Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Baldelli, Gregg, Blockbusters
On this date way back in 1935, the Yankees released an aging slugger by the name of Babe Ruth just one day before his 40th birthday so he could sign with the Boston Braves. The Sultan of Swat hit .288/.448/.537 with 22 homers in his final season in New York, easily his worst full season with the team. He went on to hit just .181/.359/.431 with six homers in 28 games for the Braves before retiring in May. Ruth ended his career as a .342/.474/.690 hitter with a then-record 714 homers.
Here's some links from around the web…
- TYU wants to see the Yankees invite Rocco Baldelli to Spring Training as a non-roster player.
- The Tao of Stieb tries to make sense of the Kevin Gregg addition for the Blue Jays.
- Red Legged, Blue Blooded Boilermaker reviews Cincinnati's offseason and projects their 25-man roster.
- Fantasy Baseball Junkie examines how players perform after being involved in a blockbuster trade, with a fantasy spin.
- More Hardball built a 25-man roster out of players still available on the free agent market.
- Camden Crazies looks at how Miguel Tejada may handle the transition to third base.
- Flushing University says that the Mets have failed to address their biggest needs this offseason.
- MLB News and Rumors compiled prospect lists from all of the different outlets.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Tigers Sign Justin Verlander To Five-Year Deal
The Tigers signed Justin Verlander to a five-year contract worth $80MM today, buying out the righthander's two remaining arbitration years plus three years of free agency. MLB.com's Jason Beck says Verlander will get a $500K signing bonus, $6.75MM in '10, $12.75MM in '11, and $20MM per each free agent season. The Tigers get a discount on the arbitration years, as is customary.
Felix Hernandez's five-year contract with Seattle was used as a comparison for this deal, though Verlander will pocket an extra $2MM and won't reach free agency until age 32. You could make the case that Hernandez deserved the larger contract, though that point is certainly debatable.
Verlander, 27 later this month, led the American League in starts (35), innings (240), batters faced (982), strikeouts (269), and wins (19) in 2009, earning him a third place finish in the Cy Young voting. He also has a no-hitter, a Rookie of the Year Award, and World Series experience to his credit.
The second overall pick in the 2004 draft had reportedly been seeking a sixth guaranteed year, but it obviously wasn't a deal breaker. He will earn $6.75MM in 2010, $12.75MM in 2011, then $20MM each year from 2012 to 2014. The deal also includes a $500K bonus.
The Tigers spent most of the offseason shedding salary by trading players like Edwin Jackson and Curtis Granderson, however they reversed course to lock up one of the game's best young arms.
The Associated Press (via NBCSports.com) broke the news of the agreement, and MLB.com's Jason Beck added some details via Twitter.
Cardinals, Pujols Talking Contract Extension?
In a chat with readers today, Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said that the Cardinals are currently negotiating with Albert Pujols about a contract extension, though the team won't acknowledge the talks.
Pujols is under contract for $16MM in 2010, and the team holds a no-brainer option worth the same amount for 2011. He has previously stated that he wanted to see how the front office was going to build the team around him before beginning talks, though I'm guessing that giving $120MM to Matt Holliday confirms the club's desire to remain competitive for the long haul.
The National League's two-time defending MVP just turned 30-years-old last month, and you can be sure he and his agent will be looking for something similar to the ten-year, $275MM contract Alex Rodriguez received when he was 32. Pujols' career 172 OPS+ is tied for sixth best all-time with Mickey Mantle, and he's still got plenty of time to improve on that mark.
Lincecum Talks Not Going Well
Talks about a two-year contract between the Giants and two-time defending Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum have not been going well according to CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban. In fact, Urban says it would be more accurate to call the negotiations "dismissals" rather than "discussions," because the righty's camp has rejected every one of the team's proposals.
SI.com's Jon Heyman states the obvious and says that the two sides are likely headed to an arbitration hearing later this month, however he adds that this is something that likely never would have happened under Peter Magowan's watch. Magowan stepped down as the team's managing partner after the 2008 season, and had historically taken care of his star players.
Lincecum filed for $13MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility, while the team countered with just $8MM. He's going to set a new salary record for a first year eligible pitcher regardless of the outcome, but it's worth noting that Lincecum's average fastball velocity dropped from 94.1-mph in 2008 to 92.4-mph last season, so perhaps the club has some concerns about his long-term durability.
Pirates Talk: Miguel Sano, Ownership, Prospects
Here's some Pirates chatter, courtesy of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Karen Price and Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette…
- When asked why the team failed to sign Miguel Sano at FanFest, GM Neal Huntington gave a very interesting response.
"Take your frustration level and multiply it by a million when I got the phone call (that Sano signed with the Minnesota Twins)," Huntington said. "I didn't get it done. I relied on the agent to live by his word that he'd come back to us and give us a chance to make our final bid. We never got the chance."
"We were never in the game for a player even looking for $250,000 out of Latin America before," he said. "This may be one time we were overly aggressive — we moved too quickly."
