Johnny Damon Talks Free Agency
Johnny Damon told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that he considers the Yankees a “perfect fit” for his services given their need for a left-handed hitting DH. The Yankees don’t hold any grudges over the way Damon’s first stint in New York ended, but they haven’t offered him a contract this offseason, and they don’t seem likely to make final decisions on their DH opening until the A.J. Burnett intrigue ends.
Despite rumblings that Damon is altering his offensive approach now that he’s just 277 hits away from the 3,000 hit milestone, he says he's not changing as a player as he nears personal accomplishments.
“It's never been a driving force for me,” he told Heyman. “I always had the intention of being a good teammate."
Damon hit .261/.326/.418 with 16 homers and 29 doubles in 582 plate appearances in 2011. He was Tampa Bay's primary DH last year, but maintains he could still play the field if necessary. I examined Damon's free agent stock in November, concluding that another modest one-year deal is likely. The Scott Boras client appeared to be seeking a $5MM deal about a month ago.
Minor Moves: Blackley, Gomez
Keeping track of the day's minor moves…
- The Giants signed left-hander Travis Blackley to a minor league deal, MLB.com's Chris Haft reports. The 29-year-old Australia native has MLB experience with the 2004 Mariners and the 2007 Giants. He didn't pitch affiliated baseball in 2011.
- The Red Sox announced that they signed first baseman Mauro Gomez to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training. Gomez, 27, spent the 2011 season with the Braves' top affiliate and led the International League with 264 total bases. The Dominican Republic native had 24 homers and 34 doubles at Triple-A last year.
Teams Win Five Of Seven Arbitration Hearings
The 142 players who filed for salary arbitration earlier in the offseason have agreed to terms on 2012 contracts, which means the arbitration season is officially over. Most players avoided hearings with one-year deals, 17 signed extensions, and seven went to arbitration hearings. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, teams out-performed players this month, winning five of seven hearings. The details for the five MLB wins:
- The Brewers beat Jose Veras, who will earn $2MM in 2012. Veras is represented by Bryce Dixon.
- The Nationals beat John Lannan, who will earn $5MM in 2012. Lannan is represented by Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA Sports.
- The Orioles beat Brad Bergesen, who will earn $800K in 2012. Bergesen is represented by Paragon Sports International.
- The Pirates beat Garrett Jones, who will earn $2.25MM in 2012. Jones is represented by SFX.
- The Rays beat Jeff Niemann, who will earn $2.75MM in 2012. Niemann is represented by Hendricks Sports.
Players won two cases, both of which were against the Marlins:
- Emilio Bonifacio, a WMG client, will earn $2.2MM in 2012.
- Anibal Sanchez, a Gene Mato client, will earn $8MM in 2012.
Players won two of three hearings in 2011, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows.
Pirates, Casey McGehee Avoid Arbitration
The Pirates avoided arbitration with Casey McGehee, agreeing to terms on a 2012 contract, the team announced. He'll earn $2.5375MM in 2012, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). All arbitration eligible players are now under contract for 2012, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows.
McGehee, a Meister Sports Management client, had asked for $2.725MM, while the Pirates had countered with a $2.35MM offer. His 2012 salary is the midpoint of the two submissions. The infielder was arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason and he'll remain under team control through the 2014 campaign. I examined his case in relation to teammate Garrett Jones last week.
Pirates Beat Garrett Jones In Arbitration
The Pirates beat Garrett Jones in yesterday's arbitration hearing, the team announced. Jones will earn $2.25MM in 2012, instead of the $2.5MM salary he and his representatives at SFX had asked for.
Jones posted a .243/.321/.433 line with 16 home runs in 477 plate appearances for the Pirates last year and drew some trade interest from the Yankees this offseason. I examined his case in some detail yesterday. Teams won five of the seven arbitration cases that took place this offseason, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows.
Giants Re-Sign Justin Christian
The Giants re-signed outfielder Justin Christian to a minor league deal after he cleared waivers, Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com tweets. The Giants had designated Christian for assignment eight days ago.
Christian appeared in 18 games for the 2011 Giants, playing all three outfield positions. The 31-year-old has just 94 MLB plate appearances to his name, but he owns a .293/.359/.432 line in nine minor league seasons.
Quick Hits: Ordonez, Fukudome, Rizzo
The latest links from around MLB…
- Free agent outfielder Magglio Ordonez told Los Cronistas that he wants to play, but doesn't plan on accepting a minor league deal (Twitter links, hat tip to Danny Knobler). The Athletics and other clubs have shown some interest, but haven't made concrete offers.
