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Cashman Encourages Jeter To Test The Market

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The game of chicken between the Yankees and Derek Jeter continued today, with GM Brian Cashman making the latest move.  Cashman told ESPN's Wallace Matthews:

"We understand his contributions to the franchise and our offer has taken them into account.  We've encouraged him to test the market and see if there's something he would prefer other than this. If he can, fine. That's the way it works."

On Sunday, Jeter's agent Casey Close told Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News, "The Yankees' negotiating strategy remains baffling.  They continue to argue their points in the press and refuse to acknowledge Derek's total contribution to their franchise."  To that, Cashman responded:

"I certainly was surprised.  There's nothing baffling about our position. We have actually gone directly face to face with Casey and Derek and been very honest and direct. They know exactly where we sit."

Matthews reports the Yankees' offer to be three years and $45MM.  Cashman wouldn't confirm that, but did say, "You can write that they have asked for more. More years and more money."  Matthews says the Yankees informed Close Monday that they will not be offering arbitration to Jeter.  If Jeter does somehow land with another club, he will not come with a draft pick cost.

Sabean On Huff, Burrell, Uribe

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Giants GM Brian Sabean spoke to reporters today on the Aubrey Huff conference call, and Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News has all the details.

Brewers, Braves Pushing For Eric Hinske

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TUESDAY, 11:46am: The Brewers made an offer to Hinske, GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.  Melvin said he also has offers out to Craig Counsell and Chris Capuano.

MONDAY, 11:26am: The Brewers and Braves are making early pushes for outfielder/first baseman Eric Hinske, tweets Tim Brown of Yahoo.  On Friday, MLB.com's Mark Bowman reported that the Braves made a one-year offer in the $1.5MM range in hopes of retaining Hinske.  Interest is mutual, but Hinske wants a two-year deal.

Hinske, 33, hit .256/.338/.456 with 11 home runs in 320 plate appearances this year.  He logged innings at left field and first base, and has also played right field and third base in his career.  He's a left-handed hitter who has been shielded from southpaws by his managers in recent years.  Given recent contracts given to Geoff Blum and Ross Gload, Hinske has a case for two years.

Rosenthal On Greinke, Reynolds, Rhodes

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The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • Rosenthal wonders if Zack Greinke will change his opinion of the Royals in Spring Training when he sees how close many of their prospects are.  Rosenthal says the Royals have no urgency to deal Greinke, though ESPN's Buster Olney writes that "some rival general managers are convinced the Royals are intent on moving Greinke this winter."
  • Mark Reynolds is a "trade possibility under discussion" for the Orioles, depending on how their offseason unfolds.  We heard from Yahoo's Tim Brown on November 10th that the Diamondbacks are shopping Reynolds and "looking for contact hitters and bullpen help."  You'd have to think the D'Backs would want David Hernandez from the Orioles.
  • Rosenthal feels that a Heath Bell trade would not happen until after free agents like Rafael Soriano and J.J. Putz sign, if at all.
  • The Reds do not want to offer arbitration to Type A free agent Arthur Rhodes, but they could re-sign him this week.  Check out Rhodes' free agent stock watch piece here.     
  • One GM Rosenthal spoke to thought Joaquin Benoit's lucrative contract could discourage teams from offering arbitration to relievers such as Jason Frasor and Grant Balfour, because if they accept they could use Benoit as a comparable for their 2011 salaries.  On the other hand, I think teams could be more inclined to offer arbitration knowing relievers might turn it down in hopes of finding a multiyear deal on the open market.
  • The Rays' payroll is very limited, so they won't be spending much on a free agent closer type.
  • Rosenthal writes, "Suggestions that the Pirates are pursuing major free agents such as outfielder Jayson Werth appear greatly off-base."  I've yet to see any writer make a Pirates-Werth connection, but SI's Jon Heyman has said they've been aggressive in making free agent calls so far.

Giants Re-Sign Aubrey Huff

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The Giants re-signed first baseman Aubrey Huff to a two-year, $22MM deal today.  The contract pays $10MM per year and includes a $10MM club option for 2013 with a $2MM buyout.  The deal does not include a no-trade clause, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Huff, 34 next month, hit .290/.385/.506 in 668 plate appearances for the World Champion Giants in a resurgent season.

The Giants inked Huff to a one-year, $3MM deal in January of this year, which turned out to be one of that offseason's top bargains after he finished seventh in the NL MVP voting.  Given Huff's age, defensive abilities, and struggles in 2009, plus the robust free agent market for first basemen, the new commitment comes with plenty of risk at $11MM per year.  Huff hired Ed Hayes as his agent a few weeks ago, clearly a smart move.  Giants GM Brian Sabean told reporters that he got clearance to match an offer Huff received from another team.

