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Archives for February 2011

Indians Working To Sign Bonderman

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The Indians are working to sign free agent pitcher Jeremy Bonderman, a source tells Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.  Cleveland GM Chris Antonetti declined comment when reached.

Bonderman lost a potential suitor earlier today when Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said that the club will not look to bring the right-hander back to Detroit.  Last season marked the 28-year-old's first since undergoing shoulder surgery in 2008.  In 29 starts and one relief appearance, Bonderman posted a 5.53 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. 

New York Notes: Pettitte, Mets, Pitching

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Let's check out a few items concerning the Yankees and Mets..

  • Yankees people continue to hear from friends of Andy Pettitte that they think the 38-year-old will pitch this year, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  Of course, there's still no word from Pettitte himself on the matter.
  • As expected, Mets principal owner Fred Wilpon, COO Jeff Wilpon and team president Saul Katz met with commissioner Bud Selig today to talk about the team's finances, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.  On Friday the club announced that they are looking to sell 20 to 25 percent of the team in order to give themselves a cushion against any settlement that comes from the Bernie Madoff case.
  • Mike Piazza, who earned more than $120MM over the course of his major league career, says he isn't interested in buying a share of the club right now, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Nick Swisher isn't concerned about the Yankees' pitching woes, writes Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger.

Rays Close To Signing Lopez

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We can expect to see the Rays sign veteran Felipe Lopez to a minor league deal in the next couple of days, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (via Twitter).  Topkin wrote earlier today that Lopez was a name to "keep in mind" as the club is in need of an inexpensive middle infielder.

After signing a one-year, $1MM deal with the Cardinals last year, the club cut ties with the 30-year-old due to behavioral problems.  Lopez's flat offense didn't help his case either as he hit just .233/.311/.345 in 109 games before signing with Boston.  The Red Sox wisely offered the Type B infielder arbitration, but a minor league deal means that they won't receive a compensatory draft pick.

Orioles Notes: Simon, Jakubauskas, Houser

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Let's take a look at some Orioles news..

  • The O's are unlikely to make a move with Alfredo Simon until February 26th, the mandatory date for all players to report to Spring Training, writes Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.  After being named as the primary suspect in a murder and denied bail in the Dominican Republic, Simon probably won't be able to join the club by that date.  Once that date passes, Baltimore can move the reliever to the restricted list, freeing up a spot on the 40-man roster.
  • Baltimore has signed a trio of free agent pitchers to minor league deals according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.  The club reached deals with right-handers Chris Jakubauskas and Mark Worrell as well as lefty James Houser.  Houser, who was tabbed by the Rays in the second-round of the 2003 draft, turned in a 3.67 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 for the Marlins' Triple-A affiliate in 2010.  The Orioles now have a handful of interesting pitchers in their farm system after signing Clay Rapada and Nick Bierbrodt last week.

Rays Notes: Manny, Damon, Boras

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The Rays are officially introducing Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez today and the former Red Sox have lots of good things to say about their new team. Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times has the details (all links go to Twitter):

Tigers Not Signing Bonderman Or Guerrero

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3:23pm: The Tigers aren't signing Vladimir Guerrero, either. "There's not a fit for us," Dombrowski told Gage. "We're not involved with that at all and haven't been."

2:44pm: Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has been open to re-signing Jeremy Bonderman throughout the offseason, but the longtime Tiger will not be returning to Detroit. "We are not signing Jeremy Bonderman," Dombrowski told Tom Gage of the Detroit News (on Twitter).

Last year Bonderman had his first full season since undergoing shoulder surgery in 2008. The 28-year-old logged 171 innings, posting a 5.53 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. Bonderman, who is about to begin his ninth big league season, is a free agent for the first time. Gage suggests Bonderman could be on the verge of signing with another club.

The 20 Biggest Free Agent Deals Of The Offseason

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Unless Vladimir Guerrero, Scott Podsednik or another free agent signs an unexpectedly lucrative deal, the biggest contracts of the offseason have all been finalized. As MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker shows, 20 free agents signed deals worth $15MM or more this offseason.

