Rumors for negotiations
Scott Boras wants to renegotiate Robinson Cano’s deal
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Scott Boras, Robinson Cano’s agent, called Yankees GM, Brian Cashman, according to George A. King III of the New York Post, to renegotiate his client’s contract. “I called Cash to ask about dropping the options and he hasn’t returned the call,” Boras said.
The Yankees hold a $14 million option for 2012 and a $15 million option for 2013. The options have a $2 million buyout. King believes that Cashman will eventually reach out to Boras, but probably to talk about another client, Carlos Beltran, who King believes the Yankees will be interested in.
King also adds that at $29 million for the next two seasons, Cano is the “best bargain in baseball.” Cano, considered by many in the industry to be the best second baseman in baseball hit .302/.349/.533 with 28 HR’s and 118 RBI’s in 623 AB’s for the Yankees in 2011.
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Chien-Ming Wang still talking to the Nationals about a contract extension
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Right handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang wants a contract extension from the Nationals. Earlier this month, we learned that both sides were talking about it.
Today, William Ladson of MLB.com, says that a new deal with Wang is still not close although both sides are still talking. Wang is eligible to become a free agent after the World Series, but he feels loyal to the Nationals since they stuck with him during his years of shoulder issues.
Wang was 4-3 with a 4.04 ERA in 11 starts this season for the Washington Nationals.
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Cashman expects to sign a new deal by the end of the month
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Yankees GM, Brian Cashman, believes he’ll have a new contract with the Yankees by the end of this month according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
“It’ll get done between now and Oct. 31st, I’m sure,” Cashman said. “I can’t promise, but I think that’s what everybody expects. I know it’s something that everybody has to follow. But that’s not a pressing circumstance, as far as something I’m worried about right now.”
“I’m sure it could get done over the phone, from my perspective,” he said. “I don’t want to speak for him.”
Hoch adds that Cashman is completing a three-year, $6 million agreement with the club. Last week, we learned that the negotiations between the parties were “going smoothly.” Cashman also said that his expiring contract “has not affected how he attacks his offseason duties,” says Hoch.
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Orioles willing to give three-year contract to J.J. Hardy
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Back in June, we learned that the Orioles had begun contract talks with soon-to-be free agent J.J. Hardy. According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, he’s hearing the team is willing to give three years to the short stop.
The question though is the amount of money adds Zrebiec. Yesterday, we learned that the Orioles were getting calls on him and some of their other veteran players.
If the Orioles fail to sign him, they could deal him to a team in need of a short stop upgrade like the San Francisco Giants or the Milwaukee Brewers. Prior to yesterday’s game, Hardy was hitting .278 with 13 HR’s and 33 RBI’s.
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Mets in secret contract negotiation talks with Jose Reyes
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Multiple sources close to Mike Puma of the New York Post report that the Mets and Jose Reyes‘ camp are in – or soon will be – in secret talks regarding the shortstop’s new contract.
Reyes has indicated that he does not want to discuss contract issues now, but sources say that was a “smokescreen” to keep the media from asking the Mets and Reyes about the progress of the negotiations.
When asked on Wednesday night about negotiating an in-season deal with Reyes, GM Sandy Alderson said, “I am no longer commenting on that possibility.”
One of Reyes’ agents, Chris Leible, said (via Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal) that there are no secret talks and they assert that they are not going to talk about a contract during the season.
Earlier this week, there were reports that Alderson was leaning towards a “substantial offer” after the season that could be in the $20 million-a-year range.
On a side note, multiple team sources have told ESPNNewYork.com, as reported by Adam Rubin, that they are moving toward placing Reyes on the disabled list.
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Orioles begin extension talks with J.J. Hardy
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Short stop J.J. Hardy will be a free agent after this season, but the Baltimore Orioles would like to keep him around. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun says that Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail reached out to Hardy’s agent this week to begin talks about a potential contract extension for him.
Zrebiec adds that talks haven’t reached the serious level to this point, but that should change as the Orioles get closer to the July 31 trade deadline. Hardy is hitting .303/.367/.548 with 11 HR’s and 30 RBI’s in 188 AB’s for the Orioles this season.
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Paul Maholm wants to stay in Pittsburgh beyond this season
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Left handed pitcher Paul Maholm is in the final year of his three-year, $14.5 million deal with the Pirates, but he would love to stick around according to Jenifer Lagosch of MLB.com.
