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Archives for February 2011

Angels Beat Jered Weaver In Arbitration

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The Angels won their arbitration hearing with Jered Weaver, MLBTR has learned. As our Arb Tracker shows, the Angels offered $7.365MM, while Weaver and agent Scott Boras countered with an $8.8MM submission.

Weaver earned $4.625MM last year and pitched like an ace. He posted a 3.01 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 224 1/3 innings. The 28-year-old fly ball pitcher made the All-Star team and finished sixth in the voting for the AL Cy Young Award.

Ross Ohlendorf won his hearing with the Pirates earlier in the week, so teams and players have each won one of the two hearings to take place so far this offseason. Ten arbitration eligible players remain unsigned for 2011.

Twins Open To Trading Liriano

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Twins officials are open to the idea of trading Francisco Liriano, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Liriano, who avoided arbitration with the Twins on the weekend, is on track to hit free agency after the 2012 season if Minnesota doesn't lock him up long-term.

The Twins don’t plan to sign Liriano to an extension, according to Christensen. Long-term talks “went nowhere” and Liriano hinted at a three-year, $39MM extension when the sides discussed a deal, according to Christensen. 

There would be demand for the left-hander if the Twins made him available. Liriano posted a 3.62 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 191 2/3 innings last year. He appears to have recovered completely from Tommy John surgery and makes just $4.3MM in 2011.

Regular MLBTR Features

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If you're a regular MLBTR reader, you'll be familiar with our chats, our Week In Review posts and Mike Axisa's Baseball Blogs Weigh In feature. Here's some more detail on when you'll see our weekly features and exactly what to expect from them:

  • MLBTR Chats – Come by every Wednesday at 2pm CDT to chat about the latest trades, signings and rumblings around the major leagues.
  • Baseball Blogs Weigh In – Every Friday morning, Mike Axisa directs you to some of the best writing on baseball blogs around the web. Whether it's opinion, stats or something else entirely, you can connect to the best of the blogosphere once a week on MLBTR. If you want to send Mike a post of yours, reach him at: mike@riveraveblues.com.
  • Week In Review – It's amazing how much happens in seven days. Every Sunday night, we summarize the week's biggest stories in our Week In Review posts.
  • MLBTR Originals – We gather all our original analysis and reporting in one place every Sunday night.

Quick Hits: Marcum, Blanco, Peavy, Pujols

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Links for Wednesday night..

Brewers, Marcum Avoid Arbitration

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The Brewers and pitcher Shaun Marcum have agreed to a deal, avoiding arbitration in advance of their Thursday hearing, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.  The deal is for one-year and will pay the right-hander $3.95MM, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

With Marcum seeking $5MM and the club offering $3MM, the base figure falls just short of the midpoint.  However, the deal will include performance bonuses that can push the deal beyond $4MM, according to McCalvy.

Last season, Marcum turned in a 3.64 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 31 starts for the Blue Jays.  The 29-year-old is represented by Turner/Gary.

According to MLBTR's Arb Tracker, the Brewers are left with just one unsettled arbitration case: second baseman Rickie Weeks.  Weeks wants $7.2MM for 2011 while the Brewers are offering $4.85MM.  The two sides are scheduled to go to arbitration next Thursday but the club is said to be optimistic about reaching a deal beforehand.

Yankees Void Deal With Vizcaino

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The Yankees have voided their contract with reliever Luis Vizcaino, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  The right-hander tore his Achilles tendon late in the Winter Ball season and is not likely to pitch this season.

Vizcaino, 36, signed a minor league deal with the Yanks in December that would have paid him $750K for making the big league roster.  The Yanks saw the veteran as a candidate to work his way to the majors in '11 after he impressed in the Dominican Winter League, throwing consistently in the mid-90s.  Vizcaino's winter performance was crucial as he missed all of 2010 and most of 2009 with arm trouble.

For his career, Vizcaino has a 4.33 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9. 

 

Brewers Notes: Marcum, Cabrera, Betancourt

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This winter the Brewers have been working to sign Rickie Weeks to a multiyear extension.  There hasn't been much news on that front in the last week, but here are some other noteworthy developments out of Milwaukee..

