Week in Review: 1/4 – 1/10
Lots of signings this past week, as predicted by Doug Melvin… let’s recap all the action:
- I’ll start off by offering condolences to the family of Carl Pohlad, owner of the Minnesota Twins. He passed away this week at 93 years old. R.I.P. Mr. Pohlad.
- Perhaps the best signing of the week, the Rays inked Pat Burrell to a two-year, $16MM contract. For a guy coming off four straight .875 or higher OPS seasons, that’s a great deal, especially when you factor in that he won’t have to play in the field. The Rays biggest problem in 2008 came against LHP, which Burrell absolutely crushes. Great signing for Tampa.
- From the best signing to the longest: The Angels signed manager Mike Scioscia to an extension through the 2018 season! Talk about the organization putting faith in you…
- More bargains this week, as the A’s signed Jason Giambi to a one-year deal worth $4.5MM, with an option for 2010 at $5MM. Very affordable signing by Oakland; nice move.
- The Cubs signed Milton Bradley to a three-year, $30MM contract this week. If Bradley can stay healthy, this move will likely work out just fine. However, given his injury history, it’s a bit uncertain how he’ll be able to handle playing in the outfield every day for the Cubs. Still, if he can come close to matching his ridiculous 2008 production (.999 OPS), he’ll be a very welcome addition to the middle of the Cubs’ order. The Cubs also completed their swap of Jason Marquis for Luis Vizcaino.
- The Braves continued to improve their starting pitching when they signed Kenshin Kawakami to a three-year deal this week. The terms of the contract are still unknown, but given Kawakami’s success in Japan, he’ll be another big step up for the Braves’ pitching staff.
- Kawakami wasn’t the only Japanese player to sign this week; the Orioles reached an agreement with Koji Uehara on a two-year, $10MM deal that could reach $16MM total with incentives. The Orioles are also on the verge of signing Gregg Zaun to a one-year contract.
- Boston may have had the busiest week of all. They signed Rocco Baldelli and John Smoltz (yes, John Smoltz) to one-year deals, and did the same with Takashi Saito. It’s tough to imagine Smoltz outside of Atlanta, but he’ll be calling a different city his home for the first time in 2009. Baldelli will receive a base salary of $500K, while Smoltz’s base is $5MM and Saito’s is believed to be $1.5-$2.5MM. I like all of these signings by Boston.
- Another icon finding a new home will be Trevor Hoffman; he signed a one-year deal worth $6MM with the Brewers this week.
- The Mets added to the back-end of their rotation, agreeing to terms with Tim Redding on a one-year, $2.25MM deal for the 2009 season. Nice, affordable signing for the Mets.
- The Indians also made an inexpensive signing, when they inked Carl Pavano to a one-year, $1.5MM contract. If Pavano can remain healthy and have any sort of rebound, the Indians have a bargain on their hands. Nice low-risk, high-reward type signing.
- One pitcher not attempting to make a comeback will be John Patterson; he retired this week after struggling with health issues ever since his strong 2005 campaign.
- The Reds signed Jerry Hairston Jr. to a one-year, $2MM contract with another $2MM in incentives.
- A couple of Yankees notes: They would like to move one of their corner players, but prefer to keep Nick Swisher over Xavier Nady. Also, Andy Pettitte rejected their offer of one year at $10MM. I’m surprised, because at this point I can’t imagine him finding a better deal than that.
- The Phillies found themselves with a sudden hole in the bullpen when J.C. Romero was suspended 50 games for testing positive for a banned substance. Romero claims he did nothing wrong. Sergio Mitre joined him the next day.
Pedro Not A Fit For Marlins
2:35pm: Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel also shoots down the rumor, stating that it looks like given their lack of interest in Carl Pavano, the Marlins don’t want to give a rotation spot to a pitcher attempting to rebound.
Rodriguez says that Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, and Chris Volstad are locks for the rotation, with Andrew Miller and Anibal Sanchez as the favorites for the other two spots. Ryan Tucker, Sean West, Frankie De La Cruz and Aaron Thompson are in the mix as well.
11:21am: Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald shoots down the rumor that Pedro Martinez is a possible fit for the Marlins. Spencer heard from multiple sources that "nothing is afoot on that front." The Marlins either have a lack of interest or a lack of money.
Spencer did hear that Pedro’s interested in playing for the Marlins. One source even said they were his "first choice." However, no discussions have taken place between the Marlins and Martinez recently and none are planned.
Perrotto’s Latest: Top 20 Remaining Free Agents
John Perrotto’s latest Every Given Sunday column at Baseball Prospectus takes a look at the top 20 remaining free agents (sorted by WARP3 – Wins Above Replacement Player) and offers destination predictions and top suitors (or lack thereof in some cases) for each one. For those without a BP subscription, here’s a quick summary:
- Manny Ramirez – Dodgers
- Orlando Cabrera – Athletics
- Derek Lowe – Braves/Mets/Cubs
- Adam Dunn – Nationals
- Bobby Abreu – Reds
- Ben Sheets – Rangers
- Orlando Hudson – Nationals
- Andy Pettitte – Astros (at less than $10MM)
- Jason Varitek – Red Sox (at less than $10MM)
- Ty Wigginton – Astros
- Ivan Rodriguez – Not much of a market, may have to take a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training if he’s not signed soon. Could he end up involuntarily retired, a la Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mike Piazza?
