MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com - Part 5541 (2024)

Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times writes thatMariners GMJack Zduriencik says he has "zero expectations" for former top prospectJesus Montero, who arrived to Spring Training 40 pounds over the team's target weight for him. The Mariners assign each player such a figure prior to each offseason, but sources tellDivish that Montero has yet to meet one since joining the club in a 2012 trade."After winter ball, all I did was eat," Montero admitted. It's another hurdle the DH will have to conquer after a 2013 season marred by injury and a Biogenesis-related suspension. Here's more out of the AL West:

• The Mariners' interest inKendrys Morales may depend on the ability ofCorey Hart to stick in the outfield,Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. Hart has logged time in the outfield in the early days of Spring Training, and if he can handle a job there, it could open up the DH spot for Morales.
• Evan Grant of theDallas Morning News hears that the Rangers aren't pursuing Ervin Santana (Twitter link). A recent report namedTexas as one of three clubs with strong interest in the hurler.
• Sam Fuld may face long odds to make the Athletics' roster out of Spring Training, as the team already has four outfielders and probably won't carry another, reportsMLB.com'sJane Lee. Fuld agreed to a minor league deal with the A's early this month.
• The Angels may rely heavily on their bullpen in 2014, as they enter the season with major question marks behindJered Weaver and C.J. Wilson in the rotation, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times writes.

7:42pm: The deal is official now that Colvin has passed his physical,Schulmantweets.

4:34pm:Colvin himself tweets that he has "signed the dotted line."

10:37am:The Giants have agreed to terms outfielder Tyler Colvin,the Mercury News' Alex Pavlovic tweets. Colvin's contract is a minor-league deal, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Colvin will make $1MM if he makes the team, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman notes. Colvin is represented by Relativity Baseball.

The deal is pending a physical. Colvin had previously agreed to a big-league deal with the Orioles, but the O's backed out of the deal once Colvin took his physical with them, citing back issues.

Colvin, 28, has a career .241/.289/.454 line in 1,167 career plate appearances spread over parts of five seasons with the Cubs and Rockies. The lefty spent much of the 2013 season with Triple-A Colorado Springs, where he hit .275/.377/.480.

MLB.com's Mark Sheldon spoke with Reds outfielderDonald Lutz, the firstGerman-developed Major League player.Lutz was called up to the majors in late April, hitting.241/.254/.310 in59 plate appearances while serving mostly as a bench bat. His lone home run during that time, however, was likely seen by thousands of Germans when a clip of it was broadcast duringLutz's appearance this winter on alate night German talk show. "It was the first time something about baseball was streamed out nationwide to the most viewers,"the outfielder said.Sheldon says Lutz could position himself for another callup with a strong Spring Training. Here's more from the NL Central:

• Look for the Reds to be more active on the basepaths under managerBryan Price, ESPN.com'sJerry Crasnick writes. SpeedsterBilly Hamilton should factor heavily into the new strategy, but the Reds also believe6-3, 220-pound third basemanTodd Frazier could be good for 10 to 15 steals.
• Crasnick tweets that industry sources say Cubs infielderJavier Baez, ranked the No. 5 prospect in the game by Baseball America, may be looking for a new agent. The infielder changed agents as recently as last year, Crasnick notes.MLBTR's agency database shows Baez is currently represented byKPS Sports.
• Cubs pitcher Arodys Vizcaino hit 98 on the radar gun during his first live batting practice session this Spring Training,Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.Vizcaino had Tommy John surgery in 2012 and did not pitch at all in 2013, but has ranked as high as No. 40 on Baseball America's top 100 prospects list in the past.

While Blue Jays GMAlex Anthopoulos says he's "comfortable" with his club's current rotation candidates, Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal is skeptical. If so,Anthopoulos' thinking has evolved significantly since September, Rosenthal writes,when he identified the Jays' rotation as the team's "most glaring hole" and "most glaring area we need to address."Anthopoulos reportedly considered trades forDavid Price, Derek Holland and Brett Anderson, and expressed interest in free agents Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez, Bronson Arroyo and A.J. Burnett. However, a deal never materialized, and the Jays' AL East competitors have upgraded in the meantime. Here's more out of the division:

• Within the same column, Rosenthal cites the Mariners and Rangers as potential suitors for Santana, who could also avoid the draft pick compensation issue by waiting until after the June draft to sign. According to a Rosenthal tweet, Santana prefers that option to settling for a contract in the range of Nelson Cruz'sone-year, $8MM deal with the Orioles.
• MLB.com's AnthonyCastrovince writes that by not adding a major rotation piece, the Jays are betting on better luck with injuries and the development of young players. A rotation upgrade "does not appear to be on the horizon," according toCastrovince. Earlier this week,Anthopoulos told reporters that the club would like to sign a starter, but won't do so "at all costs."
• Red Sox prospect Xander Bogaerts says he's well aware of rumors that Stephen Drew could return to the club, Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com reports. "You hear it every day, especially you media guys talk about it a lot," the infielder commented.Bogaerts figures to grab the Sox's starting shortstop job if Drew doesn't return.

