Giants Sign Andres Torres
The Giants have officially signed Andres Torres to a one-year deal "in the $2.1MM range." This is the first time Torres has been eligible for arbitration.
Torres submitted a $2.6MM figure to the club last Tuesday, and the Giants countered with a $1.8MM offer. A $2.1MM settlement would represent a minor win for the Giants in what's been a successful arbitration season for the World Series champs. San Francisco has avoided arbitration with their other six arb-eligible players, as you can follow on the MLBTR ArbTracker.
Torres, who turns 33 on Wednesday, was one of the several unsung players who contributed to San Francisco's World Series title last year. He hit .268/.343/.479 and started 73 games in center field for the Giants, and also contributed a .984 OPS in the Series. Torres earned $426K in 2010.
Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com first reported the agreement while Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News tweeted that it had become official.
Mark Buehrle Discusses His Future
About two years ago we heard that Mark Buehrle may consider retirement when his current contract expires after the 2011 season, something he reiterated that yesterday's SoxFest '11 according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin. The White Sox ace did leave the door open for a return though; allow me to quote…
"If I have a good year, and something happens and there's an opportunity out there to sign, I'm open for it," said Buehrle. "I talked with the wife about playing for a couple more years possibly, so we'll see. It's a long year, so if I decide to retire at the end, I'll retire. If not, I'll sign somewhere."
"If a deal gets done and talks are going on, it's between me and the team. That's where it ends at, and people don't need to know what's going on or the battling back and forth or the numbers involved. I just want to concentrate on playing baseball."
Buehrle will turn 32 towards the end of Spring Training and is still a highly effective starter. He's thrown no fewer than 201 innings in a single season since 2000, and he's pitched to a 3.84 ERA during that ten-year stretch. He'll earn $14MM in 2011 and looks to be the best free agent starter on the market next winter, barring some unexpected option decisions involving other players.
Orioles, Vladimir Guerrero Not Close To A Deal
SATURDAY, 8:11am: Orioles' president Andy MacPhail shot down the report, telling Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com that it is simply "not accurate." Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun says that a deal could still happen, but for now it does not appear imminent.
FRIDAY, 11:01pm: The Orioles are closing in on a contract with Vladimir Guerrero, reports Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (Twitter link). Bowden says Guerrero is "close to accepting" a one-year deal worth a "humbling" amount, but Bowden also notes that it could make the future Hall-of-Famer one of the best bargains of the winter.
We heard yesterday that Baltimore had "the inside track" on signing Guerrero, who is running out of suitors this winter what with the Angels, Rangers and Rays all looking elsewhere to fill their DH spots. Adding Guerrero to the roster gives the O's something of an overload in left field (with Luke Scott, Nolan Reimold and Felix Pie all vying for playing time), though Scott could find some at-bats spelling Guerrero or Derrek Lee against right-handers.
Guerrero hit .300/.345/.496 last season in helping Texas reach its first World Series in franchise history. His signing would be the latest big move in an active offseason for the Orioles, who have already acquired Lee, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Gregg and J.J. Hardy, among others.
Quick Hits: Yankees, Bradley, Padres, Teheran
What a day for outfielders. Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez went to the Rays, Vernon Wells went to the Angels, Vladimir Guerrero could be going to the Orioles and maybe the greatest outfielder of all time went to a New York City public school.
Some news items on a busy Friday in the majors…
- Yankee fans, be warned: SI's Tom Verducci looks at how Mark Teixeira could be headed for a decline.
- The Yankees could probably afford to sign Albert Pujols as a free agent next winter, but Mike Axisa of the River Avenue Blues blog points to Teixeira's presence and the albatross of Alex Rodriguez's giant contract as reasons why Pujols just doesn't fit in the Bronx.
- Geoff Baker and Larry Stone of the Seattle Times agree that a split between Milton Bradley and the Mariners would be beneficial to both the player and the team.
- Jed Hoyer and Bud Black predict the Padres' offense won't suffer much of a dropoff without Adrian Gonzalez, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock. "I think our offense has the potential to be as good as last year," Hoyer said. "We lost our clear best player [Gonzalez], but we have better balance. The positions we were weak last year, we're better at now."
- MLB.com's Mark Bowman profiles Julio Teheran, a 19-year-old right-hander and non-roster invitee to the Braves' Spring Training camp who has drawn comparisons to Pedro Martinez.
- The Reds wanted to bring back Arthur Rhodes, but the Rangers' willingness to give Rhodes a vesting option for 2012 was an offer Cincinnati just couldn't match, says MLB.com's Mark Sheldon as part of a reader mailbag.
Details Of The Vernon Wells Trade
The major players in the Vernon Wells-for Mike Napoli/Juan Rivera trade discussed the move with reporters this evening, and Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has some notable details (all Twitter links).
