Offseason In Review: Minnesota Twins
Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Twins.
Major League Signings
- Carl Pavano, SP: one year, $7MM. Accepted arbitration.
- Orlando Hudson, 2B: one year, $5MM.
- Jim Thome, DH: one year, $1.5MM.
- Clay Condrey, RP: one year, $900K.
- Total spend: $14.4MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
Extensions
- Brendan Harris, IF: two years, $3.2MM.
Trades and Claims
- Acquired SS J.J. Hardy from Brewers for CF Carlos Gomez
- Acquired P Chris Province from Red Sox for P Boof Bonser
Notable Losses
- Boof Bonser, Brian Buscher, Mike Redmond, Ron Mahay, Joe Crede, Carlos Gomez, Armando Gabino, Orlando Cabrera, R.A. Dickey, Philip Humber, Steve Tolleson, Jason Pridie, Bobby Keppel
Summary
For about $20MM and Carlos Gomez, Twins GM Bill Smith revamped his middle infield, retained a mid-rotation starter, added an excellent bench bat, and signed a groundballing middle reliever. On paper, Smith improved his team at a reasonable cost.
In Hardy, Smith traded for two seasons of the offseason's best available shortstop. Hudson should easily earn his salary, and might be able to top last year's Twins second base offensive output (.209/.302/.267) batting blindfolded. Pavano's '09 peripherals suggest he deserved an ERA around 4.00 as opposed to his actual 5.10 mark. Thome should come in handy; he hit .262/.383/.498 against righties last year.
The Twins' rotation looks respectable, with Kevin Slowey and Francisco Liriano likely to provide much more than last year's 227.3 innings of 5.42 ball. Does the lineup pack enough punch? CHONE projections suggest the Twins will score 850 runs. That's optimistic, since injuries are inevitable for all teams. Still, it's all relative, and the Twins' offense projects as the best in the division. Thanks to Smith's fine winter, the Twins are my AL Central favorite.
Mariners Sign Wes Littleton
The Mariners signed righty Wes Littleton to a minor league deal, tweets ESPN's Shannon Drayer. Littleton, 27, spent '09 with the Brewers' Double A and Triple A clubs after being claimed off waivers from the Red Sox. It was a rough year, as he posted an overall 6.50 ERA, 7.5 K/9, and 7.7 BB/9.
Littleton has 102.3 innings of big league experience with the Rangers from 2006-08. Even after a useful '07 season, Baseball America noted that "the possibility exists that major leaguers will adjust to his funky motion and start to hit him."
Fantasy Baseball Third Baseman Rankings
RotoAuthority ranks the third basemen…check it out.
Odds & Ends: Calero, Beckett, Robles, Bay
Links to kick off the new month…
- The Mets "would have interest in Kiko Calero on a minor league deal," tweeted Ken Davidoff of Newsday yesterday. Calero is holding out for a big league contract, which seems reasonable.
- Scott Boras client Jacoby Ellsbury hasn't had any long-term contract discussions with the Red Sox, nor does he intend to, reports Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com.
- The latest GM's Corner video from Jim Bowden of FOX Sports is fifteen minutes well-spent, with appearances by Billy Beane, Jack Zduriencik, Mike Rizzo, Logan White, and Lance Berkman. The video is all about scouting.
- Check out Rob Bradford's in-depth discussion with Josh Beckett for WEEI.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says the Mariners might have a nice find in hard-throwing lefty Mauricio Robles, who came from Detroit in last summer's Jarrod Washburn trade.
- Baker's colleague Larry Stone talked to Jason Bay, who said the Mariners expressed interest but never made a serious push for him.
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle notes that Brett Tomko and Jason Jennings will each earn $700K if they make the A's.
Red Sox Claim Casey Fien, Designate Gaby Hernandez
The Red Sox claimed pitcher Casey Fien off waivers from the Tigers today, according to the Tigers' official Twitter feed. Fien was designated for assignment on Tuesday to make room for Johnny Damon. The Red Sox announced that they designated former waiver claim Gaby Hernandez for assignment to clear a spot for Fien. It's been a busy winter for Hernandez, who was designated for assignment by the Mariners when they signed Ryan Garko.
