Rockies To Sign Justin Speier & Jimmy Gobble
The Rockies agreed to deals with Justin Speier and Jimmy Gobble, tweets MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The pair will come to camp on minor league deals as non-roster invitees.
Speier, 36, pitched 40 innings for the Angels last year. He allowed 44 hits and 15 walks, striking out 39 for a 5.18 ERA. We heard earlier in the week that the Rockies were in on the 12-year MLB veteran, who pitched for the Rockies from 2001-03.
The White Sox signed Gobble to a minor league deal last April and he didn't pitch particularly well in the 12 appearances he made. The lefty, now 28, allowed 14 hits and 7 walks in 12 innings, striking out 10. The White Sox designated him for assignment in July.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post hears that Derrick Turnbow should make a decision soon, perhaps within hours. We heard earlier today that the Dodgers are finalists for the reliever, who is weighing bids from a number of teams.
Royals Interested In Erik Bedard
Bedard's most often been linked to the Orioles this offseason, but earlier in the winter the Royals were reportedly pursuing the left-hander.
The Phillies’ Search For Pitching Depth
The Phillies acquired arguably the best pitcher in baseball earlier this offseason. As Spring Training approaches, Roy Halladay starts training every morning at 7 am and his team is considering some less formidable options in an attempt to add depth. Here are the details, from a pair of beat writers:
- MLB.com's Todd Zolecki writes that the Phils would like to add a starter, noting that any additions would likely come on minor league deals.
- Scott Lauber of the News Journal tweets that Pedro Martinez interests the Phillies, though his current price asking price exceeds the team's budget. Pedro wants $5MM or more to pitch a full season.
- In another tweet, Lauber says Jose Contreras believes pitching in relief can lengthen his career.
Amezaga Worked Out For Four Teams
Super-utility man Alfredo Amezaga worked out for four teams last week, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He had microfracture knee surgery in July, but has been on a conservative rehab program. The Marlins non-tendered him after the season.
Amezaga's agent has suggested his client has at least ten suitors. A return to the Marlins hasn't been ruled out, with the Dodgers, Cubs, and Reds also linked at various points.
Nationals To Sign Tyler Walker, Chuck James
The Nationals officially signed Tyler Walker to a one-year deal that will pay the reliever $650K if he's in the majors and $120K if he's in the minors. They also added lefty Chuck James on a minor league deal.
Walker, 34 in May, posted a 3.06 ERA, 6.9 K/9, and 2.3 BB/9 in 35.3 innings for the Phillies last year. He tossed an additional strong 19.3 innings in the minors. Despite Walker's efforts, the Phillies outrighted him in November and he elected free agency.
James, 28, had rotator cuff and labrum surgery in November of '08 and was subsequently non-tendered by the Braves. He missed all of 2009, but Rosenthal says Nats assistant GM Roy Clark saw James throwing 88-90 on Saturday. James was once serviceable, logging a 4.05 ERA over 280.3 innings for the Braves in 2006-07.
Walker and James join a long list of Nationals pitching acquisitions this winter: Jason Marquis, Matt Capps, Brian Bruney, Eddie Guardado, Doug Slaten, Ryan Speier, and Joel Peralta.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported the two deals and MLB.com's Bill Ladson and CBS Sports added the value of Walker's contract.
Rays Sign Matt Bush
The Rays signed pitcher Matt Bush to a minor league deal, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
Bush, now 24, was the first overall pick by the Padres in the 2004 draft. A shortstop at the time, Bush's signability pushed him past Stephen Drew, Jered Weaver, and Jeff Niemann on Kevin Towers' list. He was arrested on felony assault charges weeks after the draft, resulting in a suspension. Injuries hampered his progress, and the Padres converted him to pitching in May of '07. He had Tommy John surgery later that year.
Bush was charged with assault again in February of '09, and the Padres designated Bush for assignment and traded him to the Blue Jays. The Jays released him in April, and more incidents surfaced in June.
Dodgers Sign John Koronka, Timo Perez
The Dodgers signed pitcher John Koronka and outfielder Timo Perez to minor league deals, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
Koronka, 29, made two starts for the Marlins last year and tossed another 128.6 mediocre innings for their Triple A club. Perez spent the year in the Mexican League, hitting .323/.406/.476.
Marlins Targeting Bullpen Help
The Marlins "don't particularly fancy" free agents John Smoltz and Joe Nelson, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, but they're eyeing a slew of others. Spencer names Kevin Gregg, Chan Ho Park, Seth McClung, Kiko Calero, Mike MacDougal, Derrick Turnbow and Jose Veras as relievers on the radar.
The Marlins will be bargain-hunting, of course. Year after year the Fish manage to turn up quality relief seasons from guys signed for nothing. In 2009, it was Calero, Brian Sanches, and Brendan Donnelly. Still, you have to wonder if offering arbitration to Calero would've been a wise move.
Prospect Lists
A couple of well-regarded prospect lists came out today: Keith Law's Top 100 for ESPN and Jonathan Mayo's Top 50 for MLB.com. Atlanta's Jason Heyward and Washington's Stephen Strasburg rank #1-2 on both lists. Full access to Law's list requires an ESPN Insider subscription, which is well worth the annual fee.
Yankees To Hire Kevin Towers
The Yankees will announce the hiring of former Padres GM Kevin Towers before spring, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. ESPN's Buster Olney had been predicting this since October.
Towers planned to meet with the Yankees, Mets, Mariners, and Red Sox during the Winter Meetings, reported MLB.com's Corey Brock. Towers later told Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he wanted to see how an American League team was put together. Click here to download Towers' Padres trade history, compiled by Brendan Bianowicz.