Manny Ramirez Rumors: Thursday
9:26pm: MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick suggests that the "signings this week of Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn will be the trigger to bring the Dodgers and Ramirez toward a middle ground."
Gurnick also shares this quote from Giants president Larry Baer, implying that his club is sitting idle on the Manny front: "Nothing’s really changed from our perspective."
4:40pm: Ken Rosenthal offers thoughts on the Dodgers and Manny, as well as Hudson.
3:50pm: Not sure if this qualifies as news, but Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times learned that Ramirez cancelled a promotional appearance because he could sign a contract at any time.
8:48am: Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has the latest on Manny Ramirez today. Talks continue with the Dodgers, but there’s nothing new to report.
Some had speculated that Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn were the Dodgers’ backup plan, but Ned Colletti and Scott Boras are both claiming the signings don’t affect the Manny negotiations.
How many teams are in on Ramirez? From Shaikin’s article:
Boras said the other day that he was negotiating with "several" teams for Ramirez. We asked him whether "several" could be defined as "more than two." He chuckled. "Two or more," he said.
Shaikin adds that Orlando Hudson "called the Dodgers, not the other way around." Signing Hudson would mean shuffling around Blake DeWitt and/or Casey Blake. Ken Davidoff of Newsday notes that the Dodgers have pretty much run out of ways to "reallocate their Manny resources."
Mariners Make Progress In Griffey Talks?
9:03pm: As reported by The Sporting News, Junior is playing down talk of him heading to the Mariners:
"We don’t know what we’re doing next year with respect to Seattle. It’s all rumors," Griffey said Thursday after finishing a round at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in California.
5:25pm: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times believes the Mariners will sign Griffey early next week:
My guess is, he shows up here on Monday, passes his physical, then hits the field on Tuesday. But he is coming. Make no mistake about that.
3:10pm: From SI.com’s Jon Heyman:
Griffey’s agent, Brian Goldberg, agreed that discussions were becoming "more specific” in recent days but suggested nothing’s close to being set yet.
1:27pm: Larry Stone of the Seattle Times weighs in:
The return of Griffey appears to be imminent. Baseball sources confirmed that talks between the club and Griffey have heated up in recent days. The parties appear to be on course for a one-year contract that could be announced next week, provided Griffey passes a physical examination.
10:05am: MLB.com’s Jim Street says the Mariners and Griffey are "nearing agreement on a one-year contract."
9:08am: According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Mariners have "stepped up the pace in negotiations" for Ken Griffey Jr. Crasnick says it’s unclear whether the progress led to a formal offer.
Bobby Abreu received a base salary in the $5MM range yesterday; what would be appropriate for Junior?
Pirates Invite 17 To Camp
MLB.com’s Jen Langosch has pieced together a list of the Pirates’ non-roster spring training invitees. Check ’em out:
RHP Denny Bautista, RHP Chris Bootcheck, RHP Jason Davis, LHP Daniel Haigwood, RHP Juan Mateo, RHP Daniel McCutchen and RHP Brian Slocum; catchers Eric Kratz and Miguel Perez; infielders Shelby Ford, Garrett Jones, Pedro Lopez, Anderson Machado and Andy Phillips; outfielders Andrew McCutchen, Craig Monroe and Jeff Salazar.
Friday is the official report date for pitchers and catchers.
Francoeur Not Budging In Arb Case
According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, "there is a growing belief" that the Braves will not be able to avoid arbitration with Jeff Francoeur.
Francoeur’s hearing is currently scheduled for Friday, February 20. He requested a salary of $3.95MM and the Braves countered with $2.8MM. Bowman does a fine job explaining the Braves’ thinking:
Simply making an uncomfortable salary concession to avoid having to air dirty laundry in front of an arbitrator would further diminish the available funds Braves general manager Frank Wren is attempting to utilize while satisfying his roster needs.
Francoeur, 25, hit just .239/.294/.359 with 11 home runs and 71 RBI in 599 at-bats last season.
Nats Will Not Pursue Orlando Hudson
According to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, the Nationals have dropped out of the running for free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson.
General manager Jim Bowden declined to give a reason why Hudson will not be a member of the team, writes Ladson.
The Nationals must feel comfortable with what they have in Ronnie Belliard, Anderson Hernandez, Alberto Gonzalez and Willie Harris. Belliard and Hernandez would seem to be the front-runners for the starting second base job. Belli hit .287/.372/.473 with 11 homers and 46 RBI in 96 games last season, and Hernandez batted .333 with 17 RBI in 28 games after coming over from the Mets in late August.
Rockies Sign Randy Flores
Troy Renck reported it on Tuesday, but now it’s official. The Rockies have signed left-handed reliever Randy Flores to a minor league contract.
Flores will earn $600K this season if he makes the team. He appeared in 43 games for the Cardinals in ’08, posting a 5.26 ERA before undergoing shoulder surgery near the end of the season. He probably won’t be ready for Opening Day.
Twins, Young Agree To ‘Split’ Contract
According to the Associated Press, via Yahoo! Sports, the Twins have agreed to terms on a one-year, $1.152MM split contract with outfielder Delmon Young. I’ll let the AP explain this one:
Young gets a raise from the $700,000 he made last season, but his salary is technically being cut the maximum allowable 20 percent when the final prorated share of his initial $3.7 million signing bonus ($770,000) is factored in.
Since Tampa Bay gave him a $5.8 million, five-year deal after selecting him with the first overall pick in the 2003 amateur draft, the $1,152,000 figure was the least Young could have made in 2009 despite not being eligible for arbitration.
Young hit .290/.336/.405 with 10 dingers and 69 RBI last season, but might struggle to find playing time in a crowded outfield this year. If he’s unable to stay in the majors, his salary gets bumped down to $864K. Young, as most readers will recall, has been at the center of various trade rumors this offseason.
Brewers Sign Braden Looper, DFA Rottino
THURSDAY, 6:18pm: Tom Haudricourt writes that the Brewers have designated Vinny Rottino for assignment to make room for Looper on the 40-man roster. Rottino, a 28-year-old catcher, was stuck behind Jason Kendall, Mike Rivera and Angel Salome on the organizational depth chart.
5:16pm: Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that the deal is now official.
Looper’s 2010 option is worth $6MM and comes with a $750K buyout. That buyout increases to $1MM if he starts 30 games or 180 innings this season.
WEDNESDAY, 2:53pm: According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Brewers’ signing of Braden Looper will be announced tomorrow (assuming he passes his physical). Looper will earn $4.75MM in ’09 and has a mutual option for ’10.
Looper fills a need for the Brewers: someone who can eat innings following the departues of C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets. The Brewers’ rotation will include Yovani Gallardo, Jeff Suppan, Dave Bush, Looper, and Manny Parra. Seth McClung, Chase Wright, and Chris Capuano add additional depth.
Ethier Likely Headed To Arbitration
According to Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News, "it now appears that an arbitration hearing is all but inevitable for Andre Ethier."
Ethier’s hearing is currently scheduled for Tuesday, February 17. He requested $3.75MM and the Dodgers countered with a $2.65MM bid back when figures were due. Jackson notes that the Dodgers have won their last two arbitration cases, with Eric Gagne in 2004 and Joe Beimel in 2007.
Rays Sign Brian Shouse, DFA Juan Salas
According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays’ one-year deal with left-handed reliever Brian Shouse is official.
Shouse will make $1.35MM in ’09 and has a team option for 2010 worth $1.9MM. The club designated reliever Juan Salas for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.