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.
Indians Sign Tom Mastny
The Indians signed righty Tom Mastny to a minor league deal, according to a team press release. Mastny spent the '09 season with the Yokohama Bay Stars, posting a 5.69 ERA, 6.3 K/9, and 3.6 BB/9 in 61.6 innings.
Mastny, 29, was drafted by the Blue Jays but joined the Indians organization as part of the December '04 John McDonald trade. Mastny posted a 6.13 ERA, 8.1 K/9, and 4.9 BB/9 in 94 big league innings for the Tribe across three seasons before being purchased by the Bay Stars.
Cubs, Derrek Lee Waiting On Contract Talks
MONDAY, 11:22am: Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune has more on Lee. He says that while interest is mutual and Lee wants to retire a Cub, contract discussions will not occur until after the season.
TUESDAY, 11:09am: Like many players entering contract years, Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee would prefer not to negotiate during the season. He told ESPN's Bruce Levine that he is open to discussing an extension, but he won't be approaching the team.
Lee, 34, bounced back to a .306/.393/.579 line last year. He's finishing a five-year, $65MM extension signed after his career-best '05 season. If he reaches free agency, Lee projects to join a first base class that might include Lance Berkman, Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko, Adam LaRoche, and Carlos Pena. Lee seems likely to get a two or three-year deal worth more than $10MM per, but much rests on his 2010 production.
Moves From March ’09
A look back at the notable moves from March of 2009 gives us an idea of what we can expect here in 2010.
- March 4th: Dodgers re-signed Manny Ramirez to a two-year, $45MM deal. Manny was the last big name to sign in '09. This year we don't have anyone comparable, with Jermaine Dye, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, Jarrod Washburn, and Braden Looper available.
- March 5th: Cardinals signed Dennys Reyes to a two-year, $3MM deal. Last year certain lefty relievers signed late despite coming off strong seasons. This year, a few useful right-handed relievers are floating around.
- March 5th: Giants released Dave Roberts. The Giants ate $6.5MM when they released Roberts. Which well-paid veterans might be released this spring?
- March 6th: A's signed Orlando Cabrera to a one-year, $4MM deal. Hindered by the draft pick cost last winter, O-Cab signed a contract with Oakland that ensured he would not be offered arbitration after the season. While he was a Type A again this winter, the Twins probably wouldn't have offered arbitration anyway.
- March 8th: Brewers released Eric Gagne.
- March 14th: Mets claimed Fernando Nieve off waivers from Astros. Nieve was out of options, so the Mets snagged him. Check out MLBTR's list of out of options players here.
- March 18th: Nationals signed Joe Beimel to a one-year, $2MM deal. Once again, Beimel is "waiting for the right deal" in March.
- March 20th: Astros signed Ivan Rodriguez to a one-year, $1.5MM deal. It was unexpected when the Astros reached an agreement with Boras client Pudge, but not as surprising as the two-year, $6MM deal the catcher snagged with the Nationals this time around.
- March 26th: Rangers released Brendan Donnelly. Donnelly went on to have a pretty good year in the minors and in 25 innings for the Marlins, and he parlayed that into $1.35MM guaranteed from the Pirates.
- March 27th: Giants acquired Ronny Paulino from Phillies; sent him to Marlins. Paulino looks like a respectable backup in Florida. Had the Giants retained him a year ago, would they have re-signed Bengie Molina for $4.5MM this winter? Likewise, could the Phillies have kept Paulino and saved the $2.75MM later committed to Brian Schneider?
- March 30th: Dodgers signed Will Ohman to a one-year, $1.55MM minor league deal. The completion of the Ohman saga marked the end of the offseason, but he was a non-factor in 2009 and inked a minor league deal with Baltimore this winter.
- March 31st: Astros acquired Jeff Keppinger from Reds. It was a minor spring move at the time, but the Astros are happy to have Keppinger.
