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Phillies Re-Sign Jose Contreras

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The Phillies re-signed reliever Jose Contreras to a two-year, $5.5MM deal, reports MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.  The contract includes performance incentives and a club option for 2013.  Year-by-year details can be found here.  ESPN's Enrique Rojas first reported last night that a deal was close.

Contreras, 39 in December, posted a 3.34 ERA, 9.1 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 0.8 HR/9, and 44.7% groundball rate for the Phillies in 2010.  It was his first full season as a reliever, and his fastball played up to a 94.0 mph average.  He even served as the Phillies' closer for a while in May.  At just $1.5MM, Contreras was a major bargain for the Phillies in 2010.  This time around the second year is less than ideal, but it was likely necessary to secure him early.  Plus, Contreras' salary remains reasonable.

The Phillies' bullpen spending is far from finished.  They've added Contreras and Eddie Bonine, and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told ESPN's Jayson Stark he's contacted "40 free agents, predominantly bullpen guys."  The Phils are prioritizing left-handed relief and are known to be interested in Hisanori Takahashi.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Brandon Webb

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The Athletics guaranteed $10MM to Ben Sheets in January even though he'd missed the entire 2009 season due to elbow surgery.  The signing was not a success, but Sheets' upside must have been tantalizing for the A's.  This winter, free agent Brandon Webb presents a more exaggerated risk/reward scenario for teams.  Webb is two years removed from the Majors due to shoulder surgery, but his agent Jonathan Maurer still considers Sheets' deal a "conversation starter."  Webb missed more time than Sheets, but Maurer's client finished first or second in the Cy Young voting each year from 2006 to '08.

Today Maurer provided MLBTR details about Webb's September/October instructional games, and also said he expects 30+ starts from his client in 2011:

Brandon pitched for the first time competitively (in 17 months) in September and October in three instructional games. The first game, Webb threw 80% and was 78-80 mph. The second game Webb was closer to 90% and was 81-83, and the third game, Webb, still laying back a bit, was 81-85.  The reality is that Brandon showed good pitchability (he had strong movement on his signature sinker, plus plus change, and plus breaking ball).  What he also had was some rust on location.  Brandon's velocity is of very little concern to those that watch a lot of games.  His arm strength is indeed coming back, and honestly, he pitched at 87-90 all of 2008 (when he won 22 games) and that is only 2-5 mph off where he was in October. 

Brandon's surgeon, Dr. Keith Meister, fully expects him to prepare at a normal pace to be ready when camp opens in February, for whomever signs him.  Brandon is hungry, excited, and ready to start 30 plus times in 2011.  There is nothing to indicate he won't, with all the work he has put in and his consistent offseason workout program.

So far reports indicate that the Dodgers and Nationals have checked in on Webb, though surely many more clubs have kicked the tires.  Back in October, John Tomase of the Boston Herald reported that 21 teams watched Webb throw at Chase Field.  Will Webb reach the $7.5-10MM guarantee his agent seeks?  I think he may fall a bit short, but $5-6MM would not be surprising.  Incentives should allow the righty to top $10MM.  Webb's first bout with free agency comes at an inopportune time in his career, but a vintage 2011 season would result in a huge contract.

Red Sox Claim Taylor Buchholz

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The Red Sox claimed reliever Taylor Buchholz off waivers from the Blue Jays, the team announced today.  Buchholz had been designated for assignment by the Rockies in September and claimed by Toronto.

Buchholz, 29, tossed 21 1/3 innings in the minors this year and another 12 in the bigs.  He had Tommy John surgery in June of '09 after an excellent '08 season for Colorado.  He earned $1.055MM in each of the last two seasons and will be arbitration eligible again this winter.  The Red Sox will have the opportunity to retain Buchholz for the 2012 season if he pitches well next year. 

The claim caused the Blue Jays to fall behind the Athletics for the honor of having the most arbitration eligible players – the A's lead with 11 after claiming Edwin Encarnacion.

Buster Posey, Neftali Feliz Win ROY Honors

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Giants catcher Buster Posey took home the National League Rookie of the Year award today, while Rangers closer Neftali Feliz won it in the AL.

After Posey, Jason Heyward, Jaime Garcia, Gaby Sanchez, Neil Walker, Starlin Castro, Ike Davis, Jose Tabata, and Jonny Venters received votes in the NL.  After Feliz it was Austin Jackson, Danny Valencia, Wade Davis, John Jaso, Brennan Boesch, and Brian Matusz in the AL.  Click here to see the full voting results.

Odds & Ends: Sandberg, D’Backs, Lee, Huff

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Here are today's links as we await the Rookie of the Year announcements…

  • I'll be in Orlando covering the GM Meetings this week. Follow @mlbtrorlando on Twitter for the latest news, quotes and observations from Florida.
  • The Phillies have hired Ryne Sandberg to manage their Triple-A affiliate nearly 29 years after they traded the future Hall of Famer to the Cubs. Sandberg played 15 seasons in Chicago and nearly won the Cubs managerial job this winter. 
  • MLB.com's Todd Zolecki takes us back to 1982, when the Phillies sent Sandberg to the Cubs.
  • The Orioles signed former Cubs pitcher Mitch Atkins to a minor league deal, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The 25-year-old has solid minor league numbers and a 5.25 ERA in 12 big league innings.
  • The D'Backs announced that Rico Brogna, who was appointed director of player development last month, resigned and will be replaced by Mike Bell.
  • Arizona also announced the hiring of Billy Ryan as assistant GM. He will work on arbitration cases and draft bonus recommendations.
  • Cliff Lee’s agent is one person who can skip the GM meetings altogether. “We're not going to have to go there to drum up interest," Darek Braunecker told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
  • Tyler Kepner of the New York times explains that every team is looking for the next Aubrey Huff.

