Chien-Ming Wang Rumors: Thursday
Chien-Ming Wang's agent says his client does not have a formal or informal deal in place with the Nationals, writes Chico Harlan of the Washington Post. Alan Nero says recent reports that indicated a deal was in place are inaccurate.
Glavine To Retire, Takes Job With Braves
Tom Glavine is expected to retire and take a job as a special assistant to Braves president John Schuerholz, writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman. The future-Hall of Famer will help his former team with baseball and business projects and contribute to radio and TV broadcasts.
Glavine will retire with a pair of Cy Young Awards and a 3.54 ERA in over 4400 innings of work. The ten-time All Star and 1995 World Series champion won a total of 305 games, thanks in part to five 20-win seasons. Glavine didn't pitch in the majors last year, so he will likely enter the Hall of Fame in the same class as longtime rotation-mate Greg Maddux.
The Braves signed Glavine to an incentive-laden deal last year, one that would have paid the lefty $1MM for making the team. The Braves released Glavine instead and the pitcher contemplated a grievance before taking the rest of the year off in spite of interest from other clubs.
Mets Reach Agreement With Hisanori Takahashi
The Mets reached an agreement with Hisanori Takahashi on a minor league deal that will pay the lefty $1MM if he's in the majors. The deal also includes up to $2MM in performance bonuses.
Takahashi, 35 in April, is a flyball/command pitcher who can fill a swingman role. The Mets, who signed Japanese reliever Ryota Igarashi earlier this offseason, could start Takahashi in the minors.
In 144 innings for the Yomiuri Giants, Takahashi pitched to a 2.94 ERA. He had good strikeout (7.9 K/9) and walk (2.3 BB/9) rates, too.
ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reported that the sides reached an agreement after David Waldstein of the New York Times reported they were on the verge of one. Crasnick, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports and Waldstein added financial details (Twitter links). Before that, NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman passed along a Sports Hochi report indicating that Takahashi would sign with the Mets or Dodgers.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Fantasy Baseball Catcher Rankings
Fantasy baseball season is gearing up, as is my fantasy site RotoAuthority.com. Today I've taken a stab at ranking the top 24 catchers for 2010 - check it out.
“Nothing Is Closed” For Smoltz
10:47am: Smoltz is seeking at least $3MM, reports David Waldstein of the New York Times. Waldstein feels that the Mets' near-agreement with Hisanori Takahashi takes them out of the running for Smoltz.
9:58am: Free agent pitcher John Smoltz was noncommittal in his talk with Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In reference to his next team, Smoltz replied, "Nothing is closed for me." He has nothing in the works and hasn't decided whether he'll wait until midseason to sign.
Understandably, Schultz gives extra play to the possibility of a Braves reunion. It'd be a nice way to go out, and Smoltz remains in contact with Braves manager Bobby Cox. Still, as far as opportunities go, the Braves appear set with their rotation and the back end of the bullpen.
Ten teams have expressed interest in Smoltz at various points this winter, according to reports: the Nationals, Mets, Phillies, Yankees, Cardinals, Dodgers, Mariners, Astros, Rangers, and Orioles.
Giants Offer Three-Year Deal To Lincecum
The Giants offered a three-year, $37MM deal to Tim Lincecum, reports John Shea and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Specifically it'd pay $9.5MM in '10, $12.5MM in '11, and $15MM in '12, buying out three of Lincecum's four arbitration years. Shea says Lincecum's agent Rick Thurman "countered with a proposal north of $40 million." Plus, Thurman wants the first-year salary within a multiyear deal to be close to the $13MM figure they submitted. You have to imagine he'd at least want to top Ryan Howard's first-year arbitration figure of $10MM.
Giants assistant GM Bobby Evans told Shea talks are ongoing, though the sides have not spoken in 72 hours. Shea says "such a lapse in negotiations isn't unusual." If no deal is reached prior, a hearing will be held tomorrow where Lincecum's 2010 salary will be decided at $8MM or $13MM by a three-person panel.
As you know, there's no comparable for Lincecum whether we're talking about his first arbitration year or a multiyear deal. Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander are not Super Two players and signed extensions after their first arbitration years. But both received about $20-23MM for their first three arbitration years.