Maholm has a $9.75 million club option for 2012 with a $750,000 buyout. Depending on how he performs for the reminder of the season, the Pirates will have to make a decision regarding his future.
Langosch says that Maholm has made it public that he wants the chance to see if his career with the Pirates can last beyond even 2012.
“I’d really love to be here to see how it would be playing in October here,” Maholm said. “I already know how the Penguins are treated here. I know how the Steelers are treated. It would be nice to be able to go through that.
“My wife and I, we enjoy it here. We’ve gotten to know a lot of people outside of baseball through a lot of different things we’ve done. It would be tough to break that all of a sudden.”
Maholm would like to negotiate a new contract right now, and find out if he is in the organization’s long-term plans.
“It’s not like I would be offended by anything,” he said. “It’s a negotiation. It’s not us being buddies. It’s not like, just because they’d come to me, I’d go to the tank just because I didn’t like their offer.”
Langosch writes that the Pirates could look at Maholm’s results one of two ways. The first one is to use his results as a reason to keep him around and the second one to use them to dangle the pending free agent as a trade chip.
Maholm is 4-8 with a 3.29 ERA in 95.2 innings through 15 starts this season with the Pirates.
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No extension talks between Brandon Phillips and Reds
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Cincinnati Reds infielder Brandon Phillips told John Fayman of the Cincinnati Enquirer that nothing is going on between the Reds and him regarding a contract extension.
“It was bothering me earlier. But now I’m just playing,” Phillips said.
The second baseman is in the final year of a four-year, $27 million contract, but there is a $12 million team option for 2012. “I want to give back to the city. I want to be the type of person Barry Larkin was to the city. It would be nice to be here for the rest of my career.” Phillips said in February that he would like to have a new deal before the option becomes a factor. “When it comes to that, I’d love to get an extension,” he said. “They could pick my option up or not. I want to know a guarantee instead of a possibility.”
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Pirates insisting on at least 5 year deal with McCutchen
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In a Tweet by Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, he reports the Pittsburgh Pirates are in talks with Andrew McCutchen about a contract extension but the team is insisting on at least a five-year deal.
“I’m willing to be here for my whole career,” McCutchen said in early May. “I really love it in Pittsburgh. I love playing there. I love the city. I love how things are starting to turn around for us. That’s one of the things I feel that they know, and they have the same feeling I do. We’re very open to working something out, but we just want to make sure it’s something we want. That’s basically what we’re looking at right now.”
The 24-year-old is under team control through the 2015 season, so any long-term deal will likely buy out his arbitration-eligible years plus a year or two of his free agent years. Players tend to sacrifice big money in their free agent years if they can lock in financial security early in their career.
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Prince Fielder is uncertain about his future in Milwaukee
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First baseman Prince Fielder is under the Brewers control until the end of this season, but after that, all bets are off according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
After this season, Albert Pujols could become a free agent, and Fielder’s contract could influenced by his. Fielder is four years younger than Pujols and will probably be seeking a seven-year deal similar to what Jayson Werth and Adrian Gonzalez got from the Nationals and Red Sox.
Fielder though, is not closed off to contract talks during the season, as Pujols has been, but he doesn’t see any forthcoming says Goold.
“If (free agency) is what he wants to do, then it’s awesome,” Fielder said. “Right now it’s not on the top of my list. That’s for the offseason. My contract is up at the end of the year, and after that nobody knows. What I do know is I’m here for this year, and that’s that.”
Late in February, we learned that the team was going to focus on winning the NL Central and have fun. “We’re a team that has fun,” said Fielder at the moment. “I think we got away from that the past couple years. We were trying to be something we’re not. No offense to anybody else, but we like to have fun. If you think we’re disrespecting the game, that’s your problem. Beat us, then.”
“Before, we were never trying to disrespect anybody. We were just having fun. The fans liked it. It was good for baseball. Hopefully we’re going to get back to that.”
“This is an exciting team. If you want to show emotion, show it. We’re not in a library.”
“I think this clubhouse is more focused on winning. That hasn’t crept up until you said something. That will take care of itself. Just try to win, man. If it is my last year, try to go out with a bang.”
Fielder is a lifetime .279 hitter with 199 HR’s and 563 RBI’s in 3085 AB’s throughout seven Major League seasons with the Brewers.
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