That's not counting the extensions that non-free agents like Troy Tulowitzki and Jay Bruce signed and we're only talking about guaranteed dollars. Many of the players below could earn more or less than the figures listed, depending on player opt-outs and vesting options. With that in mind, here are the 20 free agents who signed for the most guaranteed money this offseason:

1. Carl Crawford – Red Sox – $142MM

2. Jayson Werth – Nationals – $126MM

3. Cliff Lee – Phillies – $120MM

4. Adrian Beltre – Rangers – $80MM

5. Adam Dunn – White Sox – $56MM

6. Derek Jeter – Yankees – $51MM

7. Victor Martinez – Tigers – $50MM

8. Paul Konerko – White Sox – $37.5MM

9. Rafael Soriano – Yankees – $35MM

10. Ted Lilly – Dodgers – $33MM

11. Jorge de la Rosa – Rockies – $32MM

12. Mariano Rivera – Yankees – $30MM

13. Aubrey Huff – Giants – $22MM

14. Juan Uribe – Dodgers – $21MM

15. John Buck – Marlins – $18MM

16. Joaquin Benoit – Tigers – $16.5MM

16. Carl Pavano – Twins – $16.5MM

16. Jake Westbrook – Cardinals – $16.5MM

19. Adam LaRoche – Nationals – $16MM

20. Scott Downs – Angels – $15MM

Padres Designate Oscar Salazar For Assignment

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The Padres designated Oscar Salazar for assignment to create roster space for Samuel Deduno, the team announced (on Twitter). The Padres claimed Deduno from the Rockies over the weekend.

Salazar appeared in 85 games for the Padres last year, playing left, right, first, second and third. The 32-year-old Venezuelan hit .237/.318/.336 in 148 plate appearances. In parts of four seasons with the Padres, Orioles and Tigers, Salazar has a .269/.342/.435 line. His lone DL stint with the Padres occurred last August, when he missed four weeks with a right achilles strain.

Quick Hits: Rays, Prospects, Crawford

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One year ago today, the Reds signed Orlando Cabrera. After posting a .657 OPS in 537 plate appearances for the NL Central winners, Cabrera is still a free agent. Here are some links for Tuesday as we wait for Cabrera and the other remaining free agents to sign…

  • Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman says he's still looking for an established reliever, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter). Friedman suggested last month that the team is more likely to acquire a reliever via trade than free agency.
  • ESPN.com's Keith Law names the 20 prospects who are likely to produce the most in the majors this year and Freddie Freeman of the Braves tops the list. Click here for more on how Freeman's presence may have impacted the Braves' approach to free agency.
  • Freeman is an exciting young player, but not every minor leaguer can be a prospect. Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues explains the importance of organizational players at River Ave. Blues.
  • Patrick Newman of FanGraphs provides a list of the ex-MLB players who headed to Japan this offseason.
  • As Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe explains, Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford is waking up early and working out hard as he prepares for his first season in Boston.

Rays Sign Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez

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The Rays have officially signed Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez, the team announced. Damon's deal is worth $5.25MM plus a potential $750K in bonus money based on attendance and Ramirez's deal is worth $2MM. Both players are represented by Scott Boras. 

We first heard that Damon and the Rays were discussing a deal, and that Tampa Bay was a "leading suitor" for Ramirez.  According to Newsday's Ken Davidoff (via Twitter), Boras pitched the idea of both of his clients signing with the Rays "as a package deal" given that both players were interested in playing for Tampa Bay.

The signings reunite Damon and Ramirez, who played together in Boston from 2002 to 2005, and it also brings both men back to the AL East.  Ramirez was a Type A free agent and Damon a Type B, but since neither player was offered arbitration (by the White Sox and Tigers, respectively), no compensatory draft picks are involved.

Damon likely moves into a corner outfield position (with Desmond Jennings filling the other spot), while Ramirez will be Tampa Bay's new DH.  Damon could also see some playing time at DH against right-handed pitching.  Damon hit .271/.355/.401 with 36 doubles for the Tigers last year.

In spite of injuries and controversy that led to his trade from the Dodgers to the White Sox, Ramirez still posted a .298/.409/.460 slash line in 320 plate appearances in 2010.  On a $2MM contract, Ramirez will be one of the winter's biggest bargains if he comes close to repeating that performance in 2011 over a full season.

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated first reported the deal and added detail on Damon's incentives. For more on today's press conference, click here.

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