Cleveland Sports Forum

Alex White has too many big league innings to be officially a prospect, but BA assessed him this way:

If Alex White hadn't pitched over 50 innings in the Majors (he pitched 51.1), where would he have ranked on the top 10? Has his prospect status declined after struggling in his limited amount of innings in the bigs?

Jack Etkin: Good question, Bjorn. He likely would have been right around No. 10. He struggled mightily, no question about that. But between trying to impress a new org, still regaining touch on his pitches after a finger injury and, maybe the most important of all, rushing on the mound and not staying back enough _ the Rockies hope 2011 was an aberration and White will be able to bring the ball down better.

No one in their chat asked about Joe Gardner, but I would expect him to have serious prospect status for the Rockies too. Let's hope that Ubaldo gets back to his career best for our side.

Aramis headed to Milwaukee, pending physical
Brewers reportedly agree to three-year deal with slugger
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com | 12/12/11 5:32 PM EST

The Brewers-Cubs rivalry may get a little more interesting.

Aramis Ramirez, considered the top free agent third baseman on the market, has reportedly agreed to a three-year contract with one of the Cubs' National League Central rivals, the Brewers, pending a physical.

There were several reports saying the deal was done, with FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reporting Ramirez could get between $34 million and $37 million.

The Brewers will not make an announcement until Ramirez passes the physical.

Ramirez's agent, Paul Kinzer, said at the Winter Meetings last week in Dallas that Milwaukee was high on his client's list. Ramirez, 33, liked the idea of staying in the NL Central. Asked at the General Manager Meetings in November if Ramirez would consider staying with the Cubs, Kinzer said, "That ship has sailed."

"There's no problems there, but it's the point where it's the end of an era," Kinzer said of Ramirez, whom the Cubs acquired in July 2003 from the Pirates in a five-player deal. "They have some things they have to do and at this point in his career, [Rafael Furcal] got his ring, and now 'Ramy' wants his. He wants to go somewhere where he has a shot at a competitive team. He loves Chicago and it hurts for him to leave, but that's part of the sport."

Kinzer also represents Furcal, who was on the World Series champion Cardinals this season and re-signed with St. Louis.

Ramirez batted .306 with 26 homers and 93 RBIs in 149 games in 2011, his ninth season with the Cubs. It was his sixth season with at least 30 doubles and 25 homers.

He got off to a slow start, hitting two home runs in the first two months of the season. Ramirez has a career .261 average in April and playing in Miller Park early in the year could help him boost those numbers.

Ramirez has a lifetime .270 average and .503 slugging percentage at Miller Park, hitting 15 homers and 25 doubles there. Last season, he was 8-for-37 (.216) with one homer and six RBIs.

The Brewers are in need of some offensive help with the likely departure of free agent Prince Fielder. Milwaukee's third basemen combined to hit .215 with 11 homers, 30 doubles and drive in 67 runs. One of the reasons for the dropoff was the disappointing year by Casey McGehee, who batted .223 after hitting .285 in 2010. McGehee is one of seven Brewers who are arbitration eligible.

In October, the Cubs exercised their side of the $16 million option on Ramirez's contract, but the third baseman declined to pick up his side. By doing so, the Cubs did not have to pay Ramirez the $2 million buyout. However, because Ramirez was a Type B free agent, the Cubs will receive a Draft pick in the supplemental round as compensation.

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings, and you can follow her on Twitter@CarrieMuskat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

American League Non-Tenders
By Tim Dierkes [December 12, 2011 at 6:08pm CST]

Today's American League non-tenders are below, but you can keep track of all teams in our non-tender tracker.

The Royals announced that they will non-tender left-hander Aaron Laffey.
The Twins announced that they've non-tendered left-hander Jose Mijares (Twitter link).
The Orioles will non-tender Luke Scott, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Scott, who battled a shoulder injury in 2011 and underwent surgery this summer, projected to earn $6MM through arbitration.
The Tigers non-tendered second baseman Will Rhymes, announced the team. Rhymes is not yet close to being arbitration eligible, as he has less than one year of big league service time. Rhymes, 28, hit .306/.377/.390 at Triple-A this year.

ShopVac back to the Red Sox.

Rangers win rights to Darvish with record bid
By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com | 12/20/11 1:30 AM EST

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers, with their committed ownership group signaling full-speed ahead, are on the clock with Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish and have 30 days to sign him to a Major League contract.

The Rangers earned the right to negotiate with Darvish by submitting a winning bid of approximately $51.7 million that was accepted by the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. The Rangers deadline is 4 p.m. CT on Jan. 18. If they can't sign Darvish by then, he returns to the Fighters and the Rangers do not lose the $51.7 million posting fee.

