Odds & Ends: Arbitration Filings, Brewers, Blue Jays
Got some more links for you on a hectic Tuesday…
- Ed Price of AOL FanHouse has a list of salary figures exchanged by players and their teams at today's arbitration filing deadline.
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy breaks down the exchanged figures and the situations of the Brewers' remaining arbitration-eligible players.
- Jordan Bastian of MLB.com says the Blue Jays' payroll "will probably be in the $60-63MM range" next season, down from a previously reported figure of $80MM. Toronto's payroll, however, is "really a fluid number" according to Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos.
- Colorado may sign veteran catcher Paul Lo Duca to a minor-league deal, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
- In a text message to Tyler Kepner of The New York Times (via Twitter), Johnny Damon said he's "sure things will work out somewhere." Damon added that he hasn't ruled out a return the Yankees either.
- The Phillies are discussing a multi-year deal with arbitration eligible center fielder Shane Victorino, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.
- With Bengie Molina returning to San Francisco, the Mets primary catching target is now Yorvit Torrealba, according to ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter).
- Morosi tweets that Joe Blanton filed for $10.25MM in arbitration today, but the Phillies countered with $7.5MM.
- Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (via Twitter) spoke to a scout who saw Ben Sheets' throwing session today. "He threw very well. He threw easy," said the scout, who guessed that Mets, Cubs, and Rangers were the leaders for his services.
- Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald tweets that the Marlins and Cody Ross are going to an arbitration hearing over a $250K difference.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tweets that the Astros and Wandy Rodriguez are $2MM apart in their arbitration case.
- The Rays and B.J. Upton did not reach a deal today, and his agent indicated that the two sides will head to an arbitration hearing according to Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times (via Twitter). He later tweets that they may be just $300K apart.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com reports that the Cubs, Cardinals, and Dodgers are monitoring free agent lefty Mark Mulder. Late last week we learned that the Brewers were going to wait before deciding whether or not to offer Mulder a deal.
- The Blue Jays have signed outfielder Jeremy Reed and righty Steven Register to minor league deals with invitations to Spring Training according to a team press release.
- MLB.com's Ken Gurnick tweets that the Dodgers have signed catcher J.D. Closser to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. The former top Rockies' prospect last appeared in the big leagues back in 2006.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick penned a must-read on how Jack Zduriencik has transformed the Mariners in his short time at the helm.
- SI.com's Tom Verducci took a look at the most efficient teams of the last decade. The Marlins, Athletics, and Rays highlight the best, while the Mets were among the least efficient.
Blue Jays Do Not Sign Carlos Delgado
4:32pm: MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweets that Delgado's agent shot the rumor down as well.
4:05pm: GM Alex Anthopoulos denied the report when contacted by the FAN 590 in Toronto (via Twitter).
3:37pm: Word out of Puerto Rico is that the Blue Jays have signed free agent Carlos Delgado, according to MLB.com's Noah Coslov (via Twitter).
The signing would be a return back to where it all started for Delgado, who holds a place in the top three of basically every significant offensive statistic in team history. Just last week we heard that Delgado wasn't a fit for Toronto, however things can always change.
Verlander Files For $9.5MM In Arbitration
Justin Verlander filed for $9.5MM in arbitration today, while the Tigers countered with $6.9MM according to a tweet from SI.com's Jon Heyman. The soon to be 27-year-old righty earned $3.675MM in his first year of arbitration last season, so he's shooting to nearly triple his salary after finishing third in the AL Cy Young voting.
Lincecum Files For $13MM In Arbitration
Tim Lincecum filed for $13MM in arbitration today, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman. The Giants submitted $8MM. It appears the two sides will try to work a deal out with Ryan Howard's record $10MM award as a comparison. The question is, do you prefer a Rookie of the Year and an MVP, or two Cy Youngs?
Jonathan Papelbon's $6.25MM salary in 2009 is the record for a first year arbitration eligible pitcher, and that'll be smashed by Lincecum this year even if he loses an arbitration hearing.
Tigers Sign Jose Valverde To Two-Year Contract
The Tigers officially signed Jose Valverde to a two-year contract worth $14MM today. The deal also includes a club option for 2012 worth $9MM.
The 30-year-old Valverde has enjoyed a tremendous run as the closer for the Diamondbacks and Astros over the last three years. In 190.1 innings during that time, he posted a 2.84 ERA with a 10.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. Valverde battled leg injuries in 2009, though he held opponents to a .202/.286/.294 batting line after coming off the disabled list in June.
The Tigers were left with a gaping hole in the back of their bullpen this offseason after losing setup man Brandon Lyon and closer Fernando Rodney to the Astros and Angels, respectively. Because Valverde was a Type-A free agent, Detroit sent their first round pick (#19 overall) to Houston as compensation. The Astros will also receive a supplemental first round pick (#33 overall).
The agreement was first reported by Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports last Thursday, with Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com adding the value of the option year later in the day.
