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Archives for February 2010

Nationals Sign Adam Kennedy

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The Nationals officially signed second baseman Adam Kennedy to a one-year $1.25MM deal today, which includes a $2MM club option for 2011. Kennedy's fate was known to be tied to Orlando Hudson, who signed with the Twins the day before Kennedy agreed to terms with the Nats.

Kennedy, 34, hit .289/.348/.410 in 586 plate appearances for the Athletics last year.  In his career he's been a strong defender at second base, though that was not evident in 2009's 421-inning sample.

The Cardinals released Kennedy in February of '08, eating most of the $4MM owed to him.  The Rays signed him to a minor league deal and traded him to Oakland for a player to be named later in May.  The Rays later received Joe Dillon in that deal.

MLB.com's Bill Ladson first reported the agreement and ESPN.com's Buster Olney added the terms of the deal.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Dye, Mets, Lincecum, Vazquez, Colon

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Some links for your Friday afternoon…

Mariners Re-Sign Mike Sweeney

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The Mariners signed Mike Sweeney to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training. The 36-year-old batted 266 times for the Mariners last year, posting a .266/.335/.442 line. Sweeney was mostly a DH; he played just 35 innings at first base. 

It seems unlikely that the five-time All Star will be on the team's Opening Day roster, since he'll face lots of competition. The Mariners already have Casey Kotchman, Ryan Garko, Ken Griffey Jr. and Milton Bradley at first base and DH.

Sweeney said on a conference call that GM Jack Zduriencik told him it won't be easy to make the team. Two other clubs were willing to offer Sweeney similar opportunities, but he says the Mariners were his "first choice all winter."

If he can't make Seattle's big league roster, he'd like to land a job with another major league team. The Mariners approached his representatives about coaching opportunities earlier in the winter, but Sweeney says he would prefer to play. He has thought about retirement, but wants to give himself the chance to play in the majors first.

Delgado Not Retiring; May Sign Mid-Season

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Carlos Delgado isn't retiring, but you may not find him on anybody's Opening Day roster. The first baseman's agent, David Sloane, tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that Delgado will not be accepting any of the offers currently available to him, some of which are major league deals.

But Delgado does not plan on retiring. Instead, he'll wait for an opportunity to open up.

“When that happens, Carlos will be available," Sloane said. "We’re confident someone will sign him. It’s just a matter of who and when.”

This could mean Delgado joins a team mid-season if and when openings emerge around the league at first base or DH. Two of Delgado's former teams, the Marlins and Mets have some interest.

The 37-year-old is 27 homers away from reaching 500 for his career. Delgado hit 38 homers in 2008 and posted a .914 OPS in 112 plate appearances last year before undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right hip.

Heyman On Damon, Braves, Wang, Dye

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Jon Heyman of SI.com explains that expectations for Johnny Damon were unrealistically high at the beginning of the offseason. Here's Heyman's latest on Damon and others:

  • Tigers manager Jim Leyland is said to want Damon badly.
  • Heyman hears that the Braves might have $6MM to spend. 
  • Chien-Ming Wang's agent says his client is still a week or so away from deciding where he'll sign. Competitors still expect the righty to sign an incentive-laden deal with the Nationals. 
  • We've heard that the Indians are considering Jermaine Dye; Heyman says he could play some first base in Cleveland. 

Lincecum, Giants Agree To Two-Year $23MM Deal

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The Giants agreed to sign Tim Lincecum to a two-year $23MM contract today, avoiding arbitration with the right-hander and giving themselves cost certainty for two of Lincecum's four arbitration years. The deal, which is pending a physical, came together after the Giants delayed their arbitration hearing with the two-time Cy Young Award winner. Lincecum, who was arbitration-eligible for the first time as a Super Two player, filed for $13MM. The Giants countered with $8MM. 

Lincecum will make $8MM this year and $13MM next year. He'll also receive a $2MM signing bonus spread over the course of two seasons.

The Giants offered a three-year $37MM deal in advance of Friday's expected hearing, but Lincecum and agent Rick Thurman rejected it. The club had offered Lincecum a two-year $21MM deal before, only to see his representatives counter with $25MM for the same period. 

Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports first reported that the sides had reached a two-year deal. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explained previous negotiations and tweeted the total value of the deal. Jon Heyman of SI.com added the yearly breakdown via Twitter. Yahoo's Tim Brown first reported that the sides had delayed their hearing and were making progress on a deal.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Braves, Scutaro, Carroll

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On this date eight years ago, Major League Baseball acquired the Montreal Expos from owner Jeffrey Loria for $120MM, who then purchased the Marlins for $158MM. Loria took everything not nailed down in Montreal with him to Florida, including manager Jeff Torborg. MLB ran the Expos for the next four-plus years until ownership was transferred to Ted Lerner in July 2006.

Here's a look at what's being written around the web…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Mets Won’t Add Barajas; Delgado Possible

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The Mets will pursue trades if positional battles at first base and catcher don't result in enough production, according to Kevin Kernan of the New York Post. For now, they seem content to let those positional battles play out. They have decided not to sign Rod Barajas, since they don't consider him the answer behind the plate.

The Mets remain interested in Carlos Delgado, but only on a minor league deal. This makes it likely that Daniel Murphy, Mike Jacobs, Fernando Tatis and Ike Davis will share time at first.

Marlins Rumors: Erstad, Delgado, Uggla

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Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald breaks down the Marlins rotation after Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco before arriving at some rumors. Here they are:

  • The Marlins are considering Darin Erstad, who would like to play this year. The Marlins would use Erstad like they used Ross Gload – at first, in the outfield and as a pinch hitter.
  • They spoke with Carlos Delgado's agent since they have interest in the slugger as a backup first baseman and pinch hitter. The former Marlin wants extensive playing time and more money, however. 
  • Dan Uggla says he's "surprised but very pleased" that the Marlins didn't trade him this offseason. 

Corey Hart Wins Arbitration Hearing

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Brewers outfielder Corey Hart won his arbitration hearing, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.  He'll be paid $4.8MM in 2010, rather than the team's request of $4.15MM.  Hart's hearing marked the Brewers' first since they lost to pitcher Jose Mercedes in '98, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.

Hart's victory should come as no surprise, as hearings are often a crapshoot.  Hart's representatives at CAA have a reputation for being good in the room, also.  One possible comparable, Josh Willingham, settled on Hart's side of the midpoint in January.  Despite a weaker platform year than Willingham, Hart was able to win his extra $650K.

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