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Indians Inquired About Chen, Millwood

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The Indians have talked to Scott Boras about two of his clients, starters Bruce Chen and Kevin Millwood, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.   The Tribe are looking for starting pitching help, but as Hoynes notes, the club is hampered by its financial situation.

"It doesn't really matter how much interest the Indians have in a free-agent pitcher…it's all about how much interest the pitcher has in the Indians," Hoynes writes.  "As for the second prong, unless ownership is overcome by an unusual circumstance, the interested pitcher would have to sign a minor-league contract."

Chen's solid 2010 season figures to earn him a Major League contract somewhere, but we haven't heard much buzz about the veteran southpaw other than some mutual interest between he and the Royals, though not for anything more than a one-year deal.  If Chen opened himself up to the possibility of a minor league contract, you'd think that would notably expand his market, and the Indians would likely get outbid.

Millwood might be the more realistic option for the Indians, though he has been connected with the Royals, Rockies and Yankees this winter.  Cleveland and Kansas City would give Millwood the best chance at regular innings and it would be easier for Millwood to rebuild his value for a future contract if he wasn't pitching in hitter-friendly ballparks like Coors Field or Yankee Stadium. Millwood pitched for the Tribe in 2005 and delivered a league-best 2.86 ERA in 192 innings before signing a five-year, $60MM free agent contract with Texas.

As for other free agent starters, Hoynes reports the Tribe's interest in former Indian Bartolo Colon "has cooled considerably."  Hoynes also says the Indians were in contact with Brad Penny before the right-hander signed with Detroit.

AL East Notes: Jays, Soriano, Farnsworth, Arroyo

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Some news items from the AL East…

  • Toronto's payroll could end up being in the $80-$85MM range, tweets FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi.  The Blue Jays currently have just under $49MM committed for 2011 (according to Cot's Baseball Contracts) and have eight players eligible for arbitration.  Jose Bautista will get the biggest raise of this group, but even with notables like Yunel Escobar and Brandon Morrow also arb-eligible, the Jays should have a bit of money left to spend beyond settling their arbitration cases.
  • Perhaps the Jays' extra money could be spent on Brian Fuentes?  We heard about Toronto's interest in Fuentes earlier this week, and now SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Jays are still "pressing for" the free agent reliever.
  • Did Scott Boras wait too long for a Rafael Soriano market to develop?  Fangraphs' R.J. Anderson thinks this might be the case, and that Soriano might have to settle another one-year contract with the hopes of finding a long-term deal next offseason.
  • A bit of early reaction to Tampa Bay's agreement with Kyle Farnsworth: CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler thinks the signing is risky, but believes the Rays need to take chances on their bullpen if they want to contend.  Meanwhile, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs thinks the Rays made a better deal for Farnsworth than Boston did with Bobby Jenks, given that Farnsworth and Jenks put up comparable numbers over the last two seasons.
  • Bronson Arroyo tells Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald that he enjoyed pitching for the Red Sox and wouldn't mind returning: "Even though I can safely say that I’ve cemented myself in Cincinnati for a while, [Boston] definitely still feels like home and in the back of my mind I know that there is no better place to play than in Fenway Park."  Arroyo said when his three-year extension with the Reds runs out after the 2013 season, he would be interested in pitching for the Rays (to play close to his family), returning to the Red Sox, or staying in Cincinnati.
  • MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli has details on the vesting option included in Kevin Gregg's contract with the Orioles.  Gregg's 2013 option will become guaranteed if he finishes 50 games in 2012, or if he finishes 100 games total in 2011-12.  As SI's Jon Heyman tweeted in the previous link, Gregg will earn between $6-$10MM in 2013 if his option vests.
  • Matt Bush, the first overall pick of the 2004 draft, talks to MLB.com's Dawn Klemish about his battle with alcoholism and the progress he's made in the Tampa Bay organization.

Angels Agree To Terms With Jeff Mathis

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The Angels have agreed to terms with Jeff Mathis to a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration with the catcher, according to a team press release.  Mathis will earn $1.7MM in 2011, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

This was Mathis' second arbitration year, and he earned $1.3MM in 2010 after winning an arbitration case with Los Angeles last February.  (The Halos offered $0.7M.)  Mathis, 27, has served as the Angels' backup to Mike Napoli behind the plate for the last four seasons.  Mathis has just a .199/.265/.311 slash line in 1079 career plate appearances, but the Halos value him for his defense.

Mathis is the second arb-eligible player to settle a contract with the Angels in as many days, following Alberto Callaspo's $2MM deal yesterday.  Los Angeles still has six more players eligible for arbitration, including such notables as Howie Kendrick, Kendry Morales, Napoli and Jered Weaver.

Cardinals ‘Hopeful’ About Extending Pujols

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Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he is “hopeful” that the Cardinals can extend Albert Pujols by the time the season starts. The sides are not that far along yet, but they have had “discussions” and will continue to talk. They re-started extension talks last week.

DeWitt says the sides don’t necessarily have to agree to a deal by the start of Spring Training. However, Pujols has said that he doesn’t want to negotiate in-season. I suggested earlier today that it wouldn't be unreasonable for Pujols to compare himself to Alex Rodriguez, who signed the biggest contract in baseball history three offseasons ago.

