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Pirates Notes: Cedeno, Karstens, Non-Tenders

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The Pirates have avoided arbitration with Ronny Cedeno and Jeff Karstens, signing both players to one-year contracts.  MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch has the contract details.  Cedeno will earn a $1.85MM base in 2011, and has a club option for '12 that includes significant incentives based on starts.  Karstens will earn $1.1MM next year.   

Cedeno is the incumbent starter at shortstop, though the Pirates are known to be looking for help at the position.  The veteran has played mostly shortstop over the last two years, but has also played second, third and the outfield in his career.  Cedeno has a .682 OPS in 672 plate appearances as a Pirate.

Karstens came to the Bucs in July 2008 as part of the trade that sent Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady to the Yankees.  In 74 appearances (41 of them starts) for Pittsburgh, Karstens has posted a 4.95 ERA and a 1.73 K/BB ratio.  As Biertempfel pointed out in his longer article, Karstens' $1.1MM salary for 2011 is almost triple what he earned last season.

Other news from Biertempfel…

  • Infielder Argenis Diaz, outfielder Lastings Milledge and left-handers Brian Burres and Donald Veal were all non-tendered by the Bucs, but the club wants to re-sign Burres and Veal.  Diaz "is unlikely to return."
  • Milledge could be welcomed back "if we think it's the right fit for the team, and he thinks it's the right fit for him," said Neal Huntington.  The Pirates GM said he couldn't work out a contract with Milledge before the non-tender deadline and "began to explore alternatives" to fill Milledge's corner outfield spot.  Two options are Jack Cust and Matt Diaz, both of whom were non-tendered themselves by the A's and Braves, respectively.

Odds & Ends: Nationals, Chapman, Duffy, Veal

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Not even one no-hitter, perfect game or near-perfect game in the majors today?  How unusual.  These news items will have to do in the meantime…

Pirates Notes: Rule 5, Duke, Yates

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Dejan Kovacevic has a new column up focusing on a number of Pirates topics:

  • After liking what they've found in Rule 5 Draft picks Evan Meek and Donnie Veal, the Pirates are actively scouting available players and have identified some potential targets to use their #2 pick on in this year's Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 10. Meek posted a 3.45 ERA out of the 'pen for the Buccos in 2009. And, while Kovacevic points out that Veal's numbers this season were ugly, he recently dominated the Arizona Fall League. Veal posted a 2.14 ERA through 21 innings, allowing only a .221 opponent average, striking out 22 and walking seven.
  • Last offseason, the Pirates locked up Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth, and Paul Maholm, but Kovacevic says not to expect any long-term deals this time around. That includes Zach Duke, who will be eligible for free agency after the 2011 season.
  • Tyler Yates, who underwent Tommy John surgery back in July, is back to playing pain-free long-toss and is discussing a minor league deal to keep him in the Pirates organization.

Jake Peavy Rumors: Friday

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1:47pm: This Scott Miller column is from yesterday, but it has some good info.  Miller’s source believes the Braves are the frontrunners for Peavy and are willing to include Gorkys Hernandez.  Additionally, the source said the Cubs are very aggressive and the Dodgers are making a strong pitch.

12:53pm: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald says Samardzija is not on the table and has a full, not partial, no-trade.  Additionally, the Cubs have not thrown Fontenot into the mix.  Miles gives a 50-50 chance of the Cubs getting Peavy.

9:39am: GM Kevin Towers expects to trade Jake Peavy before the winter meetings, saying, "The train’s kind of left the station."  Continuing the metaphor, Barry Axelrod said, "The only thing we’ve got is a brake."

According to Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, the Cubs have moved in front of the Braves in the battle for Peavy.  Passan says the Padres want Jeff Samardzija (who has a limited no-trade clause), and the Cubs could also include players such as Felix Pie, Sean Marshall, Ronny Cedeno, Kevin Hart, and Donald Veal.  Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times suggests Rich Harden or Mike Fontenot could be involved.  De Luca notes that a Peavy trade would probably prevent the Cubs from acquiring Brian Roberts.  ESPN’s Buster Olney believes Josh Vitters would have to be involved, while the Daily Herald’s Bruce Miles adds Jose Ceda, Welington Castillo, and Mitch Atkins as possibilities.  Miles does not see the Cubs as a player for C.C. Sabathia, by the way.

The Padres would prefer a deal with Atlanta, but can’t pry Tommy Hanson loose.  The Braves are willing to trade Yunel Escobar, Charlie Morton, and Jordan Schafer.

Meanwhile, Tom Krasovic at the San Diego Union-Tribune says Peavy and Barry Axelrod are concerned about the Braves’ shortstop situation if they are to include the defensively-talented Escobar.  Perhaps the Braves could sway them by outlining some contingency plans at the position.

On The Failed Brian Roberts Talks

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Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun dug up some information about the failed Brian Roberts trade talks from the past offseason.

