Mariners Interested In Johnny Damon
The Yankees prefer Johnny Damon to Nick Johnson, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post, but Damon's current asking price of three years at perhaps $11MM per does not work for them. We've also seen Damon mostly dismissed as an option for the Giants. If he doesn't re-sign with the Yankees, where might Damon land?
Earlier today Sherman tweeted that the Mariners have interest in Damon. Larry Stone of the Seattle Times looks more deeply at the Mariners-Damon connections over the years. He also provides this nugget, which he has never confirmed with Damon:
I heard from someone who works around the Mariners that after Bill Bavasi was fired in 2008, and the Mariners were searching for a new general manager, Damon actually was telling people he would be interested in the job. This person insisted that Damon seemed dead serious, even though he was still an active player.
We haven't heard much else about possible destinations for Damon. Perhaps the Mets or Cardinals would consider him, but I'm just speculating.
Orioles Join Holliday Bidding?
3:11pm: We have a pair of Holliday tweets from earlier this afternoon. ESPN's Buster Olney says the Orioles had brief talks for Holliday ten days ago, talks that are now dormant. Meanwhile Yahoo's Tim Brown believes Holliday has a legitimate offer from an East Coast team, not the Orioles.
12:20pm: Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun says that privately, the Orioles "have no expectations whatsoever that Holliday will be with the team next year."
12:05am: The Orioles have "jumped into" the bidding for outfielder Matt Holliday, write Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Despite the leap, the writers question the team's seriousness and Holliday's inclination to play in Baltimore, labeling the O's a longshot.
The majority of the article explains why signing Holliday could make sense for the Orioles, in the vein that signing Mark Teixeira a year ago made sense for them in some people's minds. You tell us, Orioles fans – would signing Holliday energize you? Would you want the O's to subsequently deal from their outfield depth to add pitching?
Josh Johnson Recap
Back in November, speaking to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, Josh Johnson's agent Matt Sosnick ruled out the chance of the Marlins signing his client long-term this winter:
"Based on our conversations, there's no chance of doing a long-term deal with the Marlins. We made it clear that it was going to be this year or it wasn't going to happen. It was now or never. And the Marlins agreed."
One issue at the time was the Marlins' unwillingness to add a fourth year, according to Sosnick. About a week later Marlins GM Michael Hill said publicly that Johnson would still open the 2010 season with his team.
A ray of hope surfaced on December 1st, when ESPN's Jayson Stark learned that the Marlins were still optimistic about signing Johnson (but they still didn't guarantee that fourth year). Later that day Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports suggested Johnson would accept a four-year, $42MM deal ($4MM more than Zack Greinke's deal). However, Sosnick said a few weeks later that Johnson would not sign a deal that did not "far exceed" Greinke's.
MLB.com's Joe Frisaro talked to Sosnick today. The agent sounded a bit more optimistic:
"We're doing everything we can to try to bridge the gap, and get a deal done. And we're wanting to do something that will keep J.J. in Florida for the long term."
Failing a long-term deal, the Marlins still need to hammer out a 2010 salary for Johnson as he enters his second arbitration year. Sticking with Greinke, he earned only $3.75MM in what would've been his second arb year. Cole Hamels will get $6.65MM. Scott Kazmir earned $6MM. Joe Blanton, who's been going year-to-year, earned $5.475MM. It will be interesting to see where Johnson lands; as a young ace in his second arb year he's in the same boat as Justin Verlander and Felix Hernandez.
Market For Mike MacDougal
ESPN's Jayson Stark looks at the market for recently non-tendered reliever Mike MacDougal in a Rumor Central post today. Stark says eight to ten teams are "actively pursuing" MacDougal, with the Phillies most interested. Stark names the Orioles, Pirates, Cardinals, Mets, and A's as other suitors.
The Nationals had the worst bullpen ERA in baseball in 2009 (5.09), so their decision to non-tender MacDougal isn't a good sign. The righty, 33 in March, struck out only 34 while walking 38 in 54.3 innings this year. Despite a 96 mph fastball and a strong groundball rate, MacDougal would be a risky late-inning bullpen addition if he costs several million.
Ricky Nolasco Agrees To Deal
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that arbitration-eligible starter Ricky Nolasco agreed to a one-year, $3.8MM deal with the Marlins for 2010. That means Nolasco gets a $1.4MM raise (58%) for his second arbitration year. By comparison, Joe Blanton received a 48% raise in his second arb year (going from $3.7MM to $5.475MM). Nolasco's deal could be a comparable used by Zach Duke's agent Mark Pieper, as Duke is also entering his second arb year.
