Dodgers Notes: Ownership, Manny, Roman Colon
It was one year ago today that the Dodgers signed Jay Gibbons to a minor league deal. Gibbons made it to the big leagues for the first time since 2007, and hit well enough in limited action (an .819 OPS in 80 plate appearances) that he earned himself a Major League deal with the club for 2011 and potentially a regular platoon gig.
Here are some fresh items about the boys in blue…
- A potential sale of the Dodgers could be worth as much as $1BB, reports Mike Ozanian of Forbes. One "billionaire" team owner tells Ozanian that the Dodgers have "a vanity premium" for many potential buyers. Ozanian hears from some owners, executives and sports bankers that the belief exists that Frank McCourt will not be able to raise enough money to keep control of the club. McCourt, unsurprisingly, thinks otherwise, and said as much to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times.
- The newly-signed Tony Gwynn Jr. could win the center field job with a strong Spring Training, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. Such a move would shift Matt Kemp to right field and Andre Ethier to left. More realistically, however, Kemp and Ethier will stay put in center and right, respectively, and the Dodgers will use a left field platoon of Gibbons and either a yet-to-be-acquired right-handed bat or possibly Casey Blake.
- If the team does sign another right-handed hitter, it won't be Manny Ramirez. To the surprise of nobody, Don Mattingly tells Steve Dilbeck of the LA Times "I don’t think Manny is a viable option right now."
- The Dodgers signed right-hander Roman Colon to a minor league deal, tweets Baseball America's Matthew Eddy. Colon has been pitching in the Korean League since he was released by Kansas City in May. The right-hander has a 5.12 ERA in 121 Major League appearances (all but eight of them in relief) with the Royals, Tigers and Braves since 2004.
Royals Agree To Terms With Luke Hochevar
The Royals have avoided arbitration with Luke Hochevar, agreeing to a one-year contract with the right-hander, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. The club has confirmed the signing in a press release, and Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweets the deal is worth $1.76MM.
Hochevar, the first overall pick of the 2006 draft, is still looking for the breakout season that would pay off that high draft selection. He missed over two months of the 2010 season with an elbow strain but contributed a 4.81 ERA and a 2.05 K/BB ratio in 18 games, 17 of them starts. This was Hochevar's first year of arbitration eligibility.
Hochevar is the third arbitration-eligible player to reach a deal with Kansas City this winter, following Wilson Betemit and Brayan Pena. That's three players down and four to go for the Royals, as you can follow on the MLBTR Arb Tracker.
Andy Pettitte Will Not Start 2011 Season
8:28 PM: Cashman tells Tyler Kepner of the New York Times that "he just used a poor choice of words" in describing Pettitte's situation. (Twitter link) Cashman says he meant to say that Pettitte has "chosen not to pitch" rather than "chosen not to start," though this doesn't necessarily mean that Pettitte has officially retired. In another Kepner tweet, Cashman says he hasn't spoken to Pettitte about a Clemens-esque midseason return.
8:13 PM: Andy Pettitte has informed the Yankees that if he does return for the 2011 season, he won't be ready by Opening Day, reports Stefan Bondy and Nathaniel Vinton of the New York Daily News. Brian Cashman said Pettitte told him to "don't count on me" but the GM noted that if Pettitte wanted to pitch later in the season, the door would be open for a return.
"I don't think he's determined if he's officially finished or not, but he's chosen at this stage at least not to start in 2011," Cashman said. "If that ever changes he'll call us. We're not going to hound him or bother him."
ESPN's Buster Olney pointed out last month that Pettitte would already be behind on his offseason preparations if he chose to return, so it's possible that Pettitte may still come back and is building in extra time to get ready for his 17th Major League season.
Pettitte could take a page from his friend Roger Clemens' book — the Rocket didn't begin his 2006 and 2007 seasons, with the Astros and Yankees respectively, until June of those years. Clemens was able to secure $22MM from Houston and a pro-rated $4.7MM per month deal from New York, and while Pettitte wouldn't get that kind of money from the Yankees, he could command more than the rumored $12-$13MM if the Yankees found themselves desperate for pitching by May.
