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Archives for January 2011

Phillies, Durbin Exchange Offers

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The Phillies have made Chad Durbin a formal offer and the pitcher and his representatives at Beverly Hills Sports Council have made a counter-offer, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The reliever is negotiating with the Phillies and several other interested teams, but Durbin would prefer to return to Philadelphia, according to Gelb.

Durbin, who made $2.125MM in 2010, “is believed to be seeking a raise,” Gelb writes. The 33-year-old right-hander posted a 3.80 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 68 2/3 innings last season, his third in Philadelphia.

Blue Jays Sign Octavio Dotel

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The Blue Jays' deal with Octavio Dotel is official, the team announced. The sides agreed on a $3MM contract for 2011 plus a $3.5MM club option for 2012, according to the team. Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (Twitter links) first reported the deal. 

Dotel will be the frontrunner for Toronto's closer job this spring, though he'll have to earn it, according to Morosi. 

The Blue Jays lost Scott Downs to the Angels and Kevin Gregg also seems likely to depart via free agency. To a certain extent, Dotel actually resembles Gregg statistically. Both walked about one batter per two innings last year, while Dotel (10.5 K/9) struck out more opponents than Gregg (8.8 K/9). Gregg picked up 37 saves to Dotel's 22 and posted a lower ERA (Gregg: 3.51 ERA, Dotel: 4.08 ERA). Gregg also throws slightly harder, is five years younger and induces more ground balls. The two pitchers are both represented by Beverly Hills Sports Council.

The Blue Jays could have exercised Gregg's $4.5MM option for 2011 after the season, but chose to decline. Assuming Gregg signs a major league deal elsewhere, they'll end up with an extra supplementary first round draft choice and a bullpen that costs $1MM less (the difference between Dotel's guarantee and Gregg's option).

The Pirates – the first of the three teams Dotel played for last year – and the Rays were among Dotel's suitors this offseason. The Rockies – the third of the three teams he played for – will obtain a supplementary first round pick in next year's draft since they offered the Type B reliever arbitraiton.

It's worth noting that Colorado will get a compensation pick for a player who appeared in eight games as a Rockie. Even more remarkably, the Blue Jays gained a supplementary first round pick for losing former Rockie Miguel Olivo, a player who never once suited up for them.

Reds To Sign Jeremy Hermida

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The Reds agreed to sign Jeremy Hermida to a minor league deal, according to the team (on Twitter). The move fills out Cincinnati's outfield and lessens the need for Fred Lewis or Scott Podsednik. Career Sports represents Hermida, who turns 27 this month.

Hermida joins Drew Stubbs, Jonny Gomes and Chris Heisey in a primarily right-handed outfield (Jay Bruce is the lone lefty hitter). Hermida bats from the left side and has a career .267/.342/.432 line against righties, so he could provide manager Dusty Baker with an alternative starter most days. The former first rounder hit .216/.268/.351 for the Red Sox and A's last year, playing left and right.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported the agreement and MLB.com's Mark Sheldon first reported that the sides were close to a deal.

Giants, Renteria Talking Again

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The Giants and Edgar Renteria are once again discussing a potential deal, according to Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter). However, the team is not optimistic about re-signing the infielder, since Renteria has drawn interest from other clubs. The Giants offered a deal in the $1MM range earlier in the offseason, but Renteria didn't like the proposal and suggested it showed a "lack of respect."

The Reds offered Renteria a deal weeks ago, according to ESPN Deportes. Renteria, 34, says he intends to play for two more seasons. He batted .276/.332/.374 in 267 plate appearances last year, missing time with elbow, groin, hamstring and shoulder injuries before returning to form and winning the World Series MVP. 

Poll: Recent Rockies Extensions

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The Rockies have locked up Troy Tulowitzki through 2020 and they've agreed to a deal that should keep Carlos Gonzalez in Denver through 2017. Both are powerful young hitters capable of playing premium defensive positions at a high level, so any team would want them.

Tulowitzki, 26, finished fifth in MVP voting in 2009 and 2010. He plays Gold Glove defense and has an electrifying bat capable of carrying a team (remember those 15 September home runs?). Gonzalez, also a Gold Glove winner, is just 25. He won a batting title last year and hit 34 home runs. Few teams have two elite young players like Tulo and CarGo, so it's not surprising that GM Dan O'Dowd wanted to keep them around.

