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Pirates Interested In Scott Olsen

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The Pirates are "deeply interested" in former Nationals left-hander Scott Olsen, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  The Bucs are known to be looking for pitching this winter, and they have a particular need for left-handed starting help after the club designated Zach Duke for assignment last week.

Olsen posted a 5.56 ERA and a 1.96 K/BB ratio in 17 games (15 of them starts) for Washington last season.  He spent some time on the DL due to continued soreness in his throwing shoulder and had his 2009 season cut short due to labrum surgery on that same shoulder.  Health issues aside, Olsen has shown only flashes of consistency in his six-year career (a lifetime 4.85 ERA), but he has value as a low-risk/high-upside signing.  Matt Sosnick, Olsen's agent, tells Kovacevic that Pittsburgh is "one of several teams that have expressed interest in Scott."

Reds Hopeful Of Re-Signing Rhodes, Less So Cabrera

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The Reds have an interest in bringing back both Arthur Rhodes and Orlando Cabrera, but "the chances of Rhodes returning are far greater than Cabrera," reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.  Neither player was offered arbitration by the club yesterday, since as GM Walt Jocketty explained to Fay, the Reds didn't want to take the risk that either Rhodes or Cabrera would accept and earn a raise for 2011.

The lack of arbitration offers makes sense, though it means that the Reds will face more competition to re-sign Rhodes.  Since the left-hander was a Type A free agent, a team that signed him would've had to give up a draft pick as compensation — a risky price for a pitcher that turned 41 last month.  Now that the Reds have declined to offer arbitration, however, teams are free to sign Rhodes without losing one of their picks. 

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted that if Rhodes wasn't offered arbitration, the veteran reliever could command a two-year deal on the open market in spite of his advanced age.  Jocketty says that he's "still hopeful of getting something done" with Rhodes and last we heard, Rhodes was also hoping to return to Cincinnati next season.

Cabrera became a Type B free agent when the Reds declined his 2011 option and it appears that his days in Cincinnati could be numbered.  Jocketty said talks between Cabrera and the team were left "open," but the shortstop is "looking for more playing time than we can offer."  We heard a couple of weeks ago that Cabrera was already drawing some interest from teams, which is no surprise given the slim pickings on the middle infield market this winter.  Since the Reds are committed to starting Paul Janish at shortstop next year, Cabrera will likely depart if he can find at least a platoon role with another club.

Odds & Ends: Bigbie, Jeter, Hoffman, Tigers

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Five years ago today, the Red Sox acquired Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett in the blockbuster trade that sent Hanley Ramirez to Florida. As I explained a year ago, that deal worked out pretty well for both clubs. Here are today's links…

  • Seven American League teams watched Larry Bigbie work out recently, MLBTR has learned. The teams have interest in the 33-year-old as a corner outfielder/DH.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com weighs in on the Derek Jeter contract talks and says the Yankees can't take the chance that Jeter walks out on them, even if it costs them an extra year or a few more million.
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick compares the GM-manager relationships for Chicago's two teams.
  • Some baseball people people are convinced that Trevor Hoffman will return to San Diego, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. The expectation among GMs is that the Padres will trade Heath Bell by next year’s trade deadline.
  • The Tigers are still seen as serious bidders for outfielders, according to Olney.

Minor Deals: Parraz, Mattheus, Boggs

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We'll keep track of the latest minor deals right here:

  • The Red Sox claimed outfielder Jordan Parraz off of waivers from the Royals, the teams announced. The 26-year-old has yet to appear in the majors, but he posted solid numbers at Triple-A last year. In his second stint at Omaha, he batted .266/.350/.410 with 27 doubles.
  • The Royals also outrighted right-handers Gaby Hernandez and Victor Marte to Omaha.
  • The Nationals announced on Twitter that they outrighted right-hander Ryan Mattheus to Triple-A.
  • The Brewers signed Brandon Boggs, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). The 27-year-old outfielder hasn't played much in the past two seasons, but he posted a .733 OPS in 334 plate appearances for the 2008 Rangers.
  • The Mariners and Astros also made minor deals today.

Cardinals, Giants, Padres Interested In Tejada

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The Cardinals, Giants and Padres are expressing varying degrees of interest in Miguel Tejada, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (link in Spanish). Some teams see Tejada as a shortstop and others see him as a third baseman, according to Rojas' source.

The 36-year-old played 58 games at short for the Padres after they acquired him from Baltimore, where he was playing third base. The Giants are focused on finding a shortstop and the Cardinals could use middle infield help.

