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Archives for January 2011

Heyman On Crawford, Pavano, CarGo

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There’s word that many Angels people were in favor of offering Carl Crawford a seven-year deal worth $142MM or so, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. The Red Sox won the bidding for the All-Star left fielder with a $142MM offer that left the Angels without one of their offseason targets. Owner Arte Moreno has said that his team never made Crawford an offer, but he acknowledged the Angels' interest. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors:

  • There are thought to be one or two teams looking at Carl Pavano other than the Twins and Nationals, according to Heyman. The Mariners and Rangers have been linked to Pavano this winter, but it's not clear if those clubs are currently interested.
  • Heyman reports that the Rockies are still trying to lock up Carlos Gonzalez. Meanwhile Troy Renck of the Denver Post hears that the Rockies could move closer to an extension with the 25-year-old this week 

Dodgers Sign Tim Redding

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The Dodgers have signed Tim Redding to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The 32-year-old will provide depth for the Dodgers, who already have starters Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Jon Garland and Vicente Padilla.

Redding didn't appear in the majors last year, though he logged 109 innings in the minor leagues. Pitching for the Yankees' and Rockies' Triple-A affiliates, Redding posted a 2.89 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 as a starter. He last appeared in the majors with the 2009 Mets, when he posted a 5.10 ERA in 120 innings as a swingman.

The Dodgers added Dana Eveland in a similar move earlier in the offseason. The Redding deal is one of many minor league contracts GM Ned Colletti has negotiated this winter. Agent Tom O'Connell represents Redding.

Reds Interested In Fred Lewis

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The Reds are looking for a versatile outfielder who bats from the left side and they are now interested in Fred Lewis, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The 30-year-old played all three outfield positions for the Blue Jays last year and boasts a .280/.354/.442 line against right-handed pitching in his five-year MLB career. That would make him a natural complement to Jonny Gomes, Drew Stubbs and Chris Heisey, who all bat right-handed. Lewis is precisely the type of player the Reds would like to add.

“What we’re looking for is veteran outfielder, preferably a left-handed hitting outfielder," GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer last week.

The team is also considering Scott Podsednik, who is versatile and left-handed, like Lewis. The Blue Jays non-tendered Lewis in December and he has since drawn interest from the Indians, Tigers, Mets and others. The Rays also checked in on Lewis, according to Morosi (on Twitter). However, their interest appears to be "extremely limited."

Lewis hit 31 doubles last year and posted a .262/.332/.414 line in 480 plate appearances for the Blue Jays.

Rangers To Sign Arthur Rhodes

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The Rangers have announced their deal with left-hander Arthur Rhodes. The deal pays Rhodes $3.9MM in 2011 and includes a $4MM vesting option for 2012, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter).

Rhodes, 41, is coming off the first All-Star season of his 19-year major league career.  In 69 games with the Reds last year, Rhodes posted a 2.29 ERA, a 8.2 K/9 rate and a 2.78 K/BB ratio.  Rhodes qualified as a Type A free agent, but since Cincinnati didn't offer him arbitration, Texas won't lose a draft pick as compensation. 

Steve Phillips of AOL Fanhouse (Twitter link) first reported the agreement and Jon Heyman of SI.com first added detail about the vesting option. 

Rangers To Sign Brandon Webb

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The Rangers are set to announce their one-year deal with Brandon Webb. The contract is worth $3MM plus incentives that could bring the total value of the deal to $8-10MM. The team will make the deal official this afternoon, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).

Webb, 31, won the National League Cy Young award in 2006, when he went 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA, 6.8 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9. Prior to the 2009 season, Webb had cemented himself as one of the best in the National League, totaling 1315 2/3 innings of 3.24 ERA ball with 7.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 since his 2003 debut. In addition to his 2006 Cy Young nod, he also finished second in both 2007 and 2008.

That seems like a long time ago though, as Webb has thrown just four innings since. Webb has spent a total of 372 days on the disabled list in his recovery from shoulder surgery in 2009. The Rangers will hope that this signing works out better than a similar move they made last season when they signed Rich Harden to a one-year deal.

