Twins Looking To Avoid Arb With Guerrier
Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the Twins have made multi-year offers to reliever Matt Guerrier, but have made little progress.
The Twins are hoping to avoid an arbitration hearing with the 30-year-old right-hander. Guerrier and his representatives asked for $1.75MM while the Twins submitted a $1.2MM bid. He was great from 2005-2007, but struggled last season under a heavy workload once Pat Neshek hit the disabled list. Christensen writes that the Twins "appear detemined to take this all the way" to a hearing.
Twins Showing Interest In Jarrod Washburn
TUESDAY, 7:37pm: Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes that the Twins have "lost their appetite for a Jarrod Washburn trade." It probably had something to do with his $10.35MM ’09 salary.
MONDAY, 8:49pm: According to John Hickey of the Seattle Post-Intellegencer, the Twins have "some interest" in dealing for left-hander Jarrod Washburn.
Hickey writes that the Mariners and Twins discussed a deal last week that would have sent Washburn and catcher Jeff Clement to Minnesota for 23-year-old outfielder Delmon Young. It’s not known whether that particular deal fell through, but it’s likely. The pieces just don’t seem to fit. Washburn, 34, went 5-14 last season with a 4.69 ERA and the Twins already have a young, All-Star catcher.
The M’s are trying to dump some cash in order to make a play for one of the remaining free agent outfielders and would accomplish the feat if they can move Washburn, who’s set to rake in $10.35MM this year. They’ve shown interest in Bobby Abreu, Garret Anderson and Ken Griffey Jr. so far this offseason.
Nats Ink Valentin To Minor League Deal
According to Chico Harlan of the Washington Post, the Nationals have signed catcher Javier Valentin to a minor league contract.
Valentin, 33, hit .256/.326/.411 with four home runs and 18 RBI in 129 at-bats for the Reds last season. He’ll be given a shot to win the backup catching job over Wil Nieves this spring. Nieves, 31, batted .261/.309/.341 with one dinger and 20 RBI in 176 at-bats during the ’08 season.
Odds and Ends: Costas, Red Sox, Wigginton
A few little items worth checking out on a slow Tuesday night in the baseball world…
- Bob Costas is leaving HBO for the MLB Network. They really are assembling a heck of a cast over there (depending on your preference, of course).
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun interviews brand new Oriole Ty Wigginton.
- Major League Baseball suspended Marlins infielder Pascual Arias 50 games for violating terms of the league’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Arias tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.
- It looks like "Citi Field" is going to keep its name.
- The Providence Journal takes a position-by-position look at the 2009 Red Sox.
- Oh, and check out Tim’s chat transcript from earlier today.
Mariners Still Trying To Ink Josh Fields
According to John Hickey of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Mariners have reopened talks with Scott Boras, the agent for 2008 first-round draft pick Josh Fields.
Boras demanded a $2MM signing bonus last June when the M’s took the Georgia right-hander 20th overall. The organization balked at the figure and the two sides dropped communication for several months.
"We’ve had a few discussions now,” Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik said Tuesday. ”We’re keeping the status quo… I like Scott Boras. I realize he’s a professional, and my discussions with him have always been pleasant going back 15 years now.”
The Mariners are obviously hoping to sign Fields before spring training gets underway on February 13.
Moorad, Moores Reach Agreement On Padres Sale
According to the AP, Jeff Moorad’s group reached an agreement to buy the Padres from John Moores. The deal should close by Opening Day, and the article suggests Sandy Alderson could be out. The San Diego Union-Tribune has more details.
Rangers Sign Eddie Guardado
4:13pm: The Rangers’ minor league deal with Guardado is official, according to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan.
TUESDAY, 7:48am: Wilson says Guardado "has agreed to return to the Rangers on a non-roster deal." Final details remain, and the deal could be worth up to $3MM.
MONDAY, 5:21pm: Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram spoke with Rangers GM Jon Daniels, who confirmed that a deal could be finalized for Guardado "within the next few days."
2:05pm: According to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers are close to a deal to bring lefty reliever Eddie Guardado back to Texas. It may be completed in the next few days. Adding Guardado could help soften the blow of losing Joaquin Benoit to rotator cuff surgery.
Sullivan adds that the Rangers continue to look for pitching help beyond Guardado, with names like Jason Jennings, Kris Benson, and Chad Cordero in the mix.
Rockies, Atkins Avoid Arbitration
According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Rockies avoided arbitration with infielder Garrett Atkins by signing him at $7.05MM for ’09. He can earn another $125K if he makes 700 plate appearances (something he’s yet to do). Atkins had submitted $7.95MM, with the Rox countering at $6.65MM.
Atkins, 29, hit .286/.328/.452 in 664 plate appearances last year. He’ll be eligible for free agency after the 2010 season.
Mets Not In On Manny, Abreu
3:41pm: MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone has info from Omar Minaya, obtained at the Oliver Perez press conference:
Minaya told reporters there will be no big moves after this, saying all of his big priorities have been met, while noting offense was not the team’s problem last season.
TUESDAY, 10:51am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman basically agrees with Sherman:
According to one person familiar with their thinking, the Mets’ chances to acquire those two ultra-accomplished hitters are slim (Abreu) and practically none (Ramirez).
MONDAY: According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets "definitely are not in for Manny Ramirez or even Bobby Abreu despite his falling dollar requests." The Mets are only seeking cheap bench bats and maybe a lefty reliever, says Sherman.
Many readers have been pressing me to post something about these Tony Paige WFAN comments, but all signs are pointing to the Mets passing on Manny.
Dodgers Rumors: Manny, Dunn, Hudson, Wolf
3:11pm: Dylan Hernandez and Bill Shaikin asked Dodgers owner Frank McCourt about the Manny situation:
"We very much want this player back and we’re trying to hard to do that, which is why we came up with something that we thought was creative that gave him a lot of money, well-deserved money, in a very, very challenging economy, but also gave him flexibility. I don’t see the long-term contract happening in this particular baseball market that we’re in."
More McCourt quotes from MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick:
"The other thing is, the agent [Scott Boras] is challenging to work with and we’ve tried hard. We’ve made three efforts and we still have not received a specific number from the agent, and I don’t know what to tell you. At some point, you have to move on and start to get ready to win a championship."
SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Dodgers and Manny are "nowhere near a deal."
11:55am: Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says the team remains interested in Ramirez despite the newly rejected offer, according to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says "the Giants still maintain interest in Ramirez on a two-year deal max."
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has info on their progressing pursuit of Wolf:
It’s believed the Dodgers are offering a one-year deal with an option that could be similar to the contract free-agent starter Jon Garland just signed with Arizona.
11:39am: ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Dodgers are considering their Manny alternatives, including going after Hudson and Dunn.
8:38am: Manny Ramirez has rejected another offer from the Dodgers, this time for one year and $25MM. This offer seemed like something that could work for both sides – Manny gets a salary increase and a chance to re-enter the market quickly, the Dodgers minimize their risk and keep that free agency carrot in front of him. Manny and Scott Boras did not agree.
Ken Rosenthal suggests the Giants and perhaps the Nationals as Manny’s remaining suitors if the Dodgers drop out. There is no indication that those teams will top the Dodgers’ offers. What is Boras’ master plan here?
Rosenthal says the Dodgers are "intrigued by the possibility" of signing Randy Wolf, Orlando Hudson, and Adam Dunn instead of Ramirez. He says Wolf "should be theirs by the end of the week." It should be noted that the Dodgers would lose their #17 pick if they sign Hudson or Orlando Cabrera prior to the June draft.