Pirates Moving Close To Agreement With Lyle Overbay
11:44am: The Pirates are moving close to an agreement with Overbay, tweets Morosi.
8:37am: The Pirates have been talking with free agent first baseman Lyle Overbay, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. He says it's not clear whether they're making progress on a deal.
The Pirates primarily used Garrett Jones at first base in 2010, but they've expressed a desire to add a right-handed hitting complement. Overbay doesn't fit that description, though Jones could pair up with Matt Diaz in right field if Ryan Doumit is traded.
Overbay, 34 in January, hit .243/.329/.433 in 607 plate appearances for the Blue Jays this year.
Odds & Ends: Pavano, Red Sox, McCarthy, Lawrie
More links for Monday night, as we wonder when and where Cliff Lee will sign…
- Lee's not the only player nearing a decision. Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com hears that Edgar Renteria is close to a decision and leaning toward retuning to the Giants (Twitter link). The World Series MVP has a $1MM offer to return to San Francisco.
- The Brewers have not offered Carl Pavano a formal contract yet, GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Bill James told the Red Sox he expects Carl Crawford to age well, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. James found that players like Crawford, who can play the outfield, get on base and hit for some power, often produce late in their careers.
- Brandon McCarthy, who agreed to a deal with the A's today, says the Mariners expressed interest in him until they signed Erik Bedard, according to MLB.com's Greg Johns (on Twitter).
- The Royals had interest in infield prospect Brett Lawrie before the Blue Jays acquired him from the Brewers, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun (on Twitter).
- MLB executives told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that the Phillies could trade Joe Blanton if they agree to eat half of the $17MM remaining on his contract through 2012 (Twitter link). The Phillies are considering moving Blanton to create space for Lee.
A’s Agree To Sign Brandon McCarthy
The A's agreed to sign Brandon McCarthy to a one-year deal, the team announced. The contract guarantees McCarthy $1MM, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter) and the deal includes $1.6MM in incentives, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). LSW baseball represents the right-hander.
McCarthy, 27, could be valuable in 2011 if he's healthy. He tossed 97 1/3 of 4.62 ERA ball for the 2009 Rangers, but the shoulder injuries have continued to slow the former top prospect's progress. McCarthy made three trips to the disabled list at Triple-A Oklahoma City this year, as he battled shoulder problems. When healthy, he was effective, posting a 3.36 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 56 1/3 innings (nine starts). He then made four starts in the Dominican Winter League, so his arm appears to be responding well.
McCarthy became a free agent after the Rangers outrighted him off of their 40-man roster last month. The Astros, Diamondbacks, Brewers, Padres, Mariners, and Tigers also had interest after he became a free agent. Since McCarthy will have less than six years of service time after 2011, Oakland will be able to retain him for 2012.
Mets Notes: Castillo, Perez, Young, Reyes
Mets GM Sandy Alderson confirmed that the team will not spend more than $135-140MM on 2011 payroll. That's a ton of money for most teams, but the Mets have committed most of that to the players already on their roster, so they don't have much to spend. Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork has the details:
- Not surprisingly, Alderson said there's "no market" for Luis Castillo or Oliver Perez, even if the Mets wanted to trade them. The two players will be in Mets camp this Spring Training.
- Alderson confirmed that he's looking to sign a "bounceback" starter to a low base salary. Chris Young was Alderson's "hypothetical" example of such a pitcher, but the tall right-hander is more than just an example. As Rubin notes, the Mets are still interested in Young.
- It appears that Johan Santana will return around the All-Star break. The lefty underwent surgery to repear an anterior capsule tear in his left shoulder in October.
- The Reds and Mets have not discussed a potential Jose Reyes trade, GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).
Nationals Aggressively Pursuing Greinke, Garza
The Nationals are "aggressively pursuing" a trade for Matt Garza or Zack Greinke, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. However, Kilgore’s source doesn’t expect Washington to trade for either pitcher. Earlier today, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reported that Royals GM Dayton Moore is actively gauging the market for Greinke.
