MLBTR Originals
Here's a look back at some of the analysis and reporting MLBTR's writing team delivered this week..
- Mike Axisa brought us two installments of This Date In Transaction History, one for January 15th and one dedicated to Chan Ho Park.
- We asked MLBTR readers to weigh in on where Jim Thome will sign, if Andruw Jones will end up in pinstripes, and who the Rays will sign to DH.
- This week MLBTR confirmed a report that the Mets signed Taylor Tankersley to a minor league deal. The left-handed reliever will receive an invitation to Spring Training.
- Only a few free agent groundballers remain on the open market, says Ben Nicholson-Smith. Ben also looked at the potential destinations for the remaining designated hitters.
- Need a refresher course on how to get the most out of MLBTR? We got you covered. We also ran down all of MLBTR's regular features.
- This week baseball blogs weighed in on Trevor Hoffman's career, Chris Perez's arbitration case, and much much more.
- Agent Scott Boras will have his work cut out for him as he tries to find a monster deal for Prince Fielder next winter, writes Mike Axisa.
- The Brad Penny deal could affect more people than you think.
- We revisted the free agent arbitration decisions in the American League and the National League.
- Missed our weekly chat? Don't worry, you can find the full transcript right here.
Week In Review: 1/9/11 – 1/15/11
It's time to take a look back at the week that was..
- The biggest surprise of the week was arguably the Yankees' signing of Rafael Soriano. The 31-year-old will make $35MM over three years and can opt out after either of the first two years. The agreement came just days after GM Brian Cashman said that he wouldn't surrender a first-round pick to sign a free agent. Despite some speculation to the contrary, Cashman reportedly still has the full backing of the Steinbrenners.
- All-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman announced that he's retiring after 18 big league seasons. The seven-time All-Star Hoffman walks away with 601 career saves, a 2.87 ERA and 1133 strikeouts in 1089 1/3 innings for the Marlins, Padres and Brewers.
- Dan Lozano, the agent for Albert Pujols, told Cardinals GM John Mozeliak that Spring Training is now the deadline for a new deal to be struck. and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said that he was "hopeful" that the club can extend Pujols by the start of the 2011 season.
- On Friday the Twins announced a deal with veteran Jim Thome. The left-handed slugger will earn $3MM guaranteed and could earn more through incentives. Thome is 11 homers away from reaching 600 and 20 away from matching Sammy Sosa for seventh place all-time.
- The Athletics agreed to a two-year, $8.1MM contract with Grant Balfour. The deal includes a club option for 2013 and the team has agreed to not offer the reliver arbitration at the end of the deal. The Rays will obtain the A's second-round selection as their first-round pick is protected. The A's may not be done adding to the 'pen as they look to sign Brian Fuentes.
- The Rays will bring Kyle Farnsworth aboard on a one-year deal worth $3.25MM. The total deal could be worth $6MM if his option for '12 is picked up.
- The Yankees would consider moving Joba Chamberlain if it netted them a "viable starter."
- The Royals landed starter Jeff Francis for a guaranteed $2MM in 2011. The left-hander can earn another $2MM in incentives. Francis had interest from at least seven teams before accepting Kansas City's offer.
- The Tigers officially agreed to sign Brad Penny to a one-year, $3MM deal this week. The deal also includes up to $3MM in incentives.
- The Reds signed Fred Lewis to a one-year major league deal.
- This week several players avoided going to arbitration with their teams. We'll highlight the most noteworthy deals of the week in this post but as always, you can keep tabs on all arbitration cases using our Arb Tracker.
- The Padres avoided arbitration with Jason Bartlett and agreed to sign him to a two-year deal worth $11MM. The deal buys out Bartlett's final season as an arbitration eligible player and one free agent year.
- The D'Backs agreed to sign Willie Bloomquist to a one-year, $1.05MM deal. The contract includes a mutual option for 2012.
- Fireballer Joel Zumaya was arbitration eligible final time but instead agreed to a one-year, $1.4MM deal. Ryan Raburn was arb eligible for the first time but instead agreed to a two-year, $3.4MM deal.
