Red Sox On Verge Of Deal With Bobby Jenks
The Red Sox are on the verge of a deal with Bobby Jenks, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Jenks, who is looking for "closer money," appears to be drawing lots of interest.
The White Sox non-tendered the reliever earlier in the month after a season in which Jenks 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 10.4 K/9 with 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.
Heyman reported earlier this afternoon that the Red Sox are open to trading Jonathan Papelbon, though his trade value is low, since he's likely to earn $11MM or so through arbitration (Twitter link).
Odds & Ends: Lee, Zambrano, Werth, Mets, Uehara
Baseball lost one of its all-time greats tonight; Bob Feller passed away at 92. Rapid Robert won 266 games in his career, every single one of them with the Cleveland Indians. He probably would have cleared the 300 win plateau if he hadn't served in World War II from ages 23-25. Our condolences go out to the Hall of Famer's family…
- Baseball America's Matt Eddy posted this week's edition of minor league transactions. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports adds (via Twitter) that the Twins have signed infielder Mike Hollimon to a minor league deal. He missed all of 2010 recovering from shoulder surgery.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says (via Twitter) that Derrek Lee is telling teams he'd consider a one-year deal. At least six teams are interested in the free agent first baseman.
- Carlos Zambrano has not yet given the Cubs his consent to trade him, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. The right-hander has a full no-trade clause.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson looks at the impact the Jayson Werth signing will have on 2010 first overall pick (and right fielder) Bryce Harper. The Nationals plan to play Werth in center at least part of the time going forward.
- ESPN New York's Adam Rubin provides the contract details for D.J. Carrasco, Ronny Paulino, and Boof Bonser, while Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun does the same for Koji Uehara.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports spoke to Phillies' general partner, president, and CEO David Montgomery about a variety of topics, including the Lee signing.
- Agent Scott Boras said Werth has a full no-trade clause, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
- Not surprisingly, Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik has no interest in trading Felix Hernandez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond has heard the trade rumors, but wants to stay in Washington, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Josh Hamilton told Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com that he hasn't thought much about a contract extension.
- MLB's minimum salary will rise to $414K next year, according to the AP (on ESPN.com).
- The A's acquired Jose Rivero, a 20-year-old outfielder selected by the D'Backs in this year's Rule 5 draft, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter).
A’s, Nationals In Serious Talks About Willingham
The A's and Nationals are in serious discussions about a trade that would send Josh Willingham to Oakland, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Nationals would receive two minor leaguers from the A's, according to Rosenthal
The Red Sox, Tigers and Mariners also checked in on Willingham during the Winter Meetings, but Rosenthal said at the time that the Nationals' asking price was absurd. However, it seemed earlier in the month that the Nationals were likely to move the left fielder.
Willingham earned $4.6MM in 2010 and will go to arbitration one last time this winter before hitting free agency after the 2011 season. The 31-year-old batted .268/.389/.459 in 450 plate appearances last year before he went on the disabled list and underwent left knee surgery.
Rosenthal suggests that the Nationals could potentially use the money they save to acquire a starting pitcher, sign a first baseman or sign a closer.
Yankees Rumors: Pettitte, Lefty Relievers, Lee, Martin
The latest on the Yankees:
- Andy Pettitte is likely to return because his family supports it, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. The lefty will not take a "lowball" offer, however.
- The Yankees "seem to be looking" at lefty relievers at the moment, says SI.com's Jon Heyman. He lists Arthur Rhodes, Brian Fuentes, and Pedro Feliciano in his tweet.
- Darek Braunecker, agent for Cliff Lee, told reporters "The fact of the matter is, there's nothing the Yankees could have done differently" at today's introductory press conference according to Marc Carig of The Star Ledger. MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez adds this (via Twitter) from Lee himself: "There wasn't anything that scared me away from playing in New York."
- Russell Martin's contract guarantees him $4MM and the catcher could earn another $1.4MM in incentives, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times. If Martin catches 120 games, he'll earn the full $1.4MM in incentives.
- The Yankees expect Andy Pettitte to tell them whether he intends to retire within a few days, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). They're cautiously optimistic that he'll return.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Yankees will be a deeper, less top-heavy team without Cliff Lee. Expect the Yankees to sign a couple relievers and an outfielder who bats from the right side as they continue to monitor the market for starting pitching.
- So which starters might the Yankees pursue? In a separate piece, Sherman says the Yankees don't like Brandon Webb all that much. However, they will consider pursuing a veteran with "good stuff but questionable health."
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News says Carlos Zambrano is a "likely target" for GM Brian Cashman. Like new addition Mark Prior, Zambrano knows Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild from their time in Chicago.
- The Yankees are believed to be on Felix Hernandez's no-trade list, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
Royals Designate Philip Humber For Assignment
The Royals designated Philip Humber for assignment to make room for Jeff Francoeur on the 40-man roster, according to the team. Japanese clubs expressed interest in the right-hander earlier this offseason, before former Royal Bryan Bullington joined the Hiroshima Carp.
