Diamondbacks Exercise Option On Brandon Webb
The Diamondbacks exercised their $8.5MM club option on pitcher Brandon Webb, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (via Twitter). The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro has comments from Webb and D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes.
The D'Backs had expressed interest in renegotiating and perhaps having an option on Webb beyond 2010, but the pitcher decided to pass. Webb had shoulder surgery in August and expects to be ready for Spring Training. He was one of the game's best and most durable starters prior to the shoulder issues this year.
Phillies Exercise Option On Cliff Lee
The Phillies exercised their $9MM option on lefty Cliff Lee, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. The move was a no-brainer for the Phils, as Lee posted a 3.22 ERA in 231.6 innings this year and won the Cy Young award in '08. Next on the docket: long-term extension talks. Also, the Phillies must decide on Pedro Feliz's $5.5MM club option by Monday.
Hank Blalock Represented By Scott Boras
Here's a new addition to our Scott Boras clients list – Hank Blalock. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan informed us that Blalock switched to Boras before the season.
Blalock, 29 later this month, hit .234/.277/.459 this year in 495 plate appearances. He played 567 innings at first base and spent the rest of the time at DH. It was Blalock's healthiest season since '06, and he showed decent power, but his OBP was the third-worst in baseball among those with 450 PAs.
White Sox Buy Out Option On Jermaine Dye
The White Sox bought out Jermaine Dye's mutual option for 2010, according to a team press release. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says it cost the Sox $950K. This decision was a given, since the option was for $12MM. While Dye is a projected Type A free agent, it won't matter because the Sox are highly unlikely to offer arbitration. Mark Teahen is officially a member of the White Sox now, but he'll take over at third base with Gordon Beckham playing second.
Dye, 36 in January, hit .250/.340/.453 in 574 plate appearances this year. He slumped to .184/.303/.278 over the season's final two months. In an article yesterday, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan said that Dye "is of interest to the Rangers."
Free Agent List
Our free agent list has it all – it's constantly updated, broken down by position, and includes information on options, player ages, and Elias rankings. Scott Boras clients are bolded.
Bookmark our 2010 MLB Free Agents list today! You can always find the list on the sidebar of the site under MLBTR Features.
Cardinals Notes: Holliday, DeRosa, Smoltz
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the latest on the Cardinals…
- Goold feels that the Cardinals "will keep tabs on the Jason Bay sweepstakes even while focusing on Matt Holliday." Like most Scott Boras clients, Holliday figures to reach the open market. The Cards have yet to make a formal extension offer; Holliday was one of 79 free agents to file yesterday. In another article, Goold had a nice look at eight potential Holliday suitors.
- Goold says Mark DeRosa "expressed a wish to test the open market," and the Cardinals beat writer expects the Cubs to make an offer. I'm not sure – the Cubs are limited on funds, seemingly happy with Jeff Baker at second base, and probably seeking a left-handed bat to replace Milton Bradley.
- Though the Cardinals have maintained dialogue with John Smoltz, the veteran pitcher expects to sign later in the offseason.
Epstein: Red Sox Bought Low On Hermida
Red Sox GM Theo Epstein says he bought low on a player with considerable promise when he acquired Jeremy Hermida.
"He hasn't fulfilled his potential yet," Epstein said of the former top prospect. "We acquired him today to see if he can fulfill that potential."
It's impossible to predict whether Hermida can become a star, but Red Sox saw "positive indicators" that suggest the 25-year-old can improve upon the .259/.348/.392 line he posted for the Marlins this year.
Hermida hit .284/.398/.436 throughout the minors, with plate discipline and flashes of power. As recently as 2007, he posted an .870 OPS in the majors, so Hermida has succeeded in the big leagues before.
The Red Sox consider Hermida an average defender in either left or right field. According to UZR/150, Hermida has slightly below average range and a slightly below average arm. Ultimately, the Red Sox wanted to see if a change of scenery can improve Hermida's production.
