Minor Moves: Gregorio Petit
Here are today's minor moves and outright assignments from around the league…
- The Astros have signed infielder Gregorio Petit to a minor league contract, according to the team's transactions page. Petit, 29, hasn't played in the Majors since 2009 but enjoyed a solid season for the Padres' Triple-A affiliate in 2013, slashing .292/.344/.380 with four homers and five steals in 555 plate appearances. Petit is primarily a shortstop but also has experience at second base and third base.
Quick Hits: Kershaw, Tanaka, Matsuzaka, Twins
Bargains abound on the free agent market, opines Doug Miller of MLB.com. Miller lists the following sleeper candidates for solid production in 2014: catcher Michael McKenry, first bagger Casey Kotchman, outfielders Chris Coghlan, Derrick Robinson, Grady Sizemore, and Tyler Colvin, and pitchers James McDonald, Suk-min Yoon, and David Aardsma. Here are a few more links to round out the day:
- Ace Clayton Kershaw has had ongoing discussions with the Dodgers about an extension that could reach ten seasons with over a $30MM annual salary, says Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Club GM Ned Colletti said just recently that talks have been active, and of course the club reportedly extended Kershaw a $300MM offer during the 2013 season. Such a deal would make Kershaw the best paid player in baseball history, both in terms of total guarantee and annual salary.
- Meanwhile, the Dodgers are still in on the biggest open market pitcher of the offseason, Masahiro Tanaka. As Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com explains, the Yankees have an urgent need for Tanaka, while the Dodgers more aptly want the hurler. If Los Angeles nevertheless outbids the Yanks for the Japanese star, says Saxon, it would represent a fundamental power shift in the game.
- You can count the Athletics out of the mix for Tanaka, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Though GM Billy Beane surprised many when he nabbed Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, Slusser says that Oakland is not pursuing Tanaka.
- Reports earlier this evening that Daisuke Matsuzaka had re-signed with the Mets proved untrue, as multiple reports made clear. But Matsuzaka still realistically could land in New York on a minor league deal, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports. He would compete with in-house options for the club's fifth and final rotation slot.
- The Twins have hit before on the international market, and may now have their eyes on a couple of Cuban pitchers. According to a report on Twitter from 1500 ESPN Darren Wolfson, Minnesota sent three scouts to Mexico to see hurlers Misael Siverio and Odrisamer Despaigne throw in a showcase.
NL Notes: Amaro, Nationals, Cordier
Wondering what your team still can or should do to improve before the start of the 2014 season? ESPN.com's Jim Bowden lays out the "missing links" he sees for each of the National League's clubs. On the free agent side of things, he thinks that the Reds (Nelson Cruz), Pirates (Kendrys Morales), and Mets (Stephen Drew) could all stand to add an impact bat. Elsewhere around the NL …
- In an interesting piece on Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr., Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that the Phils' top baseball man will continue to "take swings" at arguably risky acquisitions. "There are only so many chances to be a champion, and I will never stop believing that if you have a chance, you take the opportunity," Amaro says. "if you don't take a chance on Adam Eaton, then maybe you don't take a chance on Jayson Werth." (Of course, Amaro was referring to Eaton the retired pitcher, not the young outfielder by the same name.)
- Amaro discussed his philosophies in relation to some of the club's recent moves, He acknowledged that the signing of Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez was a risk, but called him "a guy with a tremendous ceiling." And while Marlon Byrd will earn $16MM over two years to be "a decent role player" for Philadelphia, in Amaro's words, the GM explained that he had to balance the team's needs. "If I go get Carlos Beltran," said Amaro, "then I can't take a chance on Roberto Hernandez. We've got a lot of holes to fill, and our job is to try to make the right decision 70 percent of the time, not the wrong decision 70 percent of the time."
- The Nationals recently added another bench piece in Jamey Carroll, and Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post expects that the veteran will make the club out of Spring Training. But that does not mean that GM Mike Rizzo is done fiddling with his reserves, says Kilgore. Possible additions include a catcher, a left-handed bat such as Lyle Overbay, or a right-handed corner option like Mark Reynolds. Likewise, another southpaw reliever could still be added.
- The powerful right arm of reliever Erik Cordier earned him a guaranteed deal with the Giants even though he's never thrown a big league pitch. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned that Cordier's new club had good reason to offer him a MLB deal, as two other clubs were likewise willing to use a 40-man roster spot on the 27-year-old. (Twitter link.)
