Odds & Ends: Angels, Greinke, Tigers, Gregg
Links for Friday, as we await the holidays and debate the merits of multiyear deals for relievers…
- The Angels have been slow to address their weaknesses this winter, opines Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Earlier today Halos owner Arte Moreno denied that the club made a formal offer to outfielder Carl Crawford who was long considered to be the team's top free agent target.
- Zack Greinke has changed agents, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (on Twitter). Jeff Berry and Casey Close of CAA now represent the right-hander, who had been with SFX.
- John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press explains why the Tigers may not need more left-handed relievers than Daniel Schlereth and Brad Thomas. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Tigers add a low-cost free agent lefty like Mark Hendrickson or Will Ohman if one is available in the new year.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports calls Kerry Wood's decision to return to the Cubs the most touching story of the offseason.
- The Yankees have spoken to the Astros about acquiring Jeff Keppinger for their bench, Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi report. The infielder is available, but a trade does not appear close.
- The agent for Kevin Gregg told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun that the Orioles are one of "a few teams" still in the mix for the reliever. Gregg would like to work out a deal by the holidays and could choose a team soon.
Pirates Sign Kevin Correia
The Pirates officially signed Kevin Correia to a two-year, $8MM deal. He can earn another $1MM in performance bonuses; Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the contract breakdown. The team announced the deal, with this quote from GM Neal Huntington:
"Kevin Correia is a solid major league starting pitcher and a strong addition to our rotation. We feel he is poised for a return to his 2009 form where he gave his club a chance to win nearly every start while carrying a significant innings pitched workload."
ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick broke news of the agreement. Correia will join Paul Maholm, James McDonald, Ross Ohlendorf and possibly Scott Olsen in the Pirates' rotation.
Aside from Yoslan Herrera, it has been 12 years since the Pirates last gave a free agent pitcher a multiyear deal – Cam Bonifay signed Pete Schourek to a two-year, $4MM deal in '98. Back on November 10th, two MLBTR writers predicted Correia would sign with the Pirates.
Correia posted a 5.40 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 145 innings for the Padres in 2010. The 30-year-old missed time in May after his younger brother died in a tragic accident. He lost his rotation spot to Tim Stauffer after a trio of poor starts in late August. Agents Scott Leventhal and Damon Lapa did much better than I expected them to when I looked ahead to Correia's free agency this fall.
Correia’s walk rate jumped from 2.9 BB/9 to 4.0 BB/9 in 2010, but some of his stats reflect more favorably on his performance. Despite the righty's 5.40 ERA, defense-independent pitching stats suggest he was unlucky. Nearly 15% of fly balls hit off of Correia left the yard, so homers inflated his ERA. He induces ground balls and is just one year removed from a season in which he posted a 3.91 ERA in 33 starts, which likely contributed to GM Neal Huntington's willingness to make an $8MM guarantee.
The Padres offered Correia arbitration, so they'll obtain a supplementary first round pick in the 2011 draft for losing the Type B free agent.
Twins, Nishioka Agree To Three-Year Deal
The Twins officially agreed to terms with Tsuyoshi Nishioka on a three-year, $9MM deal, the team announced today. The deal, which came together soon after the infielder arrived in Minneapolis, includes a club option for a fourth year.
Last year, Nishioka batted .346 with 22 steals and 206 hits. ESPN.com's Keith Law and Patrick Newman of FanGraphs recently explained the switch-hitter's game in detail. The Twins have traded J.J. Hardy and Orlando Hudson is a free agent, so Nishioka and Alexi Casilla figure to be the team's everyday infielders in 2011.
The Twins won the right to negotiate with Nishioka on November 26th when the Chiba Lotte Marines accepted Minnesota's bid. The sides had 30 days to reach an agreement. The Giants, Dodgers, and Cardinals reportedly had some interest in Nishioka and the Red Sox submitted a bid in the mid-$2MM range, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Minnesota's winning bid was for about $5.3MM, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
Phillies Will Not Sign Dennys Reyes
FRIDAY, December 17th: There will be no deal, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link). Reyes' agent told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, "We hit a snag." Suarez chose not to clarify.
THURSDAY, December 9th: The Phillies agreed to sign Dennys Reyes to a one-year deal worth $1.1MM, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links). The deal, which is pending a physical, includes a 2012 option worth $1.35MM. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes add details, via Twitter, noting that the club option, which has a buyout worth $150K, becomes mutual if Reyes appears in 70 games in 2011. Agent Oscar Suarez represents the 33-year-old left-hander, who is set to join his 11th team.
