Tigers Continue Pursuit Of Brad Penny
The Tigers are still pursuing Brad Penny as they look to add depth to their starting rotation, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Morosi reported last month that the Tigers were considering Penny, who missed most of the 2010 season with a right shoulder strain. Later that day, GM Dave Dombrowski explained that the Tigers are comfortable with their pitching staff, but open to additions.
Penny posted a 3.23 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 55 2/3 innings for the Cardinals last year before going on the disabled list in May. The 32-year-old has spent nearly his entire career in the National League and his one stint in the American League went poorly. The Red Sox signed him before the 2009 season and he posted a 5.61 ERA in 131 2/3 innings for Boston.
Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Phil Coke will likely start for the Tigers, who appear interested in providing Armando Galarraga with some competition for the fifth rotation spot. Dombrowski recently told Tom Gage of the Detroit News that the Tigers are keeping an open mind about free agent starter Jeremy Bonderman.
Cameron Content In Boston; Trade Unlikely
Mike Cameron's agent told Alex Speier of WEEI.com that his client does not hope to leave the Red Sox for a team that can offer more playing time. Cameron wants to win and has not requested a trade, Mike Nicotera says.
The Red Sox have discussed potential deals with other teams, but Nicotera says Boston did not initiate the discussions. The Red Sox will listen to offers for the outfielder, but a team source told Speier that a trade would be surprising since “there isn’t a deal out there that makes sense.”
The Phillies have kicked the tires on Cameron and the Braves could also use a right-handed hitting outfielder who can handle center field.
Cameron missed significant time with kidney stones and an abdominal tear in 2010, as the Red Sox finished third in the AL East. This year, Cameron wants to win and stay healthy. He’ll likely get lots of playing time against left-handed pitching since Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury, J.D. Drew and David Ortiz all bat from the left side and Cameron, a right-handed hitter, handles southpaws well.
Cameron, who turns 38 this week, earns $7.25MM for 2011, the final year on his contract.
Rays Sign Chris Carter
The Rays signed Chris Carter to a minor league deal, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Mets non-tendered the 28-year-old in December after he appeared in a career-high 100 games in 2010. Rubin reports that Carter will earn $12K per month in the minors and $420K in the majors.
Carter, who arrived in New York in the 2009 Billy Wagner trade, has big league experience in left and right field. The left-handed hitter posted a .263/.317/.389 line in 180 plate appearances last year. The Mets shielded him from southpaws in 2010; all but 7 of his plate appearances came against right-handed pitching.
The Rays will be able to retain Carter long after 2011 if they deem him worthy of a roster spot going forward.
Minor Deals: Iribarren, Yankees, Zavada, Hernandez
The latest minor league deals, with fresh updates up top:
- The Rockies have signed utilityman Hernan Iribarren to a minor league contract, reports MLB.com's Thomas Harding. Iribarren, 26, last played in the majors with Milwaukee in 2009, and spent last season playing with Texas' Triple-A affiliate. Harding says Iribarren's deal includes an invitation to Colorado's Major League Spring Training camp.
- The Yankees claimed righty Brian Schlitter from the Cubs, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). Schlitter, 25, appeared in seven games for the Cubs last year. He spent most of the season at Triple-A Iowa, where he posted a 3.15 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 45 2/3 innings.
- The D'Backs re-signed lefty Clay Zavada. The 26-year-old thrived in 49 relief appearances in 2009, posting 9.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9. He spent part of the 2010 season at Triple-A Reno, but appeared in just five games before undergoing Tommy John surgery.
- The Royals re-signed right-hander Gaby Hernandez. Hernandez started 22 games for Kansas City's Triple-A affiliate in 2010, posting a 4.91 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 144 2/3 innings. The Mets selected Hernandez in the third round of the 2004 draft and he has also spent time in the Marlins and Mariners organizations.
- The Padres added some catching depth, signing Guillermo Quiroz. The 29-year-old, who has big league experisnce with the Mariners, Blue Jays, Rangers and Orioles, spent last year in Seattle's minor league system. The backstop hit .286/.347/.431 in 361 minor league plate appearances. The Mariners have added two former Padres catchers this winter: Miguel Olivo and Josh Bard (a player I thought could have fit well on the 2011 Padres). San Diego already has former Mariner Rob Johnson, and the Padres continue to look for catching depth.
Rangers Tell Young He’s Staying Put
Michael Young will be transitioning into a new role this season, but he won't be changing teams before the 2011 campaign begins. Young told Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he has been told he won't be traded before the season starts (Twitter link). Adrian Beltre's arrival in Texas means Young won't be the everyday third baseman, but the Rangers still have room for him.
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported earlier today that Young will work out at first, second, third and short in preparation for the upcoming season. However, he will not play in the outfield. Young, 34, has not played short since 2008 or second base since 2003. He has never played first base or outfield in the majors and will likely DH regularly this year.
If the Rangers don't trade Young by May, they'll need his approval to finalize a deal. Young now has no-trade protection and his ten and five rights take effect this May. The Rangers would likely have to take on a significant portion of the $48MM remaining on Young's contract through 2013 if they decide to trade him.
Heyman On Yankees, Greinke, Young, Giants
Just as MLBTR did last week, Jon Heyman of SI.com runs through the items remaining on each team's offseason shopping list. Along the way, he presents some rumors; here they are:
- The Yankees appear to have at least “a modicum” of interest in Freddy Garcia and Kevin Millwood.
- Heyman reports that the Nationals were prepared to offer Zack Greinke an extension worth about $18MM per season for five seasons or so if he accepted a trade to Washington.
