Rangers Deny Contacting Andy Pettitte
8:10pm: Rangers sources denied to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch that they've contacted Pettitte. The only contact between the team and the left-hander occured after the ALCS when Pettitte called Ryan to congratulate him.
5:59pm: Rangers president Nolan Ryan recently contacted Andy Pettitte to try and persuade the left-hander to return to Texas, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Though Pettitte appeared to be leaning toward a return to the Bronx, he will presumably consider the Rangers' pitch since they play relatively close to Deer Park, Texas, where he lives. Pettitte left the Yankees for the Astros after the 2003 season only to return to New York three years later.
The Rangers' interest could spark an unusual dynamic between the Rangers and the team they defeated in this year's ALCS. The Yankees are interested in lefty Cliff Lee, so the two teams appear to be bidding against one another for their best left-handed starters.
The Yankees did not offer Pettitte arbitration, so the Rangers wouldn't have to surrender a draft choice to sign Pettitte. Like longtime teammate and fellow free agent Derek Jeter, Pettitte gains leverage because of interest from other teams.
Talks Progressing For Yankees, Rivera
8:08pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com reports on Twitter that no deal appears imminent.
7:53pm: The Yankees are "quietly closing in on a contract" with Mariano Rivera, according to Ken Fidlin of the Toronto Sun. Rivera is seeking a two-year deal, but the Yankees haven’t yet agreed to sign him for more than one season, according to Fidlin.
Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal reports that the team will talk to agent Fern Cuza this week, and could very well have an agreement in place by the end of next week's winter meetings.
Kevin Correia To Decline Arbitration
The agent for Kevin Correia says the right-hander will turn down the Padres' offer of arbitration, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter). Correia is open to returning to San Diego, but is not yet ready to rule out other teams. The 30-year-old pitched to a 5.40 ERA in 145 innings last year and posted 7.1 K/9 with 4.0 BB/9, but lost his rotation spot to Tim Stauffer after slumping late in the season. Baseball understandably took a backseat in Correia's life this year, as he tragically lost his 21-year-old brother in May.
If you're wondering which ranked free agents have accepted or turned down arbitration in advance of tomorrow night's deadline, check out MLBTR's free agent arbitration offer tracker.
De La Rosa Could Sign Sooner Than Expected
Two teams have offered Jorge de la Rosa contracts and two more may make proposals within a day, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Rockies and Nationals have offered deals and the Pirates, Orioles, Rangers, Brewers and Yankees all have at least some interest in the free agent left-hander, who may sign sooner than expected.
The Rockies are not prepared to offer more than three years, but some other teams are prepared to make four-year commitments, Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post reported last week. Since the Rockies offered De La Rosa arbitration, he will cost other teams a top draft pick in June of 2011.
Octavio Dotel To Decline Arbitration
Octavio Dotel will decline the Rockies' offer of arbitration, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The Rockies will obtain a supplementary first round pick in next year's draft for losing the Type B free agent as long as he signs a major league deal with another team.
The 37-year-old pitched for three clubs in 2010, posting a 4.08 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 64 total innings. Dotel saved 21 games for the Pirates before being dealt to the Dodgers and Rockies. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested in June that Dotel may pursue a deal like the one he signed with the White Sox: $11MM for two years.
If you're wondering which ranked free agents have accepted or turned down arbitration, check out MLBTR's free agent arbitration offer tracker.
Gregg Drawing Interest, Will Turn Down Arbitration
Kevin Gregg is drawing interest from the Angels, Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays and will turn down Toronto's offer of arbitration, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). All four of those teams could be in the market for a closer, but they aren't the only ones interested in Gregg.
Since the right-hander is a Type B free agent, teams won't have to surrender a draft choice to sign him. The Blue Jays will obtain a supplementary first rounder if Gregg signs a big league deal elsewhere. If you're wondering which ranked free agents have accepted or turned down arbitration, check out MLBTR's free agent arbitration offer tracker.