- Halos catcher Jeff Mathis won't have to go in front of an arbitrator after agreeing to terms on a one-year, $1.7MM deal. The Angels avoided arbitration with Alberto Callaspo.
- Kansas City avoided arbitration with Alex Gordon, the second overall pick in the 2005 draft. The Royals also avoided arbitration with the top pick in the 2006 draft, Luke Hochevar. Hochevar will reportedly make $1.76MM in 2011.
- The Athletics and Brad Ziegler avoided arbitration when they agreed to a one-year deal.
- The Blue Jays and Carlos Villanueva won't need to sit in front of an arbitrator. They two sides came to terms on a one-year, $1.415MM pact.
- Ben Francisco, who was eligible for arbitration for the first time, will remain with the Phillies on a one-year agreement.
- The Cardinals announced a one-year deal with Kyle McClellan, meaning that they have no more arbitration-eligible players for 2011.
- Geovany Soto got an early 28th birthday present when he avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3MM deal with the Cubs.
- Colorado avoided salary arbitration with Matt Belisle when they agreed to a one-year, $2.35MM deal.
- At least five teams are showing interest in Manny Ramirez.
- Pitcher Kris Benson decided to hang 'em up after 12 years in the majors. Benson was the first overall pick in the 1996 draft.
- The Marlins signed a quartet of players to minor league deals: Joe Thurston, Dewayne Wise, Clint Sammons, and Jamie D'Antona.
- Catcher Max Ramirez was claimed on waivers for the second time in six days when the Cubs claimed him from the Red Sox.
- On Saturday, the Royals and Bruce Chen agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.5MM. Chen can earn another $1.5MM through incentives.
- The Cards agreed to minor league contracts with Miguel Batista and Ian Snell. St. Louis also signed veteran infielder Ramon Vazquez to a minor league deal.
- After a strong winter in Venezuela, reliever Jorge Julio signed a minor league contract with the Pirates.
- Catcher Raul Chavez agreed to a minor league deal with the Mets. The club also agreed to sign Willie Harris to a minor league contract.
- The Phillies picked up former top pick Matt Anderson on a minor league deal.
- The Cubs signed Reed Johnson to a minor league deal.
Orioles Avoid Arbitration With Adam Jones
7:38pm: The deal is worth roughly $3.25MM, according to Connolly (via Twitter). That's about what MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted in August, as Jones gets his first big payday after losing a Super Two tiebreaker the previous offseason.
6:37pm: The Orioles have agreed to a one-year deal with Adam Jones, according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). This year was the outfielder's first as an arbitration-eligible player.
Last season Jones came close to replicating the numbers from his 2009 All-Star campaign. The 25-year-old hit .284/.325/.442 with 19 homers in 621 plate appearances. In five big league seasons, Jones owns a slash line of .274/.319/.427 with a respectable -4.7 UZR/150 in center field.
According to MLBTR's Arb Tracker, the O's now have five players who are still eligible for arbitration this winter. Felix Pie, J.J. Hardy, Jeremy Guthrie, Jim Johnson, and Luke Scott are still scheduled to exchange figures with the club.
Pirates To Sign Jose Veras
The Pirates have agreed to sign Jose Veras to a minor league deal, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (Spanish link). The reliever will earn a base of $1MM plus incentives if he makes the big league roster, Rojas tweets. Otherwise, the veteran will make $15K each month in the minors.
Earlier this week we learned that six different clubs offered the right-hander a minor league deal. Ultimately, Veras chose the Pirates over opportunities with the Giants, Rockies, Twins, Marlins, and Rays.
Veras, 30, registered a 3.85 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 48 innings for the Marlins last year. Florida opted to non-tender him in early December.
