Aramis Ramirez Exercises Player Option
Aramis Ramirez informed the Cubs that he is exercising his player option instead of testing the free agent market, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. Late in the season Ramirez declared his intention to remain in Chicago, so this announcement is just a formality.
Ramirez has a 2011 player option for $14.6MM and the Cubs will have to pay him $2MM more even if they buy him out in 2012. The 32-year-old struggled early in 2010, but hit better as the year progressed and finished with a .241/.294/.452 line and 25 home runs.
Nationals Decline 2011 Option For Adam Kennedy
The Nationals declined the 2011 option for Adam Kennedy, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (on Twitter). Washington held a $2MM option for the infielder's services with a $500K buyout.
Kennedy, 34, batted .249/.327/.327 in 389 plate appearances for Washington this year. He joins a free agent market filled with some solid regulars and others who will have to battle for playing time. Kennedy is not a ranked free agent, so the Nats have no shot at draft pick compensation.
Reds Finalize Option Decisions As Expected
The Reds picked up Jonny Gomes' 2011 option and declined the options for Orlando Cabrera and Aaron Harang, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Gomes' option is for $1.75MM, Cabrera's buyout is for $1MM (instead of a $4MM salary) and Harang's buyout is for $2MM ($12.75MM salary). As expected, the Reds exercised their 2011 for Bronson Arroyo earlier today.
Harang is an unranked free agent, but Cabrera is a Type B, so the Reds could technically obtain a draft pick if he turns down arbitration to sign elsewhere. It seems unlikely that the Reds would offer arbitration, since they turned down Cabrera's option.
Mariners Decline Options; D’Backs Claim Sweeney
The Mariners declined their 2011 options for Erik Bedard, Russell Branyan and Jose Lopez. The Mariners had a $5MM mutual option with Branyan and an $8MM mutual option with Bedard. Lopez is still arbitration-eligible, but he’s a candidate to be non-tendered next month.
The Mariners also announced that the Diamondbacks claimed righty Brian Sweeney off of waivers. Kevin Towers’ bullpen reconstruction has begun. Sweeney, 36, pitched for the Padres in 2004 and 2006 when Towers was the GM in San Diego. More recently, the right-hander posted a 3.16 ERA with 3.4 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 37 innings for the Mariners this year.
Outfielder Ryan Langerhans and catcher Guillermo Quiroz elected free agency after the Mariners outrighted them to Triple-A. The Mariners also outrighted lefty Ryan Feierabend, lefty Chris Seddon and righty Sean White to Triple-A and all three can become free agents.
Braves Claim Joe Mather
The Braves claimed Joe Mather off of waivers from St. Louis, according to the Cardinals' Twitter account. Atlanta has had interest in Mather for a while, reportedly offering Rafael Soriano for him two winters ago and discussing a different trade involving Blaine Boyer.
Mather, 28, has a .233/.287/.415 line in 211 career plate appearances. He can play all three outfield positions, so he gives the Braves some depth in case they don't retain non-tender candidate Matt Diaz and free agent Eric Hinske.
Heyman On Werth, Jeter, Mets
Conventional wisdom says Jayson Werth won’t be playing for the Phillies in 2011, but someone familiar with the team’s thinking tells Jon Heyman of SI.com that he expects the Phillies to try hard to re-sign the outfielder. Here’s the latest on Werth, plus other updates from around the league:
- Heyman hears that the Phillies suggested a Jason Bay-like contract to Werth this summer (four years, $66MM) and he rejected the idea.
- Some baseball people say they would not be surprised to see Derek Jeter seek a six-year deal this offseason. Heyman hears hints that the Yankees are thinking about offering a three-year contract. Hal Steinbrenner said yesterday that negotiations could get messy with Jeter.
- The Mets will have one of baseball’s most expensive front offices. Omar Minaya earns over $2MM, Sandy Alderson makes an estimated $2-3MM and J.P. Ricciardi won’t be cheap either.
Reds Exercise 2011 Option For Bronson Arroyo
The Reds officially exercised their 2011 option for Bronson Arroyo, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). GM Walt Jocketty said last month that he would pick up the option, so the decision was expected. The Reds have expressed interest in extending the deal to keep Arroyo in Cincinnati beyond 2011.
Arroyo, 33, logged at least 200 innings for the sixth consecutive season in 2010, posting a 3.88 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. He will earn $13MM in 2011.
Puerto Rican Links: Beltran, Delgado, Listach
'Tis the season for Puerto Rican players to head back to the island for winter ball and home cooking. Links are in Spanish…
- At the opening of a baseball academy yesterday, Carlos Beltran told Fernando Ribas Reyes of El Nuevo Dia that the Mets have invited the center fielder to meet with new GM Sandy Alderson. Beltran was non-committal about his approach, saying, "It doesn't matter what I think. The organization is going to do what they think is best for them. The way I can control it is to have a good year. If I do, I know there will be teams interested in me. For my part, I'd like to play in New York a few years more."
- In a separate piece, Carlos Delgado told Reyes he hasn't been approached by any major league teams so far this offseason. Delgado insisted he has no preferences about where he plays, and admited that he has had a few doubts about his ability to return to the majors.
- Pat Listach, former Nationals third base coach and recent candidate for the Brewers managerial opening, told Junior Lugo Marrero at Periodico La Perla that making the jump from base coach to manager remains one of his goals. At the moment, Listach is managing the Ponce Lions in Puerto Rico, and he described his style as that of "an aggressive manager who likes the hit and run and moving players around the bases." In the shorter term, Listach will be joining the Cubs as bench coach, reported Rhett Bollinger at MLB.com two days ago.
Beltre Declines Player Option, Hits Free Agency
Adrian Beltre officially declined his player option for 2011 and hit the open market, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). Because he reached his plate appearance incentives in Boston, Beltre could have earned $10MM by exercising his 2011 option. As the top free agent third baseman, he is in position to sign for considerably more than that.
Beltre batted .321/.365/.553 this season with 28 homers and a league-best 49 doubles. At 31, he is relatively young and he is considered one of baseball's best defensive third basemen. Only his career .328 OBP and his tendency to play especially well in contract years will limit interest.
If the Red Sox offer arbitration as expected and Beltre turns the offer down to sign with another team, Boston gets two top compensation picks for losing a Type A free agent.
A’s Exercise Ellis’ Option; Decline On Chavez
The Athletics exercised Mark Ellis' 2011 option, and declined their option for Eric Chavez, according to the team. The A's chose to pay Ellis $6MM next year instead of buying him out for $500K and they chose Chavez's $3MM buyout over his $12.5MM salary. Oakland picked up Coco Crisp's $5.5MM option earlier today.
Ellis, 33, batted .291/.358/.381 in 492 plate appearances in 2010. He posted an above-average UZR/150 for the seventh consecutive season and made just three errors on defense. If Ellis had turned down an offer of arbitration to sign elsewhere, the A's would have obtained a supplementary round pick as compensation for losing a Type B free agent.
Chavez, a former fixture with Oakland, has had five stints on the DL over the last four years and has appeared in just 64 games since 2008. He had five surgeries between September 2007 and June 2009.