Dodgers Lock Up Andre Ethier, Jonathan Broxton
FRIDAY, 1:38pm: We now have the details of Ethier's contract, courtesy of Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. The 27-year-old's deal includes incentives and escalator clauses that could boost the total value of the pact to $15.625MM.
Ethier is guaranteed $6MM this year, including a $500K signing bonus. The escalators are tied to plate appearances, with the benchmarks at 600, 650, and 675. Last season, the outfielder made 685 plate appearances.
THURSDAY, 12:36pm: The Dodgers avoided arbitration with two of their core young players, officially signing outfielder Andre Ethier and closer Jonathan Broxton to two-year deals. Broxton will hit free agency once his $11MM deal expires at the end of the 2011 season. Ethier is under team control through 2012, so the Dodgers will be able to retain him after his $15.25MM deal expires. Ethier's deal pays him $6MM next season and $9.25MM in 2011, with more money attainable through incentives. Broxton gets $4MM in 2010 and $7MM in 2011, plus escalators.
In his first full season as closer, Broxton saved 36 games and stuck out a ridiculous 13.5 batters per nine innings. He earned $1.825MM in 2009, and was eligible for arbitration for the second time this offseason. Huston Street, who just signed a long-term deal of his own, will earn about $12MM for those two same seasons of his career, so his deal may have been a point of reference for Broxton's deal.
Ethier, a Super Two, earned $3.1MM last season. He hit .272/.361/.508 with a career high 31 homers last season, finishing sixth in the NL MVP voting. Los Angeles locked Matt Kemp up to a two-year deal just last week, so the Dodgers have established some security in their outfield for the next two seasons.
MLB.com's Ken Gurnick tweeted the news of Either's deal and Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times followed up with the news of Broxton's agreement. Gurnick, Hernandez, Jon Heyman of SI.com and KCAL 9 added details, all via Twitter.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Felix, Phillies, Reds
Seven years ago today, Ivan Rodriguez signed a one-year deal with the Marlins worth $10MM, ending a 12-year stint with the Texas Rangers. Pudge hit .297/.369/.474 with 16 homers in his lone season with Florida, leading the franchise to its second World Championship. He signed a little earlier this offseason, landing a two-year deal with the Nationals in early December.
Here's a look at what fans around the web are saying….
- Lookout Landing re-lives five of Felix Hernandez's career-defining starts in honor of his new deal.
- TAUNTR thinks the Phillies did well by locking up Joe Blanton and Shane Victorino, even if they didn't receive tremendous discounts.
- Blue Sox Baseball previews the Reds' starting rotation heading into 2010.
- Goat Riders of the Apocalypse looks at what's left for the Cubs this offseason.
- TYU wonders why the Yankees used the top pick in the Rule 5 Draft on Jamie Hoffmann instead of John Raynor.
- Capitol Avenue Club projects the Braves' depth chart.
- The Ghost of Moonlight Graham examines the rotations in the NL East.
- TurnTwo has some suggestions for how the Mariners could use the last $10MM left in their budget.
- Dodgers Rumors considers the Vicente Padilla signing a big win for Los Angeles.
- AdamAdkins.net reacts harshly to the Bengie Molina deal.
- River Ave. Blues wonders how the Yanks might be able to extract some value from Kei Igawa.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Pirates Sign Octavio Dotel
The Pirates officially signed reliever Octavio Dotel to a one-year deal with a club option for 2011. Dotel will earn $3.25MM in 2010, plus bonuses for games finished. The 2011 club option, which becomes mutual if the 36-year-old is traded, is for $4.5MM with a $250K buyout. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette broke the news of the agreement and added the details via Twitter.
Dotel, 36, will close for the Pirates in 2010. Last year for the White Sox he posted a 10.8 K/9, 5.2 BB/9, and 3.32 ERA in 62.3 innings, so control may be an issue. Dotel had joined the Sox on a two-year, $11MM deal in January of '08.
