Rosenthal On Braves, Dempster, Rizzo, Astros
One scout told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the work of the Braves’ hitting instructors and the performance of Kris Medlen has made the difference for the team so far in 2012. Atlanta GM Frank Wren agrees with that assessment, according to Rosenthal, who offers notes and rumors from around the league in his latest column:
- The Cubs are more likely to trade Ryan Dempster if they sign Matt Garza to an extension. However, Dempster’s ten and five rights allow him to veto any trade, so he’ll have leverage if the Cubs look to make a move. It doesn’t seem likely that Dempster will sign a below-market extension to stay in Chicago, Rosenthal writes.
- The Cubs don’t have immediate plans to call up Anthony Rizzo, who figures to stay in the minor leagues until an opening emerges.
- Releasing Alfonso Soriano doesn’t appear to be an option; the outfielder has approximately $50MM remaining on his contract with the Cubs.
- General managers criticize the collective bargaining agreement, Rosenthal reports. Some low-revenue teams dislike spending restrictions on the draft, since they feel the limitations will drive up the price of MLB talent.
- Chien-Ming Wang, who is now rehabbing at Triple-A, could be valuable insurance for the Nationals, since they’ve decided to cap Stephen Strasburg’s innings.
- Brett Myers’ 2013 option likely vests with approximately 55 games finished, Rosenthal suggests. The right-hander will obtain a $500K bonus if the Astros trade him.
- One scout says Blue Jays catching prospect Travis D’Arnaud looks like Russell Martin did with the Dodgers.
Nationals Notes: Wang, Lannan, Harper
Stephen Strasburg says he'll have to learn when to pitch to hitters and when to overpower them in order to develop further as an MLB pitcher, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports. Here are some more notes on the Nationals…
- Nationals starter Chien-Ming Wang had to be helped off of the field after straining his left hamstring in today's Spring Training game against the Yankees. If Wang misses time with an injury, the Nationals may need trade candidate John Lannan in their Opening Day rotation after all.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney and Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com both reported today that Lannan's trade value isn't very high right now.
- Bryce Harper explained that he’s definitely hoping to make the Nationals’ Opening Day roster, Kilgore reports. There was some confusion about Harper's expectations earlier in the week, but he still intends to break camp with the big league team.
- MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince explains why it might make sense for the Nationals to play Harper in center field. "As far as I'm concerned, anybody that can throw and run like he can should have experience at all the outfield positions," manager Davey Johnson said. Harper, who played center field in last night’s exhibition game, could provide the Nationals with stability at a position they’ve had trouble solidifying.
NL East Notes: Wang, Buehrle, Ankiel, Braves
The Mets are losing confidence that Jose Reyes will return in 2012. Here are some more hot stove notes from the NL East…
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told reporters, including Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com, that the team discussed possible 2013 options with Chien-Ming Wang's representatives before agreeing to a simple one-year deal.
- The Nationals will continue searching for pitching. "We want a guy that has shown he's a good leader, that can win in the big leagues," Rizzo said. "It's not about having the best stuff. It's about being able to pitch 200 innings many, many times in your career.” As Goessling and a number of other Nationals reporters have noted, that describes Mark Buehrle quite well.
- Scouts tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney that they like what Buehrle offers, even though the 32-year-old southpaw doesn't light up any radar guns. Meanwhile, the Marlins are concerned about the command issues C.J. Wilson had in the postseason, according to Olney.
- The Mets haven’t ruled out free agent Rick Ankiel as a center field option, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. They still have arbitration eligible center fielder Angel Pagan, but they may trade or non-tender him instead.
- Royals GM Dayton Moore acknowledged that he has had preliminary trade talks with the Braves, according to Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Braves are open to moving Jair Jurrjens or Martin Prado and the Royals are looking for starting pitching.
Nationals Finalize Deal With Chien-Ming Wang
The Nationals have finalized a new one-year contract with Chien-Ming Wang, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The deal is worth $4MM plus incentive clauses, and it will be official once Wang passes a physical. We heard yesterday from Wang's agent Alan Nero that the two sides had "conceptually" agreed to a new deal.
Wang signed one-year contracts with Washington in each of the last two offseasons, and finally made his return to the majors in 2011 after missing the entire 2010 campaign while recovering from shoulder surgery. Wang posted a 4.04 ERA, a 1.92 K/BB rate and a 53.4% ground ball rate in 11 starts with the Nats last year.
Kilgore was the first to report the deal was completed, with Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com and Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (both Twitter link) also providing contract details.
Nationals, Wang Nearing Deal
The Nationals are nearing a new contract with Chien-Ming Wang, according to Amanda Comak of the Washington Times. Agent Alan Nero doesn't expect a deal by the time free agency begins tonight, but the sides have agreed to terms "conceptually."
Wang's agent, Alan Nero, told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that the right-hander drew interest from six teams. The 31-year-old made 11 starts in 2011 after missing the 2010 campaign. He posted a 4.04 ERA with 3.6 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 62 1/3 innings for Washington this past season. Wang's 53.4% ground ball rate was in line with his career mark of 57.5% and was likely a factor in teams' interest. MLB.com's Bill Ladson also reported on the deal.
Quick Hits: Valverde, Wang, Cubs
Links for Thursday afternoon, before what may be the final baseball game of the 2011 season…
- The Tigers are expected to pick up Jose Valverde’s $9MM option for 2012 soon, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post hears from Alan Nero, the agent for Chien-Ming Wang, that a new deal between the right-hander and the Nationals is likely. The Nationals are Wang's first choice and negotiations are "routine," according to Nero. Washington GM Mike Rizzo confirmed yesterday that the sides are working toward a new contract.
