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Archives for February 2013

Rays Sign Jack Cust

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The Rays announced that they have signed Jack Cust to a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training. The designated hitter/outfielder is represented by TWC Sports.  

The 34-year-old last appeared in the majors with the Mariners in 2011 where he hit .213/.344/.329 with three homers in 67 games. Across parts of ten big league seasons, Cust owns a slash line of .242/.374/.439.

Blue Jays Interested In Munenori Kawasaki

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The Blue Jays have expressed interest in signing infielder Munenori Kawasaki, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter). If able to make the club, Kawasaki would serve to provide depth at shortstop, second base and pinch run off the bench.

Kawasaki, 31, earned $625K in 2012 after signing a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training with the Mariners. In his first big league season with the team, Kawasaki posted a batting line of .192/.257/.202 in 61 games. The former NPB star was released by Seattle at the end of the 2012 season.

Quick Hits: Crane, Upton Brothers, Sandoval

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The Marlins will be paying Ozzie Guillen $2.5MM this season not to manage the team, according to D.J. Short of NBCSports.com (via Twitter). The financial figure is higher than all but the salaries of two players on the squad. Here's the latest news and stories making headlines from around the Major Leagues.

  • Astros owner Jim Crane spoke in front of his ever-evolving ballclub on Saturday to share his vision for the future for the franchise and his plans on how to get there, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. "Certainly our fingerprints are all over this now and all the changes we made are our changes," Crane said. "Bo [Porter] told them this and I told them this: Neither one of us have lost in anything we've done, and we're not going to start now. We're expecting to turn this into a winner, starting today."
  • Justin Upton and B.J. Upton are already over the initial joyous feelings that come with playing side-by-side with one's brother at the Major League level and focused on spoiling Davey Johnson's swan song, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. While the Nationals may have a more complete roster on paper than the Braves, each one of the Braves' starting outfielders, including Jason Heyward, poses a legitimate threat to compete for NL MVP.
  • Pablo Sandoval's inability to keep his weight at an optimal level continues to be an ongoing issue for the hefty third baseman, says Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com. The veteran met with Giants manager Bruce Bochy in a closed-door meeting to discuss how being in baseball shape (Sandoval played winter ball) is not the same as playing at a healthy weight. "Like all the guys, we’ve got to get ourselves in game condition," Bochy said. "Even though he’s been playing games, it’s fair to say he has to shed a few pounds, and he will. He has the time. He’s up there working as we speak."

Padres Avoid Arbitration With Clayton Richard

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The Padres have avoided arbitration with Clayton Richard by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $5.24MM, according to a team announcement. The signing of the SFX client marks the final arbitration-eligible player to sign with a team as well as the first year there were no arbitration hearings since the process was instituted in 1974.

Richard submitted an arbitration figure of $5.55MM as compared to the Padres' offer of $4.905MM. The agreed upon number of $5.24MM gives Richard a slight victory as his salary will be just slightly above the midpoint. The left-hander posted a 3.99 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 218 2/3 innings during the 2012 season. 

The veteran will be eligible for arbitration for the final time in 2014 before becoming a free agent for the first time one year later.

AL East Notes: Cherington, Lind, Jurrjens

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Here's the latest news and stories making headlines around the AL East…

  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington says that he does not expect Jacoby Ellsbury contract situation to be a distraction at any point this season, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Ellsbury enters his walk year looking to rebound from injuries that have plagued him in two of the past three seasons.
  • Adam Lind discusses how last year's Blue Jays coaching staff played a role in negatively impacting his numbers over the course of the season, writes Gregor Chisolm of MLB.com. "This year the coaches will be given the freedom to do whatever they want. They have the trust of Gibby so he can just manage and sometimes the type of personalities we had on our staff last year, they micromanaged a lot and sometimes that can affect the way we play and the way we coach."
  • Jair Jurrjens may have suffered financial setback this offseason, but the veteran right-hander remains confident he can be the pitcher the Orioles were looking for when they first offered him a big league contract, says Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun. "If I'm out there and can stay on the mound, I know what I can do. A lot of people know what I can do. I'm just going to come here and show everybody that i'm healthy and I can pitch again."

Los Angeles Notes: Vizquel, Theriot, Greinke

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The two teams representing the Greater Los Angeles area appear to be on collision course for a World Series matchup given the depth of their respective rosters. From the Dodgers adding arguably one of the most dominant pitchers in the game (Zack Greinke) to the Angels bolstering their already powerful lineup with the bat of Josh Hamilton, both teams have their eyes set on October. Here's the latest from around Tinseltown.

