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Rafael Soriano

White Sox Not Likely To Pursue Rafael Soriano

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The White Sox aren't likely to sign Rafael Soriano unless his price drops "way, way down," according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The White Sox were reportedly eyeing the reliever early in the month, but like other teams, they moved on.

Soriano, the top reliever and arguably the top free agent on the open market, will cost more than money. Since the Type A free agent turned down the Rays' offer of arbitration, the team that signs Soriano will lose a top pick.

That possibility scared the Yankees away, even though Soriano would have considered a setup role behind Mariano Rivera. The AL Champion Rangers signed Adrian Beltre, but they are not pursuing Soriano, another Scott Boras client. The Cardinals don't appear to have much interest in the closer either.

As MLBTR's Mark Polishuk explains, the Angels are a possibility for Soriano. In a separate piece, Morosi argues that finding a substantial contract for the right-hander could be Boras' biggest coup of the 2010-11 offseason.

Yankees Will Not Surrender First Round Pick

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Yankees GM Brian Cashman says he intends to hold onto his 2011 first round draft choice, according to Chad Jennings of the Journal News. That means the team won’t sign any of the three remaining free agents tied to draft pick compensation: Rafael Soriano, Carl Pavano and Grant Balfour.

“I will not lose our No. 1 draft pick,” Cashman said. “I would have for Cliff Lee. I won’t lose our No. 1 draft pick for anyone else.”

Since Soriano, Pavano and Balfour turned down their teams’ offers of arbitration after being ranked as Type A free agents, clubs have to surrender a top 2011 pick to sign them. The Yankees’ first round pick (31st overall) is unprotected.

Though the Yankees were in contact with Soriano and agent Scott Boras, they are not pursuing him. It's hardly shocking to hear that the Yankees are out on Pavano, who spent four injury-plagued seasons in the Bronx and earned nearly $40MM in the process.

Yankees Not Showing Interest In Rafael Soriano

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Rafael Soriano would join the Yankees as a setup man, but as of last night the Bronx Bombers weren't interested in the Scott Boras client, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Soriano "would have to make himself absurdly cheap" on a one or two-year deal before the Yankees would even consider him, Olney writes.

Jon Heyman of SI.com reported yesterday that the sides were in contact and had engaged in preliminary talks (Twitter links).

The Yankees re-signed Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter and they hope to re-sign Andy Pettitte. But after missing out on Cliff Lee, they still have money to spend and Boras knows it. The team needs relief help, starting pitching, a fourth outfielder and a backup infielder, so GM Brian Cashman has lots to address before Spring Training begins next month.

Soriano Open To Setting Up For Yankees

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The best closer on the free agent market is open to being a setup man. Agent Scott Boras told Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com that Rafael Soriano would consider signing with the Yankees even though it would mean setting up for closer Mariano Rivera.

"I don't think there is a team in baseball where he could be asked to be a setup guy other than the Yankees," Boras said.

Boras said the “door is open” with the Bronx Bombers, but Yankees GM Brian Cashman declined to comment on his team’s level of interest. Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the sides are in contact (Twitter links). However, talks are preliminary and re-signing Andy Pettitte remains the Yankees' priority.

The White Sox are eyeing Soriano and the Angels seem like a possible fit. The Cardinals don't appear to have much interest and the Rangers are not bidding at the moment.

Rangers Not Pursuing Rafael Soriano

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The Rangers are not currently pursuing Rafael Soriano and were not engaged with him at any point this winter, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The team signed Adrian Beltre this week, so there's not enough money remaining in the team's budget for Soriano, another Scott Boras client.

There's a potential fit for Soriano in Anaheim as MLBTR's Mark Polishuk explains here. Jon Heyman of SI.com has suggested that the Yankees are likely to pursue Soriano if Andy Pettitte retires and the White Sox are eyeing the reliever, too. The Cardinals don't appear to have much interest, however.

Soriano is one of three unsigned free agents who will cost a draft pick. The Red Sox, who are in line for the Rangers' 2011 first rounder, would only get Texas' second rounder if Soriano heads to the Lone Star State, so there's reason for them to hope he signs elsewhere.