This Date In Transactions History: Chan Ho Park
A few weeks ago we found out that Chan Ho Park, now 37 years old, had decided to sign with the Orix Buffaloes rather than continue his MLB career. The contract will pay him a little over $1MM, a pittance compared to the more than $85MM that Baseball-Reference.com says he’s banked in a big league career that spanned parts of 17 seasons. The vast majority of that $85MM comes from the five-year, $65MM deal with the Rangers, a contract that was signed nine years ago today.
Texas was coming off a 73-win season and a last place finish in the AL West in 2001, when an Alex Rodriguez led offense was unable to overcome a pitching staff that allowed 968 runs. Park, 28 at the time, had just wrapped up an All-Star season with the Dodgers that saw him post a 3.50 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 234 innings. Over the previous five seasons, CHoP pitched to a 3.79 ERA with similar peripheral stats in over 1,000 innings with the Dodgers, throwing no fewer than 190 innings in each season. All it took was what was then one of the largest pitching contracts in baseball history to bring the two sides together.
Named the Opening Day starter in 2002, Park made a poor first impression with his new team. He allowed six runs in five innings against the A’s, and overall he pitched to a 5.75 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in 145 2/3 innings that year. After all those years of 190+ innings, Park visited the disabled list twice that season, once for blisters and once for a hamstring strain.
Park’s second season didn’t go any better. He posted a 7.58 ERA in just seven starts (29 2/3 innings), missing most of the season with a back issue. The injury popped up again the next year, when it limited him to just 16 starts (95 2/3 innings) with a 5.46 ERA. The good news is that Park was finally healthy in 2005, but the bad news is that he didn’t pitch any better. He made 20 starts (109 2/3 innings) with Texas (5.66 ERA) before they’d finally had enough.
Just a day before the ’05 trade deadline, the Rangers traded Park to the Padres for Phil Nevin, agreeing to pay $2MM of his 2006 salary. He fared a little better in San Diego but it didn’t matter. Texas had invested approximately $47.4MM in Park, and in exchange they received 380 2/3 innings with a 5.79 ERA and equally depressing peripheral stats (6.6 K/9, 4.5 BB/9). Homer prone even during his time with the Dodgers, Texas’ home park only exacerbated the problem. From 2002-2004, Park allowed one long ball for just about every 5 2/3 innings pitched.
Pitching contracts are inherently risky just because of the injury potential, and Park showed that. Throwing a baseball that hard and that often is an unnatural act and guys who do it for a living tend to get hurt, it’s simply part of the game. Unpredictability is another part of it. Park was an above-average workhorse starter during his five years prior to signing with Texas, and in fact his core stats (3.79 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 4.1 BB/9) during his last five seasons with the Dodgers look a whole lot like the last five years of Carlos Zambrano‘s career (3.70 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 4.3 BB/9). He was just unable to sustain that performance in a new league and in a new park while battling injuries. As always, the lesson is: buyer beware.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Quick Hits: Francisco, Manny, Rays, Athletics
On this date two years ago, the Dodgers signed Ronald Belisario as a minor league free agent after he had spent the previous eight years in the Marlins' and Pirates' systems. Belisario made the team's Opening Day roster in 2009 and has pitched to a 3.36 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and a 58.5% ground ball rate in 126 innings since.
Here are Sunday's links…
- Paul Hagen of The Philadelphia Daily News has the breakdown of the incentives included in Ben Francisco's contract with the Phillies. The outfielder can earn another $100K in bonuses tied to plate appearances, plus more for various awards.
- Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News sees just one reason why the Rangers should consider signing Manny Ramirez. Texas is one of five teams that have recently expressed interest in Manny.
- Some estimates say the Rays should budget upwards of $15MM for the 2011 draft because of all the extra picks they have, according to Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times. Once the Rafael Soriano, Grant Balfour, and Chad Qualls signings become official, Tampa will own a dozen of the first 90 or so picks.
- The Athletics are optimistic about their offseason moves says Joe Stiglich of The Oakland Tribune, and rightfully so.
Ryan Franklin Wants To Play Beyond 2011
Just a few months ago, Ryan Franklin announced that he intended to retire after the 2011 season, when his current contract is up. Seven months and some rethinking later, Franklin told Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he would like to continue pitching beyond the 2011 campaign.