  • The Brewers and pitcher Shaun Marcum remain deadlocked as they are less than 24 hours away from a scheduled arbitration meeting, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.  As seen on MLBTR's Arb Tracker, Marcum is seeking $5MM while the Brewers have offered $3MM.  Brewers senior director of business operations Teddy Werner remains hopeful that the two sides can work out a deal, citing previous cases that the club has settled in the eleventh hour.  As McCalvy pointed out on Sunday, Francisco Liriano's arb case could impact Marcum's as both pitchers submitted figures of $5MM.  Liriano wound up settling with the Twins for $4.3MM.
  • The club has not inquired about free agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera, GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter).  Some have speculated, including SI's Jon Heyman, that Milwaukee was a possible landing spot for the veteran.  This likely means that the club will take care of the shortstop position internally, turning the keys over to Yuniesky Betancourt.

Michael Young Rumors: Wednesday

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The Rockies aren't in on Michael Young, but other clubs have at least some interest in the Rangers infielder. Young would consider trades on a case-by-case basis, though he can veto deals to teams other than the Cardinals, Yankees, Twins, Astros, Rockies, Dodgers, Angels and Padres. Yesterday we found out that the Cardinals, Twins, Mariners and Tigers have little or no interest in Young. The Astros, however, like Young's tools to an extent and might consider sending Carlos Lee to the Rangers for him. Here's the latest on Young, with the most recent updates up top:

  • The Phillies recently contacted the Rangers to express interest in Young, three league sources told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.  The talks ultimately didn't get very far and are no longer active.  One of the sources characterized the interaction as "tire kicking" on the part of the Phillies.  It should be noted that the Phillies are not one of the eight clubs that Young would approve trades to, though the 34-year-old says that he would consider deals to teams not on the list.
  • The Yankees aren't expected to pursue Young, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • Several people involved with the Young situation tell Jon Heyman of SI.com that they believe there’s a “decent chance” that the Rangers open Spring Training with Young. Texas is talking to multiple teams about Young and for now the Rangers are discussing deals with clubs that Young would accept trades to.
  • The Angels have little interest in picking up most of Young’s contract or assembling a package of players that would appeal to the Rangers, according to Mike DiGiovanna and Steve Dilbeck of the LA Times. Texas is looking for starting pitching and a position player who can help at the Major League level. The Angels would part with Scott Kazmir and Fernando Rodney, but those players have little appeal to the Rangers.
  • The Dodgers have some concern about Young’s defense and power, according to DiGiovanna and Dilbeck.
  • The Mets should consider acquiring Young, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Mets could send Jason Bay to the Rangers, who are known to be seeking a DH type, and New York could then either keep Young or flip him to another team, with net salary savings in either scenario.

Cardinals, Pujols Remain Far Apart

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Albert Pujols and the Cardinals remain far apart in discussions about a possible extension, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links). Heyman says the sides are so far apart that there's "virtually no chance" for a deal by Pujols' February 16th deadline. Pujols is looking for Alex Rodriguez money ($275MM over ten years), while the Cardinals are reluctant to offer anything more than a six or seven-year deal.

Pujols, 31, is nine months away from hitting free agency for the first time. The three-time MVP has said that he'll stop negotiating an extension once Spring Training begins, so the Cardinals have exactly one week to reach a deal with him. Ten years into his MLB career, Pujols has 408 home runs and a .331/.426/.624 career line.

AL East Links: Gonzalez, Bautista, Shealy, Orioles

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The Yankees already added a reliever today. Here are some notes on what their division rivals are up to…

  • Adrian Gonzalez says he hasn't imposed a deadline for extension negotiations with the Red Sox, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Gonzalez, who worked out at Red Sox camp today, did not seem worried about talks with Boston, according to Cafardo.
  • The Blue Jays' arbitration hearing with Jose Bautista will take place Monday, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
  • The Jays signed Ryan Shealy to a minor league deal, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 31-year-old appeared in five games for the Red Sox last year after spending the 2009 season in the minors. Shealy posted a .231/.345/.472 line at Triple-A for the Red Sox and Rays last year.
  • Speaking of Boston, Alex Speier of WEEI.com introduces us to the team's many bullpen candidates. They have lots of left-handers to choose from. Felix Doubront, Rich Hill, Andrew Miller, Hideki Okajima and Dennys Reyes will provide manager Terry Francona with plenty of options.
  • The Orioles are actively discussing deals with Luke Scott and Jeremy Guthrie, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The O’s don’t appear to be on the verge of an agreement with either arbitration eligible player. Scott’s hearing is next Monday and Guthrie’s hearing will take place Wednesday. Keep track of all the remaining arbitration hearings with our Arb Tracker.

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