When Mike Axisa broke down Gregg's free agent stock yesterday, he explained that closing experience, a history of health and high strikeout rates should play in Gregg's favor. The 32-year-old walks lots of hitters, but he may very well get another chance to close.
Giants Contact Jeter’s Agent
The Giants have contacted Casey Close, the agent for Derek Jeter, according to Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal. However, the Giants are not seriously pursuing Jeter and there’s no evidence that a team other than the Yankees is bidding on the shortstop.
A rival executive tells Costa that he fully expects Jeter to re-sign in New York, even though his representatives are in contact with other teams. The Giants, who recently lost Juan Uribe to the rival Dodgers, are focusing on finding a shortstop. Though it's highly unlikely that the Giants sign Jeter, they do have a connection to him. When the Yankees drafted Jeter in 1992, current Giants GM Brian Sabean was their vice president of player development.
Jeter and the Yankees are far apart, though the team has made multiple proposals. GM Brian Cashman encouraged Close to talk to other clubs and it appears that the agent has acted accordingly.
Rangers, Torrealba Agree To Two-Year Deal
The Rangers agreed to sign Yorvit Torrealba to a two-year, $6.25MM deal that will pay the catcher $3MM in 2011 and $3.25MM in 2012. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram first reported the deal (on Twitter) and Anthony Andro of the Star-Telegram reported the terms of the contract (on Twitter).
Torrealba and his representatives at MDR Sports moved on from the Padres, who offered him arbitration, but not a multi-year deal. San Diego will rely on Nick Hundley to take on a bigger role and obtain a supplementary first round draft pick for losing Torrealba, a Type B free agent.
Torrealba hit .271/.343/.378 in 363 plate appearances last year. He batted more in 2010 than in any year except 2007, the lone season of his career in which he caught 100-plus games. The former Giant and Rockie has a .708 OPS in parts of ten big league seasons. Tip of the cap to MLBTR's Mark Polishuk, who correctly predicted on November 10th that Torrealba would land with the Rangers.
It seems likely that free agent Bengie Molina will sign elsewhere and that Max Ramirez and Taylor Teagarden will be candidates to back Torrealba up. Rod Barajas, Gerald Laird, Miguel Olivo, A.J. Pierzynski and Jason Varitek are among the catchers still available on the free agent market.
Boras & Angels Have Met Multiple Times
Scott Boras says he has met with Angels officials to discuss his free agent clients more than once this offseason, according to Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The agent represents Adrian Beltre, Jayson Werth and Rafael Soriano, the Boras client the Angels appear to be targeting most pointedly. Though Carl Crawford remains the Angels’ top free agent target, it appears that they can afford both Crawford and Soriano.
Though Boras has presumably been in contact with most or all of baseball's 30 teams since the World Series, the Angels figure to be of particular interest. They have multiple offseason needs and the resources to address them with free agent additions. Boras, meanwhile, has a suite at Angel Stadium, which is relatively near his agency's Newport Beach headquarters.
Astros Talk Extension With Wandy, Not Bourn, Pence
Astros GM Ed Wade told Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle that the team has discussed a multi-year deal with Wandy Rodriguez, but not with Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence, who are further away from free agency. Rodriguez hits free agency after the 2011 season, Bourn after the 2012 season and Pence after the 2013 season.
Rodriguez’s representatives approached Wade about a deal during the season, but the sides postponed serious talks until the winter. A year ago, the Astros won their arbitration case against the left-hander, limiting him to a $5MM salary in 2010.
An extension would likely pay Rodriguez $7-8MM in 2011 and $10MM or more for each season of free agency the Astros buy out. Tim Dierkes suggested this summer that Joe Blanton’s three-year $24MM contract could become a model for the Astros and Rodriguez.
The 31-year-old posted a 3.60 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 195 innings last year. It was the third consecutive season he has had an ERA of 3.60 or better and a strikeout rate of 8.0 per nine or better.