Orioles, Matt Wieters Avoid Arbitration
The Orioles avoided arbitration with Matt Wieters, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The Scott Boras client obtained a $5.5MM contract for 2013, and topped even the most aggressive of estimates from MLBTR's resident arbitration forecaster, Matt Swartz.
Wieters, 26, easily topped Russell Martin's former first-time catcher arbitration record of $3.9MM, set in 2009. However, Buster Posey raised the bar well beyond Wieters, reaching $8MM today.
Wieters remains under team control through 2015 and recently expressed interest in staying with the Orioles long-term. However, Boras clients rarely surrender free agent years while they're arbitration eligible, unless it's a precedent-setting deal.
Of the Orioles' 11 arbitration eligible players, Jim Johnson, Jason Hammel, and Darren O'Day remain unsigned, according to the club, meaning figures have been exchanged.
Brewers, Axford Avoid Arbitration
The Brewers avoided arbitration with John Axford, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $5MM plus incentives. His agency, Beverly Hills Sports Council, announced the agreement on Twitter.
Indians, Chris Perez Avoid Arbitration
The Indians avoided arbitration with Chris Perez, his agency, CAA Sports, announced on Twitter. Perez will earn $7.3MM plus bonuses in 2013.
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected a $7.2MM salary for the right-hander. The 27-year-old had been arbitration eligible for the third time. He remains under team control through 2014.
Giants, Pence Avoid Arbitration
The Giants avoided arbitration with Hunter Pence, agreeing to a one-year, $13.8MM contract for 2013, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Beverly Hills Sports Council represents the right fielder.
In his work for MLBTR, Matt Swartz projected Pence would earn precisely $13.8MM in his final year of arbitration eligibility. Pence, a super two player, will hit free agency following the 2013 season. Pence's $13.8MM salary establishes a new high for arb eligible players this offseason, surpassing Matt Garza's $10.25MM salary.
The Giants have five remaining arb eligible players, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows. Joaquin Arias, Gregor Blanco, Clay Hensley, Buster Posey and Sergio Romo are San Francisco's other eligible players.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Soriano, Morse, Jaso, Upton
On this date in 2002, Scott Rolen became the highest paid player in Phillies history. The third baseman signed a one-year contract worth $8.6MM, avoiding his final season of arbitration-eligibility. Rolen was traded to the Cardinals at midseason, and his then-record salary has since been eclipsed numerous times. Here's the latest from around the web…
- Federal Baseball wrote about the impact of Rafael Soriano on the Nationals' bullpen.
- NASORB doesn't think the Mike Morse trade makes sense for the Mariners.
- Athletics Nation broke down the John Jaso pickup for the Athletics.
- A's Farm says getting Jaso was a win-now move for the Athletics.
- Yanks Go Yard wonders if Justin Upton would be worth the price for the Yankees.
- River Ave. Blues wrote about the conflict between Yankees' team policies.
- Pinstripe Pundits listed some right-handed hitting options for the Yankees.
- Rising Apple thinks Brian Wilson would be a worthy gamble for the Mets.
- Wahoo's on First wonders if the Cardinals matchup for an Asdrubal Cabrera trade.
- Blue Jays Plus looked at a possible extension for Aaron Hill.
- Lasorda's Lair believes Scott Hairston is a good fit for the Dodgers.
- A Giant Perspective wants the Giants to target Jonathan Sanchez and Jair Jurrjens.
Zach Links will be taking over the Baseball Blogs Weigh In feature going forward, and you can reach him here. Only one email per week, please.
Blue Jays Notes: Reyes, Lyon, Happ
Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos introduced Jose Reyes in Toronto yesterday, explaining that players of Reyes’ caliber are difficult to find. “He’s electric,” Anthopoulos said. “High energy, smile on his face, just so many things. This is a rare guy to find. Leadoff, shortstop, energy, makeup — check off every single box.” Here are some more notes on the Blue Jays with Spring Training just a month away…
- Before the Blue Jays acquired Reyes, they had been “really close” to another trade that would have had a similar impact on their 2013 payroll, Anthopoulos said. They discussed the deal toward the end of October, when option decisions were due.
- The Blue Jays continue to seek a 25th man to round out their roster. Anthopoulos said last week that the Blue Jays would like to add a right-handed bench player capable of playing multiple infield positions. That said, the Blue Jays could add such a player in Spring Training.
- Don’t expect another deal in the near future. “We’re not having any dialogue at all with respect to trades,” Anthopoulos said.
- The Blue Jays could add a player or two on minor league deals and under the right circumstances they could add a player to the 40-man roster.
- Anthopoulos hopes the rotation provides enough innings that the team doesn’t need to seriously consider an eight-man bullpen. The Blue Jays have a pretty full bullpen, so it doesn’t appear as though free agent right-hander Brandon Lyon will return. “I don’t want to ever close the door on him, since he did a great job for us,” Anthopoulos said.
- The GM stressed the importance of starting pitching depth and explained that players such as Justin Germano, Brad Lincoln and J.A. Happ provide the club with options.
- The Blue Jays are a ‘file and trial’ team meaning if they exchange filing numbers with players they go to a hearing. Anthopoulos said he’s “hopeful” and “optimistic” that the Blue Jays could reach deals with their three remaining eligible players by today’s deadline. Emilio Bonifacio, Happ and Josh Thole are Toronto’s eligible players, as MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker shows. Assistant GM Jay Sartori is leading the way for the Blue Jays as they negotiate with their players.
- Though the Blue Jays look like an improved team, Anthopoulos cautioned that many of their American League rivals have also added significant pieces. “You can’t take anything for granted,” he said. “We haven’t even played a game yet. We still have to win a game, and we have to win a lot more than one. The whole division is outstanding.”
