Rockies Decline Options For Torrealba, Embree
Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports that the Rockies have declined the 2010 options for catcher Yorvit Torrealba and reliever Alan Embree. Torrealba's option was worth $4MM, Embree's $3MM. Instead, the players will receive buyouts worth $500K and $250K, respectively.
Torrealba's agent indicated that his client has not ruled out returning to the club, but the Rockies are committed to Chris Iannetta as their starter. Yorvit hit .291/.351/.380 in 242 plate appearances on the year, while Embree threw just 24.2 innings in 2009 before a liner broke his leg and forced him to miss the rest of the season.
Manny Ramirez Will Return To Dodgers in 2010
7:01pm: Hernandez has a quote from Boras:
"Obviously, he enjoys L.A.," Boras said. "If he went into the marketplace, the real negative was that he could end up playing in a place he wasn't comfortable playing."
6:19pm: Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times tweets that according to agent Scott Boras, Manny Ramirez will return to the Dodgers next year. Technically, Manny signed a two-year deal last offseason, but he has the ability to opt out of the 2010 portion of his contract within five days after the World Series. He would forfeit $20MM by doing so.
The 37-year-old Ramirez had a tale of two seasons in 2009. He hit .348/.492/.641 in the team's first 29 games, but "just" .269/.389/.492 after returning from a 50-game banned substance suspension. ESPN's Keith Law said that Manny showed the "the loss of bat speed" at the end of the season, and didn't think that any team should invest $20MM in him for 2010.
Pirates Designate Three For Assignment
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that the Pirates designated three players for assignment today: righthanders Virgil Vasquez and Eric Hacker, and catcher Steve Lerud. All three were sent to Double-A Altoona.
Vasquez, 27, had two stints with the Pirates in 2009, pitching to a 5.84 ERA in 44.2 IP. The 26-year-old Hacker was acquired from the Yankees in May, and allowed two runs in three innings this year, his Major League debut. Lerud, 24, hit just .240/.339/.336 in Double-A this season, though Baseball America ranked him the club's 21st best prospect coming into 2009.
Phillies Notes: Myers, Stairs, Eyre, Park
4:32pm: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki tweets more info on the Phillies. He says that if Matt Stairs returns, it would be a minor league deal. The team will wait to see how Scott Eyre's elbow surgery turns out. And they've contacted Chan Ho Park's agent about a possible new contract.
1:33pm: Pitcher Brett Myers was told today by Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. that the team will not pursue a new contract with him, according to Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Myers told Salisbury he's open to starting or relieving with his new club.
Myers, 29, posted a 4.84 ERA in 70.6 innings this year. The Phillies' Opening Day starter missed time with hip surgery and a back strain. He could be an interesting buy-low opportunity for many teams.
Angels Sign GM Tony Reagins To Extension
The Angels signed general manager Tony Reagins to a long-term contract extension, tweets Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse. Reagins has been the Angels' GM since October of 2007, when Bill Stoneman stepped down. His notable signings include Torii Hunter, Brian Fuentes, Juan Rivera, and Bobby Abreu. He also acquired Jon Garland, Mark Teixeira, and Scott Kazmir in trades. Reagins faces a tough offseason ahead with John Lackey, Chone Figgins, and Vladimir Guerrero among his free agents.
Mets Decline Option On J.J. Putz
FRIDAY: The Mets officially declined Putz's option, according to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News. Rubin adds that the Mets exercised an option to pay Mike Pelfrey $500K in 2010, after which he'll be arbitration-eligible.
THURSDAY: According to Bart Hubbuch of The New York Post, the Mets have informed reliever J.J. Putz that they will not pick up his $9.1MM option for 2010, instead paying him a $1MM buyout. Hubbuch says the club cited health concerns when breaking the news to Putz.
The 32-year-old righthander appeared in just 29 games for the Mets before going down with an elbow injury that eventually required surgery. Putz's velocity was down all year, and his walk rate has jumped nearly four walks per nine innings pitched in the last two seasons.
Royals Trade Mark Teahen To White Sox
3:42pm: Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star heard the Royals sent $1MM to the White Sox with Teahen.
12:35pm: White Sox GM Ken Williams told reporters Teahen will play third base, with Gordon Beckham moving to second. He told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that Scott Podsednik is unlikely to re-sign and the DH position might not be decided until the end of the offseason.
11:16am: The deal is official, according to a Royals press release. The Royals acquired Getz and Fields for Teahen and cash considerations.
FRIDAY, 8:40am: Mum's still the word from all involved, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Late last night, Teahen tweeted that he hadn't heard anything official.