Tejada could have earned a raise from his 2010 salary of $6MM had the Padres offered arbitration. The Padres did not offer arbitration, so teams will not have to surrender a pick to sign Tejada, a Type A free agent.

The six-time All-Star batted .269/.312/.381 with 15 homers between Baltimore and San Diego last year. He appeared in over 150 games for the 11th time in 12 seasons.

Mariners Sign Charlie Haeger, Three Others

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Mariners signed knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, left-hander Fabio Castro, infielder Luis Rodriguez and right-hander Chris Smith, the team announced today. All four receive invitations to big league Spring Training.

Haeger, 27, appeared in nine games for the Dodgers this year. He struck out 30 batters in 30 innings, but walked 26 and posted an 8.40 ERA. He has generated strikeouts throughout his five-year MLB career, but has walked 6.4 batters per inning.

Tigers Sign Victor Martinez

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The Tigers officially added a middle of the order bat, signing catcher Victor Martinez to a four-year, $50MM contract.  Martinez was widely regarded as the best offensive catcher available, though he may see significant time as Detroit's designated hitter. He'll earn $12MM in 2011, $13MM in 2012-13 and $12MM in 2014.

Martinez, 32 next month, hit .302/.351/.493 in 538 plate appearances for the Red Sox this year, earning his fourth All-Star nod.  As a switch-hitter, Martinez provides the left side protection the Tigers craved.  He also logged 904 innings behind the plate, a number that should decrease in Detroit due to the presence of Alex Avila.

Though the Red Sox hoped to re-sign Martinez, reportedly offering him a choice of three years and $36MM or four years and $42MM.  They can take solace in receiving the best available draft pick as part of their compensation.  The Tigers must surrender their #19 draft pick next year to the Red Sox, unless Detroit also signs Jayson Werth later.  In that case the Red Sox would get the Tigers' second-round pick.  Regardless, the Red Sox will also receive a supplemental draft pick. 

According to Ignacio Serrano of El Nacional, who broke the story, Martinez turned down a four-year, $48MM offer from the Orioles and a three-year, $48MM contract from the White Sox. MLBTR has learned that the White Sox in fact offered $48MM over four years. Martinez is represented by Octagon.

The Tigers have been baseball's most aggressive team this offseason.  Prior to the Martinez agreement, they committed $39.25MM to Brandon Inge, Jhonny Peralta, and Joaquin Benoit.  In a November 10th poll, three of five MLBTR writers correctly predicted Martinez would sign with the Tigers.

Serrano broke the story, Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com reported that an agreement was in place and Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reported on Twitter that the deal was official and added contract details.

Rockies Rumors: De La Rosa, Garland, Daley

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The Rockies are on the lookout for pitching and they already made one minor deal. Jim Armstrong and Troy Renck of the Denver Post have the details:

  • The Rockies haven’t ruled out bringing Jorge de la Rosa back, but his agent continues talking to other teams and the Rockies are not going to offer more than three years. Some teams are prepared to make a four-year commitment to the left-hander, according to Armstrong.
  • Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd is going through the process of finding a replacement in case De La Rosa leaves. Jon Garland, who is looking for a multi-year deal, is one of the team’s targets, O’Dowd confirmed.
  • The Rockies agreed to sign Matt Daley to a contract that will pay the right-hander $422K in the majors and $236K in the minors, according to Renck. Daley, who is not yet arbitration eligible, posted a 4.24 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 28 relief appearances last year.

Bryan Bullington To Sign With Hiroshima Carp

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The Royals announced that they have released Bryan Bullington so he can sign with the Hiroshima Carp. Kansas City designated the former first overall pick for assignment over the weekend.

The Pirates selected the right-hander first overall in the 2002 draft, but he has not produced at the major league level. Now 30, Bullington has a 5.62 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 81 2/3 innings for the Pirates, Royals, Indians and Blue Jays.

In 102 innings at Triple-A Omaha last year, Bullington showed some of the promise that the Pirates saw earlier in the decade. He posted a 2.82 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9, allowing just eight homers.

Rangers Will Discuss Extension With Hamilton

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Rangers GM Jon Daniels says the club has already had internal discussions about extending Josh Hamilton and, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas, the team will contact Hamilton's agent to discuss a long term deal this offseason. Hamilton, who was named AL MVP yesterday, says he intends to stay out of the negotiations.

Even before he won the MVP award, Hamilton was in position to command a substantial raise. He earned $3.25MM in 2010, his first time as an arbitration eligible player. The 29-year-old is still two years away from free agency, but 32% of MLBTR readers said they would not offer him an extension in a recent poll.

NL MVP Joey Votto will discuss a long-term deal with the Reds, Hamilton's former team.

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