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Archives for January 2012

Pirates To Sign Jo-Jo Reyes

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The Pirates have agreed to sign free agent left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes to minor league contract, according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. MLBTR has learned that the sides agreed to a split contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training and incentives. He drew interest from Korean teams before agreeing to terms with the Pirates.

Reyes has struggled through parts of five MLB seasons despite his success in the minors (3.51 ERA, 8.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9). He has a career ERA of 6.05 in the Majors and has never posted an ERA below the 5.57 mark he posted with the Blue Jays and Orioles in 2011. The Orioles non-tendered Reyes after the 2011 season.

Despite the high ERA, there are reasons the Paragon Sports International client drew interest this offseason. He's young, controllable (arbitration eligible through 2014), left-handed and his average fastball checks in at 90 mph. He posted respectable rates of 5.6 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and 40.6% ground balls all while pitching in the AL East. Ten of his 25 starts (40%) came against the four best offenses in MLB: the Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers and Tigers and SIERA (4.60) and xFIP (4.58) suggest Reyes' unsightly 5.57 ERA was inflated by a run or so.

The 27-year-old spent the 2011 season starting for the Blue Jays and Orioles, but he could intrigue the Pirates as a reliever. Charlie Morton, James McDonald, Erik Bedard, Jeff Karstens and Kevin Correia project to start for the Pirates and southpaws Tony Watson and Daniel Moskos figure to contribute out of the bullpen.

Matt Garza Rumors: Tuesday

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The Cubs' asking price for Matt Garza is "out of the question" for the Yankees, Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com wrote yesterday. The Cubs want at least two of Jesus Montero, Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances from the Yankees, one of many teams with interest in the right-hander. Here are the latest rumors on Garza:

  • The Yankees weren't willing to meet the Athletics' asking price for Gio Gonzalez, and they preferred Gonzalez to Garza, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Sherman says the Yankees are "essentially not in" on Garza.
  • The Yankees are actively seeking rotation help, but don't like Garza at his current price, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). 
  • David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com hears that the Cubs’ asking price is "tremendously high" and that "interested parties" are seeing how high the bidding will go (Twitter link).
  • Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says Garza would be worth a position player prospect in the #11-50 range or a couple of prospects from the back end of the top 100 in MLB. Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein are evidently hoping for more.

Cubs Reach Agreement With Reed Johnson

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The Cubs and Reed Johnson have agreed to terms on a one-year, Major League contract, the team announced. It's a $1.15MM deal, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement on December 21st (via Twitter).

Johnson, 35, has spent three of the last four seasons with the Cubs, and is coming off one of his best years. In 266 plate appearances, the veteran hit .309/.348/.467 while spending time at all three outfield positions.

Coming off a down year in 2010 (.657 OPS), Johnson signed a minor league deal for $900K with the Cubs, so the Wasserman Media Group client should be in line for a slight salary bump after his solid 2011.

Minor Moves: Davis, Quintanilla, Nelson

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Here's where we'll keep track of today's minor moves…

  • The Padres signed catcher Brad Davis to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock. Davis, a San Diego native, appeared in 33 games with the Marlins in 2011.
  • The Mets signed Omar Quintanilla to a minor league contract, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Quintanilla, 30, appeared in 11 games for the Rangers this past season and spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he posted a .298/.369/.452 line in 234 plate appearances. He'll provide the Mets with depth at shortstop.
  • The Rangers re-signed first baseman Brad Nelson to a minor league deal, tweets Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com. Nelson, a former top prospect, posted a .281/.360/.501 line with 24 homers at Triple-A last year. The 29-year-old made it to the Major Leagues as a member of the Brewers in 2008-09.

Coco Crisp Decides Where To Sign

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2:29pm: An announcement from Crisp's new team should come today or tomorrow, Comte tells Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group.  Comte ruled out the Cubs, while Stiglich gets the impression Crisp could return to the A's.

TUESDAY, 7:33am: Though the Orioles talked to Crisp's agent, Heyman does not believe they are the team he chose.  The O's are looking elsewhere for a leadoff hitter.

MONDAY, 8:55pm: The Orioles have been talking to Crisp in recent days and they’re interested in signing him, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. However, it hasn’t been confirmed that the Orioles are the mystery team.

7:19pm: Coco Crisp won’t be on the open market much longer. The free agent outfielder has decided which team he’ll sign with, agent Steve Comte told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Basically, we just have to let that team know," Comte told Slusser.

The Athletics want to re-sign Crisp, according to Slusser. They’ve been in touch with him all offseason, but 12-13 other teams have discussed Crisp with Comte. The A’s have also spoken to free agent Ryan Ludwick, according to Slusser. Oakland selected Ludwick in the second round of the 1999 draft and traded him to the Rangers three years later.

The switch-hitting Crisp led the American League with 49 stolen bases in 2011, hitting .264/.314/.379 with 27 doubles as Oakland's center fielder. The California native seems to prefer West Coast teams, but explained in September that he’s also looking to play on a winner and find a good "financial situation" for himself.

