Quick Hits: Chavez, Vlad, Pierzynski, Royals
Happy 51st birthday to Steve Sax! Sax was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1982, played on two World Series champions, made five All-Star teams, and holds a special bit of pop culture history as one of Mr. Burns' softball ringers on The Simpsons.
Today's news tidbits…
- As part of a Dodgers-related mailbag, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick cites the Blue Jays, Marlins and Indians as teams that could offer Eric Chavez more playing time than the Dodgers could. Toronto's interest in Chavez is well-known, but Florida and Cleveland are new to the mix. Other teams known to be looking are Chavez include the Yankees, White Sox and Mariners.
- The Angels are looking for a leadoff man and bench help, and don't seem to be interested in Vladimir Guerrero, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com. The Orioles look like they're Guerrero's most ardent suitors at this point.
- A.J. Pierzynski tells Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that he was all but officially signed by the Dodgers before the White Sox swooped in with an offer to bring the catcher back to Chicago. "It all came together in a 15-minute span," Pierzynski said. "I was pretty much resigned to the fact I wasn't coming back." Had Pierzynski not returned, the White Sox would have focused on Miguel Olivo as a replacement behind the plate.
- The Chone Figgins-to-Oakland rumor looks to be dead, which Joe Pawlikowski of Fangraphs thinks may be a good thing for the A's.
- The Royals are converting prospect Wil Myers from catcher to outfielder, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
Reds, Edinson Volquez Nearing Deal
4:31pm: The two sides are close to a one-year contract worth around $1.6MM, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (via Twitter)
10:52am: Reds GM Walt Jocketty expects to reach an agreement — likely a one-year deal — this weekend with arbitration-eligible starter Edinson Volquez, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
It has seemed likely that the Reds and Volquez would avert an arbitration hearing all along, but the question has persisted whether they'd agree on a one- or multi-year deal. Volquez apparently preferred a one-year deal, blogs Fay.
Cincinnati's other young, arbitration-eligible stars — Jay Bruce, Joey Votto and Johnny Cueto — have all signed multi-year deals this offseason, buying out their arbitration eligibility.
Volquez, though, is coming off consecutive truncated seasons on account of Tommy John surgery and a 50-game suspension for using PEDs.
Blue Jays Sign Frank Francisco
The Blue Jays have avoided arbitration with Frank Francisco by agreeing on a one-year, $4MM contract, reports the team's official Twitter feed. Francisco is represented by Praver/Shapiro.
Francisco joined the Jays just last Tuesday after being acquired from Texas in exchange for Mike Napoli. The right-hander submitted a $4.88MM arb number to the Rangers, who countered with a $3.5MM offer. This was Francisco's last year of arbitration eligibility, and he is a free agent next winter.
Francisco moved into a setup role in the Rangers bullpen last season and delivered a strong season (3.76 ERA, 10.3 K/9 rate, 3.33 K/BB ratio) for the American League champs. Francisco lost the closer's job to Neftali Feliz in Texas, but he is expected to compete with Jon Rauch and Octavio Dotel for game-finishing duties with the Jays.
According to the MLBTR ArbTracker, Jose Bautista is the only arb-eligible Toronto player who has yet to sign a 2011 contract. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at the unique nature of Bautista's arbitration case last fall.
Rodrigo Lopez Weighing Offers From Braves, Mets, Rockies
Rodrigo Lopez "expects to decide to sign" with either the Braves, Mets or Rockies by the end of the weekend, reports ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (ESPN Insider subscription required). All three contracts are non-roster invitations to Spring Training, with various performances bonuses attached.
Lopez, 35, allowed a league-high 37 homers and 111 earned runs last season, posting a 5.00 ERA and a 2.07 K/BB ratio in 33 starts with Arizona. Lopez has already played for the Rockies (in 2007) and has also pitched for the Padres, Orioles and Phillies in his nine-year Major League career, missing the 2008 season due to Tommy John surgery.
Rangers Avoid Arbitration With Mike Napoli
The Rangers have avoided arbitration with Mike Napoli, agreeing to a one-year, $5.8MM contract with the catcher/first baseman, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan (via Twitter). Napoli is represented by Brian Grieper.
The deal concludes a whirlwind eight day stretch for Napoli. He and Juan Rivera were sent to the Blue Jays in exchange for Vernon Wells on January 21, and then four days later was flipped to the Rangers in exchange for Frank Francisco. Napoli submitted a $6.1MM arbitration number to the Angels before the initial trade that was countered by a $5.3MM offer from the Halos, so Napoli's new deal with Texas nets him a bit more than the midpoint. Napoli still has one year of arbitration eligibility left as a Super Two player.
