Orioles To Sign Mark Hendrickson
The Orioles have agreed to sign Mark Hendrickson to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). Hendrickson had an offer from the Rockies, but chose to return to Baltimore, where he'll compete to be a situational left-hander and long reliever. Dan Connolly of the Sun reports that the deal is worth about $900K if Hendrickson makes the team (Twitter link).
The 36-year-old logged 75 1/3 innings for the Orioles last year, posting a 5.26 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9. He has started at least one game in every season since 2002, but he's primarily a reliever at this point. Hendrickson has held left-handed hitters to a .702 OPS in his career.
The Rays and Orioles also expressed interest in Hendrickson earlier in the offseason. Hendrickson, who played for four NBA teams before focusing on baseball, is now with his fifth MLB club.
Marlins Sign Greg Dobbs
The Marlins signed Greg Dobbs to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter). The team also officially announced the signing of Shawn Hill.
Dobbs hit just .196/.251/.331 last year and the Phillies designated him for assignment twice during the season. The 32-year-old hit .284/.331/.467 in 598 plate appearances from 2007-08 and he set the franchise record for pinch hits in a season with 22 in 2008.
Most of Dobbs' big league experience comes at third base, but he has experience at all of the corner infield and outfield positions. Dobbs' managers have always shielded him from left-handed pitching, since he struggles against southpaws.
MLBTR At FanGraphs: The Braves & Free Agency
The Connection Between Pence, Scott And Young
Hunter Pence and his representatives at Beverly Hills Sports Council likely took notice when Mike Napoli and the Rangers agreed to a $5.8MM salary for 2011. And Pence’s agency will probably be watching the cases for Luke Scott and Delmon Young just as carefully (keep track of all arbitration submissions with MLBTR's Arb Tracker).
Pence, a super two who is arbitration eligible for the second time, asked for more money than Scott, Napoli, or Young even though the Astros outfielder is a year further from free agency than the others. Pence can ask for $6.9MM through arbitration, since his career totals compare well with players like Scott and Young, who are on track to hit free agency after 2012.
Pence doesn’t have as much big league experience as Scott, Napoli or Young, but he has more career runs and stolen bases than any of them and comparable home run and RBI totals. Pence is also working from a relatively high base salary ($3.5MM) and is the only one of the players above to have made an All-Star team.
Length and consistency of career contribution matter in an arbitration hearing, which plays in Pence’s favor. He has appeared in 156 games or more in each of his three full seasons, hitting exactly 25 homers three times in a row. He has finished the past two campaigns with a .282 batting average, so it shouldn’t be hard for BHSC to show that Pence has been consistent and durable.
Pence is far from a perfect player; he has been successful just 61% of the time he has attempted to steal bases and doesn’t walk as much as Scott or Napoli. But it's his $6.9MM asking price that could become his biggest problem. Napoli, a comparable player in terms of career accomplishments, settled for $5.8MM. Carlos Quentin, another comparable player, already settled for $5.05MM, reducing the others’ leverage.
Young ($6.25MM) and Scott ($6.85MM) filed for less than Pence, but they could still help their fellow-outfielder by winning in arbitration. If they lose or settle, however, Pence will have a hard time explaining that he’s worth more than the $6.025MM midpoint (the Astros filed at $5.15MM) when comparable players are making $5-6MM.
Pence and the Astros are headed to arbitration soon and what happens with Scott and Young could have a major impact on how much the Astros are paying their right fielder for 2011 and beyond.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Cubs Sign Braden Looper, Augie Ojeda
MONDAY: Looper's deal pays him $1MM if he makes the team and includes about $2MM more in incentives, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
THURSDAY: The Cubs signed righty Braden Looper and infielder Augie Ojeda to minor league deals today, the team announced in a press release.
Looper, 36, last pitched for the Brewers in 2009. He threw for the Cubs before the 2010 season, but ultimately decided to sit out. Looper converted to starting in 2007, making 97 starts over a three-year span. He limits walks and keeps the ball on the ground fairly well, and could find innings with the Cubs if one of their starting five gets injured.