"I've done a lot of [thinking] this offseason," said Franklin. "I've come to the conclusion that if this year goes well, I'm going to keep playing. If I stay healthy, and I don't see why I shouldn't. The family has told me to keep playing, so I'm going to keep playing."
We heard that Franklin was reconsidering his retirement plans back in September, but he emphasized that the decision would be based around his family and what they want. As the reliever stated, his family is on board with him continuing his career.
Franklin will turn 38 early in Spring Training, and specifically mentioned Jason Motte, Mitchell Boggs, and Kyle McClellan to Goold as potential understudies for the closer's role. He pitched to a 3.46 ERA with 27 saves in 65 innings in 2010, one year after he posted a 1.92 ERA with 38 saves in 2009. Franklin's current contract guarantees him $6.5MM.
Twins Avoid Arbitration With Alexi Casilla
The Twins and Alexi Casilla have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $865K, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. It was his first time eligible for arbitration.
Casilla, 26, missed almost two months of the 2010 season after having surgery to remove bone spurs from his throwing elbow. When he was on the field, he hit .276/.331/.395 in 170 plate appearances, a nice rebound from a .202/.280/.259 effort in 2009. The departures of J.J. Hardy, Orlando Hudson, and Brendan Harris have created an opening for Casilla to get regular playing at one of the middle infield spots. New pick-up Tsuyoshi Nishioka will handle the other spot.
MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows that the Twins still have five players eligible for arbitration: Matt Capps, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins, Delmon Young, and Francisco Liriano.
Cafardo’s Latest: Bonderman, Pettitte, Pavano, Bautista
Despite their impressive offseason, the Red Sox will still need some luck at a couple positions, says Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Cafardo leads this week's column by discussing the production the Red Sox hope to receive behind the plate and from their left-handed relievers. Here are the rest of the items of interest from the piece:
- Jeremy Bonderman is still looking to land a spot at the back of a rotation, and is drawing "minor interest" from the Rangers and Cardinals. The Yankees, whose interest in Bonderman we heard about earlier this month, have also been in touch with the right-hander's representation.
- Someone "close to" Andy Pettitte told Cafardo that he would be shocked if we've seen the last of the left-hander in the bigs. The longtime Yankee won't start the 2011 season with the club, but hasn't officially announced any plans to retire.
- There has been a "strange silence" surrounding Carl Pavano's situation over the last week, but Cafardo suggests that since Pavano definitely wants to remain a Twin, there's no urgency to act quickly.
- According to Cafardo, Jose Bautista would prefer to play right field rather than third base for the Blue Jays this season. Where Bautista ends up on the field may hinge on whether the Jays add another bat.
NL Central Notes: Pirates, Pujols, Rasmus, Wandy
The fact that the Pirates haven't had a winning season since 1992 isn't stopping new manager Clint Hurdle from aiming high in 2011. Speaking to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Hurdle said that "people can laugh," but Pittsburgh will head into the season with the goal of winning the NL Central. Here are the latest updates on the Pirates and the rest of the division they hope to win:
- Hurdle was a major factor in Lyle Overbay's decision to sign with the Pirates, as Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explains.
- As ESPN's Buster Olney hinted yesterday on Twitter, Albert Pujols is serious about his Spring Training negotiating deadline. In Olney's Insider-only blog, he says that if the deadline passes without an extension in place, "all bets are off. Because the talks will shift from a nice one-on-one conversation between the Cardinals and their star player to being a straight bidding war."
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that trade rumors surrounding Colby Rasmus were blown out of proportion. According to Mozelieak, most of the calls he received on Rasmus were from teams who were "bottom-fishing," thinking the Cards might part with the 24-year-old at a reduced price.
- The Astros will face a tough decision this year regarding the future of Wandy Rodriguez, writes Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle. Justice expects the team to try to extend the left-hander, a possibility the Astros and Rodriguez have already discussed, but cautions that "the money can't get crazy."