Red Sox, Papelbon Agree To One-Year Deal
2:25pm: ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes reports that the two sides did in fact come to an agreement today, and Papelbon will earn $9.35MM on a one year deal in 2010. Incentives could put another $150K in the closer's pocket.
1:19pm: WEEI.com's Rob Bradford hears that the Red Sox and closer Jonathan Papelbon may have a one year deal worth $9MM in place. The team may announce that arbitration figures were exchanged, though Bradford expects the deal to get done.
The deal would make Papelbon the ninth highest paid relief pitcher in baseball, just ahead of Brian Fuentes. He earned $6.25MM in 2009, the record for a first year arbitration eligible pitcher. Since breaking into the big leagues in 2005, Papelbon's 1.84 ERA is the second best in the game (behind Joe Nathan) among pitchers with at least as many innings pitched.
Twins, Pavano Agree To One-Year Deal
The Twins and Carl Pavano have agreed to a one year deal worth $7MM, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale (via Twitter). The contract does not include any incentives.
Pavano, 34, accepted the team's offer of arbitration earlier this offseason in lieu of exploring the open market as a Type-B free agent. He earned a $1.5MM base salary in 2009, though he picked up another $2.85MM in incentives based on starts and innings pitched. Between Cleveland and Minnesota, Pavano posted a 5.10 ERA in 199.1 innings, 53.2 more than he threw in his four years with the Yankees.
Odds & Ends: Lincecum, Reds, Red Sox, Uggla, Molina
Some Tuesday links…
- After talking to someone familiar with the process, FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi guesses (via Twitter) that Tim Lincecum will file for somewhere between $12-13MM in arbitration.
- John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer has the Reds' 2010 payroll at just about $70MM at the moment.
- In a mailbag, Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe says that the Red Sox aren't likely to go out and spend on a high-risk, high-reward pitcher like Ben Sheets after signing John Lackey.
- Joe Frisaro of MLB.com doesn't think the Marlins will look to trade Dan Uggla, even after he agreed to a deal yesterday that makes him the team's highest paid player in 2010.
- Meanwhile, Frisaro says that Cody Ross is likely headed to an arbitration hearing after negotiations hit an impasse.
- Tony Massarotti of The Boston Globe wonders if the Red Sox are doing the right thing by going year-to-year with Jonathan Papelbon through his arbitration years.
- After turning down the Mets' latest offer, ESPN's Buster Olney thinks (via Twitter) that the Mariners might be a good fit for Bengie Molina.
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy tweets that the Brewers will continue negotiating with their six remaining arbitration eligible players today, though GM Doug Melvin said that no multi-year deals are in the mix.
- John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press says it wouldn't be a shock if Justin Verlander sought at least $6MM through arbitration this year after seeking $4.15MM last year. Joe Blanton received just under $5.5MM in his second year of arbitration, so I wouldn't be surprised if Verlander submitted a figure closer to $8-9MM.
- Meanwhile, Lynn Henning of The Detroit News spoke to some scouts who think Austin Jackson might not be ready for the big leagues, at least at the plate. Jackson is slated to start the year as the Tigers' everyday center fielder.
- MLB.com's Jason Beck tweets that the Jose Valverde deal is official.
- The Rays aren't close to deals with any of their four arbitration eligible players, reports Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times. Tampa has a self-imposed deadline of noon ET today to get deals done, which is when the two sides must submit their salary figures.
- In a chat with readers, Tom Boswell of The Washington Post said he heard the Nationals were close to a "trade for a major-league ready pitcher of Jordan Zimmermann quality but it fell through when the other team backed out." He thinks Josh Willingham may have been involved.
- The Giants haven't confirmed if they're still interested in Miguel Tejada according to Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com, however he spoke to someone who says Tejada remains on the Twins' radar.
Angels In On Joel Pineiro Bidding
The Angels are in on the Joel Pineiro bidding, according to ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter). We first heard of their interest in the righty back in December, but they'll have to compete with the Mets and Dodgers for his services.
After losing John Lackey to the Red Sox and making a push for Roy Halladay before he landed in Philadelphia and Aroldis Chapman before he signed with Cincinnati, it's clear the Angels are looking to add another quality arm to their rotation. Despite that, they will not in attendance for Ben Sheets' workout today.
Molina Rejects Mets’ Most Recent Offer
Free agent catcher Bengie Molina has rejected the latest offer from the Mets, according to a tweet by ESPN's Buster Olney. The team is now beginning to focus it's attention on Joel Pineiro.
We heard that the Mets were close to landing Molina earlier in the week, but apparently he had a change of heart. The two sides have been haggling over the length of a potential deal seemingly all offseason. The Mets are one of several teams interested in Pineiro, and they'll also be on hand to watch Ben Sheets throw today.
Earlier today we learned that GM Omar Minaya was never given a budget this offseason, and instead must seek approve from COO Jeff Wilpon on a case-by-case basis.