Mark Mulder Ruptures Achillies
Angels signee Mark Mulder suffered a ruptured left Achillies tendon during agility drills, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). DiGiovanna adds that the lefty "is not expected to pitch this year."
The former All-Star signed a minor league deal with the Angels in January that would have allowed him to earn as much as $6MM in incentives. Mulder was a workhorse from 2001 to 2005 for the Athletics and Cardinals, averaging 211 innings per season with a 3.65 ERA. However, shoulder issues limited him to just 106 innings from 2006 to 2008, his last year in the big leagues. He had worked as an analyst with ESPN since 2011.
DiGiovanna tweets that the Angels were "extremely enthused by his throwing sessions and confident he would pitch this year." Mulder stood to earn $1MM if he made the Opening Day roster.
Quick Hits: Price, Wallace, Phillies, Drew
The Rays haven't yet traded David Price, and Price thinks the holdup on the pitching market due to Masahiro Tanaka's arrival might be the reason why, ESPN's Jayson Stark writes. "With Tanaka not being able to sign until the 24th [of January] and stuff like that, it seemed like teams waited for that market to fall," Price says. "You know, if he had signed during the winter meetings or something, it might have been a little bit different. That would have given teams a lot more time to figure out what they wanted to do." Still, Stark quotes an executive who notes the Rays will still probably eventually trade Price, because deals for players like Wil Myers and Chris Archer are currently the Rays' most reliable way to accumulate talent, since recent drafts haven't yielded much top talent and since they don't have the budget to acquire key players on the free-agent market. Here are more notes from around the Majors.
- Brett Wallace isn't concerned that the Astros removed him from their 40-man roster, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports. His goal before was to win a job coming out of camp, and that's still his goal. "I was coming in here to win a job anyway. Being on the roster doesn't guarantee you anything," he says.
- John Mayberry Jr. and Kevin Frandsen, who were both eligible for arbitration this winter, both now have contracts that are guaranteed, writes Matt Gelb of the Inquirer. Mayberry is under contract for $1.59MM, while Frandsen will make $900K. That could affect the Phillies as they try to set their roster, because they can't cut either of them in spring training without running the risk of paying them their entire salaries anyway. Often, contracts for players in their arbitration-eligible seasons are non-guaranteed, as was the case with, for example, Emilio Bonifacio and the Royals. When the Royals designated Bonifacio for assignment, they paid only a percentage of his $3.5MM salary.
- Manager John Farrell says the Red Sox still don't know whether Stephen Drew will return to them, and they don't want a "lingering what-if" in the clubhouse as the season approaches, WEEI.com's Alex Speier reports. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts would move to third base and third baseman Will Middlebrooks would move to the bench if Drew were to re-sign.
Mariners, Justin Smoak Avoid Arbitration
The Mariners have signed first baseman Justin Smoak to a one-year deal with a 2015 vesting option, Sportsnet.ca's Ben Nicholson-Smith reports (all Twitter links). Smoak will receive $2.6375MM plus a $150K buyout on his $3.65MM option, which becomes a team option if Smoak does not receive at least 525 plate appearances in 2014. Nicholson-Smith also notes that the contract contains escalators, and the option could also vests if Smoak wins certain awards. Smoak had filed for $3.25MM in arbitration, with the Mariners countering at $2.025MM. Smoak is represented by Bledsoe Brothers.
Smoak hit .234/.338/.412 in 521 plate appearances with the Mariners last season, after which the M's added Corey Hart via free agency and Logan Morrison via trade. Since then, they reportedly made Smoak available in the right deal, although they could also enter the 2014 season rotating Hart, Morrison and Smoak between first base and DH.
Minor Moves: Teahen, Hatcher
Here are today's minor moves from around baseball.
- The Giants have agreed to terms on a minor-league deal with 3B/OF Mark Teahen, MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo tweets. The deal does not include an invite to Major-League spring training. Teahen spent most of the 2013 season with the independent York Revolution, but he also played short stints with Triple-A Reno (Diamondbacks) and Round Rock (Rangers). He last appeared in the big leagues in 2011.
- The Marlins have outrighted pitcher Chris Hatcher to the minors, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets. MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo previously noted that Hatcher had cleared waivers. The righty spend most of last season with Triple-A New Orleans, where he posted a 3.61 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 67 1/3 innings. He also made seven appearances in the big leagues, allowing 13 runs. The Marlins designated Hatcher for assignment when they added Carlos Marmol.
Cubs To Sign Emilio Bonifacio
2:14pm: Bonifacio will make $2.5MM, plus a possible $425K in incentives, if he makes the Cubs out of spring training, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman tweets. Bonifacio therefore will not make a league-minimum salary, as had previously been reported. Including the $574K Bonifacio will receive in termination pay from the Royals, his Cubs deal could pay him up to the $3.5MM he orginally would have received had he stuck with Kansas City.
10:53am: The Cubs have agreed to terms with infielder Emilio Bonifacio, Grupo Telemicro's Ildefonso Urena tweets. The agreement is for a minor-league deal, ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers reports. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that Bonifacio had Major-League offers from other teams, so it appears likely that he believes he will make the Cubs out of spring training. Bonifacio is represented by Kinzer Management Group.
