Yankees Sign Raul Ibanez
The Yankees have found their new designated hitter, officially announcing an agreement with Raul Ibanez that was first tweeted by ESPN's Buster Olney yesterday. The framework for a deal was done weeks ago with the ACES client, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post, who pegs the value at $1.1MM. Plate appearance incentives can bring the total to $4MM, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Never known for his defense, Ibanez has spent most of his career as a left fielder. He dabbled at DH with the Mariners and Royals before signing with the Phillies after the '08 season, notably appearing 69 times in that role for the 2001-02 Royals. Only eight other free agents hit more home runs in 2011 than Ibanez's 20, but he batted just .245/.289/.419 overall in 575 plate appearances. The Yankees hope the 39-year-old can take advantage of their short right field porch. Ibanez has a .304 OBP against lefties over the last three seasons, so he could be complemented by Andruw Jones, a right-handed hitter.
In a February 18th poll, about 32% of MLBTR readers felt Ibanez was the best DH option for the Yankees, which edged out other free agent choices such as Johnny Damon, Vladimir Guerrero, and Hideki Matsui. Ibanez was linked to the Yankees as early as January, but they preferred to dump some of A.J. Burnett's contract on the Pirates before finishing a DH deal. That move opened a 40-man roster spot for the Yankees. The Phillies offered Ibanez arbitration in November, which almost certainly involved a handshake agreement he'd decline. In June, the Phillies will receive a supplemental draft pick for their loss.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Red Sox Receive Chris Carpenter, PTBNL From Cubs For Epstein, PTBNL
The Red Sox received 26-year-old righty reliever Chris Carpenter and a player to be named later from the Cubs as compensation for Theo Epstein and a player to be named later, announced the teams today. The Cubs hired Epstein as their president of baseball operations in October, despite one year remaining on his contract as Boston's GM. Nearly four months after that announcement, Epstein and new Cubs GM Jed Hoyer reached a compensation agreement with former colleague and new Red Sox GM Ben Cherington. Epstein said in a statement:
"I am relieved that this process is over and particularly pleased that the teams were able to reach agreement on their own without intervention from MLB. I truly hope and believe that this resolution will benefit both clubs, as well as Chris, who is an extremely talented reliever joining a great organization at a time when there's some opportunity in the major league bullpen. More than anything, I'm excited that we can all move forward and focus exclusively on getting ready for the season. I wish Chris and the Red Sox nothing but the best in 2012 and beyond."
Carpenter, who made his big league debut with the Cubs last year, was recently ranked 13th on their prospect list by Baseball America. The Cubs converted Carpenter to relief late in 2010, and he averaged 96.5 miles per hour on his fastball in the Majors last year. His command and control are works in progress, but Baseball America thinks he could develop into a setup man. The Red Sox placed Bobby Jenks on the 60-day DL to create a 40-man roster spot for Carpenter.
The inclusion of two players to be named later means this saga has not quite reached its conclusion, but an April 15th deadline is already in place and Cherington expects resolution by the end of spring training. The Cubs also owe compensation to the Padres for Hoyer, which Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune notes will get done very soon and will not involve anyone on the team's 40-man roster.
WEEI's Alex Speier first reported the Red Sox would receive a pitcher from the Cubs' 40-man roster.
The 10 Best Minor League Deals Of The Offseason
Some quality free agents may yet sign minor league deals, but let's take a look at the ten best of the offseason so far.
- Jeff Francis, Reds. I ranked Francis 32nd on my top 50 free agents list, ahead of Chris Capuano, Freddy Garcia, Aaron Harang, Jason Marquis, Bruce Chen, and Chien-Ming Wang. Three of those pitchers received two-year deals, yet Francis didn't get a roster spot. He was a bigger health risk a year ago, when he received $2MM guaranteed from the Royals. Francis and his wife reside in Denver, so it doesn't appear to be a hometown decision. The Reds' rotation isn't full of openings, either, making Francis' minor league deal a mystery.
- Juan Pierre, Phillies. It's fair to suggest Pierre isn't a big league regular anymore, but he's a valuable bench player. Nate McLouth and Mark Kotsay received Major League deals, but don't seem to offer much more.
- Joel Pineiro, Phillies. Pineiro ranked 46th on my list, a few spots ahead of Chen. Wang didn't even make the list. Pineiro's second year with the Angels was disappointing, but the groundballer was useful as recently as 2010. Like Francis, he's attempting to join a pretty full rotation.
- Dan Wheeler, Indians. Wheeler seems to have the same skill set the Red Sox valued at $3MM a year ago: good command and a lot of flyballs. Does Jon Rauch do something better?
