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Jennings Competing For Rotation Spot

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Jason Jennings is trying to make a comeback after two consecutive injury riddled seasons reports Jeff Wilson of the Forth Worth Star Telegram. Good news for the Rangers who are trying to maintain as much starting pitching depth as they can. Wilson writes,

"The former Mesquite Poteet and Baylor star remains willing to open the season in the minor leagues to build up arm strength if he’s unable to do so over the final three weeks of spring training.

But the minor league contract Jennings signed last month has two opt-out dates – April 1 and April 25. Plenty of scouts have seen him pitch, and more will watch him as those dates draw near."

Jennings’ flexor tendon has torn each of the last two seasons. This spring, there’s added velocity to his fastball, now recorded in the upper 80s. Rangers Manager Ron Washington is optimistic and expects it to reach 90mph by the time the club breaks camp.

As recently as 2006, Jennings recorded a 3.78 ERA and held opponents to a .258 average over 212 IP while playing half of his games for the Rockies in Coors Field.

Sox, Jon Lester Agree On Five-Year Extension?

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MONDAY, 2:07pm: WEEI’s Alex Speier spoke to Lester, who said there is currently no contract extension agreement with the Red Sox.

SUNDAY, 12:42pm: Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports is reporting the Red Sox have signed Jon Lester to a five-year, $30MM extension. The contract includes a $13MM team option for 2014.

Along with Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia, this makes Lester the third long term contract handed out to homegrown talent in three months. Passan writes,

"The impending deal is the largest given to a pitcher with around two years of service time, doubling the four-year, $15 million deal Cleveland’s Fausto Carmona signed at the beginning of last season. If the Red Sox exercise the option, they will have kept Lester off the free-agent market for two years."

Lester will take a physical on Tuesday to finalize the deal.

Twins Sign 27 Players To 1-Year Deals

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According to Joe Christensen, the Twins have announced they’ve signed the remaining 27 players on their roster to one-year deals. Writes Christensen,

"All 27 of those players, including Francisco Liriano, Glen Perkins, Nick Blackburn and Kevin Slowey, have between zero and three years of major league experience, so their salaries are likely less than $500,000."

Cafardo’s Latest: Mauer, Red Sox, Glavine

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With every Sunday come rumors from the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo:

  • Cafardo asks Tom Glavine whether he’d consider another year if 2009 is a success. Glavine didn’t say no: "I’m not prepared right now to say. It would take a lot of good things to happen this year to consider playing next year. Last year, I didn’t think I’d be sitting here this year, so I guess you never know."
  • Nomar Garciaparra had placed a call to the Red Sox front office inquiring about their potential interest.
  • If he hits free agency, Joe Mauer is expected to receive offers in the $20-25MM range and "The Sox are expected to be front and center." Mauer is signed with the Twins through 2010. He’ll make $10.5MM this year and $12.5MM in 2010.
  • Dusty Baker thinks Barry Bonds would still be a top hitter in the league. Says Baker, "He’s one of those guys that will be able to pick up a bat when he’s an old man and still get a hit."
  • Andruw Jones is 4 for 18 with 10 strikeouts to start spring training.
  • Scouts agree: George Kottaras would clear waivers if designated for assignment, meaning the Red Sox may not have to deal the catching prospect.
  • Cafardo would make the Clay Buchholz-Jarrod Saltalamacchia trade right now.

Ken Griffey Jr. Rumors: Sunday

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9:03pm: Another interesting item from Bowman:

About a week ago, [Nick] Swisher seemed to be at the top of the wish list. But that was before Griffey called the Braves and campaigned for the opportunity to play for Atlanta. 

As more and more information pours out, it really sounds like Junior wants to, and is going to, end up with the Braves.

5:38pm: According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, "It’s believed the Braves are willing to offer Griffey a one-year deal worth up to $1.5 million." 

The Mariners can probably afford to make a counter offer that beats that number but, as was reported yesterday, M’s CEO Howard Lincoln is less than enthused about the idea of getting into a bidding war with the Braves.

