D’Backs Sell Ryal To Yomiuri Giants
The D'Backs announced that they sold Rusty Ryal to the Yomiuri Giants of the NPB. It appeared earlier in the month that the utility player would end up in Japan and the D'Backs released him last week.
Ryal hit .261/.308/.348 in 222 plate appearances last year, his second season in the majors. He has struggled to hit at the major league level, but proven his versatility, playing left field, first, second and third. In parts of five minor league seasons, the 27-year-old has a .287/.346/.475 line. Ryal’s father, Mark, spent two seasons with the Chunichi Dragons, according to the D’Backs press release.
Offseason Spending Details By Team
MLB teams have made over $1.2 billion in salary commitments so far this offseason, according to data compiled by MLBTR. The seven most aggressive teams have combined for $828MM in commitments this winter. In other words, the Red Sox, Nationals, Phillies, White Sox, Tigers, Yankees and Dodgers are responsible for 68.5% of MLB spending to date.
It's not unusual for a small group of teams to be responsible for a large percentage of spending and it's certainly not unusual for the Red Sox and Yankees to be among the biggest spenders in the game. So far baseball's 30 teams have committed $1.209 billion this offseason*. That figure is sure to rise once high profile free agents like Rafael Soriano, Adrian Beltre, Carl Pavano and Adam LaRoche sign.
This is by no means a final look at offseason spending – the entire 2011 portion of the offseason lies ahead. But just as it's interesting to examine player stats midway through the season, it's worth checking out spending trends before the final totals are tallied.
The entire list of offseason commitments is below, along with an explanation of which deals count and which deals don't. First, here are a handful of observations about the data:
- Just because teams aren't spending doesn't mean they can't or won't spend. It sounds obvious, but fans in New York and Toronto can reasonably expect the Mets and Blue Jays to spend when they believe they have a chance to contend.
- Who would have guessed that the Rangers and Angels would only have made a combined $30.1MM in commitments at this point in the winter?
- Yes, Florida traded a star second baseman away last month. But that hasn't stopped the normally frugal Marlins from out-spending big market teams like the Cubs, Mets and Braves.
- There's a considerable dropoff from the Dodgers (7th with $90.18MM) to the Cardinals (8th with 42.35MM).
- The mean (average) is $40.28MM per team.
- The median (middle number) is $19.025MM.
Here are the details on each team's spending so far this winter:
- Boston Red Sox – $172MM ($142MM contract for Carl Crawford, $12.5MM option for David Ortiz, $12MM contract for Bobby Jenks, $3MM contract for Dan Wheeler, $2MM contract for Jason Varitek, $455K option for Scott Atchison)
- Washington Nationals – $128.5MM ($126MM contract for Jayson Werth, $1.5MM contract for Rick Ankiel, $1MM contract for Chien-Ming Wang)
- Philadelphia Phillies – $125.5MM ($120MM contract for Cliff Lee, $5.5MM contract for Jose Contreras)
- Chicago White Sox – $120.25MM ($56MM contract for Adam Dunn, $37.5MM contract for Paul Konerko, $13MM contract for Jesse Crain, $8MM contract for A.J. Pierzynski, $3MM option for Matt Thornton, $1.75MM extension for Omar Vizquel, $1MM option for Ramon Castro)
- Detroit Tigers – $99.25MM ($50MM contract for Victor Martinez, $16.5MM contract for Joaquin Benoit, $11.5MM extension for Brandon Inge, $11.25MM contract for Jhonny Peralta, $10MM contract for Magglio Ordonez)
- New York Yankees – $93MM ($51MM contract for Derek Jeter, $30MM contract for Mariano Rivera, $8MM contract for Pedro Feliciano, $4MM contract for Russell Martin)