For a guaranteed payout of roughly $6MM, Pirates GM Neal Huntington has revamped his bullpen by adding Dotel, Brendan Donnelly, D.J. Carrasco, and Javier Lopez. The Bucs subtracted '09 pen members Matt Capps, Jesse Chavez, Steven Jackson, Denny Bautista, Phil Dumatrait, and Chris Bootcheck this winter.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
Josh Johnson Signs Four-Year Extension
Josh Johnson officially signed a four-year contract extension with the Marlins. The move follows criticism of the Marlins by MLB and the MLBPA, and comes months after talks began between the club, Johnson, and agent Matt Sosnick.
The $39MM deal will pay the right-hander $3.75MM this year, $7.75MM next year, and $13.75MM in both 2012 and 2013. Johnson also earns $50K for making the All-Star team, $500K for winning the Cy Young Award and $1MM for winning World Series MVP. The contract does not include a no-trade clause.
The deal, which buys out two of Johnson's arbitration years and two of his free agent years, resembles the four-year, $38MM extension Zack Greinke signed prior to his Cy Young season. Johnson doesn't have any Cy Youngs on his mantle, but he's coming off an All-Star season in which he allowed fewer hits than innings pitched, struck out 8.2 batters per nine and limited his walk and homer rates. He finished 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick first reported the agreement. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, Sirius XM's Home Plate Channel and Crasnick all added details.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: League, Bourgeois, Giants, Uggla
Some links for Wednesday night…
- The Mariners signed reliever Brandon League to a 2010 contract, according to a team press release. He'll get $1.08MM, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. That's just below the midpoint.
- Matt Eddy at Baseball America has this week's minor league transactions.
- Matthew Carruth of FanGraphs wants you to vote on the worst contract in baseball.
- Via Twitter, Alyson Footer notes that Jason Bourgeois, who was designated for assignment last week to make room on the 40-man roster for Brett Myers, cleared waivers and accepted a trip to the minors.
- Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle tweets that the Giants are unlikely to sign any more players to Major League contracts. The Bengie Molina deal tapped them out.
- Marlins' team president David Sampson said that Dan Uggla will be the team's Opening Day second baseman, writes Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald. We also heard that there was no chance of a long-term deal for Josh Johnson this offseason, so take it with a grain of salt.
- Tom Haudricourt of The Journal News notes (via Twitter) that Brewers' GM Doug Melvin tried to trade for Doug Davis twice last season. Melvin got his man today.
- Anthony McCarron of The New York Daily News heard from a Mets' insider that the team could try to trade for Tim Hudson. That seems highly unlikely for a number of reasons, but mostly because Hudson signed an extension in November, has 10-and-5 no-trade rights, and the Braves already traded one veteran starter in Javier Vazquez this offseason.
- Here's the up to the minute 2010 draft order. The only two unsigned free agents left that will bring their former teams compensation are Joel Pineiro and Rod Barajas.
Cubs, Calero In Negotiations
The Cubs and free agent reliever Kiko Calero are in negotiations, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com. The righthander is seeking a two-year deal, though the Cubs are holding firm at one year because of concerns about Calero's past shoulder injuries.
Calero has been connected to quite a few teams this offseason, however we haven't really heard about any hard talks until now. The 35-year-old Calero posted a 1.95 ERA in 60 innings for the Marlins last year, easily his best in the big leagues.
Phillies Talking Multi-Year Deals With Blanton, Ruiz
Yesterday we learned that the Phillies were discussing a multi-year deal with the arbitration eligible Shane Victorino, and now MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports that the team is doing the same with both Joe Blanton and Carlos Ruiz. Blanton is up for arbitration for the final time, but this is Ruiz's first experience with the process.
"I think we're making progress on all of them," (GM Ruben) Amaro said. "We're trying to work through it. We're hoping we can get these done."
Blanton and the Phillies were $2.75MM apart in their arbitration filings, the second largest gap behind Tim Lincecum. We all know what Blanton is at this point, and that's an extremely durable innings eater that'll give you an ERA in the low-4.00's.
Ruiz filed for $2.5MM while the Phillies countered with $1.7MM. He had a breakout season in 2009, hitting .255/.355/.425 (all career highs) in 379 plate appearances. Chris Iannetta's three year deal worth $8.3MM guaranteed could serve as a baseline for a Ruiz extension.
