Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

MLB Notes: CBA, Torre

By Mike Axisa | January 13, 2011 at 6:16pm CDT

Here are some quick notes that deal more with the business side of baseball…

Bob Baum of the AP writes that Major League Baseball and the players' union will soon begin talks about the next Collective Bargain Agreement. Commissioner Bud Selig said the two sides are "on a constructive path." The current CBA is set to expire in December, and the new deal could feature changes to the draft and Super Two status.
Joe Torre said he expects to speak with Selig further about becoming MLB's executive vice president of baseball operations, according to Bill Madden and Teri Thompson of The New York Daily News.

AL West Notes: Holland, Beltre

By Mike Axisa | January 13, 2011 at 5:34pm CDT

Quick notes from the game's only four-team division…

Derek Holland told Anthony Andro of The Dallas Morning News that he didn't even know his name popped up in recent trade talks with the Rays."I didn't even hear the Matt Garza stuff," he said. "You have to sit back and just let it go. It's just talk. You don't know if it's going to happen or not. I just try to not worry about those things."
ESPN's Buster Olney heard that the Athletics' final offer to Adrian Beltre was $76.8MM spread over six guaranteed years (Insider req'd). Beltre took five years and $80MM guaranteed from the Rangers, though a sixth year vesting option could put another $16MM in his pocket.

Kris Benson Retires

By Mike Axisa | January 10, 2011 at 10:12pm CDT

Fifteen years after being the first overall pick in the 1996 draft, Kris Benson is calling it a career. The right-hander told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he has decided to formally retire.

"I’m done," said the 36-year-old right-hander. "I decided pretty much after this past season that I wasn’t going to pursue anything. I’ve been putting way too much into it and not getting enough out of it, as far as the rehab, working out, training, and then not getting the type of results I expect from myself."

"I wanted to make this decision now, rather than go into another season on another minor-league deal. I didn’t want to go through the head games of, ‘Am I going to make the team?’ I don’t mind the pressure. I just don’t want to fall into another situation like I had the last couple years, where I busted my tail getting back and then got hurt again shortly after I made the team."

Benson pitched for five different teams in his 12-year career, most recently for the Diamondbacks. He made just three starts for Arizona in 2010, throwing 14 innings with a 5.14 ERA. Benson spent the majority of his career with the Pirates, where he posted a 4.26 ERA in 782 innings across parts of six seasons. He retires with a 70-75 record and a 4.42 ERA in 1,243 2/3 innings.

Injuries hampered Benson throughout his career. He missed the 2001 season due to Tommy John surgery, and then missed the 2007 and 2008 seasons after having surgery to repair a damaged rotator cuff. All told, Benson hit the disabled list no fewer than eight times in his career, almost all with arm related ailments. Baseball-Reference.com says he earned more than $36MM in his career, the majority of which came from the three-year, $22.5MM contract he signed with the Mets before the 2005 season.

Potential Suitors For Scott Podsednik

By Mike Axisa | January 10, 2011 at 9:29pm CDT

The Reds signed Fred Lewis to a one-year deal earlier today, presumably taking them out of the running for Scott Podsednik. The market for the outfielder has been anything but robust after he declined his half of a $2MM mutual option back in November, but let's see if we can find a potential fit for Podsednik with pitchers and catcher due to report in a little less than a month…

Angels: The Angels showed interest in Scott Pods back in December, but we haven't heard of any dialogue since. Anaheim could use a speedy, lefty hitting leadoff type hitter, something they hoped to secure with Carl Crawford.
Braves: Atlanta can certainly use a fourth outfielder, but Eric Hinske, Nate McLouth, and Jason Heyward all swing it from the same side as Podsednik. It's not a great fit.
Dodgers: We know the Dodgers have interest in bringing Podsednik back and they still haven't solved their left field problem since he opted out. Could they get him for less guaranteed money than his original option?
Mariners: The M's figure to give Michael Saunders a chance to sink or swim with regular playing time in left.
Marlins: The Fish are counting on Chris Coghlan to transition from left field to center after the trade of Cameron Maybin, a position that he has played exactly zero innings at, majors or minors. Podsednik could give them a cheap fill-in at the position, allowing Coghlan move back to the infield.
Mets: Carlos Beltran's knees are still a bit of a question mark, though they need a reserve outfielder anyway.