- Los Angeles Dodgers – $90.18MM ($33MM extension for Ted Lilly, $21MM contract for Juan Uribe, $12MM contract for Hiroki Kuroda, $12MM contract for Matt Guerrier, $5MM contract for Jon Garland, $3.5MM contract for Rod Barajas, $2MM contract for Vicente Padilla, $1MM contract for Dioner Navarro, $680K contract for Tony Gwynn)
- St. Louis Cardinals – $42.35MM ($16.5MM contract for Jake Westbrook, $16MM option for Albert Pujols, $8MM contract for Lance Berkman, $1.1MM contract for Gerald Laird, $750K contract for Brian Tallet)
- Cincinnati Reds – $41.75MM ($35MM extension for Bronson Arroyo, $3MM contract for Ramon Hernandez, $2MM contract for Miguel Cairo, $1.75MM option for Jonny Gomes)
- Colorado Rockies – $40MM ($32MM contract for Jorge de la Rosa, $8MM contract for Ty Wigginton)
- San Francisco Giants – $29.5MM ($22MM contract for Aubrey Huff, $6.5MM contract for Miguel Tejada, $1MM contract for Pat Burrell)
- Florida Marlins – $27.5MM ($18MM contract for John Buck, $7MM contract for Javier Vazquez, $2.5MM contract for Randy Choate)
- Chicago Cubs – $26.1MM ($14.6MM option for Aramis Ramirez, $10MM contract for Carlos Pena, $1.5MM contract for Kerry Wood)
- Los Angeles Angels – $23MM ($15MM contract for Scott Downs, $8MM contract for Hisanori Takahashi)
- Minnesota Twins – $19.55MM ($9MM contract plus $5.3MM bid for Tsuyoshi Nishioka, $5.25MM option for Jason Kubel)
- Oakland A’s – $18.5MM ($6MM option for Mark Ellis, $5.75MM option for Coco Crisp $4.25MM contract for Hideki Matsui, $1.5MM contract for Rich Harden, $1MM contract for Brandon McCarthy)
- Pittsburgh Pirates – $17.75MM ($8MM contract for Kevin Correia, $5MM contract for Lyle Overbay, $4.25MM contract for Matt Diaz, $500K contract for Scott Olsen)
- Arizona Diamondbacks – $17.45MM ($10MM contract for J.J. Putz, $2.7MM contract for Geoff Blum, $2MM contract for Melvin Mora, $1.75MM contract for Xavier Nady, $1MM contract for Henry Blanco)
- San Diego Padres – $16.4MM ($11.5MM contract for Orlando Hudson, $4MM contract for Aaron Harang, $900K contract for Dustin Moseley)
- New York Mets – $14.8MM ($11MM option for Jose Reyes, $2.5MM contract for D.J. Carrasco, $1.3MM contract for Ronny Paulino)
- Seattle Mariners – $10.5MM ($7MM contract for Miguel Olivo, $2.5MM contract for Jack Cust, $1MM contract for Erik Bedard)
- Texas Rangers – $7.1MM ($6.25MM contract for Yorvit Torrealba, $850K contract for Matt Treanor)
- Baltimore Orioles – $5.58MM ($3MM contract for Koji Uehara, $1.5MM contract for Cesar Izturis, $1.08MM contract for Jeremy Accardo)
- Atlanta Braves – $5.15MM ($2.5MM option for Alex Gonzalez, $1.45MM contract for Eric Hinske, $1.2MM contract for George Sherrill)
- Houston Astros – $4.625MM ($3MM contract for Bill Hall, $900K option for Jason Michaels, $725K contract for Ryan Rowland-Smith)
- Kansas City Royals – $3.75MM ($2.5MM contract for Jeff Francoeur, $1.25MM contract for Melky Cabrera)
- Toronto Blue Jays – $3.5MM ($2.5MM contract for Edwin Encarnacion, $1MM option for Jose Molina)
- Milwaukee Brewers – $2.18MM ($1.4MM contract for Craig Counsell, $780K contract for Wil Nieves)
- Tampa Bay Rays – $2MM ($1.1MM contract for J.P. Howell, $900K contract for Joel Peralta)
- Cleveland Indians – $1.3MM ($1.3MM contract for Austin Kearns)
*Totals based on free agent contracts, extensions signed by players on the brink or free agency, options exercised this offseason and one international signing. Minor league deals are excluded.
Vizquel, Inge and Lilly signed extensions on the brink of free agency; their extensions count above, as does Arroyo's deal with the Reds. Troy Tulowitzki, Jay Bruce and Ricky Nolasco signed extensions long before free agency and their extensions don’t count here. The Twins’ bid for and contract with Nishioka count. All options exercised this offseason count except the options for Adrian Gonzalez, Omar Infante and David DeJesus. Those three players were traded after their teams picked up their options. Some teams, like the Brewers, have added payroll by trading for players, but those acquisitions do not show up here.
