Yankees, Sergio Mitre Reach Agreement
The Yankees and pitcher Sergio Mitre avoided arbitration, reaching an agreement for $850K plus incentives tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Mitre had Tommy John surgery in July of '08, and was released by the Marlins in September of that year. The Yankees signed him a few months later and were able to retain him for 2010 even after declining his option.
Mitre, 29 in February, served a 50-game PED suspension as he recovered from the elbow surgery. He ended up tossing 54.3 strong minor league innings and 51.6 ugly big league frames. He could become trade bait if the Yankees go elsewhere for their fifth starter.
Heyman On Damon, Tejada, Pineiro, Molina
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman believes the Yankees would not go beyond one year and $6MM to re-sign Johnny Damon. On MLB Home Plate Boras said Damon "would just have to move forward," while not faulting the Yankees for sticking to a budget. Heyman suggests four alternatives for Damon: the Giants, Mariners, Braves, and Angels. The Angels would be a tough fit barring a Juan Rivera trade, as their outfield and DH spots are full. The problem with the Braves is that they're approaching their payroll limit.
- Despite a report that the Cardinals probably can't afford Miguel Tejada, Heyman sees them as the best fit. Heyman's $8MM idea seems too pricey though.
- The Mets debated offering Joel Pineiro a two-year, $15MM Jason Marquis special, but at this point Pineiro seems to be seeking Randy Wolf's three-year, $29.75MM deal. MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone sees the team landing Jon Garland instead.
- Heymans says the Mets "seem serious about sticking with an offer of one year and a vesting option" for Bengie Molina. However, Cerrone "gets the feeling the Mets might have a two-year deal on the table."
Giants Seek Left-Handed Bat
WEDNESDAY, 11:08am: Schulman adds Cust to the list of bats on the Giants' radar.
TUESDAY, 2:16pm: So far this winter the Giants have spent $15.25MM on Mark DeRosa and Juan Uribe. After a conference call with GM Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News and Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle offer insight on the Giants' plans for the rest of the offseason.
- Uribe could play third base regularly, which would push DeRosa to left field. Uribe will not compete with Edgar Renteria for the shortstop job.
- The Giants seek a left-handed hitter. It would be either an outfielder or first baseman, as Travis Ishikawa is not under consideration to start at first.
- Sabean said no deals are imminent. At various points this winter the Giants have been linked to Johnny Damon, Scott Podsednik, and Adam LaRoche. I should point out that other potentially available left-handed bats include Russell Branyan, Lyle Overbay, Luke Scott, David DeJesus, Jack Cust, Mike Jacobs, Rick Ankiel, and Aubrey Huff.
- Schulman says the Giants are unlikely to spend much on a fifth starter or catcher.
GM Trade Histories: AL East
Brendan Bianowicz has more updates to the GM Trade History series. Today he covers the AL East. Check out the Excel spreadsheets below to see trades, free agent signings, and notable draft picks for each GM.
Rangers Considering DH Targets
MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan has the latest on the Rangers' pursuit of a free agent designated hitter. He suggests the Rangers are very interested in Vladimir Guerrero and Jermaine Dye, and consider Xavier Nady an intriguing name. Gary Sheffield and Jim Thome are also in the mix.
There are issues with Vlad and Dye. With Vlad, it's a matter of agreeing on the financials. Maybe Guerrero expects big money, but I imagine reality will set in a month from now. DH jobs are few and far between. Dye, on the other hand, isn't quite ready to stop playing defense.
Padres Free Agent Targets
As you might expect, new Padres GM Jed Hoyer is searching for bargains on the free agent market. MLB.com's Corey Brock names names.
The Padres' first goal is to add a veteran catcher to back up Nick Hundley. Mike Redmond and Ramon Castro are on the radar, Brad Ausmus less so. Castro has shown pretty good power for a catcher, with a .415 career SLG.
Outfield targets include Jerry Hairston Jr., Randy Winn, and Reed Johnson. Hairston, of course, can handle the infield as well. These players figure to land contracts of $2MM or less, in my opinion.
