Nationals To Sign Chad Gaudin
The Nationals agreed to sign Chad Gaudin to a minor league deal and invited the right-hander to Spring Training, according to the team. Gaudin became a free agent after the Yankees outrighted him off of the 40-man roster last month. Agent Larry Reynolds represents Gaudin.
The 27-year-old logged 56 1/3 innings for the A's and Yankees in 2010, posting a 5.65 ERA. His strikeout (7.3 K/9) and walk (3.4 BB/9) rates were fine, but he allowed 16 homers. Gaudin allowed a career-high 45.6% fly ball rate last year and, improbably, 17.2% of those fly balls left the yard. Only three pitchers saw a higher percentage of fly balls become homers in 2010 (minimum 50 innings).
Tigers To Re-Sign Magglio Ordonez
The Tigers agreed to re-sign Magglio Ordonez to a one-year deal, the team announced. The contract is worth $10MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). Ordonez, a Scott Boras client, turned down two-year offers elsewhere, according to Heyman.
Before fracturing his right ankle last July, the 36-year-old batted .303/.378/.474 in 365 plate appearances. He'll likely return to right field for the Tigers, which will presumably push Ryan Raburn into competition with Brennan Boesch and Don Kelly for the team's everyday left field job.
The Rangers and Red Sox reportedly had interest in Ordonez, who remained optimistic about returning to Detroit. Over the weekend, 39% of 10,000 MLBTR readers correctly predicted that the Tigers would re-sign Ordonez.
Until Ordonez injured his ankle, it seemed likely that his 2011 option would vest for $15MM. Instead, the Tigers declined arbitration – a good move given the $18MM salary Ordonez made last year – and re-signed him on the open market.
The Tigers entered the offseason with a number of needs, but GM Dave Dombrowski has addressed most of them already. The team re-signed Ordonez, Brandon Inge and Jhonny Peralta and signed Victor Martinez and Joaquin Benoit. If Dombrowski is comfortable with Armando Galarraga and Phil Coke at the back of his rotation, the rest of the winter could be relatively quiet for the Tigers.
Cubs To Sign Kerry Wood
The Cubs agreed to sign Kerry Wood to a one-year deal, the team announced. The contract will pay Wood $1.5MM, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. The reliever also considered a one-year $3.5MM offer from the White Sox, according to Wittenmyer. David Kaplan of Chicago Now first reported that the sides were close to an agreement. SFX represents Wood.
It appeared earlier in the week that Wood was looking for a two-year, $12MM deal. That's a lot of money, but not an unreasonable asking price in this market. Ten relievers have agreed to multiyear deals this offseason and Mariano Rivera is the only one of them who will definitely be a closer next year. Despite the strong market for middle relievers, Wood clearly wanted to return to the organization he was with from 1995-2008.
And that organization has lots of reasons to want Wood back. After the Indians traded him to New York, he posted a 0.69 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 6.2 BB/9 in 26 innings. Like Chicago closer Carlos Marmol, Wood walks and strikes out lots of hitters. Wood's walks remain an issue and he did struggle early in 2010, but for $1.5MM, he appears to be a bargain.
Marlins Don’t Appear To Be Interested In Renteria
FRIDAY, 10:27am: The Marlins have not discussed Renteria, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (on Twitter). Mike Cameron's name hasn't surfaced either, according to Capozzi.
THURSDAY, 12:14pm: The Marlins appear to be interested in bringing Edgar Renteria back, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. The 34-year-old has an offer to return to San Francisco for about $1MM, but has said he would like to return to St. Louis or Florida to finish his career.
Renteria has said he's open to playing second base if it helps him land a desirable job. The Marlins could have him back up Omar Infante and Hanley Ramirez up the middle and provide insurance in case prospect Matt Dominguez struggles at third base.
Renteria batted .276/.332/.374 in 267 plate appearances last year, missing time with elbow, groin, hamstring and shoulder injuries before returning to form and winning the World Series MVP.
Renteria spent the first three seasons of his career with the Marlins from 1996-98. He made one All-Star team while in Florida and helped the Marlins to their first World Series championship in 1997.
Poll: Multiyear Deals For Relievers
Multiyear contracts are on the rise in general, and one group in particular has benefitted from the trend: relief pitchers. As MLBTR's free agent tracker shows, 11 relievers have signed multiyear deals so far this offseason. Many of these relievers will pick up saves in 2011, but only one of them – Mariano Rivera – is sure to be his team's closer next year.
Yahoo's Jeff Passan argues that GMs "make the same silly mistake year after year" when they sign relievers to multiyear deals. Dave Cameron of FanGraphs recently explained convincingly that other than Rivera, relievers on multiyear deals have simply not produced.
But if a GM refuses to offer multiyear deals, the best free agents will sign elsewhere. Teams with money can often afford to gamble on relievers, even though their performance is volatile.
Look at the GMs who have signed relievers to multiyear deals: Ned Colletti and Tony Reagins have led their clubs to the League Championship Series in recent years. And every other GM who has signed a reliever to a multiyear deal this winter has led a team to the World Series. It would be overly simplistic to say these executives don't know what they're doing, but we can still ask the question…
Would you offer a multiyear deal to a non-elite reliever?