- Manny Ramirez, Athletics. Manny marks the point on this list where I am no longer surprised the player did not receive a big league deal. Ramirez will only provide two-thirds of a season at most, but he's a year removed from an .870 OPS.
- Jon Garland, Indians. He missed most of 2011 with shoulder surgery, but his ability to soak up innings had been worth at least $5MM a year.
- Kevin Millwood, Mariners. The Red Sox and Yankees were content to let Millwood work in Triple-A last year, but he provided nine decent starts for the Rockies. He might be able to provide the value of a Marquis or Chen.
- Vicente Padilla, Red Sox. Despite off-the-field concerns and an inability to stay healthy, Padilla can still get hitters out as a starter or reliever.
- Juan Cruz, Pirates. Cruz allows too many walks and flyballs, but the same can be said for Jose Veras, who gave the Pirates a nice 2011 season after signing a minor league deal.
- Jamey Wright, Dodgers. The Dodgers gave Mike MacDougal a roster spot to provide the same skill set with a harder fastball. At any rate, Wright's a good guy to call when a groundball is needed.
Honorable mentions: Scott Linebrink, Juan Gutierrez, Angel Guzman, Koyie Hill, Ronny Paulino
Epstein Compensation Deal Is Close
9:15am: The Red Sox will receive a pitcher from the Cubs' 40-man roster, tweets WEEI's Alex Speier. That'd rule out McNutt. Rafael Dolis, Chris Carpenter, Jeff Beliveau, and Casey Weathers are on the Cubs' 40-man and cracked Baseball America's top 30 prospects for the team. The decision is coming down today, confirms Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
7:36am: A resolution on the Theo Epstein compensation deal is imminent, reports Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston. Edes' MLB source says the Red Sox will receive one quality minor leaguer, a legitimate big-league prospect, from the Cubs. The decision might come today, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
The Cubs hired Epstein as their president of baseball operations in October. Epstein resigned from Boston's GM position with one year remaining as part of the process, and the teams have not been able on agree which Cubs players the Red Sox will receive as compensation. The commissioner's office has gotten involved, with the teams submitting briefs recently. In January, Epstein explained his stance on WEEI: "There's no precedent for major, major compensation here."
The Cubs are not loaded with top-ranked prospects and young players, but I think it's safe to assume Matt Garza, Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo, Brett Jackson, Javier Baez, and probably Matt Szczur will not be involved. Given MLB's involvement, perhaps a player in the Cubs' next tier of prospects could be included, such as Trey McNutt. Check out Kevin Goldstein's Cubs prospect rankings for Baseball Prospectus here.
Indians Close To Trading Kelvin De La Cruz
The Indians are close to trading lefty Kelvin De La Cruz, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. De La Cruz was designated for assignment a week ago to open a 40-man roster spot for Casey Kotchman.
De La Cruz, 23, posted a 4.19 ERA, 9.9 K/9, 6.0 BB/9, and 0.31 HR/9 in 86 Double-A innings last year, his second stint at the level. A year ago, Baseball America ranked him 24th among Indians prospects, citing diminished stuff after an '09 elbow strain. De La Cruz dropped out of BA's Indians top 30 this year and will be a project for his new team.
Athletics To Sign Manny Ramirez
Manny Ramirez has agreed to terms with the A's on a minor league deal, the team announced today. The deal is worth about $500K in the Majors, reports ESPN's Pedro Gomez. The signing has been expected for several weeks. Though the story is interesting, the A's took an insignificant financial risk and didn't commit a roster spot, and the likely reward is small as well. Ramirez is represented by Praver/Shapiro.
Manny must first serve a 50-game suspension for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy a second time, making his earliest possible debut June 2nd at Kansas City, according to Gomez. Ramirez retired when news of the suspension hit in April of last year, but was reinstated in December.
Ramirez, 39, would be a certain Hall of Famer if not for his PED issues. He owns a .312/.411/.585 line with 555 home runs in 19 seasons for the Indians, Red Sox, Dodgers, White Sox, and Rays. He's projected to serve as the A's designated hitter for the latter two-thirds of the season.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports was the first to report that the agreement had been made (both Twitter links).
Nationals Notes: Zimmerman, Rendon, Strasburg, Harper
It's time for some Nationals notes, courtesy of Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
- "I think I want to play third base until someone is better than me at it," Ryan Zimmerman explained to Kilgore. The topic comes up because last year's first-round draft pick Anthony Rendon is a third baseman by trade, and if Zimmerman were to be extended, someone would have to change positions if Rendon proceeds to the Majors and is not traded. On Rendon specifically, Zimmerman said, "If he comes up and plays third and plays second or whatever, then I’m going to be his best friend there. In the end, he’s going to help us win games. That’s the most important thing."
