Rays, Mariners Eyeing Mark Hendrickson
The Rays and Mariners are interested in lefty reliever Mark Hendrickson, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Hendrickson's former team, the Orioles, is also keeping tabs on him. The O's declined a $1.2MM option on him last month.
Hendrickson, a 6'9" southpaw, turned 36 in June. This year he posted a 5.26 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9, and 42.9% groundball rate in 75.3 innings. Hendrickson's FanGraphs splits show he's been plenty effective against left-handed batters over the past few years.
McCarthy Considering Serious Offer From Athletics
Free agent righty Brandon McCarthy is considering a serious proposal from the Athletics, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. The Astros, Diamondbacks, Brewers, Padres, Mariners, and Tigers have also been linked to McCarthy, who was scouted heavily in the Dominican Winter League.
Josh Willingham Rumors: Tuesday
Josh Willingham may have become expendable for the Nationals with the Jayson Werth signing, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the asking price is said to be absurd. Rosenthal says the Athletics and Red Sox have checked in, while his colleague Jon Paul Morosi adds the Tigers and Mariners.
Mariners Close To Deal With Jack Cust?
Jack Cust is about to sign with the Mariners, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. However, John Hickey of AOL Fanhouse tweets that the Mariners figure to leave the Winter Meetings tomorrow without having completed a deal aside from a possible Rule 5 pick.
Cust, 32 in January, hit .272/.395/.438 in 425 plate appearances for the Athletics before being non-tendered this month. He's spent time at the outfield corners and designated hitter.
Athletics Considering Vlad, Willingham, Derrek Lee
The Athletics are looking for offense with Vladimir Guerrero and Hideki Matsui on their list, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The A's prefer free agents to trades, Morosi notes. Lance Berkman turned down a two-year offer from the A's; Vlad may require at least that long of a deal to sign.
The A's are also in on Josh Willingham and Derrek Lee, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but the Nationals' asking price for Willingham is said to be absurd. Rosenthal feels that the A's could offer Lee more than the Padres or Diamondbacks.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that A's GM Billy Beane met with Matsui's agent Arn Tellem. Tellem tells her the A's are not the only team in on him. The Orioles are in, but Matsui prefers a contender. She considers Nick Johnson and Lee "among the other potential options." The A's don't find Carlos Beltran a realistic option, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. They don't believe he'd waive his no-trade clause to come to Oakland.
Mariners Rumors: Olivo, Second Base, Diaz
The Mariners have been linked to Rich Harden, Gregg Zaun, Eric Chavez, Hideki Matsui, Jack Cust, Matt Diaz, Koji Uehara, and even Zack Greinke in recent days. The latest:
- ESPN's Mike Salk says Miguel Olivo's name is popping up more than Zaun's in association with Seattle. Olivo spent parts of the '04 and '05 seasons with the Mariners.
- Salk says the Mariners are looking harder for a second baseman than a third baseman. They prefer Chone Figgins at third.
- Salk describes the Mariners' interest in Matsui as tire-kicking and is skeptical a deal will happen.
- The Ms are more focused on their everyday lineup than rotation right now, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Mariners are in on Matt Diaz, but they're one of as many as ten teams. ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that things are moving fast with Diaz. He's expected to pick a team by midday Wednesday, tweets Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse. Diaz's agent Larry Reynolds told WEEI's Rob Bradford his client could even sign today.
Yankees Re-Sign Derek Jeter
The Yankees officially re-signed shortstop Derek Jeter to a deal worth a guaranteed $56MM, if he exercises a fourth-year player option. A press conference is scheduled for this afternoon.
Under the deal, Jeter will make $51MM across the first three seasons with a $8MM player option for the fourth year, Jack Curry tweets. The shortstop can also earn $9MM in incentives for the fourth year but if he earns no incentives while picking up the option, he's guaranteed at least $56MM, says Curry (via Twitter). SI.com's Jon Heyman explains in a pair of tweets that the incentives are based on finishes in the MVP, Silver Slugger, and Gold Glove voting. Curry adds adds that Jeter agreed to defer money, which helps the Yankees with their luxury tax situation going forward.
Talks between the two sides picked up after a meeting in Tampa put an end to an impasse. The Yankees originally offered their captain a three year contract worth $45MM with no option, then encouraged him to test the market. Jeter was rumored to be seeking a five or six-year deal worth upwards of $25MM per season at one point.
Jeter, 36, is coming off his worst full season as a big leaguer. He hit just .270/.340/.370, career lows across the board. UZR didn't like his defense either, saying he was worth 4.7 runs below average in the field. At some point next season Jeter will pick up his 3,000th career hit (he's 74 away) and 1,700th run scored (15 away), a combination just eleven players in big league history have achieved.
The agreement was first reported by George A. King III of The New York Post, with Jack Curry of YES adding details.
Dodgers Close To Agreement With Vicente Padilla
The Dodgers moved close to a one-year, $2MM agreement with righty Vicente Padilla, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. The deal is contingent on Padilla passing a Thursday physical. Padilla would serve as a swingman, Gurnick writes. The Dodgers already filled out their rotation by signing Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, and Jon Garland, but you can never have too much depth.
Padilla, 33, pitched well when healthy in 2010. He posted a 4.07 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 1.3 HR/9, and 39.8% groundball rate in 95 innings this year. He missed time with forearm and neck injuries.
At Least Seven Teams Checked In On Rich Harden
The Yankees, Twins, Rays, Diamondbacks, Brewers, Mariners, and Rockies have checked in on free agent righty Rich Harden, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi says some teams like Harden as a starter, others as a reliever.
The oft-injured Harden received a $7.5MM guarantee from the Rangers last year, but had a lost season. He posted a 5.58 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 6.1 BB/9, 1.8 HR/9, and 34.5% groundball rate in 92 innings, battling a strained glute and shoulder tendinitis. These days he's a fastball/changeup pitcher with a 90.5 mph average heater.
Washington’s Day Two Agenda
If the Nationals' signing of Jayson Werth to a seven-year deal wasn't enough to show you they're going to be seriously active, perhaps these rumors will:
- SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Nationals are "ultra aggressive" going after pitching and that this team "isn''t messing around."
- Ben Goessling of MASN says the Nats have the cash to make another addition, and it's possible that it could happen today or tomorrow. Washington has been linked to Carl Pavano and Brandon Webb.
- In the same article, Goessling notes that signing a pitcher may allow the Nats to move Josh Willingham for other position pieces that fit their needs. Most notably, he feels, they could use a center fielder to offer long-term insurance beyond Nyjer Morgan.