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Archives for February 2013

Dodgers To Sign Mark Lowe

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The Dodgers have agreed to sign right-handed reliever Mark Lowe to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (all Twitter links). Lowe obtains a base salary of $1.5MM if he makes the big league team and incentives could increase the value of the deal to $2.1MM. Agents Jeff Frye and Mike McCann represent Lowe.

Lowe posted a 3.43 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings for the Rangers last year but missed time with a strained intercostal. The 29-year-old has a 3.94 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in seven seasons with the Mariners and Rangers. The Rays, Giants, Nationals, Tigers and Angels also had interest in Lowe, Crasnick reports. 

The Dodgers have also added Brandon League and J.P. Howell to the bullpen this winter. Plus, with the addition of Zack Greinke to the rotation it's possible a starter could end up contributing in relief.

Orioles Notes: Saunders, Jurrjens, Johnson

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The Mariners agreed to sign Joe Saunders yesterday, which means the left-hander won’t be returning to Baltimore. Saunders and the Orioles had mutual interest in a new deal, but never reached an agreement. Here are the latest Orioles-related notes from Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun…

  • It appears the Orioles offered Saunders a one-year deal, Encina writes. Saunders said he wanted to return to Baltimore and the Orioles maintained interest in re-signing him throughout the winter.
  • The Orioles have yet to finalize their one-year, $1.5MM agreement with Jair Jurrjens, and there’s a chance the deal will fall through. The Orioles were still receiving medical evaluations on Jurrjens as of last night, Encina reports. It’s becoming unclear whether the deal will be completed and it doesn’t seem to be headed in a positive direction. Orioles executives have long-standing concerns about Jurrjens’ health.
  • It’s possible the Orioles could offer Jim Johnson a two-year deal to cover his final arbitration seasons. However, it seems more likely that the sides will settle on a one-year contract. Johnson filed for $7.1MM in arbitration with the Orioles offering $5.7MM, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows. The Orioles have two other unsigned arb eligible players: Jason Hammel and Darren O’Day.

Michael Bourn Rumors: Friday

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For the last few weeks many of the details related to Michael Bourn's free agency have remained unknown. Which teams are interested other than the Mets? Could the Mets sign Bourn without surrendering the 11th overall draft pick this June? Would they commit more than $40MM? What we do know is that the Mets are interested in signing Bourn to a multiyear deal and that they intend to keep their draft pick. Here are today’s Bourn-related rumors, with the most recent updates up top:

  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson stated in an online chat with fans that the Mets would like to sign Bourn. “For us, he would be a very nice fit,” Alderson said. “I think we’re still in the mix, but I couldn’t really predict anything at this point” (video link with text via Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.com).
  • Cerrone hears from people connected to the team that the Mets are thinking three years and around $40MM for Bourn. Agent Scott Boras is still seeking at least four years and $15MM per season, according to Cerrone.

Quick Hits: Thome, Boras, Angels, Villalona, Rolen

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Here's the latest from around the majors…

  • The Indians are no longer pursuing Jim Thome, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link) reports, as the team doesn't want to devote a roster spot to a full-time DH.  Thome is "healthy, working out [and] open to other clubs," Rosenthal notes.  Thome said in December that he was open to continuing his career in 2013.
  • Scott Boras plans to open a sports fitness center for his clients in south Florida next year, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports, in part to prevent players from getting associated with doctors and clinics associated with PEDs.  Boras says his clinic will “bring about a certain level of assurance that the players we represent are certainly given the best information and best professional training…We feel we can best avoid all of the outside resources that are attacking these young men and providing them with false information and less than licensed professional medical assistance.” 
  • The Angels twice chose to focus on their hitters ahead of their pitching rotation this winter, decisions that MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez feels will define their season, for better or worse.
  • Angel Villalona will join the Giants' Spring Training camp after obtaining a work visa to come to the United States, Baseball America's Ben Badler reports.  Villalona couldn't get a visa last year and was on MLB's restricted list in 2010-11 due to complications from being charged with murder in his native Dominican Republic in 2009, charges that were eventually dropped.
  • While Scott Rolen can't contribute on the field as he could in his prime, his veteran leadership can still be a big boost to a contender, MLB.com's Mike Bauman writes.  Rolen has toyed with retirement this winter but may be negotiating a return to the Reds.

