Brewers Designate Roque Mercedes For Assignment
The Brewers designated Roque Mercedes for assignment to create roster space for Mark Kotsay, according to the team (on Twitter). The Brewers claimed Mercedes in December after the D'Backs designated him for assignment.
Mercedes, who came up through the Brewers' system before Milwaukee sent him to Arizona in the 2009 Felipe Lopez trade, spent last year at Double-A. The 24-year-old Dominican posted a 4.36 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 53 2/3 innings of relief work.
Yankees Consider Left-Handed Pitchers
The Yankees, who heard this week that Andy Pettitte will retire, have considered exploring trades for other left-handers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Joe Saunders, Scott Kazmir, Wade LeBlanc, Clayton Richard and Gio Gonzalez are among the possible targets some Yankees people have "kicked around."
The Yankees will, in all likelihood, wait and hope for better things from A.J. Burnett instead of pursuing another arm, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. The Yankees could pursue Joe Blanton via trade or make a play for free agent Kevin Millwood, but the club seems likely to let Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon, Sergio Mitre and Ivan Nova battle for rotation spots. With prospects Andrew Brackman, Dellin Betances and Manuel Banuelos on the radar, the Bronx Bombers aren't desperate for pitching, even without Pettitte.
Yankees fans may be frustrated that the front office did not sign Cliff Lee or retain Pettitte, but their club is still strong. As one American League East executive tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post, “People would love to have their problems. On paper they are still about as good as you want to see."
White Sox To Sign Lastings Milledge
The White Sox agreed to sign Lastings Milledge to a minor league deal, the team announced. Milledge will earn $500K in the majors and his deal doesn't include incentives, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Milledge, 25, has played in parts of five seasons for the Mets, Nationals and Pirates.
The Pirates non-tendered the 2003 first rounder after he hit .277/.332/.380 in 412 plate appearances. He played left and right for the Pirates last year, but before that had spent most of his career in center field. Milledge has a below-average -8.0 UZR/150 on defense in his career and the only position at which his defensive numbers are above-average is left field.
The White Sox lost Andruw Jones, last year's fourth outfielder, via free agency. If Milledge has a strong spring, he could make the team and provide manager Ozzie Guillen with depth behind Juan Pierre, Alex Rios and Carlos Quentin.
When MLBTR's Mike Axisa discussed Milledge a month ago, he suggested it would be better to gamble on Milledge than hope that "an aging veteran fights off Father Time for another year."
Dodgers To Sign Ron Mahay
The Dodgers have agreed to sign Ron Mahay, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter). The left-hander gives manager Don Mattingly another option out of the 'pen, along with southpaws Hong-Chih Kuo and Scott Elbert.
Mahay posted a 3.44 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 34 innings for the Twins last year. The 39-year-old has always fared better against left-handed hitters, including in 2010, when he held them to a .219/.239/.281 line and posted 6.2 K/9 and 1.0 BB/9 against them.
Orioles Sign Randy Winn
The Orioles announced that they have signed Randy Winn to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training. The 36-year-old will provide depth behind outfielders Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold.
Winn has not made the playoffs in 13 years at the Major League level, though he came close last year. The Yankees, who made it to the ALCS in 2010, signed him, but designated him for assignment after he struggled. The Cardinals picked him up, only to struggle down the stretch themselves.
In 233 plate appearances for the Yankees and Cardinals last year, Winn batted .239/.307/.356 and played all three outfield positions. He was an everyday player as recently as 2009, but at this point in his career, the switch-hitter is likely a bench player.
Phillies Considering Gary Matthews Jr.
The Phillies are considering signing Gary Matthews Jr. to a minor league deal, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. The 36-year-old would only cost the major league minimum, as the Angels and Mets are responsible for most of his $12MM salary.
The Angels traded Matthews to the Mets before the 2010 season and he struggled in New York, hitting just .190/.266/.241 in 65 plate appearances, so the Mets released him. The Reds signed him as a free agent and assigned him to Triple-A, where he hit .317/.361/.495 in 108 plate appearances.
Matthews' father is a former Phillies outfielder who is now one of the Phillies' broadcasters.
Japanese Teams Still Interested In Kawakami
Two Japanese teams are willing to acquire Kenshin Kawakami and take on more than half of the $6.67MM remaining on his contract, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Braves wouldn’t get a player in exchange for Kawakami if they send him to Japan.