Podsednik has hit .300/.347/.397 with back-to-back 30+ steal seasons in the last two years, a nice rebound from five consecutive seasons with no better than a .700 OPS. His defense isn't what you'd expect from a speedy player, with negative UZR scores at all three outfield spots in recent years. Still a useful player with an albeit limited skill set, Podsednik doesn't have a ton of suitors and could end up settling for a platoon/bench job.

Royals Prioritizing Rotation Depth

By Mike Axisa | January 10, 2011 at 8:41pm CDT

It'll be impossible for the Royals to replace Zack Greinke's production, but the team still needs someone to soak up all those innings he leaves behind. Unsurprisingly, GM Dayton Moore told MLB.com's Dick Kaegel that rotation help is "the only area that we're focusing on," and that adding a starter(s) is his top priority before Spring Training begins.

Kansas City has lost not only Greinke this offseason, but also Bryan Bullington and Brian Bannister to Japan. Bruce Chen, who pitched to a 4.17 ERA in 140 1/3 innings last year, remains a free agent as well, though Moore left the door open to re-signing him. "We're still open-minded with that. He performed very well with us last year and he showed us what he had, and we've got a comfort level there," said the GM.

So far the only starting pitching help the team has imported this offseason is Zach Miner (on a minor league deal) and Vin Mazzaro (from the David DeJesus trade), though Moore said he doesn't expect the former to be ready until about June. He's open to improving his starting staff via trade however, and he has the game's best farm system to use as ammo.

On the free agent front, the Royals have been linked to Carl Pavano and Jeff Francis in recent weeks. Pavano looks to be heading back to the Twins, but Francis remains in play. Brad Penny could also be coming off the board. An interesting solution could be to convert Joakim Soria to a starter, something that close to 2,000 MLBTR readers would support, but so far the team has shown no inclination of making such a move.

Rockies Sign Sean White

By Mike Axisa | January 10, 2011 at 7:58pm CDT

The Rockies have signed Sean White to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post. He was outrighted by the Mariners earlier this offseason and became a free agent soon thereafter.

The 29-year-old right-handed reliever posted a 5.24 ERA with just 3.9 K/9 in 34 1/3 innings for Seattle in 2010. White made up for the low strikeout rate with an equally low walk rate (2.9 BB/9) and a decent ground ball rate (44.6%). His big league career consists of 134 innings, all with the Mariners, and a 4.16 ERA with 4.0 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, and 48.4% ground balls.

The Rockies can control White for at least three more years as an arbitration-eligible player if they choose.

Indians Notes: Stopgaps, Rotation, Choo

By Mike Axisa | January 10, 2011 at 5:49pm CDT

It has not been a fun winter in Cleveland, and it's not just because of the Cavaliers. The Indians have signed just one player to a big league contract (Austin Kearns), doing the rest of their work on the minor league side. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about the team's plight in a feature article today, which contained some news about the club's present state and what's to come…

"We've been in a similar situation before, and we've demonstrated the ability to overcome those challenges and put together a championship-caliber team," said new GM Chris Antonetti, referring to the team's rebuilding nature. "We feel equally strong about our talent base now and throughout our farm system. The challenge is to have patience and let those guys play."
The Tribe has passed on overpaying third base stopgap players like Jorge Cantu and Pedro Feliz, instead opting to sit tight with their in-house options until top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall is ready.
Antonetti won't rule out the possibility of adding another starting pitcher to a rotation that currently features Fausto Carmona, Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco, and Mitch Talbot. Former Indian Bartolo Colon is a possibility.
"It's something we remain interested in pursuing," said Antonetti, answering a question about a possible extension for Shin-Soo Choo. "Whether or not there's common ground at this point, we'll have to see." Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at Choo as an extension candidate at the end of the 2010 season.
Unsurprisingly, the team has little payroll flexibility and will continue to shop in the bargain bin.

White Sox Agree To Sign Will Ohman

By Mike Axisa | January 10, 2011 at 4:30pm CDT

The White Sox and Will Ohman have agreed to a two-year contract, the team announced. The deal is worth $4MM total, reports SI.com's Jon Heyman (Twitter links). Ohman is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.

The 33-year-old Ohman spent most of the 2010 season with Baltimore before being traded to the Marlins. The lefty reliever held same-side batters to a .229/.323/.313 last year, but .208/.298/.348 over his entire career. He's strictly a lefty specialist, because righties have tagged him for a .264/.360/.400 batting line in his career. Ohman has a 4.09 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in a big league career that began back in 2000.