"It was a chance to get a guy with unfulfilled potential for a reasonable cost," Epstein said.
The Red Sox have Hermida under team control for two seasons. The outfielder has missed time due to a variety of injuries, but the Red Sox say he doesn't have lingering structural problems.
Reds Negotiating With Ramon Hernandez
The Reds seem certain to decline their $8.5MM club option on catcher Ramon Hernandez for 2010 and buy the 11-year veteran out for $1MM. The only question now is whether or not Cincinnati will part ways with Hernandez or whether they'll bring him back at a more club-friendly price.
Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he had met with Hernandez's agent, and gave a very neutral view of the negotiations between the team and the player: "We’ve made some progress. I don’t know if we’re close. But we’ll try to work something out.” As MLB.com's Mark Sheldon noted, the Reds could also decline Hernandez's option but offer him arbitration, thus putting themselves in line for a first-round sandwich pick if another team signed Hernandez, a Type B free agent.
Hernandez hit .258/.336/.362 in 331 plate appearances last season, appearing in 55 games behind the plate and 30 games at first base. He played in just four games after July 16 due to arthroscopic knee surgery.
Rangers Notes: Vizquel, Byrd, Rodriguez
MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan examined what some of the Rangers' plans might be this winter, and here are some of the highlights…
- A right-handed bat is at the top of the Texas wish list for the off-season, with Sullivan singling out Jermaine Dye as perhaps the best fit for the Rangers amongst the veteran hitters on the free agent market.
- There is a good chance that veteran shortstop Omar Vizquel will re-sign with Texas before the club's exclusive negotiating period for free agents ends on November 19. Sullivan reports that "there appears to be genuine interest on both sides" to bring the 11-time Gold Glover back for his 22nd big-league season in 2010.
- Texas GM Jon Daniels says that the team would like to bring back free-agent outfielder Marlon Byrd, but since Byrd wants to test the market, "it's just not going to happen in the exclusive window period, if it's going to happen at all."
- The Rangers want to see how Jarrod Saltalamacchia rebounds from shoulder surgery before looking at re-signing veteran catcher and franchise legend Ivan Rodriguez.
- In regards to the other four Texas free agents, Sullivan said that Andruw Jones and Hank Blalock won't be pursued by the club, Eddie Guardado may retire and Joaquin Benoit is "in limbo" following shoulder surgery that sidelined him for all of 2009.
- If Ben Sheets is able to pitch in 2010, the Rangers still have interest in the right-hander who they thought they had signed last January.
- Relief pitching will become a priority if Neftali Feliz and C.J. Wilson are moved to the rotation. Sullivan lists several bullpen options for the Rangers, many of whom have pitched in Texas before.
Colorado Re-Signs Matt Belisle, Randy Flores
8:42 PM: The Denver Post's Troy Renck has an update on the contract details.
6:25 PM: The Rockies re-signed relievers Matt Belisle and Randy Flores to one-year contracts on Thursday. Terms of the deals weren't announced, though both pitchers were eligible for salary arbitration. Belisle, a right-hander, posted a 5.52 ERA but a strong 4.4:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 24 appearances last year with Colorado after spending his first five big-league seasons in Cincinnati. Southpaw Flores appeared in 27 games for the Rockies last season, recording a strong 10.5 K/9.
Tracy Ringolsby believes that with Belisle and Flores back in the fold, Joe Beimel is the odd man out in the Rockies' bullpen. Beimel had a 4.02 ERA in 26 games with Colorado after being acquired from Washington at the trade deadline, but Ringolsby thinks that Colorado will stick with Flores and Franklin Morales as their main left-handed relief options.
In other Rockies news from Thursday, the club outrighted reliever Joel Peralta and infielder Omar Quintanilla, Peralta (who is now a free agent) is still being pursued for a minor-league contract while Quintanilla is on the Triple-A Colorado Springs roster.