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Yomiuri Giants and Nippon Ham Fighters were linked to Kawakami earlier in the offseason and Braves GM Frank Wren acknowledged that he had "a number of discussions" about the right-hander's future.
The 35-year-old lost his rotation spot last year and even spent some time in the minor leagues. His ERA rose from 3.86 to 5.15, though he posted similar strikeout (6.1 K/9) and walk (3.3 BB/9) ratios to the ones he had in his 2009 rookie season.
Rosenthal suggests that the Yankees, who recently heard that Andy Pettitte will retire, could consider Kawakami.
Nationals To Sign Laynce Nix
The Nationals announced that they have agreed to sign Laynce Nix to a minor league deal (Twitter link). The outfielder receives an invitation to Major League Spring Training.
Nix hit .291/.350/.455 in 182 plate appearances for the Reds last year and hit 15 homers the year before that. Though he hit southpaws well in 2010, he has struggled against them over the course of his career so manager Jim Riggleman could choose to limit the 30-year-old's exposure against left-handers. Nix has lots of experience in center field, but has spent most of his time in left since 2007.
Washington traded outfielder Justin Maxwell to the Yankees so this signing helps the team restore depth. Rick Ankiel, Roger Bernadina, Nyjer Morgan, Michael Morse and Jayson Werth are among the Nationals' other outfield options.
Padres Sign Riley, Kielty, Newhan
The Padres signed left-hander Matt Riley, outfielder Bobby Kielty and infielder David Newhan to minor league deals, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock (on Twitter). The players will provide San Diego with organizational depth, but do not receive invitations to Major League Spring Training.
Riley, 31, last pitched in the majors for the 2005 Rangers. The former top prospect last played affiliated baseball in the Dodgers organization in 2008. He has a 3.97 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 199 minor league games (121 starts).
Kielty, who tried to convert himself to a pitcher last year, will return to the outfield this spring. The 34-year-old hasn't appeared in the majors since 2007, but he has a .254/.348/.408 line in 2084 plate apperances with the A's, Twins, Red Sox and Blue Jays.
Newhan, who broke in with the 1999 Padres, hasn't appeared in the majors since 2008. The 37-year-old has big league experience at first, second and third and at all three outfield positions.
Possible Suitors For Kevin Millwood
Kevin Millwood is looking for a $4-5MM payday, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). That's significantly more than some teams are willing to consider, though Millwood does have a number of potential suitors. Here's a quick recap of clubs with potential interest:
- Even after signing Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia, the Yankees remain in contact with Millwood. Now that Andy Pettitte is set to retire, the Yankees could pursue him.
- The Indians, who could use rotation depth, inquired about Millwood. The Tribe is working to sign Jeremy Bonderman and might not have room in the budget for both players. Cleveland had interest in Millwood as recently as this past weekend, so it's too early to rule out a reunion.
- Millwood is open to re-signing with the Orioles, who just added Justin Duchscherer and won't have much room in their rotation if their new acquisition is healthy.
- The Royals are a possibility for Millwood. They have added Jeff Francis and re-signed Bruce Chen since trading Zack Greinke, but could still use rotation depth.
- The Rockies had interest in Millwood earlier in November. Even then, he was one of the team's secondary targets.
- Though the Mariners have Felix Hernandez, Jason Vargas, Doug Fister, Luke French, Erik Bedard and Michael Pineda, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them add an innings eater for the right price.
There should be interest in Millwood, who has averaged 31 starts per season since joining the Braves' rotation in 1998. As he works to secure his client a Major League deal worth a few million dollars, agent Scott Boras will likely remind teams of Millwood's durability and point out that the right-hander spent last season in the tough AL East.
On the surface, Millwood's 2010 looked a lot like Rodrigo Lopez's and Atlanta recently signed Lopez to a minor league deal. Lopez, 35, is just a year younger than Millwood and the pitchers posted similar numbers last year. Millwood's ERA was slightly higher than Lopez's (5.10 vs. 5.00) and Lopez walked fewer batters (3.1 BB/9 vs. 2.5 BB/9). Millwood posted a career-low ground ball rate and a career-high fly ball rate in hitter-friendly Camden Yards and allowed 30 homers, while Lopez surrendered a league-leading 37 homers.
Boras has found a number of surprising contracts for his clients this offseason, so there's no reason to assume he can't find $4-5MM for Millwood. I'm guessing Boras' pitch will revolve around dependability, since that stands out more than Millwood's other stats.