Odds & Ends: Tigers, Rangers, Lee, Matthews
Saturday linkage…
- White Sox GM Ken Williams said that the club proposed a long-term deal to Bobby Jenks before signing him to a one-year contract, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter).
- Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski admitted that they were "probably too liberal in giving long-term contracts to players," tweets MLB.com's Jason Beck. However, Dombrowski did say they want to sign Justin Verlander, presumably long-term (via Beck's Twitter).
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan tweets that there's a strong chance the sale of the Rangers could be completed today.
- At his introductory press conference, Cliff Lee said he was hoping to be wowed by Seattle and the Mariners, and if he is, he would be open to re-signing there according to Larry Stone of The Seattle Times. When asked about his next contract, Lee joked "I want a 10-year deal for about 200 billion. Nah, I don't know."
- Tom Gage of The Detroit News writes that the Tigers have five lefty relievers on their roster, so don't be surprised if one of them gets traded. Bobby Seay might be the most vulnerable of the five (despite being the most established) because he'll make $2.475MM in 2010 and lefties hit him better than righties last year.
- ESPN's Buster Olney spoke to several people in the game about the Mets picking up Gary Matthews Jr., and the general thought is that he "can't hit for average, can't hit for power, his defense ranks statistically among the worst outfielders in the majors, and, to top it off, rival scouts have been reporting that in recent years he has been a clubhouse negative."
- Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald has some quotes from Red Sox principal owner John Henry about the team's offseason.
- Free agent reliever Oscar Villarreal will throw for teams next Friday, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. He last pitched in the majors back in 2008 with the Astros.
Orioles Agree To Sign Miguel Tejada
Miguel Tejada arrived in Baltimore with a $72MM contract and the promise of MVP-caliber play six offseasons ago. This time, the expectations are more moderate and so is Tejada's contract. The Orioles agreed to a one-year, $6MM deal with the infielder, who will play third for the first time in his MLB career.
Baltimore already signed one corner infielder, Garrett Atkins, so Tejada will play third and Atkins will play first. The 35-year-old Tejada hit .313/.340/.455 for the Astros last season, with pretty drastic home-road splits. UZR/150 tells us that Tejada's defense cost the Astros ten-plus runs last year, though that was at a different position than the one the O's will have him play.
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun first reported the deal and Jon Heyman of SI.com added the terms.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Astros Sign Kevin Cash To Minor League Deal
The Astros have signed catcher Kevin Cash to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
The 32-year-old was once Tim Wakefield's personal catcher, though he spent last season with the Yankees. Cash is a career .186/.248/.287 hitter in close to 600 big league plate appearances, though his minor league numbers are much more respectable. With only two catchers on the 40-man roster (J.R. Towles and Humberto Quintero), all it takes is an injury for Cash to make the Opening Day roster.
Angels Sign Joel Pineiro To Two-Year Deal
Joel Pineiro officially signed a two-year deal with the Angels worth about $16MM today. The Cardinals will receive a supplemental first round pick as compensation for losing the Type-B free agent. The 31-year-old Pineiro probably won't match the departed John Lackey, but he was the best available free agent starter.
Pineiro will apparently receive just $1MM more than Jason Marquis despite having a much better 2009 season. Pineiro pitched like an ace, with a 3.49 ERA in 214 innings for the Cardinals. His 60.5% groundball rate and 1.1 walks per nine innings were both MLB bests. Cards pitching coach Dave Duncan deserves credit for the former, as Duncan convinced Pineiro in February to try a sinker. The walk rate may be more difficult to repeat.
The Mets and Dodgers were also known to be pursuing Pineiro. They'll now have to turn to Jon Garland, Jarrod Washburn, and Braden Looper for bulk innings. Ben Sheets, Erik Bedard, John Smoltz, and Chien-Ming Wang provide the post-injury upside. Pedro Martinez sits somewhere in-between.
