Gregg Likes Orioles’ Direction
Kevin Gregg didn’t have much say in his future immediately after the 2010 season. The Blue Jays had the choice of cutting him loose, keeping him for one more year or keeping him for two more years. Their decision to let him hit free agency caught Gregg by surprise, but it ultimately led him to the security of a multiyear deal.
“You like to know where you’re going to be at,” Gregg told reporters on a conference call. “Two years isn’t a long time, but it’s nice for me and my family to know where we’re going to be at least for two years, maybe three.”
The Orioles officially announced the $10MM deal that will keep Gregg in Baltimore through 2012 or, if an option vests, 2013. Manager Buck Showalter says he likes the right-hander’s "moxie" and closing background, though he stopped short of promising his newest reliever the team’s closing job.
Gregg, who has averaged slightly more than 30 saves per season since 2007, will have to compete for the chance to save games with Koji Uehara. But that wasn't a deterrent earlier in the offseason when he was choosing from a number of proposals.
“Fortunately for me, I had a lot of interest all over the board,” Gregg said.
After sorting through his offers, the Beverly Hills Sports Council client decided he wanted to join the Orioles. The team went 34-23 after Showalter took over last summer and has since added Derrek Lee, J.J. Hardy and Mark Reynolds. Gregg says he likes Baltimore’s direction and wanted to stay in what he considers baseball’s toughest division because pitching in the AL East is a challenge. It will also provide him with plenty of chances to remind the Blue Jays what they could have had.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Waiver Rumors: Brown, Igarashi, Rapada
The latest on three players who were recently designated for assignment…
- The Indians announced that Jordan Brown has cleared waivers. The Indians had designated the 2006 Carolina League MVP for assignment last week, but he will remain in the Cleveland organization and arrive in Spring Training as a non-roster invitee.
- Ryota Igarashi cleared waivers as expected and was outrighted to Triple-A, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Mets DFA'd Igarashi last week.
- The Rangers put left-hander Clay Rapada on release waivers and intend to release him, according to ESPNDallas.com. The Rangers designated Rapada and Max Ramirez for assignment last week.
Twins Work To Sign Pavano; Decision Expected Soon
The Twins continue to work toward a deal with Carl Pavano and hope to know by next Monday or Tuesday if the right-hander will accept their offer, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Twitter links). Christensen reports that Pavano appears to be taking the weekend to consider the Twins' proposal.
We heard last week that the Twins were closing in on a deal with Pavano, but there's no official agreement so far. The 35-year-old has posted a 3.97 ERA in 294 2/3 innings since arriving in Minnesota midway through the 2009 season. He posted 4.8 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 2010, when he logged 221 frames of 3.75 ERA ball.
Royals, Alex Gordon Avoid Arbitration
The Royals and Alex Gordon agreed to a one-year deal for 2011, avoiding arbitration, the team announced. Gordon made $1.15MM last year in his first campaign as an arbitration eligible player.
Gordon, the second overall pick in the 2005 draft, transitioned to the outfield last year after spending his entire career as a corner infielder. The 26-year-old hit .215/.315/.355 with eight homers in 281 plate appearances in 2010, so it seems unlikely that he got more than a token raise from the Royals.
Billy Butler, Kyle Davies and Rob Tejeda are Kansas City's remaining unsigned arbitration-eligible players, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows.
Tigers, Joel Zumaya Avoid Arbitration
The Tigers agreed to a one-year deal with Joel Zumaya, avoiding arbitration, the team announced. Zumaya will earn $1.4MM in 2011, according to Tom Gage of the Detroit News (via Twitter). Zumaya, eligible for the third and final time, earned $915K last year.
Zumaya has an electrifying fastball and as many strikeouts (210) as innings pitched (209 2/3) in his career. In fact, the hard-throwing right-hander has the highest strikeout rate among all Tigers relievers with at least 100 appearances since the start of the 1953 season.
But Zumaya has had trouble staying healthy. Hand, shoulder and elbow injuries have limited him to 60 appearances in the past two seasons. He was effective when he pitched in 2010, posting a 2.58 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 38 1/3 innings.
As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, Armando Galarraga is the Tigers' lone unsigned arbitration eligible player now that Zumaya and Ryan Raburn have agreed to deals. Raburn and the Tigers agreed to a two-year deal this week.
