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Felipe Lopez

Cards Could Spend, Waiting For Now

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The Cardinals have spent big this offseason, but they have one bullet left. Team officials hope to see David Freese, Brendan Ryan and Tyler Greene take over on the left side of the infield, though they haven’t ruled out free agent additions. As GM John Mozeliak tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, free agent position players want to sign soon, so interested teams have limited time.

“When you look at it in the terms of looking outside the organization the clock is definitely ticking on the free agent market,” Mozeliak said. “But there is a name or two there that could still fit the bill should we need to go down that path."

Felipe Lopez qualifies. The free agent infielder is coming off a strong season and the Cardinals are interested along with the Padres and two other teams, according to FOX Sports. Mozeliak and other unnamed team officials say the Cards would like to see what Greene can do as Ryan recovers fully from his recent wrist surgery.

Odds & Ends: Lincecum, Cashman, Orioles, Wang

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Links for Tuesday…

  • Tim Lincecum passed his physical according to Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Presumably his two-year, $23MM deal is official now.
  • Yankees' GM Brian Cashman sat down for an interview with NoMaas.org. He discussed what went into some of their decision making this offseason, among other things.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun projected the Orioles' Opening Day roster. 
  • Chien-Ming Wang has already passed his physical with the Nationals, reports Chico Harlan of The Washington Post. Given the righty's recent shoulder surgery, it was far from a formality.  
  • Joe Torre tells Mike Francesa of WFAN that the Dodgers are on the lookout for a fifth starter (audio here). Torre says the Dodgers could find that starter within their organization. He also says he and the Doders are talking about adding a year onto his contract, which expires after this season.
  • Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Batter's Box that the Blue Jays will draft the best players available this June. Anthopoulos also said the Jays will be open to dealing from their pitching depth.
  • MLB.com's Doug Miller shows that baseball's executives are getting younger as owners take a business-first approach to winning.
  • Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says he'd be willing to guarantee Joe Mauer eight or ten years if that's what it takes to keep the catcher in Minnesota, despite the fact that Mauer would almost certainly be playing another position by the end of a contract that long. 
  • Padres GM Jed Hoyer tells MLB.com's Corey Brock that he's pleased with his first offseason as a GM and the process that the Padres used this winter.
  • Giants officials believe "the day is coming when legions of talented hitters will follow" Pablo Sandoval's path to the majors, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney says Felipe Lopez would be a "great, great fit" for the Mets. 

Discussion: Felipe Lopez

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It's been a tough offseason for Felipe Lopez. Yesterday, the free agent infielder fired Scott Boras, likely due to the fact that it's February 14 and he remains jobless despite a strong 2009 campaign.

The switch-hitter signed a one-year, $3.5MM deal with the Diamondbacks last offseason. Lopez was productive in Arizona, hitting .301/.364/.412 until he was traded to the Brewers in mid-July. All Lopez did in Milwaukee was improve, hitting .320/.407/.448 in 66 games with the Brew Crew. In total, his .310/.383/.427 line combined with his strong UZR/150 of 7.6 at second base last season make for a desirable target. Or one would at least think.

Perhaps teams are scared off by Lopez's .360 BABIP, which is substantially higher than his career mark of .323. His 10.4% walk rate is higher than his career mark of 9.2% as well, but even that number is above the 2009 league average of 8.9%. It may not be reasonable to expect a .383 OBP again, but in a market where we've seen Miguel Tejada sign for one year at $6MM, Orlando Hudson at one year and $5MM, and Pedro Feliz at one year and $4.5MM, it's hard not to ask why Lopez is still looking for work. After all, he had a better all-around season than all three of those former free agents.

To this point, the only substantial interest we've seen in Lopez has been from the Cardinals, though they've dedicated a great deal of money to Matt Holliday and Brad Penny this offseason. Last we heard, St. Louis has $6MM-$7MM to spend, and they've got question marks in the infield that make Lopez a logical fit.

Keeping in mind that he can play all over the infield and even some outfield if necessary, are there fits besides St. Louis, or is their reunion just a matter of time? Cleveland, Toronto, and Colorado could potentially use some infield insurance, to name a few possibilities. Let's hear some suggestions for the man who quietly posted a 4.6 WAR season in 2009 but still hasn't found a home.

Felipe Lopez Fires Scott Boras

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Disgruntled because he's still without a job this late into the offseason, Felipe Lopez fired agent Scott Boras according to ESPN's Jayson Stark. He is now represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.

There haven't been many rumors about the 29-year-old Lopez this offseason, except for some interest from the Cardinals. He hit .310/.383/.427 for the Diamondbacks and Brewers last season, better across the board than Orlando Hudson's .283/.357/.417 line for the Dodgers. Lopez also outperformed him defensively at second base, posting a 7.6 UZR/150 compared to Hudson's -3.3 mark. The Twins gave the O-Dawg a one-year, $5MM deal last week.

Odds & Ends: Brewers, Cubs, Looper, Baer, Wigginton

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Links for Monday…

Did Boras Fail Damon, Washburn, & Lopez?

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Last offseason, the Scott Boras Corporation brokered approximately $341MM worth of free agent deals.  It was a strong showing, with three of the four big-money contracts already looking regrettable (Derek Lowe, Manny Ramirez, and Oliver Perez).

This time around, Boras will not reach even half of last year's total.  That fact doesn't necessarily reflect on Boras' abilities as an agent, and he did find favorable contracts for Matt Holliday, Mike Gonzalez, Adrian Beltre, Ivan Rodriguez, and Alex Cora in a down market.  But we must ask: did Boras clients Johnny Damon, Jarrod Washburn, and Felipe Lopez get screwed?

