Pirates Sign Erik Bedard
The Pirates have agreed to sign lefty Erik Bedard, MLBTR has confirmed. Canadian journalist Marc Brassard first tweeted news of an impending $4.5MM deal, and the Pirates have since announced the deal. Bedard is represented by SFX.
Bedard, 32, is coming off his healthiest season since 2007. This year for the Mariners and Red Sox he posted a 3.62 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 0.97 HR/9, and 42% groundball rate in 129 1/3 innings. He missed time with knee and lat sprains, which wasn't too bad after shoulder surgeries limited him to 164 innings for 2008-09. The signing has upside for the Pirates, who needed some depth after losing Paul Maholm to free agency. Additionally, Charlie Morton had hip surgery in October and could miss the start of the season.
Pirates Sign Jose Morales
The Pirates announced today they've signed catcher Jose Morales to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first tweeted the near-agreement last night.
Morales, 28, has a .289/.365/.344 career batting line in 252 big league plate appearances for the Twins and Rockies. This year at Triple-A he hit .264/.350/.380 in 295 plate appearances.
Pirates Close To Deal With Jose Morales
The Pirates are close to a deal with switch-hitting catcher Jose Morales, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Morales, who turns 29 in February, is a career .289/.365/.344 hitter through 252 plate appearances with the Twins and Rockies. He's also seen time at first base in his Major League career.
NL Central Rumors: Astros, Reds, Saito, Bedard
Tuesday night updates out of the NL Central, as MLBTR's 24-hour coverage of the Winter Meetings continues….
- Rival executives view Rockies assistant GM Bill Geivett as the favorite for the Astros' GM job, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
- Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner hears (Twitter link) that the Astros may select a reliever with the first pick of Thursday's Rule 5 draft.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty talked about the team's search for pitching, and MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has the quotes. Jocketty also said Edgar Renteria's reps had contacted him, but the Reds probably aren't interested in signing him.
- All signs are pointing to the Brewers bringing back Takashi Saito on a one-year deal, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Erik Bedard is drawing interest from the Pirates, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
Pirates Close To Deals With Betemit, McLouth
4:41pm: The Pirates are closing in on a one-year deal with McLouth, says MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. She adds that the agreement isn't expected to be finalized until Wednesday.
4:14pm: The Pirates are moving closer to deals with Wilson Betemit and Nate McLouth, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
We heard yesterday about Pittsburgh's interest in a reunion with McLouth, who hit .228/.344/.333 in 321 appearances with the Braves this season. Betemit, meanwhile, did not receive an arbitration offer from the Tigers and hit the free agent market coming off a season in which he posted a .795 OPS in 359 plate appearances in Detroit and Kansas City.
Pirates, Mariners, Twins Interested In Jeff Francis
1:06pm: Francis' agent will also meet with the Pirates and Twins this week, tweets Morosi.
TUESDAY, 11:04am: The Mariners will meet today with Francis' agent, tweets Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. Francis is represented by Frontline, as our agency database shows.
MONDAY, 12:09pm: The Mariners are also interested in Francis, tweets Morosi. Additionally, the Ms have interest in old favorite Jamie Moyer.
11:19am: The Pirates are among the teams with interest in free agent lefty Jeff Francis, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Bucs were in on Francis a year ago, but with a healthy season in the books he'll certainly require more than a one-year, $2MM guarantee this time.
The Pirates also reportedly have interest in free agent pitchers Wei-Yin Chen, Tsuyoshi Wada, and Aaron Cook.
Four Teams Checked In On Mark DeRosa
MONDAY: The Giants have expressed interest in re-signing DeRosa, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.
FRIDAY: Mark DeRosa doesn't expect any team to guarantee him an everyday job, but he does want the chance to prove that his left wrist is healthy. The free agent utility player told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Nationals, Rangers, Indians and Pirates have all spoken with his surgeon and that the Giants have some interest in re-signing him despite his recent injury.
