Red Sox, Rich Hill Agree To Minor League Deal
The Red Sox and lefty Rich Hill have agreed to a minor league deal that will pay Hill $840K should he make the Major League roster, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). The ACES client also has another $500K worth of appearance-based incentives built into his deal as well as a pair of opt-out clauses, which fall on May 15 and June 30. The soon-to-be 34-year-old can become a free agent on either of those dates if he is not on Boston's 25-man roster.
Hill spent the 2010-12 seasons in the Red Sox organization but saw just 31 2/3 innings of big league action in those three years. Much of his time with Boston was spent recovering from 2011 Tommy John surgery, but he did come back to fire 19 2/3 innings of 1.83 ERA ball for Boston in 2012.
Last offseason, Cleveland picked up Hill on a minor league deal, and Hill wound up throwing 38 2/3 innings out of the Indians' bullpen. The results weren't pretty, however, as he posted a 6.38 ERA with 11.9 K/9 but a bloated 6.8 BB/9 rate. Hill briefly looked like he could be a part of the Cubs rotation following a strong 2007 campaign, but shoulder surgery and Tommy John surgery have halted his career as a starter.
If Hill can keep his command under control, he could carve out a niche as a solid lefty specialist. Opposing left-handers have batted just .215 against him in his career, but he's also walked 14.5 percent of the left-handers he's faced in his Major League career.
Reds To Sign Roger Bernadina
2:10pm: Sheldon has the contract details: Bernadina will make $1MM if he makes the roster. If he does not, he has three opportunities to opt out: March 18, March 28, and July 1.
10:33am: The Reds have agreed to sign outfielder Roger Bernadina to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, reports Mark Sheldon of MLB.com (via Twitter). Cincinnati will be able to control the 29-year-old for one additional year if it wishes, as Bernadina has just under five years of service time.
Bernadina, who swings and throws from the left side, has always offered tantalizing athleticism. He seemed to put things together in 2012 with the Nationals. Over 261 plate appearances, Bernadina slashed .291/.372/.405 with 15 stolen bases. With his solid outfield play factored in, Bernadina was worth 1.7 fWAR to the Nats. Last year, however, he took a step back, ultimately losing his roster spot in D.C. and signing on with the Phillies. For 2013, Bernadina ended up with a .181/.250/.295 triple-slash in 250 disappointing plate appearances, and swiped just four bases after notching at least 15 for three successive seasons.
For the Reds, Bernadina may be more of a depth piece than a likely threat to earn a roster spot. Presumably, he takes the opportunity that would have been given Grady Sizemore. Like Sizemore, Bernadina brings the speed and experience to play center field. But top prospect Billy Hamilton is expected to take the starting spot there. And three other players — Chris Heisey, Skip Schumaker, and Jay Bruce – have at least some experience playing center, which seems to leave enough flexibility to avoid using an active roster spot on the new signee. Of course, an injury or a step back for Hamilton could open the door for the Curacoan native.
Angels Avoid Arbitration With David Freese
The Angels have avoided arbitration with third baseman David Freese on a one-year, $5.05MM deal, reports Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). The two sides bridged one of the largest relative gaps among big-value arbitration cases: Freese filed at $6MM, while the team countered at $4.1MM.
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had pegged Freese's arbitration value at $4.4MM, which he beat by a fairly substantial margin. The Halos picked up Freese in an offseason swap for Peter Bourjos, who avoided arbitration with the Cardinals for $1.2MM. The third bagger will reach free agency after the 2015 season.
With Freese and Kevin Jepsen settling today, the Angels have no more remaining arbitration cases.
Angels Avoid Arbitration With Kevin Jepsen
The Angels have reached agreement on a one-year deal to avoid arbitration with righty Kevin Jepsen, the reliever's representatives at Beverly Hills Sports Council tweeted. Jepsen will earn $1.4625MM, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
Jepsen's deal pays him the exact midpoint between the two sides' filing numbers. He had been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to land at $1.4MM. Jepsen managed only a 4.50 ERA in 36 innings last year for the Halos, though he did put up a 9.0 K/9. In 2012, Jepsen threw 44 2/3 innings of 3.02 ERA ball.
Free Agent Notes: Orioles, Arroyo, Capuano
Here are a few updates on some free agent situations around baseball:
- The Orioles expect their payroll to top $100MM, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, though it remains to be seen how much over that threshold the club will go. As things stand, Baltimore's player salaries add up to about $85MM, leaving plenty of room to add.
- Right now, the O's remain in contact with Nelson Cruz, A.J. Burnett, and Fernando Rodney, Rosenthal tweets. The team could also be involved on Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana if they fail to land Burnett, says Rosenthal.
- Free agent starter Bronson Arroyo has asked at least one club for a three-year deal within the last two weeks, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. The durable veteran recently said he had yet to receive an offer, though it could be that he is only willing to field longer-term offers at the present time.
- Lefty Chris Capuano has dropped his ask from two years to one, Olney tweets. The 35-year-old should be an attractive option on a single-season commitment.
