Rosenthal On Werth, Bill Hall, Cliff Lee
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports leads his latest column by contrasting the value of Zack Greinke and Matt Garza. Though Greinke is widely viewed as the superior pitcher, Garza comes with an extra year of control at similar overall money. Either righty would require a huge trade bounty. On to Rosenthal's other rumors…
- Jayson Werth's contract includes decent-sized bonuses for strong finishes in the MVP voting.
- The Dodgers are in discussions with Bill Hall to be their primary left fielder. Rosenthal feels that such a signing would be the team's last significant move. Hall's last strong season as a regular was 2006, the 35 home run campaign for the Brewers that earned him a $24MM contract.
- Rosenthal tweets that the lack of state income tax in Texas has minimal impact in the Cliff Lee talks, since Lee would reside in Arkansas instead. Rosenthal feels that the income tax-related savings the Rangers could promote would be balanced by a higher salary from the Yankees plus endorsements. George A. King III of the New York Post offers a similar take.
Poll: Does A Cliff Lee Mystery Team Exist?
Ah, the mystery team. Enough of a hot stove tradition that it has its own category here at MLBTR. One such phantom club still appears to be pursuing Cliff Lee, multiple sources told SI's Jon Heyman. Heyman cautions that it's not the Phillies. The Brewers, Cubs, and Orioles were ruled out during the winter meetings. The Nationals and Angels appear unlikely, and with their GMs confirming interest they wouldn't qualify as mysteries anyway.
Before the Carl Crawford signing, the Red Sox made a low-salary seven year offer, reported Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. So they're a former mystery team, but not a current one.
ESPN's Buster Olney notes in a tweet today that the whole mystery team idea "can only come spoon-fed from an agent who is trying to create leverage." That makes sense in regard to Lee, who still appears to only have two legitimate suitors and may be nearing a decision. There are only so many teams that can even propose a $140MM+ deal to a 32-year-old pitcher.
Does a third serious suitor for Lee even exist? Vote in today's poll.
Does a legitimate Cliff Lee "mystery team" currently exist?
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No 69% (11,460)
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Yes 31% (5,256)
Total votes: 16,716
Mariners Sign Jack Cust
The Mariners have signed Jack Cust on a one-year deal, according to a team press release. No terms were announced, but Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets Cust's base salary is around $2.5MM.
Cust, 32 in January, hit .272/.395/.438 in 425 plate appearances for the Athletics before being non-tendered this month. He's spent time at the outfield corners and designated hitter, and will probably stick to the latter for Seattle. He is represented by TWC Sports.
Morosi (Twitter link) first broke the news of the agreement and the terms, with Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times adding that Cust can match last year's $2.65MM salary through incentives. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first tweeted a deal was close.
Mark Polishuk contributed to this post
Astros Sign Ryan Rowland-Smith
The Astros have signed left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith to a one-year contract worth $725K plus incentives, according to a team press release. Rowland-Smith will join Nelson Figueroa and others in a competition for the team's fifth starter job. The Astros will have the opportunity to control Rowland-Smith through 2013 as an arbitration eligible player.
Rowland-Smith, 28 in January, posted a 6.75 ERA, 4.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 2.1 HR/9, and 37.1% groundball rate in 109 1/3 innings this year before being non-tendered by the Mariners. The Australia native spent time on the DL with a lower back strain this year after battling a triceps injury in '09.
News of the agreement was first reported by Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.
Red Sox Re-Sign Jason Varitek
The Red Sox have re-signed catcher Jason Varitek to a one-year deal, according to a team press release. No contract details were mentioned by the club, but Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated reports that Varitek will earn $2MM next season (via Twitter).
Varitek, 39 in April, will return for a 15th season in Boston. Last year, the Red Sox captain appeared in just 39 games and he'll likely assume a backup role again in 2011, when Jarrod Saltalamacchia could become the regular Boston backstop.
Thanks in large part to a torrid start at the plate, Varitek finished the 2010 season with a strong .232/.293/.473 batting line. The former Silver Slugger winner belted seven homers in just 123 plate appearances, proving that he still has some pop.
Though Varitek struggled to limit opposing base stealers early in the season, he threw out nine of 43 would-be base stealers overall. That figure (21%) is below average, but significantly better than the 13% mark he posted in 2009.
Heyman was the first to break the news of the signing on December 2, and MLB.com's Peter Gammons adds that the deal has $300K in incentives.
Ben Nicholson-Smith and Mark Polishuk contributed to this post.
Pirates Sign Scott Olsen
The Pirates signed lefty Scott Olsen, the team announced. Olsen will earn about $500K with a chance to make another $3MM in incentives based on starts. The deal includes a $4MM club option for 2012. Olsen is represented by Sosnick Cobbe Sports.
Olsen, 27 in January, posted a 5.56 ERA, 5.9 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9, and 46.5% groundball rate in 81 innings for the Nationals this year. He had labrum surgery in July of '09, and shoulder soreness lingered into the 2010 season. He pitched well through his first seven starts, with a 3.15 ERA in those 40 innings. ESPN's Keith Law wrote, "To have value to the Pirates he'll need to locate his fastball better and improve his barely-average changeup."
