Astros Avoid Arbitration With Nelson Figueroa
The Astros announced that they avoided arbitration with Nelson Figueroa, signing the 36-year-old righty to a one-year deal worth $900K plus incentives. He posted a 3.22 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 67 innings as a swingman last year.
After avoiding arbitration with Humberto Quintero yesterday, the Astros now have six remaining arbitration eligible players: Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn, Matt Lindstrom, Jeff Keppinger, Wandy Rodriguez, and Clint Barmes.
Ian Desmond Drawing Trade Interest
Ian Desmond is drawing strong trade interest, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Nationals want starters and, other than Cliff Lee and Carl Pavano, the free agent pitching class has thinned out considerably. The free agent shortstop class is similarly weak, so Desmond is in demand.
Washington isn’t looking to trade Desmond, but they could part with him for a young pitcher with comparable service time, Rosenthal says. The 25-year-old batted .269/.308/.392 in 2010, his first full season. With just over one year of service time to his name, Desmond is still five years away from free agency.
Orioles Have Offered Paul Konerko A Contract
The Orioles have made Paul Konerko a "significant offer," according to Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio (on Twitter). O's President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said last week that the team was disappointed to have missed out on Victor Martinez despite offering a competitive deal. MacPhail said that the Orioles are "looking at other options."
Konerko, who hit 39 homers and posted a .312/.393/.584 line last year, would be a fit in Baltimore, where he could play first and hit in the middle of Buck Showalter's lineup. He'll cost a draft pick since he turned down an offer of arbitration from the White Sox, but Baltimore's first rounder is protected.
Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles have offered contracts to multiple free agents this week.
Odds & Ends: Berkman, Edmonds, De La Rosa
On this date in 1998, the Orioles signed Albert Belle to a five-year, $65MM deal. He batted .289/.374/.509 with Baltimore, but didn't play at all after the 2000 season. Here are today's links…
- Stop by at 2pm CDT for this week's chat.
- Oakland’s immediate goal is to sign Lance Berkman, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The A's met with Berkman and Adam Dunn yesterday.
- Rosenthal suggests the A’s likely want to hear back from Scott Boras and Adrian Beltre about the five-year, $64MM offer they reportedly made in November.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan asks Bud Selig to leave the playoffs alone and suggests the commissioner could improve the game by introducing more instant replay and asking major TV networks to show a more diverse selection of teams.
- Jim Edmonds is contemplating playing one more season, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- The Phillies are more likely to pursue free agent left-handers who don't cost a draft pick, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). In other words, they'd rather not give up a pick to sign Scott Downs.
- Speaking of relievers, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun explains that the Orioles have interest in any competent veteran reliever and will kick the tires on most.
- The Mets re-signed former big leaguer Mike O'Connor according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (on Twitter). The 30-year-old left-hander last pitched in the majors for the 2008 Nationals, but he appeared in 51 games at Triple-A Buffalo in 2010, posting 8.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 for the top Mets affiliate.
- The Pirates made a competitive offer for Jorge de la Rosa before he agreed to a deal with the Rockies, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter).
- De La Rosa's agents approached the Padres about a potential deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. San Diego couldn't afford the lefty, though they were interested.
Padres Notes: Denorfia, Gwynn, Hairston
The Padres have agreed to terms with Chris Denorfia on a one-year deal worth $800K, but two of San Diego's other outfielders may find themselves on the open market before long. MLB.com's Corey Brock hears that the Padres will non-tender Tony Gwynn Jr. and Scott Hairston (Twitter links).
Both Gwynn and Hairston showed up on Tim Dierkes' revised list of non-tender candidates after they were identified as such earlier in the year. Check out our new non-tender tracker here.
Heyman On Greinke, Pettitte, Astros, Guerrero
An acquaintance of Zack Greinke's told Jon Heyman of SI.com that the 2009 Cy Young Award winner is "ready" to leave Kansas City. Yahoo's Jeff Passan reported that Greinke's priority is winning, but that doesn't mean we'll see him in Yankee pinstripes. The pitcher's friends say New York would not be a good fit. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:
- People close to Andy Pettitte tell Heyman the lefty would prefer to remain a Yankee.
