Mariners Sign Eric Byrnes
The Mariners have signed outfielder Eric Byrnes to a one-year deal, according to a team press release.
Arizona released the 33-year-old earlier this month after he hit just .218/.271/.382 in 482 plate appearances during the first two seasons of the three-year, $30MM extension he signed prior to the 2008 season. The Diamondbacks are still on the hook for Byrnes' $11MM salary in 2010, less whatever the Mariners are paying him (likely the league minimum).
To make room for Byrnes on the roster, Seattle designated first baseman Tommy Everidge for assignment, reports Ryan Divish of The Tacoma News Tribune (via Twitter). They had just claimed Everidge off waivers from the Athletics two weeks ago.
Cubs Sign Xavier Nady
The Cubs officially signed Xavier Nady to a one-year deal worth $3.3MM today. GM Jim Hendry was also considering Reed Johnson, Jonny Gomes and Jermaine Dye, but he settled on Nady, who could earn an extra $2MM in incentives tied to games played.
Nady is coming off his second Tommy John surgery, which is uncharted territory for an established everyday player. The 31-year-old appeared in just seven games in 2009, but he hit 25 homers the year before that, so you can see why the Cubs were intrigued.
Next up for Nady: proving he's healthy enough to deserve a big contract next winter. Next up for his agent, Scott Boras: find a home for Johnny Damon.
ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine first reported that the Cubs were close to adding an outfielder. Yahoo's Tim Brown reported that the deal was official and Jon Heyman of SI.com added the terms of the contract.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Mets, Damon, Burrell, Lopez
On this date two years ago, the Mets and Twins agreed to a five player deal sending two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana to New York. The Mets and Santana had a 72-hour window to finalize a contract extension, and the two sides eventually agreed to a six-year, $137.5MM contract to make the trade official. Santana has given the Mets over 400 innings of 2.78 ERA ball, while just one of the four players the Twins received in the deal is still with the organization.
Here's some links from around the baseball blogosphere…
- Blogging Mets isn't sure where the Mets can turn for pitching help now that Jon Garland and Ben Sheets are off the market.
- The Baseball Opinion wonders if the Sheets and Justin Duchscherer signings were calculated moves by Billy Beane made with the intention of flipping both at the trade deadline.
- Royals Authority takes a look a Kansas City's crowded outfield.
- Camden Crazies goes through some different roster permutations for the Orioles.
- The Sports Banter comes up with some possible destinations for Johnny Damon.
- Meanwhile, U.S.S. Mariner thinks Damon would be a cost effective way to upgrade Seattle's roster.
- Rays Index takes the latest Rays' rumors as a sign that they're still trying to trade Pat Burrell.
- Pro Ball NW gives us five reasons why the Mariners should trade Jose Lopez.
- TAUNTR chimes in on some of the latest hot stove news.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Mets To Re-Sign Fernando Tatis
THURSDAY, 6:30pm: The Mets and Fernando Tatis have reached agreement on a one-year deal, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post.
Terms of the agreement are currently unknown, but Puma writes that the 35-year-old will earn less than the $1.7MM he made last season. However, a baseball source indicates that with incentives, Tatis could approach that figure.
3:00pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com says (via Twitter) that the Mets will sign Tatis. This means Carlos Delgado will have to look for a job elsewhere.
WEDNESDAY, 6:46pm: Adam Rubin of The New York Daily News says a deal should be wrapped up "shortly."
6:06pm: The Mets are deep into negotiations with Fernando Tatis, reports Mike Puma of The New York Post. A deal could be reached within a matter of days.
GM Omar Minaya contacted Tatis' agent today, and indicated that he wants an answer soon. Tatis earned $1.7MM in 2009, and Puma says he wants a comparable contract for 2010. A deal would seem to eliminate the possibility of a Carlos Delgado return. Puma mentions the Rockies and Mariners as other clubs that have expressed interest in the free agent.
The 35-year-old Tatis hit .282/.339/.438 with just eight homers in 379 plate appearances last year, though he did see time at six positions. He will be forever remembered as the first (and only) player in Major League history to hit two grand slams in one inning, off the same pitcher no less.
Rockies Sign Jason Giambi
Jason Giambi officially signed a one-year deal worth $1.75MM to return to the Rockies as a pinch hitter and occasional first baseman. He excelled in Denver last summer, hitting .385/.529/.692 as a pinch hitter and .292/.452/.583 overall (small sample size warnings apply). The former AL MVP hit poorly in Oakland last year, so his 2009 OPS was a career-low .725.
Andrew Marchand of 1050 ESPN Radio first reported that a deal was close, Jon Heyman of SI.com tweeted that it was official and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweeted the value of the contract.
