Giants To Sign Ryan Theriot
The Giants have agreed to sign free agent infielder Ryan Theriot, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. The Beverly Hills Sports Council client obtains a one-year deal worth $1.25MM that includes $750K in incentives.
Theriot spent the 2011 season playing shortstop and second base for the Cardinals, who non-tendered him in December. At the plate, the 32-year-old posted a .271/.321/.342 line in 483 plate appearances. He will join middle infielders Freddy Sanchez, Brandon Crawford and Emmanuel Burriss in San Francisco, where he'll also be reunited with former Cubs teammate Mike Fontenot. Theriot owns a .282/.344/.353 line in seven MLB seasons.
Phillies Sign Juan Pierre
The Phillies have signed Juan Pierre to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training, the team announced. Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com first reported the deal (on Twitter). SFX represents Pierre, who joins a left field mix that includes John Mayberry, Laynce Nix and Domonic Brown.
Pierre spent the 2011 season with the White Sox and posted a .279/.329/.327 line with 27 stolen bases (44 attempts) in 711 plate appearances as the team's everyday left fielder. The 34-year-old has averaged 155 games played and 50 stolen bases since breaking in as an everyday player with the 2001 Rockies.
The Mets and Tigers were also linked to Pierre this offseason. He placed 43rd on MLBTR's list of top free agents entering the offseason.
Yankees Interested In Raul Ibanez
The Yankees have interest in Raul Ibanez, Kevin Kernan of the New York Post reports. Ibanez has drawn interest from a number of clubs, including the Mets and Tigers, in recent weeks. We heard ten days ago that ACES had contacted the Yankees about Ibanez, but this is the first concrete indication that the interest is mutual.
Ibanez posted a .245/.289/.419 line with 20 home runs in 575 plate appearances as the Phillies' everyday left fielder last year. The 39-year-old could provide the Yankees with an option at designated hitter or in the corner outfield positions. He owns a .286/.351/.488 line against right-handed pitching in 16 MLB seasons. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney suggested earlier today that Ibanez would be a good fit in the Bronx (Twitter link).
Results For Modified Type A Free Agents
When baseball's players and owners announced the new collective bargaining agreement in November, they introduced dozens of changes to the game, including one that mattered a great deal to a subset of free agents. Beginning in the 1980s, teams had to surrender draft picks to sign Type A free agents who rejected offers of arbitration from their former teams. This penalty made it difficult for many non-elite Type A players to generate interest, seams teams were hesitant to surrender a draft pick for anything less than a star.
For the 2011-12 offseason, players and owners agreed to modify the procedure for Type A free agents. The sides determined that teams should only surrender picks for the best free agents, and that it should no longer cost draft picks to sign 11 Type A players. Here's a look at how those 11 players fared this offseason, when their leverage wasn't diminished by their Type A ranking (players sorted by guaranteed conract value):
- Michael Cuddyer – three years, $31.5MM
- Heath Bell – three years, $27MM
- Josh Willingham – three years, $21MM
- Ryan Madson - one year, $8.25MM
- Francisco Rodriguez – one year, $8MM via arbitration
- Ramon Hernandez – two years, $6.4MM
- Kelly Johnson – one year, $6.375MM via arbitration
- Matt Capps – one year, $4.75MM
- Darren Oliver – one year, $4.5MM
- Francisco Cordero – one year, $4.5MM
- Octavio Dotel – one year, $3.5MM
While it's impossible to know how this group would have done if the players above had been tied to draft pick compensation, it's safe to assume they wouldn't have done any better (no team wants to surrender draft picks). In previous offseasons, someone like Dotel might have still have been waiting for a job at this point in the winter. I believe the procedural changes provided these 11 players with additional leverage and, as a result, more guaranteed money.
NL East Notes: Cora, Rodriguez, Phillies, Mets
The latest links from the NL East…
- Though Alex Cora announced his retirement from winter ball, he intends to play in the Major Leagues this year. He has drawn interest as a coach and infielder, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. According to the Puerto Rican paper El Nuevo Dia, Cora says he'd still like to play in the majors for another year, even though he hasn’t seen official offers yet (translation by Nick Collias).
- Ivan Rodriguez, who caught for the Nationals last year but hasn’t signed with a new team yet, tells Amanda Comak of the Washington Times that it’s tough not having a job. “At the same time, what you going to do?” Rodriguez said. “You really cannot do anything. The only thing I can tell you is that I'm in good shape.”
- The Phillies are bottom fishing for infielders, Heyman tweets. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets that the Phillies could look for someone with a little more power than Wilson Valdez — perhaps Ryan Theriot.
- The Mets don’t expect to re-sign Jason Isringhausen, though they haven’t ruled anything out, Dan Martin of the New York Post reports.
Yankees, Boone Logan Avoid Arbitration
The Yankees avoided arbitration with left-hander Boone Logan, the Associated Press reports (via the Boston Herald). The Select Sports Group client will earn $1.875MM in 2013.
Logan, 27, posted a 3.46 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 41 2/3 innings last year, when he earned $1.2MM. He's under team control through 2013. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, Logan asked for a 2012 salary of $2.1MM, and the Yankees offered $1.7MM. The Yankees have now agreed to terms with all of their arbitration eligible players.
Phillies Likely To Sign Juan Pierre
9:55am: The Phillies are likely to sign Pierre, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. It's expected to be a minor league deal.
9:30am: The Phillies have had "serious discussions" with free agent outfielder Juan Pierre about a minor league deal, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com tweets. The Mets and Tigers have also been linked to the SFX client in recent weeks, though the Tigers' interest in adding position players has diminished now that they've added Prince Fielder.
Pierre spent the 2011 season with the White Sox and posted a .279/.329/.327 line with 27 stolen bases (44 attempts) in 711 plate appearances as the team's everyday left fielder. The 34-year-old has averaged 155 games played and 50 stolen bases since breaking in as an everyday player with the 2001 Rockies.
This post was first published on January 27th, 2012.
Edwin Jackson Rumors: Thursday
The Red Sox have offered Edwin Jackson a contract and the Orioles would consider offering a four year deal. The market for Jackson — arguably the top free agent remaining — seems to be picking up. Here are the most recent rumors from around MLB:
- The Red Sox are believed to be one of a few teams with which Jackson would accept a one-year deal, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweets.
- The Cardinals checked in on Jackson, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The right-hander, who finished the 2011 season in St. Louis, has a multiyear offer from an unknown team that's not the Red Sox or Cardinals.
Red Sox Designate Scott Atchison For Assignment
The Red Sox designated right-hander Scott Atchison for assignment, the team announced. The move creates roster space for outfielder Cody Ross, whose contract became official today.
Atchison, 35, posted a 3.26 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 30 1/3 innings for the Red Sox in 2011. He spent post of the season at Triple-A, where he pitched 61 1/3 more innings with a 2.64 ERA, 10.6 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9. He is not yet arbitration eligible.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Manny Corpas
Here's today's list of outrighted players:
- The Cubs outrighted Manny Corpas off of their 40-man roster, Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald tweets. The right-hander will attend Spring Training as a non-roster player. Corpas, 29, last pitched in the Major Leagues in 2010, when he posted a 4.62 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 62 1/3 innings for the Rockies. He underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2010 and spent the entire 2011 season recovering.