3:12pm: Jayson Stark’s latest article discusses Griffey and Atlanta. Has he wanted to play there for years? The answer to that question is yes, according to Chipper Jones. And Chipper would love to have Griffey in Atlanta as well:

"He’s a guy who can still hit," said Chipper Jones, who would figure to find Griffey keeping him company in the middle of the lineup. "I played with him a few years ago in the [World Baseball] Classic, and he was our best hitter. He’s got a knack for being able to turn it up and prove people wrong."

Stark writes that Griffey has moved ahead of both Garret Anderson and Nick Swisher on the Braves’ list, and points out that Junior can still hit righties very well, making him an ideal platoon candidate with Matt Diaz.

11:04am: There were lots of rumors surrounding Ken Griffey, Jr. and the Braves yesterday. Jon Heyman puts it simply: 

"It appears likely that Griffey and [Garret] Anderson will wind up in Atlanta and Seattle. The big question at this point is which player will end up with which team."

While Griffey lives in Orlando and has a daughter playing AAU basketball in Georgia, Anderson is a resident of Southern California with more recent success in the AL West. Still, Heyman notes Griffey is the prize here because of the draw he brings to the stadium, a draw that would even allow the M’s to stretch their budget for the added revenue Griffey brings in.

No Long Term Talks With Giants, Lincecum

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Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says there are no immediate plans to discuss a long-term contract with Tim Lincecum. Schulman says a team executive said this morning that a deal does remain a possibility before Lincecum becomes arbitration eligible. Schulman writes,

"Many such long-term contracts are signed this time of year in lieu of one-year deals that teams can impose on players with less than three years of service time. The signing period for these deals is March 2-11. Noah Lowry and Matt Cain both signed four-year contracts to buy out some of their arbitration years."

Lincecum is eligible for free agency after the 2013 season and is open to signing a one-year deal and revisiting contract talks. Schulman reminds us that if he signed a deal, he would earn less but it would be guaranteed money instead of non-guaranteed through arbitration.

Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News adds that neither side seems concerned and that Lincecum would be receptive to a multi-year contract, according to his agent. Baggarly writes,

"The Giants shortly will begin negotiating salaries for their ’zero-to-three’ players. They must agree to terms with them before March 11, at which point they must renew the contract of any unsigned players — and unilaterally assign any salary they please above the league minimum ($400,000). A renewal isn’t usually a happy prospect. The Giants couldn’t recall the last time they had to renew a player and Evans didn’t expect that to happen with Lincecum, who made $405,000 last year. The two sides are certain to exchange ideas on a multiyear contract. Where it goes from there is anyone’s guess."

Indians Sign Graffanino To Minor League Deal

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Mlb.com’s Anthony Castrovince reports the Indians have signed 36-year old Tony Graffanino to a minor league contract. If he makes the team, this will be Tony’s seventh in the Majors. Castrovince writes,

"Last year, coming off the knee rehabilitation, Graffanino signed a Minor League deal with the Tribe and played in 25 games at Triple-A Buffalo. He hit .315 with seven doubles, a triple and six RBIs, playing all four infield spots. Graffanino is the 20th non-roster player invited to camp."

Hudson To Royals A Long Shot

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Yesterday, Buster Olney cited the Royals’ interest in Orlando Hudson. Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star followed that up today with his perspective: "It still looks like a long shot."

To replace Mark Grudzielanek, the Royals signed Willie Bloomquist to provide competition for Alberto Callaspo and Esteban German, while also allowing Mark Teahen to work out at second base. And while Dayton Moore has still expressed an openness to sign Hudson, he’s also shown confidence in his options as they stand. Dutton writes,

"Signing Hudson, a Type A free agent, would force the Royals to surrender their second-round pick in the June draft to the Diamondbacks as compensation. Club officials indicate that would be acceptable depending on Hudson’s contract — but declined to speculate on those parameters."

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