Odds & Ends: McClung, Aurilia, Lincecum, Brewers
Links for Wednesday…
- According to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, Seth McClung's deal with the Marlins would be worth $800K if he makes the team, not $600K as originally reported (link goes to Twitter).
- MLB.com's Tom Singer wrote about the hazards of signing pitchers to five-year deals.
- Baggarly tweets that even though he isn't retired, Rich Aurilia has a broadcasting deal in place that is contingent on him not finding a job on the field.
- Tim Lincecum and the Giants are still no closer to a deal, reports Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News. Their arbitration hearing is now less than two days away.
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy takes a look back at the Brewers' arbitration history. The team is scheduled to go to a hearing with Corey Hart tomorrow, which would be their first in 12 years.
- Mariners' GM Jack Zduriencik did not rule out the possibility of adding a catcher, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com (via Twitter).
- RotoAuthority analyzes the Blue Jays' closer situation from a fantasy baseball angle.
- SI's Jon Heyman names his free agent winners and losers. It's a well-done piece; my only gripe is Jason Marquis being in the loser bracket after signing a two-year, $15MM deal.
- ESPN's Buster Olney reports that before signing with the Padres, catcher Yorvit Torrealba "offered himself to the Mets for $1.4MM." The Mets "indicated they had no money to spend."
- Aaron Schafer of Viva El Birdos grades the Cardinals' offseason moves and non-moves.
Discussion: Josh Beckett
When the Red Sox signed John Lackey earlier this offseason, many wondered if Josh Beckett's time in Boston was coming to an end. Beckett's $12.1MM option for 2010 vested in early September, though with Lackey joining incumbents Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Clay Buchholz, and Tim Wakefield, the Sox could probably afford to let Beckett walk after the season instead of giving him a huge payday.
Beckett will turn 30 in May, and during his four years in Boston he's posted a 4.05 ERA in 122 starts, twice appearing in an All Star Game and once winning the World Series. His 4.38 K/BB ratio over the last three seasons trails only Mariano Rivera, Kevin Slowey, Dan Haren, and Roy Halladay, while his 3.28 xFIP lags behind only Tim Lincecum among starters in that time. The performance is not an issue, but as WEEI.com's Rob Bradford writes, the health of Beckett's shoulder might be.
We've already heard that Boston would probably use Halladay's three-year, $60MM deal (minus $6-8MM) as a guideline for a Beckett extension instead of Lackey's five-year, $82.5MM deal. However if he has a strong 2010 season, it shouldn't be too hard for Beckett to find more than that on the free agent market, even in this economic climate.
What do you think the Sox should do with Beckett after the season? Offer him the long-term deal he probably deserves, or hold the line like they did with Jason Bay and take him back on their terms only? Aces in their prime don't exactly flood the market, after all.
Johnny Damon Rumors: Wednesday
6:42pm: MLB.com's Mark Bowman hears from a source that even with deferred money, the Braves offer to Damon totals less than $4MM (link goes to Twitter).
4:04pm: Tyler Kepner of the New York Times tweets that he's hearing the Braves' offer to Damon is $2MM now plus another $2MM deferred.
11:22am: Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported that Johnny Damon had not moved off his demand for a two-year deal. They suggested the Tigers were the most interested club, a notion SI's Jon Heyman agreed with this morning. Rosenthal and Morosi wrote that the Braves were taking a more passive approach than the Tigers.
However, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports today that the Braves' interest in Damon has increased, to the point of making an offer in the $5MM range. MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports that the offer includes some deferred money. O'Brien says the Braves recently made a one-year offer and had Chipper Jones contact Damon. Additionally, Damon texted O'Brien and described the Braves as "definitely a team that is on top of the list."
Adeiny Hechevarria Drawing Interest
6:06pm: Arangure mentions (via Twitter) that Hechevarria still has to be "unblocked" by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, meaning it could be weeks before he's able to sign.
2:24pm: Adeiny Hechevarria is the next big thing out of Cuba, tweets ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. ESPN's Mark Saxon has the scoop on the 19-year-old shortstop.
Saxon says the Angels and five other teams watched Hechevarria in the Dominican Republic last week and bidding "could reach eight figures." Indeed, Arangure tweets that he expects Hechevarria to get more than Jose Iglesias' $8.2MM. The blog Cuban Ball Players has video and a profile of Hechevarria, and AOL Fanhouse's Frankie Piliere tweets one evaluator's take.