Contract Details: Bray, Nationals, Cust
All of last night’s filing numbers, including player submissions, team submissions and midpoints, can now be found in MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker. Here are some contract details from around MLB:
- The Reds and Bill Bray settled at $1,417,500 yesterday, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes tweets. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected a $1.4MM salary for the left-handed reliever.
- Right-hander Tyler Clippard and the Nationals agreed to terms yesterday on a $1.65MM deal for 2012, I tweeted earlier tonight. The 26-year-old reliever had been projected for $1.7MM
- Tom Gorzelanny obtained $3MM from the Nationals for 2012, I noted on Twitter earlier this evening. That's a little north of what had been reported Tuesday and it tops the left-hander’s projected $2.8MM salary.
- Agent Bobby Barad told Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle that the Astros’ 2013 option for the newly-signed Jack Cust is worth $1MM. Cust agreed to a non-guaranteed Major League deal worth $600K yesterday.
Orlando Cabrera To Retire
Longtime MLB shortstop Orlando Cabrera said on a Colombian radio station that he will retire from baseball, reports ElHeraldo.co. Cabrera spent 15 seasons in the Major Leagues, winning two Gold Gloves and collecting 2,055 hits along the way.
The 37-year-old Colombia native signed with the Expos in 1993, made his MLB debut four years later and played for Montreal until the Red Sox traded for him in 2004. After winning a championship in Boston, Cabrera moved on to the Angels, White Sox, Athletics, Twins, Reds, Indians and Giants. He retires with a .272/.317/.390 career batting line, 123 home runs and 216 stolen bases. Baseball-Reference pegs his career wins above replacement at 18.3 and his career earnings at $51.7MM.
Rockies To Sign Jamie Moyer
The Rockies have agreed to sign 49-year-old left-hander Jamie Moyer to a minor league deal, the team announced. Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported Monday that the Rockies had offered the veteran a contract. The Rockies will give Moyer the chance to compete for a rotation spot while tutoring younger pitchers on the staff, assuming he passes an upcoming physical.
Moyer pitched for the Phillies in 2010 and missed last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He worked out in front of scouts this offseason and appears to have impressed the Rockies.
Moyer owns a 267-204 career record with a 4.24 ERA in 24 MLB seasons. He posted a 4.84 ERA with 5.1 K/9, 1.6 BB/9 and a 44.1% ground ball rate for the 2010 Phillies. 14 of the players on Colorado's 40-man roster were not yet born when Moyer debuted with the Cubs in June of 1986.
Extension Candidate: Max Scherzer
The Tigers and Max Scherzer agreed to a 2012 salary of $3.75MM yesterday, but the negotiations won’t necessarily end there, since extension season is just beginning. Last year, for example, 24 players signed extensions between the date arbitration numbers were exchanged and the end of April. Just one of those players was a client of the Boras Corporation — Scherzer's agency — but the possibility of an extension exists for the 27-year-old right-hander nevertheless.
Gio Gonzalez and Justin Masterson are two of the first-time arbitration eligible pitchers who most closely resemble Scherzer. Gonzalez (38-32, 3.93 ERA in 535 1/3 innings) Masterson (28-38, 3.92 ERA in 613 2/3 innings) and Scherzer (36-35, 3.92 ERA in 617 innings) all have similar numbers from a career standpoint. However, Scherzer's platform season ERA of 4.43 exceeded the 2011 marks Gonzalez and Masterson posted by more than a run. Gonzalez recently signed a five-year, $42MM extension and Masterson is another candidate for a long-term deal.
Gonzalez and Masterson aren’t the only pitchers who resemble Scherzer. The Tigers right-hander has numbers that resemble the ones John Danks, Chad Billingsley, Matt Garza and Johnny Cueto had when they became arbitration eligible for the first time. The various contracts those pitchers signed offer insight into Scherzer’s future earning power.
A four-year deal worth slightly more than $30MM could work for both sides, I believe. Recent deals for the pitchers above suggest a deal between Scherzer and the Tigers might look like this: $3.5MM in 2012, $6MM in 2013, $8MM in 2014, $12MM in 2014 and a modest buyout for one or two additional club option seasons. A guaranteed four-year total in the $30MM range would eclipse Cueto’s $27MM deal and while it wouldn’t reach Gonzalez’s $42MM mark, that may not be realistic for a pitcher with Scherzer’s 2011 ERA.
The Tigers would extend their control of Scherzer and cap his earnings by buying out his arbitration seasons and at least one year of free agency. Tigers starters Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, Doug Fister and Jacob Turner are all under team control through 2014 or later and extending Scherzer would keep the group in place for even longer. While there are risks associated with every pitcher extension, the 2006 first rounder has made 30-plus starts in both of the past two seasons. Meanwhile, Scherzer would obtain multiyear security and extend his stay with the 2011 AL Central champs.
