Astros, Wandy Rodriguez Sign Long-Term Deal
The Astros have avoided arbitration with Wandy Rodriguez, agreeing to a three-year, $34MM contract with the left-hander, the team announced. Rodriguez has passed his physical, according to Astros senior director of social media Alyson Footer (on Twitter).
Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes first reported the extension and Footer tweets that the contract also includes a vesting option for 2014 that could raise the total value of the deal to $44.5MM. Rodriguez is represented by the Wasserman Group.
The average annual value of $11.33MM per season will pay Rodriguez more than the $10.25MM arbitration number he submitted last week (Houston submitted an $8MM contract offer). The deal covers not just Rodriguez's final arbitration year, but it also buys out his first two free agent years. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith listed Rodriguez on his list of ten arbitration cases to watch and noted that the southpaw's eight-figure asking price wasn't so outlandish given his career numbers.
Rodriguez, who turned 32 last week, has a 3.36 ERA, a 2.87 K/BB ratio and an 8.4 K/9 rate in 90 starts for Houston over the last three seasons. With this extension in place, Hunter Pence is the only arbitration-eligible Astro who hasn't yet settled on a 2011 contract. MLBTR's ArbTracker offers details on all the arbitration settlements and submitted figures this offseason.
Twins Claim Dusty Hughes
The Twins claimed left-hander Dusty Hughes from the Royals and designated right-hander Rob Delaney for assignment to create roster space. Both teams announced the claim this afternoon.
Hughes, 28, appeared in 57 games for the Royals last year, posting a 3.83 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9. The Royals selected the left-hander in the 11th round of the 2003 draft.
Delaney has appeared in just one big league game so far, but the 26-year-old right-hander has plenty of minor league experience. He has a 2.96 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 242 minor league relief appearances. Last year he posted a 3.44 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 83 2/3 innings for the Twins' top affiliates.
Reds, Cueto Sign Four-Year Extension
The Reds and right-handed pitcher Johnny Cueto signed a four-year contract extension with a club option for 2015, the team announced (on Twitter). The deal is worth $27MM, tweets Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com.
Cueto was arbitration-eligible, and he and the Reds were about $900,000 apart on their submitted salary figures, per our Arbitration Tracker. The right-hander was seeking $3.9MM, while Cincinnati offered $3MM.
The deal buys out all three years of Cueto's arbitration eligibility, plus one year of potential free agency. Rumors of the Reds and Cueto having preliminary talks about a long-term extension surfaced in early December but were relatively quiet thereafter, as Cincinnati turned its focus on extending Jay Bruce and buying out Joey Votto's three years or arbitration-eligibility.
It's been a busy and expensive offseason after a resurgent 2010 for the Reds, who've committed a combined $151MM in salaries — the majority of which went to Votto, Bruce and Cueto — tweets Fay. Edinson Volquez remains unsigned after he and the Reds exchanged arbitration figures.
The 24-year-old Cueto posted a 3.64 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 185 2/3 innings last year. He has started at least 30 games for three consecutive seasons and has career marks of 7.3 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 4.27 ERA.
Yankees Sign Bartolo Colon
Nine years ago, Bartolo Colon was a stud pitcher on his way to a 20-win season. As talk of relocation continued, the Montreal Expos went all in, shipping prospects Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips and Grady Sizemore to Cleveland for Colon. Both Colon and Lee have won Cy Young Awards since, but Lee was this offseason's top free agent and Colon is a consolation prize for a Yankees team that has a thin rotation despite its fat checkbook.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Yankees have signed Colon to a minor league deal (Twitter link). Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Colon will earn $900K in the majors and has the right to be released if he isn't on the team after Spring Training (Twitter links).
Colon, 38 in May, last pitched in the majors for the 2009 White Sox. He started 12 games for Chicago and posted a 4.19 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 44.4% ground ball rate in 62 1/3 innings. Before that he pitched for the Red Sox, where he was effective for a seven-start stint in 2008. Colon's last standout season came in 2005, when he won the Cy Young Award for the Angels.
The Rangers, Indians, Rockies and Pirates all monitored Colon this offseason as he pitched in the Dominican Republic
Rockies Looking To Add Pieces
The Rockies are considering available free agents as they look to add rotation depth, left-handed relief and infield help, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Rockies would like to add a veteran starter and David Bush and Rodrigo Lopez are among the team’s targets.
The team would also like to sign a left-handed reliever to a minor league deal. Matt Reynolds (21 career appearances) and Franklin Morales (88 career appearances) are the team's current options, so they’re eyeing veteran help. Former Rockie Joe Beimel does not appear to be an option, according to the Denver Post.