Ohman, who earned $1.35MM in 2010, joins Pedro Feliciano, Randy Choate, Scott Downs, and Hisanori Takahashi as lefty relievers who received multiyear deals this offseason. Chicago has already added Jesse Crain to their bullpen this offseason, and the addition of Ohman gives Ozzie Guillen a lefty for the middle innings. Matt Thornton will of course handle late game situations.

We heard that the ChiSox were favored to sign him on Friday, after we learned that three AL teams were the finalists for his services.

Tigers On Verge Of Deal With Brad Penny

By Mike Axisa | January 10, 2011 at 7:30am CDT

TUESDAY, 7:30am: The Tigers are on the verge of signing Penny to a one-year, $3MM deal, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The hard-throwing righty will be able to earn more through incentives in his second American League stint.

MONDAY, 8:22pm: ESPN's Buster Olney hears that the Tigers are the frontrunner for Penny's services (Twitter link). He would step in as their number five starter.

6:55pm: Brad Penny has drawn interest from a few teams this offseason, most notably the Tigers, and it appears he's close to making a decision about where he'll spend the 2011 season. The right-hander said he was "[g]etting close to finding [his] new home" on his Twitter account, and that he "[s]hould know by the end of the day."

The 32-year-old Penny missed the final four-plus months of the 2010 season with a shoulder strain, but he had pitched to a 3.23 ERA with 5.7 K/9, 1.5 BB/9, and a career high 52.8% ground ball rate in 55 2/3 innings with the Cardinals before the injury. If we remove his ugly 2009 stint with the Red Sox (5.61 ERA in 131 2/3 innings), Penny has pitched to a 3.82 ERA in over 900 innings since 2004.

Penny's injury did not require surgery, which is always good news, but the Cardinals still have "little enthusiasm" in re-signing him. Their front three was already stacked with Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and Jaime Garcia, but they then added Jake Westbrook to the mix at the trade deadline and have since re-signed him. The Yankees, Mets, Orioles, Indians, Nationals, and Rockies are known to be seeking rotation help, though none have been connected to Penny in recent weeks.

This Date In Transactions History: January 8th

By Mike Axisa | January 8, 2011 at 8:32pm CDT

Now that everyone has recovered from the holidays, the hot stove action has started to pick up. Let's look back at some of the moves made on this date in years past…

Last year the Astros signed Brett Myers for one-year and $5.1MM guaranteed. He rewarded them with a 3.14 ERA in 223 2/3 innings, so they rewarded him with two-year, $21MM extension.
That same day, the Royals inked Scott Podsednik to a one-year, $1.75MM contract. He hit .310/.353/.400 with 29 steals in Kansas City before being traded to the Dodgers for a pair of minor leaguers before the deadline.
Long-time Padre Trevor Hoffman agreed to a one-year, $6MM contract with the Brewers two years ago. He was fantastic in 2009, pitching to a 1.83 ERA with 37 saves in 54 innings, though 2010 didn't go so well.
The Angels finalized their one-year, $6MM contract with Shea Hillenbrand on this date back in 2007. Not only did he hit .254/.275/.325 in 204 plate appearances for the Halos, but he also made some disparaging remarks about the team. He was cut that June.
In 2005, the Indians signed Kevin Millwood to a one-year, $7MM contract. He led the league with a 2.86 ERA in 192 innings, but only had nine wins to show for it.
The Tigers acquired Carlos Guillen from the Mariners on this day in 2004, sending Ramon Santiago and a minor leaguer to Seattle. Guillen has hit .299/.369/.480 in seven seasons with Detroit, while Santiago was released (only to re-sign with the Tigers) a year later.
A three-team trade was completed back in 2001. The A's acquired Johnny Damon, Mark Ellis, and Cory Lidle, while the Royals acquired Angel Berroa, Roberto Hernandez, and A.J. Hinch. Tampa Bay walked away with former Rookie of the Year Ben Grieve. In hindsight, Oakland was the clear winner here.
Some other players involved in transactions on this date: Rocco Baldelli, Mark Loretta, Doug Mientkiewicz, Braden Looper, Julio Franco, two different Juan Gonzalezes, Harold Baines, Darryl Strawberry, and Rich Aurilia twice.

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