- One thing you can always expect in March is the return of many Rule 5 picks to their former teams. Click here for a reminder on the 17 players taken this offseason.
Offseason In Review: Kansas City Royals
Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Royals.
Major League Signings
- Noel Arguelles, SP: five years, $6.9MM.
- Jason Kendall, C: two years, $6MM.
- Rick Ankiel, OF: one year, $3.25MM. Includes $6MM mutual option for '11 with a $500K buyout.
- Scott Podsednik, OF: one year, $1.75MM. Includes $2MM club option for '11 with a $100K buyout; player may void option with 525 PAs.
- Brian Anderson, OF: one year, $700K.
- Total spend: $18.6MM ($11.7MM not including Arguelles).
Notable Minor League Signings
- Bryan Bullington, Jorge Campillo, Bruce Chen, Matt Herges, Philip Humber, John Parrish, Nelson Payano, Francisco Rosario, Josh Rupe, Brad Thompson, Edwin Bellorin, Vance Wilson, Wilson Betemit, Buck Coats, Scott Thorman, Adam Bostick
Trades and Claims
- Traded 3B Mark Teahen and $1MM to White Sox for 2B Chris Getz and 3B Josh Fields
- Traded 2B Tug Hulett to Red Sox for cash or a player to be named later
- Claimed Rule 5 pick P Edgar Osuna from Braves
Notable Losses
- Mark Teahen, Mike Jacobs, Miguel Olivo, John Buck, Coco Crisp, Josh Anderson, Tony Pena Jr., Jamey Wright, Sidney Ponson, John Bale, Yasuhiko Yabuta, Doug Waechter, Tug Hulett, Juan Abreu
The signing of Cuban lefty Arguelles was the signature move of the Royals' offseason. GM Dayton Moore added a prospect who would've been no worse than a top ten draft pick in 2009, according to ESPN's Keith Law, and he did so by simply making the highest bid. Law ranks the Royals' farm system as ninth in baseball and rising.
I also liked the $5.7MM spend on outfielders Ankiel, Podsednik, and Anderson. There's a little bit of upside and not much risk. Same goes for Moore's many minor league signings. I was also a fan of the Teahen trade, where Moore swapped a non-tender candidate for two useful pieces.
The Kendall deal is a blemish on a solid offseason, as the Royals could've gotten a similar veteran backstop for less. It's easy to say Brayan Pena deserved a better look, though maybe the Royals' scouts think Kendall will have the biggest effect on the pitching staff. The other question mark, which we haven't heard much about, is the loss of prospect Juan Abreu to the Braves. The righty throws a mid-90s sinker and a decent curveball, and Baseball America says the Royals "reached a deal to re-sign him as a minor league free agent after the season, but a contract snafu allowed him to hit the open market."
Despite Kendall and Abreu, Moore did a nice job overall this winter by focusing on the long-term health of the organization rather than veteran respectability for 2010.
Odds & Ends: Ramirez, Sheets, Cardinals, Reds
Sunday night linkage..
- Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner tweets that it'll be interesting to see which sabermetric-friendly team will ink recently-DFA'd pitcher Edwar Ramirez. Cameron's bet is on Tampa Bay.
- Jason Churchill of ESPN (Insider subscription required) explains why second basemen aren't often selected in the first round of the amateur draft. He writes that the best athletes usually play center field and shortstop in high school and college. The second basemen typically come from the shortstops who cannot keep up with the position defensively.
- Ben Sheets threw live batting practice for the first time with the A's and impressed the coaching staff with his velocity, according to the Associated Press. Sheets inked a one-year deal with Oakland worth $10MM plus performance bonuses in late January.
- Felipe Lopez's arrival may mean less at-bats for Julio Lugo, writes Matthew Leach of MLB.com. Lugo sounds less-than-thrilled about a reduced role but said that his agents have not approached the Cards about a move.
- Dusty Baker isn't worried about his contract situation, writes Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. The Reds skipper is entering the final season of a three-year pact.
- Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes that despite trading away several highly-rated prospects in the last 19 months, the Phillies still have talent in their farm system.