The Rangers go into the process fully committed to signing Darvish, a 25-year-old right-handed pitcher who is considered one of the best pitchers to ever attempt to make the transition from Japan to the Major Leagues.


"Obviously this is a very exciting night for our organization, for our fans and for our community," general manager Jon Daniels said in a conference call an hour after Major League Baseball officially announced the Rangers had submitted the winning bid.

"This is just the first step in the process, but an important one," Daniels said. "It's one that we hope will lead to signing Yu Darvish to a contract, but we understand the negotiations are just beginning. Our ownership group went the extra mile to support us on this."

Darvish could command a contract somewhere between the six-year, $52.6 million contract that the Red Sox signed Daisuke Matsuzaka to in 2006, and the five-year, $77.5 million contract that C.J. Wilson agreed to with the Angels earlier this month.

It's almost certain that the Rangers' total investment in Darvish will go well over $100 million. That seems much further than the Rangers were willing to go to re-sign Wilson, their 31-year-old left-hander who was their Pitcher of the Year in the past two seasons.

"At this point, it's still a negotiation," Daniels said. "To compare Darvish to other players is premature. It goes back to the fact that we are looking for any opportunity to improve our ballclub in the short-term and the long-term. We looked at this as an opportunity that would be a good fit for us."

Darvish was 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA and 276 strikeouts in 28 games for the Nippon Ham Fighters in 2011. He pitched 232 innings and it was his fifth straight season with an ERA under 2.00. He has won three strikeout and two ERA titles in Japan. He has also twice been named the Most Valuable Player of the Pacific League.

"His abilities and accomplishments are pretty well-documented," Daniels said.

The Rangers have scouted Darvish extensively over the past three years. Daniels even traveled to Japan last summer to see him pitch, although he said that he relied more on the recommendation of scouts who watched him pitch the majority of his games in 2011.

"We've got a lot of great scouts in our organization, a lot of guys whose evaluations I trust more than my own," Daniels said. "We knew this was someone we might get involved with.

"It's all about the big picture, regardless of who you are talking about, how he fits into what we're doing right now, how does he fit later and how does this impact what we might do later. We are very fortunate to have an ownership group that is very supportive of what we're trying to do."

The Rangers, who have already signed closer Joe Nathan, will likely hold off doing anything else major this offseason until they know if they can sign Darvish. That probably includes trade discussions with other teams and almost certainly underscores their already-stated intention of not getting involved with free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder.

"It definitely has an impact on other things," Daniels said. "We entered the process knowing that."

The Rangers have also begun negotiations with some of their own players on long-term contract extensions, including outfielder Josh Hamilton, second baseman Ian Kinsler and pitcher Derek Holland. Hamilton can be a free agent after the 2012 season, but the Rangers appear close on a five-year contract with Holland. Discussions with multiple players will continue, although Daniels said he's not sure how those negotiations will be affected by any potential contract with Darvish.

"We haven't signed the player, so we don't know what the investment will be," Daniels said. "We've had several conversations with guys and some are farther along than others. We will continue to have those discussions."

Darvish would join a team with a set rotation of Holland, Colby Lewis, Matt Harrison, Alexi Ogando and Neftali Feliz with Scott Feldman in reserve. The Rangers also have several top pitching prospects getting close in left-hander Martin Perez and right-hander Neil Ramirez.

If the Rangers are able to reach an agreement with Darvish, it will likely force them to move one of their other starters either during the winter or Spring Training. Lewis could be the likely candidate to trade since he is at least four years older than the other four starters and can be a free agent after the 2012 season.

"We haven't signed anybody yet," Daniels said. "As we sit right now, our rotation is unchanged. If we sign Darvish, we will have a very good problem. We have a lot of accomplished pitchers in our rotation. We'll sit down and sort through them."

Darvish is represented by agents Don Nomura and Arn Tellem.

"We were pleased to learn that the Texas Rangers were the high bidders for Yu Darvish," Tellem said. "The Rangers are an extraordinary franchise in an exceptional city with equally exceptional fans. Yu is honored to be prized so highly and recognized as a once-in-a-generation pitcher. We look forward to getting negotiations under way."

T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Postcards from Elysian Fields, and follow him on Twitter @Sullivan_Ranger. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Kubel, D-backs reach two-year deal
By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com | 12/19/11 8:57 AM EST

PHOENIX -- The D-backs have agreed to terms with free-agent outfielder Jason Kubel on a two-year contract with an option, a baseball source confirmed Monday.

