Pirates Sign Matt Diaz
The Pirates have signed Matt Diaz to a two-year deal, the team announced today. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter) first reported the agreement, which is worth approximately $4.25MM, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Royals, Dodgers, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Yankees also had interest in the outfielder, according to reports earlier this week. Agent Larry Reynolds represents Diaz.
The 32-year-old handles lefties well and could become a complement to Garrett Jones, who handles righties well. Diaz has a .335/.373/.533 line against southpaws in his career, though he bats just .269/.327/.382 against right-handers. The Braves non-tendered Diaz earlier in the month, making him a free agent. Diaz has experience in right field, but he has spent most of his big league career in left.
A’s Interested In Rich Harden
5:57pm: Renck reports the Harden-A's agreement is unconfirmed (Twitter link). The Rockies are out on Harden. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the A's have talked to Harden, who appears to have better offers elsewhere (Twitter links). Slusser notes that the A's are still talking to Justin Duchscherer.
5:09pm: The A's will sign Rich Harden, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports (Twitter link). Harden spent the first five and a half seasons of his career in Oakland, where he posted lofty strikeout numbers and a 3.42 ERA between trips to the DL.
The 29-year-old continued to encounter health issues in 2010, but the low ERA and remarkable strikeout numbers were nowhere to be found. Harden battled glute and shoulder injuries this year and posted a 5.58 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 in 92 innings for the Rangers.
Seven teams other than Oakland reportedly had some interest in Harden: the Yankees, Twins, Rays, Diamondbacks, Brewers, Mariners, and Rockies.
Red Sox Notes: Soriano, Crain, Guerrier, Cameron
The AL East is a busy division these days. The Yankees have to finalize their rotation, the Rays have to reconstruct their 'pen and the Orioles are acquiring players in bunches. The Red Sox have added two star players to their lineup, but they're still contemplating more moves. Here's the latest:
- The Red Sox would only offer a three-year contract to an elite reliever, a source tells Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Rafael Soriano fits that description, but Speier says the Red Sox are an unlikely suitor, since they already have Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard.
- Boston had significant interest in Scott Downs after signing Carl Crawford, according to Speier. Downs was a Type A free agent who would ordinarily cost a top pick, but the Red Sox had already surrendered their top pick to sign Crawford, so adding Downs would only have cost Boston its second round selection. The Angels gave Downs a three-year deal, more than the Red Sox were comfortable offering.
- The Red Sox maintain interest in Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain. Guerrier is not looking for a Joaquin Benoit-like deal ($16.5MM over three years) and, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, remains one of the team's top targets.
- The Phillies have kicked the tires on Mike Cameron, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter).
Yankees Re-Sign Mariano Rivera
The Yankees re-signed Mariano Rivera to a two-year deal, the team announced today. The contract will pay Rivera $30MM, according to Christian Red of the New York Daily News.
Now 41, Rivera is coming off yet another dominant season. He posted a 1.80 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 60 innings of work. It's logical to assume that Rivera will slow down at some point, but recent history suggests Rivera can still be an effective late-inning reliever. He has a 1.64 ERA with 8.9 K/9, 1.3 BB/9 and three All-Star selections since 2008.
Rivera received competitive offers from rival teams, including the Red Sox, but wanted to stay in pinstripes. Agent Fernando Cuza confirmed that interested teams other than the Yankees called about Rivera and Jon Heyman of SI.com reported that the Red Sox and Angels were two of three teams that offered the closer three-year deals (all Twitter links).
Dodgers Sign Dioner Navarro
The Dodgers signed Dioner Navarro, the team announced. He'll earn $1MM, according to the Associated Press (via the Miami Herald).
The Rays non-tendered the former Dodger earlier in the month after his tenure in Tampa Bay ended poorly. Navarro made the All-Star team in 2008, when he batted .295/.349/.407, but his line is just .212/.263/.306 in 552 plate appearances since.
GM Ned Colletti says the Dodgers "are comfortable with how [Navarro] handles a pitching staff,” calling the 26-year-old a “solid Major League catcher."
Navarro joined the Dodgers in '05 as part of the Shawn Green trade with Arizona, but then was shipped to Tampa Bay the following year. Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times first reported the Dodgers' agreement with Navarro (on Twitter).
Cliff Lee Signing Reactions
Just 24 hours ago, we didn't know the Phillies were even pursuing Cliff Lee. They've since agreed to sign the left-hander to a five-year deal worth $120MM, and the reactions have been streaming in from around the web. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes pointed out some things we learned about the signing, the fallout for other teams, and some possible fits for Joe Blanton. Here are some other reactions from around the web:
- As ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says, "the Phillies had to station themselves strategically just off to the side of Lee's massive stage so that no one ever noticed them." It sure seemed like the Rangers or Yankees would end up signing the left-hander.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that the Phillies' turnaround should inspire more clubs to operate similarly and says the Rangers, Twins and Nationals are making progress.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests that "though the 2014 Yankees might benefit from not having another high-paid, aging player such as Lee, the 2011 Yankees are sure to be hurt by his absence."
