Padres Acquire Jason Bartlett
The Padres have acquired Jason Bartlett from the Rays, tweets Marty Caswell of XX1090 Sports Radio. San Diego will also receive a player to be named later from Tampa Bay in exchange for Brandon Gomes, Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos, and Cole Figueroa. The PTBNL will be a minor leaguer and will be worked out in advance of Opening Day, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
The two sides reportedly had a deal worked out last week in which Bartlett would be shipped westward for Russell and Ramos. There were rumblings that the Rays were concerned about Ramos' health but the club apparently feels comfortable enough with a new deal in place.
The swap marks a homecoming of sorts for Bartlett, who was originally drafted by the Padres in 2001 before being shipped to the Twins roughly one year later. The shortstop shined in 2009 but slumped in 2010, hitting .254/.324/.350 with four home runs in 532 plate appearances.
With seemingly every Rays reliever on the free agent market, and limited spending power, Rays president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman had to get creative to find relief help. Russell, a 27-year-old right-hander, pitched 15 2/3 innings for the Padres in 2010, posting 10.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 4.02 ERA. He also appeared in 50 Triple-A games, posting a 4.88 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9. It marks the second time in two years that he's been traded; the Padres acquired him in the 2009 Jake Peavy deal.
Ramos, 26, pitched briefly for the 2010 Padres, but spent much of the season at Triple-A Portland, where he posted a 3.28 ERA as a swingman. He has never struck out an overwhelming number of hitters (5.9 K/9 in 2010) and his walk rate rose to 4.0 BB/9 this year. The lefty turned down the chance to sign with Tampa Bay when they drafted him in the 6th round of the 2002 draft. Three years later, he signed with the Padres after they selected him 35th overall.
Figueroa was ranked as the Padres' 30th best prospect heading into 2010 by Baseball America. According to the publication, the middle infielder is a patient hitter with lackluster power. Defensively, he has an average arm and great hands, meaning that he'll likely wind up at second base.
Gomes, a right-handed pitcher, has spent the last two seasons in Double-A San Antonio. Since earning the promotion, the 26-year-old has registered a 2.24 ERA with 12.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 116 appearances.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Angels, Greinke, Tigers, Gregg
Links for Friday, as we await the holidays and debate the merits of multiyear deals for relievers…
- The Angels have been slow to address their weaknesses this winter, opines Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Earlier today Halos owner Arte Moreno denied that the club made a formal offer to outfielder Carl Crawford who was long considered to be the team's top free agent target.
- Zack Greinke has changed agents, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (on Twitter). Jeff Berry and Casey Close of CAA now represent the right-hander, who had been with SFX.
- John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press explains why the Tigers may not need more left-handed relievers than Daniel Schlereth and Brad Thomas. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Tigers add a low-cost free agent lefty like Mark Hendrickson or Will Ohman if one is available in the new year.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports calls Kerry Wood's decision to return to the Cubs the most touching story of the offseason.
- The Yankees have spoken to the Astros about acquiring Jeff Keppinger for their bench, Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi report. The infielder is available, but a trade does not appear close.
- The agent for Kevin Gregg told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun that the Orioles are one of "a few teams" still in the mix for the reliever. Gregg would like to work out a deal by the holidays and could choose a team soon.
Nationals Actively Pursuing Derrek Lee
The Nationals are "actively" pursuing free agent first baseman Derrek Lee, a baseball source told MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Another source told the Nationals beat writer Lee is the team's top first base target. Ladson adds that talks "don't appear to be serious" between the Nats and Adam LaRoche.
Washington "may consider" Casey Kotchman if they fail to sign Lee, writes Ladson. Lee was linked to six teams on Saturday, but the Padres and Diamondbacks are probably out. The Orioles may be the Nationals' main competition.
Pirates Sign Kevin Correia
The Pirates officially signed Kevin Correia to a two-year, $8MM deal. He can earn another $1MM in performance bonuses; Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the contract breakdown. The team announced the deal, with this quote from GM Neal Huntington:
"Kevin Correia is a solid major league starting pitcher and a strong addition to our rotation. We feel he is poised for a return to his 2009 form where he gave his club a chance to win nearly every start while carrying a significant innings pitched workload."
ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick broke news of the agreement. Correia will join Paul Maholm, James McDonald, Ross Ohlendorf and possibly Scott Olsen in the Pirates' rotation.
Aside from Yoslan Herrera, it has been 12 years since the Pirates last gave a free agent pitcher a multiyear deal – Cam Bonifay signed Pete Schourek to a two-year, $4MM deal in '98. Back on November 10th, two MLBTR writers predicted Correia would sign with the Pirates.
Correia posted a 5.40 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 145 innings for the Padres in 2010. The 30-year-old missed time in May after his younger brother died in a tragic accident. He lost his rotation spot to Tim Stauffer after a trio of poor starts in late August. Agents Scott Leventhal and Damon Lapa did much better than I expected them to when I looked ahead to Correia's free agency this fall.
Correia’s walk rate jumped from 2.9 BB/9 to 4.0 BB/9 in 2010, but some of his stats reflect more favorably on his performance. Despite the righty's 5.40 ERA, defense-independent pitching stats suggest he was unlucky. Nearly 15% of fly balls hit off of Correia left the yard, so homers inflated his ERA. He induces ground balls and is just one year removed from a season in which he posted a 3.91 ERA in 33 starts, which likely contributed to GM Neal Huntington's willingness to make an $8MM guarantee.
The Padres offered Correia arbitration, so they'll obtain a supplementary first round pick in the 2011 draft for losing the Type B free agent.
