Mets To Re-Sign Fernando Tatis
THURSDAY, 6:30pm: The Mets and Fernando Tatis have reached agreement on a one-year deal, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post.
Terms of the agreement are currently unknown, but Puma writes that the 35-year-old will earn less than the $1.7MM he made last season. However, a baseball source indicates that with incentives, Tatis could approach that figure.
3:00pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com says (via Twitter) that the Mets will sign Tatis. This means Carlos Delgado will have to look for a job elsewhere.
WEDNESDAY, 6:46pm: Adam Rubin of The New York Daily News says a deal should be wrapped up "shortly."
6:06pm: The Mets are deep into negotiations with Fernando Tatis, reports Mike Puma of The New York Post. A deal could be reached within a matter of days.
GM Omar Minaya contacted Tatis' agent today, and indicated that he wants an answer soon. Tatis earned $1.7MM in 2009, and Puma says he wants a comparable contract for 2010. A deal would seem to eliminate the possibility of a Carlos Delgado return. Puma mentions the Rockies and Mariners as other clubs that have expressed interest in the free agent.
The 35-year-old Tatis hit .282/.339/.438 with just eight homers in 379 plate appearances last year, though he did see time at six positions. He will be forever remembered as the first (and only) player in Major League history to hit two grand slams in one inning, off the same pitcher no less.
Could John Smoltz Land With Mets?
THURSDAY, 6:12pm: There has been "increased momentum" towards an agreement between the Mets and John Smoltz, writes Ken Davidoff of Newsday. It's believed that the 42-year-old is seeking $4MM guaranteed, plus performance bonuses.
Though the Mets have yet to make Smoltz a formal offer, they have expressed enthusiasm about bringing him aboard. Likewise, the righty is encouraged by their level of interest.
8:44am: Smoltz could take the Pedro Martinez path and sign mid-season, believes a source of Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News. Pedro signed with the Phillies in July and made his debut a month later.
WEDNESDAY, 9:58am: John Smoltz will fit with almost any club, assuming he comes cheaply. It's unknown whether he can provide significant innings in 2010 as a 43-year-old, but there's something left in the tank given his 73 strikeouts and 18 walks in 78 innings last year. He's a potential weapon in the back end of a rotation or a bullpen.
Mike Puma of the New York Post says that with Ben Sheets and Jon Garland off the board, Smoltz could be the "last man standing" for the Mets. While they've been in contact, Puma believes the Mets aren't willing to spend much. Meanwhile, David Waldstein of the New York Times believes Jarrod Washburn is a possibility for the Mets.
Bob Klapisch of The Bergen Record wrote today that Smoltz is "believed to be leaning toward the Cardinals," but Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Cards "appear unlikely to engage" Smoltz given their Rich Hill signing yesterday.
The Phillies and Nationals have been linked to Smoltz this winter, though the Phils may be set after reaching an agreement with Jose Contreras.
Odds & Ends: Calero, Nats, Byrnes, Fogg, Timlin
Links for Thursday…
- The Marlins aren't that confident in Kiko Calero's ability to hold up as well as he did last year, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
- The Nationals designated right-hander Marco Estrada for assignment to make room for Tyler Walker according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, via Twitter.
- The A's have no interest in Eric Byrnes, tweets Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com.
- The Dodgers are a finalist for Derrick Turnbow, tweets MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
- The Mets are interested in Josh Fogg, according to Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog.
- Mike Timlin said on WEEI.com that he will stay in retirement this year. Last year, Timlin pitched in the Rockies' minor league system.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports notes that Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos is "open to anything." The Jays could stand to add a corner outfielder and there are a number of options available should the Jays decide to pursue them.
- I wrote an article for my fantasy website, RotoAuthority.com, suggesting that overhyped "sleepers" can still provide a profit.
- USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets that Gary Sheffield might be a good fit for the Reds, and that Sheff was "on his way" to the Diamondbacks before they signed Adam LaRoche.
- Brandon Webb still contends that re-signing with the D'Backs is his first choice, in an article written by MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Reds, Padres, White Sox, and Royals inquired on the Yankees' Brett Gardner this winter, with hopes of using him as a starting center fielder.
