Minor Deals: Balentien, Bailey, Hoffpauir, Miller
Collecting the day's minor league signings…
- Outfielder Wladimir Balentien is joining the Yakult Swallows in Japan, according to this report passed along on Twitter by NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman. The 26-year-old hit .282/.337/.536 with 25 home runs in 452 Triple-A plate appearances for the Reds' affiliate.
- The Twins signed 32-year-old outfielder/first baseman Jeff Bailey, reports Seth Stohs. Bailey hit .289/.387/.462 with 12 home runs in 564 Triple-A plate appearances for the Diamondbacks' affiliate.
- The Twins also signed infielder Chase Lambin, tweets Baseball America's Matt Eddy. The 31-year-old hit .252/.327/.414 with 15 homers in 548 plate appearances for the National's Triple-A affiliate in 2011. He has never played in the the big league, but did spend 2009 in Japan.
- MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports that Micah Hoffpauir has signed a one-year deal with the Nippon Ham fighters. The 30-year-old hit .251/.312/.421 in 394 plate appearances with the Cubs over the last three seasons.
- The Mariners have signed right-hander Justin Miller according to Eddy (via Twitter). In 24.1 innings with the Dodgers last year, the 33-year-old pitched to a 4.44 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. The Mariners are his ninth organization.
- Seattle also signed shortstop Sean Kazmar, tweets Eddy. He hit .275/.326/.381 for San Diego's Triple-A affiliate this year, and saw some big league action with them back in 2008.
- The Rays signed righty reliever Cory Wade, says Eddy (via Twitter). The 27-year-old had a 2.27 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 71.1 innings for the Dodgers in 2008, but he missed most of 2009 and all of 2010 after having shoulder surgery.
- Eddy tweets that the Athletics have signed outfielder Jai Miller. They lost him on a waiver claim to Kansas City back in April. The 25-year-old hit .252/.326/.490 in Triple-A last year, then .236/.300/.345 in 60 plate appearances with the Royals.
- The White Sox signed third baseman Dallas McPherson, tweets Baseball America's Matt Eddy. The 30-year-old hit .267/.339/.541 with 22 home runs in 354 plate appearances for Oakland's Triple-A affiliate this year. He hasn't spent significant time in the bigs since '06.
- The Phillies signed lefty reliever Dan Meyer, reports Bill Evans of the Gloucester County Times (hat tip to Matt Gelb). The 29-year-old signed with his hometown team after drawing interest from the Giants, Astros, Pirates, Padres, and Twins. Meyer, a big part of the Tim Hudson trade six years ago, had a strong '09 but was designated for assignment by the Marlins twice this year. He posted a 3.38 ERA, 6.1 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9 in 40 Triple-A innings in 2010.
Tigers In Serious Talks With Adam Dunn
2:04pm: ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that a source says talk about Dunn going to the Tigers is "way too premature." Detroit likes the first baseman/outfielder/DH, but they're not that far along in talks.
12:42pm: Adam Dunn is moving closer to a deal, maybe with the Tigers, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. SI's Jon Heyman tweets that Dunn and the Tigers are in serious talks, but big man is not close to an agreement with any team. The powerful left-handed slugger is known to be among Detroit's targets. He could fit as their regular left fielder, perhaps getting the occasional start at DH or first base. The Tigers have been aggressive so far this offseason, and to secure Dunn this early they'd probably have to guarantee four years.
Stark On Cubs, Kemp, Werth, Quentin
ESPN's Jayson Stark leads his latest Rumblings and Grumblings with scouts' opinions on pitchers Jorge de la Rosa, Vicente Padilla, Carl Pavano, Brian Fuentes, Randy Choate, Joaquin Benoit, and Koji Uehara. His rumors:
- Adrian Gonzalez's labrum cleanup surgery downgrades the chances of an offseason trade considerably.
- The Cubs "seem a lot less inclined" to trade Kosuke Fukudome and Carlos Zambrano, though some clubs believe they'd discuss the latter. Stark says there's a vibe the Cubs will not go after Adam Dunn for their first base opening, instead looking for an above-average defender.
- One team official who kicked the tires says of the Dodgers, "They ain't trading Matt Kemp."
- The Phillies are far apart with Jayson Werth and are exploring right field replacements. They've done extensive groundwork on Chicago's Carlos Quentin, and are considering Jeff Francoeur or Jermaine Dye for lesser roles. The Red Sox, by the way, are not willing to spend $100MM on Werth.
White Sox Willing To Discuss Gavin Floyd
The White Sox are willing to discuss righty Gavin Floyd, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. I'm sure the return would have to be significant, as Floyd is locked up affordably through 2012 with a club option for '13.
Floyd, 28 in January, posted a 4.08 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 0.7 HR/9, and career-best 49.9% groundball rate in 2010. He'd be preferable to almost every other available starter, even Cliff Lee if you're not keen on top dollar six-year free agent commitments for pitchers. The Brewers, Rangers, Yankees, Marlins, Nationals, Astros, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Rockies, and Dodgers are among the teams I'd expect to have interest in Floyd.