Ken Davidoff of Newsday first tweeted Pineiro's Angels preference, while SI's Jon Heyman and ESPN's Buster Olney followed with tweets of the agreement.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Brewers, Molina, Zduriencik, White Sox
Friday Night Lights Links…
- Brewers' GM Doug Melvin said that they're finished signing "impact" free agents according to a tweet from MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. He did not, however, rule out a trade with payroll implications.
- Ed Price of AOL FanHouse says (via Twitter) that Bengie Molina passed up an extra $1MM in salary for 2010 from the Mets for a familiarity of San Francisco.
- David Laurila of Baseball Prospectus sat down for a must read interview with Mariners' GM Jack Zduriencik. Best of all, it's not behind their subscriber wall.
- An interesting quote by White Sox GM Kenny Williams at SoxFest today, courtesy of a tweet from Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune: "There's always one more move to be made."
Nationals Interested In Orlando Cabrera
The Nationals have interest in free agent Orlando Cabrera, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. They view him as a possible second baseman if they're unable to land the other Orlando, as in Orlando Hudson.
We really haven't heard too much about the 35-year-old Cabrera at all this offseason. He hit .281/.316/.389 last year for the A's and Twins, though his defense at short was among the worst in the game according to UZR. Considering the deals that players like Alex Gonzalez and Jerry Hairston Jr. have gotten this winter, Cabrera seems to be in line to pull down about $3MM in 2010.
Noah Lowry Might Be Close To Picking A Team
6:43pm: MLB.com's Corey Brock says (via Twitter) that he's "nearly certain" the Padres aren't in on Lowry. They need a dependable starter, and with only $5MM or so left to spend, the Friars can't afford to miss on a player.
5:42pm: Free agent southpaw Noah Lowry may be close to picking his next team, tweets Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle. He says that it won't be the Giants, unsurprisingly.
Plenty of teams have expressed interest in the lefty, including the Padres, Reds, Dodgers, and several others. Lowry lasted pitched in the big leagues back in 2007 because of thoracic outlet syndrome.
Giants Designate Jesus Guzman For Assignment
The Giants have designated infielder Jesus Guzman for assignment, tweets Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News. The move frees up a 40-man roster spot for Bengie Molina.
The 25-year-old Guzman hit a clean .250/.250/.250 in 20 big league plate appearances last season, his first taste of the show. He's a career .299/.368/.470 hitter in the minors (.344/.368/.491 in 565 Triple-A plate appearances), and has spent considerable time at first, second, and third base while dabbling in the corner outfield spots. Sounds like a pretty decent player.
Reds Sign Jose Arredondo To Minor League Deal
The Reds have signed righthander Jose Arredondo to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, tweets MLB.com's Matthew Leach. The invite to camp is nothing more than a formality, because Arredondo is due to have Tommy John surgery soon and won't be able to pitch at all in 2010.
Arredondo, 26 in March, has a 3.48 ERA with an impressive 8.7 K/9 in 106 big league relief innings. The Angels non-tendered him back in December after we learned that he would need surgery. Because he's going to miss the entire season, Cincinnati made the move with an eye towards 2011 and beyond.
Giants Re-Sign Bengie Molina To One-Year Deal
Bengie Molina rejected a $5MM offer from the Mets and chose instead to take a one-year $4.5MM deal to return to San Francisco. The move, which is now official, increases the likelihood that top prospect Buster Posey will start the season back in the minors.
Molina returns to the Bay Area despite reports that GM Brian Sabean said he believed the backstop had received a multi-year offer elsewhere. Molina, whose brother Jose is still a free agent, earned $16MM as part of the three year deal he signed with San Francisco back in 2007. He hit .278/.302/.440 with 55 homers while with the Giants.
Now, the Giants have reached their payroll limit, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
Dennis O'Donnell of CBS 5 Sports first reported the deal and SI.com's Jon Heyman added that Molina turned down a superior offer from the Mets.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.