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Willie Bloomquist

NL West Notes: D’Backs, Barmes, Darvish, Dodgers

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The Diamondbacks finalized a new deal with Willie Bloomquist today and the move has had an impact for at least two NL West teams. Here are the details.

D’Backs, Bloomquist Reach Two-Year Agreement

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The Diamondbacks reached a two-year agreement worth $3.8MM with utility man Willie Bloomquist, reports Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.  Peter Gammons was first to report the deal on Twitter.  Bloomquist had reached free agency by declining his side of a mutual option on November 1st.

A deal between the D'Backs and Bloomquist's agent Scott Boras seemed unlikely a few days ago, when Boras and GM Kevin Towers debated who owed who a phone call.  Boras explained to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic on Saturday, "It sounds to me like what happened is, they got upset when Willie opted out. They got emotional and they went out and signed a guy who hit .169."

Boras was taking a shot at John McDonald, another utility infielder who the D'Backs re-signed to a two-year deal earlier this month.  Towers has been generous with such role player multiyear contracts, as Geoff Blum was inked to a two-year deal a year ago.  The Diamondbacks are well-covered in case Stephen Drew is still recovering from July ankle surgery when the season begins.  They're also covered if they are not able to sign Aaron Hill, leaving an opening for a second base platoon.

Bloomquist, 33, hit .266/.317/.340 in 381 plate appearances this year, playing mostly shortstop and left field.  The Giants had also made an offer to him this month. 

NL West Notes: Bloomquist, Giants, Dodgers

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The Rockies are interested in Kevin Millwood, Rich Harden and Bruce Chen and the Diamondbacks have signed Chris Jakubauskas. Here are some more news items from the NL West as the offseason continues…

  • The Diamondbacks and Willie Bloomquist had a miscommunication over the weekend, but the club hasn’t given up on re-signing the utility player, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The sides had dialogue Sunday and Monday, according to Piecoro.
  • The Giants are a possibility for Bloomquist, according to Yahoo’s Tim Brown (on Twitter).
  • Former MLB commissioner Peter Ueberroth said he’s not currently interested in buying the Dodgers, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Ueberroth has led bids for the Dodgers and Angels in the past.

Willie Bloomquist Drawing Interest

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According to agent Scott Boras, Willie Bloomquist is drawing "a lot of interest" on the free agent market, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Boras says Bloomquist may sign with a club that considers the 33-year-old more than just a utility player.

Bloomquist's chances of returning to Arizona next season are looking slimmer, however. The two sides experienced a communication breakdown after Bloomquist declined his half of a mutual option. The D'Backs have since inked John McDonald to a two-year deal as a utility infielder and are hoping to retain Aaron Hill as well, meaning there may not be room in the infield for Bloomquist. The D'Backs and Boras talked to Piecoro about the miscommunication:

"I don't think it's up to us to lob a call," GM Kevin Towers said. "We exercised our end [of the mutual option]. We showed we wanted the player back. By exercising the option, we're pretty much saying, 'We'd like to have the player back.' By them declining, it's like, 'We don't want to come back at what you want us at.' Then, well, what do you want?"

Boras, meanwhile, said that when he turned down the option, he sent a letter to the D'Backs conveying his client's desire to return, and had been waiting for a call from the team.

"Is it our duty to be in touch with them every hour on the hour so we know nobody else signed?" Boras said. "When you want someone, you go get them. We're not the employer. They offer the contracts and pay the money. We don't…. It sounds to me like what happened is, they got upset when Willie opted out. They got emotional and they went out and signed a guy who hit .169."

NL West Notes: Padres, Giants, Blanco

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The Dodgers will soon be up for sale, since owner Frank McCourt has agreed to part with the club. Click here for details on the Dodgers and keep reading for more notes from the NL West…

  • Padres GM Josh Byrnes has interviewed candidates for front office openings and may announce an assistant GM soon, according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune. 
  • It appears that the Giants are more likely to spend on a center fielder than a shortstop like Jose Reyes or Jimmy Rollins, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes recently suggested Coco Crisp, Grady Sizemore and David DeJesus could be options for San Francisco this offseason.
  • Though 40-year-old catcher Henry Blanco declined his side of the mutual option he had with the Diamondbacks, the sides are discussing a new deal, according to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com (Twitter links). Blanco “should be back” on a new contract that will likely include an option for 2013.
  • The D’Backs remain interested in Willie Bloomquist, according to Magruder. The utility player also declined his side of the mutual option he had with the Diamondbacks, 

D’Backs Announce Option Decisions

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The D'Backs announced that they exercised their sides of the mutual options for Henry Blanco and Willie Bloomquist, while declining their team options for Zach Duke and Aaron Hill (Twitter link). However, Bloomquist has declined his side of the mutual option and would like to work out a longer deal, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (on Twitter).