Twins To Sign Jim Thome
The Twins agreed to a one-year deal with Jim Thome, the team announced. The SFX client gets a $3MM guarantee with incentives based on plate appearances, according to MLB.com's Kelly Thesier (on Twitter). The left-handed slugger turned down overtures from the Rangers to continue his pursuit of 600 homers in Minneapolis.
Thome was a welcome addition to the 2010 Twins. He hit 25 homers and posted a .283/.412/.627 line in 340 plate appearances. The 40-year-old was especially effective against right-handers (1.047 OPS), but he held his own against southpaws, too (.763 OPS).
Thome is 11 home runs away from reaching 600 and 20 away from matching Sammy Sosa for seventh place on the all-time list.
Royals To Sign Jeff Francis
The Royals have agreed to sign Jeff Francis to a one-year deal, the team announced. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick first reported the deal and adds that it's for $2MM guaranteed plus $2MM in incentives (Twitter link). The agreement with the Frontline client is pending a physical.
Francis drew interest from at least seven teams this offseason before agreeing to sign in Kansas City. The lefty logged 104 1/3 innings and posted a 5.00 ERA with 5.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 and a healthy 46.8% ground ball rate last year. He missed the entire 2009 season as he recovered from shoulder surgery.
Once the Royals dealt Zack Greinke, their need for starting pitching became even more apparent. Their internal rotation candidates include Kyle Davies, Luke Hochevar, Sean O'Sullivan, Vin Mazzaro and Zach Miner, but GM Dayton Moore needed more starting pitching depth. Kansas City expressed interest in Kevin Millwood earlier in the winter and the Scott Boras client remains unsigned.
With Francis off the board and Carl Pavano nearing an agreement to return to Minnesota, there are virtually no free agent groundballers remaining.
As MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows, the Royals have signed Jeff Francoeur and Melky Cabrera, traded David DeJesus and Greinke away and made a number of minor deals since the offseason began.
Three Teams Interested In Bobby Crosby
Three teams are interested in Bobby Crosby, MLBTR has learned. Two American League clubs and one National League club have expressed interest in the 31-year-old. One of the interested teams is eyeing Crosby as a shortstop and the two others view him as a possible utility player.
Crosby is preparing to go to Spring Training and compete for a spot on a 25-man roster; the market for the former Rookie of the Year should become clearer within a week or so.
In 189 plate appearances for Pittsburgh and Arizona last year, Crosby hit .220/.294/.298 and played all four infield positions. The D'Backs released Crosby in August and there hasn't been any hot stove news about him since.
Rays, Blue Jays Have Interest In Jon Rauch
Jon Rauch has drawn interest from the Rays, Blue Jays and others, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The AL East rivals have also expressed interest in left-hander Brian Fuentes this month.
Rauch posted a 3.12 ERA with 7.2 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and a 37.7% ground ball rate in 57 2/3 innings for the Twins last year. Rauch, 32, has always been a fly ball pitcher. The Blue Jays play in homer-friendly Rogers Centre, but could use a dependable arm after losing Kevin Gregg and Scott Downs. Rauch has made 50 appearances or more in each of the last five seasons.
The Orioles and Rockies showed some interest in the 6'11'' right-hander earlier in the offseason, but both clubs have added righty relievers since. MLBTR's Mark Polishuk looked at Rauch's free agent stock in October.
Orioles Sign Kevin Gregg
The Orioles officially announced that they signed Kevin Gregg to a two-year deal. The contract will pay Gregg $10MM and includes an option, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (all Twitter links). The vesting option would bring the total value of the deal to the $16-20MM range, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Beverly Hills Sports Council represents the right-hander.
Gregg saved 37 games for the Blue Jays in 2010. The 32-year-old posted 8.8 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 along with a 3.51 ERA. Koji Uehara, another candidate to close for Buck Showalter, posted a miniscule 1.0 BB/9 to go along with 11.3 K/9 in 2010.
Jim Johnson, Mike Gonzalez and another former Blue Jay, Jeremy Accardo, will also likely contribute out of the Orioles' 'pen in 2011. Alfredo Simon is currently involved in an investigation into a fatal shooting in the Dominican Republic, so it's not clear whether he'll be able to pitch.
The Blue Jays will obtain a draft pick for losing Gregg, but the Orioles do not have to surrender one. Toronto amateur scouting director Andrew Tinnish now has seven of the top 72 picks in the 2011 draft.
The Orioles could still use a left-handed reliever and a starter who can eat innings at the back of the team's rotation.