Arbitration Information
Here’s a page to bookmark – Maury Brown’s chart of 2010 arbitration filings over at The Biz of Baseball. The biggest gaps: Tim Lincecum at $5MM, Joe Blanton at $2.75MM, Justin Verlander at $2.6MM, and Wandy Rodriguez at $2MM. Obviously there is some disagreement on the appropriate salary for a top-tier starter.
Players Avoiding Arbitration: Monday
More 2010 salary agreements are expected in advance of Tuesday's noon deadline for exchanging arbitration figures.
- Chad Durbin has avoided salary arbitration, agreeing to a $2.125MM contract with the Phillies, tweets Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. This marks an increase over the $1.635MM he received by avoiding arbitration last year.
- The Rockies signed Ryan Spilborghs to a two-year deal worth $3.25MM, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post. The 30-year-old, who was arb-eligible for the first time, could earn an additional $1.15MM in incentives over the course of the deal.
- Arizona agreed to terms with right-handed pitchers Chad Qualls and Aaron Heilman, reports Steve Gilbert of MLB.com (via Twitter). Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweets that Heilman gets $2.15MM whereas Qualls will make $4.185MM in 2010. This was the third arbitration-eligible year for both players.
- The Bombers avoided arbitration with their last two eligible players, Chad Gaudin and Boone Logan, according to Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees Blog. This was Gaudin's third arbitration-eligible year and Logan's very first. Marc Carig of the Newark Star Ledger reports that Gaudin will make $2.95MM with incentives while Logan will make $590K.
- The Rangers agreed to terms with pitcher C.J. Wilson on a one-year deal worth $3.1MM, reports T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The deal represents a $1.25MM raise in base pay for the 29-year-old, who avoided his first potential arbitration hearing this time a year ago.
- The Reds agreed to terms with Jared Burton, their last arbitration-eligible player, reports John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer. This was Burton's first flirtation with the arbitration process.
- The Marlins avoided arbitration with Anibal Sanchez and Renyel Pinto by signing each to one-year deals, according to the Marlins' official twitter page. This is the first go-round in arbitration for both players. Sanchez will earn $1.25MM with up to $100K in bonuses, reports Jon Paul Morosi (via Twitter). Pinto will make $1.075 according to the Associated Press.
- Tony Pena and the White Sox have avoided arbitration, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal, tweets White Sox VP Scott Reifert. Pena will earn $1.2MM, according to Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). This was the 28-year-old's first time being arbitration-eligible.
- Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla settled at $7.8MM, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. It's a $2.45MM raise for the slugger, who was arb-eligible for the second time. He remains a trade candidate. Uggla told Frisaro he was happy to avoid a hearing, even after winning last year.
- The Brewers signed outfielder Jody Gerut for 2010, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. MLB.com's Adam McCalvy pegs the value at $2MM, a $225K raise. This is Gerut's final arbitration year.
- Blue Jays pitcher Shaun Marcum, who missed '09 due to Tommy John surgery, signed for $850K tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. 2010 is Marcum's first arbitration year.
Odds & Ends: Alfaro, Brewers, Byrnes, Giambi
Monday links, as we await a flurry of players avoiding arbitration…
- The Rangers signed 16-year-old Colombian catcher Jorge Alfaro for $1.3MM, reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. Click here to watch video, courtesy of Kiley McDaniel.
- The Mariners agreed to sign 17-year-old righty Kevin Quintanilla out of El Salvador.
- Here's a link to Jon Heyman's latest at SI.com, where he ranks which teams have had the best offseasons so far.
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Yankees did not make an offer to Jerry Hairston Jr., nor have they had recent contact with Johnny Damon.
- Olney also says the Rockies "are staying in contact with Jason Giambi, but they are considering other options first."
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel names the Brewers' arb-eligible seven, while also noting that GM Doug Melvin "remains in touch with the agents for free-agent lefties Doug Davis and Jarrod Washburn."
- Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star writes about the Blue Jays' six arb-eligibles, noting that GM Alex Anthopoulos will not negotiate beyond Tuesday's deadline.
- Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner believes Eric Byrnes is a fit for the Ms, though he acknowledges that the team already has several injury-prone players. Cameron would be willing to pay about $1MM for Byrnes. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic looks back at the positive side of Byrnes' Arizona tenure.
- In a FanGraphs article, Cameron says the WAR stat does value relievers correctly, and teams are just overpaying for closers.
- WEEI's Rob Bradford wonders if Jonathan Papelbon's 2010 salary will lead to Theo Epstein's first arbitration hearing.
- White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he wants to stay with the team beyond 2010, the last year of his current contract.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan examines the Athletics, who he feels are set up to contend in 2011.
- At the Cubs Convention over the weekend, GM Jim Hendry said fans can "expect to have two new faces" before Spring Training. The Cubs seek a reliever and a bench bat.
Indians Acquire Brian Bixler
The Indians acquired shortstop Brian Bixler from the Pirates for infielder Jesus Brito, according to a team press release. MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince says Bixler will compete with Jason Donald, Mark Grudzielanek, and Luis Rodriguez for a utility infield role.