146 Players File For Salary Arbitration
The Major League Baseball Players Association has issued a press release announcing that 146 players have officially filed for salary arbitration. Among them are many outstanding players (and some fascinating arbitration cases), including Clayton Kershaw, Craig Kimbrel, Chris Davis, Max Scherzer, David Price, and Giancarlo Stanton.
Let's take a quick look at what this means, and how MLBTR will guide you through the arbitration happenings soon to come:
Upcoming Arbitration Period
Today's deadline is largely a formality. Teams were required to make decisions on tendering arbitration by December 2nd, and players file as a matter of course when arbitration is offered.
But with the announcement, the clock is now ticking down to Friday at noon central, when players and teams will formally exchange and submit salary figures. As a result, we can expect a flurry of new deals to avoid arbitration between now and then.
Though a hearing can still be avoided after the Friday's exchange, several teams tie their bargaining position to the deadline. As MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has explained, so-called "file and trial" teams refuse to negotiate after the exchange deadline in any case, taking the stance that they will go to a hearing if agreement has not been reached. The Blue Jays, Braves, Marlins, Rays, and White Sox are the clubs that maintain such a policy. Meanwhile, at least four other clubs — the Brewers, Pirates, Nationals, and Indians — take the file and trial approach in some circumstances, and have shown a particular willingness to go to a hearing.
On a league-wide basis, of course, hearings are an increasing rarity. For the first time ever, there were none last year. Hearings will be scheduled over the period of February 1st through 21st this year.
How To Keep Tabs On Arbitration Situations
With so many players' situations still to be resolved, how can you keep track? MLBTR has you covered as the flow of arbitration settlements increases:
- First, you'll want to take a look back at the arbitration projections of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. Swartz has also provided some excellent arbitration breakdown pieces, in which he takes a closer look at the cases of certain key players.
- Second, as always, be sure to keep a close eye on MLBTR's pages, whether by the classic means of regular browser refreshing or — if you prefer — through a more modern mechanism. Remember, news will always appear on the site first.
- Third, MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker will carry the latest updates while maintaining all arbitration information in one spot. Our writing team will do its best to keep the tracker fresh troughout the coming days and weeks.
Of course, the Arb Tracker also allows you to filter amongst the players within it based upon such factors as team, service time, settled amount, and (eventually) player and team submission amounts.
Looking at the tracker now, 34 players have already reached agreement on a contract for 2014. Among them, only Seth Smith, Stephen Strasburg, and Brad Ziegler have broken the $3MM barrier, so most of the big spending is still to come.
Indians reliever Josh Outman just became the first of the 146 players who technically filed today to reach an agreement with his club. Click here to take a look at the other filing players whose cases are still outstanding.
Players Avoiding Arbitration: Josh Outman
We'll keep track of any players to avoid arbitration this evening right here:
- The Indians have avoided arbitration with southpaw reliever Josh Outman, the club announced via Twitter. Outman was recently acquired from the Rockies in exchange for outfielder Drew Stubbs. Outman was projected by MLBTR's Matt Swartz to earn a $1.4MM paycheck, and the Associated Press reports (via ESPN) that he will in fact make $1.25MM. Outman becomes the first player to avoid arbitration who technically filed for it today.
- You can keep tabs on all arbitration situations — including those already resolved and those still outstanding — through MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker.
Derek Holland Expected To Be Out Until All-Star Break
TUESDAY: Holland actually underwent microfracture surgery, reports Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. That procedure comes with a longer rehabilitation time, says Fraley, who notes that Scott Feldman did not return to action until July 22, 2011 after undergoing the surgery in November of 2010.
The club anticipates that Holland will be out until the All-Star break, Fraley notes.
FRIDAY: Rangers starter Derek Holland is out until midseason after a left knee injury that took place Tuesday, according to a team release. Holland suffered the injury in a fall at home, and he had arthroscopic surgery today to fix torn cartilage.
The effect the injury will have on the Rangers' offseason planning is unclear. The Rangers are, however, still unlikely to acquire any of the remaining top pitching options, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes (also via Twitter). Instead, they will try to acquire more depth. That likely means the Rangers are still unlikely to be big players for Masahiro Tanaka.
With Holland out, the Rangers still figure to have Yu Darvish, Martin Perez and Matt Harrison in their rotation. If the Rangers don't add anyone else, Alexi Ogando, Colby Lewis, Nick Tepesch, Robbie Ross, Michael Kirkman and Tanner Scheppers could all be candidates for the final two spots.