- Word is that Chris Young’s medicals don’t look great and he’s willing to accept a deal that guarantees him less than $2MM. The Mets deny that they have made the right-hander an offer, but they appear interested in his services. ESPN.com's Buster Olney recently reported that the Mets had offered a deal that's likely worth over $1MM.
- The Giants are saying that they only need a backup infielder at this point in the offseason. They have resumed talks with World Series MVP Edgar Renteria.
Red Sox Claim Max Ramirez, DFA Matt Fox
The Red Sox claimed catcher Max Ramirez from the Rangers, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan (on Twitter). Boston's interest in Ramirez is well-documented; last offseason the Rangers and Red Sox discussed a deal that would have sent Mike Lowell to Texas for Ramirez.
The Red Sox announced that they designated right-hander Matt Fox for assignment to create roster space for Ramirez. Boston claimed Fox off of waivers from the Twins on September 9th and he recorded five outs in a Red Sox uniform. The 2004 supplementary first rounder posted a 3.95 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 123 innings for the Twins' Triple-A affiliate last year.
The Rangers designated Ramirez for assignment last week to create roster space for Brandon Webb and Arthur Rhodes. The team already has three backstops on its 40-man roster: Taylor Teagarden, Yorvit Torrealba and Matt Treanor.
Ramirez appeared in 28 games for the Rangers last year, batting .217/.341/.348 in 85 plate appearances. The 26-year-old has spent most of his seven-year pro career in the minors, where he has a .298/.396/.476 line.
Before the 2010 season, Baseball America wrote that Ramirez is "a plus hitter who works the count and drives the ball to all fields" when healthy. However, the publication described the catcher as a below-average defender with below-average arm strength and well below-average running speed.
Blue Jays Claim Wil Ledezma
The Blue Jays claimed Wil Ledezma on waivers from the Pirates, according to a Toronto press release. The Pirates agreed to terms with the left-hander on a one-year split contract earlier in the offseason and designated him for assignment late last month. Ledezma will earn $700K in the majors and $300K in the minors.
Ledezma who turns 30 this month, posted a 6.86 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 19 2/3 innings for the Pirates last year. He'll likely compete with left-handers Jesse Carlson, Rommie Lewis and David Purcey for bullpen spots this spring.
The Significance Of The Adrian Beltre Deal
Adrian Beltre agreed to a deal that guarantees him $80MM over five years. It's the biggest contract of Beltre's career and the fourth biggest free agent deal of the 2010-11 offseason.
The left side of the Rangers' infield should improve when Beltre joins defensive whiz Elvis Andrus. Since Andrus became a regular in 2009, he ranks seventh among MLB shortstops in UZR/150 and Beltre ranks second among MLB third baseman for that same time period. Beltre has had his highs ('04 and '10 stand out) and lows ('01, '05, '09) at the plate, but he has been an above average hitter and defender more often than not.
Beltre joins the defending American League champions on what will presumably be the last major contract of his career (he'll be at least 36 when the deal expires). For what it's worth, Beltre has a career .306/.336/.521 line in 229 plate appearances in Texas.
Here's what it means for the others involved:
- This could be the end of Young's tenure in Texas, but he won't be easy to trade and he adds value as a utility player, so the Rangers may keep him. Young, who has already proven that he can adjust to big league position switches, may have to play shortstop for the first time since 2008 and second base for the first time since 2003.
- With Young likely slotted for a DH/utility role, the Rangers' need for Guerrero decreases significantly. Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times said yesterday that a deal between the Rangers and Beltre would "greatly increase the chances of slugger Vladimir Guerrero returning to Anaheim." However, Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com hears that the Angels are not talking to Vlad.
The Angels
- The Angels could have used Carl Crawford and Beltre, yet they did not sign either player. While the A's and Rangers have made a number of acquisitions, the Angels have been relatively quiet, adding left-handers Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi.
The A's
- The A's opened the bidding for Beltre with a five-year, $64MM deal. They'll now face him many times per year with Kevin Kouzmanoff at the hot corner.
The Red Sox
- The Red Sox will obtain two top draft picks next year since they offered arbitration to Beltre, a Type A free agent, and he turned it down. One draft choice will be a supplementary first rounder and the other will come from the Rangers. It will be Texas' first rounder as long as the Rangers don't sign Rafael Soriano. If they do sign the closer, the Rays would get the Rangers' top pick and the Red Sox would get their second rounder.
Jose Bautista & Aramis Ramirez
- Bautista and Ramirez are set to enter free agency after the season. They're far from perfect comps for Beltre – Bautista may end up playing right field next year – but this deal could play in their favor if they hit free agency after strong 2011 seasons at third base.
Scott Boras
- Did anyone expect Jayson Werth to sign for $126MM and Beltre to sign a deal that could make him $96MM? Finding the right deal for Rafael Soriano is another major test for Boras, who has found unexpectedly big paydays for his clients so far this winter.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI
Alomar, Blyleven Voted To Hall Of Fame
Congratulations to Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven, who were voted to the Baseball Hall of Fame today by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Alomar was one of the most complete players in baseball for 17 years, making spectacular plays at second base and adding value at the plate and on the bases. He played on the World Series Champion Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993 and also spent time on the Padres, Indians, Orioles, Mets, White Sox and Diamondbacks. Alomar won ten Gold Gloves and made 12 All-Star teams. He posted a career .300/.371/.443 line and retired with 210 home runs, 474 stolen bases, 504 doubles, 2724 hits and 1508 runs scored.
Blyleven first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1998 and has steadily gained support; he was just 0.8% short of the 75% threshold last year. He retired with a 3.31 ERA (118 ERA+) in 4970 innings. Blyleven ranks 14th all-time in innings and fifth all-time in strikeouts (3701). His 287 wins place him 27th in baseball history.