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No 76% (4,427)
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Yes 24% (1,424)
Total votes: 5,851
Mets Like Tom Gorzelanny, Matt Garza
Mets GM Sandy Alderson is believed to have inquired on Tom Gorzelanny, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. The Mets like Gorzelanny's ability to strike opponents out and the fact that he would fit into their budget.
Gorzelanny made $800K last year and is set to receive a raise through arbitration. He posted a 4.09 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 136 1/3 innings for the Cubs in 2010. He became more hittable as the season progressed, but pitched respectably in his return to the rotation. The Tigers reportedly contacted the Cubs about Gorzelanny earlier in the month, when the Cubs appeared to be shopping him.
The Mets have also discussed Matt Garza internally, according to Puma. However, he's an unlikely fit, since he's about to earn a substantial raise. Garza earned $3.35MM in 2010 and could earn over $6MM through arbitration in 2011.
Yankees To Sign Pedro Feliciano
The Yankees have agreed to sign Pedro Feliciano, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). MDR Sports represents the left-hander. The two-year deal will be for $8MM and include an option for 2013.
The 34-year-old is durable, effective against left-handed hitters and used to pitching in New York. Feliciano has led the National League in appearances in each of the past three seasons for the Mets, the team with which he has spent his entire eight-year career. Overall, Feliciano posted a 3.30 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 62 2/3 innings in 2010.
Feliciano limited left-handed hitters to a .211/.297/.276 line last year. He did not allow a home run in 139 matchups against lefty batters.
The Yankees will not have to surrender a draft choice, but the Mets will obtain a supplementary first round pick, since Feliciano turned down their offer or arbitration. The Red Sox, Rockies and Phillies also had interest in the reliever.
The Yankees now seem likely to pursue starting pitching, a right-handed reliever and an outfielder who bats from the right-side.
Webb Likely To Decide On Team Soon
Brandon Webb is likely to decide on his next team soon, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Multiple teams are in the running to sign the right-hander, who has drawn steady interest this offseason. The Rangers have expressed interest, the Cubs were focused on Webb at one point and, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, the Nationals maintain interest.
The Yankees, Reds and Brewers don't seem interested in Webb, who has missed almost all of the last two seasons with shoulder injuries. He underwent right shulder surgery in August of 2009 and spent most of this past season recovering from the operation.
Webb is drawing considerable interest after two lost seasons because he was one of the top pitchers in baseball from 2003-08. He didn't finish lower than second in the Cy Young Award voting from 2006-08, when he was selected to three consecutive All-Star teams. Webb, a ground ball pitcher, has posted 7.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 with a 3.27 ERA in his career.
Orioles Sign Jeremy Accardo
The Orioles officially announced their one-year deal with Jeremy Accardo today. He'll earn $1.08MM, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Accardo, 29 this weekend, saved 30 games and posted a 2.14 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 as the Blue Jays' closer in 2007. He has since bounced between the majors and minors and spent most of last season at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he posted a 3.48 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.
The Twins, Rays, White Sox, Dodgers and Pirates all expressed interest in Accardo, who became a free agent after the Blue Jays non-tendered him last month. It was not surprising to see Toronto cut Accardo loose, since he said last season that the Blue Jays lied to him. Scott Leventhal and Damon Lapa represent the right-hander.
If the Orioles are happy with Accardo's production, they'll be able to retain him through arbitration in 2012. Another former Blue Jay, Kevin Gregg, is also in discussions with the Orioles.
Busy Offseason For The Dodgers
The Red Sox, Nationals and Phillies have made the biggest acquisitions of the offseason, but none of those teams have been quite as active as one West Coast club. Since the Dodgers' season ended, they have added four starters, two catchers, their starting second baseman, a setup man, a fourth outfielder and then some.
Ned Colletti agreed to sign eight players for $1MM or more. He has mixed in some low-cost acquisitions with some major commitments. Three multiyear deals later, the team has committed over $90MM to players so far this offseason. Here's the breakdown, which you can find via our Transaction Tracker:
- Ted Lilly (extension) three years, $33MM
- Juan Uribe (signing) three years, $21MM
- Matt Guerrier (signing) three years, $12MM
- Hiroki Kuroda (signing) one year, $12MM
- Jon Garland (signing) one year, $5MM
- Rod Barajas (signing) one year, $3.5MM
- Vicente Padilla (signing) one year, $2MM
- Dioner Navarro (signing) one year, $1MM
- The Dodgers have signed Tony Gwynn, Jay Gibbons, Juan Castro, Eugenio Velez, JD Closser, Trent Oeltjen, Alexis Pacheco and Dana Eveland to deals worth less than $1MM.
- Colletti also acquired Blake Hawksworth and Anthony Jackson in trades.
The Dodgers have not signed a Type A free agent who turned down an offer of arbitration (the Twins declined to offer Guerrier arbitration) so they still have all of their top 2011 draft picks. Their first rounder is protected, but they would lose a second rounder in the unlikely event that they sign Carl Pavano, Adrian Beltre or Grant Balfour.