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Archives for January 2012

Red Sox Sign John Maine

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The Red Sox signed right-hander  John Maine to a minor league contract, Steve DeShazo of the Fredericksburg Freelance-Star reports. Agent Rex Gary told DeShazo that the Red Sox will look at Maine as a reliever.

Maine, 30, last pitched in the Majors with the 2010 Mets. He had a strong 2007 season, when he posted a 3.91 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 191 innings, but his performance later dropped off and he missed considerable time with shoulder injuries. Maine posted a 7.43 ERA in 46 innings with the Rockies' top affiliate in 2011.

AL West Notes: A’s, Oswalt, Hamilton, Mariners

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The Athletics signed future Hall of Famer Goose Gossage on this date 20 years ago. The right-hander spent two seasons in Oakland, though he's better known for stints with the Yankees, White Sox and Padres. Here are the latest notes and rumors from the AL West…

  • Athletics owner and managing partner Lew Wolff said the team made a $370K profit in 2011, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. That figure takes into account $32MM from other clubs via revenue sharing. The A’s may move to San Jose in the relatively near future, but at least they’re staying afloat in the meantime.
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels said on The Ben and Skin Show on ESPN Dallas that he’d love to add pitching depth such as Roy Oswalt if it makes sense in the context of the team's entire roster. "The flip side we’ve got to consider is what if that doesn’t happen? How does it all fit together? We've spent a lot of time and resources developing this younger group,” Daniels said, according to Richard Durrett.
  • Daniels also explained on The Ben and Skin Show that he plans to have extension talks with Josh Hamilton’s representatives before Spring Training (quotes via Durrett).
  • GM Jack Zduriencik and some rival executives from around the league check in with ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick about Ichiro Suzuki and the rest of the 2012 Mariners.

Introducing MLBTR’s Extension Tracker

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Contract extensions, especially for arbitration eligible players, are all about comparables.  Position and service time are a couple of major factors for which players are often compared.  This kind of research was previously a tall order for those not employed by a team or agency, but MLBTR's new extension tracker removes the hassle.

The extension tracker shows all contract extensions, whether they cover the player's arbitration years, free agent years, or both.   All the extensions are listed by date, and our filter button allows you to change the date range.  You can also filter by any combination of team, position, guaranteed years, amount in millions, number of options, service time, super two status, and agency.  The service time filtering allows you to choose one or both boundaries of a range.  Service time is denoted as years.days, so 4.148 means four years and 148 days.  A full year of service is 172 days.  The player name is hyperlinked to MLBTR's post on the story of the extension.

Please note that some of the data prior to 2011 is still in the process of being added, such as service time, position, and number of options.

The extension tracker can be found under the Tools menu in the navigation bar up top, along with our 2012 free agent tracker, arbitration tracker, agency database,  transaction tracker, and other features.

2012’s Highest-Paid Arbitration Eligible Players

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Arbitration eligible players may not get paid like free agents Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, but the arbitration process can be lucrative, too. Many players have already doubled or tripled their 2011 salaries through arbitration and some of the unsigned arbitration eligible players are set to do the same in the coming weeks, as our Arbitration Tracker shows.

Here’s a list of the 20 arbitration eligible players who will earn the most in 2012. I’ve included 2012 salaries on long-term extensions signed this offseason and listed team submissions for unresolved arbitration cases, since that represents a floor for each player's earnings. Players with six-plus years of service time, such as David Ortiz and Francisco Rodriguez aren’t included. Here’s the list:

  1. Tim Lincecum – $18MM (part of an extension)
  2. Cole Hamels – $15MM
  3. Andre Ethier – $10.95MM
  4. Hunter Pence - $10.4MM
  5. Matt Kemp – $10MM (part of an extension)
  6. Mike Napoli – $8.3MM (minimum salary possible via arbitration)
  7. Jacoby Ellsbury – $8.05MM
  8. John Danks – $8MM (part of an extension, including signing bonus)
  9. Matt Garza – $7.95MM (minimum salary possible via arbitration)
  10. Russell Martin – $7.5MM
  11. Jeremy Guthrie – $7.25MM (minimum salary possible via arbitration)
  12. Carlos Quentin – $7.025MM
  13. B.J. Upton – $7MM
  14. Anibal Sanchez – $6.9MM (minimum salary possible via arbitration)
  15. Michael Bourn – $6.845MM
  16. Delmon Young – $6.75MM
  17. Shaun Marcum – $6.75MM (minimum salary possible via arbitration)
  18. Clayton Kershaw – $6.5MM (minimum salary possible via arbitration)
  19. James Loney – $6.375MM
  20. Melky Cabrera and Juan Carlos Oviedo - $6MM

Rays Designate Russ Canzler For Assignment

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The Rays designated Russ Canzler for assignment, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The move creates 40-man roster space for Jeff Keppinger, whose deal with the Rays became official today.