Minor Moves: Dodgers, Tolbert, Hernandez, Hill

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Here are today's minor league transactions, with the latest at the top of the page…

  • The Dodgers have invited 17 non-roster players to Spring Training, including infielder Brian Barden and catchers Ramon Castro and Eliezer Alfonzo, the club announced.  The trio were signed to minor league contracts within the last two months.
  • The Phillies have signed infielder Matt Tolbert to a minor league contract, Baseball America's Matt Eddy reports (and also recaps the rest of the week's minor league transactions).  Tolbert hit .230/.288/.319 in 680 PA with the Twins from 2008-11 and spent the bulk of his time playing second, third and shortstop.  Tolbert played for the Cubs' Triple-A team in 2012.
  • The Mariners have signed right-hander Moises Hernandez (Felix's older brother) to a new minor league contract, reports Chris Harris, broadcaster for the Mariners' Double-A affiliate (Twitter link).  The elder Hernandez has a 4.83 ERA over eight minor league seasons in the Mariners', Braves' and Orioles' farm systems.
  • The Indians have signed left-hander Rich Hill to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, the club announced.  After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2011, Hill returned to action to post a 1.83 ERA, a 9.6 K/9 and a 5.0 BB/9 in 19 2/3 relief innings for the Red Sox last season but was non-tendered in November.  The 32-year-old southpaw has a career 4.59 ERA over eight Major League seasons with the Red Sox, Orioles and Cubs.

NL East Links: Boras, Loria, Phillies, Chipper

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It was on this day in 1999 that Dennis Martinez announced his retirement from baseball.  The first Major League player from Nicaragua, Martinez enjoyed a 23-year career with five teams, including spending his final season with Atlanta and eight years with Montreal from 1986-93.  "El Presidente" is best remembered for throwing the 13th perfect game in Major League history, shutting down the Dodgers on July 28, 1991.

Here's the latest from around the NL East…

  • Scott Boras has denied an accusation that he planted a rumor that the Marlins were close to signing Jose Valverde, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.  Spencer reported on Monday that the Marlins/Valverde rumor was false, with one source suspecting that Boras planted the rumor to generate interest in his client.  Boras said he had "no motive" for creating the rumor since "what benefit would it be for me and my client to do that" when the false information could be so easily disproven.
  • Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has turned down several offers to buy the team in recent months, The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson reports, including a group led by former Florida governor Jeb Bush.  Loria has no intention to sell the team, though Jackson hears from an unnamed league official that Major League Baseball would prefer if Miami had an owner more willing to spend.
  • The additions of Mike Adams and Chad Durbin will improve the Phillies bullpen, but the team also needs one of their young relievers to fill key roles in 2013, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News writes.
  • Chipper Jones discussed the Braves' offseason moves and his upcoming visit to the team's Spring Training camp with MLB.com's Mark Bowman.  Though he accepted the Braves' invitation to spend five days at camp, Jones said he is enjoying retirement and has "not had the itch whatsoever" to play again.

AL West Notes: Norris, Luhnow, Athletics, Profar

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The Mariners dominated headlines around baseball today, agreeing to an extension with Felix Hernandez, agreeing to terms with Joe Saunders, finalizing a one-year deal with Kelly Shoppach and designating Shawn Kelley for assignment.  While the bulk of the news from the AL West came from Seattle, here are some more items from around the division…

  • In an interview on the MLB Network (video link), Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said he was looking forward to having Bud Norris in the rotation next season and that he wasn't currently talking to anyone about trading the right-hander.  Luhnow noted, however, that the Astros' recent history has shown "we're willing to talk to any club about any player if we feel the deal furthers our strategy to develop the best young talent in baseball….We'll continue to look at all options."  FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported on Tuesday that Norris was available and that the Cardinals, Padres and Orioles were all interested in Norris during the Winter Meetings.
  • Speaking of Houston's recent moves, Luhnow's trades as Astros general manager are recapped by MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
  • "Our currency is not cash.  Our currency is young players," Athletics GM Billy Beane tells CBS Sports' Danny Knobler. While the A's won't see a major payroll increase in 2013, the team has been dealing young talent in exchange for more expensive veterans this offseason since Oakland feels it can contend next season.  
  • The topic of a Jurickson Profar-for-David Price deal was recently posed to ESPN's Keith Law during a radio appearance, and ESPN Dallas' Richard Durrett goes further in-depth in analyzing the specifics of such a trade between the Rangers and Rays.  Durrett would make the trade since it would give the Rangers a proven ace, while Law wouldn't make the deal one-for-one since Texas would be giving up too many years of team control.  Law, however, doesn't think Tampa Bay would consider such an offer anyway since, "it would be very hard for the Rays to justify a deal like that with the perceived value of Price."