We heard that the Rockies were interested in free agents Orlando Cabrera and Orlando Hudson, too.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Prospects, Livan, Cardinals, Damon
Some links for Wednesday night…
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo released his list of the top 50 prospects in the game. Jason Heyward and Stephen Strasburg rank one-two.
- Livan Hernandez sent a contract proposal to Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo back in December, but he never received a response according to a tweet from MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports that Cardinals' GM John Mozeliak confirmed that any pickups from here on out would be on the offensive side of the roster.
- Scott Boras said that "The Yankees never even made an offer to me regarding Johnny Damon during the entire process," according to a tweet from Tyler Kepner of The New York Times. In a second tweet, Kepner says Boras indicated that the two-year, $14MM offer the team reportedly made was conditional on whether or not Nick Johnson would sign.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure reports that 17-year-old righty Rafael DePaula is back on the market after being suspended for a year by MLB after lying about his age. His agent hopes to have him signed within the next 15-20 days, and Arangure mentions that both the Yankees and Red Sox are interested.
- Pirate relievers Anthony Claggett and Steven Jackson both cleared waivers according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch, and have been outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis. Claggett was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Octavio Dotel, Jackson for Ryan Church.
- Astros' GM Ed Wade said that signing Wandy Rodriguez to a long-term deal would become a "front-burner discussion for us" if he repeats his 2009 success in 2010, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Wandy had a 3.02 ERA with an 8.4 K/9 in 205.2 innings last season.
- Craig Calcaterra of NBCSports.com says that the Braves have discussed Johnny Damon recently, but came up with three reasons why he wasn't a fit.
- David Murphy of The Philadelphia Daily News lays out the Phillies' payroll commitments for the next four years. As of right now, the team stands to shed almost $70MM off the books following the 2011 season.
Discussion: Jonny Gomes
As teams scour what's left on the free agent market during the dog days of January, they'll be hard-pressed to find a better power hitter from the right side than Jonny Gomes. The 29-year-old hit 20 homers in just 314 plate appearances for the Reds last season, and over the last five years he's averaged close to 30 bombs per 162 games.
Cincinnati non-tendered Gomes instead of giving him a significant raise (through arbitration) over the pro-rated $600K salary he earned in 2009. He owns a career .274/.369/.517 batting line versus left handers, though he doesn't do much beyond mash southpaws. He doesn't steal bases, and his outfield defense can be charitably described as awful.
The Cubs filled their outfield hole by agreeing to deal with Xavier Nady earlier in the week, and the Yankees did the same by inking Randy Winn today. With his options drying up, do MLBTR's readers see any potential fits for Gomes? Maybe Atlanta or Seattle?
Dodgers Re-Sign Ronnie Belliard
The Dodgers and infielder Ronnie Belliard have agreed to a one-year deal worth $825K. Belliard could earn another $250K in incentives tied to plate appearances on this non-guaranteed contract. Though Belliard passed his physical this morning, the Dodgers asked that he weigh no more than 209 pounds at the start of Spring Training.
The 34-year-old Belliard hit .351/.398/.636 for LA after coming over from the Nationals in a mid-season trade, and .277/.325/.451 overall. Mini-Manny (remember that nickname?) is capable of playing first, second, and third, though he doesn't play any of the three positions particularly well.
The Dodgers added Jamey Carroll earlier this offseason, so the team has some nice infield depth.
MLB.com's Ken Gurnick first reported the deal, and Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times added contract details, via Twitter.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Players To Avoid Arbitration: Tuesday
We'll round up any and all players that agree to deals today to avoid arbitration in this post, so check back in for updates…
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports (via Twitter) that the Rangers have avoided arbitration with reliever Frank Francisco by agreeing to a one-year, $3.265MM contract.
- The official Brewers Twitter site is reporting that Carlos Villanueva has agreed to a one-year contract. The deal is worth $950K according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (via Twitter).
- The Red Sox and Jeremy Hermida have agreed to a one-year deal for 2010 to avoid arbitration according to a team press release. Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald reports (via Twitter) that Hermida will earn $3.345MM in 2010. Theo Epstein's streak of avoiding arbitration lasts another year.
Dodgers Sign Brad Ausmus
The Dodgers signed Brad Ausmus to a $1MM deal today. The backup catcher will earn $850K in 2010 and there's a mutual option worth $1MM for 2011 with a $150K buyout. Ausmus can earn an extra $100K based on plate appearance incentives this coming season.
Ausmus, 41 in April, hit .295/.343/.368 in 107 plate appearances for LA last season, though offense was never his calling card. His value lies in his defense and veteran leadership. Two NL West rivals – the Giants and Padres – were also connected to Ausmus at various points this offseason.
Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times broke the news of the signing.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.