Blue Jays Talking Trades, Will Watch Sheets
Alex Anthopoulos is back from a productive honeymoon. The Blue Jays GM tells MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that he worked on three trades and talked to six GMs while vactioning in Hawaii.
The Jays have at least some interest in a notable free agent, too. They will scout Ben Sheets when he throws next week, Anthopoulos confirmed. Toronto doesn't seem like the most logical destination for Sheets, who will see interest from contenders looking to deepen their rotations,but Anthopoulos says the Jays have to do their homework on all players.
"We're not doing our job if we don't at least take a look," he said.
The Jays are tracking players aggressively under Anthopoulos, who upgraded the scouting staff once he became GM.
Indians Sign Mike Redmond
The Indians have signed catcher Mike Redmond, according to Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. The 38-year-old has backed up Joe Mauer since 2005 and he figures to do the same for Lou Marson in Cleveland. As Castrovince notes, it's the first major league free agent signing the Indians have made this offseason.
Redmond hit .237/.299/.289 in 147 plate appearances last year. He has a career OBP of .345, but very little power. He hit just two homers in his five-year stint with the Twins. The Padres, who are also looking for catching depth,had been linked to Redmond earlier in the month.
D’Backs Avoid Arbitration With Conor Jackson
The D'Backs avoided arbitration with Conor Jackson, agreeing to sign the left fielder to a $3.1MM deal for 2010, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Jackson, who earned $3.05MM last year, won't be a free agent until after the 2011 season.
The 27-year-old dealt with Valley Fever in 2009 and made just 110 plate appearances, hitting .182/.264/.253. It was easily Jackson's worst showing in the major leagues; his OPS topped .800 in each of the three seasons before last year.
Marlins Rumors: Johnson, Nolasco, Pinto, Uggla
The Marlins spent big yesterday. Here are the details on their plans for the rest of the offseason:
- Josh Johnson tells MLB.com that he always wanted to stay with the Marlins long-term. Yesterday the right-hander agreed to an extension that buys two of his free agent years out.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets that the Marlins didn't consider a long-term deal for another one of their young right-handers, Ricky Nolasco.
- The Marlins may trade Renyel Pinto before the season begins, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.
- Capozzi hears that the Marlins are talking regularly with Dan Uggla in hopes of agreeing on the infielder's 2010 salary without going to arbitration.
Rockies Avoid Arb With Barmes, Buchholz, De La Rosa
FRIDAY, 8:13am: Renck reports that the Rockies avoided arbitration and agreed to pay De La Rosa $5.6MM this season. If he pitches 220 innings, De La Rosa can earn $300K in incentives.
THURSDAY, 5:06pm: Renck is now reporting that the Rockies are close to avoiding arbitration with a third player, lefty Jorge De La Rosa. It would be a one-year deal worth $5.6MM.
2:05pm: The Rockies resolved two of their seven arbitration situations today, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Renck says they agreed to one-year deals with second baseman Clint Barmes and reliever Taylor Buchholz, though terms are not yet available.
Both players are entering their second arbitration years. Barmes earned $1.625MM in '09, while Buchholz made $1.055MM.
Odds & Ends: Damon, White Sox, Wood
Thursday night linkage…
- The Tigers could be in play for Johnny Damon, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. The 36-year-old has a .961 OPS at pitcher-friendly Comerica Park.
- The White Sox formally announced today that they have invited fifteen players to Spring Training – ten of which from within the organization. Outfielder Jordan Danks, younger brother of John Danks, is one of the more notable invitees.
- Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com takes a look at the Indians' bullpen in 2010. It should come as no surprise that Kerry Wood and his hefty contract are unlikely to be moved. Wood is set to earn $10.5MM in 2010 with a vesting option for $11MM in 2011 if he finishes 55 games.
RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team
As you know, MLB Trade Rumors has RSS and Twitter feeds that cover all rumors. For those of you who would prefer not to see every rumor, we now have RSS and Twitter feeds by team. We've also created a Twitter account for the Tranasctions-only feed, for those who only want to see completed deals. Links are provided after the jump.
Okajima, Red Sox Avoid Arbitration
The Red Sox and reliever Hideki Okajima have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, reports Ian Browne of MLB.com (via Twitter). Okajima will make $2.75MM and will receive bonuses of $50K each for 50, 55, 60, 65, and 70 appearances, according to Browne in a follow-up tweet. The deal marks a significant raise for the lefty as he earned a base salary of $1.25MM last season.
In 2009, Okajima posted a 3.39 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 68 games. The 34-year-old is entering his fourth major league season and will be under the BoSox contractual control until 2012.
Odds & Ends: Standridge, Johnson, Davis, Crede
Links for Thursday…
- Josh Johnson's agent Matt Sosnick is now "cautiously optimistic" about a potential long-term deal with the Marlins for his client, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. However, the two sides still have differing thoughts on the proper comparables to use for Johnson's 2010 salary. I'd say Ben Sheets, Carlos Zambrano, and Zack Greinke might be used in that discussion, but given Johnson's $1.4MM salary in '09 he probably can't expect much more than $4.2MM.
- What do Tupac, Sandra Bullock, and MLBTR have in common? They're all favorites of Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia.
- Scott Lauber of The News Journal tweets that the Phillies signed righty Jason Standridge to a minor league deal. The former Rays first-rounder pitched only 12.6 innings for the Marlins' Triple A club this year.
- Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote last night that the Twins, Brewers, Mets, and Nationals have interest in free agent lefty Doug Davis. Davis suggested to MLB.com's Bill Ladson that the Nats are more focused on adding a second baseman.
- Roch Kubatko of MASN says Joe Crede "appears to top" the Orioles' free agent list.
- The Mets signed lefty Bobby Livingston to a minor league deal, tweets MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. The 27-year-old southpaw logged 156 innings of 4.15 ball at various minor league stops in 2009.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says players of Adam LaRoche's caliber should take note of his new deal, because "the offers aren't going to get any better."
- Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post runs through Yorvit Torrealba's suitors, while also noting that Miguel Olivo's $2.5MM option for 2011 can become a player option with 110 games in '10.
- Catcher Mike Rabelo is a new name among the Tigers' 17 minor league deals announced today, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck.
Five Teams Pursuing Jose Contreras
At least five teams - the Cubs, Cardinals, Rockies, Phillies, and Padres - are named as suitors for free agent righty Jose Contreras in a tweet from Newsday's Ken Davidoff.
Perhaps Contreras' stuff will play up in the NL. The 38-year-old posted a 7.2 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, and 4.92 ERA in 131.6 innings for the White Sox and Rockies last year. He whiffed a batter per inning in his Rockies stint, though we shouldn't read into 17 innings. Contreras averaged 92 mph on his fastball last year, so it appears something is left in the tank. Swingman candidate D.J. Carrasco just got a $950K minor league deal with the Pirates; maybe Contreras will sign a similar deal.