Braves Sign Billy Wagner
11:36am: The Braves officially announced the Wagner signing, tweets MLB.com's Mark Bowman. That implies he passed his physical.
1:28am: The Braves have agreed to sign Billy Wagner, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The deal is worth $7MM and includes a $6.5MM option for 2011 that vests if Wagner finishes 50 games.
The Red Sox offered the lefty arbitration tonight, so they stand to gain the Braves' first round pick in next year's draft (#20), plus a supplemental rounder. The move is pending a physical, which could be more than a formality in this case. The 38-year-old returned from Tommy John surgery last year to strike out 15 batters per nine innings in 17 appearances with the Mets and Red Sox.
The Elias numbers rank John Lackey, Matt Holliday, Marco Scutaro and Jose Valverde ahead of Wagner, so if the Braves sign one of those players, the Red Sox would get the Braves' 52nd overall selection.
White Sox Rumors: Jenks, Gonzalez, Konerko, Pierzynski
MLB.com's Scott Merkin has a few White Sox hot stove notes…
- GM Kenny Williams is not shopping closer Bobby Jenks and has not had any offseason trade talks about him. However, Williams will listen at the Winter Meetings.
- Williams said he never heard of last month's rumor about three-way trade talks for Adrian Gonzalez involving the White Sox, Padres, and Angels. The rumor came from a source with no track record, and was quickly shot down, so it was never published on MLBTR. That doesn't mean we should rule out the possiblity of the White Sox being interest in Gonzalez, though.
- Williams is not thinking about extensions for Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski, who are signed through 2010.
Rosenthal, Morosi On Betancourt, Doumit, Jackson
A look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports…
- The Cubs and Giants were interested in reliever Rafael Betancourt before the Rockies offered arbitration to him yesterday. The Phillies were named as another suitor. The writers are not sure whether the Cubs and Giants maintain interest now that Betancourt will cost a draft pick (assuming the Type A free agent turns down the Rockies' offer). The Giants would have to surrender their #24 pick, the Cubs their #49. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News gave the impression yesterday the Giants prefer to keep their first-round pick. As for the Cubs, one source with knowledge of the situation said there's nothing to it at this time.
- The Blue Jays have mild interest in Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, who is guaranteed $9.15MM over the next two years. Doumit was sidelined by wrist surgery and a concussion this year. Looking at the trade market for catchers, the Jays have already inquired on Chris Snyder and Doumit, while Kelly Shoppach is now a Ray.
- While the Braves like D'Backs first baseman/left fielder Conor Jackson, Arizona would only trade him for a young starting pitcher. A Jackson trade appears unlikely and the Braves have not expressed interest recently. Jackson seems back on track and should be tendered a contract after a strong showing in the Domincan winter league.
Phillies, Pirates, Astros Eyeing J.J. Putz
The Phillies, Pirates, and Astros have inquired on free agent reliever J.J. Putz, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Earlier today, Crasnick named the Rangers as a suitor.
It was a lost season with the Mets for Putz, who pitched only 29.3 innings due to an elbow problem. Back in 2006-07, Putz was one of the game's best relievers, striking out 186 and walking just 26 while compiling a 1.86 ERA. His '06 season led to a three-year, $13.1MM extension with the Mariners. He joined the Mets a year ago as part of a three-way trade.
While Putz would prefer to close this year, he'd be open to an eighth-inning job.
Rockies, Street Far Apart In Extension Discussions
The Rockies and closer Huston Street are far apart in discussions for a contract extension, according to ESPN's Buster Olney. Olney says the Rockies will consider trading Street at the July deadline if an agreement can't be reached beforehand. Street is eligible for free agency after the 2010 season; he'll be just 27 in August.
Back in early October, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post speculated "it would take a three-year deal in the range of $25 million to get discussions going" with Street. In a September article, Renck suggested Street is in line for "at least $7MM in 2010," as he's arbitration-eligible for the last time. If that's accurate, the Rockies would be paying $9MM per free agent year if they sign him at 3/25. Would Street be in line for a two-year, $18MM deal if he was a free agent this winter?
Angel Pagan Drawing Trade Interest
Mets outfielder Angel Pagan is drawing trade interest, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The writers note that Pagan may have more value to other clubs, where he could be used as a starting center fielder. The Royals are one interested party, but the duo's source says the Mets aren't interested in Jose Guillen. Why a guy with positive value like Pagan would be linked to one with major negative value like Guillen in the first place is beyond me.
