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Latest On Jorge Soler
At least seven teams have interest in 19-year-old Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, according to the most recent rumblings from around MLB. The Yankees and Phillies are said to have serious interest, and the Blue Jays, Orioles, Red Sox, Cubs and White Sox also appear to be in the mix. Soler isn't a fully fledged free agent yet, but that hasn't slowed the rumor mill down. The latest:
- GM Ruben Amaro Jr. confirmed the Phillies' interest to Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "It may come down to where he wants to play and, of course, the money," Amaro said.The Phillies have stayed in close contact with Soler, taking him to dinner several times, according to Brookover.
- The Indians have worked Soler out at their Dominican academy several times, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets.
- Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN The Magazine tweets that he would be very surprised if the Yankees sign Soler.
Johnny Damon Talks Free Agency
Johnny Damon told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that he considers the Yankees a “perfect fit” for his services given their need for a left-handed hitting DH. The Yankees don’t hold any grudges over the way Damon’s first stint in New York ended, but they haven’t offered him a contract this offseason, and they don’t seem likely to make final decisions on their DH opening until the A.J. Burnett intrigue ends.
Despite rumblings that Damon is altering his offensive approach now that he’s just 277 hits away from the 3,000 hit milestone, he says he's not changing as a player as he nears personal accomplishments.
“It's never been a driving force for me,” he told Heyman. “I always had the intention of being a good teammate."
Damon hit .261/.326/.418 with 16 homers and 29 doubles in 582 plate appearances in 2011. He was Tampa Bay's primary DH last year, but maintains he could still play the field if necessary. I examined Damon's free agent stock in November, concluding that another modest one-year deal is likely. The Scott Boras client appeared to be seeking a $5MM deal about a month ago.
Minor Moves: Blackley, Gomez
Keeping track of the day's minor moves...
- The Giants signed left-hander Travis Blackley to a minor league deal, MLB.com's Chris Haft reports. The 29-year-old Australia native has MLB experience with the 2004 Mariners and the 2007 Giants. He didn't pitch affiliated baseball in 2011.
- The Red Sox announced that they signed first baseman Mauro Gomez to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training. Gomez, 27, spent the 2011 season with the Braves' top affiliate and led the International League with 264 total bases. The Dominican Republic native had 24 homers and 34 doubles at Triple-A last year.
Teams Win Five Of Seven Arbitration Hearings
The 142 players who filed for salary arbitration earlier in the offseason have agreed to terms on 2012 contracts, which means the arbitration season is officially over. Most players avoided hearings with one-year deals, 17 signed extensions, and seven went to arbitration hearings. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, teams out-performed players this month, winning five of seven hearings. The details for the five MLB wins:
- The Brewers beat Jose Veras, who will earn $2MM in 2012. Veras is represented by Bryce Dixon.
- The Nationals beat John Lannan, who will earn $5MM in 2012. Lannan is represented by Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA Sports.
- The Orioles beat Brad Bergesen, who will earn $800K in 2012. Bergesen is represented by Paragon Sports International.
- The Pirates beat Garrett Jones, who will earn $2.25MM in 2012. Jones is represented by SFX.
- The Rays beat Jeff Niemann, who will earn $2.75MM in 2012. Niemann is represented by Hendricks Sports.
Players won two cases, both of which were against the Marlins:
- Emilio Bonifacio, a WMG client, will earn $2.2MM in 2012.
- Anibal Sanchez, a Gene Mato client, will earn $8MM in 2012.
Players won two of three hearings in 2011, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows.
Pirates, Casey McGehee Avoid Arbitration
The Pirates avoided arbitration with Casey McGehee, agreeing to terms on a 2012 contract, the team announced. He'll earn $2.5375MM in 2012, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). All arbitration eligible players are now under contract for 2012, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows.
McGehee, a Meister Sports Management client, had asked for $2.725MM, while the Pirates had countered with a $2.35MM offer. His 2012 salary is the midpoint of the two submissions. The infielder was arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason and he'll remain under team control through the 2014 campaign. I examined his case in relation to teammate Garrett Jones last week.
Pirates Beat Garrett Jones In Arbitration
The Pirates beat Garrett Jones in yesterday's arbitration hearing, the team announced. Jones will earn $2.25MM in 2012, instead of the $2.5MM salary he and his representatives at SFX had asked for.
Jones posted a .243/.321/.433 line with 16 home runs in 477 plate appearances for the Pirates last year and drew some trade interest from the Yankees this offseason. I examined his case in some detail yesterday. Teams won five of the seven arbitration cases that took place this offseason, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows.
Giants Re-Sign Justin Christian
The Giants re-signed outfielder Justin Christian to a minor league deal after he cleared waivers, Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com tweets. The Giants had designated Christian for assignment eight days ago.
Christian appeared in 18 games for the 2011 Giants, playing all three outfield positions. The 31-year-old has just 94 MLB plate appearances to his name, but he owns a .293/.359/.432 line in nine minor league seasons.
A.J. Burnett Rumors: Wednesday
The Pirates and Yankees are discussing an A.J. Burnett trade, as the Yankees look to unload some of the $33MM owed to him for 2012-13. The latest:
- Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger hears four teams are in the mix for Burnett and that "a deal will get done with somebody.“
- The Yankees are engaging the Pirates and one other team about Burnett and a deal seems increasingly likely, David Waldstein of the New York Times reports. It doesn't appear that Burnett would block a trade to either one of the two possible destinations.
- The Yankees tried to convince the Angels that Burnett could be their fifth starter, according to Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com. The Yankees would have obtained Bobby Abreu in the proposed trade, but Burnett rejected the deal because he'd prefer to play on the East Coast.
- The two clubs remain at an impasse, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. As the day before Yankees pitchers and catchers report to spring training, Saturday represents a soft deadline for the trade talks. A trade is not likely with any of the three other teams interested in Burnett, as the Indians never got serious, Burnett will not approve a deal to the Angels, and the mystery team has lukewarm interest.
Quick Hits: Ordonez, Fukudome, Rizzo
The latest links from around MLB...
- Free agent outfielder Magglio Ordonez told Los Cronistas that he wants to play, but doesn't plan on accepting a minor league deal (Twitter links, hat tip to Danny Knobler). The Athletics and other clubs have shown some interest, but haven't made concrete offers.
- Jim Margalus of South Side Sox explains why the Kosuke Fukudome signing makes sense for the White Sox. They locked the outfielder up for $1MM yesterday.
- Cubs first base prospect Anthony Rizzo told Jim Memolo and Todd Hollandsworth on MLB Network Radio that being traded two offseasons ago helped prepare him for the recent deal that sent him from San Diego to Chicago.
- In a piece for FanGraphs, Mike Axisa takes a look at MLBTR's list of out of options players and breaks down some trade candidates, including Kila Ka'aihue and Sean West.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the complete minor league transactions for February 8th-13th.
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