Orioles Rumors: Adam Jones, Tommy Hanson, Fielder

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The Orioles acquired Jai Miller today and also sent Brandon Snyder to Texas.  The latest on the team…

  • Executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette told Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com he wants to improve the Orioles' "on-base capability from top to bottom."  Duquette isn't sure he currently has a .380 OBP guy, and isn't sure if his second baseman is currently on the roster.  The free agents with the best 2011 OBPs include Casey Kotchman, Chris Snyder, Carlos Pena, and Pat Burrell.
  • The Orioles haven't made contract with Luke Scott since non-tendering him on December 12th, reports Kubatko.    
  • The Orioles are fairly confident they will add another outfielder, though that wouldn't necessarily portend an Adam Jones trade, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  The Orioles were not overly intrigued by the Braves' offer of Jair Jurrjens, Martin Prado, and a minor league pitcher.  Connolly doesn't see Jurrjens as a centerpiece for a Jones trade.  Instead, the Orioles are intrigued by Tommy Hanson.
  • Connolly notes that an extension remains possible for Jones, who is under team control for two more years.  January is always a big month for extensions.
  • An Orioles source told Connolly they would not offer Prince Fielder the seven-year, $140MM deal Mark Teixeira rejected three years ago.  For the Orioles to sign Fielder, Connolly feels that his market would have to completely collapse, and he finds that highly unlikely.  Connolly reiterates that agent Scott Boras and Fielder "did not meet with [Orioles owner] Peter Angelos despite being in the area – which I thought should demonstrate once and for all that the Orioles really aren’t anywhere near the frontburner of this issue and Fielder's side isn't forcing it." 

Nationals Ownership Meets With Boras About Fielder

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Yesterday we learned from Scott Boras that "there's a lot of passengers on the PF Flyer," and Prince Fielder is best described as a combination of Henry Kissinger and Frank Howard (courtesy of Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post).  The latest on the PF Flyer…

  • The Nationals' ownership recently met with Boras in Washington, D.C. to discuss Fielder, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson.  As you might expect, the Lerners will make the final decision on Fielder.
  • Many in the industry believe Boras seeks an opt-out clause for Fielder, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal's source notes that opt-outs clearly favor players, in that the team assumes the risk of keeping him if he's underperforming and losing him if not.  Still, I think there are scenarios where a player can opt out and the team can avoid the worst part of a long-term contract.  If Fielder rakes for three years and a team pays him $75MM, quitting while they're ahead at that point can work, even if Fielder has a few more good years in him.

Red Sox Sign Carlos Silva, Ciriaco, Spears

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The Red Sox have announced the signings of minor league free agents Carlos Silva, Brandon Duckworth, Charlie Haeger, Will Inman, Doug Mathis, Tony Pena Jr., Chorye Spoone, Jesse Carlson, Rich Hill, Justin Thomas, Pedro Ciriaco, and Nate Spears.  The signings of Spoone, Thomas, Inman, Pena, Carlson, and Hill had been reported previously.

Silva, 32, was released by the Cubs in March of 2011 with $11.5MM remaining on his contract.  He signed with the Yankees in April, but was released in July amid shoulder problems after seven minor league starts.  The control artist was useful upon his initial change of scenery, posting a 4.22 ERA in 21 starts for the 2010 Cubs after the Milton Bradley trade.  As the Red Sox press release notes, "No active hurler with at least 750.0 innings pitched has fewer walks per nine innings than Silva (1.73)."  Silva will make a prorated $1MM while in the Majors, reports WEEI's Alex Speier.    

Ciriaco, 26, was non-tendered by the Pirates in December.  The middle infielder hit .231/.243/.300 in 289 plate appearances in his second career Triple-A stint.  Spears, a versatile 26-year-old, spent the last two years in Boston's minor league system.  In 2011 he hit .248/.355/.397 in 378 plate appearances, getting his first cup of coffee with the big club.    

Haeger, a 28-year-old knuckeballer, spent 2011 with the Mariners' Triple-A club and the Red Sox' Double-A team.  He posted a 5.44 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 5.9 BB/9, and 0.92 HR/9 in 97 2/3 innings.  Mathis, a 28-year-old righty, last appeared in the bigs in 2010 with the Rangers.  As a starter for the Giants' and Athletics' Triple-A affiliates, he put up a 4.27 ERA, 6.7 K/9, 4.2 BB/9, and 0.63 HR/9 in 86 1/3 innings.  Duckworth, 35, last appeared in the Majors in 2008.  He spent 2011 with Boston's Triple-A affiliate, posting a 3.97 ERA, 6.7 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, and 0.84 HR/9 in 118 innings.

Rangers Acquire Brandon Snyder

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The Rangers acquired infielder Brandon Snyder from the Orioles for cash considerations, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  Snyder, 25, was drafted 13th overall by the Orioles in 2005, a first round that has become legendary for the talent produced.

Snyder gave up catching after the 2006 season and now plays the infield corners.  In 2011 he hit .261/.312/.406 in 494 Triple-A plate appearances, his third stint at the level.

Arbitration Information

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MLB Trade Rumors is the only website you need to track the progress of the 100+ arbitration eligible players this month, a list that includes Tim Lincecum, Cole Hamels, Hunter Pence, Clayton Kershaw, and David Price.  January 17th is a date to keep in mind; that is the deadline for players and teams to exchange salary figures.  Important links:

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