Bixler, 27, hit .275/.343/.439 at Triple A this year – his third stint at the level. Heading into 2009 Baseball America labeled him an "average defensive shortstop," noting his ability to play second base and predicting a utility future. Brito, 22, hit .353/.431/.567 for the Indians' rookie and short-season clubs in '09.
Pujols Talks About Extension
Media members quizzed Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols about his contract situation today at the team's Winter Warm-Up festivities, as covered by Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and B.J. Rains of the Globe-Democrat. Pujols does not want to discuss an extension during the season, though he did say he'd be willing to take a discount if it'd make the team better.
Though Pujols hopes to avoid free agency, he'd be fine with it if necessary. The slugger's comments indicated a lack of urgency, which makes sense since he is under team control through 2011.
Cubs Interested In Xavier Nady
The Cubs are interested in outfielder Xavier Nady, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Nady's agent, Scott Boras, told Morosi his client is on schedule to be ready for Spring Training after July Tommy John surgery. With Nady and Jermaine Dye reportedly on the Cubs' radar, they appear to be setting their sights a little higher for their fourth outfielder role.
The Yankees and Braves are two other clubs that have been linked to Nady, with previous suitors such as the Cardinals, Rangers, and Pirates going in different directions. At any rate it doesn't look like he will be well-compensated this year.
Midseason Trade Candidates
With the bigger free agent names off the board, many MLBTR readers are already looking ahead and trying to predict which big names will be available for trade during the summer. Here's our take.
Anything's possible, but I'd consider the Indians, Pirates, and Padres three clubs unlikely to contend in 2010. I also get the impression Mark Shapiro, Neal Huntington, and Jed Hoyer will be realistic and ready to deal if things aren't looking good come June. With that in mind, some of the more available players this summer might include Kerry Wood, Jake Westbrook, Jhonny Peralta, Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, Ryan Doumit, Akinori Iwamura, Chris Young, Heath Bell, Kevin Correia, and Adrian Gonzalez. Obviously Gonzalez would be the one dominating MLBTR.
I'm sure surprises will emerge, but other possible sellers include the Nationals, Orioles, Blue Jays, Reds, Royals, and A's. Those clubs might make the following players available: Adam Dunn, Cristian Guzman, Kevin Millwood, Lyle Overbay, Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Bronson Arroyo, Aaron Harang, Gil Meche, David DeJesus, Kyle Farnsworth, Juan Cruz, and Coco Crisp. It's far from a complete list.
Other intriguing midseason trade candidates: Brandon Webb, Carl Crawford, Huston Street, and Brad Hawpe. The D'Backs would probably have to be out of contention to shop Webb, while the Rays and Rockies wouldn't necessarily be waving the white flag.
There are a few blockbuster-type names, longshots for sure, who could be trade bait if extension attempts fail and the teams are out of contention. For example, Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander, and Joe Mauer.
GM Trade Histories: AL West
Brendan Bianowicz has one more big update to our GM Trade History Series. Check out the AL West spreadsheets below for GM information on trades, free agent signings, and more.
Ben Sheets To Throw For Teams Tuesday
SATURDAY, 8:31pm: The Mets will be in attendance when Sheets throws on Tuesday, according to Ed Price of Fanhouse.com (via Twitter).
Earlier today, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak confirmed to fans and reporters that the club will be in Monroe, Louisiana to watch Sheets as well.
FRIDAY, 4:36pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the Brewers will watch Sheets next week. Haudricourt suggests the Brewers are just being dilligent.
1:33pm: The Dodgers will watch Sheets pitch, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (via Twitter).
11:42am: The Angels could use Sheets, but will they watch him throw? "Not at this time," GM Tony Reagins tells Bill Shaikin of the LA Times.
8:40am: Cardinals GM John Mozeliak tells Rob Rains of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat that the Cards will "likely" watch Sheets throw.
MLB.com's Jordan Bastian adds the Blue Jays to the list of interested teams.
THURSDAY, 1:52pm: The Rangers will be in attendance on Tuesday, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Sheets and Rich Harden would be a high-upside, high-injury risk pair of rotation additions.
Athletics Acquire Kevin Kouzmanoff
The A's acquired Kevin Kouzmanoff and Eric Sogard from the Padres for Scott Hairston and Aaron Cunningham. Oakland GM Billy Beane dealt from outfield depth to add certainty at third base, while San Diego GM Jed Hoyer strengthened his outfield with a former Padre.
Kouzmanoff, 28, hit .255/.302/.420 in 573 plate appearances for the Padres last year. He's arbitration-eligible for the first time. His glovework grades out as slightly above average, according to UZR/150.
Baseball America ranked Sogard as San Diego's 17th best prospect coming into the 2009 season, before he hit .293/.370/.400 with more walks (58) than strikeouts (47) in Double-A.
Former Padres GM Kevin Towers dealt Hairston to the A's in July. Now the 30-year-old heads back to San Diego. He hit well with the Padres last year but struggled with the A's. He's arbitration-eligible for the second time.
Cunningham, 24 in April, spent most of '09 at Triple A where he hit .302/.372/.479. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick mentions in a tweet that Cunningham recently underwent surgery for a sports hernia. This is Cunningham's third time being dealt.
MLBTR first reported the trade, with Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle naming the players involved and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports pointing to the deal's completion.
Our apologies for initially naming Gio Gonzalez as part of this deal.