- Alex Anthopoulos said the Angels first asked about Wells during the Winter Meetings, and then negotiations "heated up over [the] last two weeks."
- Wells didn't ask to be traded, and the outfielder said he would've only waived his no-trade clause "for probably two teams." My guess is the other team was Wells' hometown Texas Rangers.
- Moreso than acquiring Napoli and Rivera, Anthopoulos said "The biggest component, it goes without saying, was financial."
- Tony Reagins said the fact that Wells is only under contract through 2014 (when the outfielder is 35) "was attractive to us." To use Carl Crawford (a rumored Angels target) as an example, the Red Sox are paying Crawford $62.25MM between 2015-17, including $21MM in 2017 when Crawford turns 36 years old.
- With Wells in the fold, it could mean that Bobby Abreu becomes the full-time Angels DH. This would seem to block Vladimir Guerrero from a return to Los Angeles. Reagins wouldn't say whether the Angels had "a role" for Guerrero on next year's roster.
- The Angels "still have flexibility" to look for a leadoff hitter, Reagins said.
Reaction To The Vernon Wells Trade
Pundits are already chiming in on the huge Vernon Wells-for Mike Napoli/Juan Rivera trade between the Angels and Blue Jays this evening. A sampling…
- Lyle Spencer of MLB.com likes the trade for both teams, noting that the addition of Wells gives the Angels "the makings of a dream outfield."
- The trade "had the air of desperation" to it, says Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Saxon counts this trade along with the Scott Kazmir deal as cases of the Angels taking "other teams' financial problems off their hands." On the plus side, Saxon points out that Wells and Torii Hunter are ideal candidates to mentor Mike Trout, the Halos' center fielder of the future.
- Wells is "absolutely the wrong player right now for the Angels, who have made one the worst desperation moves I can remember," writes Keith Law of ESPN.com. Law points out that with all of the money Toronto is saving with Wells' contract off the books, the Jays "could become very good, very fast."
- Acquiring Wells for Rivera and Napoli added roughly $75MM to the Angels' payroll over the next four years, and Fangraphs' Dave Cameron looks at what else the Halos could've bought with that money this winter.
- "It's hard to get away from the thought that [the Angels] were better off when they were doing nothing," writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Knobler thinks the Angels are taking a big risk in acquiring Wells, who does nothing to "change an Angels offense that has gotten older and less athletic as the years have gone on."
- Ken Fidlin of the Toronto Sun looks at how the trade alters the Jays' lineup and thinks Alex Anthopoulos may have to make another deal to fill a few holes.
- Anthopoulos has only been the Blue Jays' GM since October 2009, but Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star tweets that this deal might already be Anthopoulos' "best deal…ever." Griffin also tweets that the trade could "be the first step to signing [Jose] Bautista long-term."
- The Jays and Rays weren't the only AL East team with an interest in Napoli. The Red Sox looked at Napoli earlier this winter but their interest waned after acquiring Adrian Gonzalez, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. Boston didn't feel Napoli was a legitimate starting catching option; the club wanted him as a first baseman and emergency catcher. The Sox put in a waiver claim for Napoli last summer.
- ESPN.com's Mark Simon looks at some Wells statistics that will trouble Angels fans — the center fielder's odd decline against left-handed pitching and his home/road splits away from the Rogers Centre.
Jays, Angels Swap Vernon Wells For Napoli, Rivera
So much for the Angels' quiet offseason. The Angels and Blue Jays have announced a blockbuster trade that sends center fielder Vernon Wells to Los Angeles in exchange for catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli and outfielder Juan Rivera. Wells waived his no-trade clause to make the deal happen.
Wells, 32, hit .273/.331/.515 with 31 homers for Toronto in 2010, rebounding from an injury-plagued and disappointing stretch from 2007-09 when he managed just a .743 OPS. The number most associated with Wells, however, is his contract. The center fielder signed a seven-year, $126MM extension with Toronto in 2006 that runs through 2014. Wells is slated to earn $23MM next season and $21MM in each of the following three years, though he has the option of opting out of his deal after 2011.
The Halos took a lot of local and national criticism for failing to sign Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre and other major targets this winter, especially since owner Arte Moreno said he was prepared to spend to get his team back into contention in the AL West. Acquiring Wells will quiet some of those critics, but now the Angels are paying Wells a higher average annual value ($21.5MM) over the next four years than Texas is paying Beltre ($16MM) over five years or Boston is paying Crawford (roughly $20.28MM) over seven years.