Using different cutoffs, Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball recently calculated that total payroll allocation for free agents is now over $1 billion this offseason.
Reds Interested In Scott Podsednik
The Reds are interested in Scott Podsednik, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. As the FOX writers point out, Podsednik could platoon with Jonny Gomes in left field. Podsednik has a career .283/.344/.391 line against right-handers and Gomes has a career .276/.371/.507 line against southpaws.
Podsednik can still run, make good contact and get on base (.342 OBP last year, .352 in 2009). However, he isn't the base stealer he once was and doesn't hit for much power. Now 34, Podsednik is probably not going to steal 70 bases or be an elite leadoff hitter, but he's in position to command a raise from the $1.75MM salary he earned last year.
The Angels are interested in Podsednik and, earlier in the winter, the Dodgers seemed open to bringing the outfielder back. It will not cost a draft pick to sign Podsednik, who was not offered arbitraiton.
Braves Notes: Payroll, Greinke, Uggla, Chipper
Braves GM Frank Wren told David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he has noticed a “re-emphasis on speed” in baseball over the past five or six years. Wren said he’d like the Braves to transition into a more athletic club, but that’s far from the only interesting comment he made. Here’s the latest:
- Wren says the Braves have “an ample payroll to win” without question. The Mets and Phillies may spend more, but teams like the Rays win with less.
- The Braves discussed trading for Zack Greinke, but decided against it. “We talked about it,” Wren said. “I just think it was going to be cost-prohibitive for us, because some of those players it would have taken to make that deal are players we’re going to be counting on in the next year or two, and we think they’re going to be premium talents at the major league level.”
- Generally speaking, Wren said he is hesitant to trade “productive, game-changing” young players who could have a “huge major league impact in the future.”
- There have not been setbacks between the Braves and Dan Uggla as they discuss an extension. O’Brien suggests the sides will likely reach a five-year deal this offseason.
- Chipper Jones explained to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that his pre-season workouts have been coming along slowly, but steadily. "I'm so out of shape, one of my neighbors caught me dry-heaving on his lawn," Jones said. "We had a nice little chuckle out of it. I grabbed his phone to make sure he didn't take any video and people would see it on YouTube."
Poll: The Next $100MM Contract
We've already seen four nine-figure deals this offseason and Troy Tulowitzki, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth and Cliff Lee may have company in the $100MM club before long.
MVP winners Albert Pujols, Joey Votto and Josh Hamilton are extension candidates. Scott Boras could surprise us all by finding $100MM out there for Adrian Beltre or negotiating a nine-figure extension for Carlos Gonzalez or even Jered Weaver. Prince Fielder and Jose Reyes are going to hit free agency after the 2011 season and C.C. Sabathia has an opt-out clause looming, so they may be seeking massive contracts within the year.
Let's vote on the next nine-figure deal (ignoring Adrian Gonzalez, since there seems to be a good chance that the Red Sox extend him once the season begins). Players are listed alphabetically.
Which player will sign the next $100MM contract?
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Albert Pujols 60% (10,685)
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Josh Hamilton 10% (1,768)
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Prince Fielder 9% (1,686)
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Carlos Gonzalez 7% (1,253)
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Joey Votto 6% (1,144)
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Adrian Beltre 3% (615)
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Other 2% (282)
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C.C. Sabathia 2% (272)
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Jered Weaver 1% (240)
Total votes: 17,945
MLBTR’s Transaction Tracker
MLB Trade Rumors recently unveiled the MLBTR Transaction Tracker, a tool designed to help readers sift through thousands of baseball transactions according to a number of categories. You can search by team, transaction type, date, player, agency, general manager, free agent type, contract length and contract value. Not enough choice? Try combining a few of those fields and you can do some more advanced searches. Here are a few examples:
- You can look up all the $100MM deals in baseball history and then limit the search to nine-figure extensions.
- If you're wondering how many deals of at least $5MM Scott Boras has brokered in 2010, you can do it.
- Click here to see which players were non-tendered in 2008.
