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Cody Ross Wins Arbitration Hearing

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Cody Ross won his arbitration hearing with the Marlins, tweets Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. The outfielder will earn $4.45MM this year instead of the $4.2MM salary the Marlins offered.

Ross, 29, hit .270/.321/.469 in 604 plate appearances for the Marlins last year. He logged over 1300 innings in center and right, posting a UZR/150 of -7.8. That stat wouldn't have figured into the arbitration hearing, but his 24 homers and 90 RBI might have.

Ross, who won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2011 season, earned $2.25MM for the Marlins last year. Corey Hart, a comparable outfielder who figures to hit free agency when Ross does, won his hearing with the Brewers last week.

Red Sox Notes: Lowell, V-Mart, Beckett

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Mike Lowell is playing catch, but isn't yet swinging a bat as he recovers from a thumb injury, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. That means the third baseman isn't going anywhere for now, but GM Theo Epstein says there's a chance the Red Sox trade Lowell eventually.

"Once he gets healthy, it will take care of itself," Epstein said. "If he’s really impressive and impressive to other clubs, maybe something can be worked out."

The GM noted that the club will have discussions with Victor Martinez about the catcher's future with the Red Sox, especially after hearing that V-Mart wants to extend his stay in Boston. Fellow 2011 free agent Josh Beckett has yet to address his future with the Red Sox, but the pitcher arrived to camp in top form and appears ready for a big year.

Offseason In Review: Boston Red Sox

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Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Red Sox.

Major League Signings

  • John Lackey, SP: five years, $82.5MM.  Also gave #29 pick to Angels.
  • Mike Cameron, CF: two years, $15.5MM.
  • Marco Scutaro, SS: two years, $12.5MM.  Includes $6MM club option/$3MM player option for '12 with a $1.5MM buyout.  Also gave #78 pick to Blue Jays.
  • Adrian Beltre, 3B: one year, $10MM.  Includes $5MM player option for '11 that can become $10MM with 640 PAs.
  • Victor Martinez, C: one year, $7.7MM.  Exercised club option.
  • Tim Wakefield, P: two years, $5MM.
  • Jason Varitek, C: one year, $3MM.  Exercised player option.
  • Scott Atchison, RP: one year, $430K.  Club options at near league minimum for '11 and '12.
  • Fabio Castro, P: one year, $400K (estimate).
  • Total spend: $137.03MM.

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

The Red Sox did most of their tinkering in free agency, bringing in an ace starter, a center fielder, and a new left side of the infield.  The defensive improvements could add eight or nine wins, theorizes John Dewan.  Last year I liked the additions of Brad Penny and John Smoltz, but the pair contributed a 6.24 ERA in 171.6 innings for more than $10MM.  This time around Lackey projects at a 3.97 ERA, while #4-5 starters Clay Buchholz and Daisuke Matsuzaka project in the low 4.00s.

Worried about the offense?  Don't be, as CHONE projects the Sox will very nearly match last year's 5.38 runs per game.  That's optimistic, since the starting nine won't play every single game, but it still looks like a deep crew.  The revamped Red Sox remain one of the best teams in the AL.

Odds & Ends: Maya, Sheffield, Rays, Yankees

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Monday night linkage..