ESPN's Buster Olney suggested that in November, the Yankees discussed internally the idea of approaching Bobby Abreu's two-year, $19MM extension with Damon.  Boras always aims high in November contract discussions, but the superagent read the market poorly this time.  It appears that, more than once, Damon turned down his best offseason offers from his preferred team.  Most likely, Damon will ultimately accept an offer inferior to the contracts signed by Mike Cameron, Marlon Byrd, Hideki Matsui, and Coco Crisp.

In early January, the Twins reportedly offered Washburn a one-year, $5MM deal.  Though the Twins are on the lefty's short list, he turned it down.  Maybe the Twins or Mariners will still sign him at a lower price.  Perhaps Washburn would've enjoyed playing for the Brewers in his home state, but they signed a similar pitcher in Doug Davis for $5.25MM on January 10th.  According to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, Washburn might even be considering retirement at this point.

Since Damon, Washburn, and Lopez remain unsigned, we can't label Boras a failure with these three clients quite yet.  However, they'll likely illustrate cases where Boras' long-standing strategies of ridiculous initial demands and signing late cost his clients millions.

Orlando Hudson Rumors: Monday

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3:53pm: The Rockies are out on Hudson as well as Felipe Lopez, writes Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.

Meanwhile, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said on Sirius XM's MLB Home Plate show today that GM Mike Rizzo "feels confident that we’re going to get [a Hudson deal] done," but other teams are interested and taking a lower-than-expected contract "might be a little bit of a hard pill to swallow" for the player.

11:15am: Ladson tweets that the Indians, Rockies, and another AL team – not the Twins – are in on Hudson, aside from the Nationals.  He adds in another tweet that Hudson "appears unwilling to play for the Nats at a discount."

Still, Olney does believe (via Twitter) the Twins have shifted their focus from pitching to an infielder, perhaps given Nick Punto's recent surgery and Francisco Liriano's impresive winter ball stint.

9:25am: Let's try to decipher the latest rumors involving free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson.  MLB.com's Bill Ladson expects a decision this week (Twitter).

Yesterday, ESPN's Tim Kurkjian wrote the Nationals "appear to be getting closer to signing" Hudson.  The deal "would be for $3 million with incentives that could easily reach $4 million for 2010."  Kurkjian cautioned that Hudson had not signed off on Washington's offer.  Also on Sunday, Ladson countered Kurkjian's report with two Tweets.  Ladson said Nationals GM Mike Rizzo hadn't talked to Hudson's agent "in a couple of days," and if Hudson's price is coming down "that's news to Rizzo."

This morning, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted that the Twins "appear to be serious in their pursuit of Hudson."  On Saturday, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wondered if the Twins were "looking harder into acquiring Hudson" based on TwinsFest comments.  Neal's colleague Joe Christensen doesn't believe the Twins would go to $3MM for Hudson.

Odds & Ends: Hart, Yankees, Baldelli, Ruiz

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A few Friday night links…

Infield Market Hinging On Hudson?

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FRIDAY, 8:32pm: MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that Hudson is looking for $9MM, but the Nationals are only willing to pay him a third of that. GM Mike Rizzo has spoken to Hudson recently, however they talked about how he would fit with the team, rather than dollars and years.

THURSDAY, 3:15pm: Chico Harlan of the Washington Post hears that the Nationals are waiting on Hudson's decision.

10:32am: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports suggested yesterday three teams are in on free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson.  Today, Rosenthal says six teams are "showing varying degrees of interest."

The Nationals are one of those clubs, though MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets that Hudson's price is still too high and they're considering either going internal or signing Adam Kennedy or Orlando Cabrera.

Rosenthal indicates Hudson is the "linchpin" of the free agent infield market, with the fates of Kennedy, Cabrera, Felipe Lopez, and Melvin Mora tied to Hudson.  Regarding Mora, a Rosenthal tweet has the Rangers, Rockies, Mariners, and Reds in the mix.

Rosenthal's list of teams that are or could be looking for infield help includes the Nats, Twins, Reds, Tigers, Rockies, Mariners, Rays, and Cardinals.  Morosi likes Kennedy as a match for Detroit.

Odds & Ends: Papelbon, Bay, Lopez, Brewers

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Monday night linkage…

  • The World Umpires Association voted to ratify a new five-year contract with MLB that will extend to December 31st, 2014, according to Barry M. Bloom and Tom Singer of MLB.com.  The new contract was agreed upon in principal last month, but was not officially ratified until late Monday night.
  • Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe writes that neither Jonathan Papelbon nor the Red Sox seem interested in a long-term deal.  Boston may be reluctant to lock Papelbon in for the long-haul as they have Daniel Bard waiting in the wings.
  • Peter Gammons, in an appearance on NESN, said that the Red Sox and Jason Bay agreed to a four-year, $60MM pact in July, before an MRI raised concerns about both of his knees.  As a result, Boston reduced their offer from four years to two years.  Gammons suggested that this was an example of why an independent medical staff should be in place in the majors.
  • Cards manager Tony La Russa said that if the club makes one more move this off-season, he would prefer another hitter to a pitcher, writes Matthew Leach of MLB.com.  Ideally, La Russa says he would like a third baseman who could also play the outfield.  Leach writes that Felipe Lopez comes to mind.
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke to Brewers negotiator Teddy Werner, who said that Jody Gerut might be the only arbitration signing today.  We'll be keeping you posted on all of the day's signings in this handy post.
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