- Bill Shanks of Scout.com makes a case for the Braves to sign Johnny Damon.
- Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that the Dodgers are one club eyeing Garret Anderson for a fourth outfielder role.
Rockies Sign Jason Giambi
Jason Giambi officially signed a one-year deal worth $1.75MM to return to the Rockies as a pinch hitter and occasional first baseman. He excelled in Denver last summer, hitting .385/.529/.692 as a pinch hitter and .292/.452/.583 overall (small sample size warnings apply). The former AL MVP hit poorly in Oakland last year, so his 2009 OPS was a career-low .725.
Andrew Marchand of 1050 ESPN Radio first reported that a deal was close, Jon Heyman of SI.com tweeted that it was official and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweeted the value of the contract.
We heard that the Rockies were interested in free agents Orlando Cabrera and Orlando Hudson, too.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Leslie Anderson Defects From Cuba
Leslie Anderson, a first baseman/outfielder for Cuba's national team has defected and is looking to negotiate with big league teams according to Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald (as translated by Nick Collias). Jaime Torres, the agent for the 26-year-old, says there is "much interest" in his client.
Anderson can play all three outfield positions and his agent compared him to another versatile Cuban, Alexei Ramirez. Anderson hit .381 with 13 homers in Cuba last season and escaped to Mexico in September.
Doug Brocail Retires
Doug Brocail has officially retired, according to Alyson Footer of MLB.com (via Twitter). The 42-year-old pitched in 20 games for the Astros last year and posted an ERA of 4.58. He retires after 15 big league seasons with the Padres, Tigers, Astros and Rangers. After 880 career innings, his ERA is exactly 4.00.
Giants Done Shopping; No Calero, No Byrnes
Two high-ranking Giants officials told Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com that the club is done shopping. As Urban notes via Twitter, the Giants' decision not to hand out more major league contracts means we shouldn't expect a Kiko Calero signing. The door appears shut on the Eric Byrnes front and Johnny Damon appears to be an unlikely fit, also.
Gammons On Bay, Lowell
The Red Sox lowered their offer to Jason Bay from four years to two years because they were "scared to death" of his knees, according to Peter Gammons. Here's the audio from WEEI and here's the transcript. The Mets were the only team to seriously pursue the left fielder, according to Gammons.
Rangers Interested In Garko, Baldelli
The Rangers are interested in Ryan Garko and Rocco Baldelli, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Rangers GM Jon Daniels said in an EPSN.com chat yesterday that "some interesting guys" remain on the market. Jermaine Dye, who was connected to the Rangers earlier in the offseason, seems less likely to end up in Texas than Garko or Baldelli.
Garko, 29, hit .268/.344/.421 last year with the Indians and Giants. He's been an average defender at first over the course of the last two seasons, and he's played some outfield. As MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reminds us, the Rangers were in the mix for Garko last summer. The Orioles had been linked to Garko earlier in the winter, but that was before they signed Miguel Tejada and Garrett Atkins.
The Rangers could pursue Baldelli if they're looking for more outfield experience. Baldelli has mostly played center, but he has experience in left and right, too. The 28-year-old hit .253/.311/.433 last year for the Red Sox.
Brewers Sign Jim Edmonds
The Brewers officially signed Jim Edmonds to a minor league deal that will pay the outfielder $850K if he makes the team and up to $1.65MM more in incentives. Edmonds will come to Spring Training with a chance to make the club as an extra outfielder. The Brewers have to grant Edmonds his release if he's not on the major league roster by March 25th.
He last played in 2008, when he split his time between the Cubs and the Padres. He hit .235/.343/.479 thanks to a strong finish in Chicago. He posted an .883 OPS against righties, but his sub-.500 OPS against lefties suggests the Brewers are better off sitting Edmonds against southpaws. Though he was one of the best outfielders of his generation, he played poorly over the course 840 innings in 2008.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported that the Brewers were close to a deal with Edmonds and added details. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweeted when the move became official.