Rays Sign Isringhausen To Minor-League Deal
According to Mark Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays have signed veteran reliever Jason Isringhausen to a minor-league deal.
Once one of the league’s premier closers, Isringhausen is coming off arguably his worst season in ten years. After posting a 5.70 ERA in 42.2 innings, he had surgery Sept. 12 to repair a torn flexor tendon. He lives in the Tampa Bay area.
Ortiz Comments on Teixeira’s Contract and His Own
David Ortiz indicates that he might have missed an opportunity for a Teixeira-like contract in this piece from Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. It is definitely worth reading in its entirety, but here are a few quotes from the Red Sox slugger:
- On Teixeira’s Contract: "He was put in a good situation. Everybody needed a player like him at the time and the market was wide open. He walked into a situation that was perfect for him, and on top of it he was a very good player. Everybody who performs at that level wants to be put in that situation."
- On Signing His Four-Year, $52MM Extension in 2006: "The market wasn’t like it is now. It wasn’t close to what it is now. The year after I signed my deal the market exploded with the big television deal."
- On His Next Contract: "I know it will be hard to get that kind of money a few years from now. I haven’t really sat down and thought about it. All my focus is about doing my thing. You work, try to get better every day for a reason. I’m not planning to go anywhere."
Ortiz is 33 years old and could have hit the free agent market at the age of 31 had he not signed his extension with the Red Sox. The contract includes a team option for 2011. Bradford notes that his $12.5MM annual salary is $1.5MM smaller than that of teammate J.D. Drew.
Giants Offer Contract To Joe Crede?
MONDAY: Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle weighed in on the Giants’ reported offer to Crede:
While I have no reason to doubt its accuracy, since special assistant Ron Schueler watched Crede’s workout and provided a good report, I have been told the Giants are not counting on a deal with Crede and expect to move forward with Travis Ishikawa or John Bowker at first base and Pablo Sandoval at third, unless something else comes along. General manager Brian Sabean said Saturday he explored some trades last week that went nowhere. One report had Crede seeking $7MM for one season. If the Giants did make an offer, I’d guess the guarantee was for less than half that.
It’s also possible that the Giants will have Rich Aurilia back in the mix; they have a minor league offer out to him.
SATURDAY: Kim Coyle of CBS 5 in San Francisco reports that the Giants have offered Joe Crede a one-year contract. The terms of the contract were not made available. The Twins have shown an interest in Crede as well, though there have been no reports of a contract offer from them.
Sabean Speaks: Manny, Dunn, Abreu
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News posted highlights from a press conference with Giants GM Brian Sabean:
- Sabean said he does not see Manny Ramirez as a "silver bullet to save the day." He would rather add reinforcements at the trade deadline.
- The Giants are not interested in Adam Dunn or Bobby Abreu, even at deflated prices. Sabean said that signing Abreu would force a logjam in the outfield, and he does not want to create a situation in which he would have to trade a player.
- Sabean said that he has discussed trades with some clubs this week. The players discussed were entering the final years of their contracts. Sabean argued that it was not a case of the Giants being unwilling to take on a contract saying, "Those players come at a cost of talent."
Rangers Sign Brendan Donnelly
8:33pm: T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com confirmed the signing, saying that Donnelly will compete for a roster spot in Spring Training.
7:14pm: According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Rangers have signed RP Brendan Donnelly to a one-year, $950,000 minor league deal. The contract stipulates that if Donnelly is not on the major league roster between March 27 and April 27, he can ask for his release.
Donnelly underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2007. He came back with the Indians last year, posting an underwhelming 8.56 ERA in 13.2 innings. He has a 3.12 ERA in 319 big league games.