Mathis Wins Arbitration Hearing With Angels
Jeff Mathis won his arbitration hearing with the Angels and will earn $1.3MM this year instead of the $700K salary the club offered, according to Ronald Blum of the AP (via Yahoo). The Angels have reached deals with all of their arbitration-eligible players now that Mathis and Erick Aybar have set contracts.
Mathis, 27 next month, shares the team's catching duties with Mike Napoli. Mathis appeared in 84 games for the Angels last season, hitting .211/.288/.308 with five homers. This is Mathis' first year as an arbitration-eligible player and he isn't expected to become a free agent until after the 2012 season.
Rays Links: Soriano, Crawford, Pena, Branyan
Rays links are plentiful this afternoon…
- Rays owner Stuart Sternberg talked to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times about impending free agent Carl Crawford: "We're going to do everything we can to make sure he stays here longer."
- Sternberg told MLB.com's Bill Chastain that the Rays wouldn't normally spend $7.25MM on a reliever, so they plan on having "a little fun" with Rafael Soriano this season.
- Topkin says the Rays also hope to retain Carlos Pena, though Dave Cameron of FanGraphs feels that a Russell Branyan signing could set the stage for a midseason Pena trade. Cameron wonders if it might be too risky for the Rays to offer Pena arbitration even if he has a solid 2010, given the 2011 salary he could receive. For what it's worth, Pena just made Type A status for the 2008-09 seasons at 73.750 points.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark writes about the Rays' two biggest additions: closer Rafael Soriano, and potentially a full season of Wade Davis.
- Check out our Rays Offseason In Review from Wednesday.
Nationals Sign Chien-Ming Wang
The Nationals officially signed Chien-Ming Wang to a one-year $2MM deal that includes up to $3MM in performance bonuses.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported the agreement and Ronald Blum of the AP added the terms of the deal. Last week Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe tweeted that Wang had picked the Nationals and Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweeted that Wang would earn $2MM with the chance to more than double that amount in incentives. Wang's agent insisted that no deal was in place after those initial reports emerged.
Shoulder and hip injuries limited Wang to 12 appearances last year, and the Yankees non-tendered him. Wang, 30 next month, could be a major contributor for the Nationals if he can return to form. The two-time 19 game winner has a long way to go, as last year's 9.64 ERA indicates.
Once healthy, he will join new addition Jason Marquis in the team's rotation. Wang has less than five years' service time, so he won't be a free agent until after the 2011 season unless the Nationals non-tender him, too.
Nationals Win Arbitration Case Against Sean Burnett
The Nationals won their arbitration case against lefty reliever Sean Burnett, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. He'll earn $775K as opposed to $925K in his first arbitration year. By beating Burnett and Brian Bruney this week, the Nats saved $500K.
Talking to Ladson, Burnett had this to say about the hearing: "It was interesting. I learned a lesson. I don't want to deal with it again."
Padres Sign Josh Barfield
The Padres signed second baseman Josh Barfield to a minor league deal with no Spring Training invite, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock. Barfield, 27, hit .252/.271/.331 in 319 appearances for the Indians' Triple A club in '09 and was outrighted in August.
Barfield came up with the Padres, posting a fine rookie season in '06. Former GM Kevin Towers sold high on him, sending Barfield to Cleveland after the season for Kevin Kouzmanoff and Andrew Brown.
Hiroshima Carp Sign John Bale
Lefty John Bale signed with the Hiroshima Carp, reports Kyodo News. Bale will earn about $109K for the Carp in 2010. He spent three years with the club prior to his two-year, $4MM deal with the Royals signed in December of '06.
Bale, 36 in May, posted a 5.72 ERA in 28.3 innings for the Royals last year. He dealt with a hyperactive thyroid and a hamstring injury, and was released a few days before the non-tender deadline.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Mets, Gonzalez, Contreras
On this date back in 1983, Dodgers' hurler Fernando Valenzuela became the first player in baseball history to receive a seven-figure award through the arbitration process. During his first two-plus seasons as a big leaguer, Fernandomania had been named the Rookie of the Year, appeared in two All Star Games, and won a Cy Young Award. The arbitration panel awarded him a $1MM salary in his first year of eligibility, nearly tripling his 1982 salary.
As the last few present day arbitration cases wrap up, here are some links to check out from around the baseball blogiverse…
- Mets Paradise reviews the Amazin's offseason, and says they aren't a finished product even if the team believes they are.
- Capitol Avenue Club examines a potential Adrian Gonzalez-to-Atlanta trade, and notes that it's the same situation as the Mark Teixeira swap of 2007.
