Mets Sign Rod Barajas
The Mets officially signed free agent catcher Rod Barajas to one-year Major League deal today. He's guaranteed $500K, with another $400K to come if he's on the team's Opening Day roster. Easily attainable games played incentives could put another $1MM in Barajas' pocket.
Since the Type B free agent agreed to a Major League deal, the Blue Jays will receive a supplemental first-round pick (#41 overall) as compensation. Barajas turned down an offer of arbitration earlier in the winter and it probably cost him. He made $2.5MM with the Blue Jays last year and it would have been a surprise to see the club offer a significantly reduced salary. The Blue Jays, who signed catchers Jose Molina and John Buck, would not have obtained the compensation pick if Barajas had signed a minor league contract.
Mets' catchers hit a league-worst .254/.305/.380 last season. The 34-year-old Barajas hit .226/.258/.403 for the Blue Jays in 460 plate appearances, hitting 19 home runs.
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com originally reported the deal, while SI.com's Jon Heyman added the details. Both links go to Twitter.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Braves Sign Edward Salcedo
The Braves officially signed 18-year-old Dominican shortstop Edward Salcedo to a deal worth $1.6MM today. He was considered one of the best prospects in Latin America back in 2008, however MLB launched an investigation to confirm his age and identity at the Braves’ behest.
Salcedo’s birthday was recently established as July 30, 1991. Originally represented by Scott Boras, Salcedo is now represented by Edgar Mercedes, who said the Braves were his client’s first option. Reports in 2008 indicated that Boras was seeking upwards of $5MM for Salcedo. Atlanta recently applied for a visa to allow him to visit their Spring Training complex.
Atlanta considered Salcedo the equivalent of a high first round pick, which is good because they forfeited their 2010 first rounder to sign Billy Wagner and didn’t receive compensation picks for Rafael Soriano. Already standing 6′-3″, Salcedo is considered to be one of the best offensive players to come out of the Dominican in quite some time, however there are some questions about his ability to remain at short.
The AP first reported that Salcedo’s age had been confirmed (thanks to Nick Collias for the translation), and MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported that the two sides were near an agreement. Dave O’Brien of The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported the terms.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Will Aramis Ramirez Opt Out?
The Cubs will face uncertainty at the infield corners after the 2010 season. We discussed first baseman Derrek Lee earlier today. Now let's take a look at Aramis Ramirez's situation.
Ramirez faces a $14.6MM player option for 2011. He also has a mutual option for 2012 at $16MM, with a $2MM buyout attached. If the club exercises the '12 option and Ramirez declines, he forfeits the buyout. There are also circumstances under which the '12 option can vest. Basically, if he exercises his player option for '11, Ramirez will earn either $16.6MM for one year or $30.6MM for two.
Ramirez, who turns 32 during the season, has consistently raked in his Cubs career. He has had his share of DL trips, with last year's shoulder injury limiting him to 82 games. Even with a big 2010, Ramirez probably can't earn more than $15-16MM per year. It is possible, though, that the free agent market would offer a three or four-year guarantee. Ramirez told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune he won't think about his opt-out clause until after the season. A year ago, Ramirez said he wanted to finish his career with the Cubs.
Heading into the '06 season, Ramirez was in a similar situation. He had the opportunity to void his contract after the season and leave three years/$33.5MM on the table. He did so in October, but a month later signed a below-market five-year, $75MM deal to remain with the Cubs.
Brad Wilkerson Agrees To Deal With Phillies
Outfielder Brad Wilkerson agreed to a minor league deal with the Phillies, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Wilkerson was thought to have retired in April of '09.
Unlike fellow minor league outfield signings Chris Duffy and Dewayne Wise, Wilkerson will not participate in the Phillies' big league camp according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
Odds & Ends: Boone, Smoltz, Benson
Links for Tuesday…
- SI's Tom Verducci lists his 13 most interesting non-roster invitees.
- Aaron Boone has officially retired and joined ESPN as an analyst. USA Today's Bob Nightengale first reported in October that Boone was likely to hang up the spikes.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says that John Smoltz currently prefers to start, but he'll be more open to relieving if he signs midseason. The Cardinals apparently do not have the funds to re-sign Smoltz.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets that Kris Benson is no longer talking to the Nationals, despite the pitcher's assertion yesterday.
- WEEI's Alex Speier tweets that the Red Sox released southpaw Jose Capellan.
- MLB.com's transactions page says Boston also released righty Edwin Moreno, who they signed to a minor league deal a month ago. Augusto Cardenas first tweeted of the move on Thursday, saying that Moreno will play in Mexico instead.
- Speier also has an article about David Ortiz reaching a career crossroads. Speier finds it unlikely that the Sox exercise Ortiz's $12.5MM club option for 2011.
Tigers Designate Casey Fien For Assignment
The Tigers designated righty Casey Fien for assignment to make room for Johnny Damon, according to the team's Twitter page. Fien, 26, posted a 3.41 ERA, 10.2 K/9, and 2.3 BB/9 in 58 Triple A relief innings this year. He struggled in 11.3 big league frames, which marked his Major League debut. Baseball America ranked Fien 27th among Tigers prospects, writing that he "profiles as a middle reliever." Still, his minor league command is intriguing.
Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects
Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list is out, and it's free to all. For comparison, check out MLB.com's Top 50 and Keith Law's Top 100 for ESPN.
Offseason In Review: Chicago White Sox
Next in our Offseason In Review series, the White Sox.
Major League Signings
- J.J. Putz, RP: one year, $3MM.
- Mark Kotsay, OF: one year, $1.5MM.
- Omar Vizquel, IF: one year, $1.375MM.
- Freddy Garcia, SP: one year, $1MM. Club option exercised.
- Ramon Castro, C: one year, $1MM. Includes $1.2MM club option for '11 with $200K buyout.
- Andruw Jones, OF: one year, $500K.
- Total spend: $8.375MM (not included in this number is Matt Thornton's $2.25MM club option, as he would've been arbitration-eligible anyway).
Notable Minor League Signings
Extensions
- Mark Teahen, 3B: three years, $14MM. Bought out two arbitration years and one free agent year.
Trades and Claims
- Claimed OF Alejandro de Aza off waivers from Marlins
- Acquired 3B Mark Teahen and $1.5MM from Royals for 2B Chris Getz and 3B Josh Fields
- Acquired OF Juan Pierre and $10.5MM from Dodgers for P Jon Link and P John Ely
- Claimed RP Freddy Dolsi off waivers from Tigers
Notable Losses
- Scott Podsednik, Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome, D.J. Carrasco, Octavio Dotel, Chris Getz, Josh Fields, Dewayne Wise, Jon Link, John Ely, Wilson Betemit, Jerry Owens, Bartolo Colon, Jimmy Gobble
Summary
The White Sox made a pair of big moves last summer, acquiring Jake Peavy and Alex Rios. Peavy has three years and $52MM remaining, while Rios has five years and $59.7MM. While those were huge commitments, GM Kenny Williams was still pretty active this offseason.
Williams managed to spread $8.375MM over six veteran free agents, keeping his risk low. Williams' riskier moves were the acquisitions of Pierre and Teahen, who will both be given starting jobs. On the open market, would Pierre have matched the two-year, $8MM commitment taken on by the White Sox? And why not go year-to-year with Teahen, who hasn't hit like a corner infielder since '06?
Based on CHONE projections and the Baseball Musings lineup analysis tool, the Sox should score around 780 runs in 2010. That'd place in the middle of the AL and above last year's output, though the projection is probably optimistic since it doesn't account for injuries. There is a decent chance Chicago's offense remains below-average. It would've been worth putting the $2MM used on Jones and Kotsay toward a more productive free agent DH.
Using CHONE projections for earned runs while tweaking their innings estimates, it does seem reasonable to envision the club ranking second in the AL again in starter ERA. The highest projection among their front four is Gavin Floyd's 4.33. Bullpen-wise, the addition of Putz and a full season of Tony Pena offsets the losses of Dotel and Carrasco. Defensively, the Sox will benefit from the subtraction of Dye.
The 2010 White Sox will potentially suffer subpar production at traditionally offensive spots – left field, third base, and designated hitter. They still look like contenders, but it'll be on the strength of their run prevention.
Minor League Transactions: Bierbrodt, Jimerson, Cintron
The latest minor league transactions, from Baseball America's Matt Eddy…
- The Reds signed Aaron Harang's brother Daryl out of the Atlantic League.
- The Rockies signed lefty Nick Bierbrodt, the Diamondbacks' first-ever draft pick in '96. Bierbrodt, 31, sat out the '09 season.
- The Twins signed outfielder Charlton Jimerson out of the Atlantic League. He put up big numbers there in '09.
- The Mets inked second baseman Alex Cintron, who hit .285/.303/.387 in Triple A last year.
Odds & Ends: Tigers, White Sox, Lannan, Looper
Monday night linkage..
- The Tigers went from sellers to buyers this offseason, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck.
- Hank Blalock's former teammates are surprised to see him still without a job, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Earlier today we heard that the Rays and Marlins are thought to have interest in the 29-year-old.
- Pitcher Cha Seung Baek tried out for the Mariners today, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com. Baek last pitched in the majors in 2008 and was released by San Diego in October of 2009.
- Chuck Garfien of CSNChicago.com spoke to White Sox GM Ken Williams, who said that he nearly pulled off a deal that would have possibly given the club the best rotation in the history of the game. Williams wouldn't name names, but Garfien believes that he was referring to Roy Halladay.
- Nats pitcher John Lannan has decided to part ways with agent Andrew Mongelluzzi and latch on with Brodie Van Wagenen of Creative Artists Agency, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Lannan will be arbitration-eligible after the 2010 season and become a free agent after the 2013 campaign.
- While the Dodgers remain in contact with Braden Looper's representation, the chances for a deal are slim as they cannot offer him a spot in the rotation or the salary he wants, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.