Rangers Closing In On Deal With Arthur Rhodes
The Rangers appear to be closing in on a deal with free agent left-hander Arthur Rhodes, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The 41-year-old put together a strong season in 2010, making his first All-Star team. He posted a 2.29 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 55 innings out of the 'pen.
The Reds have expressed some interest in bringing Rhodes back, but do not seem close to a deal. The Red Sox and Phillies have also been linked to Rhodes this offseason.
The Reds did not offer Rhodes arbitration, so the Rangers would not have to surrender a draft pick to sign him. Rhodes and 40-year-old Darren Oliver would give the Rangers a potentially effective, but undeniably old pair of lefties out of the 'pen.
Angels Notes: Damon, Podsednik
It's no secret that the Angels may add an outfielder. They lost out on Carl Crawford, but have interest in a couple free agents. Here's the latest:
- Along with the Rays and Yankees, the Angels are one of Johnny Damon’s top three choices, according to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff. The Yankees have discussed financial parameters about a deal that would pay Damon a “respectable” amount, but less than the $8MM he earned in 2010. Damon has been linked to the Yankees and Rays this offseason, but it's the first time we've seen him connected to the Angels.
- The Angels and Reds are two of "a few" teams interested in Scott Podsednik, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
Astros Working On Potential Matt Lindstrom Deal
The Astros are working hard on a possible trade involving Matt Lindstrom, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). The Rockies are looking for relief help and appeared interested when Lindstrom became available earlier this month. They are one possible suitor for Lindstrom, but there's a long list of teams with potential interest in right-handed middle relievers.
Lindstrom, 31 in February, posted a 4.39 ERA with 7.3 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and 23 saves in his first season as an Astro. He logged 53 1/3 innings and posted a 48.9 % ground ball rate. Lindstrom earned $1.625MM in 2010 and will make over $2MM through arbitration next year. He's under team control through 2012.
Pirates, A’s Swap Minor Leaguers
The Pirates acquired Corey Wimberly from the A's, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (on Twitter). The A's acquire right-hander Ryan Kelly in the deal, according to MLB.com's Jane Lee.
Wimberly has not appeared in the majors, but he turned in a productive season as a utility player for the A's at Triple-A in 2010. The 27-year-old posted a .284/.373/.354 line with 56 steals while playing at least ten games at short, second, third, left and center.
Kelly, a 23-year-old reliever, posted a 4.20 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 75 innings at A ball last year. It was his second season in the South Atlantic League and his fourth as a pro, so his ascension through the minors has been unhurried.
Pirates Sign Garrett Atkins
The Pirates announced that they signed Garrett Atkins to a minor league contract and invited him to Spring Training. He'll earn $800K in the major leagues, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). Agent Jeff Blank represents Atkins.
The Orioles signed Atkins after the Rockies non-tendered him last offseason, but the O's released him in July. Atkins batted .214/.276/.286 in 152 plate appearances last year and saw his home run total dip for a fourth consecutive season.
If the signing works out, Atkins could spell first baseman Lyle Overbay against lefties. Overbay has a career .279/.375/.463 line against right-handers and Atkins has a career .294/.379/.467 line against southpaws, so there's a potential platoon fit here. Third baseman Pedro Alvarez also bats from the left side, so the Pirates could rest him against left-handers and play Atkins at the hot corner.
Atkins can play both corner infield positions, though most of his big league experience comes at third base. He will play under Pirates skipper Clint Hurdle, who managed him in Colorado.
Pirates Claim Aaron Thompson, DFA Ledezma
The Pirates announced that they claimed left-hander Aaron Thompson off of waivers from the Nationals and designated Wil Ledezma for assignment.
Thompson, a 2005 first rounder who turns 24 in February, posted a 5.65 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 141 2/3 innings for the Nationals' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates last year. The longtime Marlins farmhand has yet to appear in the major leagues.
The Pirates agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Ledezma last month, avoiding arbitration. The lefty, who turns 30 next 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.
Odds & Ends: Damon, Gonzalez, Germano, Astros
December 23rd has been a big day for trading highly-regarded young pitchers in recent years. On this date in 2006, the Rangers sent John Danks and Nick Masset to the White Sox in the Brandon McCarthy trade and on this date in 2009, the Blue Jays sent Brandon League to the Mariners for Brandon Morrow. Here are today's links…
- Baseball Prospectus recommends that you buy the MLBTR iPhone app. Chase Gharrity writes that “there’s very little not to love” about the app and that he’s “extremely excited for what it will become in the future.” You can buy the app right here.
- The Yankees are interested in Johnny Damon, but Brian Cashman told Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com that there's no "clear role" for him on the 2011 Yankees.
- The outfielder/DH told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) that other teams have called about everyday jobs.
- Adrian Gonzalez told Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com that he promised to negotiate potential extensions with the Red Sox instead of holding out for an Albert Pujols-like deal in free agency. "We won't be looking for record-breaking deals," Gonzalez told the Red Sox. "We just want market value." Gonzalez will hit free agency after the season if he doesn't finalize an extension with Boston first, as expected.