The Rays and Royals could have interest in Ian Desmond and Jordan Zimmermann, but the Nationals are not likely to move either player. However, Kilgore hears that the team would move Danny Espinosa “in a heartbeat.” Roger Bernadina would be available and it’s possible that the Nationals would consider trading Drew Storen or Sean Burnett, according to Kilgore.
Rays Re-Sign J.P. Howell
At least one of the Rays' free agent relievers is returning to Tampa Bay. The team re-signed left-hander J.P. Howell, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (Twitter links) who reports that the deal is for $1.1MM plus incentives. The Rays non-tendered the 27-year-old earlier this month, but continued working toward a deal with him. Legacy Sports represents Howell.
The 2004 first rounder missed all of 2010 after undergoing left labrum surgery in May. Back in 2009, Howell was effective for 66 2/3 innings, posting a 2.84 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 and picking up 17 saves. He was equally effective in 2008, when he posted a 2.22 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 89 1/3 innings.
The Rays will be able to retain Howell in 2012, since he won't have six years of service time after next season.
Joaquin Benoit already signed elsewhere and Rafael Soriano, Lance Cormier, Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler, Chad Qualls and Randy Choate are all free agents, so Tampa Bay's bullpen will likely look completely different in 2011.
Orioles Sign Koji Uehara
The Orioles signed Koji Uehara to a one-year deal with a vesting option for 2012, the team announced. The deal will pay the reliever $3MM in 2011 and give him the chance to earn a couple million more in incentives, depending on how many games he finishes or saves.
Uehara an earn an additional $100K for each of 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 appearances, plus another $150K-200K based on games finished from 10 to 50. His $4MM option for 2012 will vest with either 55 games pitched or 25 games finished next season. The contract can be worth as much as $11.5MM and contains a limited no-trade clause.
Six teams were interested in Uehara earlier this week. The 35-year-old right-hander posted a 2.86 ERA with 11.3 K/9 and 1.0 BB/9 in 44 innings of work last year. He made trips to the disabled list because of elbow and thigh injuries, but few pitchers have a strikeout to walk ratio as impressive as Uehara's. SFX represents Uehara.
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun broke the story and colleague Dan Connolly added the financial info on Twitter.
Mariners Designate Rob Johnson For Assignment
The Mariners designated catcher Rob Johnson for assignment to create roster space for new DH Jack Cust, the team announced. The Mariners now have ten days to trade Johnson, release him or outright him to the minors. Adam Moore and Miguel Olivo figure to be the team's primary catchers in 2011, though Johnson could remain in the organization as insurance.
Johnson, 27, has a .200/.282/.302 line in parts of four seasons with the Mariners. Last offseason, he underwent labrum surgery on both hips and had left wrist surgery. Johnson appeared in 61 games in 2010, batting .191/.293/.281 in 209 plate appearances. He threw out 35% of would-be base stealers, a career high (he has a 30% career mark).
A’s, Joey Devine Avoid Arbitration
The A's announced that they agreed to a one-year contract with Joey Devine, avoiding arbitration. The 27-year-old right-hander missed each of the last two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery last April.
Devine posted a 0.59 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 45 2/3 innings in 2008, when he finished sixth in AL Rookie of the Year balloting. In 65 1/3 career innings, he has a 2.48 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9. He earned $558K in 2010 and is set to earn $560K next year, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
The A's now have five remaining arbitration eligible players: Dallas Braden, Craig Breslow, Conor Jackson, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Brad Ziegler.
Padres Reach Agreement With Dustin Moseley
The Padres reached an agreement with swingman Dustin Moseley, the team announced today. On Wednesday, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweeted that the deal guarantees $900K.
Moseley, 29 later this month, posted a 4.96 ERA, 4.5 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, 1.8 HR/9, and 49.1% groundball rate this year before being non-tendered by the Yankees. He also tossed 72 2/3 innings across 12 starts in Triple-A. The Padres' rotation lost Jon Garland and Kevin Correia this offseason, but they've added Aaron Harang and could use Moseley as a starter as well. Since Moseley has fewer than four years of big league service time, the Padres have the opportunity to control him through 2013.