Pujols Talks Not Going Well
6:29pm: Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch heard that the two sides are "nowhere close" according to someone in Pujols' camp. He says the Cardinals remain reluctant to counter the ten-year, $300MM structure Pujols' side presented last year and are "leery of setting Pujols' market for fear their proposal could be rejected and eventually shopped should he reach free agency."
1:06pm: Contract talks between the Cardinals and Albert Pujols are headed in the wrong direction, major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The clock is ticking as there are less than two weeks until the first baseman’s self-imposed deadline for an agreement. The Cards' position players report to Spring Training on February 18th.
Even though talks between the two sides are fluid, the Cardinals are balking at the 31-year-old’s asking price. The slugger is seeking a contract that will reflect his status as the game's top player, meaning that he's likely looking to top Alex Rodriguez's ten-year, $275MM deal.
If Pujols does hit the open market after the 2011 season, Rosenthal writes that the Cubs, Rangers, and Angels are among the teams that could pursue Pujols. The Mets and Dodgers also could jump into the fray provided that their financial situations improve. The Yankees and Red Sox are obviously set long term at the first base position but Rosenthal posits that either team could get creative in an attempt to land Pujols.
Giants Sign Justin Christian To Minor League Deal
The Giants have agreed to sign outfielder Justin Christian to a minor league contract according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, but they did not give him an invitation to Spring Training.
Christian, 31 in April, spent last year playing in the Yankees' minor league system, hitting .289/.366/.435 with 22 steals and nearly as many walks (48) as strikeouts (56) in 468 plate appearances, mostly at Double-A. He was brilliant in the Mexican Pacific League this winter, hitting .356/.452/.561 with 22 doubles, ten homers, 24 steals (one caught stealing), 44 walks, and 27 strikeouts in 253 at-bats.
Christian's lone big league action came in 2008, when he hit .250/.302/.325 with seven steals in 43 plate appearances for New York. He's spent the majority of his career in the outfield (all three spots), but he's seen work at second base and shortstop.
Giants To Sign Mercedes
The Giants have reached an agreement with pitcher Simon Mercedes of the Dominican Prospect League, according to Spencer Fordin of MLB.com. The 18-year-old, who pitched in the DPL All-Star game earlier today, will receive $400K.
The right-handed pitcheris the second player from the DPL to sign with a major league club this month. Pitcher Darwin Castillo signed with the Royals last week for $300K.
Mercedes reaches the low 90's with his fastball and will begin his career with the Giants low in the team's farm system.
Twins, Liriano Avoid Arbitration
The Twins have agreed to terms with pitcher Francisco Liriano on a one-year, $4.3MM deal, avoiding arbitration, according to a team press release. The left-hander is represented by Legacy Sports.
This one-year deal marks a signficant raise for Liriano, who skirted arbitration with the Twins last year for $1.6MM. The two sides met exactly in the middle this time as the pitcher asked for $5MM and the club countered with an offer of $3.6MM. This offseason was Liriano's second go-round as an arb-eligible player.
Liriano, 27, turned in a 3.62 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 31 starts last season. According to MLBTR's Arb Tracker, the Twins have just one more unsettled case to tackle in outfielder Delmon Young.
Kelvim Escobar To Attempt Comeback
Despite having more shoulder surgeries (two) than pitching appearances (one) since 2007, Kelvim Escobar will attempt a comeback as a reliever according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The right-hander hopes to throw for teams in March.
Escobar, 35 in April, has battled major shoulder injuries over the last three seasons, missing all of 2008 and 2010 while making one subpar start with the Angels in the middle of 2009. The Mets signed him to a one-year deal worth $1.25MM last spring, but he didn't even make it out of Spring Training healthy.
When healthy, Escobar has been very effective, posting a 3.60 ERA in 653 innings from 2004 through 2007, striking out 7.7 batters per nine innings while walking just 2.8 batters per nine unintentionally. As a reliever, he's held batters to a .243/.329/.385 batting line with 9.8 K/9 in 247 1/3 career innings, but that was a long, long time ago.
Orioles Notes: Guerrero, Duchscherer, Scott
It's been a surprisingly busy winter for the Orioles with their newest acquisition coming tonight in the form of a one-year, $8MM deal with Vladimir Guerrero. Here's are some of the reactions to the newest Oriole plus other pieces of O's news..
- The $8MM deal with Guerrero will bring Baltimore's payroll to roughly $93MM, up from $73MM in 2010, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun.
