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Archives for January 2013

Red Sox To Sign Ryan Sweeney

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The Red Sox have reached an agreement on a minor league deal with outfielder Ryan Sweeney, a major league source told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.  Sweeney is represented by Reynolds Sports Management and has an opt-out in the deal that would allow him to elect free agency if he is not added to the big league roster before to the end of spring training.

Sweeney, who turns 28 in February, spent last season with the Red Sox after being acquired from the A’s in the deal that also brought right-hander Andrew Bailey to Boston.  The outfielder hit .260/.303/.373 for the Red Sox until he punched a clubhouse door in Fenway Park and had to undergo surgery on his hand.  His season ended on July 30th, giving him just 63 big league games in 2012.

The veteran will provide the Red Sox with additional depth in the wake of Ryan Kalish's shoulder surgery that will sideline him to start the 2013 season.

International Notes: Diaz, Dodgers, Medina

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We’ll keep track of tonight’s international news right here..

  • Major League Baseball is investigating the age of Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz, multiple sources told Ben Badler of Baseball America.  Diaz is presenting himself as a 23-year-old but his birthdate conflicts with previous accounts that would make him 22 or 21.  The age difference is crucial for Diaz as Cuban players with at least three years of professional experience in Cuba and who are at least 23 are exempt from the capped bonus pools.
  • The Dodgers have signed 16-year-old Dominican outfielder Michael Medina for $275K, according to Badler.  The 6-foot-2, 185 pound youngster has a projectable frame with good bat speed from the right side, power, and the ability to use the opposite field. He most likely projects as a corner outfielder.

Latest On Kershaw, Dodgers

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It won’t be a surprise if the Dodgers’ aggressive new ownership group looks to sign Clayton Kershaw to a long-term deal. However, those discussions haven’t taken place just yet. The left-hander told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times that he and the Dodgers haven’t started discussing a contract extension. 

“We’ll see,” Kershaw said. “I don’t have any expectations.” 

The Dodgers are expected to discuss an extension before Spring Training begins next month, Hernandez writes. The Excel Sports Management client will earn $11MM in 2013 and is now on track to hit free agency following the 2014 season. He’ll go to arbitration one last time next offseason if the sides don’t agree to a multiyear deal before then.

Kershaw, the NL Cy Young winner in 2011, was the runner-up for the award this past season. He posted a 2.53 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 227 2/3 innings in 2012, leading the NL in ERA for the second consecutive season. Hernandez reports that Kershaw has been throwing off a mound without being bothered by his hip.

Cardinals Interested In Ronny Cedeno

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MONDAY: It appears that Cedeno is headed to the Cardinals, Heyman reports (on Twitter).

FRIDAY: The Cardinals are one of many teams interested in shortstop Ronny Cedeno, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. It's been a quiet offseason for Cedeno, at least based on recent reports.

Cedeno played for the Mets last year, appearing in 78 games, mostly as a middle infielder. The 29-year-old posted a .259/.332/.410 batting line in 186 plate appearances with New York. He earned $1.2MM, and has earned between $1-2MM in each of the last three seasons.

Rafael Furcal projects as St. Louis' starting shortstop, but he could miss the start of the season due to an elbow injury. Pete Kozma provides St. Louis with an internal alternative at the position.

Largest Remaining Arbitration Cases

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When the offseason began, MLBTR had projected arbitration salaries for more than 200 players. Most of those players have agreed to terms with their respective clubs, and many others were non-tendered or otherwise removed from their teams' 40-man rosters. That leaves 29 unsigned arbitration eligible players, including many high profile cases. Using MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker let's take a look at the ten unsigned players who filed for $5MM plus when they exchanged figures with teams one week ago…

The Diamondbacks, who acquired Prado from Atlanta yesterday, will have to defend the Braves’ filing number if they don’t work out a multiyear agreement with their new acquisition. Many others, including Bailey and Zimmermann, are also candidates for multiyear deals.

Hearings will begin next month, though these cases won't necessarily end up going before panels of arbitrators. No file and trial team has any remaining arb eligible players, as Tim Dierkes recently explained. That said, the Nationals have been regulars at arb hearings in recent years, even though they aren't technically a file and trial team.

Royals Designate Tony Abreu For Assignment

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The Royals announced that they designated infielder Tony Abreu for assignment. The move creates roster space for George Kottaras, who was claimed off of waivers from the Athletics.

Abreu, 28, appeared in 22 games for the Royals last year, playing second base, third base and shortstop. He spent most of the season at Triple-A Omaha and posted a .322/.347/.492 batting line with 36 doubles in 453 plate appearances.

Royals Claim George Kottaras

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The Royals announced that they claimed catcher George Kottaras off of waivers from the Athletics. The A's had designated Kottaras for assignment to create roster space for John Jaso last week.

Kottaras hit nine home runs and posted a .211/.351/.415 batting line in 209 plate appearances last year. Oakland acquired the 29-year-old from the Brewers for Fautino De Los Santos in July. He'll earn $1MM in 2013 and will remain under team control as an arbitration eligible player through 2015.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Angels, Andrus, Upton, Jaso

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On this date in 2008, the Twins announced that they struck new deals with Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer to keep them in Minnesota long-term.  Morneau, the 2006 AL MVP, got the richest deal in franchise history at the time with a six-year, $80MM pact.  Cuddyer, meanwhile, got $24MM over three seasons.  Here's this week's look around the baseball blogosphere…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.  

White Sox Agree To Sign Matt Lindstrom

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1:04pm: The White Sox announced the deal, which includes a base salary of $2.3MM for 2013 and a $500K buyout for the $4MM club option in 2014.

January 25th, 12:30pm: The deal includes a $2.8MM guarantee and a $4MM club option for 2014, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). Lindstrom can also earn $2.25MM in bonuses and escalators based on games finished over the life of the deal.

January 19th: The White Sox have agreed to sign Matt Lindstrom to a one-year contract with a club option, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). Financial terms are not known and the deal is pending a physical. The right-hander is a client of The Sparta Group.

Lindstrom, 32, pitched to a 2.68 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 47 innings for the Orioles and Diamondbacks last season. He's posted a 2.85 ERA in 101 innings over the last two seasons. Lindstrom adds another hard-thrower to a White Sox bullpen that already includes Addison Reed, Matt Thornton, and Nate Jones.

Giants, Arias Avoid Arbitration

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We'll track the day's arbitration settlements under $2MM here. Be sure to use MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker for all the details related to this year's cases…

  • The Giants avoided arbitration with Joaquin Arias by agreeing a one-year deal, MLB.com's Chris Haft reports (on Twitter). The Beverly Hills Sports Council client will earn $925K in 2013. As our Arb Tracker shows, the Giants have one unresolved arbitration case remaining; Sergio Romo's 2013 salary remains undetermined.

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