National League Non-Tenders

This post will list all the National League players non-tendered today, but the best place to track all 200+ arbitration eligible players is our new non-tender tracker.

American League Non-Tenders

This post will list all the American League players non-tendered today, but the best place to track all 200+ arbitration eligible players is our new non-tender tracker.

Braves Re-Sign Eric Hinske

6:22pm: The deal will pay Hinske $1.35MM in 2011. The Braves will then choose between a $1.5MM club option for 2012 and a $100K buyout, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter).

4:31pm: Hinske will earn $1.45MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).

1:42pm: The Braves re-signed utility man Eric Hinske to a one-year deal with an option, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionKen Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the deal includes lots of plate appearance incentives.  Hinske chose between offers from the Braves and his hometown Brewers, apparently not finding the guaranteed two years he sought.

Hinske, 33, hit .256/.338/.456 with 11 home runs in 320 plate appearances this year.  He logged innings at left field and first base, and has also played right field and third base in his career.  He's a left-handed hitter who has been shielded from southpaws by his managers in recent years.

I'm surprised Hinske's agent couldn't find him a two-year guarantee, with recent comparables Geoff Blum and Ross Gload.  But perhaps he only had interest in playing for the Braves or Brewers, limiting his leverage.

Derek Jeter Rumors: Thursday

3:09pm: The Yankees have increased their offer to Jeter by an unknown amount, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.

2:28pm: The Yankees informed Close today they're willing to improve upon their three-year, $45MM offer to Jeter, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark.  Jeter's side lowered their request, adds SI's Jon Heyman on Twitter.

8:03am: Derek Jeter and his agent Casey Close reached out to the Yankees to set up Tuesday's meeting in Tampa, report Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News.  Hal Steinbrenner, Randy Levine, and Brian Cashman attended for the Yankees.

Money and years were not discussed, say Feinsand and Madden.  Instead, the meeting concluded with the Yankees' brass asking Close for ideas on how to bridge the large gap.  The tenor of the meeting was cordial, reports Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times.  Close did not get back to them on Wednesday.

The Yankees were emboldened by Troy Tulowitzki's new deal, in he has a $15.7MM average salary over the next ten seasons and Cashman and company offered Jeter $15MM per year.  Of course, the new part of Tulowitzki's contract is $134MM over seven years from 2014-20, which comes to $19.1MM per year.  To include Tulowitzki's low 2011 and '12 salaries in an average would be disingenuous, since those weren't potential free agent seasons for him.  At any rate, MLB is pleased that the Yankees have not gone overboard on their Jeter offer, report Feinsand and Madden.

White Sox Non-Tender Bobby Jenks

The White Sox non-tendered reliever Bobby Jenks, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Lefty Erick Threets, who was not arbitration eligible, was also cut loose.

Jenks, 30 in March, will probably be the day's most glamorous addition to the free agent list.  The 6'4", 275 pound righty posted his best strikeout rate since his rookie year, but the Sox unsurprisingly did not deem him worthy of a raise upon this year's $7.5MM salary.  Unless they add a free agent, they can turn to Matt Thornton or Chris Sale in the ninth inning.

Jenks burst on to the scene with the 2005 World Championship club and ended up with 173 saves in his White Sox career.  All those saves would have made his arbitration reward excessive for the Sox, but now Jenks' agents at Legacy Sports can seek a multiyear deal on the open market.

Threets, a hard-throwing 29-year-old, tossed 12 1/3 innings for the Sox this year without allowing an earned run.  He had an excellent ERA at Triple-A as well, though his strikeout rates were low at both stops.  He did have a strong 55.6% groundball rate in his brief Major League stint.

Twins Avoid Arbitration With Repko, Neshek

The Twins avoided arbitration with outfielder Jason Repko, tweets SI's Jon Heyman, agreeing to a $600K contract for 2011.  Repko gets a $100K raise after hitting .228/.324/.346 in 146 plate appearances for the Twins.  The former first-round pick played all three outfield positions in 2010.

Minnesota also reached a deal with reliever Pat Neshek for $625K, tweets John Shipley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.  Neshek, 30, had Tommy John surgery two years ago and also dealt with a finger injury early this year.  He spent most of the year at Triple-A, posting a 3.89 ERA, 5.7 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9 in 39 1/3 innings.  He had the same $625K salary in 2010.

Cubs Avoid Arbitration With Jeff Baker

The Cubs avoided arbitration with infielder Jeff Baker, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, agreeing to a one-year, $1.175MM deal.  Baker, 29, hit .272/.326/.413 in 224 plate appearances for the Cubs this year while playing mainly second and third base.  Arbitration eligible for the second time, he receives a $200K raise for 2011.

Poll: Will Russell Martin Be Traded Today?

The Red Sox have long admired Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, notes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.  With tonight's non-tender deadline less than eleven hours away, there appear to be three possibilities for Martin:

  • The Dodgers could re-sign him at a minimum of $4.04MM.
  • The Dodgers could trade him.
  • The Dodgers could non-tender him and get no return.

Technically the Dodgers could tender Martin a contract and trade him later, but they might seek a quicker resolution and more certainty.  Sometimes the non-tender threat can kill a player's trade market, but in other cases it compels a suitor to make a move before the player hits the open market.  If the Red Sox would be willing to meet Martin's salary demands and the Dodgers aren't, a deal would be mutually beneficial.  Other clubs may have interest too.  What's your take?

 

Will Russell Martin be traded today?

  • No 63% (4,691)
  • Yes 37% (2,771)

Total votes: 7,462

Royals Won’t Trade Greinke Within Division

The Royals won't trade Zack Greinke within their division, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  The Twins might have been a nice match, and the White Sox often check in on big names, but it appears those two teams as well as the Indians and Tigers will have to look elsewhere if they want to import an ace.

On Tuesday, Yahoo's Jeff Passan talked to a source that feels Greinke will not rule out any winning team.  The 27-year-old righty can submit a list of 15 teams to which he cannot be traded without his consent.