- The Indians announced that they outrighted Justin Germano to Triple-A. The right-hander can elect free agency or accept the assignment.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle explains that the Astros could be a refreshing team to watch in 2011, even though they haven't signed a major free agent like Cliff Lee or Carl Crawford.
Constructing A 25-Man Roster Of Free Agents
Once the free agent pool starts shrinking, it's always fun to start imagining teams composed only of unsigned players. For the purposes of this admittedly subjective post, I have assumed that every free agent wants to sign with my imaginary American League team and that payroll is unlimited.
My team would be heavy on power relievers, big bats, injury risks and Hairston brothers. It would be light on speed, youth and dependable starting pitching. Here's a look at my imagined 25-man roster, which would likely cost about $120MM. Players in bold are on the team.
The infield would consist of Adam LaRoche at first base, David Eckstein at second, Orlando Cabrera and short and Adrian Beltre at third. Jerry Hairston would back up at short and second and despite his rough 2010 season, Jorge Cantu would make the team as a backup corner infielder. This group figures to be above-average defensively and at least average on offense.
Aging stars would dominate the outfield. Johnny Damon would win the left field job over Fred Lewis, Scott Podsednik and Marcus Thames. Jim Edmonds and Andruw Jones, a pair of once-elite defenders, would roam center and right, respectively. Since Edmonds struggles against lefties and Damon also bats left-handed, the team's fourth outfielder would be Scott Hairston, who is versatile and right-handed.
Fans of the 2006 Blue Jays will be happy to see that Bengie Molina and Gregg Zaun have been reunited as the catching tandem for this hypothetical team. Molina slumped to .249/.297/.326 last year and Zaun missed most of the season with right shoulder surgery, but this duo isn't bad.
Vladimir Guerrero makes the team as a DH over a group of appealing candidates. I decided against Jim Thome, since the team already has a number of left-handed starters who figure to hit in the middle of the order (LaRoche, Damon, Edmonds). Manny Ramirez, another big right-handed bat, was a potential alternative to Vlad, but Guerrero produced more in 2010.
The starting rotation would consist of Carl Pavano, Brandon Webb, Jeff Francis, Freddy Garcia and Kevin Millwood (I'm assuming Andy Pettitte is not available). There's upside here, but Pavano, Webb and Francis are far from sure things. That's why I made Jeremy Bonderman the team's sixth starter/power right-handed reliever. There's no guarantee that he'll stay healthy, so Bruce Chen makes the team as the second lefty out of the 'pen and spot starter.
The bullpen would be the team's strength. Rafael Soriano would close and Kevin Gregg, Brian Fuentes, Jon Rauch and Octavio Dotel would also be available late in games.
I think this would likely turn out to be a below average, but respectable major league team, but I'd like to know what you think. Feel free to create your own teams or make adjustments to mine in the comments section.
Nationals Sign Sean Burnett To Two-Year Extension
The Nationals have officially signed Sean Burnett to a two-year extension. The $3.95MM contract, which was first reported by Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, covers Burnett's final two seasons of arbitration eligibility and includes a mutual option for 2013. Agent Jim Munsey represents the left-hander.
The 28-year-old became a key reliever for Nationals manager Jim Riggleman in 2010, his first full season in Washington. Burnett, a product of the deal that sent Joel Hanrahan and Lastings Milledge to Pittsburgh, posted a 2.14 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 63 innings last year. The former first rounder limited hits and homers and induced lots of ground balls (54.3% ground ball rate) as usual.
Burnett will earn $1.4MM, including a $100K bonus, in 2011 and $2.3MM in 2012. The mutual option covers Burnett's first free agent year and would pay him $3.5MM or a $250K buyout. The Nationals won their arbitration case with Burnett last offseason (775K vs. 925K), which presumably saved them money on this extension.
AL West Lags, NL East Leads In Offseason Spending
The Angels and Rangers are candidates to sign top free agents, but so far, the AL West has committed less than any other division in baseball. And it's not just because it's a small division. The four AL West teams have averaged $14.78MM in offseason commitments, considerably less than any other division.
The Nationals and Phillies lead the charge in the NL East, which tops all divisions in offseason commitments so far. The NL East ($60.29MM per club) is ahead of the AL East ($55.2MM per club) to date, despite aggressive deals by the Yankees and Red Sox.
Here's the spending by division:
- NL East: $60.29MM average ($301.45MM total)
- AL East: $55.22MM average ($276.08MM total)
- AL Central: $48.82MM average ($244.1MM total)
- NL West: $38.71MM average ($193.53 total)
- NL Central: $22.46MM average ($134.76MM total)
- AL West: $14.78MM average ($59.1MM total)
Complete details and explanation available here. This list will undoubtedly change by the time the offseason ends, and is simply intended to show which divisions have been most aggressive so far.