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Archives for January 2011

Minor Transactions: Giants, Angels

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Here are some notable players headed to big league Spring Training camps…

  • The Giants announced the names of 22 non-roster invitees to their Spring Training camp, some of whom are former Major Leaguers new to the organization.  This group includes infielder Brad Eldred, catcher Chris Stewart, outfielder Terry Evans and right-handers Casey Daigle, Shane Loux and Ryan Vogelsong.  Also on the list is Guillermo Mota (who re-signed with San Francisco last month) and Waldis Joaquin, who was claimed on waivers by the White Sox in November but rejected the claim to sign a minor league deal with the Giants.  MLB.com's Chris Haft has the full list of invitees here.
  • The Angels have signed Kevin Melillo, Kevin Richardson and Gil Velazquez to minor league contracts with Spring Training invites, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  Velazquez, a 13-year veteran, leads the trio in career Major League plate appearances (11) and joins the Angels after three years in Boston's organization.  Richardson, a catcher, has spent his entire nine-year pro career in the Texas organization while utilityman Melillo played for Pittsburgh's Triple-A affiliate last season.   

Athletics Close To Deal With Brian Fuentes

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8:09pm: The two sides are closing in on a two-year deal worth about $10.5MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter).

6:55pm: Expect the A's to announce the signings with Fuentes and Balfour on Tuesday or Wednesday, according to Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).

5:08pm: The deal calls for Fuentes to get more than $5MM per year and will include "lots" of closing incentives, a source told Rosenthal (via Twitter).

4:50pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says (via Twitter) that it is expected to be a two-year deal with an option for a third.

3:36pm: The Athletics are close to finalizing a deal with Brian Fuentes, reports Steve Phillips of AOL FanHouse (on Twitter). We heard that Oakland was pushing to sign the free agent lefty just yesterday. ESPN's Buster Olney says the deal isn't done just yet (Twitter link).

The A's have remade their team quite a bit this offseason, facilitating trades for David DeJesus and Josh Willingham while signing Grant Balfour and Hideki Matsui as free agents. Fuentes would join Balfour in an already strong bullpen that features Michael Wuertz, Craig Breslow, Brad Ziegler, and All-Star closer Andrew Bailey.

ESPN's Buster Olney pointed out that geography could work in Oakland's favor since Fuentes if from nearby Merced. The Blue Jays were also considered a serious suitor to sign the lefty reliever, and both the Yankees and Rays were connected to him earlier this month. Fuentes was said to be seeking Scott Downs money a few weeks ago, though it's likely that his asking price has since come down.

Nationals Not Interested In Chris Young

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The Nationals are not pursuing free agent starter Chris Young, reports Bill Ladson of MLB.com.  We heard two days ago that Young was close to a decision, with the Nats mentioned as a team that "may be in play" for his services.  

With Washington out of the picture, that leaves the Mets as Young's primary suitors.  The Amazins have been rumored to be interested in Young all winter and at one point were thought to have offered the right-hander a contract worth more than $1MM in guaranteed money (the Mets denied the report).

Mets Sign Raul Chavez

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The Mets have signed catcher Raul Chavez to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training, reports ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin (Twitter link).

Chavez, who turns 38 in March, last played in the majors in 2009, posting a .631 OPS in 168 plate appearances for Toronto.  He spent last season catching for the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate.  The Mets will be Chavez's eighth franchise in a pro career that began in 1990.

Yankees Would Consider Joba-For-Starter Trade

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The Yankees would consider swapping Joba Chamberlain, but "probably only" as part of a larger package for a "viable starter," tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  Chamberlain's name was connected to trade rumors last summer, as teams like the Diamondbacks and Blue Jays were trying to "buy low" on Chamberlain, but there was never an indication that the Yankees were seriously considering moving the right-hander.

Chamberlain, 25, was rated as the third-best prospect in the sport by Baseball America before the 2008 season.  His star dimmed a bit after a shaky 2009 season in the New York rotation (4.75 ERA, 4.3 BB/9 rate, a league-leading 12 hit batters), but he pitched better out of the bullpen last season, posting a 4.40 ERA, a 2.8 BB/9 rate, and a 3.5 K/BB ratio.  Chamberlain is eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and is under team control through the 2013 season.

Heyman says Chamberlain will remain a reliever for the Yankees "for now."  We heard last month that the club wasn't thinking of moving Chamberlain back to the rotation, but even if Chamberlain's role changed, there's no guarantee he would bring needed stability to the back end of the Bronx Bombers' rotation.  Moving Chamberlain would be a win-now move on New York's part, but given the team's fruitless pursuit of Cliff Lee and Andy Pettitte's lean towards retirement, the Yankees may be so uncomfortable with their starting pitching that they feel dealing an asset like Chamberlain is necessary.

Cubs Agree To Terms With Geovany Soto

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The Cubs and catcher Geovany Soto have avoided arbitration, reaching an agreement on a one-year contract worth $3MM, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link).  Soto, who turns 28 next week, is represented by WMG.

Soto was the NL's Rookie of the Year in 2008, and bounced back from a sophomore slump in 2009 with an impressive .280/.393/.497 line in 397 plate appearances last season, though he was plagued with a shoulder injury that eventually required arthroscopic surgery in September.  He earned $575K for that performance and obviously was in line for a big raise in his first year of arbitration eligibility.   MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at Soto as an extension candidate in September, but it appears as though Chicago wants to see if Soto can remain consistent before making a longer-term commitment to the catcher.

The Cubs have four remaining arb-eligible players — Matt Garza, Tom Gorzelanny, Carlos Marmol and Sean Marshall.  You can follow their cases plus those of every other arbitration-eligible player this winter on MLBTR's Arb Tracker.