Corey Brown Elects Free Agency
11:59am: Brown has elected free agency, reports Cotillo (via Twitter).
JANUARY 31, 8:28am: Brown has been outrighted to the A's Triple-A affiliate, according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. The outfielder has yet to decide whether to elect free agency or accept the assignment (and qualify for free agency at season's end, if he is not put on the 40-man in the interim), tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. Because he has been outrighted previously, Brown has the right to refuse the assignment.
JANUARY 22: The A's announced that they've designated outfielder Corey Brown for assignment in order to free a 40-man roster spot for southpaw Eric O'Flaherty, whose previously reported two-year deal has been announced.
Brown, 28, is a career .175/.250/.400 batter in 45 Major League plate appearances. At the Triple-A level, he's slashed .254/333/.461 in 1602 career plate appearances. Brown was originally drafted by Oakland before being included in a deal with the Nationals that netted Josh Willingham. The A's took Brown in the supplemental round of the 2007 draft as compensation for the loss of Frank Thomas.
Royals Avoid Arbitration With Aaron Crow
The Royals have avoided arbitration with righty Aaron Crow, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Crow will earn $1.475MM and can tack on an additional $50K if he makes the All-Star team.
Crow has had three sturdy years for the Royals before reaching arbitration eligibility, combining for a 3.19 ERA over 174 2/3 innings with 9.0 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9. Crow's 2014 salary lands just under the $1.49MM midpoint between the two sides' filing figures. It falls a good bit shy of the $1.9MM projection from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.
Orioles To Sign Alex Gonzalez
The Orioles have agreed to sign shortstop Alex Gonzalez to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 15-year MLB veteran turns 37 in two weeks.
Gonzalez has seen just over 200 plate appearances for the Brewers over the past two seasons. He was off to a nice start to the 2012 campaign when a knee injury ended his year. He struggled to a .177/.203/.230 line in 118 plate appearances last year before Milwaukee cut ties.
Marlins Sign Reed Johnson
The Marlins have signed outfielder Reed Johnson to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, the club announced. The 37-year-old, right-handed swinging Johnson has played in 11 big league seasons.
Last year, with the Braves, Johnson struggled to a .244/.311/.341 line in just 136 plate appearances, leading the club to decline his $1.6MM option and instead pay him a $150K buyout. He was much better over the previous two seasons, however, combining to log 554 plate appearances while slashing .299/.342/.431.
The Marlins, of course, have plenty of interesting young outfielders, the oldest and most-established of whom — Giancarlo Stanton — is only 24. Before today's signing, the grizzled veteran of the outfield corps was Brian Bogusevic, who is 29 and has yet to qualify for arbitration. While the club figures to give plenty of playing time to its younger group, Johnson should bring veteran presence, depth, and some healthy spring competition.
Twins Sign Matt Guerrier
FRIDAY: Berardino clarifies (via Twitter) that Gurrier's deal does contain the standard contract language of a Type XX(B) free agent, meaning he can opt out on June 1st if he is not on the MLB roster by that time.
As Berardino further reports, Guerrier would earn $1MM if he earns a MLB roster spot. He can also make up to $1MM more through incentives, with $250K bonuses triggered upon his 45th, 50th, 55th, and 60th appearances.
WEDNESDAY, 8:14pm: Guerrier's contract doesn't contain a clause that would allow him to opt out of the deal if he isn't in the Major Leagues by a certain day, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets.
11:31am: The Twins announced that they've brought back another familiar face, signing right-hander Matt Guerrier to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. Guerrier is a client of Pro Star Management, Inc.
Guerrier, 35, broke into the Majors with the Twins in 2004 as a 25-year-old and enjoyed the best years of his career with Minnesota. The Kent State product posted a strong 3.38 ERA in 472 innings of relief in his first run with the Twins, twice leading the league in appearances. He went on to sign a three-year, $12MM contract with the Dodgers, but elbow injuries limited him to just 110 innings in two-and-a-half years with Los Angeles. He was eventually designated for assignment and flipped to the Cubs in a swap that sent Carlos Marmol to the Dodgers.
Guerrier is the third former Twin that Minnesota has signed to a minor league deal this offseason, as they've also brought back Jason Kubel and Jason Bartlett. Guerrier, whose season ended in August due to flexor tendon surgery, will look to work his way into a Twins bullpen that figures to be led by All-Star closer Glen Perkins and setup man Jared Burton.
Guerrier drew interest from seven to eight other clubs this offseason, agent Joe Bick told MLBTR, but the familiarity with the Twins' coaching staff and front office as well as the mutual respect the two sides share for one another led to the decision to return to Minneapolis. "In conversations we had with Matt about the whole picture, the decision to return to Minnesota felt right. We're excited about the opportunity."
Bick said that while no assurances have been made as to whether or not he'll make the club, Guerrier plans to "grab this opportunity by the throat" in Spring Training. Guerrier has been throwing off an indoor mound at 75 to 80 percent for the past three weeks and is scheduled to progress to throwing "true" bullpens — hopefully outdoors and off a dirt mound — next Monday.