The move is somewhat surprising in that the D-backs had not been linked in any rumors to Kubel, nor had they been rumored to be in the market for an outfielder.

Kubel, 29, hit .273 with 12 home runs and 58 RBIs for the Twins in 2011. He was originally drafted by Minnesota in the 12th round of the 2000 First-Year Player Draft.

Kubel's best season came in 2009 when he hit .300 with 28 homers, 103 RBIs and a career-best .907 OPS. Over the last five seasons he has an OPS+ of over 100. OPS+ is a weighted metric that takes into account a multitude of factors and mark of 100 is considered average. Last season, Kubel's OPS+ was 111.

Over his career, Kubel has split his time between the outfield corners. With the D-backs, it would appear that he would become the starting left fielder with Gerardo Parra being shifted to a fourth outfield position, or used in a trade to acquire another position of need.

Parra won a National League Gold Glove Award for his work in left last year, and he hit .292 with eight homers and 46 RBIs. His ability to play all three outfield positions makes him an ideal backup. How many opportunities there will be, though, remains to be seen. Center fielder Chris Young played in 156 games last year while right fielder Justin Upton appeared in 159.

Steve Gilbert is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Inside the D-backs, and follow him on Twitter @dbackswriter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

One by one, all the guys the Indians were supposed to be in the hunt for are being signed elsewhere.

Today's USA Today had a list of the top 10 FA's remaining. They listed the old team and the probable new team. Had #9 Carlos Pena probable to the Tribe. Comment was "Perfect short term fit."

Always liked Pena ever since he used to batter us when he was with Detroit.

Updated: December 22, 2011, 5:13 PM ET
Source: Nationals get Gio Gonzalez
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Oakland Athletics left-hander Gio Gonzalez, highly coveted by a number of teams, was dealt to the Washington Nationals Thursday for four prospects, a team source told ESPN Insider Keith Law.

The Athletics will receive right-hander Brad Peacock, catcher Derek Norris, left-hander Tommy Milone and right-hander A.J. Cole. The deal is pending physicals.

Gonzalez, who is 26 and in the first year of arbitration eligibility, is expected to command a salary of about $4 million for 2012.

Gonzalez went 16-12 last season with a 3.12 ERA, with 197 strikeouts and 91 walks.

In 2010, he was 15-9 with a 3.23 ERA, with 171 strikeouts and 92 walks.

Peacock, the key piece among the prospects, went a combined 15-3 with a 2.39 ERA for Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse last season. The 22-year-old was added to the Nationals' big league roster late in the season, and allowed one run in 12 innings.

Milone, 24, started five games for the Nationals last season, giving up 11 earned runs, striking out 15 and walking four in 26 innings for a 3.81 ERA.

Norris, 22, hit .210 last season for Harrisburg, but had 20 home runs and a .367 on-base percentage.

Cole, 19, pitched for Hagerstown in the Class A South Atlantic League, going 4-7 with a 4.04 ERA. He struck out 108, and walked 24 in 89 innings.

Information from ESPN Insider Keith Law and ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes was used in this report.

Man, the White Sox are really tanking....


PADRES ACQUIRE CARLOS QUENTIN FROM WHITE SOX
The San Diego Padres today announced they have acquired
outfielder Carlos Quentin from the Chicago White Sox in
exchange for right-handed pitcher Simon Castro and left-handed
pitcher Pedro Hernandez.

Quentin, 29, hit .254 (107-for-421) with 24 home runs, a
career-high 31 doubles, 77 RBI and 53 runs scored in 118 games
for the White Sox in 2011. He was also named to his second
All-Star team last season as he posted his highest batting
average, most doubles, most extra-base hits (55) and highest
slugging percentage (.499) since his first All-Star campaign
in 2008, a season in which he won his first and only Silver
Slugger award and finished in the top five of American League
Most Valuable Player voting. The outfielder also posted his
fourth-straight 20-homer campaign in 2011 and tied a White Sox
franchise record with an AL-leading 23 HBP.

A's To Sign Coco Crisp
By Ben Nicholson-Smith [January 3 at 4:25pm CST]
The A's have agreed to sign Coco Crisp to a two-year, $14MM deal that includes a club option for 2014, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney. The news ends 24 hours of rumors and speculation about Crisp's destination. He decided to return to Oakland yesterday, despite interest from the Orioles, Cubs, Cardinals and many other teams.

The deal will pay Crisp $6MM in 2012 and $7MM in 2013. The A's can exercise a $7.5MM option for 2014 or pay the center fielder a $1MM buyout. If the A's trade the Steve Comte client, he gets a one-time bonus of $250K.