Pagan, 28, hit .306/.350/.487 in 376 plate appearances last year for the Mets, playing all three outfield positions. Pagan was originally drafted by the Mets in '99, purchased from them by the Cubs in '06, and shipped back to the Mets for a couple of minor leaguers in January of '08. He's arbitration-eligible for the second time this winter.
The Cubs are now looking for a center fielder after giving away Pagan in January of '08 and Felix Pie a year later.
How To Use MLBTR
Basic info about using MLB Trade Rumors:
If you want to take it old school, just refresh the page to see the latest stories up top. If you get to the bottom of the website you can hit Previous Entries for more. Other ways to get your MLBTR fix:
- Go to MLBTradeRumors.com and check out Top Stories on the right-hand sidebar for a quick overview.
- Use our contact form to send in a link or make a business inquiry.
- Follow us on Twitter.
- Discuss deals and rumors with other fans on Facebook.
- Bookmark the mobile version of our site on your phone.
- Sign up for our RSS feed.
- Check out the Transactions-only RSS feed.
- Check out our list of the Recent Trades.
- See who is currently a free agent, updated to the minute. The list includes Type A and Type B statuses and whether the player was offered arbitration.
- Check out Tim Dierkes' Top 50 Free Agents with destination predictions.
- Click here to see who's eligible for free agency after the 2010 season.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith's Trades of the Decade series is a great read.
- Other fun links: Scott Boras clients, non-tender candidates, offseason outlooks by team, free agent market analysis by position, trade market analysis by position, and important dates.
- We recommend Cot's Baseball Contracts if you want to look up a player's contract details. We like Baseball-Reference for stats.
- Learn more about MLBTR at About MLB Trade Rumors.
- Please be aware of our Commenting Policy.
Strong Possibility Of Bradley-Burrell Swap?
A Milton Bradley–Pat Burrell swap is still a "strong possibility," according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman notes that since Burrell is owed $9MM over one year and Bradley $21MM over two, the Cubs would have to eat good money (he guesses $6MM) to make the trade work.
There is no question that the Cubs would have to flip Burrell in this scenario. Sherman speculates that they could offer him to the Mets for Luis Castillo, a player the Cubs wouldn't mind adding. Sherman says, "It is hard to find a baseball official who actually thinks the Mets are going to land either Jason Bay or Matt Holliday," though ESPN's Buster Olney found one today in regard to Holliday.
My guess is that the Cubs would prefer to get a more usable piece than Burrell for Bradley. Acquiring Burrell increases uncertainty and drags out the process. Acquiring another bad contract more directly, someone they can use in center field, the rotation, or second base, would be ideal.
Red Sox Interested In DeRosa, Crosby
We learned yesterday that the Red Sox have expressed interest in infielders Marco Scutaro, Adam Kennedy, and Adam Everett already. Via Twitter, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald adds two more names to the list: Mark DeRosa and Bobby Crosby. Of these five free agent targets, only Scutaro would cost the Red Sox a draft pick.
Despite wrist surgery, DeRosa appears to have a slew of suitors. If he doesn't re-sign, the Cardinals will get a supplemental pick for their loss. The following 12 teams have been linked to DeRosa in reports: the Cardinals, Mets, Braves, Twins, Yankees, Mariners, Nationals, Dodgers, Phillies, Rangers, Orioles, and Giants. The Red Sox bring the total to 13.
Crosby has been linked to the Rockies and Rangers as a possible utility infielder candidate.
Blue Jays Offered Two Years To Scutaro
Talking to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian yesterday, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos revealed new information about Marco Scutaro. Anthopoulos said "there was a time when we offered a two-year deal," but obviously the two sides couldn't come to terms. Anthopoulos finds it unlikely that the Type A free agent will accept arbitration, but said Scutaro would be used in the outfield if he does.
Also, Anthopoulos finds it "highly, highly unlikely" that Type B free agent catcher Rod Barajas accepts the Jays' arbitration offer. Anthopoulos said of contract talks with Barajas, "it seems the term and the dollars are far beyond what we would feel is appropriate for us."
The Blue Jays have already moved on at shortstop, while the catcher search involves trade possibilities, current free agents, and an eye on the non-tender candidates. The Jays have draft picks next year at #11, #38, #44, #69, and #75 within the first three rounds. It appears that they'll add two more supplemental picks and probably a first or second-rounder when Scutaro and Barajas depart.