Ojeda, 36, broke into the Majors in 2000 with the Cubs. He's also served as a middle infield backup for the Twins and Diamondbacks. Ojeda was non-tendered by Arizona at the December deadline after earning $825K in 2010.
In total the Cubs invited 21 non-roster players to Spring Training, including Reed Johnson, Todd Wellemeyer, and Scott Moore. The team decided to bring in multiple veterans they knew from previous stints.
MLBTR Originals: 1/23/11 – 1/30/11
Time to recap the last seven days of original MLBTR content…
- Ben Nicholson-Smith provided a ton of original Blue Jays' coverage this week. He wrote about some recent comments made by GM Alex Anthopoulos, the team's eventual payroll boost, and their pursuit of bullpen depth. In the wake of the Vernon Wells' trade, I looked at Toronto's future payroll obligations.
- Ben also looked at four potential landing spots for Vladimir Guerrero, the 22 teams that have given out multiyear contracts this offseason, and ten arbitration cases to watch.
- Nick Collias reported that the Cubs signed a pair of Cuban players: outfielder Ruby Silva ($1.2MM) and catcher Yaniel Cabezas ($500K). MLBTR also reported that Ian Stewart had avoided arbitration with the Rockies.
- We started a new series looking at players who face a make or break year in 2011. So far we've covered Grady Sizemore of the Indians, Nate McLouth of the Braves, and Scott Kazmir of the Angels.
- We posted a pair of poll questions this week, asking where Justin Duchscherer will sign and who the best unsigned starting pitcher is.
- I rounded up the latest and greatest from around the web in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- Here is this week's chat transcript.
- Howard Megdal's latest Jack of all Trades post looked at baseball's tallest players.
Week In Review: 1/23/11 – 1/30/11
Pitchers and catchers will report to Spring Training in just two short weeks, but that doesn't mean the rumors have stopped. Let's recap the last seven days of hot stove action…
- Two pitchers landed multiyear contract extensions this week. Wandy Rodriguez agreed to a three-year deal worth $34MM with the Astros while Johnny Cueto got four years and $27MM from the Reds. The Angels are trying to lock up their ace as well, having opened up talks with Jered Weaver about a long-term contract extension.
- Less than a week after acquiring him from the Angels, the Blue Jays turned around and traded Mike Napoli (and cash) to the Rangers for Frank Francisco. Both Napoli and Francisco later agreed to one-year contracts with their new teams to avoid arbitration.
- In an effort to bolster their pitching staff, the Diamondbacks acquired Armando Galarraga from the Tigers for a pair of minor leaguers. The Padres added depth by signing Jorge Cantu to a one-year deal worth $850K while the Nationals added Todd Coffey to their bullpen for $1.35MM and one year.
- Chone Figgins' name came up in trade talks with the Athletics (and Blue Jays), but he ultimately said he's going to remain a Mariner. The Red Sox pursued a trade for Jose Bautista, but nothing ever materialized.
- The Orioles made an offer to Vladimir Guerrero, but there hasn't been any progress in talks and there's no timetable for a decision. Baltimore also has interest in Justin Duchscherer, who wants to start, as do the Nationals.
- If he decides to pitch in 2011, the Yankees will offer Andy Pettitte a cool $12MM. Rodrigo Lopez has offers from the Braves, Mets, and Rockies, while the Orioles have an offer out to Mark Hendrickson. The Indians have interest in bringing back Kevin Millwood, ditto the White Sox and Freddy Garcia and the Tigers and Jeremy Bonderman. A few clubs have interest in Aaron Miles.
- Spring Training deadlines for contract extensions are the new black. Rickie Weeks set one this week, as did Shin-Soo Choo. Albert Pujols said he will veto all trades if he can't get an extension worked out with the Cardinals before the season. Rumor has it he might seek $300MM.
- The Rangers and GM Jon Daniels are discussing a contract extension. The Rockies locked up Rafael Betancourt for the next two years, as the Mets did with R.A. Dickey.
