Kovacevic Talks To Pirates Owner Nutting
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette grilled Pirates owner Bob Nutting yesterday; let's take a look at the interview.
- Nutting says Miguel Angel Sano's $3.15MM bonus with the Twins, $550K more than the Pirates' offered, "was comfortably within the range" of what the Bucs could've paid.
- GM Neal Huntington has "lots of flexibility" in payroll, but Nutting does not want to divert from the long-term plan.
- Asked if the Pirates would "someday spend at the level of the Brewers and Reds," Nutting replied in the affirmative. That'd be the $75-80MM range. The Pirates currently project to fall under $40MM in 2010.
- Nutting assured Kovacevic the Pirates are "using our revenue-share dollars appropriately."
- By my count, the Pirates have added about $14MM for winter acquisitions Akinori Iwamura, Octavio Dotel, Ryan Church, Brendan Donnelly, Bobby Crosby, D.J. Carrasco (non-guaranteed), and Javier Lopez. Matt Capps, who received $3.5MM from the Nationals, was the one well-paid subtraction.
Brewers Sign Doug Davis
The Brewers officially signed lefty Doug Davis to a one-year deal today worth $5.25MM guaranteed. The contract pays $4.25MM in ’10 and has a $6.5MM mutual option for ’11 with a $1MM buyout. Davis can also earn another another $1MM in incentives each season, broken down into payments of $125K each for 180, 185, 190, and 195 innings pitched and 28, 29, 30, and 32 starts.
This marks Davis’ second stint with Milwaukee, his first being the best stretch of his career. He signed with the Brewers as a free agent in July of ’03, and stayed until a November ’06 trade with Arizona. The 34-year-old posted a 4.12 ERA in ’09, but that didn’t match up with his 1.42 K/BB ratio.
Davis joins Randy Wolf as the second addition to the Brewers’ rotation this winter. Yovani Gallardo will lead the group, with Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan/Manny Parra rounding out the back end.
MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy first reported the agreement.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Gomes, Coffey, Nolasco, Vazquez
Links for Thursday…
- Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that team sources have told him that the Cubs are looking at Jonny Gomes as a fourth outfielder. Gomes – who proved to be one of the best minor league deals of 2009 – confirms.
- The Brewers signed arbitration-eligible reliever Todd Coffey for $2.025MM, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. That's just short of the midpoint.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro writes that a strong 2010 season would lead the Marlins to explore a multiyear deal with Ricky Nolasco. Nolasco is under team control through 2012, and will earn $3.8MM in his second arbitration year.
- Yankees pitcher Javier Vazquez spoke to Puerto Rican newspaper La Perla del Sur. MLBTR's translator Nick Collias supplies this interesting quote: "I don't have much playing time left…I go year by year, and I don’t know if it will be one, two or three years, but I'm definitely not going to play until 40." Vazquez is eligible for free agency after the season.
- Rockies outfielder Dexter Fowler switched to Scott Boras in November, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post wrote in a Monday blog post. Fowler's been added to our Scott Boras client list, which can always be found on the sidebar.
- MLBTR missed this January 14th signing: the White Sox added Daniel Cabrera on a minor league deal. Cabrera, 29 in May, posted a 0.55 K/BB ratio and 6.00 ERA in 51 big league innings last year.
- The Mets and Diamondbacks haven't had any new discussions for catcher Chris Snyder, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Piecoro examines the debate about whether to trade Snyder.
- Luke Scott wants to play defense, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Scott says he's "taking one for the team" by serving as DH, and it hurts him in contract negotiations.
- Slugger Jim Thome continues to keep the door open for the White Sox, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. However, in comments to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, manager Ozzie Guillen indicated a preference to avoid a permanent DH.
No Long-Term Offer Yet For Verlander
Tigers righty Justin Verlander told John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press he's yet to receive a long-term contract offer from the club. Still, interest appears mutual.