- Landing Guerrero puts an exclamation point on an offseason that started poorly, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. In a separate tweet, Heyman calls the $8MM deal a "miracle" for the slugger.
- New Orioles right-hander Justin Duchscherer was asked to undergo a more rigorous physical exam than most, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com. The 33-year-old has been through two hip operations over the last two years.
- The O's haven't made any progress on their arbitration case with Luke Scott, tweets Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. Both parties are still hopeful that they can avoid a hearing. Scott has already said that he would like to sign a long-term deal in Baltimore. You can keep track on all arbitration cases with MLBTR's Arb Tracker.
Quick Hits: Pedro, Diamondbacks, Astros, Pettitte
Friday Night Links..
- Pedro Martinez isn't working out and a comeback is looking less and less likely, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. If Martinez does return in 2011, it'll be on a second-half deal again.
- Jeff Moorad's stake in the Diamondbacks is finally close to being sold, writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Moorad parted ways with the D'Backs more than two years ago to lead a group that purchased the Padres.
- Since Astros owner Drayton McLane announced in November he was going to put the team up for sale, he has been purposely tight-lipped about the process, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Even though McLane has kept things quiet, McTaggart writes that there is probably plenty of negotiating going on behind the scenes.
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier remembers Boston's pursuit of Andy Pettitte in 2003.
Yankees Notes: Pettitte, Williams, Chavez
Earlier this week, Andy Pettitte announced his retirement, bringing an end to months of speculation. Well, for the most part anyway. Here's some news on the left-hander and other Yankees tidbits..
- Pettitte isn't planning on a comeback but he won't completely rule out another go-round after a year off, tweets Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger.
- For Pettitte retiring was a tough decision, but ultimately the right one, says Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
- The Yankees have shown patience as of late but Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated wonders if Pettitte's retirement will make the club antsy. Their newfound restraint has them 0-for-2 on Heyman's scoreboard when considering their miss on Cliff Lee.
- GM Brian Cashman insists that patience is still the name of the game, writes Carig.
- Bernie Williams is one Yankee who is ready to shut the door on his playing days for good, writes MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. The 42-year-old centerfielder plans to make his retirement official at some point in 2011. Williams hit .297/.381/.477 in 16 big league seasons for the Bombers.
- Eric Chavez told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter) that if he makes the Yankees' major league roster, he knows he'll be playing in support of two phenomenal corner infielders. Slusser tweets that it It sounds as though the Yankees made best offer of the teams that showed interest in the veteran. The Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Mariners were among the other clubs known to be in talks with Chavez.
Rangers Continue To Explore Michael Young Trade
7:31pm: The Rangers and Rockies are talking about a trade of Young again and one source says the talks have reached an advanced stage, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, other sources are painting a less optimistic picture of the discussions, saying the Rockies are confused by the Rangers’ “mixed messages” on Young.
3:56pm: The Rockies like Young, but are confused about the Rangers' plans and might not have the money to acquire the infielder, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. One source told Rosenthal that tallks with the Rockies are dormant. The Rockies would likely have to send Jose Lopez and another well-paid player to Texas in any deal.
3:02pm: The Rangers have not re-engaged the Rockies about a possible deal as of this afternoon, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
11:52am: The Rangers have recently continued discussing the possibility of trading Michael Young, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Once again, the Rockies are a potential destination for the infielder.
Young, who became expendable when the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre, has three years and $48MM remaining on his contract, which includes a partial no-trade clause. Once Young gains ten and five rights this May, he will have the power to veto any trade.
The Rangers told Young he was staying put last month and president Nolan Ryan has since said he expects Young to be with the club Opening Day. Young, 34, would DH and back up around the infield, potentially spelling Chris Davis and Mitch Moreland against tough southpaws.
The Rockies showed interest in Young earlier in the offseason and were said to be looking for infielders last month, but they have since added Alfredo Amezaga.
Red Sox, Dennys Reyes Close To Deal
The Red Sox and reliever Dennys Reyes are close to agreement on a minor league deal, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The reliever reached agreement with the Phillies on a one-year, $1.1MM deal in December before the deal hit an undisclosed "snag".
Reyes, 33, would be the latest in a series of upgrades to the Boston bullpen. This winter the club has already signed Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler while retaining Hideki Okajima. Reyes would be fifth notable lefty the BoSox have inked to a minor league deal this winter after signing Rich Hill, Andrew Miller, Randy Williams and Lenny DiNardo.
In 59 games for the Cardinals last season, Reyes turned in a 3.55 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9.