Olsen joins Kevin Correia as the new members of Pittsburgh's rotation, which lost Zach Duke to a trade and could see Paul Maholm depart as well. Ross Ohlendorf and James McDonald figure to take a couple of spots.
MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch first reported on Monday that a deal was close and ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported the agreement.
Brewers Sign Wil Nieves
The Brewers officially added depth behind the plate today, signing catcher Wil Nieves to a non-guaranteed deal worth $775K. In addition to the base salary, Nieves can earn $45K in incentives.
The Nationals non-tendered Nieves last week, making him a free agent. Milwaukee has been looking for a backstop to pair with Jonathan Lucroy, though George Kottaras and Mike Rivera may also be in the mix.
Nieves, 33, has spent parts of seven seasons in the majors, posting a .227/.273/.297 line overall. He hit .203/.244/.310 in 172 plate appearances for the Nationals last year and threw out 24% of would-be base stealers, matching his career mark. If the Brewers are thrilled with his performance, they can control Nieves for 2012 as an arbitration eligible player.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first tweeted the Brewers were close to a deal with Nieves, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported (on Twitter) that the sides had an agreement and MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reported the financial details (on Twitter).
Cliff Lee Rumors: Thursday
All the latest on Cliff Lee, after a slew of rumors yesterday…
- Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg announced on a conference call that the team made Lee an offer for an unspecified amount, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (all Twitter links). The lefty is now weighing his options and the Rangers feel good about their chances. Like the Yankees, the Rangers offered Lee a "menu" of choices, Greenberg said (Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reporting on Twitter).
- The Rangers expect to know by tonight whether they'll be able to sign Lee or not, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sulivan.
- The Rangers asked Braunecker what it'd take to sign Lee, according to Crasnick. The agent, who obviously has the upper hand, instead told the Rangers they'll have to make their best offer.
- The Yankees have presented Lee with an assortment of contract choices, writes Sherman. He believes the bids are something like five years for $125MM ($25MM per), six years for $144MM ($24MM per), and seven years for $161MM ($23MM per). I have a feeling this will reach its resolution with Lee signing the largest pitching contract ever.
- The Rangers requested the Arkansas meeting and plan to increase their offer beyond five years, tweets Rosenthal. The Rangers are "adding any perk necessary" to please Lee and his family, tweets Yahoo's Steve Henson.
- Crasnick reports that the Yankees' new seven-year offer has a lower average annual value than the $23.3MM of their previous one. So this offer could be worth less than Sabathia's contract.
- The Rangers are sending a contingent to meet with Lee and agent Darek Braunecker in the pitcher's hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. This will mark the team's third trip to Arkansas. The Rangers are sending owner Chuck Greenberg and assistant GM Thad Levine, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- Angels GM Tony Reagins acknowledged interest in Lee, tweets Rosenthal.
- The Lee talks might drag through the weekend, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The Yankees have just gone to a seventh year for Lee, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. With Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth getting deals of that length, it'd be hard to sign Lee without matching. The Yanks' previous offer was reported to be six years and $140MM, so this one could nudge Lee past C.C. Sabathia for the largest contract ever given to a pitcher.
Russell Martin Rumors: Thursday
We learned yesterday that free agent catcher Russell Martin has multiple offers in hand. The latest:
- Martin is weighing offers from the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and a mystery team, according to Marc Carig of the Star Ledger (on Twitter). The mystery team has proposed a multiyear deal.
- Matt Colleran, Martin's agent, told Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that he has multiple offers and that the Red Sox view Martin strictly as a catcher (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox are considered the frontrunner for Martin, reports ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
- Boston has an offer out to Martin, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link). The Yankees and Blue Jays are still involved.
- The Yankees and Red Sox are going very hard after Martin, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.
Odds & Ends: Jeter, Cameron, Rich Hill
Another eventful Winter Meetings has come to a close. Even with the pre-meetings action involving Adrian Gonzalez, Jayson Werth, and Shaun Marcum, we had plenty to talk about this week. Carl Crawford signed the biggest deal of the offseason so far. Paul Konerko stayed with the White Sox after some drama. Carlos Pena found a pillow contract with the Cubs. J.J. Putz assumed the Diamondbacks' closer role. The Orioles rebuilt the left side of their infield with Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy. The Pirates, Mariners, Padres, Royals, Rockies, Mets, and others made additions as well. On to today's links…
- Check out a couple of Rule 5 draft reviews from MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein. And of course, a pair of great links from John Manuel of Baseball America. We've got the picks from the Major League phase listed here.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff has the financial breakdown on Derek Jeter's new contract.
- The Red Sox have already gotten inquiries on outfielder Mike Cameron, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. The team plans to keep him but is willing to listen. Cameron will have to take on a part-time role with Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury, and J.D. Drew filling Boston's outfield.
- The Red Sox are expected to reach an agreement to re-sign Rich Hill in the next few days, reports Dan Barbarisi of The Providence Journal. Hill, who grew up a Sox fan, hopes to crack the bullpen this year.
- The Tigers' talks with Carl Crawford didn't get far, GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck. Dombrowski explained that a team can only have so many $20MM players, and the Tigers already have two.
- Orioles president Andy MacPhail hasn't ruled out Cesar Izturis returning, tweets MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. Izturis is a tougher fit after the Orioles acquired Hardy and Brendan Harris.