Four of five MLBTR writers polled on November 10th predicted Huff would re-sign with the Giants.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports was first to report Huff's agreement today, while Tribune News Services added contract details.

Justin Upton Rumors: Tuesday

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Only two or three teams have the players to make a Justin Upton deal work, Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.  Towers added, "We're not talking about getting A-ball prospects back. It would have to be players that could help us in 2011."  Towers expects to know whether Upton will be traded before the end of the Winter Meetings (December 9th).  Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall predicted, "I think he'll probably be here on Opening Day."

Two GMs who spoke with Towers told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that Towers is growing more pessimistic about trading Upton.  Rosenthal's sources say possible suitors like the Reds and Nationals "do not appear to match up for one reason or another."  ESPN's Buster Olney wrote today that the Marlins, Rays, and Blue Jays are thought to be in the best position to make a deal.

We learned yesterday that the Mariners, Athletics, Tigers, and Royals are on Upton's no-trade list.

Cardinals Sign Raul Valdes

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The Cardinals signed lefty reliever Raul Valdes to a minor league deal, tweets Baseball America's Matt Eddy.  Valdes, 33 next month, made his Major League debut with the Mets this year.  He posted a 4.91 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9, and 33.7% groundball rate in 58 2/3 innings.

Valdes struggled against lefties, who hit .330/.366/.625 against him in 94 plate appearances this year with four home runs.  On the other hand, he struck out 27 and walked only three against southpaws.    

Odds & Ends: Padres, Choo, Willis, Guillen

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Links for Monday night. with just one day remaining for teams to determine whether to offer arbitration to their ranked free agents…

Minor Deals: Mariners, Sutton, Braves, Burroughs

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Here is today's batch of minor league deals, with the most recent updates at the top:

  • The Mariners signed Luis Rodriguez, a shortstop who played in the majors from 2005-09 with the Twins and Padres, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The light-hitting 30-year-old exploded with 16 homers and 17 doubles in 400 plate appearances for the White Sox at Triple-A in 2010.
  • The Yankees signed Neal Cotts, the Marlins signed Josh Kroeger and the A's signed Adam Heether and Anthony Lerew, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (all links go to Twitter). Cotts, a 30-year-old left-hander, has pitched parts of seven seasons in the majors, but he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2009 and didn't pitch in 2010 because of hip surgery. Kroeger, 28, has 47 homers and 51 steals over the course of the past three seasons at Triple-A.
  • The Red Sox signed former Reds outfielder Drew Sutton, according to Eddy (on Twitter). The 27-year old has a .229/.302/.381 line in 118 major league plate appearances, but he did hit 20 homers at Double-A two seasons ago.
  • Eddy reports that the Cubs have re-signed longtime minor leaguer Bobby Scales (Twitter link).
  • The Braves have signed four players, according to Eddy (all links go to Twitter). Outfielder Jose Constanza, 27, batted .319/.373/.394 at Triple-A for the Indians; 28-year-old infielder Ed Lucas hit .307/.398/.480 at Triple-A for the Royals; utilityman Wilkin Castillo can catch and play in the infield and outfield, but hasn't hit Triple-A pitching and Shawn Bowman, 25, hit 22 homers at Double-A.
  • The Mariners signed left-hander Fabio Castro to a minor league contract, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (on Twitter). The 25-year-old hasn't appeared in the majors since 2007; he posted a 4.93 ERA with 8.8 K/9 for Boston's Triple-A affiliate in 2010.
  • The White Sox claimed releiver Waldis Joaquin off of waivers from the Giants, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. The 23-year-old made the Giants' Opening Day roster, but allowed six earned runs and seven walks in 4 2/3 innings, so he was demoted to the minors. He posted a 4.43 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9 in 40 2/3 innings split between Rookie ball and Triple-A.
  • The Brewers signed signed right-hander Zack Segovia to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The 27-year-old has big league experience with the Phillies and Nationals. He spent the 2010 season with the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate and posted a 4.19 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 62 1/3 innings.
  • The D'Backs signed Sean Burroughs, according to minor league transactions cited by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). The third baseman is reunited with GM Kevin Towers, who signed Burroughs in 1998 to what was then the biggest amateur bonus in team history. Now 30, Burroughs hasn't played pro ball since 2007.

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