The Royals had previously avoided arbitration with Bonifacio, signing him to a one-year, $3.5MM deal, but they designated him for assignment when they signed Bruce Chen, meaning they only had to pay a fraction of that $3.5MM salary. Bonifacio subsequently cleared release waivers, and became free to sign wherever he liked.
Bonifacio, 28, hit a relatively .243/.295/.331 in 461 plate appearances with the Blue Jays and Royals last season, but he can play second and third base and any outfield position, and he contributes good value on the bases. He also played shortstop semi-regularly as recently as 2011. Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney struggled last season, so Bonifacio could provide insurance at second if that happens again. He could also serve as a bench player.
Long List Of Teams Interested In Ervin Santana
Ervin Santana's list of suitors includes not only the Blue Jays, Orioles and Mariners (all of whom have been connected to Santana in the past week), but also the Indians, Rockies, Royals and other teams, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes. Heyman cautions that it's possible that some teams may merely be trying to get Santana on a cheap deal, however.
The Royals would like Santana to return, Heyman writes. The Indians may also be a possibility, although they might be more likely to re-sign Ubaldo Jimenez (which itself seems unlikely). The Reds and Phillies could also be possibilities, although those seem more speculative.
The Blue Jays and Mariners would appear to have an edge in pursuit of Santana, since both teams could be competitive, and neither team would lose a first-round draft pick if they signed him. Perhaps the takeaway here, however, is that, with spring training camps opening and with Santana as one of five qualifying-offer players still on the market, there is plenty of uncertainty, and the team that signs him might not end up being one of the obvious contenders.
AL Central Notes: Scherzer, Shields, Indians
Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer reiterates that he won't negotiate an extension once the season starts, George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press writes. "This can be a major distraction," Scherzer says. "I understand I have a chance to secure my future here with the team. I want that to happen. But at the same time, I’m not going to drag negotiations out into the season." Scherzer would not say whether he and his agent, Scott Boras, are currently negotiating a deal with the Tigers. Here are more notes from the AL Central.
- James Shields of the Royals is heading into his last season before what should be a hefty free-agent payday, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star reports. "I’d definitely say he’s a $20 million (per season) guy," says one AL executive. Along with Scherzer and Homer Bailey, Shields will headline the 2014-2015 class of starting pitching. The Royals aren't ruling out extending Shields, but it will be tricky for them to retain him. "If they keep him, it’ll be a bit of a revelation over there," says the executive.
- After a quiet offseason, the Indians seem to be hoping the team can take a step forward with newcomer David Murphy and with better performances from returning players like Asdrubal Cabrera, Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer writes. Hoynes also notes that the Indians have not had contact with Ubaldo Jimenez's agent since last month.
Orioles Claim Jimmy Paredes
The Orioles have claimed outfielder Jimmy Paredes off waivers from the Marlins, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets. The Marlins designated Paredes for assignment last week.
Paredes played parts of the 2011 through 2013 seasons for the Astros, where he hit .234/.274/.311 in 396 total plate appearances. He also hit .287/.345/.462 in 358 plate appearances at Triple-A Oklahoma City last year, playing shortstop, third base and second base as well as outfield. The Marlins claimed him from the Astros in November.
Josh Tomlin Loses Arbitration Case
Indians pitcher Josh Tomlin has lost his arbitration case, Tom Withers of the Associated Press tweets. Tomlin had asked for $975K, but he will make $800K instead. Tomlin is represented by SSG baseball.
Tomlin, 29, appeared in just one game with the Indians in 2013 after returning from Tommy John surgery. He could compete for a job in the back of the Indians' rotation this spring. He has a career 4.92 ERA with 4.9 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 343 2/3 innings.
NL Notes: Aaron, Mets, Colon, Phillies, Brewers
The Braves have announced (via Twitter) that Hall of Famer Hank Aaron suffered a fall on the ice and underwent partial hip replacement surgery. The surgery was successful, and he should recover and return to his usual activities within two months. Here are a few notes from around the National League.
- The Mets added Curtis Granderson, Bartolo Colon and Chris Young this offseason, but those moves mostly simply replaced money that had come off their payroll, Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal writes. Notably, Johan Santana (who made $25.5MM last year and had a $5.5MM buyout for 2014) is gone, as are John Buck ($6.5MM), Frank Francisco ($6.5MM) and Shaun Marcum ($4MM).
- The Mets were the only team to offer Colon a two-year deal this offseason, ESPN New York's Adam Rubin tweets. Colon, 40, signed for two years and $20MM.
- The Phillies still aren't sure what they have in Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, the Associated Press reports. The Cuban pitcher signed for $12MM in August, an amount that was drastically reduced from $48MM after the Phillies became concerned about Gonzalez's elbow. The Phillies watched Gonzalez pitch as spring training opened on Thursday. "He shows deception with his delivery, so that's something," says manager Ryne Sandberg. "I'll be anxious to see how he continues to look as he continues to build arm strength."
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin is excited about his team's pitching depth, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel. One benefit of the Matt Garza deal is that it allows other pitchers more time to develop, Melvin notes.