Indians To Sign Nyjer Morgan
7:08pm: Morgan can earn over $1MM if he makes the roster and reaches the incentives in his contract, Crasnick reports on Twitter.
6:34pm: Nyjer Morgan has signed a minor league deal with the Indians, reports Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The deal includes a Spring Training invitation, Crasnick notes. Morgan recently became a client of Team One and Millenium Sports.
Morgan played in Japan last year after seeing action in parts of six seasons, putting up a .294/.361/.434 line in 424 plate appearances for the Yokohama Bay Stars. In 2012 with the Brewers, Morgan mustered only a .239/.302/.308 triple-slash in 322 plate appearances. While his last look at the bigs was subpar, however, Morgan did put up OPS marks of over .750 in both 2009 and 2011.
At 33, Morgan's legs may not be quite what they once were. He notched 42 and 34 stolen bases over the 2009 and 2010 seasons, respectively, but barely mustered double-digits in his last two seasons of big league action and had just three for the Bay Stars last year. It remains to be seen, also, whether he can continue to add value as a plus defensive center fielder.
It could be a tall order for Morgan to break camp with the Indians. Michael Bourn is entrenched in center, and the club already has left-handed bats in Michael Brantley and David Murphy at the corners.
Dallas Braden To Retire
Former Athletics starter Dallas Braden has decided to retire, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Braden has not thrown a professional pitch since 2011, but had intended to put on a showcase for teams this winter in hopes of getting a chance to work back.
Now 30, the southpaw had a stellar campaign for the A's back in 2010 as a 26-year-old. He put up a 3.50 ERA in 192 2/3 innings, capping things off by throwing a memorable perfect game. Braden was off to a nice start early in the 2011 campaign when he succumbed to a series of shoulder and rotator cuff issues. The A's allowed Braden to become a free agent before last season rather than tendering him arbitration.
Slusser reports that Braden's comeback plans were shelved when a recent MRI revealed that the damage was beyond fixing. “There is nothing left in there, it's just a shredded mess,” Braden told Slusser. “I left my arm on the mound at the Coliseum, and I'm okay with that."
Rod Barajas To Manage Padres’ Rookie League Team
Longtime big league backstop Rod Barajas has agreed to manage the Padres' Rookie League club, MLB.com's Corey Brock reports. (Twitter links.) Barajas has apparently not officially retired from his playing career, however, and Brock notes that the 38-year-old has not yet ruled out a return to the diamond.
Barajas last saw MLB action in 2012 with the Pirates, serving as the club's primary catcher. After a disappointing campaign — he posted a .206/.283/.343 line with 11 home runs in 361 plate appearances — Barajas had his 2013 option declined by Pittsburgh. He signed with the Diamondbacks on a minor league deal, but was ultimately released by Arizona before the start of the season.
Over parts of 14 seasons, Barajas has a lifetime .235/.284/.407 triple-slash and 136 career home runs in 3,784 total plate appearances. He caught at least 97 games for eight of nine seasons over 2004-12.
Minor Moves: Vizcaino, Bond, Omograsso
Here are today's minor transactions, with the latest at the top of the page…
- The Orioles have inked reliever Luis Vizcaino to a minor league deal, the club announced. Vizcaino, 38, has eleven seasons of MLB pitching under his belt, but last appeared in the bigs back in 2009 and had his career derailed by an achilles tear and PED suspension. Vizcaino reemerged last year with Yucatan of the Mexican League, notching a 1.40 ERA in 45 innings and racking up 25 saves.
- Baltimore has also signed infielder Brock Bond to a minor league deal, the club further announced. Bond had spent his entire career in the Giants system. Last year, CSNBayArea.com's Andrew Baggarly profiled the switch-hitting Bond, whose career minor league OBP has hovered around the .400 mark. The 27-year-old spent most of 2010-12 at Triple-A and competed for a roster spot in Spring Training last season. But he started off in the lower minors after a late-spring oblique injury, and never worked his way back up the ladder. After slashing .332/.422/.398 at Triple-A in 2012, Bond ended up with a .240/.339/.324 line at High A last year.
- The White Sox have agreed to terms with right-hander Brian Omogrosso to a minor league contract, MLB.com's Scott Merkin reports (Twitter link). Omogrosso elected to become a free agent in October after the White Sox outrighted him off their 40-man roster. Omogrosso, 29, posted a 9.37 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 1.78 K/BB rate over in 16 1/3 relief innings with Chicago last season.