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Archives for February 2010

Giants Sign Todd Wellemeyer

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The Giants signed Todd Wellemeyer to a minor league deal, reports Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the deal will be worth at least $1MM if he makes the team, plus performance bonuses.  The Giants had been named as the favorite by Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post on Friday.

Wellemeyer, 31, had a decent 2008 season for the Cardinals despite middling peripheral stats.  A big innings jump in '08 may have contributed to an elbow injury last year.  Wellemeyer's numbers worsened across the board in his '09 walk year, leading to a 5.89 ERA in 122.3 innings.  Still, there's nothing to lose for the Giants by signing him to a minor league deal.  The Rockies, Mets, Phillies, and D'Backs were also linked to Wellemeyer this winter.

Victor Martinez Heads Into Contract Year

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The Boston Globe's Tony Massarotti breaks down Victor Martinez's impending free agency, comparing the catcher's walk year situation with Jason Bay's 2009.  The Red Sox haven't had serious extension discussions with Martinez yet, though such talks are often reserved for Spring Training.

Massarotti uses David Ortiz ($13MM), Jorge Posada ($13MM) and Joe Mauer (a projected $20MM) to set the boundaries for Martinez's next salary.  However, Ortiz's extension was signed four years ago, Posada's over two years ago.  And Mauer might deserve unique superstar consideration.

Martinez's biggest wart is his 2008 season, lost to an elbow injury.  The other concern is his ability to serve as a full-time catcher – he hasn't caught a full season since '07.  If Martinez's projected .294/.366/.450 performance comes as a first baseman/DH, he's suddenly in line for a Hideki Matsui or Adam LaRoche-type contract – one year, $6MM.  Since Martinez will catch full-time in 2010, it'll allow the Red Sox to gauge where he belongs in the following seasons.

Odds & Ends: Lincecum, Jackson, Blalock, Bedard

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Some Tuesday night links…

Mariners Transactions: Pauley, Koplove, Speigner

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The Mariners completed a slew of minor moves today…

  • David Pauley was signed to a minor league deal. The 26-year-old spent 2009 in the Orioles system, posting a 4.37 ERA in 152.1 Triple-A innings.
  • Mike Koplove was re-signed to a minor league deal. The 33-year-old finished the 2009 in Seattle's system, putting up a 1.87 ERA in 72.1 Triple-A innings. He also pitched in the Phillies' and Pirates' systems last season.
  • Levale Speigner also signed a minor league deal. The 29-year-old had a 2.56 ERA while pitching in the Marlins' farm system in 2009.
  • The team also signed righty Steven Shell, lefty Chris Seddon, and catcher Guillermo Quiroz to minor league pacts.

Padres Place Greg Burke On Unconditional Waivers

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The Padres have placed righty Greg Burke on unconditional waivers to free up a roster spot for Yorvit Torrealba, tweets Dan Hayes of The North County Times. Burke will become a free agent if he goes unclaimed, but he also has the right to refuse any claims so he can hit the open market.

The 27-year-old reached the majors for the first time in 2009, posting a 4.14 ERA with a 1.43 K/BB ratio in 45.2 innings of relief. Burke had surgery to repair a debridement in his throwing shoulder in early October, and it's unclear if he'll be healthy for Spring Training.

Wang Has Offers, Could Sign Soon

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5:04pm: MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that the Nationals are "aggressively pursuing" Wang, and that they are one of the finalists for his services. Ladson adds that it's unknown if they've made him an offer, though.

4:02pm: Chien-Ming Wang has received offers from two clubs and could sign soon, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Mets and Dodgers are not among the teams to offer Wang a contract. Rosenthal hears that the 29-year-old Wang would like to play for Joe Torre again, but Torre's Dodgers are lagging behind in their pursuit of the right-hander. As for the Mets, they're even further behind than the Dodgers.

The Orioles have discussed Wang and the Cardinals, Nationals and Phillies have all been connected to him this offseason. Rosenthal says the Blue Jays were in on Erik Bedard and wonders if they could pursue Wang, too.

Wang, who is recovering from arthroscopic shoulder surgery, will likely make a decision within a week or ten days.

Padres Sign Yorvit Torrealba

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The Padres signed Yorvit Torrealba to a one-year $1.25MM deal that includes a mutual option for 2011. The catcher, who passed his physical today, will earn $750K this year. There's a $500K buyout on a $3.5MM mutual option for the following season. 

Torrealba, 31, hit .291/.351/.380 in 242 plate appearances for the Rockies last year, catching 545.3 innings.  Torrealba split time last year with a solid young catcher in Chris Iannetta, and he'll do so again this year with Nick Hundley.

We learned on Monday from Olney that despite an offer in hand from San Diego, Torrealba hoped to engage the Mets.  However, the Mets may be done spending.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported that the sides were nearing a deal and followed up with the terms of the contract, all on Twitter. Dan Hayes of the North County Times tweeted that Torrealba passed his physical.

Finding Jobs For Aging, Positionless Players

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Let’s consider Jermaine Dye. He hit 27 homers last year and played at least 137 games for the sixth consecutive season. But a GM who considered signing the 36-year-old tells Tom Verducci of SI.com that he backed off when he determined that Dye was essentially a DH. 

The GM says "the subjective and objective defensive measurements" mean Dye’s value is considerably lower than it would have been even a few years ago. In other words, Dye's poor defense is going to cost him.
 
Dye isn’t the only one whose value has sunk. It’s no coincidence that old, positionless players like Carlos Delgado, Garret Anderson and Gary Sheffield are still free agents, too. 

Teams want young players who can play defense. One GM says it makes sense for teams to think twice about signing older sluggers.

“With age and defense — and teams have different ways of measuring defense — the information and emphasis is somewhat legitimate,” he said.

Some veterans – Craig Counsell and Omar Vizquel, for example – add value on defense and find jobs. But it's becoming harder for one-dimensional players to do the same.

Orioles Have Some Interest In Jarrod Washburn

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The Orioles have some interest in Jarrod Washburn, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. However, Morosi's source says that Scott Boras would have to lower his client's price "pretty far" for the Orioles to become serious bidders for Washburn. 

We've been hearing for a while that Washburn would prefer to pitch for the Twins or Mariners. Playing in the AL East would be a difficult way for the lefty to re-establish his value.

The Orioles are unlikely to add Todd Wellemeyer, Braden Looper or John Smoltz, according to Morosi's source. Two clubs who are looking for bargain starters: the pitching-deep Blue Jays and the Mets.

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