Alfredo Amezaga, Cristian Guzman and Aaron Miles are among the backup infielders the club is considering. The Rockies appear to prefer Amezaga to Miles, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The Rockies still have interest in a higher profile infielder: Michael Young. Young will earn $16MM in each of the next three seasons and the Rangers say they expect him to stay in Texas.
Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine told Mike Ferrin and Morgan Ensberg on MLB Network Radio that “we’re looking at [Young] as our primary DH but also a guy who’s going to play all over the infield.” The team expects Young to get plenty of playing time, even though they just acquired former division rival Mike Napoli.
The Rockies also signed veteran catcher Chad Moeller to a minor league deal, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
Blue Jays Aim For Bullpen Depth
San Diego's relievers combined to strike out more than a batter per inning over the course of the 2010 season, while limiting hits, walks and homers. Manager Bud Black saw five of his relievers appear in 30 or more games and emerge with ERAs under 2.00 at the end of the season and the Padres' NL West rivals weren't the only ones to notice.
Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos says he'd like to have a deep bullpen in 2011, like the Padres did last year. He says he's happy to keep more relievers than usual on his roster this year and that the acquisition of Frank Francisco doesn't mean a trade is imminent. The Blue Jays' plans for their relievers haven't changed.
"No impact at all," Anthopoulos said yesterday on a conference call to announce the acquisition of Francisco from the Rangers. "They're all quality relievers and we love having depth in the bullpen one through seven."
Or maybe one through eight. The Blue Jays have discussed the possibility of opening the season with an eight-man bullpen to accomodate their arms and provide manager John Farrell with a variety of options. Though the Jays could open the year with an extra arm in the 'pen, Anthopoulos said a traditional seven-man ensemble is more likely at this point. The Blue Jays' rotation is relatively young and inexperienced, so the team's front office would like to support starters like Brett Cecil and, possibly, Kyle Drabek with steady relief pitching.
"It's certainly part of it," Anthopoulos said. "We don't want to overtax our young starters."
The Blue Jays don't want to overtax their relievers, either. Anthopoulos says there can be a ripple effect when teams have deep bullpens. If every reliever is capable of performing in meaningful situations, no pitcher gets overused. But Anthopoulos has no illusions; even qualified, well-rested relievers struggle and the 2011 Blue Jays won't be any different.
"We all know that they will get hurt," he said. "Some of them won't perform. They'll have bad months."
Take Jason Frasor (pictured), one of the holdovers in the team's new-look bullpen. He walked nearly a batter per inning in April, 2010 and posted an 8.38 ERA through the season’s first month, but recovered from his turbulent start and put together a fine year. He'll join Francisco and free agent signings Jon Rauch and Octavio Dotel, the relievers Anthopoulos expects to compete for the Jays' closing job.
Shawn Camp, Casey Janssen and Carlos Villanueva are also right-handed relievers under team control for $1MM-plus in 2011, so the Blue Jays have a surplus of big league arms and could hear from pitching-starved teams before the season begins.
The Jays have seven established right-handed relievers, but Toronto's left-handers have considerably less experience. David Purcey, an out-of-options 28-year-old, was reasonably effective in 2010. He's a leading candidate to make the club, though his walk rate and fly ball rate have been high throughout his brief MLB career. Jo-Jo Reyes is also out of options, but he has made just 11 relief appearances as a pro. Jesse Carlson, who was a mainstay in 2009, could also crack the team's roster.
While their AL East rivals to the south, the Rays, had to lower payroll this offseason and rebuild their bullpen on a budget, Anthopoulos reaffirmed that he has the flexibility to ask for more money if necessary. The Blue Jays can continue spending on their bullpen, even as their young starters become more expensive.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Rocco Baldelli To Retire
Rocco Baldelli told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he will retire as a major league player. The former sixth overall pick will remain in the Rays front office as a special adviser in scouting and player development, the team has confirmed with a press release.
After a promising debut in which Baldelli played center field, stole 27 bases and added 51 extra base hits, the injuries started piling up. He missed the entire 2005 season and considerable chunks of the 2006-10 seasons as he dealt with foot, hamstring, and hip injuries, plus a type of channelopathy, which has caused muscle fatigue.
"It's tough, because you almost never put playing and being an athlete behind you," Baldelli told Topkin. "But in my mind, I already feel like it's a step behind me."