- The list of players that avoided arbitration by agreeing to one-year deals includes Edinson Volquez of the Reds, Jason Frasor of the Blue Jays, Ian Stewart of the Rockies, Miguel Montero of the Diamondbacks, Kevin Slowey of the Twins, and Craig Breslow of the Athletics.
- A number of players signed minor league contracts this week, including Dave Bush (Rangers), Shawn Hill (Marlins), Nick Green (Orioles), Mike MacDougal (Dodgers), Joe Beimel (Pirates), Jose Julio Ruiz and Ty Taubenheim (both Rangers), Nick Bierbrodt (Orioles), Braden Looper and Augie Ojeda (both Cubs), Casey Kotchman (Rays), Alfredo Amezaga (Rockies), Greg Burke (Padres), Bartolo Colon (Yankees), Chris Ray (Mariners), Clay Rapada (Orioles), Todd Wellemeyer (Cubs), Marc Kroon (Giants), Andy LaRoche (Athletics), Willy Taveras (Rockies), and Micah Owings (Diamondbacks).
- We saw three players get claimed off waivers this week. The Padres claimed Samuel Deduno, the Rays claimed Rob Delaney, and the Twins claimed Dusty Hughes. Deduno was designated for assignment after the Rockies acquired Clayton Mortenson from the A's for minor leaguer Ethan Hollingsworth.
- The Nationals designated both Justin Maxwell and Shairon Martis for assignment while the Diamondbacks did the same with Rafael Rodriguez. The Cubs signed a pair of Cuban-born players: outfielder Ruby Silva ($1.2MM) and catcher Yaniel Cabezas ($500K).
- Troy Glaus is going to sit out at least the start of the 2011 season, while both Rocco Baldelli and Russ Springer officially announced their retirements. Jim Edmonds is likely to call it a career as well.
Jocketty Hopes New Deals Will Improve Attendance
The Reds have been very aggressive about signing their own players to long-term contract extensions this winter, and GM Walt Jocketty hopes the moves will improve the team's attendance according to Hal McCoy of The Dayton Daily News.
"If we continue to win … our attendance will improve, our revenues will improve and we’ll be in great shape to try and re-sign these guys," said Jocketty.
McCoy says the target appears to be 2.8MM fans in 2011, which would be an increase of about 800K fans from last season according to the data in his post. Cincinnati has consistently drawn about 2MM fans a year since the Great American Ballpark opened in 2003. The team's first division title and playoff appearance since 1995 will certainly help increase interest.
As our Transactions Tracker shows, the Reds have doled out over $150MM in contract extensions to four players this offseason: Jay Bruce, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, and NL MVP Joey Votto. Edinson Volquez is rumored to be next in line.
Grilli Appears Likely To Sign With Phillies
Right-hander Jason Grilli announced on his Twitter account that he's "FIRED UP about the City of Brotherly Love," possibly indicating that he's agreed to sign with the Phillies. We heard that the team was interested in signing him just yesterday.
Grilli, 34, last pitched in the big leagues in 2009. He posted a 5.32 ERA in 45 2/3 innings with the Rockies and Rangers. He struck out an impressive 9.7 K/9, but walked 5.3 BB/9. He agreed to a minor league pact with the Indians last year, but he missed the entire season with a quad injury. The fourth overall pick in the 1997 draft, Grilli has worked exclusively in relief since 2005.
Jesus Feliciano Weighing Minor League Offers
It took Jesus Feliciano 12 years before he finally reached the big leagues, which he did with the Mets in 2010. Now the 31-year-old outfielder is weighing multiple minor league contract offers according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. It's unclear which teams made those offers.
Feliciano has spent the last five years playing in Triple-A, hitting .316/.363/.394 in 1,834 plate appearances. In 119 trips to the plate for the Amazin's last season, he hit .231/.276/.287 while playing all three outfield spots. The Mets dropped Feliciano off their 40-man roster back in November.