- Here's a summary of the deals between the Cubs and Rockies since 2008.
- Kenny Williams has extended his share of players since becoming the White Sox GM.
- Forget which deals Williams has made with Kevin Towers over the years?
You can link to individual searches and share results on Facebook and Twitter. We link to the tracker under the 'tools' tab at the top of the page; here's the complete user guide. The possibilities with the Transaction Tracker really are endless, so we encourage you to try it out.
Yankees Interested In Johnny Damon
The Yankees are interested in bringing Johnny Damon back to New York and are discussing a potential reunion with him, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. Davidoff reports that the Yankees are open to bringing the 37-year-old back as a part-time left fielder and DH. Though the sides have had multiple conversations about possible deals, Damon would ideally like more guaranteed playing time.
Damon has been open about his preferences so far this offseason, saying publicly that he likes the idea of playing for the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays. The Dodgers have expressed some interest in the Scott Boras client, but the defending World Series Champion Giants don't appear to be a fit.
Jorge Posada will be the Yankees' primary DH in 2011 and Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson will play every day in left and center, the positions Damon played as a Yankee. Both Gardner and Granderson bat left-handed, so the Yankees seem better-suited for an outfielder who bats right-handed.
Damon bats left-handed, but has a career .282/.347/.402 line against southpaws. He hits righties better, but doesn't show a serious platoon split, so the Yankees may feel comfortable playing him in place of Granderson or Gardner against tough left-handers.
Brewers Sign Sean Green
The Brewers announced that they signed right-hander Sean Green to a one-year contract. MLB.com's Adam McCalvy hears that the contract is worth a non-guaranteed $875K.
Green missed most of the 2010 season because of a ribcage injury, but logged over 200 innings out of the 'pen from 2007-09 with the Mariners and Mets. New York non-tendered him earlier this month, making him a free agent. Agent Adam Hubble represents Green.
The 31-year-old made just 11 appearances last year, with all but one of them coming in September and October, when he struck out 11 batters in 8 1/3 innings. Green allowed just five hits, but his command failed him. Though he has never limited free passes particularly well, Green walked more than usual in 2010 (7.7 BB/9).
Odds & Ends: Montanez, D’Backs, Rays
A year ago today, the Yankees acquired Javier Vazquez from the Braves for a group of players led by Melky Cabrera. Neither headliner did much in 2010, but the two lefty relievers in the deal – Michael Dunn and Boone Logan – did well and the Braves acquired a promising young arm in Arodys Vizcaino. As we await the next big trade of the 2010-11 offseason, here are today's links…
- Cardinals assistant GM John Abbamondi is leaving for San Diego, where he'll be a VP with the Padres, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter links).
- Luis Montanez told Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com that he has drawn interest from some AL East teams and some Japanese teams. The 29-year-old outfielder posted a .223/.257/.323 line in 266 plate appearances for the Orioles from 2008-10.
- The D'Backs have avoided incentive-based contracts in the past, but as MLB.com's Steve Gilbert explains, GM Kevin Towers has been creative with the contracts he's worked on this offseason. Click here for more contract details from around the majors.
- Cork Gaines of Rays Index explains that Tampa Bay's Opening Day payroll projects to be much lower in 2011, perhaps under $40MM.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains that former Ray and Type A free agent Grant Balfour could end up returning to Tampa Bay, though it seems unlikely.
- The Phillies will have almost no flexibility to acquire players next summer unless they trade Joe Blanton to free up salary, according to Rosenthal.
Astros Sign Gustavo Chacin
The Astros signed left-hander Gustavo Chacin to a minor league contract and invited him to Spring Training, according to Alyson Footer of the Astros (on Twitter). He posted a 3.72 ERA in over 200 innings as a 24-year-old in the AL East five years ago, prompting the Blue Jays to introduce Chacin cologne. The promotion was memorable, but the left-hander's next four seasons were not. He struggled through the 2006-07 campaigns and spent 2008-09 in the minors.
Chacin rallied in 2010, posting a 4.70 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in 38 1/3 innings with the Astros. Houston outrighted the 30-year-old Venezuelan off of the 40-man roster earlier in the offseason, but liked what they saw from him enough to invite him back for another season.