Arias, Zawadzki Clear Waivers
The Royals announced that they outrighted Joaquin Arias and Lance Zawadzki to Triple-A Omaha after the two infielders cleared waivers. Kansas City recently designated Arias and Zawadzki for assignment to create roster space. The Royals’ 40-man roster remains full.
The Rangers acquired Arias in the 2004 Alfonso Soriano–Alex Rodriguez trade. The Royals claimed him from the Mets after New York obtained him from the Rangers in the Jeff Francoeur deal. Arias did have a solid 2008 campaign as a reserve for the Rangers, but this year he hit just .258/.280/.320 between the Rangers and Mets. The 26-year-old is not yet arbitration eligible.
The Royals had claimed Zawadzki from the Padres in November. The 25-year-old appeared in 20 games for San Diego in May and June. He spent most of the season in the upper minors, where he played second, third and short and batted .225/.291/.316.
Matt Chico Clears Waivers
WEDNESDAY: Chico was outrighted to Triple-A, the Nationals announced on Twitter. He'll be in spring training camp as a non-roster invitee.
TUESDAY: The Nationals have designated Matt Chico for assignment, according to the team (on Twitter). The 27-year-old left-hander started one game for Washington in 2010 after missing the 2009 season because of Tommy John surgery.
Back in May, the club designated Chico for assignment in a purely procedural move designed to send him to the minor leagues. The 2003 third rounder posted a 3.62 ERA in 141 2/3 innings as a starter at Double-A and Triple-A this year. His strikeout (5.5 K/9) and walk (2.6 BB/9) were both low, but he seems to be healthy.
Contract Details: Bruce, Lee, Jenks, Pirates, Gomez
Here are some recent updates on contracts from around the majors:
- Jay Bruce gets $25.25MM for his four arbitration years and $12-12.5MM each for a pair of free agent seasons, reports MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- Cliff Lee can earn $50K for winning a Gold Glove or a Silver Slugger and his new deal also includes bonuses for winning the Cy Young Award, making the All-Star team and winning playoff MVP awards, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
- Jonathan Papelbon is Boston's closer, but Bobby Jenks' new deal with the Red Sox includes up to $1MM in incentives for finishing games, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.
- The Pirates cannot offer Scott Olsen or Kevin Correia arbitration if they rank as Type A free agents when their contracts expire, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch, who has all the details you'd want to know about the contracts for those two pitchers and Josh Fields.
- As MLB.com's Adam McCalvy explains, Carlos Gomez can earn up to $100K in incentives depending on how many plate appearances he picks up next year. The Brewers' decision to trade Lorenzo Cain likely helped Gomez.
Mariners Seek Impact Bat For Aardsma
The Mariners are looking for an "impact bat" in exchange for closer David Aardsma, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. As Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported last week, Aardsma doesn't appear to be a fit with the Rockies, who believe the Mariners are asking for too much. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Mariners are looking to trade Aardsma, who turns 29 next week.
Aardsma will earn a raise from his 2010 salary of $2.75MM when he and the Mariners determine his upcoming salary through the arbitration process. The reliever has posted high strikeout, walk and save totals since joining the Mariners and 2010 was no exception. In 49 2/3 innings last year, he posted a 3.44 ERA with 8.9 K/9, 4.5 BB/9 and 31 saves. Aardsma may have seen his trade value jump because of the rising cost of free agent relievers, as as MLBTR's Mike Axisa explains here.
The Rockies are considering a number of alternatives, including Grant Balfour, Todd Coffey, Jon Rauch, Chad Qualls and Joe Beimel. GM Dan O'Dowd told Harding that he would sign certain relievers to multiyear deals, but would generally prefer to make short-term commitments.
Teams have handed out 12 multiyear deals to relievers so far this winter, as MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows.
Odds & Ends: Garcia, Yankees, Red Sox, Konerko
Links for Tuesday evening, exactly one year after the Mets signed R.A. Dickey to one of the most successful minor league deals of the 2009-10 offseason. One year later, the Amazins are still looking for arms…
- The Mets aren't engaging Freddy Garcia in serious discussions, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (Twitter links). We heard earlier today that the Mets are waiting for starters' asking prices to drop, but pitching is the team's priority.
- Across town, Leonel Vinas signed a minor league deal with the Yankees, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. The 19-year-old right-hander played on a local team sponsored by Hank Steinbrenner called "Hank's Yanks."
- The Bronx Bombers also make their share of major deals and, as Ronald Blum of the AP notes (via the Miami Herald) the Yankees were hit with an $18MM luxury tax for their 2010 spending. The Red Sox were the only other team hit with a tax; they owe $1.5MM.
- As Alex Speier of WEEI.com points out, "the cost of player acquisition for the [Red] Sox is more than meets the eye," because the team pays them salary and pays a luxury tax premium.