Wells presumably takes over in center field for L.A. now that Torii Hunter has been shifted to right, though Hunter (-6.2 UZR/150) was a bit better than Wells (-7.0 UZR/150) in center last season. Wells' defense did improve last year, however, and the former three-time Gold Glover could approach his old form playing on natural grass at Angel Stadium. The Angels could also explore putting Wells in left and give Peter Bourjos for the bulk of playing time in center.
The Angels dealt from a position of strength; along with Napoli, the Halos have backstops Jeff Mathis, Hank Conger and Bobby Wilson on their 40-man roster.
Getting Wells' $86MM salary off the books (especially without sending L.A. any money in return) is a major achievement for Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos, given that the contract was considered perhaps the most untradeable in all of baseball. The Jays also succeeded in keeping Napoli away from a division rival; the Rays appeared to be targeting the catcher/first baseman earlier this evening.
Napoli hit 26 home runs last year, reaching the 20-homer plateau for the third consecutive season. He hit .238/.316/.468 overall, with a career-high 137 strikeouts. The right-handed hitter has a .931 OPS against southpaws in his career, so he is a potential complement to the lefty-hitting Adam Lind at first base. The Jays could combine Napoli with Lind and Edwin Encarnacion at first, or with Jose Molina and J.P. Arencibia behind the plate. Would-be base stealers were successful 73% of the time they tried stealing off of Napoli in 2010; they've been successful 76% of the time in his career.
Napoli, 29, is arbitration eligible this year and eligible for free agency after 2012. He asked for $6.1MM in 2011 and the Angels countered with a $5.3MM offer, as MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes used Napoli as an example of the arbitration process in this October post, predicting his agent could ask for $6-7MM.
Rivera, 32, is set to earn $5.25MM next season, the last year of a three-year, $12.75MM pact he signed with the Halos following the 2008 campaign. The veteran outfielder has a .272/.323/.448 line over the last two seasons, and has a career .832 OPS against left-handed pitching (though that OPS against lefties dropped to .746 last year). Rivera could play right field and allow Jose Bautista to move to third base. Rivera is also a candidate for DH time in Toronto, and could spell Travis Snider against southpaws.
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports were the first to report on a Napoli-to-Toronto move this afternoon, and then added the news of Wells' involvement, plus details about the outfielder's physical and waiving of his no-trade clause. Mike Wilner of Sportsnet Radio The FAN 590 confirmed the Wells-for-Rivera/Napoli trade package in an e-mail to MLBTR and Shi Davidi of the Canadian Press tweeted the news that no money was being exchanged in the deal.
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post
Blue Jays Designate Rommie Lewis For Assignment
The Blue Jays have designated left-hander Rommie Lewis for assignment, the team announced. The move was made to free up a 40-man roster spot in the wake of Toronto's trade for Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera in exchange for Vernon Wells.
Lewis, a fourth-round pick of the Orioles in the 2001 draft, made his Major League debut last year after spending nine seasons in Baltimore and Toronto's minor league systems. The 28-year-old southpaw appeared in 14 games for the Jays, posting a 6.75 ERA and a 7.2 K/9 rate in 18 2/3 relief innings.
Brewers Agree To Terms With Kameron Loe
The Brewers have avoided arbitration with Kameron Loe, agreeing to a one-year contract worth $1.25MM, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Loe can earn $115K in bonuses based on appearances. This was Loe's second time in the arbitration process, and he is represented by Page Odle.
Loe submitted a $1.65MM figure on Tuesday, which "somewhat surprised" the Brewers, McCalvy said. The club offered $1.055MM, so the settled total fell $100K under the midpoint of the two proposals.
Loe, 29, was one of Milwaukee's better relief arms last season. The right-hander posted a 2.78 ERA, a 3.07 K/BB ratio and a 7.1 K/9 rate in 53 games in 2010, all of which were career bests. Loe joined the Brewers on a minor league deal after pitching in Japan in 2009. He posted a 4.77 ERA in 107 games (47 of them starts) for Texas between 2004-08.
Shaun Marcum and Rickie Weeks are the only two arb-eligible Brewers yet to agree to contracts for next season. You can keep track of their progress on MLBTR ArbTracker.
White Sox Exercise Ozzie Guillen’s 2012 Option
The White Sox have picked up the option year on Ozzie Guillen's contract, keeping the manager in the fold through the 2012 season, tweets Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Guillen's current three-year contract (covering 2009-11) was signed in 2007, and included the option year for 2012 that would've also become guaranteed if Chicago wins the AL Central next season. Guillen just celebrated his 47th birthday yesterday.
Guillen's seven-year tenure as Chicago's manager has had its share of controversy and some notable ups-and-downs with GM Kenny Williams, but Guillen has delievered results on the field. He has a 600-535 record as manager, and ended the club's 88-year World Series drought by bringing home the championship in 2005. The White Sox also won the AL Central in 2008.