- Cubs assistant GM Randy Bush will stay on under president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter).
- Melissa Segura of SI.com hears that baseball’s upcoming collective bargaining agreement could include a cap in the $2-2.5MM range for international signings (Twitter link). It’s not clear whether the cap would apply to all countries or just the Dominican Republic.
Nationals Notes: Johnson, Wang, Rodriguez, Darvish
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told reporters on a conference call that the team will make an announcement about its 2012 manager within a few days. The team has conducted a series of interviews and will presumably announce that Davey Johnson will return to the bench next year. Here are more notes from Rizzo's conference call with:
- The Nationals are indeed expected to make Johnson their manager, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- The team is corresponding with the representatives for right-hander Chien-Ming Wang, but the sides aren't close to a deal, according to Ladson (on Twitter). They discussed a contract extension earlier in October.
- The Nationals haven't spoken to free agents Ivan Rodriguez or Livan Hernandez since early in the offseason, according to Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com.
- Washington would lose its 16th overall pick for signing a Type A free agent and that's something that Rizzo will factor into the team's decision-making process this offseason.
- Rizzo has not seen Yu Darvish in person in the last two years, according to Goessling. However, the Nationals have scouted the right-hander and it sounds as though they’re open to bidding on him if he’s posted.
- Darvish is on Washington's radar and Nationals scouts have seen him pitch in person at least nine times, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reported earlier this month.
Nationals, Wang Discussing Contract Extension
The Nationals and righty Chien-Ming Wang continue to discuss an extension, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, but the two sides aren't yet close to a deal.
Wang, who turns 32 next March, threw 62 1/3 innings of 4.04 ERA ball for the Nationals this year in his first taste of big league action since 2009. The former Yankee demonstrated pinpoint control (1.9 BB/9) but his strikeout rate was dangerously low (3.6 K/9), though that's par for the course for Wang. He did manage to whiff 16 hitters over his final 23 2/3 innings without issuing a walk.
Wang prefers to stay with the Nationals because he appreciates the loyalty they showed him when he was recovering from shoulder injuries for almost two years. He received a big vote of confidence from manager Davey Johnson who said, "If I'm here, he could have my salary."
Wang says money won't be a big issue if it means re-signing with Washington, but his precision and healthy final months could earn him a raise from the $1MM guarantee he received in his last one-year deal with the Nats.
NL East Notes: Wang, Rollins, Nunez, Capuano
The Nationals have won nine of their last eleven games, including a four-game sweep of the Phillies. They'll try to keep their hot streak alive tonight against the struggling Braves, who hold just a two-game lead over the Cardinals in the NL wild card race. Some news from the NL East….
- The Nationals are in the "preliminary stages" of negotiations with Chien-Ming Wang about an extension, Wang's agent Alan Nero tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson (Twitter link).
- C.C. Sabathia thinks Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins may sign with the Giants in the offseason, reports Jon Heyman from Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Sabathia and Rollins are long-time friends and, as Heyman notes, Rollins was the first to predict that Sabathia would sign with the Yankees in the 2008-09 offseason.
- The Marlins may have been unable to deal Leo Nunez at the trade deadline due to the ongoing saga of Nunez's true identity, reports Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Within that same link, Dan LeBatard is reporting that Major League Baseball (who must've been aware of Nunez's issues, as the Marlins were) nixed a deal involving Nunez last July.
- Chris Capuano is interested in returning to the Mets next year but said he prefers to be a starting pitcher whenever he goes, reports Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
- Jose Reyes likes playing for the Mets but isn't sure how his free agency will play out this winter, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. "This is the only team that I played [for] so far in my whole career," Reyes said. "I feel comfortable here. I feel good with the ownership. I feel like we are family and stuff like that. At the same time, this is a business. And to be honest with you, I don't know what's going to happen.
- Davey Johnson wants the Nationals to add some outfield depth this winter, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times explores the possibility that southpaw Mike Zagurski (dealt from the Phillies to the Diamondbacks earlier today) could end up returning to Philadelphia as the player to be named later in the deal, a rare "traded for himself" move.
NL Links: Dobbs, Wang, Cubs, Brewers
Here are some links from the Senior Circuit as we await tonight's Clayton Kershaw–Tim Lincecum matchup…
- Marlins manager Jack McKeon told Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post that he hopes the team brings Greg Dobbs back next season. Of course, it seems unlikely that McKeon himself will be back in the dugout next season.
- A report by Focus Taiwan News Channel (passed along by Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post) indicates that Chien-Ming Wang could earn more than $1MM in incentives by staying in the Nationals rotation all season. He's already made $250K for staying on the roster for 30 days, and will make another $500K for staying on the roster for 60 days. Every start after his tenth (he's started eight) will earn Wang another $100K.
- SI.com's Tom Verducci says Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts can learn a lot from the Red Sox, who were aggressive in their search for a GM after John Henry bought the team in 2002. Billy Beane and J.P. Ricciardi were among the Boston's first choices before hiring Theo Epstein.
- Within the same piece, Verducci notes that the Brewers haven't won a series against a non-Cardinals winning team since Memorial Day. He wonders if all of Milwaukee's wins against sub-.500 teams is making them seem better than they really are.