- Turn Two looks at some AL and NL position battles.
- The Sports Banter tries to find homes for the best remaining free agents.
- Phillies Nation grades the Jose Contreras pickup.
- Gear Up For Blue Jays Baseball breaks down Kevin Gregg and the rest of Toronto's bullpen.
- Tipi Talk wonders if Rafael Perez could contribute to the Indians as a starting pitcher.
- Dodgers Digital answers questions about how the Dodgers' roster decisions will affect their Triple-A affiliate.
- AdamAdkins.net ranks the top five catchers in the game today.
- Brew Crew Ball provides an easy-to-use guide for creating your own Spring Training story.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Burnett, Chapman, Reyes
Links for Thursday…
- GM John Mozeliak and manager Tony LaRussa both mentioned to MLB.com's Matthew Leach that the Cardinals are not in a rush to add an infielder despite Brendan Ryan's recent wrist surgery.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels knows that it's far from a foregone conclusion that his team will win 87 games again, according to ESPNDallas.com reporter Richard Durrett.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that Aroldis Chapman has looked "very impressive" so far.
- Jose Reyes tells Kevin Kernan of the New York Post that he wants to finish his career with the Mets. Reyes says he's not thinking about the $11MM option the Mets have for his services in 2011.
- The Nats outrighted Doug Slaten to Triple A, according to the team's Twitter. They designated him for assignment two days ago.
- The Rockies and Mariners offered Mark McGwire hitting coach positions, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Mariners made their offer in 2003; the Rockies made theirs a few years ago.
- Victor Martinez tells Alex Speier of WEEI.com that he'd "obviously" like to stay in Boston. The catcher says the negotiations are now under the team's control.
- Carlos Zambrano tells Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald that he would have vetoed a trade had the Cubs approached him about one this offseason.
- Andrew Friedman says he and his front office have assembled "the most talented team in Rays history," according to the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).
- USA Today's Peter Barzilai looks back at some historically good free agent signings.
- Greg Burke cleared waivers, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times. The club placed Burke on unconditional waivers ten days ago.
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that the club find its fifth starter outside of the organization. "We'd love to have a bona fide No. 5 starter," Colletti said.
- Mariano Rivera tells MLB.com's Brian Hoch that he doesn't know how long he's going to continue playing (Twitter link).
- Rockies manager Jim Tracy told Denver Post readers that he helps Dan O'Dowd make personnel decisions when the GM is looking for input.
- In anticipation of the club's scheduled arbitration hearing with Ryan Theriot, Cubs GM Jim Hendry tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that the arbitration process is sometimes unavoidable.
- The Braves signed 17-year-old infield prospect Alejandro Sanchez Martinez to a seven-year contract out of Spain earlier in the winter, according to David Menayo of Marca.com. Thanks to Nick Collias for the translation.
Marlins Sign Mike MacDougal
The Marlins have signed free agent reliever Mike MacDougal to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training. The deal will pay MacDougal $700K if he makes the team, plus there's another $75K in performance bonuses. He joins Jose Veras, Seth McClung and Derrick Turnbow as power bullpen arms the Marlins brought to camp on minor league deals.
MacDougal, 33 in March, served as the Nationals' closer after being released by the White Sox in April. He converted 20 of 21 save chances, though he walked as many men (31) as he struck out in 50 innings of work. MacDougal's fastball flirts with triple-digits, but he's put more than three runners on base for every two innings pitched ever since his All Star season back in 2003.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald originally reported the deal, and Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com added the salary details.
Discussion: Carlos Pena
As the 2009-2010 offseason draws to a close, Hot Stove junkies are already looking ahead to next offseason's free agent market. One of the biggest names slated to hit the market is Carl Crawford of Tampa Bay, but he's not the only big name Ray scheduled to become a free agent. Carlos Pena, the team's first baseman since signing a minor league deal back in 2007, will also hit the open market.
The 31-year-old Pena will earn $10.125MM in 2010 as part of the three-year deal he signed back in 2008, making him the highest paid player on the team. Tampa's payroll is slated to drop below the $60MM mark in 2011, which makes it unlikely that Pena will be back in a Rays' uniform next season. The team that loses out on a potential Adrian Gonzalez bidding war could turn to Pena, who provides similar qualities as a patient (.382 OBP over the last three years), power bat (.553 SLG) from the left side with solid defense (+1.3 UZR) at first.
What do MLBTR's readers think is in store for Pena this season? Will Tampa Bay make him available if they fall out of the race? Or perhaps trade him even if they are in it just to get something in return as opposed to letting him walk as a free agent? What kind of contract could he be looking at after the season?