Chris Young Nears Decision; Mets, Nats “In Play”
Free agent starter Chris Young could be close to choosing a new team, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter link). Olney cites the Mets, who have been connected to Young all winter, and also mentions that the Nationals "may be in play" for the right-hander.
When last we heard of Young, the word was that he was willing to accept a contract worth less than $2MM due to concerns about his health. The Mets denied they had made an offer worth more than $1MM to Young, but still reported favored Young over other free agent options as Jeff Francis.
Washington is a new suitor for Young, but like the Mets, the Nats can also offer Young a chance to pitch in a pitcher-friendly ballpark and a shot at rebuilding his value for a long-term offer next winter. The Nationals were known to be looking for pitching this winter, but haven't done much in that department other than signing Chien-Ming Wang and Chad Gaudin.
Rockies Avoid Arbitration With Matt Belisle
The Rockies have agreed to a one-year, $2.35MM contract with Matt Belisle, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Colorado avoids salary arbitration with Belisle, who was in his third and final arb-eligible season.
Belisle and the Rockies agreed to an $0.85MM contract for 2010, and the right-hander responded with the finest season of his seven-year Major League career. Belisle posted a 2.93 ERA, and 8.9 K/9 rate and a very impressive 5.69 K/BB ratio in 76 games for Colorado, all of which were career bests.
Belisle, 30, is the first of six arb-eligible Rockies to settle a contract with the club. These cases and every other arbitration-eligible player in baseball can be followed on the MLBTR Arb Tracker.
Indians Inquired About Chen, Millwood
The Indians have talked to Scott Boras about two of his clients, starters Bruce Chen and Kevin Millwood, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Tribe are looking for starting pitching help, but as Hoynes notes, the club is hampered by its financial situation.
"It doesn't really matter how much interest the Indians have in a free-agent pitcher…it's all about how much interest the pitcher has in the Indians," Hoynes writes. "As for the second prong, unless ownership is overcome by an unusual circumstance, the interested pitcher would have to sign a minor-league contract."
Chen's solid 2010 season figures to earn him a Major League contract somewhere, but we haven't heard much buzz about the veteran southpaw other than some mutual interest between he and the Royals, though not for anything more than a one-year deal. If Chen opened himself up to the possibility of a minor league contract, you'd think that would notably expand his market, and the Indians would likely get outbid.
Millwood might be the more realistic option for the Indians, though he has been connected with the Royals, Rockies and Yankees this winter. Cleveland and Kansas City would give Millwood the best chance at regular innings and it would be easier for Millwood to rebuild his value for a future contract if he wasn't pitching in hitter-friendly ballparks like Coors Field or Yankee Stadium. Millwood pitched for the Tribe in 2005 and delivered a league-best 2.86 ERA in 192 innings before signing a five-year, $60MM free agent contract with Texas.
As for other free agent starters, Hoynes reports the Tribe's interest in former Indian Bartolo Colon "has cooled considerably." Hoynes also says the Indians were in contact with Brad Penny before the right-hander signed with Detroit.
AL East Notes: Jays, Soriano, Farnsworth, Arroyo
Some news items from the AL East…
- Toronto's payroll could end up being in the $80-$85MM range, tweets FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi. The Blue Jays currently have just under $49MM committed for 2011 (according to Cot's Baseball Contracts) and have eight players eligible for arbitration. Jose Bautista will get the biggest raise of this group, but even with notables like Yunel Escobar and Brandon Morrow also arb-eligible, the Jays should have a bit of money left to spend beyond settling their arbitration cases.
- Perhaps the Jays' extra money could be spent on Brian Fuentes? We heard about Toronto's interest in Fuentes earlier this week, and now SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Jays are still "pressing for" the free agent reliever.
- Did Scott Boras wait too long for a Rafael Soriano market to develop? Fangraphs' R.J. Anderson thinks this might be the case, and that Soriano might have to settle another one-year contract with the hopes of finding a long-term deal next offseason.