Preston Wilson Looking To Make A Comeback
Move over Jim Edmonds, you aren't the only former Cardinals' outfielder looking to make a comeback. ESPN's Jayson Stark is reporting that Preston Wilson is looking for an invitation to Spring Training now that the knee troubles that forced him from the game in the first place are behind him.
Wilson last played in the big leagues back in 2007, when he hit just .219/.265/.313 in 68 plate appearances with St. Louis. He appeared in 48 games last season with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, hitting .302/.344/.474 while missing time with a broken eye socket (hit by a pitch) and a separated shoulder (suffered on a slide).
The 35-year-old outfielder is a career .264/.329/.468 hitter in the Majors, and was known for his prodigious strikeout totals (1,085 K in 4,436 PA). The Yankees are rumored to be looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder, and if Wilson is only looking for a Spring Training invite, what's the harm?
Pirates Claim Brandon Jones Off Waivers
WEDNESDAY, 9:20am: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says Jones was "claimed him with the hope of including him in a trade." A trade could free up a spot for Octavio Dotel, with whom an agreement is close. Recently-designated Steven Jackson could be dealt as well. Pirates GM Neal Huntington recently explained to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch that Jackson's ERA (3.14) was not indicative of his skills (0.95 K/BB).
TUESDAY, 2:42pm: The Pirates have claimed outfielder Brandon Jones off waivers from the Braves, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Atlanta designated the 26-year-old for assignment last week to make room on the 40-man roster for Eric Hinske. As Bowman notes, the Pirates have "routinely shown interest" in Jones. Jones was mentioned when the Braves were pursuing Jason Bay in the summer of '08.
The Nationals were the only other team who had a chance to claim Jones before the Pirates grabbed him.
Players To Avoid Arbitration: Tuesday
Noon ET today was the deadline for both the team and player to submit their salary figures for arbitration, however the two sides can come to an agreement at any point before the actual hearing. The hearings are scheduled for the first week of February.
We'll keep track of the players who avoid arbitration today by agreeing to deals here. Make sure you check back in for updates, and be sure to click the "Continue Reading" link to see today's full list of settlements. Yesterday's list can be found here.
- Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Angels avoided arbitration with Mike Napoli and Reggie Willits by signing the duo to one-year deals. Napoli will earn $3.6MM in 2010 with a $100K bonus if he makes 120 starts. Willits' contract is worth $625K.
- Zach Duke's one-year contract with Pittsburgh is worth $4.3MM with no performance bonuses, tweets Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- The Padres and reliever Mike Adams have agreed to a contract, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (via Twitter). Brock's follow-up tweet says Adams' deal is worth $1MM, virtually splitting the difference between San Diego's $875K offer and Adams' $1.2MM demands.
- Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets that the Twins have agreements in place with all eight of their arbitration eligible players. In a follow-up tweet, Christensen reports that Francisco Liriano agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.6MM and Jesse Crain agreed to a one-year contract worth $2MM.
- Marc Carig of the New Jersey Star-Ledger reports that the Mets avoided arbitration with reliever Sean Green (via Twitter). The one-year deal was worth $975K, according to the New York Daily News' Anthony McCarron.
- The Tigers avoided arb with Gerald Laird and Zach Miner as well according to James Jahnke of The Detroit Free Press. MLB.com's Jason Beck tweets the details on the one-year contracts: Laird will earn $3.95MM, Miner will earn $950K.
- Christensen tweets that the Twins avoided arb with Brendan Harris, signing him to a two year deal worth $3.2MM with another $650K in possible incentives.
- The Tigers and Bobby Seay avoided arbitration according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (via Twitter), agreeing to a one year deal worth $2.475MM.
- Thesier tweets that Matt Guerrier agreed to a one year deal worth $3.15MM with the Twins, avoiding arb.
- Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe tweets that the Red Sox have avoided arbitration with Ramon Ramirez and Manny Delcarmen, with Delcarmen getting $905K plus incentives according to Joe McDonald of The Providence Journal. Boston avoided arb with Jonathan Papelbon as well.