- In a separate piece, Sherman argues that the Red Sox and, especially, the Phillies deserve credit for joining the Yankees in the "uber-team" category.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the offseason starts anew today, since Lee's unavailable and the Yankees and Rangers are among the teams with major needs.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan says Lee is baseball's newest hero, an "antidote for a baseball-viewing public tired of the Yankees throwing around free-agent dollars like toy money."
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says there's an opportunity for a GM to capitalize on a pitching-thin market by trading a starter when no one expects it.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs gives Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. credit for acquiring a top pitcher at the right time.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff calls the deal "mind-blowing," since players so rarely turn away from tens of millions of dollars. As Davidoff says, the Yankees must be crushed, regardless of what they say publicly.
Athletics Sign Hideki Matsui
The Athletics have officially signed Hideki Matsui to a one-year deal, $4.25MM deal. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle broke the news yesterday and ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted the amount today. Agent Arn Tellem of WMG represents Matsui.
The 36-year-old Matsui arrived in the AL West last year and batted .274/.361/.459 in 554 plate appearances, mostly while serving as the Angels' designated hitter. Matsui hit 21 homers and 24 doubles in his first MLB season on a team other than the Yankees.
NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman passes along a report (via Twitter) indicating that Matsui's contract with the A's has a limited no-trade clause preventing trades to the Mariners, Orioles, Twins, Blue Jays, Indians, and Royals.
Reds Extend Jay Bruce
The Reds officially signed Jay Bruce to a six-year, $51MM extension today. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick broke the story on Thursday. The extension will keep Bruce in Cincinnati through at least 2016 – longer than any other member of the Reds is under contract for – and pay him $50MM in salary over the next six years. The deal includes a $1MM buyout for a $13MM option in 2017, plus a partial no-trade clause and the chance to earn more money with award bonuses. Agent Matt Sosnick represents Bruce.
The 23-year-old batted .281/.353/.493 with 25 homers as Cincinnati's everyday right fielder in 2010. His 5.3 Wins Above Replacement placed him tenth among MLB outfielders last year and even if that stat doesn't impress you, this will: Bruce's September 28th walk off home run clinched Cincinnati's first playoff berth in 15 years.
A super two player, Bruce would have been arbitration eligible for the first time this winter and was on track to hit free agency after the 2014 season. Reds GM Walt Jocketty has discussed locking up Bruce for a while and this deal will keep the outfielder under contract until he's 29 or 30.
Justin Upton, who is four months younger than Bruce, signed a comparable extension with the Diamondbacks before the 2010 season. Upton's six-year, $51.25MM deal will keep him under team control for all of his arbitration seasons and what would have been his first two years of free agency.
Next up for the Reds – extending Joey Votto. Like Bruce, the 2010 NL MVP is arbitration eligible for the first time and open to discussing an extension. Jocketty has already signed Bronson Arroyo to an extension this month.
Yankees Have Some Interest In Jerry Hairston Jr.
The Yankees appear to have inquired on Jerry Hairston Jr., according to Marc Carig of the Star Ledger (on Twitter). The 34-year-old played second, third, short and all three outfield positions with the 2009 World Series Champion Yankees.
Last year, Hairston batted .244/.299/.353 in 476 plate appearances as a utility infielder and occasional outfielder for the Padres. He reached double digits in home runs for the second time in his career, matching his homer total from 2009 (10).
Hairston has at least one other suitor; there's mutual interest with San Diego. The 13-year-veteran has played for four clubs other than the Yankees and Padres.
Odds & Ends: Pavano, Red Sox, McCarthy, Lawrie
More links for Monday night, as we wonder when and where Cliff Lee will sign…
- Lee's not the only player nearing a decision. Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com hears that Edgar Renteria is close to a decision and leaning toward retuning to the Giants (Twitter link). The World Series MVP has a $1MM offer to return to San Francisco.
- The Brewers have not offered Carl Pavano a formal contract yet, GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Bill James told the Red Sox he expects Carl Crawford to age well, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. James found that players like Crawford, who can play the outfield, get on base and hit for some power, often produce late in their careers.
- Brandon McCarthy, who agreed to a deal with the A's today, says the Mariners expressed interest in him until they signed Erik Bedard, according to MLB.com's Greg Johns (on Twitter).
- The Royals had interest in infield prospect Brett Lawrie before the Blue Jays acquired him from the Brewers, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun (on Twitter).
- MLB executives told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that the Phillies could trade Joe Blanton if they agree to eat half of the $17MM remaining on his contract through 2012 (Twitter link). The Phillies are considering moving Blanton to create space for Lee.