But the Rockies didn't have to offer Tulowitzki and Gonzalez massive extensions to keep the players in Colorado. They were both under team control through 2014 before they agreed to extensions. You could argue that the Rockies took on unnecessary risk with their recent deals. It begs the question…

Should the Rockies have extended Tulo and CarGo?
Yes - championship clubs are built around elite players 73.75% (7,087 votes)
No - the team took on unnecessary risks 26.25% (2,522 votes)
Total Votes: 9,609

MLBTR Team Coordinators

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MLBTR features tons of ways to follow an individual team.  Using the Dodgers as an example, we have the regular team archive, team Twitter, team Facebook, team RSS, and a team forum.

If you're a social media and MLBTR junkie who would like to contribute to the site, please apply for one of the 30 "team coordinator" positions.  Your duty will be the promotion of the five team feeds named above for one specific club.  You'll be in charge of the team Facebook page, moderating and adding relevant hot stove links and polls regularly.  This is an unpaid position, so if it sounds like work to you there's no need to inquire.

If you are interested, please email mlbtrcoordinators@gmail.com with your team(s) of choice in the subject line and a few sentences explaining your qualifications in the body.  We can't guarantee a response, but we appreciate all inquiries.

Yankees Rumors: Burnett, Pettitte, Balfour

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Here's the latest on the Yankees as they continue to explore ways of improving their pitching staff…

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild will travel to Maryland within a couple of weeks to work with A.J. Burnett on some of the right-hander’s mechanical problems. A bounceback season from Burnett in 2011 would make the Yankees’ rotation considerably more threatening.
  • Cashman told Newsday’s Ken Davidoff that the uncertainty surrounding Andy Pettitte’s future is not hurting the team. "Andy isn’t holding us up from doing anything else," Cashman said. Two of Pettitte’s friends tell Davidoff that they think the 38-year-old remains competitive enough to want to play. The left-hander appears to be close to deciding on his plans for 2011.
  • The Yankees don’t like the idea of giving up a first round pick to sign Grant Balfour or Rafael Soriano, two Type A relievers who turned down offers of arbitration and are now tied to draft pick compensation.

Nationals, LaRoche Nearing Two-Year Deal

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TUESDAY, 7:49am: The Nationals are closing in on a two-year deal with LaRoche, according to Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio (on Twitter). Bowden was GM Mike Rizzo's predecessor in Washington.

MONDAY, 10:38pm: Confidence is growing on both sides that LaRoche will end up in Washington, a person with knowledge of the talks told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

4:44pm: The Nationals are still discussing potential contracts with Adam LaRoche and talks are progressing, according to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson. Ladson reports that the sides are not far apart on a deal and may continue negotiations today.

The Nationals recently offered LaRoche a two-year deal that appears to be worth $8-9MM per season. Washington appears to be a fit for LaRoche, since there aren't many reliable first basemen available. They could use a first baseman and LaRoche lost a serious suitor when the Orioles agreed to sign Derrek Lee.

As MLBTR's Steve Adams explained yesterday, the Nationals are just one of the options for LaRoche and his representatives at SFX. It appears to be an option that appeals to the first baseman, though - LaRoche told Ladson in December that he likes the Nationals’ direction.

 

Reds Notes: Renteria, Votto, Podsednik, Nix

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Votto 
Let's take a look at some Reds-related tidbits courtesy of The Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay..

  • Fay writes that "it is believed" that the Reds have made an offer to free agent shortstop Edgar Renteria.  The veteran said that the Giants' offer of $1MM showed "a lack of respect", leaving the Reds with a chance of signing the 2010 World Series MVP.
  • The news of Carlos Gonzalez's impending seven-year, $80MMM deal with the Rockies will likely have a ripple effect on the Reds' talks with Joey Votto.  Reds GM Walt Jocketty says that he hasn't seen the numbers on Cargo's new contract but Cincy can expect Votto to ask for even more money.  The 27-year-old, Fay writes, had two very good years prior to his brilliant season in 2010 while last year was Gonzalez's first in the majors.  Jocketty says that he hasn't talked to Votto's representation in recent weeks however due to the holidays.
  • The Reds are reportedly close to signing Jeremy Hermida to a minor league deal but they may continue to look for a left-handed hitting outfielder.  Jocketty confirmed that he talked to the agents for Fred Lewis and Scott Podsednik before the holidays.  
  • Speaking of left-handed hitting outfielders, the Reds haven't had any recent contact with Laynce Nix.  The Reds were under the impression that Nix was Seattle-bound after receiving a contract offer from the M's in December, but no deal has been reached.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Rangers Notes: Pavano, Beltre, Young

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A few Rangers-related tidbits..

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