The Rangers' only remaining arbitration-eligible player is the one with the most interesting case: Josh Hamilton. You can get updates on Hamilton's case on the MLBTR ArbTracker.
O’s Offer Contract To Hendrickson; Rockies Interested
The Orioles have offered left-hander Mark Hendrickson a minor league contract, reports The Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly. Hendrickson, 36, has posted a 4.74 ERA, a 2.19 K/BB ratio and a 10.6 H/9 rate in 105 games (12 of them starts) over the last two seasons in Baltimore. The Orioles declined Hendrickson's $1.2MM option for 2011, but were still known to be interested in bringing the veteran back at a lower price.
Hendrickson is also being targeted by the Rockies, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post. It's no secret Colorado is looking for left-handed bullpen help, specifically a pitcher who is willing to sign a minor league contract. Tampa Bay and Seattle showed some interest in Hendrickson earlier this offseason, but there has been no news on either of those fronts since the Winter Meetings.
Marlins Sign Shawn Hill
The Marlins have signed right-hander Shawn Hill to a minor league contract, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Hill is invited to Spring Training and will earn $600K if he makes the club.
Hill, 29, broke into the majors with Montreal in 2004 and most recently made four starts for Toronto last season. The Jays released Hill to make room for Rajai Davis in November. Hill has a career 4.74 ERA and a 2.04 K/BB ratio in 44 Major League starts and has undergone two Tommy John surgeries in his young career. Hill pitched well in both the majors and minors for the Jays last year, and if he stays healthy, could be a nice high-upside addition to Florida's staff.
Orioles Notes: Guthrie, Millwood, Scott
Some news items out of the Orioles' FanFest event this weekend…
- The Orioles have discussed a multiyear contract with Jeremy Guthrie, the right-hander tells MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski. "I love pitching here and anytime you can provide your family with security, it's a great option," Guthrie said. "I'm very happy to also play it out year-by-year and have the motivation to go out and do the best that I can. Whatever happens, I'll be a good spot." Guthrie is going through the arbitration process for the second time in his career; MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith recently analyzed Guthrie's case.
- Kevin Millwood is still an option for the O's, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Andy MacPhail told the FanFest crowd that the idea of re-signing Millwood "hasn't been ruled out 'by any stretch,' " but the Orioles can't guarantee a rotation spot to Millwood or any free agent starter. We've heard that Millwood is interested in returning to Baltimore, but without the promise of a regular starting gig, he could turn to other suitors like the Indians or Yankees.
- Luke Scott has told Buck Showalter that not only is he willing to move to left field if Baltimore signs Vladimir Guerrero, but Scott "wants to play defense," Showalter tells Steve Melewski. Scott played 106 games in left in 2008 and had a very solid +5.8 UZR/150 rating, but he has made just 40 outfield starts over the last two seasons.
Jim Edmonds Likely To Retire
Jim Edmonds is probably going to retire, according to Reds GM Walt Jocketty, blogs John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Edmonds has been contemplating whether he'd return in 2011 after playing well (.276/.342/.504) in 86 games with the Brewers and Reds in 2010. Unsatisfied with contract offers after the 2008 season, he sat out all of 2009.
Despite Edmond's surprisingly solid effort in 2010, it's unlikely that his retirement will have much of a ripple effect on any rosters. He might only have gotten a minor-league deal this offseason, anyway, as he did last offseason from the Brewers.
If this is the end for Edmonds, it will have been a heck of a career. In 17 seasons, he's hit .284/.376/.527, claimed eight Gold Gloves and won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2006.
Quick Hits: Farnsworth, Durbin, Izzy, Duchscherer
Here are a few items of note for Jan. 29, 53 years to the day after Stan Musial became the National League's highest-paid player with the one-year, $100K contract he signed with the Cardinals …
- The Rays will pay Kyle Farnsworth $2.6MM in salary in 2011, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. If Farnsworth's option for 2012 is picked up, he will earn $3.3MM that year. If it's declined, the buyout is $650K. The deal also includes up to $300K in incentives for games finished.
- The Phillies have not re-signed free-agent reliever Chad Durbin because he is seeking a two-year deal at a higher annual salary than the club is comfortable giving him, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Philly is also intent on preserving the roster spot for the sake of grooming younger relievers, according to Stark.
- The Reds will decide whether to sign free-agent reliever Jason Isringhausen after watching him throw a bullpen session on Monday in Arizona, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Isringhausen signed a minor-league deal with the Reds last July but did not appear in any games for them. He last appeared in the big leagues with the Rays in June 2009, a stint that ended when he suffered an arm injury that required Tommy John surgery.
- The Orioles remain fairly interested in free-agent pitcher Justin Duchscherer after receiving positive feedback on the right-hander's Friday bullpen session, blogs Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.