The Yankees are unstoppable! Joel Sherman says they’ve added catcher Kevin Cash on a minor league deal potentially worth $700K.
Archives for December 2008
Brewers Done Until After Holidays
It looks like the Brewers won’t be making any moves prior to the holidays. General Manager Doug Melvin revealed on Sunday that the team was interested in pitcher Braden Looper, but also said that nothing is close. He echoed those statements earlier today, saying that doesn’t think anything will happen with the free agent righty. "I think he’s going to wait until after the holiday, too. Players are all still looking for multiyear deals and waiting for other players to sign," said the GM.
Melvin also addressed the issue of lefty closer Brian Fuentes. The Brewers have targeted him, but nothing appears close. In fact, Melvin described his dealings with Fuentes’ agent, Rick Thurman, as "talks" and not "negotiations." MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy takes this to mean that the Brewers have not yet submitted an offer. Still, Melving says that he doesn’t expect the team to get Fuentes.
No Manny For Angels, Mets
8:19pm: Dan Graziano says Omar Minaya is unable to convince Mets ownership to allow him to pursue Manny, much to Scott Boras’ chagrin. Will Manny have to go crawling back to the Dodgers, as Graziano puts it?
2:07pm: MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger talked to Angels GM Tony Reagins, who said:
"Manny Ramirez will not play for the Angels in 2009, or beyond, for that matter."
Mark Teixeira Signing Reactions
Here’s a quick look at some of the reactions to the Mark Teixeira signing. If you guys find any you find particularly remarkable, hit me up (josephp, Shift+2, riveraveblues dot com) and I’ll add it if it adds something. But for now:
- RotoAuthority has the fantasy analysis.
- Interesting angle from Joel Sherman – he says the team’s poor choice of passing on Carlos Beltran taught them to sign Teixeira now. He says they’d prefer to trade Hideki Matsui, among their outfield surplus. The Braves like Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher.
- Brewers owner Mark Attanasio suggests a salary cap for the sport.
- Gordon Edes calls this a "staggering blow" to the Red Sox and Angels. I’m not sure I would go that far, at least in the case of the Angels. That could be my bias speaking, though.
- Jesse Spector of the New York Daily News notes the long-term implications of the deal. He wonders if Teixeira is really a $20 million player (or, rather, a $22.5 million player) and calls into question committing eight years to a position that serves as a transition for older players.
- Roch Kubatko got some quotes from Andy MacPhail. "We can’t devote that many resources to one player, no matter where he’s from," was the telling line. Roch wonders if the Orioles were even given a chance to counter the Yankees offer.
- Jeff Zrebiec backs up Roch. Boras didn’t give the Orioles a chance to counter. He instead informed MacPhail that Teixeira was going in another direction.
- Peter Abraham has learned a lesson from this. "This will also teach me not to believe anything Cashman says about living under a budget."
- Tony Massarotti isn’t pleased with how this turned out. "Instead, the Sox lost Teixeira for what amounted to about $10-$15 million over eight years, which is chump change for a franchise with an estimated value (including NESN and Fenway Park) or somewhere in the range of $1 billion." He notes also that the Sox had plenty of contracts coming off the books, much like the Yankees.
- Over on my home turf, Ben notes the obvious: "What this Teixeira signing indicates though is that a new generation of Steinbrenners is willing to spend what it takes to win just like George."
- Keith Law on the signing: "Signing three of the top four free agents on the market is a sign that they have excellent taste, even if they don’t seem to have a credit limit."
Nationals Sign Five
7:05pm: Chico Harlan mentions three more minor league signings for the Nats: catcher Gustavo Molina, pitcher Gustavo Chacin, and infielder Jose Castillo.
Chacin, 28, won 13 games as a rookie in ’05. After that he dealt with elbow and shoulder injuries but at least got his own cologne. Castillo, 28 in March, hit .246/.292/.376 in 455 plate appearances for the Giants and Astros this year.
2:54pm: According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Nationals signed Corey Patterson and Jorge Sosa to minor league deals. Patterson gets $800K, while Sosa gets $850K.
Patterson, 29, was awful this year with a .205/.238/.344 line in 392 plate appearances. He was above average defensively though. The Nationals were an odd choice for him given their crowded outfield.
Sosa, 32 in April, pitched in the Astros, Mariners, and Mets organizations this year. His claim to fame was his flukey 2.55 ERA in ’05 for the Braves.
Ricciardi: “We’re Done”
So much for J.P. Ricciardi’s recent name-drop of Orlando Hudson and Jason Giambi. He told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian today: "We’re done. We won’t be spending any money." J.P. is going to let the kids play in 2009.
One minor option for the Blue Jays is Michael Barrett, who they’d like to sign to a minor league deal.
Yankees Sign Mark Teixeira
3:58pm: Joel Sherman says the Red Sox were at eight years, $168MM, so the Yankees outbid them by $12MM.
3:38pm: The contract does not include an opt-out clause, according to Danny Knobler. Knobler agrees with Olney that the Red Sox fell about $10MM short. He says the Sox are not inclined to react by "stepping up their pursuit of Derek Lowe or any other top starting pitcher."
2:55pm: Olney now agrees it’s an eight-year, $180MM deal ($22.5MM per year). Bill Madden says Teixeira told the Yankees he preferred them all along, after the Angels and Red Sox backed off. Ha. Joel Sherman says the Yankees made this decision with the 2010 season in mind, given the weak free agent market. He says they’ll now attempt to trade one of Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Xavier Nady, and Nick Swisher.
2:26pm: Buster Olney says the Yankees have reached an agreement with Teixeira on an eight-year deal worth more than $170MM.
Aside from the Red Sox, the Brewers and Blue Jays also lose here. Each team’s draft pick from the Yanks is pushed back one round – the Brewers get a second-rounder from them for C.C. Sabathia, the Jays get their third-round pick for A.J. Burnett.
2:17pm: According to Jon Heyman, the Yankees are on the verge of signing Mark Teixeira to an eight-year, $180MM deal with a full no-trade clause.
Mets Deep In Negotiations With Lowe
According to Yahoo’s Gordon Edes, the Mets are deep in negotiations with free agent starter Derek Lowe. However, the Mets have yet to make an offer.
Astros Sign Clay Hensley
According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Astros signed pitcher Clay Hensley to a minor league deal worth $550K. Hensley, 29, posted a 3.94 ERA in Triple A and a 5.31 mark in the Majors this year after recovering from labrum surgery. The Padres chose to non-tender him.
Hensley had success back in ’06, tossing up a 3.71 ERA in 187 innings on the strength of a 54% groundball rate.
Phillies Sign Gary Majewski
According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Phillies signed reliever Gary Majewski to a minor league deal worth $650K.
Majewski is best known for being the subject of a grievance filed by the Reds against the Nationals regarding an undisclosed shoulder injury. Majewski, 29 in February, has been hit hard in the Majors the past few years.