  • Omar Vizquel finds himself at a Spring Training camp for the 25th year in a row, but this time he'll be the one leading instruction as he transitions from player to coach, writes Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. The potential future Hall of Famer begins the journey from coach to manager as the Angels' roving infield instructor. 
  • Ryan Theriot's possible return to the Giants remains unlikely given the veteran's desire for increased playing time, specifically, as a starter, says Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Gate (via Twitter). Theriot, 33, posted a .270/.316/.321 batting line in 104 games with the Giants in 2012.
  • Zack Greinke spoke with reporters on Friday about dealing with anxiety issues that nearly derailed his career back when he was a rookie in 2006, writes Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register. "I haven't really had a problem with any of it since 2007," Greinke said. "I don't really think about it ever anymore. It was just [taking] the medicine. It really was."

NL Central Notes: Lohse, Brewers, Scutaro, Cardinals

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Here's a look at the latest out of the National League Central..

  • We recently heard that agent Scott Boras is working hard to sell the Angels on Kyle Lohse and owner Mark Attanasio says that he is doing the same with the Brewers.  "Our ears are always open. We don't want to lead our fans on in any way. There's not an active conversation. But our ears are always open. [GM] Doug [Melvin] and his group are always looking to improve the team," said the owner, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
  • Marco Scutaro had a two-year, $18MM offer from the Cardinals on the table but instead took a three-year, $20MM deal to remain with the Giants, writes Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.  Scutaro's representatives told the Giants early on in the offseason that $20MM over three years would get the job done and they held true to their word, despite a higher average annual value and a recruiting pitch from Matt Holliday.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wonders if the Cardinals are too old.  The Cards have an average age of 30.5, making them the fourth oldest team in the majors behind the Yankees, Phillies, and Rangers.

Quick Hits: Bourn, Richard, Padres, Manuel

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It took Michael Bourn a long time to find his new team this winter, but the center fielder isn't complaining, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  At the same time, several executives charge that agent Scott Boras overreached and initially asked for much more than a four year deal.  "Boras clearly felt he’d get significant length, definitely five years, possibly six or seven," one exec told Rosenthal.  Here's more Saturday linkage..

  • Clayton Richard is now the lone remaining arbitration case with Homer Bailey agreeing to a one-year deal this afternoon, but it seems likely that he'll be headed to the table with the Padres, tweets Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
  • Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is entering the final season of his two-year contract extension, but the skipper says that he is focused on winning and not his next deal, writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.  Manuel is adamant that he won't worry about his job security if the team struggles early on in the season and pointed out that managers like Joe Torre and Tony LaRussa have been in similar situations.
  • While Rafael Soriano won't miss ceding the ninth inning to Mariano Rivera in New York, he will miss having the legendary closer as a teammate, writes Harvey Araton of the New York Times.  Meanwhile, he's happy to be with the Nationals where he knows for certain that he will enter as the closer.

Orioles Sign Jair Jurrjens

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SATURDAY, 12:10pm: The contract includes an opt-out clause, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.

FRIDAY, 10:50pm: The Orioles have officially signed Jair Jurrjens to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training, according to a team report. Terms of the deal are not yet known for the Boras Corporation client.

The Orioles first came to an agreement with Jurrjens on a contract back in late January in which he would received $1.5MM on a Major League deal with incentives potentially pushing the figure to $4MM. The situation changed, however, when Baltimore did not like the findings of his physical, which led to discussion over a minor league deal instead, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com (via Twitter).

Orioles GM Dan Duquette sent Kubatko and other writers a text to provide his sentiments on the deal. "Jair Jurrjens has a good track record and is still young. We hope he can regain the form which made him an All-Star in 2011."

Jurrjens, 27, posted a 6.89 ERA with 3.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 48.1 innings during the 2012 season which led to his non-tendering by the Braves. The right-hander is expected to report to camp on Saturday, writes Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).

East Notes: Yankees, Hughes, Zimmermann, Mets

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As the Yankees and Phil Hughes negotiated their one-year, $7.15MM deal for 2013, the topic of an extension hardly came up, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger.  As a pitcher, Hughes says that he never expected a long-term deal out of the Yankees before reaching free agency.  At the same time, it sounds as though he'd like to stay in the Bronx for the long-term.  “The Yankees are the ones who drafted me; they’re like a second family. For me to say I’d be neutral [about leaving New York] would be dishonest," said Hughes.  Here's more out of the AL and NL East..

  • Jordan Zimmermann would be open to listening on a multi-year extension, but so far nothing has happened on that front, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.  The Nationals and the right-hander avoided arbitration with a one-year, $5.35MM deal yesterday.
  • Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) believes that Mets Triple-A manager Wally Backman would be a great big league manager, but he has a feeling that it will happen elsewhere and not with the Mets.  If the Mets don't bring back Terry Collins next year, Martino expects the club to go with a younger skipper. 
  • Jair Jurrjens' contract with the Orioles is now a minor league deal rather than a guaranteed pact, but the pitcher says he's not overly concerned about it, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  The two sides first agreed to a $1.5MM contract with incentives potentially pushing the figure to $4MM, but red flags on his physical led to the O's insisting on a reworked deal.

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