“I definitely understand the concerns," DeRosa told Rosenthal. "If it wasn’t for my wrist getting banged up two years ago, I wouldn’t be in this position.”
DeRosa played in just 47 games in 2011 because of a strained left wrist. The versatile 36-year-old was productive in 2009, posting a .250/.319/.433 line and appearing at five different positions for the Indians and Cardinals. However, he has struggled to stay on the field since signing a two-year deal with the Giants two Decembers ago. When he did play for the Giants, DeRosa posted a forgettable .235/.313/.279 line.
DeRosa, who would like to be closer to his Atlanta home, may have to sign a minor league deal and play his way onto a roster next spring.
Pirates Interested In McLouth, Talking To Lee
7:31am: Pittsburgh is also talking with Derrek Lee, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter), though the first baseman has other suitors.
D-Lee came to the Pirates in a July trade, and while injuries limited him to just 113 plate appearances in with the Buccos, he absolutely mashed back within the familiar confines of the NL Central. Lee hit .337/.398/.584 and teed off on seven homers. The market for Lee has been pretty quiet thus far.
1:06am: The Pirates may add an outfielder this winter, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter), and they're interesed in reuniting with old friend Nate McLouth.
After a solid 2007 with the Buccos in which he hit .258/.351/.459, McLouth exploded in 2008 by hitting .276/.356/.497. He joined the 20-20 club that season, belting 26 big flies and swiping 23 bags while also leading the Senior Circuit with 46 doubles. That season led the Pirates to sign him to a three-year, $15.75MM extension, but he was traded to the Braves less than four months later for Gorkys Hernandez, Jeff Locke, and Charlie Morton.
After hitting .229/.335/.364 and battling hamstring and oblique injuries over two and a half seasons with the Braves, McLouth would cost only a fraction of the $6.5MM salary he earned in 2011. With Jose Tabata, Andrew McCutchen, Alex Presley, and Garrett Jones all in the outfield mix in Pittsburgh, McLouth would likely have to return in a reduced role.
Cubs, Diamondbacks Interested In Stewart
SUNDAY: The Orioles, Mariners, Pirates, and Angels have also inquired on Ian Stewart, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
6:13pm: In addition to the Cubs, the Diamondbacks are also interested in Stewart, tweets Jon Heyman of SI. The 26-year-old is very likely to go somewhere, according to Heyman.
FRIDAY: The Rockies think highly enough of Stewart that they would not consider trading him for DeWitt, according to Renck.
11:39am: The Rockies have already moved Ty Wigginton and Chris Iannetta this offseason, and they're reportedly open to dealing Ian Stewart and Huston Street as well. Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports that Colorado has asked the Cubs for Blake DeWitt in exchange for Stewart, but talks between the two clubs have since cooled.
DeWitt, 26, is a left-handed bat with experience at second, third, and in left field. He's hit .258/.309/.396 with nine homers in 447 plate appearances for the Cubbies after coming over in the deal that sent Ted Lilly to the Dodgers at the 2010 trade deadline. Renck says the Rockies would prefer to get a pitcher in any deal involving Stewart as well.
Rosenthal On Capuano, Fielder, Marlins, Red Sox
The Twins offered Chris Capuano a two-year deal before he accepted the Dodgers' offer, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Here are more of Rosenthal's notes from around MLB…
- The Marlins have discussed Prince Fielder internally and some team officials like the idea of pursuing him, according to Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi. However, they're more focused on Albert Pujols. Agent Scott Boras is telling teams that Fielder is the last available young power bat until Mike Stanton hits free agency.
- The Pirates were also pursuing Capuano before he signed, Morosi tweets.
- One GM says other teams backed off from Jose Reyes after the Marlins offered him $90MM over six years.
- The Cardinals offered Albert Pujols a nine-year deal worth $190-200MM in Spring Training and haven’t changed their proposal since.
- The Red Sox are exploring every trade possibility and considering every free agent closer, according to Rosenthal. Boston is hoping to find a bargain somewhere in the crowded market for top-tier relievers.