Verlander would prefer to work out his 2010 salary before entering long-term discussions. With Joe Blanton locked up, Verlander's $2.6MM gap with the Tigers is second only to Tim Lincecum's $5MM divide among those exchanging arbitration figures. I mentioned yesterday on Twitter that I found Verlander's $9.5MM request to be high. My comparison to Felix Hernandez's second arbitration year salary was flawed, since that wouldn't factor into an arbitration hearing. A better match might be Andy Pettitte. Here's how the two stack up after four seasons, keeping in mind arbitration panels focus on simple stats like wins:
- Verlander: 840 IP, 132 GS, 65 wins, 3.92 ERA, 746 Ks
- Pettitte: 852.6 IP, 127 GS, 67 wins, 3.75 ERA, 588 Ks
Pettitte received a 56.6% raise heading into the 1999 season. Verlander had a better platform year, more strikeouts, and better award finishes, Pettitte the superior ERA. Even a 70% raise would put Verlander at $6.25MM in 2010, though the Tigers would only have to convince the panel he deserves less than $8.2MM to win.
This may all be moot, as the Tigers will probably want to avoid a hearing given their desire to lock Verlander up long-term. If they settle near the midpoint, Verlander's aggressive filing will pay off. As for a multiyear contract, Verlander acknowledged he's "closely mirrored" to Felix, whose five-year, $78MM pact will be made official today. Verlander does not want to negotiate during the season.
Dodgers Re-Sign Vicente Padilla
Vicente Padilla officially signed a one-year, $5.025MM deal with the Dodgers today. He can earn another $1MM in innings incentives. MLB.com's Ken Gurnick first reported the agreement earlier today, with his colleague Jesse Sanchez as well as Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweeting the contract details.
Padilla, 32, posted a 5.9 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, and 4.46 ERA in 147.3 innings for the Rangers and Dodgers last year. The Dodgers added him as a free agent in August after the Rangers released him, and he tossed 56.6 solid innings for L.A. between the regular season and playoffs. Padilla's '09 injury ledger included forearm tightness, a strained shoulder, a bruised palm, swine flu, and a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Gurnick had previously named Joel Pineiro, Jon Garland, and Braden Looper as other Dodgers targets. Pineiro is off the board, while Garland and Looper will presumably have to look elsewhere.
Phillies Sign Joe Blanton To Extension
The Phillies signed Joe Blanton to a three-year, $24MM extension, according to a team press release. The deal buys out Blanton's last arbitration year and two free agent seasons. AOL FanHouse's Ed Price tweets the details: $7MM in '10 and $8.5MM in '11 and '12. Another $500K can be earned with innings incentives. The price is reasonable, given the recent contracts signed by Jason Marquis and Joel Pineiro.
Blanton, 29, has seen an uptick in his strikeout rate since joining the Phillies in July of '08. Last year he posted a 7.5 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, and 4.05 ERA in 195.3 innings.
Pirates Designate Anthony Claggett For Assignment
The Pirates designated pitcher Anthony Claggett for assignment to make room for Octavio Dotel, according to a team press release. Claggett, 25, posted a 3.07 ERA, 4.7 K/9, and 3.5 BB/9 in 82 Triple A innings last year. The Bucs had claimed him off waivers from the Yankees in September.
Rangers Sign Khalil Greene
The Rangers officially signed infielder Khalil Greene today to a one-year, $750K deal. The agreement was first reported by MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan on January 9th.
Greene, 30, hit .200/.272/.347 in 193 plate appearances for the Cardinals last year, tallying 240.3 innings at shortstop and 96 at third base. He'll serve as a utility infielder for Texas. On December 4th, 2008, the Cards acquired Greene from the Padres for pitchers Mark Worrell and Luke Gregerson. Greene had a promising spring, but hit the DL in May with social anxiety disorder. Earlier this month, ESPN's Buster Olney wrote that Greene has been working out diligently at Vanderbilt this offseason with his former college coach.
Greg Golson Designated For Assignment
The Rangers designated outfielder Greg Golson for assignment to make room for Khalil Greene, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Golson, 24, hit .258/.299/.344 in 500 Triple A plate appearances last year. He was acquired by the Rangers in November of '08 for John Mayberry Jr.
Crasnick On Remaining Free Agents
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick looks at the prominent remaining free agents in his column today. He goes position-by-position, outlining who's out there and which teams might be looking. If you enjoy playing free agent matchmaker, it's a must-read. Crasnick's main point: "Roster spots are like gold, and dozens of players with legitimate aspirations are being forced to downsize their expectations."