- Kevin Millar – Orioles
- Mark Grudzielanek – Padres
- Braden Looper – Brewers
- Garret Anderson, Eric Hinske, Ray Durham, Jim Edmonds, Paul Byrd, Odalis Perez – All of them (with the exception of Byrd, who may retire) are drawing little to no interest and may be without a club on Opening Day.
Cafardo’s Latest: Manny, Dunn, Fielder
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has lots of rumors in his latest article:
- Apparently the Giants were willing to offer Manny Ramirez a four year deal in the form of a one year deal with three option years. No more details are known, except that the Giants remain interested in Manny.
- Brad Ausmus has had ongoing talks with the Padres and Dodgers, according to Cafardo’s sources. The Red Sox aren’t interested.
- The Angels, Giants and Mets are possible suitors for Xavier Nady.
- Cafardo’s heard other clubs talking about the Red Sox and Rockies restarting the Todd Helton for Mike Lowell trade talk, but hasn’t heard anything similar from the Red Sox.
- At least one of Cafardo’s sources thinks Prince Fielder would make a lot of sense in Boston. Clay Buchholz could be a starting point if these talks were to start.
- Ben Sheets is becoming a bargain, so the Braves or Rangers could jump in and sign him affordably.
- Cafardo calls Atlanta an "emerging" destination for Adam Dunn.
Odds And Ends: Padres, Manny, Braves
Links for Sunday…
- John Moores will remain majority owner of the Padres for three or four years even if he agrees to sell the team to Jeff Moorad, according to Tom Krasovic. Major league executives say Padres CEO Sandy Alderson is likely to leave if Moorad takes over.
- In a recent poll, Giants fans were divided on the idea of signing Manny Ramirez.
- The Pirates haven’t offered Doug Mientkiewicz a contract.
- Thomas Stinson looks at an offseason of "mediocrity" for the Braves.
- Bobby Cox likes the looks of Kenshin Kawakami.
- Larry LaRue asks who’s on first for the Mariners this year.
- Joe Posnanski sees Adam Dunn and Willie Bloomquist as opposites in a way.
- Michael Silverman compares the pre-Bronx careers of Mark Teixeira and Jason Giambi.
Mets Confident About Rotation
Newsday’s Ken Davidoff writes that "the Mets remain confident that they’ll eventually land one of their top two choices" for their rotation: Derek Lowe or Oliver Perez.
The Brewers aren’t interested in Lowe and Davidoff heard from one Phillies official who doesn’t expect him to sign with Philadelphia. The Braves remain a legitimate suitor for Lowe, but if he signs with Atlanta, the Mets could simply bring back Perez. After all, as Davidoff says, "if there’s any competition for Perez, it’s in hiding."
Brewers Rumors: Sheets, Cameron, Swisher
Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the latest from Brewers GM Doug Melvin on the team’s plans:
- We already knew Melvin doesn’t anticipate signing a free agent starter.
- Derek Lowe isn’t an option for the Brewers, who haven’t even talked to Scott Boras.
- The Brewers will monitor the trade market and consider dealing for a starter.
- The team could make an exception for Ben Sheets. Melvin said he’d have to consider signing the pitcher if he wanted to return to Milwaukee.
- Before signing Trevor Hoffman, the Brewers were looking into Juan Cruz, a Type A free agent, but didn’t like the idea of giving up a first rounder, especially now that they’ll only get a second round pick for losing C.C. Sabathia.
- The Yankees still have interest in Mike Cameron and floated the idea of a Nick Swisher for Cameron swap.
- Melvin likes Cameron’s defense though, so he’s "not motivated to move him."
- After they’re done with their six arbitration cases, the Brewers payroll will approach $80MM.
Orioles Close To Signing Zaun
8:45pm: Roch Kubatko has an update based on a direct conversation with Gregg Zaun.
From Kubatko: "The former Orioles catcher says team president Andy MacPhail and agent Dan Evans have been able to ‘bridge the gap a little bit better, and recent conversations have been encouraging.’"
Kubatko expects Zaun to be signed next week, and suggests the Orioles are in control of the situation since the free agent catcher is willing to accept a one-year deal.
4:43pm: Peter Schmuck at the Baltimore Sun reports the Orioles are "very close" to signing free agent catcher Gregg Zaun to a one-year deal.
Zaun would likely be the starter until Matt Wieters is ready to go.
Pedro Talking With Marlins
According to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com, Pedro Martinez is involved in an early form of negotiations with the Florida Marlins.
Rojas says, "The Marlins have spoken with Martinez’s agent." The parties may meet next week.
Derek Lowe Rumors: Saturday
5:19pm: We’ve got a bit of a status update in Ken Rosenthal’s latest.
Fresh off closing the deal on Kenshin Kawakami, it seems as though the Atlanta Braves are the latest front runners in the Derek Lowe sweepstakes. Citing a source, Rosenthal says the Braves are "all over" Lowe. As for the team that was perhaps overtaken in this case, Rosenthal writes, "Mets officials seemed pessimistic."
Any pending offer from Atlanta is not likely to include a fourth year, according to Rosenthal. However, an offer for three years in the $40-42MM range with a club or vesting option is "one possibility."