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Hisashi Iwakuma Re-Signs With Rakuten

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Hisashi Iwakuma has re-signed with the Rakuten Golden Eagles for approximately $3.6MM, tweets Jason Coskrey of The Japan Times. He adds that the right-hander seems unwilling to discuss a move to MLB until he qualifies for international free agency, which will be after the 2011 season.

Iwakuma, 29, and the Athletics failed to reach an agreement on a contract after Oakland was the high bidder for his negotiating rights. The player was said to be seeking $12MM per season, but the A's were thinking along the lines of $3-5MM per season. Because no deal was reached, Rakuten did not receive the $19.1MM posting fee. Since Iwakuma will be a free agent next year, the team won't get any posting money then either.

Odds & Ends: Brewers, Nolasco, Thames, Astros

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Happy Holidays to all of MLBTR's readers. Here is today's batch of links…

Remaining Important Offseason Dates

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The vast majority of the major offseason moves have already been made, though there are still a few top notch free agents waiting to be signed. The deadlines to offer free agents arbitration and to tender contracts to players with less than six years of service time have passed, ditto the always fun Winter Meetings. The offseason doesn't end there though, here is a list of important date still to come…

  • January 5th – 15th: Teams and players file for arbitration. More than 150 arbitration-eligible players are still without contracts for the 2011 season. 
  • January 18th: Salary arbitration figures are exchanged.
  • February 1st – 21st: Salary arbitration hearings are held. Most of those 150+ players will agree to a deal beforehand and avoid a hearing.
  • March 2nd – 11th: Players in their pre-arbitration years will have their contracts renewed by their team at any amount (as long as it exceeds 80% of their salary from the previous year) during this time.
  • March 28th: Deadline to release players with non-guaranteed contracts without having to pay them their full 2011 salary.

Padres Trading From Position Of Depth This Offseason

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Every offseason we see teams try to improve by trading from a position of depth and strength. For many clubs that means prospects, but it could also be a spare position player or even a starting pitcher. Very rarely do we see a team trade away multiple quality relief arms in one offseason, though. That, however, is exactly what the Padres have done this winter.

San Diego's bullpen was far and away the best in the game this past season. They led MLB with a 2.81 ERA and a 2.9 BB/9 (2.5 if you take out intentional walks), and placed second with 9.6 K/9 and fifth with a 45.8% ground ball rate. If you believe in fielding independent metrics and WAR, the Padres relief corps led the game with a 2.97 FIP and 7.8 WAR, and not by a small margin either.

Given the general lack of decent bullpen help available, GM Jed Hoyer saw that he had not just a valuable commodity but a surplus of it, and he acted accordingly. First he secured five years of an everyday centerfielder in Cameron Maybin by trading a pair of bullpen arms – righties Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb – to the Marlins. The duo combined for a 3.29 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and just 1.4 BB/9 (removing intentional walks) in close to 130 innings in 2010. Maybin, still only 23, owns just a .692 career OPS, but that will be an improvement over the .680 OPS the Padres got from their center fielders in 2010. He should also be very good defensively.

The next move involved upgrading the middle infield. In exchange for Jason Bartlett (and a player to be named), Hoyer parted with four young players, including three relief pitchers. Adam Russell and Cesar Ramos combined to strike out 27 in 24 innings for San Diego last season, and Brandon Gomes pitched to a 1.87 ERA with 11.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 72 1/3 Double-A innings. Even if Bartlett repeats 2010's performance of .254/.324/.350 (a career low OPS in a full season), he'll improve on the .244/.306/.360 batting line the Padres got out of their shortstops in 2010.

Despite trading away five total relievers in the two deals, Hoyer still held on to the majors' best late game trio: Heath Bell, Mike Adams, and Luke Gregerson. They combined for 215 innings with a 2.34 ERA, 10.4 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 (removing intentional walks) this season. Bell, a free agent after the 2011 season, is a candidate to be traded during the summer, in which case Adams and Gregerson would simply move up a peg on the end-game totem pole.

Beyond the Bell-Adams-Gregerson monster, the Padres also have Ernesto Frieri (11.7 K/9 in a 33-game cameo in 2010) and lefty specialist Joe Thatcher (held left-handers to .197/.239/.288 in 2010) for the middle innings, plus they signed Dustin Moseley (3.77 ERA as a reliever in 2010) this offseason. Right-hander George Kontos (9.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 before having Tommy John surgery in the middle of the 2009 season) was selected in the Rule 5 Draft as well. Tim Stauffer was baseball's best long reliever (1.87 ERA) before moving into the rotation late in the year, but he could find himself back in the bullpen if some of the team's younger arms step forward and grab rotation spots.

Quality bullpen help is tough to find these days, but the Padres have plenty of it. Part of it is the Petco Park effect, part of it is great scouting and player development. GM Jed Hoyer identified his team's bullpen as a position of strength, and used excess pieces to improve other areas of his club this offseason.

Poll: Trevor Hoffman’s Future

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When you look through our list of available free agents, two players stand out as surefire future Hall of Famers: Manny Ramirez and Trevor Hoffman. Manny has been involved in his fair share of rumors this offseason, but all has been quite on the Hoffman front. The 43-year-old told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy that he still wants to pitch, but “the offers are sparse.” There was some thought that he could return to the Padres if they trade Heath Bell, but that obviously hasn’t happened yet. 