Dodgers, Kershaw Have “Mutual Interest” In Extension

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If Ned Colletti has his way, we won't be hearing much about his club's negotiations about a new contract with Clayton Kershaw, but the Dodgers general manager did tell Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times that both sides share an interest in getting a deal done.

“This is not going to be a daily discussion point for us publicly,” Colletti said. “But there is a mutual interest.”

Kershaw said last summer that he would be open to negotiating an extension, and while it has been assumed that the Dodgers would explore the topic this winter, Kershaw said that no talks had taken place as recently as two weeks ago.  Kershaw signed a two-year, $19.5MM extension last February that covered his first two arbitration-eligible seasons, and he'll have one more arb-eligible year under team control before hitting free agency after the 2014 season.

While Kershaw is controlled through 2014 and there's no immediate rush to work out an extension, the Dodgers may wish to finalize a deal quickly given the ever-rising prices of frontline pitching.  Felix Hernandez's reported seven-year, $175MM agreement with the Mariners sets a new standard in the pitching market and Justin Verlander (also a free agent after 2014) has an interest in discussing an extension with the Tigers.  It seems like just a matter of time before we see a pitcher signing a $200MM deal, a number that Kershaw could get from the Dodgers and would absolutely get as a 26-year-old free agent if he kept up his current form.

Mariners/Felix Hernandez Links: Analysis & Fallout

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The Mariners' pending seven-year, $175MM extension with Felix Hernandez is expected to be finalized before Spring Training, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported earlier today.  A source tells Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times that the two sides are "still in their final stages" though it seems as if the contract is close to being completed.  Though the extension isn't yet official, it has already drawn a lot of reaction from around the baseball world about how it affects Hernandez, the Mariners and other top pitchers' future contracts…

  • The agreement will become official if Hernandez passes a physical, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports.
  • Also from Baker's item, he notes that the Mariners can afford to keep Hernandez thanks to an upcoming major boost in broadcast revenue.  The M's can opt out of their current TV deal in 2015 or Baker suggests that the club may look to work out a new TV contract sooner in order to avoid marketplace complications if a new NBA or NHL team comes to Seattle.
  • In a separate piece, Baker writes that the Mariners will only benefit from Hernandez's extension if they can build a good roster around their ace.  As Baker notes, the M's have finished in last place in each of the three seasons since Hernandez signed his last multiyear deal with the team.
  • Since the Mariners refused to trade Hernandez, they essentially forced themselves into re-signing Hernandez to a major contract, opines Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Seattle could regret the move if Hernandez struggles in the latter years of the extension "and the Mariners’ choice forever will be weighed against the hypothetical bounty that they could have received for Felix in a trade."
  • While the Mariners are taking a risk in making a seven-year commitment to a pitcher, Fangraphs' Jeff Sullivan likes the deal for both sides.  Hernandez's talent and his importance to the franchise made the new contract "something that felt like it had to be done," Sullivan writes.
  • Hernandez's extension sets a bar for negotiations between Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, who opines that Kershaw could become the first pitcher to receive a $200MM deal.  Kershaw is eligible for free agency after the 2014 season and will only be 27 years old on Opening Day 2015.

Mariners Designate Shawn Kelley For Assignment

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The Mariners announced that they designated right-hander Shawn Kelley for assignment. The move creates roster space for Kelly Shoppach, whose one-year deal is now official.

Kelley appeared in 47 games for the Mariners in 2012, posting a 3.25 ERA with 9.1 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 28.8% ground ball rate in 44 1/3 innings. The 28-year-old will earn $935K in 2013 after avoiding arbitration with the Mariners last month.

The Mariners have ten days to outright Kelley to the minor leagues, trade him or release him. It won't be surprising if he's claimed or traded given his 2012 numbers.

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