Canzler, 25, made his MLB debut in 2011, appearing in three games with the Rays as a September callup. He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .314/.401/.530 line with 18 home runs and 40 doubles in 549 plate appearances. The Cubs selected Canzler in the 30th round of the 2004 draft.

Phillies, Pence Avoid Arbitration

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The Phillies avoided arbitration with Hunter Pence, agreeing to a one-year, $10.4MM contract for 2012, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The Phillies announced the agreement, adding that it includes award bonuses. Beverly Hills Sports Council represents the right fielder.

As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, the sides settled at the midpoint between Pence's request for $11.8MM and the Phillies' $9MM offer. The Phillies have now signed all of their arbitration eligible players for 2012. Pence, 28, won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2013 season. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes recently examined his case for a long-term deal.

Rays Sign Jeff Keppinger

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Jeff Keppinger has signed a one-year Major League deal with the Rays, the team announced. The CSE client will earn $1.525MM in 2012, the Tampa Tribune tweets. Executive VP Andrew Friedman explained why Keppinger’s a fit via team press release. 

“He is a tough out, especially against left-handers, and his contact skills bring a useful dimension to our roster,” Friedman said. “We also value his defensive versatility, which will allow him to make an impact in many different ways."

Keppinger posted a .277/.300/.377 line in 399 plate appearances for the Astros and Giants in 2011. The 31-year-old only played second base last year, but he has started 80-plus games at shortstop and third base in his seven-year career. Keppinger earned $2.3MM last year and would have obtained a raise through arbitration, so the Giants non-tendered him in December, holding onto Mike Fontenot instead.

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter) first reported the agreement after Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter) reported that a deal was close.

Minor Moves: Sweeney, Tuiasosopo, Redding, Cabrera

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The latest minor league deals…

  • The Mariners signed former MLB reliever Brian Sweeney to a minor league contract, MLB.com's Greg Johns reports. Sweeney spent the 2011 season with the Mets' top affiliate and last appeared in the Majors with the 2010 Mariners.
  • The Twins signed left-hander Luke French, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports (Twitter links). French owns a 4.99 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 155 Major League innings.
  • The Mets signed infielder Matt Tuiasosopo, who picked up MLB experience with the Mariners from 2008-10, Eddy reports.
  • The Blue Jays signed right-hander Tim Redding and left-hander Bill Murphy, according to Eddy. Redding has substantial MLB experience as a starter for the Astros, Nationals and Mets.
  • Eddy reports that four catchers signed minor league deals: Mitch Canham joined the Rockies, Orlando Mercado agreed to terms with the Marlins, Kyle Phillips caught on with the Blue Jays and Max St. Pierre signed with the Red Sox. Phillips appeared in 36 games for the 2011 Padres and St. Pierre made his debut with the 2010 Tigers after 14 minor league seasons.
  • Former MLB starter Daniel Cabrera signed a minor league deal with the Pirates, Mario Rojas of CandelaDeportiva reports. Cabrera, 30, was a fixture in Baltimore's rotation from 2004-08, but hasn't pitched in MLB since 2009.
  • The Cubs re-signed infielder Bobby Scales, who started the 2011 season in Chicago before going to Japan, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets.
  • The Phillies re-signed former Tigers outfielder Brent Clevlen, Goldstein tweets.
  • The Orioles signed 18-year-old outfielder Andres Aguilar, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. The speedy Guatemala native has a strong throwing arm.

Astros Sign Zach Duke

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The Astros signed left-hander Zach Duke to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training, the team announced. Duke, a native of Clifton, Texas, spent the 2011 season with the Diamondbacks.

Duke, 28, posted a 4.93 ERA with 3.8 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and a 49.6% ground ball rate in 76 2/3 innings last year. The 2009 All-Star owns a 4.56 ERA with 4.6 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 49.0% ground ball rate in seven seasons with Arizona and Pittsburgh. SFX represents Duke.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Prince, Zimmerman, Scutaro

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On this date in 2006, the Cubs and Mark Prior avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $3.65MM. Prior invoked a clause in the original contract he signed out of the draft that allowed him to void his $2.5MM salary for 2006 and file for arbitration, if eligible. Both David Price and Rick Porcello took advantage of similar clauses this offseason. Here's the latest from around the baseball blogosphere, starting with a heavy dose of reactions to the Prince Fielder signing…

All Things Fielder

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