- Boston signed Bobby Jenks, but Red Sox GM Theo Epstein says Jonathan Papelbon is still the team's closer, according to Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter).
- White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that the team was prepared to pursue other first basemen "aggressively" midway through their negotiations with Paul Konerko. However, the White Sox made one final push for their captain and brought him back on a three-year deal.
- The Brewers have taken lots of criticism for their failure to put together better pitching in recent years, but Dave Cameron of FanGraphs likes what GM Doug Melvin is doing. Because the free agent market has been player-friendly, Cameron would also "abandon the free-agent market, keep [his] potential free agents, and trade prospects for guys headed towards free agency" were he a GM.
Dodgers Designate Brent Leach For Assignment
5:43pm: The Yokohama BayStars signed Leach, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker.
5:07pm: The Dodgers designated Brent Leach for assignment, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter). The lefty appeared in 38 games for the Dodgers in 2009, but hasn't surfaced in the majors since.
Like Scott Nestor, whom the Dodgers signed today, Leach has struggled with command and posted high strikeout totals as a professional. Leach, who has started occasionally in the minors, has posted 9.3 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 over the course of his six-year minor league career. Last year he posted a 5.25 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 104 2/3 innings for the Dodgers' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. Now 28, Leach has been in the Dodgers organization since they selected him in the 6th round of the 2005 draft.
Poll: Which Team Will Sign Brandon Webb
Brandon Webb is drawing serious interest from the Rangers and Nationals and the Cubs are in the mix, too. Best of all, there's a mystery team involved. Either the Cardinals, Reds, Brewers, Pirates or Astros also entered the bidding for Webb, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
The right-hander made just one start in the past two seasons because of shoulder troubles, but he was one of the league's top pitchers from 2006-08, when he posted a 3.13 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 while averaging 233 innings per season. Some team is going to get a high-risk, high-reward starter – which one will it be?
Which team will sign Brandon Webb?
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Rangers 27% (4,291)
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Cubs 18% (2,864)
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Other 11% (1,774)
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Nationals 11% (1,734)
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Cardinals 10% (1,647)
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Reds 7% (1,123)
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Brewers 7% (1,030)
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Pirates 6% (882)
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Astros 3% (417)
Total votes: 15,762
O’s Renew Discussions With Derrek Lee
Talks between Adam LaRoche and the Orioles have not progressed and the team has renewed discussions with Derrek Lee, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
As recently as yesterday, the Orioles appeared to be focused on LaRoche, who seeks a three-year deal, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Lee won't be cheap, either. Like LaRoche, he has drawn interest from the Nationals and Padres and, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, he seeks a deal worth $8-10MM.
Zrebiec points out that the O’s could pursue a designated hitter and move Luke Scott or Nolan Reimold to first base. However, the club may prefer to add a more experienced defender, such as LaRoche or Lee.
Regardless of who ends up playing first for the O's, their infield will look considerably different in 2011. Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy are pencilled in as regulars and Brendan Harris is a new competitor for a backup infield job.
Dodgers Sign Scott Nestor
The Dodgers signed right-handed pitching prospect Scott Nestor to a minor league deal, MLBTR has learned. The 26-year-old reliever has struck out more than a batter per inning in his eight-year minor league career, but has struggled to limit walks.
In 67 innings split between Triple-A and A ball last year, Nestor posted a 5.91 ERA with typically high strikeout (8.6 K/9) and walk (7.1 BB/9) rates. Though he allows lots of walks, Nestor has limited hits throughout the minors (career 7.8 H/9). The California native pitched for Giants affiliates last year after spending time in the Pirates, Phillies and Marlins organizations.
Red Sox Sign Bobby Jenks
The Red Sox deepened the back end of their bullpen, adding reliever Bobby Jenks on a two-year, $12MM deal. Jenks passed his physical recently.
The White Sox non-tendered Jenks earlier in the month after a season in which he posted a career-high 4.44 ERA with otherwise strong numbers. His 58.3% ground ball rate placed him tenth among relievers with at least 50 innings of work, and he posted a 10.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings. He picked up 27 saves, his lowest total since becoming the team's full-time closer in 2006. Jenks' 173 lifetime saves still would have resulted in a 2011 salary over $7MM, causing the non-tender from Chicago.
The Red Sox are familiar with Jenks' representatives at Legacy Sports after working out this deal and the one that brought Carl Crawford to Boston. The Red Sox have signed many relievers this winter: Dan Wheeler, Matt Albers, Andrew Miller, Randy Williams, Rich Hill, Jason Bergmann and Lenny DiNardo.
ESPN's Buster Olney and SI's Jon Heyman reported on this story as it developed.