Nationals To Sign Scott Olsen
8:13pm: William Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter) has received confirmation from the Nats.
6:53pm: One day after being non-tendered by the club, Scott Olsen has agreed to a one-year deal with the Nationals, reports Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
While the base salary is just $1MM, Crasnick says that the deal could jump to nearly $4MM if he makes 33 starts. Olsen made just 11 starts last season after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. However, the soon-to-be 26-year-old made exactly 33 starts in 2007 and 2008 and 31 starts in '06.
In the aforementioned healthy seasons he spent with Florida, Olsen recorded an ERA of 4.65 with 6.6 K/9.
Last winter, Olsen avoided arbitration with the team by inking one-year, $2.8MM deal with the Nats. The figure was closer to Washington's side as they were set to submit $2.5MM and he was seeking $3.5MM.
Yankees Yet To Make Offer To Johnny Damon
Johnny Damon told George A. King III of the New York Post that he has yet to receive a proposal from the Yankees. On top of that, Damon has yet to tell the club what he wants out of a contract.
It seems as though his agent, Scott Boras, is focused on securing a three or four-year deal for his client. Most recently, we heard that the Giants have thrown themselves in the mix for the 36-year-old slugger. In 2009, Damon delivered a slash line of .282/.365/.489 with 24 HRs.
Despite his advanced age, Damon has played in upwards of 140 games every season of his career, excluding his rookie campaign. With that in mind, would you be willing to give Damon more than two years? Does it make sense to match his $13MM salary in '09? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.
Mariners Notes: LaRoche, Gomes, Cust
Let's take a look at some Mariners tidbits courtesy of The Seattle Times' Geoff Baker…
- Recently non-tendered Ryan Langerhans indicated to Baker that his friend Adam LaRoche is being looked at by the Mariners. Yesterday, it was reported that LaRoche is seeking a three-year, $31.5MM deal. We've seen some rather surprising deals go down over the years, but does anyone see that as a realistic figure?
- The aforementioned Langerhans wouldn't rule out the possibility of returning to Seattle on a minor-league contract.
- As the M's have made it a priority to find a DH who can also play a field position, Baker doesn't anticipate Jonny Gomes, Jack Cust, or Mike Sweeney to land with the club. As one person told him, "[The Mariners] can't carry two Griffeys."
Indians Re-Sign Anthony Reyes, Adam Miller
The Indians have announced via press release that they have re-signed right-handed pitchers Anthony Reyes and Adam Miller to minor league deals after non-tendering them yesterday.
In 2009, Reyes turned in a 6.57 ERA in eight starts before his injured right elbow, which required surgery, shut him down for the year.
Miller, meanwhile, did not pitch last season as he underwent surgery on his right long finger for the third time. The 25-year-old was once one of the top prospects in the Tribe's system, having been their supplemental choice (31st overall) in the 2003 draft.
Odds & Ends: Balfour, Orioles, Chapman, Lowe
Rounding up the first batch of miscellaneous Sunday links….
- The Rays agreed to terms with reliever Grant Balfour, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Balfour signed a one-year, $2.05MM deal, avoiding arbitration.
- The Baltimore Orioles are still searching for a closer, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Zrebiec suggests that Fernando Rodney and Kevin Gregg could be atop the O's list of targets.
- MASN's Roch Kubatko runs down the Orioles' closing options too, adding new free agent Matt Capps to the mix.
- Meanwhile, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has reaction from GM Neal Huntington, who says that media reports of the 26-year-old being non-tendered hurt his trade value. Huntington also said that the Bucs would "love" to have him back in the bullpen – at the right price. Capps isn't on the Yankees radar, says Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger (via Twitter).
- John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Tigers' closer search also continues. The team was looking at J.J. Putz, but backed off because of health questions, not money concerns.
- Tuesday could be "Judgment Day" for Aroldis Chapman, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. Chapman will throw a session with a slew of teams expected to be in attendance.
- Within a piece which focuses on yesterday's non-tender decisions, ESPN.com's Buster Olney mentions that a handful of clubs are interested in Brian Giles, including the Yankees and Reds. It's still up in the air whether teams will be willing to offer Giles more than a minor league contract.
- One interesting tidbit from the latest article by Newsday's Ken Davidoff: An AL West official tells Davidoff that he'd like to see Jered Weaver, rather than Joe Saunders, leaving the division in a potential Roy Halladay trade offer. I have to think Jays fans would agree. Both pitchers were selected 12th overall in their respective drafts: Saunders in 2002 and Weaver in 2004.
