Rays Avoid Arb With Jason Bartlett
12:11pm: The noon filing deadline passed without an agreement for Navarro or Aybar, so Marc Topkin anticipates hearings for both.
10:50am: According to Marc Topkin, the Rays avoided arbitration with shortstop Jason Bartlett by signing him at $1.98125MM for ’09. Bartlett is under team control through 2011. The Rays’ other two arb-eligibles are Dioner Navarro and Willy Aybar; they’re making progress with Navarro. The Rays have a policy of not negotiating once figures are exchanged.
D’Backs Avoid Arb With Chad Qualls
According to Nick Piecoro, the D’Backs avoided arbitration with reliever Chad Qualls by signing him at $2.535MM for ’09. The Conor Jackson case remains unresolved.
Mets Sign Cory Sullivan
According to Troy Renck, the Mets signed outfielder Cory Sullivan to a Major League deal worth $600K with $300K in incentives. Sullivan is known as a strong defender, but his plus/minus numbers in 1123 center field innings don’t support it.
Orioles Avoid Arb With Luke Scott
According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles avoided arbitration with Luke Scott by signing him at $2.4MM for ’09. George Sherrill‘s case remains unresolved.
Prince Fielder Staying Put
Adam Mertz of The Capital Times talked with Brewers GM Doug Melvin yesterday. Melvin was asked whether he would commit to Prince Fielder for the entire year, and the GM replied, "Yeah." Melvin said he never discussed a Fielder trade and hasn’t received inquiries on his first baseman. Melvin doesn’t seem too worried about settling Fielder’s ’09 salary with Scott Boras.
Mertz also learned that Melvin expects Ben Sheets to sign elsewhere, though the door remains open.
Quinlan, Taschner, Thompson Avoid Arb
Three more players avoided arbitration, according to the AP’s Ronald Blum: Robb Quinlan ($1.1MM), Jack Taschner ($835K), and Brad Thompson ($650K). We should have a full list of those who exchanged figures at some point this afternoon.
Tigers Sign Juan Rincon
According to the AP, the Tigers signed reliever Juan Rincon to a minor league deal. Rincon, 30 in a few days, posted a 5.86 ERA in 55.3 innings with the Twins and Indians last year. Rincon’s control and ability to get groundballs has slipped in recent times.
Brewers Avoid Arb With Seth McClung
According to Tom Haudricourt, the Brewers avoided arbitration with pitcher Seth McClung by agreeing to a deal for ’09. Ronald Blum says it’s for $1.6625MM. McClung, 28 next month, continued to struggle with his control but had his best season in 2008. The Brewers still have three big ones left in Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, and Rickie Weeks.
Jason Repko Wants A Trade
TUESDAY: Repko’s agent says he’s been asking for a trade for the past two years. They don’t see much opportunity for Repko in the Dodgers’ outfield. Ned Colletti’s response: "It’s all about production. That is all I’m going to say."
MONDAY: According to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times, the Dodgers avoided arbitration with outfielder Jason Repko by signing him for $500K plus incentives for ’09. Ken Gurnick says he can earn an additional $90K.
Repko, 28, hasn’t done much at the Major League level. In his second extended stint at Triple A, he hit .283/.373/.449.
Athletics Interested In Russ Springer
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney:
Heard this: Oakland is among the teams talking with free agent pitcher Russ Springer.
Springer, 40, had another fine year out of the Cardinals’ pen in ’08 (2.32 ERA). He seems worthy of a one-year deal in the $2-3MM range.