available to MLB teams. While a case could be made for either hurler, they likely would've been battling for second place had Giants right-hander Matt Cain not signed a contract extension delaying his free agency by a year. Prior to the 2010 season, Cain and the Giants agreed to a three-year, $27.25MM deal that will make him a free agent after 2012, rather than 2011.

The extension, Cain's second with the team, has worked out splendidly for San Francisco. The 27-year-old enjoyed arguably his best two seasons in 2010 and 2011, earning Cy Young votes for the first time while posting a 3.01 ERA, 7.2 K/9, and just 2.5 BB/9 in 66 starts. Cain will make $15MM in 2012, but if the Giants hope to keep him past next year, they'll have to commit significantly more money than that.

Icon_13258478Earlier this month, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reported that the Giants figure to be aggressive in their attempts to lock up Cain before Spring Training. The club has also been said to prefer extensions of about four years, so what would a long-term deal for Cain look like?

The going rate for elite arms suggests Cain could aim for $20MM+ annually on a long-term deal on the open market if he pitches well again in 2012. Baggarly spoke to an executive who thought the Landon Williams client could land a $150MM deal as a free agent, and while that prediction may be a little bullish, it's not out of the realm of possibility. Cain will turn just 28 as the 2012 season ends, and recent marquee free agents like Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia signed for annual average values of about $23-24MM. Meanwhile, pitchers that signed extensions with their current teams, such as Justin Verlander, Felix Hernandez, and Roy Halladay, will make about $20MM for most of their free agent years. Although Cain may not quite be in the same company of those Cy Young winners, he certainly has a stronger track record than Wilson, whose new contract exceeds $15MM in annual average value and reportedly wasn't even his largest offer.

If we assume the Giants can get Cain to agree to a four-year deal, not including 2012, they could be looking at a commitment in the neighborhood of $100MM over the next five years — $15MM for 2012, $20MM each for the next four, and maybe a $5MM buyout on a 2017 option. Cain has played it relatively safe with his previous contract extensions, so perhaps he'd pass up a chance at the open market to remain with the Giants long-term at that price.

What remains to be seen, however, is whether the Giants even be willing to offer such a contract. Barry Zito still has $46MM remaining on his seven-year deal, Madison Bumgarner's cost will soon increase significantly (potentially next winter as a Super Two), and most importantly, the Giants would like to lock up two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, who could soon become the most expensive of all their starters. Given the club's struggles to produce offensively in recent years, it may not be viable to tie up so much money in the starting rotation.

In his previously linked piece, Baggarly wrote that there's a "feeling around the league" San Francisco will have to part with either Cain or Lincecum at some point, rather than keeping both on long-term deals. If that's the case, perhaps the Giants will tip their hand before the season begins — each of Cain's past two extensions were inked in March, before Opening Day.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Cafardo’s Latest: Madson, Kuroda, Cespedes, Zumaya

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Even on Christmas, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe delivers his usual Sunday Baseball Notes column. This week, he runs down the best available players remaining on the free agent and trade markets at each position. Here are a few highlights from those lists and the rest of Cafardo's piece:

  • The Red Sox and Angels are "keeping the dialogue open" with Ryan Madson.
  • While many reports have indicated Hiroki Kuroda's willingness to play on the East Coast, the right-hander still has some desire to stay out west.
  • The Marlins are being aggressive on Yoenis Cespedes, with the Nationals right behind them. Earlier this weekend, we heard there's some divide within the Marlins' front office on Cespedes.
  • An AL GM on Joel Zumaya: "Our doctors don't think he would pass the physical based on what they see."
  • The Rays are among the clubs that have talked to Francisco Cordero.
  • Cafardo gets the feeling Matt Garza will be dealt, and warns not to rule out the Tigers.

Yankees, Marlins Divided On Yoenis Cespedes

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There is divide in both the Yankees' and Marlins' front offices on whether to pursue Yoenis Cespedes, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Knobler says the two clubs, along with the Red Sox, may not be as heavily involved in the bidding for the Cuban outfielder as expected.

While there have been conflicting reports on the Yankees' interest in Cespedes, the Marlins are regarded by some teams as the favorite for the 26-year-old, as Knobler wrote earlier this week. According to Knobler, however, Cespedes has told people he plans to make his permanent home in the Dominican Republic rather than Miami, and may prefer to play for a team besides the Fish. Some people within the Yankees' organization, meanwhile, view Cespedes as too raw to justify the price tag, and favor a modest bid that will likely not be enough to land him.

Even with Cespedes moving closer to establishing residency in the Dominican, it doesn't appear he'll officially become a free agent until sometime in January.

Rangers Still Eyeing Andrew Bailey

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With the clock ticking on their 30-day negotiating window with Yu Darvish, the Rangers aren't done searching for pitching upgrades. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that Texas still has interest in Athletics closer Andrew Bailey.

If the Rangers were to acquire Bailey, they would almost certainly trade a pitcher – perhaps Matt Harrison – for a first baseman or center fielder, according to Rosenthal.

The Rangers' interest in Bailey is nothing new, though during the Winter Meetings they were said to be balking at Billy Beane's asking price for the right-hander. The Red Sox have been the team linked to Bailey most often in recent weeks, even after their acquisition of Mark Melancon.

Assuming the Rangers can finalize a deal with Darvish within the next month, Neftali Feliz's move to the rotation means the club would have an excess of starting pitching. As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote yesterday, Texas could consider starting the season with a six-man rotation. A trade is also a possibility. But if the Rangers decided to move Alexi Ogando to a bullpen which already includes Joe Nathan and Mike Adams, you'd think the team would be less inclined to part with premium prospects for Bailey.

Cubs Have Had Talks With Jeff Francis

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The Cubs have talked to Jeff Francis about filling a spot in the back end of their rotation, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Crasnick says the team has also had discussions with Paul Maholm, which we heard last week from Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.

Multiple reports last night suggested that the Cubs and Reds were close to working out a trade involving Travis Wood and Sean Marshall. If the two sides were to reach an agreement, the Cubs' acquisition of Wood would likely take them out of the running for arms like Francis and Maholm. However, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer hears from a source that no trade is imminent yet.

The Twins, Pirates, Mariners, and Rockies are among the clubs who have been reported to have interest in Francis.

AL East Notes: Upton, Red Sox, Kuroda, Gio, Bard

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The latest news and notes out of the AL East:

  • The Rays have talked about trading B.J. Upton but will likely end up keeping him, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider link). While Upton is becoming more expensive, the Rays would have difficulty replacing his offensive and defensive production on the cheap.
  • The Red Sox are "kicking around their preference" between trying to sign Hiroki Kuroda or trade for Gio Gonzalez, writes Yahoo's Tim Brown.
  • WEEI's Alex Speier takes an in-depth look at the process of converting relievers to starters, with a focus on the Red Sox. Speier notes that even though the Sox are preparing Daniel Bard to start, it doesn't necessarily mean the right-hander will end up in the rotation.
  • Baseball America published their choices for the Rays' top ten prospects today, and though there are some surprises, the name atop the list isn't one of them.
  • For a few Orioles items, check out our post from earlier this morning.

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