Advanced metrics such as xFIP (3.70), FIP (4.14) and SIERA (3.63) suggest Scherzer's 2011 ERA of 4.43 was higher than expected for someone with his peripheral stats. If the statistically-minded hurler is willing to gamble on similar health and improved luck in 2012, his extension prospects might look considerably better a year from now. But if Scherzer is willing to sign before the season and the Tigers are looking to lock him up, a four-year deal in the $30MM range seems fair.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
Mariners Sign Oliver Perez
The Mariners signed left-hander Oliver Perez to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, the team announced. The Boras Corporation represents the 30-year-old, who didn't pitch in the Major Leagues in 2011.
Perez struck out 239 batters with a 2.98 ERA as a 22-year-old in 2004. After he struggled with his command for two seasons, the Pirates traded him to the Mets for Xavier Nady. Perez posted a 3.91 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 371 innings from 2007-08 and the Mets signed him to a regrettable three-year, $36MM contract. They got just 112 1/3 innings of 6.81 ERA ball out of the investment before releasing Perez last March.
Perez pitched 75 2/3 solid innings for the Nationals' Double-A club in 2011. He finished the season with a 3.09 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 15 starts.
Cubs Sign Jason Jaramillo
The Cubs completed their minor league deal with catcher Jason Jaramillo, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned. MLBTR reported in December that the Cubs were nearing a deal with the 29-year-old.
Jaramillo has accumulated 366 big league plate appearances over the last three seasons with the Pirates, hitting .235/.293/.327. A former second-round pick of the Phillies, Jaramillo missed much of this season with an elbow injury. The switch-hitter will be a candidate for the Cubs' backup catcher job behind Geovany Soto, a role filled by Koyie Hill the last several years. Jaramillo is a native of Wisconsin.
MLBTR's Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
Astros Designate Craig Tatum For Assignment
The Astros designated catcher Craig Tatum for assignment, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com tweets. The move creates a 40-man roster spot for the newly signed Jack Cust.
The Astros had claimed Tatum from the Orioles in October. The 28-year-old has three partial seasons of catching experience at the Major League level and isn't yet eligible for arbitration. He has a .223/.291/.264 line in 299 MLB plate appearances and has stopped 21% of stolen base attempts against him. In eight seasons as a minor leaguer, the 2004 third round pick has a .249/.316/.377 batting line and has stopped 35% of stolen base attempts.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Nevin Ashley
Here's where we'll keep track of the day's outright assignments…
- Rays catcher Nevin Ashley cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The Rays had designated the 27-year-old for assignment five days ago. He posted a .263/.358/.384 line in 444 plate appearances for the Rays' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates in 2011. Ashley, a 2006 sixth rounder, has a .260/.353/.378 line in parts of six pro seasons.
Astros Sign Jack Cust
WEDNESDAY, 11:17am: The Astros announced the non-guaranteed Major League deal, which is worth $600K. They still need to clear a 40-man roster spot for Cust.
TUESDAY, 9:30pm: The Astros have agreed to sign Jack Cust, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. It's a one-year deal with a club option for 2013, Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle tweets. TWC Sports represents the corner outfielder/DH.
Cust, 33, averaged 28 homers and 103 walks with the A's from 2007-09, but his power numbers have since fallen off. If he regains his form in Houston, he could DH for the Astros in 2013, when the team moves to the American League West. Cust, who has a career UZR/150 of -22.4 as an outfielder, figures to pinch hit and play left and right in 2012.
Cust posted a .213/.344/.329 line with three home runs in 270 plate appearances for the Mariners in 2011, when he earned $2.5MM. The Mariners released him in August and the Phillies signed him soon afterwards. There was no reported interest in Cust earlier in the offseason.
Quick Hits: White Sox, Guerrero, Gonzalez, Hart
By this time tomorrow, we'll know whether the Rangers were able to work out a deal with Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish. In the meantime, here are tonight's links…
- Dayan Viciedo says he tried to recruit fellow Cubans Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler for the White Sox, tweets Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune. Cespedes appears to be drawing substantial interest from Chicago’s other team.
- The representatives for Vladimir Guerrero and Raul Ibanez contacted the Yankees about their DH opening, Newsday’s Ken Davidoff tweets. The Yankees have also been in touch with the representatives for Carlos Pena, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, though they aren’t inclined to spend big on a DH.
- Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.com has the salary breakdown for Gio Gonzalez’s recent five-year, $42MM extension (Twitter link). The Nationals have two $12MM options for 2017 and 2018, Gonzalez’s second and third free agent years.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin said right fielder Corey Hart will be asked if he's willing to play some games at first base, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Mat Gamel is the Brewers’ projected first baseman, since Prince Fielder will almost certainly sign elsewhere.