  • Zrebiec says one of the Cubs’ offers included Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, and Donald Veal.  According to Andy MacPhail, a deal was never close.  The O’s continue to hunt for a shortstop.
  • MacPhail also talked to the Indians and Twins about Roberts (the Twins are a new one for me).  It seems that MacPhail may also have spoken to the White Sox.
  • The Orioles don’t seem to be planning to trade Roberts anymore, as they’re 5.5 games out of the wild card.  No talks have occurred yet, but the Orioles could even extend Roberts past ’09.

Cubs Outfield Situation: Crisp, Johnson, Byrd

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Quite a bit of info is floating about this evening regarding the Cubs’ quest to add an outfielder.  Let’s put it all together.

  • SI.com’s Jon Heyman names Coco Crisp, Jay Payton, Marlon Byrd, and Brandon Inge as possible targets.  Inge makes the least sense given his salary and the Tigers’ need for him while Curtis Granderson is out.
  • ESPN’s Jayson Stark confirms Ken Rosenthal’s assertion that the Cubs are leading the pack for Reed Johnson.  Stark speculates that such an acquisition could prompt the Cubs to trade Matt Murton. 
  • ESPN’s Peter Gammons says Red Sox scout Allard Baird is currently observing the Cubs.  Other scouts in ’zona are speculating about a Sean Gallagher for Crisp scenario.  Gammons notes that the Red Sox wouldn’t mind getting Murton back, either.  He thinks the Sox are wary of trading Crisp right now though, echoing a sentiment from Buster Olney. 
  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that the Rangers want Murton plus one of Jose Ceda, Gallagher, or Donald Veal for Byrd.  Jim Hendry did recently re-engage the Rangers, according to Grant.

Orioles Eyeing Cubs’ Marshall?

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The Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says the Cubs offered the Orioles Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, Donald Veal, and possibly Jose Ceda for Brian Roberts earlier this spring.  As you know, there are differing schools of thought on whether the Cubs took the initiative and made an offer.  And Ceda’s inclusion is questionable.

Regardless, one player Baltimore may have in mind is pitcher Sean Marshall. The Cubs do not have room for the lefty in the rotation or the bullpen – always a situation conducive to trade rumors – and the Orioles had scouts in the stands yesterday, during Marshall’s start against the Rockies.

Marshall said he doesn’t pay any attention to those guys, however. "They’re there every day."

Sarah Green writes for the Boston Metro and UmpBump.com. She can be reached here.

Cubs Did Not Offer Ceda

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FRIDAY, 7:42pm: I have it on good authority that Ceda has not, in fact, been added to any kind of offer to Baltimore.  With minor league games having begun today, the O’s are still doing their due diligence.   Dave van Dyck’s sources agree that no deal is imminent.

FRIDAY, 7:13am: We’ve actually got some movement this morning on the Brian Roberts front.  According to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs have added hard-throwing 21 year-old reliever Jose Ceda to their offer.  They’d also send Sean Gallagher, Ronny Cedeno, and Donald Veal to Baltimore.  The Cubs had been holding out on Ceda, a nasty relief prospect.  With him included, they’d be sending their three best pitching prospects (according to Baseball America) in the 4-for-1 deal.

Wittenmyer also notes that the deal could be expanded to a 5-for-2 with cash if Jason Marquis and Jay Payton are included.  He believes a deal will get done before Opening Day, but it may go down to the wire.

No Recent Brian Roberts Talks

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman wrote on Monday that the Cubs and Orioles had resumed talks for Brian Roberts.  However, Cubs GM Jim Hendry came out on Wednesday and said he hadn’t had any trade talks for five or six days.  Tonight, the Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec chimes in, confirming Hendry’s statement of inactivity.

Zrebiec was able to confirm from two sources that the Cubs offered Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, Donald Veal, and another unknown player for Roberts.  The teams can’t agree on the fourth player, and the O’s may want a fifth too.  The Orioles are said to like top Cubs’ prospects like Jose Ceda, Felix Pie, and Tyler Colvin.  Andy MacPhail is clearly demanding a high price for two years of his second baseman.  Zrebiec also confirms that the Cubs and Orioles have talked about a scenario where outspoken veterans Jason Marquis and Jay Payton are in the deal. 

For now, it appears that the Cubs will open the season without Roberts. I’m of the opinion the Cubs would be better off going with Mark DeRosa and Cedeno as their doubleplay combo over Roberts and Ryan Theriot.

Brian Roberts Rumors

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Jeff Zrebiec and Roch Kubatko of the Baltimore Sun are on top of the Brian Roberts rumors.  Let’s discuss.

The Cubs had two scouts watching Roberts play yesterday, so this thing is still alive and kicking.  The Sun gets the impression that the Mark DeRosa heart surgery does add some urgency for the Cubs.  Perhaps this means they’ll concede a little bit extra on their offer.

The authors reiterate Ronny Cedeno and Sean Gallagher as part of the deal.  They say the O’s might want Jose Ceda or Donald Veal as the third player, and could ask for a fourth as well.  It’s been said that the Cubs are unwilling to part with Ceda.  We’re probably a few weeks from completion but a deal seems plenty possible.

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