D’Backs Sign Blum To Two-Year Deal

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The Diamondbacks officially signed Geoff Blum to a two-year deal, according to the team.  The AP reports that the contract is worth $2.7MM.  D'Backs GM Kevin Towers says signing Blum is the first step to improving his team's bench.

“Geoff is a veteran that can play nearly every position on the field while also having the experience of contributing to key situations late in the game as a pinch-hitter off of the bench,” Towers said.

Blum hit .267/.321/.356 in 218 plate appearances in 2010 and missed time with elbow and neck injuries. The 37-year-old played all four infield positions and went 14 for 42 as a pinch hitter, before Houston declined his $1.65MM option for 2011.

Indians Re-Sign Anthony Reyes

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The Indians re-signed Anthony Reyes to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to the team. The right-hander became a free agent last month when the Indians outrighted him off of their 40-man roster.

Reyes, 29, underwent reconstructive elbow surgery in June of 2009 after making eight starts for the Indians and posting a 6.57 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 38.1 innings. He spent the 2010 season rehabbing and made five minor league starts before working on his mechanics with the big league staff and pitching in the Fall Instructional League.

Once a top prospect with the Cardinals, Reyes rose quickly through the St. Louis system and struck out more than a batter per inning with excellent command in the minors from 2004-06. However, he has faltered since winning the opening game of the 2006 World Series.

Non-Tender Candidate: Tony Gwynn Jr.

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Even before they acquired Cameron Maybin, the Padres had more outfielders than jobs. Ryan Ludwick, Kyle Blanks, Will Venable, Scott Hairston, Chris Denorfia, Aaron Cunningham and Tony Gwynn Jr. are all options in San Diego, but the Padres can't hand big league jobs to all of those players in 2011. Not only do they have limited roster space, they have limited payroll.

With more outfielders than jobs and a number of holes to address on a limited budget, GM Jed Hoyer will likely consider non-tendering some of his arbitration eligible players. Ludwick is one candidate to be non-tendered and Hairston and Denorfia are others, but today we'll examine the case for Gwynn.

A top defender, Gwynn fits in Petco Park for the same reasons the Padres acquired Maybin. Last year Gwynn stole 17 bases (21 attempts) and his career 18.4 UZR/150 is spectacular. However, he doesn't have the same offensive upside as Maybin. He has never posted an OPS above .700. and last year he batted just .204/.304/.287 in 339 plate appearances.

Gwynn, 28, is arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason and could be in line for a salary of $1MM or so. That's more than any team wants to pay for a fifth outfielder and the Padres don't have as much room for error as big market teams. That doesn't mean Gwynn will be non-tendered, though. The Padres could keep him and cut others or tender him a contract and flip him to a team looking for a defense-first outfielder. Click here to predict what the Padres will do and here to view the results.

Reds Claimed Hisanori Takahashi

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10:16am: Even though the Reds claimed Takahashi, he cannot play for the Mets before May 15th if he signs with New York, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). In other words, don't expect him to return to the Mets.

8:07am: The Reds claimed Hisanori Takahashi on unconditional release waivers last week, according to transactions summaries at CBS Sports and Yahoo Sports. A source confirmed to MLBTR that the Reds claimed the left-hander. Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports that the Reds claimed Takahashi to obtain an exclusive five-day negotiating window with him.

Takahashi was set to hit free agency, but the Reds' move won't prevent him from hitting the open market. Players claimed on unconditional release waivers have five days to reject the claim and elect free agency and Takahashi elected free agency, according to Rubin.

It's unclear whether the move will help the Mets, who were negotiating an extension with Takahashi earlier in the month. Because the Mets didn’t sign Takahashi in time, it appeared that he would not be able to pitch before May 15th if he re-signed in New York. Takahashi's last club was the Reds, which could allow the Mets to re-sign him.

Rockies Rumors: Martinez, Jackson, Wigginton

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Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd told Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post that he’s looking for the "right player" this offseason, not the "best player." As Armstrong explains, that could be bad news for the Rockies fans hoping to see Victor Martinez in Denver:

  • The Rockies aren’t likely to make the winning bid on Martinez, though he caught the team’s attention as a potential free agent target.
  • Colorado would pursue an innings eater if Jorge de la Rosa proves too expensive to re-sign. The lefty is drawing interest from multiple teams, including the Yankees and Nationals.
  • Joe Beimel could return to Colorado, but the Rockies have other left-handed relievers including Matt Reynolds and Franklin Morales, so their need for Beimel isn’t pressing.
  • Adding a right-handed hitter is a priority for the Rockies. Their list of candidates includes Conor Jackson, Ty Wigginton and Jermaine Dye. Jackson is a non-tender candidate and may join Wigginton and Dye on the free agent market within a few weeks. The Rockies have already contacted Dye about a potential deal.

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