Rafael Soriano Signing Reactions

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The Yankees agreed to sign Rafael Soriano to a three-year deal that guarantees the right-hander $35MM. The Bronx Bombers don't get much of a guarantee from Soriano, who can opt out after year one or year two. The deal sends a first round pick from the Yankees to the Rays and gives the Yankees a pair of shutdown relievers in closer Mariano Rivera and Soriano. Here are some reactions to the deal between the Yanks and the Scott Boras client with the latest reactions up top:

  • ESPN.com's Keith Law points out that the Yankees gave Soriano tons of leverage. It's "a baffling scenario" from the Yankees' perspective, Law writes.
  • The Soriano deal was more ownership-driven than from baseball operations, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter links). The team's front office was split on the prospect of signing Soriano.  WEEI.com's Alex Speier notes that the Soriano signing seems to contradict Cashman's year-old opinion about relief contracts.
  • The Yankees had talked about signing Grant Balfour in a possible sign-and-trade before Soriano and Balfour agreed to their respective deals, according to Olney.
  • Olney suggests there’s a “major divide of opinion on Soriano within the organization, and that [GM Brian] Cashman's autonomy in matters of baseball operations may have eroded.” Olney points out that the Yankees now have two of the six relievers in baseball who earn $10MM or more.
  • Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal feels it's hard to properly judge the Soriano contract since "the Yankees operate on a completely different economic scale from the rest of baseball and can't be used as a comparison point for anything."
  • Tom Verducci of SI.com calls the deal a "smart" one for the Yankees and points out that it doesn't change the way they do business.
  • As Ben Shpigel of the New York Times points out, the Yankees expect the signing to take pressure off of their thin rotation.
  • Kevin Kernan of the New York Post argues that the deal saved the offseason for Cashman.
  • Chad Jennings of the Journal News explains that the deal makes the Yankees better short-term, but not necessarily a lot better. 
  • Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald explores what the deal means for the Red Sox. They will be tough to beat late in games, they'll definitely obtain the Rangers' first rounder for the loss of Adrian Beltre and Jonathan Papelbon could have trouble finding a massive deal in free agency after the season. 
  • FanGraphs' Chris Cwik says "it’s tough to defend any team that gives out such a large contract to a relief pitcher and this instance is no different."
  • My reaction has less to do with the Yankees and Soriano and more to do with Boras. How did Boras get a $35MM guarantee plus two opt-outs for his client in a market that was, by all accounts, pretty dry? It's been a standout offseason for baseball's best-known agent.

Francis Chooses Royals Over Other Suitors

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Jeff Francis says he drew interest from "a bunch" of teams this offseason before agreeing to sign in Kansas City. His suitors reportedly included the Yankees and Rockies, but Francis chose the Royals instead of a team with a legitimate chance to contend in 2011.

As he explained on a conference call with reporters this afternoon, the left-hander chose the Royals because they offered him the opportunity to start and boast the game's most impressive collection of minor league prospects.

"From everything I've been able to learn, they certainly have the talent available," Francis said, comparing the current group of Royals prospects to the young Rockies players who made it to the 2007 World Series. "I've seen [a quick turnaround] happen before and I know it can be done."

Francis turned 30 over the weekend, but it wasn't long ago that he was a top prospect like current Royals lefties Mike Montgomery, John Lamb, Danny Duffy and Chris Dwyer. Though he doesn't consider himself much of a mentor yet, Francis knows what it's like to be a top prospect. As the 9th overall pick of the 2002 draft, Francis arrived in Colorado with lots of fanfare.

He leaves the Rockies – the only franchise he has ever known – for the American League. Francis says there could be an adjustment period and that he expects to succeed as long as he throws strikes, keeps hitters off-balance and stays healthy.

Injuries have been a problem throughout Francis' six-year big league career, but he says his left shoulder has been "feeling really good" and that he expects to be ready for Spring Training next month. The left-hander spent the entire 2009 season recovering from shoulder surgery and says he experienced some soreness again at the end of the 2010 campaign.

Quick Hits: Pedro, Young, Rays, Thome

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On this date nine years ago, Carlos Pena and Ryan Ludwick were traded for each other. Here are some links on a day that has featured a number of signings, but no trades…

Gregg Likes Orioles’ Direction

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Kevin Gregg didn’t have much say in his future immediately after the 2010 season. The Blue Jays had the choice of cutting him loose, keeping him for one more year or keeping him for two more years. Their decision to let him hit free agency caught Gregg by surprise, but it ultimately led him to the security of a multiyear deal.

“You like to know where you’re going to be at,” Gregg told reporters on a conference call. “Two years isn’t a long time, but it’s nice for me and my family to know where we’re going to be at least for two years, maybe three.”

Kevin Gregg

The Orioles officially announced the $10MM deal that will keep Gregg in Baltimore through 2012 or, if an option vests, 2013. Manager Buck Showalter says he likes the right-hander’s "moxie" and closing background, though he stopped short of promising his newest reliever the team’s closing job.

Gregg, who has averaged slightly more than 30 saves per season since 2007, will have to compete for the chance to save games with Koji Uehara. But that wasn't a deterrent earlier in the offseason when he was choosing from a number of proposals.

“Fortunately for me, I had a lot of interest all over the board,” Gregg said.

After sorting through his offers, the Beverly Hills Sports Council client decided he wanted to join the Orioles. The team went 34-23 after Showalter took over last summer and has since added Derrek Lee, J.J. Hardy and Mark Reynolds. Gregg says he likes Baltimore’s direction and wanted to stay in what he considers baseball’s toughest division because pitching in the AL East is a challenge. It will also provide him with plenty of chances to remind the Blue Jays what they could have had.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

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