THURSDAY, 5:30pm: The story keeps changing. Now, according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel, neither team has confirmed the deal.
11:13am: The White Sox have confirmed the trade, according to The Chicago Sun Times. It's Teahen for Getz and Fields.
10:17am: ESPN's Buster Olney says talks are "not that far along." Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times mentions that Getz hasn't heard anything about a trade.
9:04am: According to Bill Madden of The NY Daily News, the Royals have agreed to send the versatile Mark Teahen to the White Sox in exchange for Chris Getz and Josh Fields. Madden says Teahen is expected to replace free agent-to-be Jermaine Dye in right field.
The 28-year-old Teahen hit .271/.325/.408 last year, but is a career .261/.325/.514 hitter at U.S. Cellular Field. FanGraphs has him at -2.0 UZR/150 in right, which is a massive upgrade over Dye's -17.5 mark. Teahen earned $3.575MM in 2009, and has two more years of arbitration eligibility ahead of him. He's certainly been the subject of many trade rumors over the years.
Getz, 26, was Chicago's every day second baseman for most of 2009, hitting .261/.324/.347 with 25 stolen bases in 27 attempts. Fields, 28, has struggled to find a place with the White Sox, hitting .229/.302/.416 in 746 plate appearances over the last four years while playing first, third, and left field. Both players are in their pre-arbitration years, and have a combined ten years of team control left.
Trade Market: Right Fielders
Next up in our Trade Market series, right fielders. The free agent market presents options such as Jermaine Dye, Brian Giles, Vladimir Guerrero, and Xavier Nady.
- Brad Hawpe, Rockies. Hawpe, 30, hit .285/.384/.519 this year in 588 plate appearances. He's set to earn $7.5MM in 2010 and has a $10MM club option for '11 that he can void if traded. The knock on Hawpe is his poor defense. Last month in response to rumors, Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd said, "We have no desire to move him at all." Speculations persists because the Rockies have Seth Smith, Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez, and Ryan Spilborghs in the outfield.
- Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals. Ludwick gets a mention because he was part of trade talks a year ago. The 31-year-old slipped to .265/.329/.447 this year after mashing 37 homers in '08. He's under team control through 2011.
- Milton Bradley, Cubs. The Cubs seem likely to trade Bradley after he slugged just .397 in his first season for them and caused problems off the field. Since he's owed $21MM over the 2010 and '11 seasons, the Cubs will have to match him up with another bad contract.
- Jose Guillen, Royals. Guillen's bad contract only has one year left, at $12MM next year. He was hobbled by hip and knee injuries this year.
- Travis Buck, Athletics. Buck seemed to have a bright future after a .288/.377/.474 rookie season in '07. Instead, he's been affected by shin splints, a concussion, a shoulder injury, and an oblique strain. He hit .272/.345/.418 at Triple A this year.
- Gary Matthews Jr., Angels. You know the story – Matthews is owed $23MM over the next two seasons and wants to be some team's starting center fielder. He's listed here because he has spent 562 innings in right over the past two seasons.
Danny Richar, Kevin Barker Become Free Agents
Danny Richar and Kevin Barker elected free agency after being outrighted by the Reds, according to C. Trent Rosecrans (via Twitter). The Reds also outrighted pitcher Justin Lehr, but signed him for 2010.
Richar, 26, hit .290/.330/.438 in 181 Triple A plate appearances this year. The second baseman had labrum surgery in July. He came to the Reds from the White Sox last July with Nick Masset in the Ken Griffey Jr. trade. Barker, a 34-year-old first baseman, hit .285/.376/.551 with 22 home runs in 417 Triple A plate appearances this year.
Braves Sign Scott Proctor
FRIDAY: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has details on Proctor's deal.
WEDNESDAY: The Braves signed reliever Scott Proctor to a split contract, according to Mike Graham of TCPalm.com (hat tip to Talking Chop). Proctor's agent Mark Rodgers said the Braves were "very aggressive in their pursuit of Scott." The contract contains performance incentives. Jeff Euston of Cot's Baseball Contracts informed me that Proctor would "have to spend all but about 21 days on the 25-man to qualify as a free agent after 2010." He'll probably need all of April in the minors, meaning the Braves could retain Proctor for 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player if he has a successful '09 campaign.
Proctor, 33 in January, was released by the Marlins a month ago. He had Tommy John surgery in May. Proctor is a low-risk signing; the Braves may need to accumulate relievers in the event Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez both depart via free agency.