- Rendon is in big league camp because of his draft contract, but Kilgore thinks he may begin his pro career at Class A Potomac. The Nationals intend to play Rendon at third base, second base, and shortstop, at least during spring training, but manager Davey Johnson downplayed the extra infield positions, according to Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com. Rendon was deferential to Zimmerman in his comments.
- The Nationals intend to use Stephen Strasburg until he hits his innings limit and then shut him down, GM Mike Rizzo told reporters. There's an expectation of a 160-inning cap, and Rizzo doesn't seem to be considering a six-man rotation or skipping Strasburg's starts. I imagine skipping Strasburg starts while he's in good health could upset some fans who buy tickets specifically to watch him pitch.
- Super prospect Bryce Harper says he intends to "keep my mouth shut and play," but certainly aims to make the team out of spring training. Kilgore mentions Super Two considerations for the team, and it's worth noting that the new collective barganing agreement will result in more players getting that designation than in years past.
- A potential Mike Cameron replacement will come internally, said Rizzo. Mark DeRosa could play right field if Jayson Werth is in center, while Jason Michaels and Brett Carroll are in camp in minor league deals. Roger Bernadina may have a leg up as an out of options player, in my opinion. Here's MLBTR's full list of players who are out of minor league options.
2012 Arbitration Eligible Spending By Team
From the Astros at $4.5MM to the Giants at $42.05MM, MLB's 30 teams spent over half a billion dollars on 2012 salaries for 172 arbitration eligible players this offseason. Our arbitration tracker has the details, and a breakdown by team is below. Please note that the three free agents who accepted arbitration are excluded, and first-year salaries from 16 extensions are included with prorated signing bonuses.
- Giants: $42.05MM for 10 players, including 3 extensions
- Dodgers: $37.925MM for 5 players, including 3 extensions
- Rangers: $29.95MM for 7 players, including 2 extensions
- Phillies: $28.4MM for 3 players, including 1 extension
- Padres: $28.27MM for 12 players
- Indians: $25.415MM for 8 players
- Cubs: $23.872MM for 7 players
- Red Sox: $21.1775MM for 10 players
- Nationals: $19.615MM for 7 players, including 2 extensions
- Braves: $19.585MM for 4 players
- Rays: $18.7MM for 6 players
- Yankees: $18.65MM for 6 players
- Royals: $18.4925MM for 7 players
- Marlins: $18.385MM for 5 players
- Brewers: $18.1135MM for 7 players
- Pirates: $17.2585MM for 8 players
- Angels: $16.87MM for 5 players, including 1 extension
- Tigers: $15.6MM for 5 players
- Blue Jays: $15.59MM for 8 players
- Orioles: $12.975MM for 6 players
- Rockies: $12.965MM for 3 players
- Mets: $11.9MM for 4 players
- Diamondbacks: $11.5025MM for 4 players
- Athletics: $10.6825MM for 6 players
- Mariners: $10.45MM for 3 players
- Reds: $8.7725MM for 6 players, including 2 extensions
- Twins: $8.4325MM for 3 players
- White Sox: $8MM for 1 player, part of an extension
- Cardinals: $5.95MM for 3 players, including 1 extension
- Astros: $4.5MM for 3 players
The average team spent about $18MM on six players, and the average arbitration eligible player made $3.1MM.
Latest At HoopsRumors.com
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- After leading the Chinese Basketball Association in scoring, J.R. Smith returned to the NBA to join Linsanity in New York, signing with the Knicks.
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- Hoping to lure an NBA franchise back to the city, Seattle officially unveiled its proposal for a new sports arena.
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- Pieces on Deron Williams, Devin Harris, and Antawn Jamison are the newest additions to the site's ever-growing Trade Candidate series.
No Deadline For Hamels Extension
Phillies lefty Cole Hamels has no deadline in contract extension talks, he told reporters today at a press conference. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki has a transcript.
Asked whether Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are good contract comparisons, Hamels didn't say much to reveal his asking price in years or salary. He also didn't give a "yes" or "no" when asked if he'd take less to stay in Philadelphia, replying, "The only way to answer that is I don’t know any better." When asked whether his agents are currently in negotations with the Phillies, Hamels said, "I know they're supposed to."
The Phillies will have every opportunity to extend Hamels, explained agent John Boggs in January, though not at Jered Weaver money. Team president David Montgomery expects it to come down to what each side considers an appropriate length. I imagine Hamels expects at least six guaranteed years, though that's a guess.