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranked Crisp 21st among MLB free agents at the beginning of the offseason. The switch-hitter led the American League with 49 stolen bases in 2011, hitting .264/.314/.379 with 27 doubles as Oakland's center fielder. The California native seemed to prefer West Coast teams, but explained in September that he was also looking to play on a winner and find a good "financial situation" for himself.

This guy was a favorite of mine when I was a little kid. Get better soon, Kid. ...

.

Gary Carter keeps battling cancer

January, 9, 2012

By Adam Rubin

Gary Carter plans to participate in Palm Beach Atlantic University’s first baseball practice of the season today as the Hall of Fame catcher, who serves as head coach of the Division II team, continues to battle brain cancer. Carter plans to undergo an MRI on Friday so doctors can get the latest information on their battle with the malignant tumors.

“Dad was such a trooper during the holidays,” daughter Kimmy Bloemers wrote in an online journal. “He tried to involve himself in as many family activities as possible even though each day is and continues to definitely be exhausting for him. For most of the days, he has rested and slept, which is good and bad. The doctors have told my dad to listen to his body and rest but have also encouraged exercise. My dad did go in the pool a handful of times over the holiday break; however, his body needs much more.

“Today is the first day of practice for the PBA baseball team and dad is determined to go! Now that baseball has begun, his spirits have lifted a bit and I believe he is excited to see his team. His weak body limits his physical involvement, but the fact he wants to go and still teach his players is beyond amazing.”

Carter has been battling other ailments that have developed as a result of the cancer treatments, including sores in his mouth.

“Unfortunately, parts of his gums are down to the bone, caused by the medications,” Bloemers wrote. “This is very painful and there is not much they can do. It is uncomfortable to drink and eat.

“Dad's appetite has changed dramatically. Although he is still on the steroids, he actually has been losing some weight due to the lack of eating. He just doesn't feel hungry most days. We are encouraging dad to drink a lot of water and eat nutritious foods, even if he doesn't feel like eating much. It's is important as we all know.”

Source: Yankees trade Jesus Montero to Mariners for Michael Pineda

The New York Yankees have traded top prospect Jesus Montero and right-handed pitcher Hector Noesi to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for phenom pitcher Michael Pineda and righty Jose Campos, a source told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.

The Yankees receive the 22-year-old Pineda after he went 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA for the Mariners as a rookie last year.

After an up-and-down year in Triple-A, Montero came up to the majors and showed off his electric bat. In 18 games, he hit .328 with four home runs and 28 RBIs. He was expected to be the Yankees designated hitter this season.

While there are no questions about Montero's bat, there are some doubts on whether he can catch in the majors. The Yankees almost dealt Montero once before to the Mariners in a 2010 trade for Cliff Lee. The trade fell through and the Mariners ended up sending Lee to the Texas Rangers.

Pineda adds more youth to the Yankees' rotation behind CC Sabathia. After Pineda, the Yankees have Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes, who are both 25 years old.

Hughes will likely have to compete with Freddy Garcia and A.J. Burnett for the fourth and fifth starter spots.

Later Friday though, the Yankees added yet another arm, signing former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

After losing in the first round of the playoffs, the Yankees kept looking for pitching this winter after they passed on bidding for the top free agents in what was a weak year for starters.

They could part with the 22-year-old Montero because they have several catchers in their system who are considered far better defensively. They have Austin Romine at Triple-A, plus Russell Martin earned an All-Star appearance in his first year with New York and was praised for his work with the Yankees' pitching staff.


Pineda, who turns 23 later this month, earned his way into the Mariners' rotation with his performance last spring. By the end of the season, he was in place as Seattle's No. 2 starter for the future behind ace Felix Hernandez.

Pineda started fast, then endured typical rookie struggles as the season progressed. One of Pineda's high points was starting at home against the Yankees on May 27 when he was already 6-2. Pineda threw five innings that night for a 4-3 Seattle victory.

But Pineda's rookie problems started soon after. Over his final 17 starts, Pineda was 3-8 and his ERA ballooned to 4.74. Overall, he struck out 173 in 171 innings.

Pineda was expendable because of Seattle's rich depth of starters. The Mariners have Hernandez at the top of their rotation and just signed Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma. Those two, combined with lefty Jason Vargas and young prospects Charlie Furbush and Blake Beavan, will likely make up Seattle rotation to begin the season.

In the minors, three of Seattle's top prospects all project as starting pitchers: right-hander Taijuan Walker, lefty Danny Hultzen -- the No. 2 pick in last year's amateur draft -- and righty James Paxton.