Discussion: The Angels’ Offseason

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Three months ago, who would've guessed that the Dodgers would have the most active winter of any Los Angeles ballclub?  Following a barrage of criticism from fans and media over how the McCourts' divorce and ownership dispute was hurting the franchise, the Dodgers added a bullpen arm in Matt Guerrier, rebuilt their catching corps following Russell Martin's departure, and re-signed all three of their free agent starters (Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Vicente Padilla), also adding Jon Garland to the rotation to boot.  Not every move has been well-received — the Juan Uribe contract jumps to mind — but overall, it's been a solid offseason for the Dodgers.

Compare their situation to that of L.A.'s other team.  The Angels suffered their first sub-.500 season since 2003 and looked primed to add at least one top-tier free agent to their roster.  Almost all of the Halos' top targets, however, went elsewhere: Carl Crawford signed with Boston, Adrian Beltre signed with Texas and some longer-shot targets that the Angels at least mildly explored (Cliff Lee, Derrek Lee, an Adrian Gonzalez trade) failed to pan out.  The club added left-handers Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi to the bullpen, but those have been GM Tony Reagins' only major moves of the winter.

In the wake of Beltre signing with a division rival, the knives have come out in regards to the Angels' underwhelming winter.  Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com says "not only have the Angels shown they're not prepared to compete financially with the big boys, but they've shown they can't even compete financially with the big boys in their own division."  Fanhouse.com's Tom Krasovic says the club has had "one stinker of an offseason…so far" and quotes an unnamed AL executive who says that missing out on Crawford was a big mistake.

"If [the Angels] are being scared off from premium players in the market, they're in big trouble," said the AL executive. "They don't have a lot of talent coming up. They are known for being difficult to trade with. They are going to have to spend wisely in free agent to make up that difference, but that's getting harder and harder to do with what's out there."

Reagins told MLB.com's Lyle Spencer during the Winter Meetings that the Angels wanted to stay away from "unaffordable bidding wars" over players who were asking for more than the Halos thought they were worth.  This policy certainly has merit, and given that L.A. had signed the likes of Torii Hunter and Bobby Abreu in recent years, Los Angeles can't be criticized for ignoring the free agent front.  As Knobler points out, however, it doesn't make the team look good when owner Arte Moreno promises to spend and then comes up short. 

Spencer also notes that the Angels didn't do anything this winter to combat the perception that they aren't "capable of engaging [Scott] Boras in meaningful dialogue," which is an obvious issue given the number of top players Boras represents.  Rafael Soriano, for instance, is a Boras client, though even if the Angels went after the top-rated free agent left on the market, a top closer is a much less pressing need for the Halos given the Downs and Takahashi signings and the presence of Fernando Rodney.

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes identified a third baseman, an outfielder/DH type and a leadoff man as the primary "unfinished business" the Angels had to address before Opening Day, mentioning recent rumors tying the club to the likes of Scott Podsednik and Johnny Damon.  The Rangers' signing of Beltre also may open the door for Vladimir Guerrero to return to Los Angeles, while Spencer suggests the Angels might consider trying to re-acquire another former Halo in Chone Figgins. 

There's still plenty of time for the Angels to make moves that will make their team better next year, but barring something surprising, it will be hard for the team to shake the perception (or perhaps its own feelings) that the 2010-11 offseason was a missed opportunity.