Nationals Sign Matt Capps
Reliever Matt Capps officially signed a one-year, $3.5MM deal with the Nationals today. He can earn another $425K for games finished. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick first named the Nats a strong contender for Capps on December 21st. ESPN's Buster Olney had the Nats closing in on the 23rd, and MLB.com's Bill Ladson had an agreement being reached on the 24th. ESPN's Bruce Levine added the terms later that day.
The Cubs and Mets were other late contenders for Capps, but his best shot at closing was in Washington. The Nationals have the option of keeping Capps for 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player. He was surprisingly non-tendered by the Pirates on December 12th, and many teams expressed interest. Capps, 26, had an off-year for the Bucs in '09, posting a 5.80 ERA with an abundance of hits and home runs in 54.3 innings.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
What’s Next For The Cardinals?
The Cardinals committed $120MM over seven years to Matt Holliday yesterday; he'll be paid $17MM in each year of the deal (with $2MM deferred annually). Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the contract "leaves the club with little financial space to address the No. 5 starter, the opening at third base and the wish to add a reliever."
Miguel Tejada and Felipe Lopez are known third base targets for the Cardinals, but Goold says either player would be difficult to fit into the budget based on current demands. Goold's colleague Joe Strauss says Tejada and Lopez are probably out "unless their market collapses." Goold expects David Freese to get a crack at the hot corner, with internal candidates filling the fifth starter role as well. The CHONE projection system has Freese hitting .269/.335/.442 in 2010, which wouldn't be any worse than Tejada and Lopez's projections.
The Cards could add an affordable left-handed bench bat via free agency, and Goold says Ryan Church is one name on the radar. As for the bullpen, Goold speculates on Octavio Dotel and notes that a Russ Springer reunion has been discussed. The Cardinals' offseason financial flexibility will hinge on the arbitration cases of Ryan Ludwick and Skip Schumaker. Goold wouldn't be surprised to see March bargains or midseason additions if the Cardinals stay quiet over the next few months.
Marlins Notes: Kennedy, Reed, Cantu
A couple of Fish-related tidbits from the land of Dwyane Wade and Dexter Morgan tonight….
- Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that the Marlins have made finding relief pitching a priority over replacing Ross Gload. Jackson mentioned Adam Kennedy and Jeremy Reed as left-handed hitters "mentioned in informal talks" that Florida might be interested in signing once they take care of their bullpen.
- It looks as if Dan Uggla will still be a Marlin when the 2010 season starts, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Rodriguez thinks that if the Fish can't find a trade partner for Uggla, they may shift gears and "start taking calls" about Jorge Cantu. Cantu's ability to place both first and third base makes him an attractive option to teams looking for help at the corners. Could Baltimore be interested? We know they're still in the market for a corner infielder, and the Orioles and Marlins touched base with each other about an Uggla trade earlier this winter.
Odds & Ends: Tigers, Pineiro, Padres, Giambi
Here's a round-up of a few news items floating around the baseball world tonight….
- MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that Detroit might sit out the bidding for the few remaining closers on the market and instead hope that youngsters Ryan Perry, Daniel Schlereth or a healthy Joel Zumaya are able to pick up some saves.
- Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated reports (via Twitter) that the Mets "have debated" the merits of offering Joel Pineiro a two-year contract, but Pineiro wants a deal akin to the three-year, $29.75MM contract that Randy Wolf signed with Milwaukee.
- Corey Brock of MLB.com reports that the Padres will sign an experienced backup catcher "within a few weeks."
- Dave Cameron of the U.S.S. Mariner blog isn't a big fan of Seattle's trade for Casey Kotchman.
- The apparent lack of interest in free agent Jason Giambi means that there's a greater chance he ends up back in Colorado, reports MLB.com's Thomas Harding.
- With Boston's signing of Adrian Beltre, Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas thinks that the Rangers might have leverage to get a more favorable trade for Mike Lowell, should Texas still be interested.