Webb will join C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, and Tommy Hunter in a Texas rotation that's trying to cope with the loss of Cliff Lee. The move may prove to be a risky decision for Webb, as the hitter-friendly environment in Texas isn't an ideal setting for a pitcher to re-establish his value. Returning to his outstanding career 62.4% groundball rate would help Webb mitigate the homer-happy confines of his new home park.

Webb and agent Jonathan Maurer were possibly deciding between the Rangers and an NL Central mystery team, widely believed to be the Reds. If that's true, then it's not as if Webb was ever considering a pitcher-friendly environment in the first place. Back in November, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith correctly predicted Webb would end up with the Rangers.

ESPN's Buster Olney and Jerry Crasnick reported the terms of the deal. FanHouse's Ed Price first reported the agreement.

Red Sox Sign Hector Luna

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The Red Sox signed Hector Luna to a minor league deal, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Luna, who turns 31 next month, is a six-year MLB veteran with experience at every position but pitcher and catcher.

Luna appeared in 27 games for the Marlins last year, batting .138/.133/.379 with two homers in 30 plate appearances. He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he hit .294/.367/.477 in 411 plate appearances. Most of Luna's big league experience comes on the infield, at second, thid and short.

Jed Lowrie provides the Red Sox with similar versatility and he is ahead of Luna on the depth chart after posting a .907 OPS in 197 plate appearances last year.

Yankees Expect To Hear From Pettitte Soon

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A Yankees official told Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com that the front office expects to know within a few days whether Andy Pettitte will pitch in 2011. Pettitte appears to be leaning toward retirement, but the Yankees are waiting to address other needs until they know the veteran left-hander’s intentions.

"Starter, reliever, a bat, it depends on what's out there,'' Matthews’ source said. '"But we gotta know what Andy is gonna do first.''

Pettitte would be a welcome addition to a rotation that contains its share of uncertainty after C.C. Sabathia and Phil Hughes. A.J. Burnett will attempt to recover from a disappointing 2010 campaign; Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre are leading canidadates to win starting jobs if Pettitte retires.

When MLBTR readers voted on Pettitte's future last week, 52% of over 13,000 readers said they think he'll continue playing. 

Pirates To Re-Sign Brian Burres

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The Pirates added a candidate for the starting rotation today, agreeing to re-sign Brian Burres, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. Even after he non-tendered the 29-year-old left-hander, GM Neal Huntington maintained that the club had interest in a new deal.

Burres appeared in 20 games for the Pirates last year, serving as a swingman. He started 13 games and relieved in seven others, logging 79 1/3 innings and posting a 4.99 ERA. His strikeout (5.1 K/9) and walk (3.9 BB/9) ratios are below-average, but he will provide the Pirates with depth.

Manager Clint Hurdle will choose between some new additions and some familiar faces when he lines up his 2011 rotation. Burres, Kevin Correia, Scott Olsen, Paul Maholm, Ross Ohlendorf, James McDonald, Charlie Morton, Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen and Brad Lincoln could all start for the Pirates this season.

The Pirates can retain Burres through 2013 if they offer him arbitration.

Brewers Rumors: Marcum, Betancourt, Weeks

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The Brewers are going to be a different looking team in 2011. GM Doug Melvin appears to have improved his starting rotation significantly with a pair of major trades. Here's the latest on what remains for the Brewers between now and Opening Day…

Twins Notes: Thome, Pavano, Greinke

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So far this offseason, the Twins have made a number of minor league deals, traded J.J. Hardy to the Orioles and added Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Twins GM Bill Smith isn't done yet, though. The club could still add Jim Thome, Carl Pavano and/or others. Here's the latest on the defending AL Central champions from La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

  • There are indications that Thome’s representatives raised some “eyebrows” when Lance Berkman signed for $8MM. Thome, who signed for a $1.5MM guarantee last winter, posted a .283/.412/.627 line, while Berkman hit just .248/.368/.413. 
  • There are no indications that Pavano has a three-year offer, according to Neal, who wonders whether the Twins have even offered a two-year deal.
  • It’s not clear that the Twins can afford both Thome and Pavano, since both are coming off strong seasons and the Twins’ payroll is already high.
  • There’s word that the Royals were not interested in discussing potential Zack Greinke trades with their AL Central rivals. The Indians and Twins did appear to have interest in Greinke, Neal writes.

 

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