Blanco's option is worth $1.15MM and includes a $250K buyout. It's not yet clear whether he'll return to Arizona for a second season. In 112 plate appearances in 2011, the 14-year veteran posted a .250/.330/.540 line with eight home runs. Bloomquist's option was worth $1.1MM. The 33-year-old played left field, shortstop and second base in 2011, while posting a .266/.317/.340 battling line in 381 plate appearances.

Hill posted an .878 OPS with the D'Backs after struggling in Toronto for a combined season line of .246/.299/.356. Though the D'Backs would like him back, his $8MM option was too much for GM Kevin Towers' liking. Hill's contract also included an $8MM team option for 2013. Duke posted a 4.93 ERA with 3.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 76 2/3 innings, so there was no doubt that the team would decline its $5.5MM club option in favor of the $750K buyout.

NL West Notes: Harang, Bloomquist, Blanco, Dodgers

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Earlier today the Giants agreed to a new two-year deal with Javier Lopez and exercised Jeremy Affeldt's 2012 option. Here's some links from around the rest of the division:

Towers On Hill, Bloomquist, Blanco, Saunders, Parra

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Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers spoke to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic yesterday.  Highlights:

  • Towers would like to bring back second baseman Aaron Hill, but not at his option prices of $8MM for each of the 2012 and '13 seasons.  The 29-year-old hit .315/.386/.492 in 142 plate appearances for Arizona, his first stint in the National League.  He's represented by Beverly Hills Sports Council, as our Agency Database shows.
  • Towers is "leaning toward" exercising Willie Bloomquist's $1.1MM mutual option and will "probably" pick up a $1.15MM mutual option on catcher Henry Blanco.  Piecoro expects both players back, so these might be rare cases where both sides exercise their end of mutual options.
  • The GM is undecided on whether to tender a contract to lefty Joe Saunders, depending on whether he thinks the team's young starters are ready.  Saunders is due a raise on this year's $5.5MM salary, which we'll dig into later this week here at MLBTR.  Towers believes the team has the payroll space for both Hill and Saunders, if that's the route he chooses.  I think Saunders will be tendered a contract, since he'd have some trade value.
  • Left fielder Gerardo Parra's possible Super Two status is "too close to call right now," said Towers.  As of August 23rd, a source told me the cutoff appeared to be two years and 145 days of service, which is the exact amount Parra has.
  • Towers seeks a bat to complement first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, and Piecoro thinks that might mean re-signing Lyle Overbay.
  • Towers feels that the Diamondbacks' pitching staff is in "pretty good shape."  The GM doesn't see "big, big" offseason needs, though he won't rule out a run at the "right kind of marquee guy."

NL West Notes: Bloomquist, Romero, Blake

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The tightest division race in the National League is happening out west, where the Diamondbacks have taken a two-game lead over the Giants on the strength of five straight wins. ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider link) likens Arizona to a No. 14 seed in an NCAA tournament, holding a lead late in the game and gaining confidence that they can pull off an upset. Here are this morning's notes from around the NL West:

  • The D'Backs didn't go out and acquire a replacement for Stephen Drew when he fractured his ankle, and Willie Bloomquist is making the decision look good, writes Olney. Since Drew's injury, Bloomquist is hitting .295/.349/.423 as the team's regular shortstop.
  • J.C. Romero tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post that his friend LaTroy Hawkins had good things to say about the Rockies' organization, which pushed the lefty toward Colorado. Romero will throw a bullpen and take a physical today, and could be added to the Rockies' roster if both go well.
  • Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times wonders what's next for the Dodgers' Casey Blake, who is "not the least interested in calling it a career" and "has no desire in going out on some injury-riddled, less-than-fulfilling season," according to Dilbeck.
  • The Athletics have called up two former members of NL West clubs, both of whom were involved in trades earlier this season, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Brandon Allen, formerly of the Diamondbacks, and Bruce Billings, acquired from the Rockies in the Mark Ellis deal, will join the A's for today's game.

Contract Details: Votto, Saito, Thome, Bloomquist

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Updates to a few recently completed contracts…

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