Dodgers Agree To Terms With Garret Anderson
The Dodgers have agreed to terms with Garret Anderson on a minor-league deal that will be worth $550K if he makes the team. The 37-year-old can opt out of his contract if he doesn't find himself on the Dodgers' major league roster by a certain date.
Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times first reported the news and tweeted details; Jon Heyman of SI.com also added contract details (via Twitter).
Anderson, 37, hit .268/.303/.401 in 534 plate appearances with the Braves last season. UZR/150 had him at 16.5 runs below average in left field in 2009 – strictly backup material at this point in his career. The Dodgers signed five other outfielders to minor league deals this winter: Alfredo Amezaga, Brian Barton, Brian Giles, Prentice Redman, and Michael Restovich.
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Braves, Cardinals
March goes in like a lion, but the lion is cut when the rosters get trimmed to 25…
- Benjamin Kabak at River Avenue Blues takes a look at how the Yankees can include an ownership stake in Derek Jeter's next contract.
- Former Yankee Melky Cabrera is also in the news, with MLB.com's Mark Bowman detailing how his game translates in the National League. As should surprise no one who has watched both leagues lately, the move figures to help Melky.
- Brian Walton of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat has a rundown of the Cardinals' 21 new signings from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Tops among the new signings appears to be Amauris Capellan, an outfielder who has drawn comparisons to Raul Mondesi.
- Taiwan Baseball has an update on Min-Tzu Chen, an outfielder-turned-pitcher three months ago, who is now sporting a fastball at 90-93 MPH. According to the site, the Royals and Padres have both made offers in the $150K-$200K range.
- Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe thinks the Red Sox may have found something special in offseason acquisition Boof Bonser.
Nationals Notes: GM Mike Rizzo Speaks
MLB.com's Bill Ladson caught up with Washington GM Mike Rizzo, and the results were quite interesting.
- Rizzo says that while nothing is imminent, he's never finished improving his team, and talks to "ten general managers per day." In other words, the roster he starts the season with could include players not currently in camp.
- Rizzo's biggest concern is his team's health, particularly Scott Olsen, Chien-Ming Wang and Cristian Guzman.
- The plan is not to rush Stephen Strasburg, though it is worth noting that Rizzo didn't explicitly rule out Strasburg starting the year in Washington.
- Rizzo said the Nationals have begun to "dabble" in contract extension talks with Adam Dunn.
Cubs Reach Agreement With Juan Yasser Serrano
5:57pm: Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald has some updated information on the signing (in Spanish), thanks to an interview with Serrano's agent, Jaime Torres.
Torres confirms that the deal is for $250K, and Ebro writes that Serrano is actually 22 years old. Contrary to previous reports, Ebro writes that Serrano has passed a "rigorous physical examination." He will report to extended spring training in Arizona before heading to the Cubs' single-A affiliate in Dayton.
12:43pm: The Cubs reached an agreement with Serrano, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. She notes that the deal is not expected to be finalized for another month, because paperwork must be completed and Serrano must pass his physical.
8:54am: The Cuban baseball news blog cubanballplayers.com reports that right-handed pitching prospect Juan Yasser Serrano "may have signed" a $250K contract with the Cubs. MLBTR has learned that while Serrano has not signed, the Cubs are in discussions with his representatives.
Serrano defected from Cuba in April of 2009, but as a reminder of what that term signifies, he was also arrested for attempted illegal departure in January. Upon finally arriving in Miami, he took up with popular Cuban agent Jaime Torres in time to see his name pop up in a few stretch run signing rumors. This winter, Serrano has been connected to at least 10 teams.
When reporting Serrano's defection in April, Jorge Ebro at the Miami-based Nuevo Herald mentioned that the pitcher had been 16 when he appeared in his first Cuban Serie Nacional, in 2006 for the Villa Clara Orangemen. That would make him either 20 or 21 now.
Why Padres Likely Won’t Sign Adrian Gonzalez
A pair of interesting viewpoints emerged today about the Padres, and why they are likely to trade Adrian Gonzalez, rather than extend his contract.