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.
Marlins Sign Randy Choate
The Marlins announced that they signed Randy Choate to a two-year deal. It's worth a total of $2.5MM plus incentives, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, who first reported the deal (all Twitter links). Choate will earn $1MM in 2011 and $1.5MM in 2012 with $150K in incentives each year, depending on the number of appearances he makes. ACES represents Choate.
The 35-year-old led the league in appearances (85), but logged just 44 2/3 innings, since he's generally a lefty specialist. Choate posted a 4.23 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 for the Rays last year. Against lefties, he had a 9.2 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, and 61.8% groundball rate. Choate had similar numbers against them the prior year.
At least two teams besides the Marlins pursued Choate. The Rays offered the Type B free agent arbitration, so they'll receive a supplementary first round pick in next year's draft.
Relievers On Boston’s Radar
4:23pm: The Red Sox are having ongoing discussions with Dan Wheeler about a possible deal, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. One of Speier's sources is optimistic about the negotiations.
1:16pm: The Red Sox liked Matt Guerrier well enough to offer him a two-year deal, but the Dodgers offered a third guaranteed year and the right-hander has agreed to play for Los Angeles. The Red Sox will have to move on to other targets as they look to round out their 'pen. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has the details on what he says is the biggest challenge of the offseason for GM Theo Epstein.
Two former Twins, right-hander Jesse Crain and left-hander Brian Fuentes are the team’s priorities now. The Red Sox are also considering trades and would “love” to reacquire Justin Masterson, according to Cafardo. The Indians have been reluctant to part with Masterson, whom they acquired in the 2009 Victor Martinez trade.
There are a number of alternatives for Epstein to pursue, including Indians relievers Joe Smith and Rafael Perez, who “could be on Boston’s radar.” The A’s are likely willing to listen on their relievers and the Mariners would listen on David Aardsma, Cafardo writes.
Yankees Sign Mark Prior
It's not Cliff Lee, but the Yankees have added a big-name pitcher. They signed Mark Prior to a minor league deal, the team announced today. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick first reported the deal (on Twitter). Prior will earn $750K in the major leagues and could earn $750K more in incentives, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
The Rangers and Yankees were the finalists for Prior, who pitched in Texas' system last year, but has not appeared in a major league game since 2006. He'll be reunited with former Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild in New York.
The Yankees selected Prior 43rd overall in the 1998 draft, but were unable to sign him. The Cubs drafted him second overall in 2001 and he soon became one of the National League's best pitchers. He posted a 2.43 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 as a 22-year-old just a year and a half after being drafted.
A series of shoulder problems derailed Prior's career, but he has tried to resurrect it with stints in the Padres' and Rangers' systems.
Pedro Martinez Is “Most Likely” Finished
3:35pm: Martinez sounded far from returning in an interview with Justo de la Cruz at the Domincan paper El Dia today (links in Spanish), saying he's very happy to be away from the stress and travel of a player's life, which is to say, "I'm realizing what it is to be a normal person." An expanded version of the interview in the Puerto Rican paper Primera Hora further lowered expectations of a return in 2011, as Martinez added, "It's most likely that I don't return to active baseball… but honestly I don't know if I'll definitively announce my retirement." ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas pegged Martinez's odds of returning at 30% in a tweet this morning, but in light of the pitcher's quotes even that seems optimistic. – Nick Collias
8:29am: The Phillies haven’t ruled out adding a third Cy Young Award winner to a rotation that already includes Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay. Philadelphia GM Ruben Amaro Jr. inquired about Pedro Martinez’s availability at last week's Winter Meetings, according to Christian Red of the New York Daily News. It’s unclear whether the Phils are seriously interested in the three-time Cy Young Award winner.
Martinez, now 39, said at David Ortiz’s celebrity golf tournament that he’s open to pitching in 2011. He missed the 2010 season, but didn’t rule out a return to the major leagues. Back in 2009, the right-hander joined the Phillies for part of the season and posted a 3.63 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 44 2/3 innings.
Fausto Carmona Drawing Heavy Trade Interest
Fausto Carmona is drawing heavy trade interest – perhaps as much as Zack Greinke - according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Carmona, 27, drew lots of trade interest leading up to the July 31st deadline, but GM Mark Shapiro held on.
Now in his first offseason as the Tribe's GM, Chris Antonetti must determine whether to trade Carmona or hold on. Morosi hears that the Indians are now in “listen and explore” mode and are not eager to move the right-hander.
Carmona returned to form in 2010, making the All-Star team and posting a 3.77 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 210 1/3 innings. He struggled through the 2008-09 seasons after breaking out in 2007. An extreme ground ball pitcher, he has a career 59.7% ground ball rate.
Not only is Carmona coming off a strong campaign, he will be affordable for the next four seasons. After they pay Carmona $6.1MM in 2011, the Indians have a series of club options that run through 2014. It would only cost the Tribe $28MM to exercise all three options.