Archives for January 2009

Glavine Shows Interest In Nationals

By DJ Blatter | January 24, 2009 at 8:57pm CDT

According to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, Tom Glavine would be interested in signing with the Nationals if he is unable to reach an agreement with the Braves for the 2009 season. A source close to Glavine says that the lefty is close to Washington’s team president Stan Kasten, who was with the Braves from from 1987 to 2002.

Though the Nationals would rather sign young players to long-term deals, the 42-year-old could serve as a mentor to Washington southpaws John Lannan and Scott Olsen.

In just 13 games with the Braves last season, Glavine went 2-4 with a 5.54 ERA.

Red Sox And Varitek Getting Closer?

By DJ Blatter | January 24, 2009 at 8:15pm CDT

According to Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox have made a formal proposal to Jason Varitek that could satisfy both sides.

Though the exact terms of the offer are unclear, Massarotti reports that a baseball source said that the offer could include a second year for the 36-year-old catcher. Varitek rejected the Red Sox arbitration offer in December that could have been worth $10-12MM in 2009.

With pitchers and catchers scheduled to report to spring training in less than three weeks, it would be ideal for both sides to reach an agreement sooner rather than later.

Odds And Ends: Rogers, Dodgers, Pettitte, Sheets

By DJ Blatter | January 24, 2009 at 7:39pm CDT

A few links for Saturday night…

Kenny Rogers may be leaning toward retirement.
Sarah D. Morris shares her thoughts on the Dodgers’ offseason thus far.
SI.com’s Jon Heyman comments on the Yankees’ interest in Andy Pettitte and Ben Sheets.

Phillies Interested In Wigginton

By DJ Blatter | January 24, 2009 at 6:16pm CDT

According to David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News, the Phillies are interested in Ty Wigginton.

Wigginton, who hit .285/.350/.526 in 429 plate appearances with Houston last year, would be an option at third base in case Pedro Feliz’s back injury continues to be a problem.

Murphy reports that the Phillies have also looked at Rich Aurilia as an option at third base.

Madden On The Slow Free Agent Market

By Alex Walsh | January 24, 2009 at 4:47pm CDT

Bill Madden of the New York Daily News has an article up that talks about the lack of activity in the free agent market.

Madden cites an interesting prediction from an unnamed baseball executive near the end of his report. He writes:

The same executive predicted that most of the over-30 free agents left on the market will wind up having to settle for one-year deals "because, with all the uncertainty about the next couple of years, clubs just don’t want to commit risky money on older players or players with injury histories."

Griffey Jr. Market Remains Quiet

By Alex Walsh | January 24, 2009 at 3:55pm CDT

Hal McCoy at the Dayton Daily News has a story up about Ken Griffey Jr.’s offseason thus far.

Brian Goldberg, Griffey’s agent, is quoted in the article as saying there was some mutual interest between Griffey and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays’ signing of Pat Burrell ended that interest, however.

Perhaps the most noteworthy thing to take from this article is the lack of any specific teams being mentioned going foward. The market for corner outfielders with declining defense remains quiet, as players like Griffey, Bobby Abreu, Adam Dunn, and Manny Ramirez continue to look for a contract.

Hudson On Braves’ Radar

By Alex Walsh | January 24, 2009 at 3:39pm CDT

In the comments section of his blog, David O’Brien reports that the Braves either previously had or currently have their sights on free agent Orlando Hudson.

In the same comment however, O’Brien mentions that he’s not sure the Braves would be too excited about moving Kelly Johnson out to left field. As an alternative to signing Hudson, the Braves may stick with Johnson at 2B, and test the outfield market.

Odds And Ends: Casey, Garland, McLouth

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 24, 2009 at 3:25pm CDT

Note: The original version of this post incorrectly credited Geoff Baker with details about the Mariners’ plans for the draft. Those details were actually provided by Larry Stone, as the post now reflects.

Links for Friday night…

John Fay passes along some thoughts from Reds CEO Bob Castellini.
An interesting line from Reds writer Hal McCoy: "Forget Sean Casey. He is retiring."
Jon Garland’s agent says his client could sign by next week. Garland grew up rooting for the Dodgers and his agent says he’s a "good fit" for National League baseball.
It didn’t happen this offseason, but Nate McLouth says he’s open to a multi-year deal.
Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star believes the Blue Jays might have discussed trading for Jack Cust.
ESPN The Magazine hypes up Matt Wieters as the "can’t miss kid."
Tom Haudricourt spoke with Brewers GM Doug Melvin about the Craig Counsell signing.
Larry Stone has details on the Mariners’ plans for the June draft.

A’s, Duchscherer Avoid Arb

By Alex Walsh | January 24, 2009 at 3:03pm CDT

The A’s have signed Justin Duchscherer to a one-year, $3.9MM contract to avoid arbitration, according to ESPN.com.

Duchscherer had asked for $4.6MM, while the team offered $3MM, so this is just about right in the middle. There’s also a $150K bonus if Duchscherer makes 32 starts.

Brewers Agree To Two-Year Deal With Fielder

By | January 24, 2009 at 2:09pm CDT

2:06pm: The official report came out last night, but for the sake of being thorough, we’ll post it now: the Brewers’ announcement of the deal is official. Haudricourt was close; it’ll be $6.5MM in 2009, and $11.5MM in 2010 for Fielder. There’s also a $1MM signing bonus included.

FRIDAY, 8:47am: Jon Heyman has the Fielder contract details. Look for an announcement later today.

THURSDAY, 8:51pm: According to Haudricourt Fielder passed his physical so the deal is now official. Exact figures are expected tomorrow, but Haudricourt guesses Fielder will earn $7MM this year and $11MM in 2010.

2:50pm: Tom Haudricourt says the Brewers have a deal in place with Fielder for two years and $18MM, pending a physical. Fielder will have his last arbitration year in 2011, after which he’ll be eligible for free agency. It looks like the deal may be announced tomorrow.

THURSDAY, 9:20am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says Fielder and the Brewers are closing in on a two-year contract. Tom Haudricourt expects an announcement today or tomorrow on a deal for at least $18MM.

WEDNESDAY, 9:44pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin has confirmed Verducci’s report. "We’ve got some positive things going on," said Melvin. "There’s a possibility of doing it."

6:52pm: As reported by Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, SI.com’s Tom Verducci said Wednesday on the MLB Network that the Brewers are working on a two-year deal with Prince Fielder.

Fielder asked for a very affordable $8MM in arbitration on Tuesday. That low bid may have spurred the extensions talks. Haudricourt has an idea of what the numbers might look like if a two-year deal is hammered out:

"If the sides do agree on a two-year deal, it would probably be for $18 million to $20 million. When you figure that Fielder filed for $8 million this year and would be expecting a raise next year with another big season, those numbers make sense."

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