Guillermo Mota Rumors
Giants To Sign Guillermo Mota
The Giants have agreed to sign Guillermo Mota to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, tweets Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes. The Dodgers and Rays were also considered finalists for his services.
Mota, 37, appeared in 56 games for the World Champion Giants in 2010, pitching to a 4.33 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9. He then chipped in another 2.1 scoreless innings in the postseason. According to PitchFX, he was still flirting with the mid-90's with his fastball.
Dodgers, Giants, Rays Finalists For Guillermo Mota
Guillermo Mota has been offered minor league contracts from five clubs and the "finalists" for his services are the Dodgers, Giants and Rays, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (Twitter link). Mota, 37, signed a $750K minor league deal with San Francisco last winter, but it paid off in the form of his first World Series ring. Mota posted a 4.33 ERA in 56 relief appearances last season, including 2 1/3 scoreless innings in the Fall Classic.
The well-traveled Mota has pitched for seven teams in his 12-year career, and it would be his third stint in Dodger blue if he were to sign with Los Angeles. The Rays have already added one veteran reliever today in Joel Peralta, but have a clear need for more bullpen help given how many of their 2010 relievers are testing the free agent waters.
Giants Sign Guillermo Mota
The Giants signed Guillermo Mota to a minor league deal, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. Unlike Horacio Ramirez and Byung-Hyun Kim, who also agreed to deals with the Giants today, Mota receives an invitation to Spring Training.
The Dodgers didn't offer Mota arbitration after the righty posted a 3.44 ERA for them last year in 65.1 innings of relief. The 36-year-old's rate stats - 5.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 - are nothing special, but his average fastball is about 94 mph.
Dodgers Make No Arb Offers To Free Agents
The Dodgers aren't offering arbitration to any of their free agents, team spokesman Josh Rawitch told Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. They've got Type As with Orlando Hudson and Randy Wolf, and Type Bs with Guillermo Mota, Jon Garland, Ronnie Belliard, Vicente Padilla, and Will Ohman.
Wolf in particular seemed a lock to receive an offer. It's difficult to understand why the Dodgers chose not to; Jon Weisman of Dodgers Thoughts is depressed. Oddly enough, Wolf has avoided an arb offer for two years running despite being worthy both times. Surely he's not complaining; he's now more attractive to other teams. Ditto for Hudson.
Dodgers Finalize Contract With Mota
9:13pm: Jackson has made a correction to the report. Mota can earn only $300,000 in performance bonuses.
7:41pm: The Dodgers finalized their one-year deal with reliever Guillermo Mota on Wednesday and released the terms of his contract. The 35-year-old right-hander will make $2.35MM in '09 and can earn up to $750,000 in performance bonuses. Terms are courtesy of Tony Jackson with the Los Angeles Daily News.
Dodgers Sign Guillermo Mota
TUESDAY: Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times says the Dodgers agreed to terms with Mota on a one-year deal.
MONDAY: According to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick, the Dodgers are very close to a deal that would bring free agent reliever Guillermo Mota back to Los Angeles. Mota, 35, posted a 4.11 ERA in 57 innings for the Brewers in '08 after coming over from the Mets in a deal for Johnny Estrada. Mota still throws hard, but control and home runs allowed remain a problem.
Dodgers Made Offer To Dennys Reyes
According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, the Dodgers made an offer to free agent lefty Dennys Reyes. He says they also want a right-handed setup man - Guillermo Mota or Juan Cruz are possibilities (Cruz would cost a draft pick).
Various reports stated earlier today that the Dodgers made a one-year offer to Trevor Hoffman.
Rosenthal's Latest: Swisher, Nady, Kapler, Zaun
The latest from Ken Rosenthal.
- A recent Ned Colletti-Scott Boras conversation about Manny Ramirez didn't result in progress. Boras still has his sights on at least $100MM over four years. Rosenthal adds that Manny is "cool to the idea of playing in San Francisco."
- Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady are drawing "significant interest." Rosenthal speculates that the Giants, Braves, or Pirates would make sense.
- The door is not closed with the Yankees and Andy Pettitte. Pettitte recently rejected the Yanks' one-year, $10MM offer.
- Some Mets people prefer Oliver Perez to Derek Lowe. The Braves have yet to speak to Boras about Lowe, while the Brewers and Phillies have financial concerns about fitting him in.
- Trevor Hoffman has a West Coast preference (the Dodgers or maybe a Padres reconciliation) but interest with the Brewers is mutual. Other relievers on the Dodgers' radar: Juan Cruz, Guillermo Mota, and Dennys Reyes.
- Brian Fuentes' agent had serious talks with the Yankees, but no offer was made. Fuentes would've been Mariano Rivera's set-up man and perhaps taken over upon his retirement.
- Rosenthal notes that MLB kicked in a small part of the $10MM owed to Sidney Ponson from their luxury tax pool, which is not uncommon.
- If they can afford it, the Rays would like to sign Gabe Kapler.
- The Orioles, Red Sox, and A's are interested in Gregg Zaun.
- Perhaps because of the cool market for his services, Orlando Cabrera is willing to play second base. The Yankees did not have interest.
- That Gavin Floyd for Brian Roberts rumor "seemingly arose from internal discussions among Orioles officials."
Twins Rumors: Kawakami, Lyon, Saito, Mota
La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune has the latest hot stove info on the Twins.
- The Twins don't appear to be currently negotiating with Kenshin Kawakami - starting pitching isn't top priority currently. Neal says that could change if they need to package a starter in a trade.
- Reliever names on the radar: Brandon Lyon, Takashi Saito, and Guillermo Mota. Lyon may be out of their price range.
Rangers Seeking Turnbow and Others
T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com fills us in on the Rangers' ongoing search for bullpen help:
- Derrick Turnbow is at the top of the list with pitching coach Mike Maddux leading the charge. The two worked together a few years ago in Milwaukee. The Marlins and Pirates are also thought to have interest.
- The Rangers are also investigating closers Chad Cordero and Jason Isringhausen, both free agents. As Sullivan points out, the Rangers like to target low-cost, high-reward relievers. Some would call them reclamation projects.
- Right-hander Guillermo Mota is also on the team's list. The 35-year-old had a 4.11 ERA for the Brewers last year.
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