Team president Frank Coonelly said that the Pirates offered Sano $2.6MM, however he ended up taking $3.15MM from the Twins. MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch provided more quotes from the Q&A sessions here (Friday's session) and here (Saturday's session). - Pittsburgh Penguin co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle made a "very serious" offer to buy the Pirates in a face-to-face meeting with owner Bob Nutting about four months ago, however they did not receive a response. Nutting, who has owned the Pirates for just over three years, has firmly stated that the team is not for sale.
- In an Insider only piece at ESPN.com, Matt Meyers explains how the team's hoarding of prospects through trades and the draft will lead to a brighter future for Pirates fans.
Mets Sign Frank Catalanotto
The Mets have signed Frank Catalanotto to a minor league deal, tweets Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger. The deal includes an invitation to Spring Training, according to Bart Hubbuch of The New York Post (via Twitter).
The 35-year-old native New Yorker hit .278/.346/.382 in 162 plate appearances for Milwaukee last year, and he's mostly a corner outfielder/first baseman these days. Catalanotto is a .273/.358/.396 career hitter off the bench, so he could serve as the team's primary lefty pinch hitter. He's also performed significantly better against right handers throughout his career.
The Brewers and Marlins were also believed to have some interest in Catalanotto.
Discussion: Mike Sweeney
Late last night, Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com mentioned (via Twitter) that Mike Sweeney still wants to play this year. The former Royal and Athletic hit a modest .281/.335/.442 in 266 plate appearances for the Mariners last season, though he's had to settle for minor league contracts with invitations to Spring Training in each of the last two offseasons.
Knee and back problems have essentially relegated Sweeney to full-time DH status (just 164.1 innings at first over the last three years), and as we all know, there's always more DH's available than DH spots. However, when comparable righty hitters like Jermaine Dye (.250/.340/.453 in 2009) are turning down $3MM+, Sweeney might actually have a leg up in the market because he'd presumably be willing to come (very) cheap.
There's no better way to start the morning off than with a nice friendly chat, so let's see where everyone thinks Sweeney might land. Just to toss some teams out there, do to Blue Jays, Orioles, Tigers or White Sox seem like fits? What about a pinch-hitter for an NL club?
Players To Avoid Arbitration: Friday
Here's a round up of the players that have agreed to deals avoiding arbitration today…
- MLB.com's Lyle Spencer tweets that the Angels and Joe Saunders have agreed to a deal for 2010, avoiding arbitration. Kevin Baxter of The Los Angeles Times reports that the deal is worth $3.7MM, which splits the difference between each side's filing figure.
- The Rangers and Scott Feldman have agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.425MM, reports Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). He was the team's last remaining arbitration case.
Odds & Ends: Hart, Yankees, Baldelli, Ruiz
A few Friday night links…
- The Brewers and Corey Hart appear headed to an arbitration hearing after negotiations reached an impasse, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Hart filed for $4.8MM, the team $4.15MM.
- Chad Jennings of The Journal News spoke to a Yankees' executive about the possibility of bringing in some players on minor league deals, and was told “I wouldn’t say we’re done, but probably close to done.”
- Four teams – including the Yankees, Rangers, and Mariners – are interested in Rocco Baldelli's services, reports Joe McDonald of The Providence Journal.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure tweets that Cuban first baseman Jose Julio Ruiz is now free to sign after being "unblocked" by the Office of Foreign Asset Control. In a second tweet, Arangure says that Ruiz is expected to command a multi-million dollar contract, and a few months ago we heard that the Red Sox and Tigers had some interest.
- Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun reports that Mark Hendrickson passed his physical today, however his deal with the Orioles likely won't be made official until Monday because the league's offices are closed during the weekend.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert says that the Diamondbacks and Edwin Jackson are playing close attention to how Wandy Rodriguez's arbitration case unfolds.
- The Rockies and Cardinals are in the mix for Felipe Lopez, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. The 29-year-old had a higher OBP (.383) and SLG (.427) than either Orlando Hudson or Orlando Cabrera in 2009.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson says that the Nationals have spoken to John Smoltz's agent recently, but there is no progress to report and they aren't willing to break the bank for him (both links open in Twitter).
- Meanwhile, Ladson also tweets that the team views the newly signed Miguel Batista as a starter for the back of their rotation, as opposed to an arm for the bullpen.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com says (via Twitter) that Craig Monroe isn't ready to retire to just yet. Over the last three years, Monroe has hit .215/.272/.377 with 23 homers in 693 plate appearances for four teams.
Athletics Agree To Deal With Michael Wuertz
The Athletics agreed to a two-year $5.25MM deal with reliever Michael Wuertz. Wuertz will get $2.2MM in 2010, $2.8MM in 2011 and either $250K or $3.5MM in 2012, depending on whether the A's pick up their club option. The 31-year-old righty had filed for $2.9MM in arbitration, while the club submitted $1.9MM. He was the team's last remaining arbitration eligible player.
Wuertz posted a 2.63 ERA in 78.2 innings last season, as batters made contact on just 58.9% of the swings they took against him. As you can imagine, that was far and away the best rate in baseball.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and the AP added details after MLB.com's Jane Lee first tweeted the agreement.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.