As Ken Rosenthal puts it in his latest column, regarding Padres fans, "I would want to know just one thing: Why can’t my team sign Adrian Gonzalez if the Twins can sign Joe Mauer?"
Of course, Rosenthal lists the many reasons: attendance is down in San Diego, San Diego is the 28th biggest television market in baseball, and a Gonzalez deal could net a number of prospects in return.
But there is a more ominous reason cited by Rosenthal: there are questions about new ownership's viability. As Rosenthal writes, "Just over a year ago, Moorad’s group reached agreement to gain controlling interest of the club from John Moores over a five-year period. That’s right, the other owners allowed one of their franchises to be purchased on a layaway plan — an unusual arrangement, to say the least."
Jake Peavy also weighed in on the choice by the Padres to deal Gonzalez during an interview with Dan Hayes of the North County Times.
"He's a great player, and at times I think to myself, 'How could they not sign this guy?'" Peavy said of Gonzalez. "A hometown guy playing for his hometown team and being the superstar player he is. At the same time, this is the same organization that let their Hall of Fame closer walk away."
Peavy was referring, of course, to Trevor Hoffman.
If ownership can't afford Gonzalez, of course, that puts them in company with many other small-market teams. But it will be interesting to watch just what San Diego can spend-payroll was less than $44MM last season.
Offseason In Review: Seattle Mariners
Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Mariners.
Major League Signings
- Chone Figgins, 3B: four years, $36MM. Includes $9MM vesting option for 2014.
- Jack Wilson, SS: two years, $10MM.
- Ken Griffey Jr., DH: one year, $2.35MM.
- Erik Bedard, SP: one year, $1.5MM. Includes $8MM mutual option for 2011 with a $250K buyout.
- Ryan Garko, 1B: one year, $550K.
- Ryan Langerhans, OF: one year, $525K.
- Eric Byrnes, OF: one year, $400K.
- Total spend: $51.325MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
- Wes Littleton, Jesus Colome, Chad Cordero, Mike Koplove, David Pauley, Yusmeiro Petit, Steven Shell, Levale Speigner, Eliezer Alfonzo, Josh Bard, Guillermo Quiroz, Brad Nelson, Josh Wilson, Chris Woodward, Corey Patterson, Mike Sweeney, Pedro Okuda
Extensions
- Felix Hernandez, SP: five years, $78MM.
- Franklin Gutierrez, CF: four years, $20.25MM. Includes $7.5MM club option for 2014 with a $500K buyout.
Trades and Claims
- Claimed P Yusmeiro Petit off waivers from Diamondbacks
- Claimed Rule 5 pick P Kanekoa Texeira from Yankees
- Acquired SP Cliff Lee from Phillies for P Phillippe Aumont, P J.C. Ramirez, and OF Tyson Gillies
- Acquired OF Milton Bradley from Cubs for SP Carlos Silva and $9MM
- Acquired RP Brandon League and OF Johermyn Chavez for P Brandon Morrow
- Acquired 1B Casey Kotchman from Red Sox for 3B Bill Hall
- Claimed 1B Tommy Everidge off waivers from Athletics
Notable Losses
- Adrian Beltre, Russell Branyan, Kenji Johjima, Endy Chavez, Bill Hall, Phillippe Aumont, J.C. Ramirez, Tyson Gillies, Carlos Silva, Brandon Morrow, Chris Shelton, Miguel Batista, Roy Corcoran, Randy Messenger, Gaby Hernandez, Robert Manuel, Chris Jakubauskas, Justin Thomas
Summary
The Mariners' offseason kicked off with a big positive on October 19th: they were freed of the $16MM left on Kenji Johjima's contract. GM Jack Zduriencik went on to remake his team, spending over $51MM on free agent contracts and acquiring Lee, Bradley, League, and Kotchman via trade.
The Mariners spent big on their two extensions, guaranteeing almost $100MM to Felix and Gutierrez. It's hard to argue with securing one of the best pitchers in baseball. The Gutierrez extension made me shrug – the savings over going year-to-year probably weren't big.