Baldelli, who is still just 29, decided to retire in October and spent a few months making sure he was ready to call it a career.
Charlie Manuel Not Worried About Extension
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel says "it's just a matter of time" before he and the Phillies agree to a contract extension. Manuel appeared on 610 WIP radio (MLB.com's Joe Frisaro has some pertinent quotes) to discuss both the Phillies and his own future with the team.
Manuel is only under contract through next season. He reiterated his preference to have his extension settled before Opening Day, or even before Spring Training, to avoid being a "distraction." Manuel seems to be looking for a two-year extension since he said he knows he can manage three more seasons, or until he turns 70 years old. After that, Manuel said he will sit down with Phillies management and see what direction the team wants to take.
Manuel has a 764-618 career record in his nine seasons as a Major League manager, including a 544-428 record in six years in Philadelphia. The West Virginia native has led the Phillies to two NL pennants and the 2008 World Series title.
West Notes: Young, Rockies, Giants, Napoli
On this day in 1978, the Padres acquired future Hall-of-Famer Gaylord Perry from the Rangers for left-hander Dave Tomlin and $125K. The trade paid off for San Diego — Perry posted a league-leading 21 wins and captured the NL Cy Young Award. Perry previously won the AL Cy Young in 1972 with the Indians, making him the first man to win the Cy in both leagues.
Some items from the western side of the baseball world…
- The Mike Napoli trade makes it seems like the Rangers are still trying to move Michael Young, argues FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal. The Rockies "still view [Young] as a potential answer at second base," Rosenthal hears from sources. Colorado and Texas discussed Young at the Winter Meetings but talks have been dormant since.
- Rosenthal says the Rangers would have to pay some of Young's salary in a trade with the Rockies, plus take Jose Lopez in return to be their new utility infielder. Troy Renck of the Denver Post says the Rockies "love" Young but the Rockies "are tapped out financially this winter." (Twitter links) With this in mind, it's hard to see Colorado acquiring Young unless Texas agrees to cover virtually all of the $48MM Young is owed over the next three seasons.
- The Giants will face a salary crunch next offseason in regards to the rising salaries and arbitration cases of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Brian Wilson, writes MLB.com's Chris Haft. It seems like Wilson would be the clear odd man out of that quartet given how cheaper closing options can be found elsewhere. It's possible the club could arrange to keep all four pitchers since a number of veteran contracts are coming off the books over the next two years — Freddy Sanchez, Miguel Tejada and Mark DeRosa (who combine to make $18.5MM in 2011) are only signed through this season, and Aaron Rowand's deal expires after 2012.
- MLB.com's Lyle Spencer thinks the fact that Napoli was so quickly flipped from the Blue Jays to the Rangers turns the Jays' swap of Vernon Wells to the Angels into "a garden-variety Toronto salary dump." Spencer also thinks Napoli will be unhappy with a potential lack of playing time in Texas. This may be true, but Napoli would've been similarly fighting for at-bats with the Jays, given Toronto's plethora of first base, catcher and DH options.
Los Angeles Notes: Trout, Wells, Padilla, Gores
This year's Oscar nominations were announced today, so it's only fitting that we check out the latest baseball news from Hollywood. The envelope please…
- Mike Trout holds the #1 spot on MLB.com's 2011 Top 50 Prospects list. Trout is the only Angel on the list, while Dee Gordon (#44) is the only Dodger.
- Toronto sent $5MM to the Angels as part of the Vernon Wells trade, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Ilustrated. The cash transaction wasn't officially reported since the clubs "apparently just didn't want to" do so.
- News of the $5MM payment might have changed Fangraphs' Matt Klaassen's analysis of the Wells trade against the Giants' signing of Barry Zito in a "which move was worse?" breakdown.
- If Jonathan Broxton loses the closer's job and Hong-Chih Kuo can't stay healthy, Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com suggests Vicente Padilla as an outside-the-box closing candidate.
- Billionaire Alec Gores may have an interest in buying the Dodgers, but his equally-rich brother Tom won't be joining the bid, reports Gregg Krupa of the Detroit News. Tom Gores is reportedly focusing his attention on buying the NBA's Detroit Pistons.
- ESPN NFL Insider Chris Sprow finds "it hard to fathom" that Jake Locker would consider leaving the NFL behind to refocus on his baseball career. Locker was a 10th round pick of the Angels in the 2009 draft, but is projected to be one of the first quarterbacks taken in this spring's NFL draft. ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill opined that Locker could look to baseball as a fallback option if the NFL's labor troubles threaten the 2011-12 season.