  • Jon Heyman of SI writes that the Dodgers and Rockies have watched Eric Gagne throw and both teams have shown the willingness to take a chance.  A few weeks ago we learned that Colorado was thinking about extending a non-roster invite to the 34-year-old.
  • The Red Sox might not be close to signing Cuban pitcher Yuniesky Maya, a source familiar with the negotiations tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.  There's a good chance that Maya will instead choose a team that offers a better opportunity to immediately enter its starting rotation.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson writes that Gary Sheffield would not be a good fit for the Nationals as he wants to play every day.  Ladson spoke to a major league source who believes that Sheffield will not accept a role as a backup.
  • Jason Beck of MLB.com fielded a question from a reader, asking why the Tigers dealt Curtis Granderson, only to pursue Johnny Damon instead.  Beck says that the Granderson trade brought Detroit financial flexibility and prospects.  He also credits agent Scott Boras for helping to create an opportunity for Damon.
  • Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg told 620-AM WDAE that the club's payroll will drop below $60MM in 2011, despite having a payroll north of $70MM this season.  Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times points out that while the club didn't plan to make any big additions this year, they found room for Rafael Soriano after dealing Scott Kazmir and Akinori Iwamura.
  • If Mike Jacobs doesn't make the Mets major league roster, Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News doesn't expect him to play for the club's Triple-A affiliate.  Even though his minor league deal doesn't have an out-clause, Rubin is "virtually positive" that the Mets would accommodate him with a trade or release.
  • In his latest mailbag, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch supports Yankees GM Brian Cashman's decision to wait to negotiate with upcoming free agents Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.  Hoch believes that both players should be confident that they'll both be taken care of eventually.

Mark Mulder Not Ready To Retire

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8:58pm: Mulder told Slusser that even though he is going to "shut [his arm] down from throwing," he is not calling it quits just yet.

1:14pm: Mulder's agent Gregg Clifton told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that reports of his client retiring are not accurate, as Mulder hasn't made a decision.  However, Mulder's former teammate Eric Chavez told MLB.com's Jane Lee the pitcher is "done."

8:45am: Lefty Mark Mulder is retiring, according to television reports from Today's TMJ4 of Milwaukee.  The 32-year-old has been unable to contribute in the big leagues after having rotator cuff surgery in September of '06.

Mulder would finish with a 4.18 ERA and 103 wins in nine seasons for the Athletics and Cardinals spanning 1,314 innings.  88 of those wins came from 2001-05.  He won three postseason games, with a 2.34 ERA in 42.3 innings.  Mulder finished second in the Cy Young voting in his sophomore season, and made two All-Star teams.  According to Baseball-Reference, Mulder banked about $33MM in his career.

Johnny Damon Rumors: Monday

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There is now only a "very small" difference of opinion between the Tigers and Johnny Damon on salary, a major league source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Though the sides have exchanged proposals, a deal is not yet imminent.

A one-year, $7MM remains possible; as does a two-year, $14MM pact.  However, the source downplayed the chances of a one-year deal with a player option for 2011.

A different source tells Morosi that the Braves have not ratcheted up their chase of the 36-year-old in the last week, leaving the White Sox as the strongest known challenger to the Tigers.

Rangers Sign Endy Chavez

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The Rangers signed outfielder Endy Chavez to a minor league deal. The outfielder will earn $1MM if he makes the team and the Rangers have a $1.25MM option for Chavez's services in 2011.

The 32-year-old's season ended prematurely last year when he collided with Yuniesky Betancourt and tore his ACL. 

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, who first reported the deal (via Twitter), noted last week that Chavez could be ready in April or May. Jon Heyman of SI.com added the terms of the contract (via Twitter).

Chavez has hit .270/.312/.367 in his nine-season career.  However, he is better known for his defense, as demonstrated by his lifetime UZR/150 of 15.7 and his famous catch in game seven of the 2006 NLCS.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Rays Sign Joaquin Benoit

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The Rays signed reliever Joaquin Benoit to a minor league deal that will pay the righty $750K if he makes the team, plus up to $500K in performance bonuses. Benoit, 32, had rotator cuff surgery in January of '09. The Rays will have a bargain if he can return to his '07 level of performance: a 2.85 ERA and 9.5 K/9 in 82 innings. That season prompted the Rangers to sign Benoit to a two-year, $6MM deal.

The Rays' other minor league deals for pitchers this winter included Winston Abreu, Heath Phillips, R.J. Swindle, and Matt Bush.

Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reported the deal and its terms via Twitter.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Molina, Maya, Damon, Marlins

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Links for Monday…

Out Of Options 2010

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Here is MLBTR's list of players who are out of options and have less than five years of service time.  These players would have to clear waivers before being sent to the minors.  Right now the list is missing a few names, but journalists are on the case.

Athletics
Chad Gaudin, Eric Patterson, Mike Wuertz, Jake Fox, Rajai Davis

Angels
Brandon Wood, Brian Stokes, Bobby Wilson, Reggie Willits, Terry Evans

Astros
Alberto Arias, Yorman Bazardo, Tim Byrdak, Jeff Keppinger, Humberto Quintero

Blue Jays
Brian Tallet, Shawn Camp, Dustin McGowan, Merkin Valdez, Dana Eveland

Braves
Melky Cabrera

Brewers
Todd Coffey, Corey Hart, Joe Inglett, George Kottaras, Chris Narveson, Manny Parra, Rickie Weeks

Cardinals
Skip Schumaker, Ryan Ludwick, Blake Hawksworth

Cubs
Jeff Baker, Tom Gorzelanny, Angel Guzman, Koyie Hill, Geovany Soto

Diamondbacks
Blaine Boyer, Leo Rosales, Edwin Jackson

Dodgers
Hong-Chih Kuo, Ronald Belisario, Charlie Haeger

Giants
Travis Ishikawa, Fred Lewis, Brandon Medders, Nate Schierholtz, Andres Torres, Eugenio Velez

Indians
Fausto Carmona, Shin-Soo Choo, Anderson Hernandez, Andy Marte, Rafael Perez, Mitch Talbot

Mariners
David Aardsma, Brandon League, Franklin Gutierrez, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Ian Snell, Ryan Langerhans

Marlins
Dan Meyer, Leo Nunez, Renyel Pinto, Brian Sanches, Cody Ross

Mets
Nelson Figueroa, Fernando Nieve

Nationals
Jason Bergmann, Brian Bruney, Sean Burnett, Tyler Clippard, Tyler Walker, Mike Morse, Josh Willingham, Alberto Gonzalez

Orioles
Matt Albers, Robert Andino, Jeremy Guthrie, Felix Pie

Padres
Edward Mujica, Tim Stauffer, Sean Gallagher, Tony Gwynn Jr.

Phillies

Pirates
Andy LaRoche, Delwyn Young, Ronny Cedeno, Joel Hanrahan, Hayden Penn

Rangers
Joaquin Arias, Andres Blanco, Nelson Cruz, Luis Mendoza, Dustin Nippert, Scott Feldman

Rays
Willy Aybar, Jason Bartlett, Lance Cormier, Elliot Johnson

Red Sox
Boof Bonser, Manny Delcarmen

Reds
Homer Bailey, Wladimir Balentien, Nick Masset

Rockies
Jason Hammel, Clint Barmes

Royals
Alberto Callaspo, Roman Colon, Kyle Davies, Josh Fields, Luke Hochevar, Anthony Lerew, Brayan Pena, Robinson Tejeda, Mitch Maier

Tigers
Don Kelly, Brad Thomas, Bobby Seay, Ramon Santiago

Twins
Scott Baker, Clay Condrey, Alexi Casilla, Brendan Harris, Delmon Young

White Sox
Jayson Nix, Sergio Santos, Gavin Floyd

Yankees
Sergio Mitre

Thanks to the following sources for the information: Matt Eddy, Susan Slusser, Bill Plunkett, Brian McTaggart, Jordan Bastian, Brewerfan.net, Nick Piecoro, Ken Gurnick, Chris Haft, Anthony Castrovince, Geoff Baker, Joe Capozzi, Adam Rubin, Ben Goessling, Dan Connolly, Corey Brock, Dejan Kovacevic, T.R. Sullivan, Marc Topkin, Alex Speier, Mark Sheldon, Jon Paul Morosi, La Velle E. Neal III, Scott Merkin, Bryan Hoch, Bob Dutton, Greg Schaum, Mark Wilkins

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