Cards Notes: Pujols, Penny, Punto, Eckstein

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In a chat with fans today, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch dished out some information about the Cardinals' remaining offseason wants, some free agent rumors and the Albert Pujols extension talks.  Here are some of the highlights…

  • Strauss thinks it's "feasible" that Pujols could agree to an extension that doesn't stretch over as many years (maybe a five- or six-year deal) but pays him the highest average annual salary in baseball history.  This way Pujols gets his big payout, but it doesn't leave St. Louis on the hook for a huge salary in the seventh or eighth year of a longer contract.
  • The Cardinals are looking for some infield depth at shortstop and third base, plus another starter to provide rotation depth.  They're looking for players with Major League experience to fill these roles, but on non-guaranteed contracts.
  • There is "little enthusiasm" for bringing back Brad Penny.  Strauss isn't sure Penny would be content with serving as an emergency starter out of the bullpen.
  • If the Cards sign a backup infielder, it will have to be an infielder who is "adroit" at third base in case David Freese can't handle the everyday job.  This seems to rule out a return to St. Louis for David Eckstein, but Strauss says Nick Punto "is a popular name within some quarters of the organization."  We haven't heard much about Punto since the Winter Meetings, where the former Twins infielder engaged in "meaningful negotiations" with Cleveland.
  • The Cardinals believe Mitchell Boggs and/or Jason Motte can develop into a solid closer, so there isn't much interest in Rafael Soriano.

Odds & Ends: Pena, Mets, Angels, Soriano

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The Orioles announced a deal they agreed to a month ago. Cesar Izturis is officially an Oriole again and these are officially the day's links…

  • Stop by at 2pm CDT for this week's chat.
  • The Red Sox signed Tony Pena Jr. to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter). Pena, who spent parts of four seasons as a big league shortstop, spent the 2010 season in the upper minors with the Giants and posted a 4.13 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 76 1/3 innings.
  • The Mets deny that they offered Chris Young a contract, according to Dan Martin of the New York Post. ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported last night that the Mets had offered the tall right-hander a deal that's likely worth over $1MM.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports argues that the Angels have "holes to fill and explaining to do" after missing out on Carl Crawford and Adrian Beltre. 
  • Rafael Soriano told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes that he has “no preference” between the AL and the NL (link in Spanish). The closer says he isn’t worried even though he’s on the market after most top free agents have signed.

AL East Links: Orioles, Hayhurst, Andruw, Crawford

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The Orioles agreed to sign Kevin Gregg today, but that's far from the only news to emerge from what's arguably baseball's toughest division. Here's the latest:

  • Brian Cashman told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch that he's "monitoring what the necessary requests are, financially or player wise. If some drop, then maybe we'll get a little more serious [about making a move]." Earlier tonight we heard that the Yankees were interested in Jeremy Bonderman.
  • The Orioles would still like to add a left-handed reliever, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (all Twitter links). Will Ohman is an option, but not the leading option or the only one, according to Ghiroli.
  • The Orioles would like to add a veteran starter and the feeling in the front office is that a trade is more likely than a free agent signing. Kenshin Kawakami and Joe Blanton come to mind as possible trade targets, but that's just my speculation.
  • Dirk Hayhurst will not be back in the Blue Jays organization next year, the pitcher (and best-selling author) announced on his blog.
  • The Yankees will consider Andruw Jones, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). He bats right-handed and can play all three outfield positions, so he could provide the Yankees with some pop as a fourth outfielder and spell Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner.
  • Heyman suggests the Yankees will go for a lockdown bullpen with Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera if Andy Pettitte retires (Twitter link). Click here for more Yankees rumors.
  • Carl Crawford's trainer explained the left fielder's offseason workout program to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.

Yankees Rumors: Burnett, Pettitte, Balfour

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Here's the latest on the Yankees as they continue to explore ways of improving their pitching staff…

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild will travel to Maryland within a couple of weeks to work with A.J. Burnett on some of the right-hander’s mechanical problems. A bounceback season from Burnett in 2011 would make the Yankees’ rotation considerably more threatening.
  • Cashman told Newsday’s Ken Davidoff that the uncertainty surrounding Andy Pettitte’s future is not hurting the team. "Andy isn’t holding us up from doing anything else," Cashman said. Two of Pettitte’s friends tell Davidoff that they think the 38-year-old remains competitive enough to want to play. The left-hander appears to be close to deciding on his plans for 2011.
  • The Yankees don’t like the idea of giving up a first round pick to sign Grant Balfour or Rafael Soriano, two Type A relievers who turned down offers of arbitration and are now tied to draft pick compensation.
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