Reyes appeared in 59 games last year and posted a 3.55 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9. Those numbers look OK, but the lefty pitched to a 5.91 ERA after posting a 0.54 ERA through May. He can induce grounders, but he walks more than one batter per two innings pitched.
D’Backs DFA Roque Mercedes, Release Rusty Ryal
The Diamondbacks have designated right-hander Roque Mercedes for assignment and released Rusty Ryal to create roster space for Henry Blanco and Xavier Nady, whose deals the team officially announced.
Mercedes, who turned 24 in September, spent the 2010 season at Double-A Mobile. He pitched 53 2/3 innings out of the bullpen and posted 7.5 K/9 with 4.0 BB/9.
Ryal, 27, appeared in 104 games for the D'Backs this year, playing first, third and left. He batted .261/.308/.348 in 222 plate appearances, but his career minor league line (.287/.346/.475) is more impressive.
Heyman On Padres, Fuentes, Blanton, Greinke
The offseason has been full of surprises and, as Jon Heyman of SI.com points out, we know a relatively small amount about the top remaining free agents. It appears that the A’s, Angels and Rangers have some interest in Adrian Beltre, but that's about all we know about him and it's more than we know about Rafael Soriano. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:
- The Padres are not likely to pursue Derrek Lee now that they've agreed to sign Orlando Hudson and seem close to acquiring Jason Bartlett (Twitter link). Jorge Cantu, Brad Hawpe and Troy Glaus are on the team's list of potential first basemen.
- Lee appears to be the Nationals' top target, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (Twitter link).
- Brian Fuentes has drawn interest from the Orioles and others. The Red Sox and Rockies have been linked to the left-hander, but Boston is not currently focused on him, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
- It's only a matter of time before the Phillies deal Joe Blanton, Heyman says.
- One GM told Heyman that the Royals are "asking for a lot more" than Travis Snider and Kyle Drabek for Zack Greinke. The Blue Jays don't intend to offer that pair up regardless.
- Felix Hernandez has the ten biggest markets on his no-trade list, apparently to give him maximum leverage, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
A’s Claim Phil Humber
The A's claimed Philip Humber off of waivers from the Royals, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). The Royals had designated Humber for assignment earlier in the week.
Humber, 28 next week, posted a 4.15 ERA in 21 2/3 big league innings this year. As short as that stint was, it was the most Humber's pitched in a big league season. The former first rounder was once considered a top prospect and the Mets sent him to Minnesota in the Johan Santana deal. In 664 1/3 minor league innings, he has a 4.48 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9.
Giants, Cubs Discussed Rowand-Fukudome Swap
The Giants and Cubs discussed a trade that would have sent Kosuke Fukudome to San Francisco for Aaron Rowand, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (all Twitter links). The bad contract swap appears to be a "long shot," however. If they can't trade Rowand, the Giants may listen to offers for Nate Schierholtz, according to Crasnick.
Cubs GM Jim Hendry pulled off a successful bad contract swap last offseason when he sent Milton Bradley to Seattle for Carlos Silva. Pulling off another such trade will be tricky, though. Rowand will earn $24MM through 2012 and Fukudome will become a free agent after earning $13.5MM in 2011, so the contracts are not perfect matches. Rowand has a limited no-trade clause and Fukudome has no-trade protection, so a potential deal could require the players' approval.
Tigers Interested In Penny, Other Starters
The Tigers are still trying to upgrade their rotation, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The team is considering veteran starters, including Brad Penny. GM Dave Dombrowski pushed to acquire Shaun Marcum from the Blue Jays before Toronto sent him to Milwaukee, Morosi reports. Carl Pavano, however, does not appear to interest the Tigers.
Penny, 32, 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. However, the right-hander did not pitch after May 21st because of a shoulder strain.
The Tigers have addressed their needs aggressively this offseason and could field a competitive team right now. Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, Phil Coke and Armando Galarraga are the team's current starters, but it sounds as though they may have some competition by the time Spring Training begins.
Royals Designate Lance Zawadzki For Assignment
The Royals designated infielder Lance Zawadzki for assignment and made room for Melky Cabrera on their 40-man roster, the team announced. The Royals had claimed Zawadzki from the Padres in November.
The 25-year-old appeared in 20 games for the Padres 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. The Padres selected Zawadzki in the fourth round of the 2007 draft.