Most of the free agent spending was used to lock down the left side of the infield with two plus defenders in Figgins and Wilson. Figgins brings on-base skills as well, and should be worth the commitment.
On a team projected to have one of the worst offenses in the AL, the Griffey signing strikes me as unwise. Bradley, at least, comes with the promise of his 2007-08 seasons. By signing Griffey and acquiring Kotchman, the Ms didn't add much hitting at traditionally offensive spots. Could that $5.8MM have gone toward a more productive free agent bat or two? Zduriencik got three seasons of League plus a prospect for Morrow; were no interesting hitters being offered? The Mariners must have decided that Morrow could not provide 25 respectable starts in 2010.
The front end of the Ms rotation, of course, looks fantastic. Acquiring Lee, who was hardly known to be available, was a huge win for the Mariners. The rotation lacks depth; Bedard can't be counted on for 100 innings. The bright side is that projection systems think Ryan Rowland-Smith and Ian Snell can provide over 325 innings of 4.30 ball. If they stumble, a midseason acquisition may be necessary.
The Mariners have some similarities to their division rival A's – questionable offenses, plus defenses. It wouldn't be surprising to see a tight AL West race with all four clubs in the mix.
Royals Claim Gaby Hernandez
Pitcher Gaby Hernandez continues to bounce around, as the Royals claimed him off waivers from the Red Sox today according to a team press release. The Mariners designated Hernandez for assignment upon signing Ryan Garko. The Red Sox claimed Hernandez, but then designated him upon claiming Casey Fien.
Hernandez, 24 in May, posted a 5.23 ERA, 6.0 K/9, and 3.0 BB/9 in 146.3 Triple A innings last year. Heading into the '09 season, Baseball America wrote that Hernandez "flashes three average or better pitches, but he often tries to be so fine that his stuff plays down." At the time, BA suggested he could still become a No. 4 or No. 5 starter.
Fantasy Baseball Outfielder Rankings
RotoAuthority ranks the outfielders; check it out.
Heyman On Adrian, Jeter, Hamilton
SI's Jon Heyman leads his latest column with a discussion about Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who he feels is likely to be shopped hard at this year's trade deadline. I've noted before that Gonzalez's market should not be limited to big-spending clubs, as he's set to earn just $10.25MM for 2010-11. It's fitting that Heyman believes as many as 10 to 12 teams already inquired, including the Red Sox, Mets, Mariners, and Dodgers. On to Heyman's other rumors…
- Heyman spoke to "two executives from competing teams" who believe Derek Jeter "could ask for a six-year deal." The idea is that a six-year extension would take Jeter to age 42, as Alex Rodriguez's contract does.
- Heyman notes that Josh Hamilton turned down a four-year, $24MM offer from the Rangers last year. The security might've made sense for Hamilton given his injury problems.
- One executive Heyman spoke to believes the availability of decent free agents, perhaps continuing into the season, could reduce trading.
D’Backs, Justin Upton Finalize Multiyear Deal
Justin Upton and the Diamondbacks finalized a six-year deal that will pay the outfielder $51.25MM. The extension, which the club is expected to announce tomorrow, begins with the 2010 season and runs through 2015. SI's Jon Heyman tweeted the year-by-year salary breakdown: $20.75MM for Upton's three arbitration years, and over $14MM for each free agent year. Each year Upton can also choose four teams to which he cannot be traded.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the deal, Ken Davidoff of Newsday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and SI.com's Jon Heyman tweeted contract details and Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted that the deal was finalized and confirmed financial details.
Though he's only 22, Upton had a breakout 2009 with a .300/.366/.532 line. Such production at that age brings Hall of Fame comparisons. Upton would have been arbitration-eligible after the 2010 season, so this deal buys out two free agent seasons.
A six-year deal in the $50MM range would be a bargain for the D'Backs. Miguel Cabrera, for example, will be paid about $74MM for the same slice of his career. Andruw Jones made $57.4MM, and his extension was signed nine years ago. Nick Markakis, though, will earn about $47MM for the same portion of his career.