- A bit of early reaction to Tampa Bay's agreement with Kyle Farnsworth: CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler thinks the signing is risky, but believes the Rays need to take chances on their bullpen if they want to contend. Meanwhile, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs thinks the Rays made a better deal for Farnsworth than Boston did with Bobby Jenks, given that Farnsworth and Jenks put up comparable numbers over the last two seasons.
- Bronson Arroyo tells Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald that he enjoyed pitching for the Red Sox and wouldn't mind returning: "Even though I can safely say that I’ve cemented myself in Cincinnati for a while, [Boston] definitely still feels like home and in the back of my mind I know that there is no better place to play than in Fenway Park." Arroyo said when his three-year extension with the Reds runs out after the 2013 season, he would be interested in pitching for the Rays (to play close to his family), returning to the Red Sox, or staying in Cincinnati.
- MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli has details on the vesting option included in Kevin Gregg's contract with the Orioles. Gregg's 2013 option will become guaranteed if he finishes 50 games in 2012, or if he finishes 100 games total in 2011-12. As SI's Jon Heyman tweeted in the previous link, Gregg will earn between $6-$10MM in 2013 if his option vests.
- Matt Bush, the first overall pick of the 2004 draft, talks to MLB.com's Dawn Klemish about his battle with alcoholism and the progress he's made in the Tampa Bay organization.
Angels Agree To Terms With Jeff Mathis
The Angels have agreed to terms with Jeff Mathis to a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration with the catcher, according to a team press release. Mathis will earn $1.7MM in 2011, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
This was Mathis' second arbitration year, and he earned $1.3MM in 2010 after winning an arbitration case with Los Angeles last February. (The Halos offered $0.7M.) Mathis, 27, has served as the Angels' backup to Mike Napoli behind the plate for the last four seasons. Mathis has just a .199/.265/.311 slash line in 1079 career plate appearances, but the Halos value him for his defense.
Mathis is the second arb-eligible player to settle a contract with the Angels in as many days, following Alberto Callaspo's $2MM deal yesterday. Los Angeles still has six more players eligible for arbitration, including such notables as Howie Kendrick, Kendry Morales, Napoli and Jered Weaver.
Cardinals ‘Hopeful’ About Extending Pujols
Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he is “hopeful” that the Cardinals can extend Albert Pujols by the time the season starts. The sides are not that far along yet, but they have had “discussions” and will continue to talk. They re-started extension talks last week.
DeWitt says the sides don’t necessarily have to agree to a deal by the start of Spring Training. However, Pujols has said that he doesn’t want to negotiate in-season. I suggested earlier today that it wouldn't be unreasonable for Pujols to compare himself to Alex Rodriguez, who signed the biggest contract in baseball history three offseasons ago.
DeWitt said he doesn’t expect “major” upgrades to his team’s roster between now and the start of the regular season. The Cardinals are not likely to add expensive position players, so Michael Young won't be going to St. Louis. He probably won't be going anywhere, as the Rangers have told him he's staying put.
Marlins Sign Dewayne Wise, Three Others
Dewayne Wise is one of four players the Marlins signed to minor league deals, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (Twitter links). The team also added infielder Joe Thurston, catcher Clint Sammons and corner infielder Jamie D'Antona.
Wise, 33 next month, spent the 2010 campaign with the Blue Jays after two seasons with the White Sox. He hit .250/.282/.393 in 118 plate appearances last year and backed up at all three outfield positions. The eight-year veteran will provide insurance for the Marlins in case Chris Coghlan struggles in center field.
Thurston last appeared in the majors on the 2009 Cardinals. He has a .225/.306/.324 line in 280 big league plate appearances spread over six seasons. The infielder can play second or third base and has some experience in the outfield.
Sammons, 27, picked up some playing time with the Braves from 2007-09. The catcher hit .162/.253/.244 at Triple-A last year, but threw out 36% of would-be base stealers.
D'Antona, back in North America after two seasons in Japan, hit .263 with 36 homers for the Yakult Swallows last year, according to Eddy. The D'Backs selected D'Antona in the second round of the 2003 draft and he made it all the way to the majors in 2008.