- Jim Margalus of South Side Sox explains why the Kosuke Fukudome signing makes sense for the White Sox. They locked the outfielder up for $1MM yesterday.
- Cubs first base prospect Anthony Rizzo told Jim Memolo and Todd Hollandsworth on MLB Network Radio that being traded two offseasons ago helped prepare him for the recent deal that sent him from San Diego to Chicago.
- In a piece for FanGraphs, Mike Axisa takes a look at MLBTR's list of out of options players and breaks down some trade candidates, including Kila Ka'aihue and Sean West.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the complete minor league transactions for February 8th-13th.
Examining Garrett Jones’ Arbitration Case
In the context of nine-figure player contracts and billion dollar TV deals, $250K isn’t all that much money, yet the Pirates and Garrett Jones went to an arbitration hearing over that sum earlier today. A panel of arbitrators must decide whether the first-time arbitration eligible outfielder/first baseman will earn $2.25MM or $2.5MM in 2012. Let’s take a look at some players who could have figured into the discussion today.
Recent first-time eligible position players who agreed to one-year deals in the $2.25-2.5MM range would have had the most clout in the hearing room. From the current class of arbitration eligible players, Dexter Fowler ($2.35MM), Nyjer Morgan ($2.35MM) and Seth Smith ($2.415MM) qualify and from last year’s class we have Ian Stewart ($2.29MM), Chase Headley ($2.325MM) and David Murphy ($2.4MM). Those who played long ago, signed at different price points or agreed to extensions as first-time eligible players are generally less relevant.
The midpoint for Jones’ case sits at $2.375MM — more than Fowler, Morgan, Stewart and Headley obtained their first time through arbitration. The Pirates likely argued that Jones is no better than such players, while SFX would have explained that their client has accomplished more than relevant players below the midpoint.
In terms of career power numbers, which matter a great deal for position players, SFX had a case. Jones has more career homers than any of the six players above had at parallel points in their careers, and more RBI than everyone but Murphy.
Smith recently obtained a salary above the Jones midpoint, just as Murphy did a year ago. The Pirates may have attempted to show that these players are superior to Jones, but SFX could have countered that Jones is at least as accomplished as Smith and Murphy.
There’s ample room for interpretation — arbitration is both an art and a science. Take Headley, for example. The Pirates could have suggested that Jones’ 2012 salary should stay below the $2.375MM midpoint because he doesn’t measure up to Headley in terms of key stats like average and on-base percentage. SFX could have responded by pointing to Jones’ superior power numbers, both for his career and in his platform season.
In other words, the sides would have highlighted different attributes of the same players in order to make their respective cases. If your head is spinning over the $250K question, you won’t have to wait long for resolution — the verdict should arrive tomorrow.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI. For a look at Jones in relation to teammate Casey McGehee, click here.
Orioles Release Clay Rapada
The Orioles released left-hander Clay Rapada, according to the transactions page on CBSSports.com. Rapada, who was designated for assignment nine days ago, confirms the news on his Twitter account.
Rapada, who turns 31 next month, posted a 6.06 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 16 1/3 innings for the Orioles last year. He had pitched 52 2/3 MLB innings over the course of five seasons for the Tigers, Rangers, Cubs and Orioles and is not yet arbitration eligible.
Latest On Jorge Soler
7:57pm: The Yankees and Phillies are in hardest on Soler now, Yahoo's Jeff Passan tweets.
5:21pm: Marlins president David Samson said on 790 the Ticket that the club doesn't have interest in Soler, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets.
2:51pm: The Marlins are interested, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal hears Soler's power is comparable to that of Miami outfielder Mike Stanton — high praise to say the least.
12:59pm: The Blue Jays watched Soler and others Wednesday at the team's complex in the Dominican Republic, writes MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. The Orioles will be in the D.R. to watch him Sunday. Sanchez lists the Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, Phillies, and Cubs as other interested parties.
WEDNESDAY, 8:26am: The Phillies are also interested in Soler, reports Olney.
TUESDAY, 2:18pm: The Yankees have serious interest in Soler, ESPN.com's Buster Olney tweets.
12:33pm: Many teams remain involved in the bidding for 19-year-old Cuban prospect Jorge Soler, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The Cubs have been extensively linked to the outfielder, but they’re not the only club involved.
The Yankees are in on the bidding, tweets David Kaplan of CSN Chicago, and Heyman suggests the Marlins could be involved. Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald hears that “a good number” of teams have interest (Twitter link). Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus explained yesterday that Soler would rank 38th or 39th on his list of top prospects.