DeWitt said he doesn’t expect “major” upgrades to his team’s roster between now and the start of the regular season. The Cardinals are not likely to add expensive position players, so Michael Young won't be going to St. Louis. He probably won't be going anywhere, as the Rangers have told him he's staying put.

Marlins Sign Dewayne Wise, Three Others

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Dewayne Wise is one of four players the Marlins signed to minor league deals, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (Twitter links). The team also added infielder Joe Thurston, catcher Clint Sammons and corner infielder Jamie D'Antona.

Wise, 33 next month, spent the 2010 campaign with the Blue Jays after two seasons with the White Sox. He hit .250/.282/.393 in 118 plate appearances last year and backed up at all three outfield positions. The eight-year veteran will provide insurance for the Marlins in case Chris Coghlan struggles in center field.

Thurston last appeared in the majors on the 2009 Cardinals. He has a .225/.306/.324 line in 280 big league plate appearances spread over six seasons. The infielder can play second or third base and has some experience in the outfield.

Sammons, 27, picked up some playing time with the Braves from 2007-09. The catcher hit .162/.253/.244 at Triple-A last year, but threw out 36% of would-be base stealers.

D'Antona, back in North America after two seasons in Japan, hit .263 with 36 homers for the Yakult Swallows last year, according to Eddy. The D'Backs selected D'Antona in the second round of the 2003 draft and he made it all the way to the majors in 2008.

Six Clubs Offer Jose Veras Minor League Deals

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The Giants, Rockies, Twins, Marlins, Rays and Pirates have all offered Jose Veras minor league deals and invited him to Spring Training, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes (on Twitter). The 30-year-old right-hander will likely decide on a team soon.

Veras posted a 3.85 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 48 innings for the Marlins last year, before they non-tendered him. Veras has been tough to hit throughout his five-year MLB career, but he has always allowed plenty of walks (5.0 BB/9 in his career). His mid-90s fastball (94.4 mph last year) has helped him strike out 8.7 batters per nine in his career.

Indians Notes: Perez, Antonetti, Prospects

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The Indians could add a veteran starter and build infield depth before Spring Training begins, but it's been a quiet offseason for the Tribe so far. They've made a number of minor deals and signed Austin Kearns - here's what's up next for the Indians…

  • Chris Perez says his agent has started discussing a deal with the Indians, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter). Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo and Rafael Perez are also eligible for arbitration this offseason. Here's a look at how an extension between Choo and the Indians might look. If you ask Jon Heyman of SI.com, an extension is not likely (Twitter link).
  • Chris Antonetti is the newest GM around. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com chronicles the 36-year-old's rise from Expos intern to Indians executive.
  • The Indians announced that they hired former big leaguer and longtime Astros employee Tom Wiedenbauer to be the field coordinator of their player development system. 
  • Top prospects Lonnie Chisenhall, Alex White and Jason Kipnis will attend the Indians' upcoming Winter Development program.

AL West Notes: Mariners, A’s, Daniels, Thome

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The four AL West teams averaged 78 wins in 2010. Here's the latest on the A's, Rangers and Mariners as they look to win baseball's smallest division:

  • The Mariners are not looking at left fielders at the moment, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
  • The A's issued a statement saying that owner Lew Wolff "has no interest whatsoever in purchasing the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise." Earlier in the week, ESPN.com's Buster Olney speculated that Wolff could be a potential buyer for the Dodgers.
  • MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan suggests Rangers execs Nolan Ryan and Chuck Greenberg could discuss an extension with GM Jon Daniels this week. Daniels' contract is up after the season, but he has said he would like to stay in Texas. 
  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News explains how a potential Jim Thome signing would shape the 2011 Rangers. I examined the same issue earlier in the week.

Tigers, Ryan Raburn Agree To Two-Year Deal

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The Tigers announced that they agreed to a two-year deal with Ryan Raburn, avoiding arbitration. The 29-year-old will earn $3.4MM for 2011-12, according to the AP (on CBSSports.com). The deal pays him $1.3MM in 2011 and $2.1MM in 2012, according to Tom Gage of the Detroit News (on Twitter). Raburn was arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, so the Tigers will control his rights for a year after the extension expires.

Raburn established career highs in runs scored (54), hits (104) and doubles (25) last year. He added 15 homers and posted a .280/.340/.474 line in 410 plate appearances. Raburn did a bit of everything last year, playing all three outfield positions, logging 18 games at second base and appearing at first and third.

The right-handed hitter figures to pick up regular at bats in left field next year, and he's a candidate to sub in at other positions. That flexibility should give manager Jim Leyland some options. Meanwhile, GM Dave Dombrowski must come to terms with Armando Galarraga and Joel Zumaya, the team's unsigned arbitraiton eligible players. Keep track of the developments with our Arbitration Tracker.

Cubs Sign Reed Johnson

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The Cubs and outfielder Reed Johnson have agreed to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, according to a team press release.  This marks a return to Wrigley for Johnson, who spent the 2008 and '09 seasons with the Cubs before hooking on with the Dodgers last season. 

Johnson was less-than-impressive in Dodger blue, turning in a slash line of .262/.291/.366 in 215 plate appearances.  The 34-year-old has a career .748 OPS and a solid 4.6 UZR/150 in the outfield.  Johnson is represented by WMG.

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