Barry Bonds will work with theGiantsas a special instructor in spring training next month, Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News reports. Bonds has not had an official relationship with the Giants since 2007, his last season in the big leagues, so his presence could make quite an impression in Giants camp. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.

• TheIndianswill "soon make a serious push" to extend second baseman Jason Kipnis, Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer writes. Kipnis is eligible for free agency following the 2017 season, and Pluto notes the Indians would likely try to sign Kipnis to at least a five-year deal, picking up at least one free-agent season. MLBTR recently suggested Kipnis could make $30MM-$35MM over the course of a five-year deal.
• TheBrewerswill likelyhave a team-record payroll, and owner Mark Attanasio expects to win this season, Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel reports."We’re at the point now where we’re well into the top half of payrolls in the major leagues. We have more pitching depth than we’ve had, really, in 10 years. As I’ve explained to everybody, as investors you wouldn’t make that decision to lose," Attanasio says. "The ownership group felt like this was the year to invest (more) in the team. I think we’re going to surprise people this year." After an offseason that featured the high-profile addition of Matt Garza, the Brewers have $86MM committed to 12 players, which could give them a higher payroll than they had in 2012, when their opening-day figure was $101.2MM.
• The signing of Ubaldo Jimenez has had a dramatic impact onOriolesfans, MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski writes. The Orioles' offseason had been very quiet, but suddenly they've landed Jimenez and now haveNelson Cruz as well.
• Nationalspitcher Jordan Zimmermann is happy with his two-year, $24MM contract, and isn't concerned about the recent Homer Bailey extension,reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Zimmermann and the Nationals tried to negotiate a long-term deal, but ultimately couldn't find enough common ground. "They came to us with a two-year deal. Let's get this out of the way, so we don't have to worry about arbitration for the next two years," Zimmermann says. "We felt it was right, and I think it was fair for both sides, and we got the deal done."
• Arbitration-eligible players received an average raise of 117 percent this offseason, with their average salaries rising from $1.78MM to $3.86MM,the Associated Press reports. The heftiest raise went to Freddie Freeman of theBraves, who went from $560K in 2013 to a multiyear deal with an average salary of $16.875MM.

MLBPA head Tony Clarkis worried about the qualifying offer system that has led Stephen Drew, Kendrys Morales and, perhaps to a lesser degree, Ervin Santana to remain on the free agent market into spring training, the Associated Press reports."The way the free agent market has played itself out over the last couple of years suggests that draft pick compensation and the free agent market in general is a concern that we're paying attention to, obviously," Clark says.

Clark says he plans to make qualifying offers a "topic of discussion." It does not appear, however, that the union will address the issue before the current CBA expires following the 2016 season."There's certain criteria that's going to have to be met for a CBA to be opened up (before then) and I'm not sure that's happened," Clark says.

The qualifying offer topic is in the news today in part because of of the surprisingly small deal Nelson Cruz received from the Orioles. Cruz, who had rejected a $14.1MM qualifying offer from the Rangers before hitting the open market, will receive just $8MM plus a possible $750K in incentives.

Nelson Cruz signing with the Orioles for $8MM highlights the "absurdities" in Major League Baseball's qualifying offer system, notesESPN's Keith Law (Insider-only). Law writes that MLB seems uniquely adept at "crafting policies that create unintended consequences." A team that loses its first-round pick as a result of signing a player who had rejected a qualifying offer has a greater incentive to sign a second one, since the penalty for signing the second one is reduced. This policy incentivizes spending sprees by richer teams, at the expense of poorer ones. Here are more reactions to the Nelson Cruz deal.

• Despite his flaws — his age, defensive defiencies, and unimpressive performance away from Arlington — Cruz is a good deal for the Orioles at $8MM,CBS Sports' Dayn Perry writes. It's only a one-year deal, and Cruz fills an obvious hole in Baltimore's lineup. Perry also notes that Cruz is a good fit in Camden Yards.
• TheMarinershad concerns about Cruz's PED history and with how he would perform at Safeco Field, CBS Sports' Jon Heymantweets. They preferred Kendrys Morales to Cruz, Heyman notes.
• MetsGM Sandy Alderson says he's happy to have Chris Youngat $7.25MM rather than Cruz at $8MM, reports Newsday's David Lennon (Twitterlinks). Alderson says that Cruz "brings power to the table … Doesn’t bring the defense. Doesn’t really have our approach, necessarily."

The Dodgers have designated infielder Justin Sellers for assignment, according to a team release. The move clears space on their roster for Erisbel Arruebarrena.

Sellers, 28, has played in parts of three seasons with the Dodgers, hitting .199/.278/.301 in 266 career plate appearances. He served as the Dodgers' starting shortstop early in the 2013 season as the team waited for Hanley Ramirez to return from injury. Sellers then spent much of the year at Triple-A Albuquerque, where he hit .270/.326/.429 in 366 plate appearances.

SATURDAY 12:36pm:Capuano can earn as much as $500K in roster bonuses, $1.25MM for starts (with bonuses beginning at 12 starts) and $1MM for innings pitched (with bonuses beginning at 70 IP), CSNNE.com’s Sean McAdam tweets.