Heyman On Weeks, Matsui, Pujols
SI's Jon Heyman is gathering all kinds of information at the GM Meetings; here's the latest…
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin will talk to second baseman Rickie Weeks today about a possible extension, tweets Heyman. The arbitration eligible Weeks is one year away from free agency.
- Heyman tweets that the White Sox are talking to free agent designated hitter Hideki Matsui, who would fit as one of two lefty bats they hope to acquire. The Sox have already had preliminary discussions with Adam Dunn's agent. Heyman says the Cubs have not appeared to be big suitors for Dunn so far.
- Regarding Albert Pujols, Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt does not want to repeat Alex Rodriguez's ten-year, $275MM contract. In fact, he believes the Yankees would retract A-Rod's deal if they could. Heyman floated an eight-year, $240MM deal to DeWitt, who questioned the $30MM salary.
- Expensive closers Jonathan Papelbon and Francisco Cordero are on the trade market, with the Red Sox and Reds willing to kick in money. Still, Heyman sees the Red Sox retaining Papelbon, whose trade market is weak.
- Heyman could see something around three years and $57MM for Derek Jeter.
- Heyman believes the Orioles are looking at Paul Konerko and/or Adrian Beltre for their corner infield openings.
At Least Four Teams After Brandon Webb
The Dodgers, Pirates, Twins, and Rangers are interested in free agent righty Brandon Webb, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. He adds that we should not rule out the Nationals, Reds, and Cardinals.
MLBTR speculated on the Cards recently, though they just tied up decent money in Jake Westbrook. The Reds have an advantage in their proximity to Webb's Kentucky home. On Monday, Webb's agent Jonathan Maurer provided MLBTR with a detailed look at Webb's late season throwing sessions. Maurer said Webb is "ready to start 30 plus times in 2011" after shoulder surgery knocked him out for 2009 and '10.
What’s Next For The Marlins?
The Marlins and Tigers have been baseball's most aggressive teams so far this offseason. The Fish made their biggest free agent signing since 2005 in John Buck, and also traded away Dan Uggla, Cameron Maybin, and Andrew Miller. Owner Jeffrey Loria held court at the GM Meetings today, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has details.
Loria says to "stay tuned" for further activity, specifically involving the bullpen. One source tells Rosenthal the Marlins have only about $3-4MM left to spend. If the team is to make additional splashes, it'll have to be in the trade market. I wouldn't be surprised to see Leo Nunez dealt, and the team could use a starting pitcher as well. Indeed, Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel hears the Marlins are turning their attention to the rotation now.
Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald has quotes from Loria on Uggla. The Marlins' owner remarked, "Dan is a wonderful kid, but I can't speak for the advice he gets." Uggla was dead-set on a five-year contract, but the Marlins wouldn't go past four.
Loria also commented on Hanley Ramirez, telling WEEI's Rob Bradford he expects the shortstop to retire a Marlin.
ACES Agency Off To A Great Start
ACES, Inc., home of the Levinson brothers, is off to a great start this offseason. The agency has already brokered $57.25MM worth of contracts with the deals for John Buck, Joaquin Benoit, Brandon Inge, and Jhonny Peralta. The Tigers have been aggressive, signing three of the four. Last winter ACES authored big contracts for free agents Chone Figgins, Jason Marquis, Placido Polanco, and Fernando Rodney.
The Levinson brothers are far from done; they also represent free agents Grant Balfour, Javier Vazquez, Randy Choate, Aaron Harang, Eric Hinske, and Melky Cabrera. They'll also need to dedicate time to big arbitration cases for clients like Heath Bell, Nelson Cruz, and Jonathan Papelbon.
Blue Jays On Verge Of Acquiring Rajai Davis
The Blue Jays are on the verge of acquiring outfielder Rajai Davis from the Athletics, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Minor league reliever Trystan Magnuson is one of the players heading to Oakland in the deal, MLBTR has learned.
Davis, a 30-year-old speedster, became more expendable for Oakland after they acquired David DeJesus from the Royals. Davis slipped to .284/.320/.377 this year in 561 plate appearances for the A's, playing all three outfield positions but mainly center. It's not clear how the Jays would employ Davis, but capable center fielders are a rare commodity. Davis is arbitration eligible for the second time this winter and potentially under team control through 2013.
Magnuson, a 25-year-old righty, posted a 2.58 ERA, 7.7 K/9, and 1.2 BB/9 with only one home run allowed in 73 1/3 Double-A innings this year. Heading into the season Baseball America had him 22nd among Jays prospects.
Eric Chavez Attempting Comeback
We know Eric Chavez has pondered retirement, but his agent Scott Leventhal told Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald the third baseman hopes to play in 2011. Chavez is having strenuous workouts five days a week at Athletes Performance in Arizona and Leventhal says he's "completely healthy." Chavez, 33 next month, has endured two back surgeries and three shoulder surgeries in his career. Recently he dealt with bulging discs in his neck.
The Dodgers are one team that has considered asking Chavez to work out for them, reports Silverman.