Sean Casey Retires
Rob Bradford of WEEI.com has reported that Sean Casey has signed on with the MLB Network, making his retirement official.
Casey, 34, hit .322/.381/.392 in 218 plate appearances for the Red Sox in 2008. Casey finishes his career with a .302 lifetime batting average.
Glavine Shows Interest In Nationals
According to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, Tom Glavine would be interested in signing with the Nationals if he is unable to reach an agreement with the Braves for the 2009 season. A source close to Glavine says that the lefty is close to Washington’s team president Stan Kasten, who was with the Braves from from 1987 to 2002.
Though the Nationals would rather sign young players to long-term deals, the 42-year-old could serve as a mentor to Washington southpaws John Lannan and Scott Olsen.
In just 13 games with the Braves last season, Glavine went 2-4 with a 5.54 ERA.
Red Sox And Varitek Getting Closer?
According to Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox have made a formal proposal to Jason Varitek that could satisfy both sides.
Though the exact terms of the offer are unclear, Massarotti reports that a baseball source said that the offer could include a second year for the 36-year-old catcher. Varitek rejected the Red Sox arbitration offer in December that could have been worth $10-12MM in 2009.
With pitchers and catchers scheduled to report to spring training in less than three weeks, it would be ideal for both sides to reach an agreement sooner rather than later.
Odds And Ends: Rogers, Dodgers, Pettitte, Sheets
A few links for Saturday night…
- Kenny Rogers may be leaning toward retirement.
- Sarah D. Morris shares her thoughts on the Dodgers’ offseason thus far.
- SI.com’s Jon Heyman comments on the Yankees’ interest in Andy Pettitte and Ben Sheets.
Phillies Interested In Wigginton
According to David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News, the Phillies are interested in Ty Wigginton.
Wigginton, who hit .285/.350/.526 in 429 plate appearances with Houston last year, would be an option at third base in case Pedro Feliz’s back injury continues to be a problem.
Murphy reports that the Phillies have also looked at Rich Aurilia as an option at third base.
Madden On The Slow Free Agent Market
Bill Madden of the New York Daily News has an article up that talks about the lack of activity in the free agent market.
Madden cites an interesting prediction from an unnamed baseball executive near the end of his report. He writes:
The same executive predicted that most of the over-30 free agents left on the market will wind up having to settle for one-year deals "because, with all the uncertainty about the next couple of years, clubs just don’t want to commit risky money on older players or players with injury histories."
Griffey Jr. Market Remains Quiet
Hal McCoy at the Dayton Daily News has a story up about Ken Griffey Jr.‘s offseason thus far.
Brian Goldberg, Griffey’s agent, is quoted in the article as saying there was some mutual interest between Griffey and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays’ signing of Pat Burrell ended that interest, however.
Perhaps the most noteworthy thing to take from this article is the lack of any specific teams being mentioned going foward. The market for corner outfielders with declining defense remains quiet, as players like Griffey, Bobby Abreu, Adam Dunn, and Manny Ramirez continue to look for a contract.
Hudson On Braves’ Radar
In the comments section of his blog, David O’Brien reports that the Braves either previously had or currently have their sights on free agent Orlando Hudson.
In the same comment however, O’Brien mentions that he’s not sure the Braves would be too excited about moving Kelly Johnson out to left field. As an alternative to signing Hudson, the Braves may stick with Johnson at 2B, and test the outfield market.
Odds And Ends: Casey, Garland, McLouth
Note: The original version of this post incorrectly credited Geoff Baker with details about the Mariners’ plans for the draft. Those details were actually provided by Larry Stone, as the post now reflects.
Links for Friday night…
- John Fay passes along some thoughts from Reds CEO Bob Castellini.
- An interesting line from Reds writer Hal McCoy: "Forget Sean Casey. He is retiring."
- Jon Garland‘s agent says his client could sign by next week. Garland grew up rooting for the Dodgers and his agent says he’s a "good fit" for National League baseball.
- It didn’t happen this offseason, but Nate McLouth says he’s open to a multi-year deal.
- Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star believes the Blue Jays might have discussed trading for Jack Cust.
- ESPN The Magazine hypes up Matt Wieters as the "can’t miss kid."
- Tom Haudricourt spoke with Brewers GM Doug Melvin about the Craig Counsell signing.
- Larry Stone has details on the Mariners’ plans for the June draft.
A’s, Duchscherer Avoid Arb
The A’s have signed Justin Duchscherer to a one-year, $3.9MM contract to avoid arbitration, according to ESPN.com.
Duchscherer had asked for $4.6MM, while the team offered $3MM, so this is just about right in the middle. There’s also a $150K bonus if Duchscherer makes 32 starts.