Scott Baker is named as Nolasco's top comparable on Baseball-Reference. Baker signed a long-term deal, but he'll get $5MM in what would've been his second arb year. Same for Gavin Floyd. So in Nolasco's case he had a down year (at least in terms of a basic stat like ERA) and it cost him a million or so.
Dodgers Sign Doug Mientkiewicz, Angel Berroa
The Dodgers signed first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz and shortstop Angel Berroa to minor league deals, writes Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.
Mientkiewicz, 35, had only 20 plate appearances with the Dodgers this year and another 64 in the minors. He had shoulder surgery in April, missing the bulk of the season. Aside from his defense, Mientkiewicz may be best known for catching and retaining (for a while) the ball that marked Boston's 2004 championship.
Berroa, 32 in January, totaled 55 plate appearances with the New York teams this year and 80 more in the minors. He received significant playing time for the '08 Dodgers after coming over in a trade with the Royals. Berroa's claim to fame is his 2003 Rookie of the Year award and subsequent four-year, $11MM contract with Kansas City. The contract serves as a reminder that it doesn't always pay to lock up a young player through his arbitration years.
Odds & Ends: Mike Gonzalez, Second Base, Penny
Links for Thursday…
- One official who spoke to MASN's Roch Kubatko called yesterday's Gordon Edes tweet about the Orioles making a run at Adrian Gonzalez "complete fiction."
- ESPN's Keith Law doesn't mind the Orioles' Mike Gonzalez signing, but finds the loss of a decent draft pick to be the "real negative." Law does not expect much from Garrett Atkins.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says there's a surplus of available second basemen this year. He suggests some free agents will have to switch positions to find jobs.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes about the "longstanding mutual interest" between the Cardinals and Brad Penny.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe does not think the Red Sox should include Jacoby Ellsbury in a trade for Gonzalez.
- Talking to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said he'd like the team to acquire one more starter to allow Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain to work in relief. Also, Posada expects Johnny Damon to return.
Braves Sign Mitch Jones
The Braves signed outfielder/first baseman Mitch Jones, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 32-year-old is a minor league lifer with five Triple A seasons under his belt. He has big-time power, with 35 home runs and a .651 SLG this year for the Albuquerque Isotopes. Sometimes all these so-called Quad-A guys need is an opportunity; Jack Cust provided good value for the A's over the last three seasons.
Olney On Holliday, Bay, DeRosa
Hot stove nuggets from ESPN's Buster Olney…
- Olney doesn't see Jacoby Ellsbury as a great fit for the Padres in a potential Adrian Gonzalez deal, in that Ellsbury will be arbitration-eligible a year from now and is represented by Scott Boras.
- Olney heard the Red Sox would be interested in signing Matt Holliday at less than the current Cardinals offer. Here's the question: what exactly did the Cardinals offer to Holliday in guaranteed money and years? $15-16MM a year for up to eight years is pretty vague. Is it just a five-year offer, as Olney suggested a few days ago?
- Jose Valverde is in a bad place, writes Olney, as there's no clear suitor looking to spend $8-10MM for a closer and give up a draft pick. If Valverde lingers on the market into February he could be a bargain.
- Olney heard that the Mets' "five-year concept" for Jason Bay is heavily backloaded, so much that the true value is similar to Boston's rejected four-year, $60MM offer.
- Righty Edgar Gonzalez might be Japan-bound. He spent this year in the Oakland organization.
- Mark DeRosa's asking price appears to have come down – Olney says it's in the three-year, $18MM range. Still seems too pricey, but it's a step in the right direction.
Multiple Teams Watching Kelvim Escobar
WEDNESDAY, 10:52pm: Peter Greenberg, Escobar's agent, informed FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi that representatives from the Yankees and Twins were also at the throwing session (via Twitter).
WEDNESDAY, 2:54pm: Zavarce tweets that the Rays, Cubs, Brewers, Giants, Pirates, Tigers, Mariners, and A's are on hand to watch Escobar throw. Several of those clubs are new additions to the list of suitors.
TUESDAY, 10:17am: If you speak Spanish and would like to read Zavarce's full article about Escobar, click here to download a PDF.
MONDAY, 1:08pm: The Mets offered a minor league deal to pitcher Kelvim Escobar, reports Efrain Zavarce for Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional. According to Zavarce, the Rays are also interested. We cannot find Zavarce's article online, but follow him on Twitter if you speak Spanish. Hat tip to ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr., who pointed followers to Zavarce's article and provided translation.
We learned during the Winter Meetings last week that the Mariners, Brewers, Orioles, Mets, and Yankees are other suitors for Escobar, who will pitch as a reliever in 2010 in hopes of preserving his shoulder.