- Just about everyone expects Cliff Lee to sign with the Yankees or Rangers, but Heyman says a couple clubs are "laying in the weeds." The Astros are one team with quiet interest.
- As much as the Rangers want Vladimir Guerrero back, they seem reluctant to give him a multiyear deal.
- The Dodgers will try to sign Russell Martin by tomorrow's non-tender deadline.
Mariners To Non-Tender Jose Lopez
The Mariners will non-tender Jose Lopez tomorrow, according to Mike Salk of 710 ESPN Seattle. The M's declined their option for Lopez earlier in the offseason and were not expected to offer the infielder a contract through the arbitration process.
The 27-year-old batted .239/.270/.339 in 622 plate appearances last year and saw his homer total drop from 25 to 10. Lopez has typically displayed more pop than he showed in 2010, but he has always had trouble reaching base, as his career .297 OBP shows. Lopez, who is eligible for free agency after 2011, played third last year, but has spent most of his career at second base. The Rockies have some interest in signing him.
Click here to check out our new non-tender tracker.
Optimism Between Jeter, Yankees
WEDNESDAY, 10:59am: It appears that the Yankees told Jeter they'll raise their opening $45MM bid to the $50MM range, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 10:28pm: The Yankees and Derek Jeter are becoming optimistic about reaching a new deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The sides are having conversations designed to kickstart an agreement, Heyman reports.
Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News reported earlier tonight that agent Casey Close recently reached out to the Yankees to move negotiations forward. Both sides are in Tampa, where they met today, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Just last week, the sides appeared to be tens of millions of dollars apart and GM Brian Cashman encouraged Jeter to test the open market. It seems likely that the shortstop will return to the Bronx, but that hasn't stopped Beckett from imagining what Jeter would look like in all 29 other uniforms.
What We Learned: This Week’s Arbitration Decisions
Type A relievers Frank Francisco and Jason Frasor were the only ranked free agents to accept their teams' offers of arbitration yesterday. Here's what we learned from last night's decisions:
The Facts
- 12 of 14 Type A free agents turned down arbitration (86%).
- 21 of 21 Type B free agents turned down arbitration (100%).
- In total, 33 of 35 ranked free agents turned down arbitration (94%).
- If you haven't done so already, click here for an explanation of how free agent compensation works, click here to check out our arbitration offer tracker and click here to read what we learned about the offers themselves.
What This Says About The Market
- It says teams are willing to spend and players know it. Players see lots of multiyear deals on the open market and are seeking long-term commitments instead of the security of a deal through the arbitration process.
- Though the market's generally good, Type A relievers still have a hard time convincing teams to surrender draft picks for them. Type A setup men like Juan Cruz have had trouble landing contracts in recent years, so Frasor and Francisco chose the security of their teams' offers.
- But one Type A setup man is taking his chances in free agency. Grant Balfour declined arbitration and told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he's confident his Type A status won't prevent him from signing a multi-year deal.
What To Expect In 2010 And 2011
- The supplementary first round will be longer than usual in 2011, a strong draft year.
- Some teams could be drafting early and often next June. The Padres and White Sox could gain three picks, the Twins could add four and the Red Sox and Blue Jays could pick up five extra selections apiece. The real winners could be the Rays, who stand to pick up as many as ten extra draft choices next year.
Non-Tender Notes: Zumaya, Green
Thursday's deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration eligible players is approaching quickly. Here's the latest on a pair of non-tender candidates:
- The Tigers are expected to tender Joel Zumaya a contract and may reach a deal with the reliever before long, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. Zumaya told Beck that his agents have started discussing a contract with the Tigers. The non-tender candidate earned $915K in 2010 and, assuming the Tigers don't cut him loose this week, he will hit free agency after the 2011 season.
- Sean Green's agent tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork that he's optimistic the 31-year-old will be tendered a contract this week (Twitter link). Green missed most of the season because of a ribcage injury, but logged over 200 innings out of the 'pen from 2007-09.
- Click here for an explanation of what it means to non-tender a player.