Indians, Stubbs Avoid Arbitration
The Indians avoided arbitration with Drew Stubbs, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter). The LSW Baseball client will earn $2.825MM in 2013 on a deal that includes $50K in performance bonuses.
Stubbs had a projected salary of $2.9MM following a season in which he posted a .213/.277/.333 batting line with 14 home runs in 544 plate appearances as Cincinnati's starting center fielder. The Indians acquired the 28-year-old from the Reds in a three-team trade last month.
As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, the Indians have six outstanding arb cases. Matt Albers, Mike Aviles, Lou Marson, Justin Masterson, Chris Perez and Joe Smith remain eligible.
Padres Avoid Arbitration With Thatcher, Cabrera
The Padres avoided arbitration with Joe Thatcher and Everth Cabrera, agreeing to one-year deals in advance of Friday’s filing deadline, Corey Brock of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). Thatcher obtains a $1.35MM salary, while Cabrera will earn $1.275MM.
Thatcher, a Platinum Sports client, had been projected by Matt Swartz to earn $1.1MM. Cabrera, a client of the Boras Corporation, had been projected to earn $1.2MM.
MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows that the Padres now have five remaining arbitration-eligible players: John Baker, Luke Gregerson, Chase Headley, Clayton Richard, and Edinson Volquez. They avoided arbitration with Will Venable two days ago.
Anthopoulos, Reyes Talk 2013 Blue Jays
The Blue Jays didn’t set out to trade for Jose Reyes this winter. Instead, they targeted rotation upgrades to recover from a disappointing 89-loss season. Meanwhile, Reyes expected to remain with the Marlins, even after hype gave way to hopelessness in Miami toward the end of the 2012 campaign. Now, as Spring Training approaches, Reyes is officially Toronto's shortstop and there’s an expectation from both sides that the 2013 season will live up to high preseason expectations.
The Blue Jays look at Reyes as a dynamic shortstop who can help them reach the postseason for the first time in 20 years. His skillset rarely becomes available in the view of general manager Alex Anthopoulos.
“I don’t know that we’re going to see another shortstop like this in Toronto for a long time,” the GM said at Reyes’ introductory press conference at Toronto’s Rogers Centre this afternoon. “I don’t know that we could ever think we’re going to draft someone like this or sign someone like this out of Latin America. This is one of the great players to play the game.”
Reyes sounds equally optimistic about his new team. He thought he'd be staying in Miami despite a 69-93 season that cost manager Ozzie Guillen his job. So earlier in the offseason when he and his wife were vacationing he wasn’t expecting to pick up his phone and learn he’d been traded.
“It surprised me a little bit,” Reyes said, “but after that I said ‘you know what, with what the Blue Jays have it’s all about winning and on the field it’s going to be good,' so I can’t wait.”
Judging by Anthopoulos’ comments, the Blue Jays are also eager to get started. The GM described himself as a longtime admirer of Reyes, citing the 29-year-old's energy and multi-faceted game as reasons for his interest. Plus, Reyes provides Toronto with a traditional leadoff hitter, something that Anthopoulos suggested is becoming increasingly rare in today’s game. It's clear that the GM believes there's a lot to like about Reyes.
“He’s probably one of my favorite players in the league to watch,” Anthopoulos said. “He’s the type of guy you want to watch play. He’s electric. High energy, smile on his face, just so many things. This is a rare guy to find. Leadoff, shortstop, energy, makeup — check off every single box.”
Last offseason, when Reyes hit free agency, the Blue Jays weren’t involved in the bidding for the client of the Legacy Agency. At the time they believed that they had ample shortstop depth in Yunel Escobar and Adeiny Hechavarria. One year later, Anthopoulos was prepared to trade both Cuban shortstops to Miami in the blockbuster trade that brought Reyes to Toronto.
“We felt we were pretty deep at shortstop, but we’ve never seen a guy like this,” Anthopoulos said of Reyes. “It’s a rare opportunity to get a player like this and we wanted to make sure we were able to get it done.”
Interestingly, Reyes wasn’t the one the Blue Jays initially targeted. Anthopoulos started talks with the Marlins by asking about Josh Johnson, following up on an inquiry he’d made during the summer of 2012. Talks progressed from there and Toronto ultimately landed Reyes and the remainder of his six-year, $106MM contract. The Marlins faced considerable criticism for moving the contracts of Reyes, Johnson and Mark Buehrle, among others. Yet their former shortstop says trades are part of the game, even when they occur one year into a long-term commitment. Few players get to spend their entire career with one team.
“You have to understand that doesn’t happen sometimes, because this is a business,” Reyes said. “As a player we need to understand that.”
After last year, Reyes understands more than just the business side of baseball. He has seen firsthand that preseason excitement doesn’t necessarily translate into wins on the field. Like this year’s Blue Jays club, last year’s Marlins were tabbed by many as a breakout team. The Marlins never emerged as a postseason threat, and Reyes says he learned from the experience.
“No matter what people say — a lot of people said ‘they’re going to win it all’ — it’s not about what people say.” Reyes said. “I don’t think that’s going to happen here.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Giants, Jose Mijares Avoid Arbitration
The Giants have avoided arbitration with left-handed reliever Jose Mijares, MLBTR has learned. The SFX client will earn $1.8MM in 2013.
Mijares, 28, joined the Giants this past August after they claimed him off of waivers from Kansas City. He posted a 2.56 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 56 1/3 total innings, setting himself up for a raise from his 2012 salary of $925K. Matt Swartz had anticipated a $1.6MM salary for Mijares in his projections for MLBTR.
The Giants have six remaining arb eligible players, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows. Joaquin Arias, Gregor Blanco, Clay Hensley, Hunter Pence, Buster Posey and Sergio Romo are San Francisco's other eligible players.