Twins, Nishioka Agree To Three-Year Deal
The Twins officially agreed to terms with Tsuyoshi Nishioka on a three-year, $9MM deal, the team announced today. The deal, which came together soon after the infielder arrived in Minneapolis, includes a club option for a fourth year.
Last year, Nishioka batted .346 with 22 steals and 206 hits. ESPN.com's Keith Law and Patrick Newman of FanGraphs recently explained the switch-hitter's game in detail. The Twins have traded J.J. Hardy and Orlando Hudson is a free agent, so Nishioka and Alexi Casilla figure to be the team's everyday infielders in 2011.
The Twins won the right to negotiate with Nishioka on November 26th when the Chiba Lotte Marines accepted Minnesota's bid. The sides had 30 days to reach an agreement. The Giants, Dodgers, and Cardinals reportedly had some interest in Nishioka and the Red Sox submitted a bid in the mid-$2MM range, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Minnesota's winning bid was for about $5.3MM, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
Spanish Links: Carlos Gonzalez, Colon, Vazquez
Because sometimes, turning to his native tongue can help a player say what he really means…
- "There is progress" in the extension talks between Carlos Gonzalez and the Rockies, the Venezuelan outfielder told Wilmer Reina at La Verdad. Gonzalez said he is leaving all negotations up to his agent Scott Boras, but he seemed to be thinking like a free agent when he said, "I met with [Boras] in Florida and we talked about many things, especially the market value players have obtained after the contracts of [Jayson] Werth and [Carl] Crawford."
- The Indians have been following the progress of Bartolo Colon in the Dominican winter leagues, manager Manny Acta told Pedro G. Briceño at the Dominican paper Listin Diario. Whether the team has interest in actually signing the 37-year-old has been disputed stateside, as ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas tweeted a "si" last week, which the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes countered with a clear "no." For Colon's part, he logged his first subpar start of the winter three days ago, giving up six runs (three earned) and eight hits over six innings against the Toros del Este.
- Javier Vazquez applauded his new NL East rival Cliff Lee for choosing the team for which he wanted to play, even though it meant leaving money on the table. "I wasn't in the same situation as him, but I had a few contract offers of two years," Vazquez told Rubén A. Rodriguez at El Nuevo Dia in Puerto Rico. "For me, the most important thing was playing for the teams I wanted. I gave my agent a list of those teams. If I hadn't ended up with one of those, I don't know what would have happened." Vazquez ultimately signed for one-year and $7MM with the Marlins, who were clear front-runners for his services throughout the winter.
Phillies Will Not Sign Dennys Reyes
FRIDAY, December 17th: There will be no deal, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link). Reyes' agent told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, "We hit a snag." Suarez chose not to clarify.
THURSDAY, December 9th: The Phillies agreed to sign Dennys Reyes to a one-year deal worth $1.1MM, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links). The deal, which is pending a physical, includes a 2012 option worth $1.35MM. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes add details, via Twitter, noting that the club option, which has a buyout worth $150K, becomes mutual if Reyes appears in 70 games in 2011. Agent Oscar Suarez represents the 33-year-old left-hander, who is set to join his 11th team.
Reyes appeared in 59 games last year and posted a 3.55 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9. Those numbers look OK, but the lefty pitched to a 5.91 ERA after posting a 0.54 ERA through May. He can induce grounders, but he walks more than one batter per two innings pitched.
D’Backs DFA Roque Mercedes, Release Rusty Ryal
The Diamondbacks have designated right-hander Roque Mercedes for assignment and released Rusty Ryal to create roster space for Henry Blanco and Xavier Nady, whose deals the team officially announced.
Mercedes, who turned 24 in September, spent the 2010 season at Double-A Mobile. He pitched 53 2/3 innings out of the bullpen and posted 7.5 K/9 with 4.0 BB/9.
Ryal, 27, appeared in 104 games for the D'Backs this year, playing first, third and left. He batted .261/.308/.348 in 222 plate appearances, but his career minor league line (.287/.346/.475) is more impressive.
Heyman On Padres, Fuentes, Blanton, Greinke
The offseason has been full of surprises and, as Jon Heyman of SI.com points out, we know a relatively small amount about the top remaining free agents. It appears that the A’s, Angels and Rangers have some interest in Adrian Beltre, but that's about all we know about him and it's more than we know about Rafael Soriano. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:
- The Padres are not likely to pursue Derrek Lee now that they've agreed to sign Orlando Hudson and seem close to acquiring Jason Bartlett (Twitter link). Jorge Cantu, Brad Hawpe and Troy Glaus are on the team's list of potential first basemen.
- Lee appears to be the Nationals' top target, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (Twitter link).
- Brian Fuentes has drawn interest from the Orioles and others. The Red Sox and Rockies have been linked to the left-hander, but Boston is not currently focused on him, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
- It's only a matter of time before the Phillies deal Joe Blanton, Heyman says.
- One GM told Heyman that the Royals are "asking for a lot more" than Travis Snider and Kyle Drabek for Zack Greinke. The Blue Jays don't intend to offer that pair up regardless.
- Felix Hernandez has the ten biggest markets on his no-trade list, apparently to give him maximum leverage, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
A’s Claim Phil Humber
The A's claimed Philip Humber off of waivers from the Royals, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). The Royals had designated Humber for assignment earlier in the week.
Humber, 28 next week, posted a 4.15 ERA in 21 2/3 big league innings this year. As short as that stint was, it was the most Humber's pitched in a big league season. The former first rounder was once considered a top prospect and the Mets sent him to Minnesota in the Johan Santana deal. In 664 1/3 minor league innings, he has a 4.48 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9.