10:31am:Capuano has passed his physical, so his deal is now complete, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets. Ryan Dempster has officially been placed on the disabled list to clear space on the Red Sox’ roster, the Providence Journal’s Tim Britton tweets.

FRIDAY:WEEI.com’s Alex Speier reports that Capuano’s incentives are tied to games started. He adds that the Sox are expected to clear room on the 40-man roster by officially placing Dempster on the restricted list (Twitterlinks).

THURSDAY:The Red Sox have agreed to a contract with free agent pitcherChris Capuano, reports Ron Chimelis of the Springfield Republican(hat tip to his colleague, Jason Mastrodonato). Capuano receives a $2.25MM guarantee, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). He can earn bonuses that would increase the value to as much as $5MM.

The 35-year-old Capuano, who is preresented by Moye Sports Associates, must pass a physical to complete deal. If he does, it appears that he will not be in line for a regular rotation spot, but should be first up in case another arm is needed in that role. If he does indeed start the year off working as the long man in the pen, it would mark just the second time in his nine-year career that Capuano has not featured primarily as a starter. (In 2010 with the Brewers, he started nine games and made 15 relief appearances.)

Over his career, Capuano has proven a sturdy, if unspectacular, big league arm. Though slowed by injuries last year, he logged 198 1/3 innings of 3.72 ERA ball for the Dodgers in 2012. Last year, in twenty starts and four appearances from the pen, Capuano threw 105 2/3 innings and ended up with a 4.26 ERA. Though he logged just 6.9 K/9 last year, the lowest level since his rookie year, Capuano also held down the free passes with a 2.0 BB/9 mark. The resulting 3.38 K:BB ratio, along with a 46.4% ground-ball rate, left him looking good in the eyes of advanced stats like FIP (3.55), xFIP (3.67), and SIERA (3.87).

Though he carries the baggage of two Tommy John procedures and a series of bumps and bruises last season, Capuano looks to come at a solid rate. His new deal lands in much the same realm as fellow southpaw Paul Maholm, who got a slightly lower base salary ($1.5MM) but greater overall incentive package (he would max out at $6.5MM) with the Dodgers. Another lefty, Bruce Chen, got $4.25MM from the Royals. The younger and historically healthier Jason Vargas landed a much bigger deal, getting $32MM over four years from Kansas City.

From Boston’s perspective, it has essentially swapped out Dempster (and the $13.25MM he was owed) for Capuano and his much cheaper price tag. While retaining its depth entering the season, then, the club should have additional space to take on salary if mid-season additions become desirable.

FEB. 22:The deal is now official, the Los Angeles Times' Dylan Hernandez tweets.

FEB. 21, 6:51pm: Arrubarrena gets a five year deal for $25MM, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, including a $7.5MM signing bonus.

3:53pm:The deal is for five years, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.

FEB. 20:MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reports that Arruebarrena's deal is believed to be five or six years in length. According to Sanchez, Arruebarrena is working out in the Dominican Republic as he awaits his work Visa. Without the Visa, the contract cannot be finalized, which is why the Dodgers have yet to make an official announcement. GM Ned Colletti did tell Sanchez the following:

"We signed Alexander [Guerrero] and we’re trying to sign another player because it’s tough in the Draft to find those players.You are pretty limited in the Draft as far as good hitters that can play in the middle of the infield. The way we look at it, we have the need for it in our organization and we’ve gone after them the way we have."

FEB. 12, 3:20pm: Arruebarrena's contract could be worth around $25MM, a source tells Rojas (Spanish language link).

12:27pm:The Dodgers have agreed to terms with Cuban shortstopErisbel Arruebarrena, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick (Twitter link). Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reported earlier today that the two sides were nearing an agreement, and Arruebarrena was traveling to the United States to take a physical.

The 23-year-old Arruebarrena has six seasons of professional experience in Cuba'sSerie Nacionaland therefore is not subject to the spending restrictions placed on international amateurs.Arruebarrena is considered an elite defensive shortstop, but most scouts have serious questions about his bat. Though Arruebarrena batted .320/.367/.520 in 306 plate appearances in Cuba from 2011-12,Ben Badler of Baseball America spoke withmultiple scouts at the time of his defection and noted that many questioned whether Arruebarrena could manage a .220 average or .300 OBP in the Majors. He's also not a particularly fast player, further limiting his offensive upside. Given all of that info, it's not difficult to see why Arruebarrena has drawn comparisons to fellow Cuban shortstopJose Iglesias.

Arruebarrena adds to the Dodgers' infield depth, but it's unlikely that he'll be ready to make an immediate impact in the Major Leagues. Badler noted that some minor league time was almost a certainty for Arruebarrena, adding that he could even have to start at the Double-A level due to his questionable offensive skills. Arruebarrena can serve as an insurance policy in the event that the team is unable to reach an extension with Hanley Ramirez. He could also provide an elite in-house option at short (defensively speaking, that is) should Ramirez sign an extension but eventually need to move to third base. Arruebarrena joins Yasiel Puig andAlexander Guerreroas the third notable Cuban signing for the Dodgers in the past two years.