Hoffman, baseball’s all-time saves leader, lost his job as Milwaukee’s closer during the 2010 season, though he finished the year with a 2.67 ERA in his final 30.1 innings. His fastball velocity, never anything special to begin with, has been trending downward the last few years. If Hoffman can’t find a job to his liking before Spring Training, he could opt to retire with 601 career saves to his credit and over $80MM in career earnings (according to Baseball-Reference.com). 

Considering the multiyear, big dollar deals handed out to relievers this offseason, it’s not crazy to think that Hoffman could end up being a bargain on a low-salary, one-year contract. But will anyone give it to him?

What will Trevor Hoffman do this offseason?
He'll retire 43.98% (3,534 votes)
He'll sign with a team as a non-closer 43.67% (3,509 votes)
He'll sign with a team as a closer 12.35% (992 votes)
Total Votes: 8,035

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Greinke, Rangers, Pavano

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On this date five years ago, the Nationals and lefty reliever Mike Stanton agreed to a one-year contract worth $1MM, making him the first player in Washington Nationals history to have two stints with the team. Stanton made 30 appearances with the club in 2005 before being traded to the Red Sox, and his second stint in 2006 lasted 56 appearances before being traded to the Giants.

Here is this week's collection of links, with a healthy dose of Zack Greinke talk…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Reds Notes: Webb, Cueto, Votto, Podsednik

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Here's the latest from the Queen City, courtesy of The Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay…

  • With Arthur Rhodes set to join the Rangers, the Reds now have money to spend elsewhere, including on a shortstop, lefty hitting outfielder, and potentially a rehabbing starting pitcher.
  • Assistant GM Bob Miller told Fay that the Reds have not had any recent conversations with Brandon Webb.
  • Miller also confirmed that there have been no further talks with Johnny Cueto about a long-term extension. Earlier this month we heard that the two sides had some preliminary discussions about a contract.
  • "That's not going to happen quick," said Miller when asked about an extension for NL MVP Joey Votto. The two sides have had some talks, however.
  • Miller confirmed the team's interest in Scott Podsednik.

Marlins Extend Ricky Nolasco

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The Marlins officially signed Ricky Nolasco to a three-year contract extension worth $26.5MM today according to a team press release.  He can earn another $1.5MM based on innings pitched. The deal buys out the right-hander's two remaining years of arbitration eligibility as well as one year of free agency.

Nolasco becomes the second Marlins' starter to agree to a contract extension in as many offseasons. Last year the team signed staff ace Josh Johnson to a four-year contract worth $39MM, buying out two years of arbitration eligibility and two years of free agency. Both Nolasco and Johnson are represented by Matt Sosnick, who also landed a six-year, $51MM contract extension for Jay Bruce this offseason.

Earlier this month we heard that the two sides had hit a bit of a snag in their negotiations, but Sosnick told us that they remained optimistic about getting a deal done. Clearly, his optimism was warranted. Nolasco had been mentioned as a trade candidate if the two sides were unable to work out a new contract.

The 28-year-old posted a 4.51 ERA in 157.2 innings this past season, though he once again put up stunning peripheral stats. Nolasco struck out 8.4 batters per nine innings pitched and walked just 1.8 per nine unintentionally. For his career, he owns an 8.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 (again removing intentional walks), though he is a bit homer prone (1.2 HR/9).

MLB.com's Joe Frisaro originally reported that the two sides were on the verge of a deal while Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel reported the agreement.

White Sox Sign Jesse Crain

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The White Sox officially signed righty reliever Jesse Crain to a three-year, $13MM deal today.  He'll earn $4MM in 2011 and $4.5MM per year in 2012-13, tweets MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  Crain was rumored to be seeking a contract on par with Joaquin Benoit's, and Chicago has been looking for relief help all offseason.  The Sox lost about half of their 2010 bullpen innings with the departures of Bobby Jenks, J.J. Putz, Scott Linebrink, and others.

Crain, 29, had the best season of his career in 2010, pitching to a 3.04 ERA, 8.2 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 0.7 HR/9, and 39.2% groundball rate in 68 innings for the Twins. Crain missed most of the 2007 season due to shoulder surgery and then missed a few weeks with a shoulder strain in 2009. He doesn't have much of a platoon split, holding righties to a .239/.299/.359 batting line in his career compared to .238/.332/.366 for lefties. 

With the White Sox deal Crain becomes the fourth reliever to sign a three-year contract this winter, joining Benoit, Scott Downs, and former teammate Matt Guerrier.  He also drew interest from the Rockies and Red Sox.  Crain is represented by SFX.

MLB.com's Peter Gammons and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported on the deal as it developed.

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

Braves Agree To Sign Yohan Flande

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The Braves have agreed to sign left-hander Yohan Flande to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, tweets Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes.

Flande, 25 in January, has spent the last six seasons in the Phillies' farm system. He owns a 3.28 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 501.2 career innings, and spent all of 2010 with Philadelphia's Double-A affiliate. Baseball America ranked Flande as the 17th best prospect in their system before the 2010 season, noting that he sits at 91-92 mph with his fastball and backs it up with a "plus changeup, which gains deception from his stiff, unconventional arm action." They call him a back-of-the-rotation starter or lefty specialist.

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