- Speaking of the AL West, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports thinks it's the most intriguing division for hot stove news this winter.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter) says that the Angels are a possible destination for Derek Lowe if they cannot re-sign John Lackey. Other possibilities include the Mariners, Red Sox and Yanks. O'Brien also suggests the Mets, provided that the Braves are willing to trade within their division.
Blue Jays Sign John Buck
The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a one-year, $2MM deal with John Buck, pending a physical, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
Buck was non-tendered yesterday by the Kansas City Royals. As Tim pointed out in our summary of the most interesting new free agents, Buck is still just 29 years old and has exhibited some power in the past. His career numbers are .235/.298/.407 with 70 homers in 584 games.
With Toronto's signings of Buck and Raul Chavez earlier today, the Jays' backstop situation for 2010 is starting to take shape.
Non-Tender Reactions: Buck, Wang, Capps, Cust
Yesterday, MLBTR recapped some of the more interesting names not to receive contracts at baseball's non-tender deadline. Those players, along with the rest of the non-tender list, have inspired plenty of discussion and speculation. Let's check out some links….
- ESPNDallas's Richard Durrett and MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan are in agreement: John Buck should be of interest to the Rangers.
- MLB.com's Bryan Hoch wonders if the Dodgers have some interest in Chien-Ming Wang. The Cardinals could also be interested, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- The Pirates' decision to non-tender Matt Capps shocked Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who has some reaction quotes from the right-hander. Capps makes sense for the Rays, writes Tommy Rancel at DRays Bay. Meanwhile, the Cubs are interested, says Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney was less surprised about the Capps decision, and gives his opinion on a few of the other big moves.
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle says that, despite not tendering him a contract, the Athletics could still potentially retain Jack Cust. ESPN.com's Rob Neyer, however, says that the A's handled Cust well, avoiding paying a higher price for declining numbers.
- Chad Jennings of LoHud.com lists some new free agents that might intrigue the Yankees, while Scott Lauber of the News Journal mentions some possible options for the Phillies.
Blue Jays Sign Joey Gathright, Raul Chavez
The Toronto Blue Jays have signed Joey Gathright and Raul Chavez to minor league deals, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
The Blue Jays just non-tendered Chavez yesterday, so it didn't take long for them to get him back off the market. As for Gathright, his agent denied earlier in the week that the speedy outfielder had signed with the Jays. According to Bastian though, the deal is now in place. Both players will receive spring training invites.
Bastian also tweets that the Jays agreed to terms with arbitration-eligible players Jose Bautista ($2.4MM) and Dustin McGowan ($500K).
Cafardo On Gonzalez, Rodney, Valverde
In his latest column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo applauds the Yankees' offseason moves so far, but writes that they still have some major decisions ahead of them. Here are some other highlights from Cafardo:
- According to a source, talks between the Red Sox and Padres about Adrian Gonzalez aren't progressing. Padres GM Jed Hoyer is asking for at least Clay Buchholz and either Casey Kelly or Ryan Westmoreland, and the Sox would prefer not to give up that much.
- Cafardo likes Mike Cameron, but not Milton Bradley, as a fit in Boston.
- An NL scout views Boof Bonser as a reliever with closing potential, rather than as a starter.
- Before signing Brandon Lyon, the Astros were talking to Fernando Rodney as well. Apparently his asking price was near $30MM over three years. If that's true, he'll probably end up disappointed this winter.
- Jose Valverde may be "pricing himself out of the market" as well. Teams like the Tigers and Orioles seem unwilling to commit $10MM+ annually to Valverde in a long-term deal.
Jason Bay Rumors: Sunday
In yesterday's round of Jason Bay rumors, we heard that Bay had rejected the Red Sox' offer and was exploring other options. Bay's agent, Joe Urbon, took this news one step further, saying that his client is prepared to "move on," according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Regarding negotiations with the Sox, Urbon added:
"We’ve got to a point where, based on the offers we’ve received from other clubs, we needed to make it clear where we stand, and they’ve made it clear where they stand. If they want, they can reengage at some point in this process, but we’re not going to wait. We can’t wait. We have to go at the pace of the other clubs."
Articles by John Tomase and Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald and Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post both point out that this stance could just be a negotiating tactic by Urbon. Even so, Hubbuch notes that it should only improve the Mets' chances of landing Bay, though Bill Madden of the New York Daily News is skeptical about Bay coming to New York. SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that the Mets seem more concerned about Seattle's involvement than Boston's.