Astros Designate Jason Bourgeois For Assignment
The Astros designated outfielder Jason Bourgeois for assignment to make room for Brett Myers, tweets MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The Astros had claimed the 28-year-old Bourgeois off waivers from the Brewers in October. In 2009, he hit .316/.354/.401 in Triple A while playing all three outfield positions. The Astros re-signed Jason Michaels in mid-December, lessening the need for extra outfielders.
Pirates Sign Ryan Church
The Pirates officially signed outfielder Ryan Church to a one-year, $1.5MM deal today. The deal includes another $1.32MM in plate appearance incentives. With 600 plate appearances, Church would slightly top his '09 salary of $2.8MM. The Pirates can retain Church beyond 2010 as an arbitration-eligible player, if they choose.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported the Pirates' extensive conversations with Church early Monday. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports followed a few hours later saying the sides were closing in on a deal. Monday evening Kovacevic reported an agreement had been reached, and yesterday he added contract details.
Kovacevic says Church matches the Pirates' criteria in that he bats left-handed, plays strong defense, and could jump into an everyday role if necessary. Kovacevic wrote Friday that the Pirates' outlook on Rick Ankiel dimmed due to Ankiel's expectation of an everyday job. In a statement, Pirates GM Neal Huntington said Church "has the skills and tools to be a valuable player off the bench and could play regularly if the situation so dictates."
Church, 31, hit .273/.338/.384 in 399 plate appearances for the Braves and Mets last year. Shipped to the Braves in July for Jeff Francoeur, Church's season included a sore hamstring, hyper-extended elbow, and back spasms. The Braves designated him for assignment in December when Rafael Soriano accepted arbitration. Church was non-tendered a few days later.
The Cardinals were the other club known to have Church on the radar.
Pirates Trying To Sign Three Relievers
The Pirates' bullpen might have a new look soon. According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, they're working on deals for three free agent relievers.
"Productive talks" with Octavio Dotel and D.J. Carrasco "could result in agreements soon," writes Kovacevic. The Pirates appear to be working on a minor league deal for Carrasco, which is surprising given his solid work in 93.3 innings for the White Sox last year. Pure speculation on my part, but perhaps Carrasco is lured to the Pirates by an opportunity to compete for the fifth starter job. Interesting side note: Carrasco and new Pirate Brian Bass ranked #1-2 in relief innings for all of MLB last year.
Dotel would be the big-ticket bullpen acquisition; he could have a shot at replacing Matt Capps as the Pirates' closer. I imagine Dotel won't get much more than $3MM, which would be half his '09 salary. That contract with the White Sox was signed in January of '08, a different time for free agents.
The third Pirates bullpen addition would be an unknown free agent right-hander on a big league deal. Kovacevic speculates on several names, and also rules out Kevin Gregg while noting past Pirates interest in Jamey Wright.
One consequence of adding two relievers on Major League deals would be the need to clear a pair of 40-man roster spots. Kovacevic speculates that Steve Pearce, Brian Bixler, and Delwyn Young could be on the bubble.
Nationals Willing To Offer Two Years To Hudson?
9:44pm: "Don't look for [the Nationals] to offer Hudson a two-year deal," a source tells Ladson. The source also says that the Nats only want to give Hudson a deal akin to Juan Uribe's one-year, $3.25MM contract with San Francisco, feeling that Uribe's deal "set the market for infielders like Hudson." Ladson's piece also goes into greater detail about Washington's interest in Adam Kennedy.
11:48am: The Nationals would be willing to offer a two-year deal to free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson at the right price, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi mentioned on Twitter that the "per annum wouldn't be too high." MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets that Hudson "wants $9MM for 2010," which is out of the Nats' price range. It seems likely that the handful of other teams considering second base help would also not be interested at that price.
Hudson, 32, did not sign last year until February 20th. His contract with the Dodgers guaranteed only $3.38MM, but he ultimately earned about $8MM after incentives. He hit .283/.357/.417, but lost playing time down the stretch. If you are a believer in the defensive stat UZR, Hudson has been average at best the last few years. The Nationals, who Morosi says are "prioritizing defense," must be evaluating Hudson in some other manner.
Odds & Ends: Marlins, Chapman, Royals, Padres
Links for Tuesday…
- Talking to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, Rays manager Joe Maddon indicated he'd like to bring in additional players to compete at second base and in the bullpen.
- Derek Lowe told David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the Braves' failed attempt to trade him is now an "absolute non-issue."
- According to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, MLB and the players' union expressed concern that the Marlins "have not been spending proceeds from revenue sharing on payroll as required in the Basic Agreement." Look for a slight payroll increase in 2010, and a much bigger one in 2012 when the new ballpark opens.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer passes along Aroldis Chapman contract details from the AP. There are scenarios where Chapman can choose to go to arbitration if he's eligible after the 2012 or 2013 seasons. Meanwhile, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon chronicles the Reds' involvement on Chapman dating back to March.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Mariners have thought about Jonny Gomes this winter, though he's no longer a great fit.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock tweets/passes along an XX 1090 appearance by Padres GM Jed Hoyer. Hoyer said he has offers out to three free agents.
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy says Mark Mulder's sit-down with the Brewers is scheduled for Thursday. A minor league agreement is possible.
- Jack Moore of FanGraphs says Aubrey Huff is not an upgrade for the Giants.
Brandon Jones Designated For Assignment
Braves outfielder Brandon Jones was designated for assignment today to make room for Eric Hinske, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jones, 26, hit .281/.360/.419 in his third Triple A stint.
Heading into the 2008 season, Baseball America ranked Jones the 70th-best prospect in the game. At the time BA said the Braves considered Jones their "long-term answer in left field."
Royals Near Agreement With Paul Carlixte
Dayton Moore's second "top five" international free agent signing is likely to be Dominican shortstop Paul Carlixte, writes ESPN's Keith Law. Law says the Royals and Carlixte are near an agreement exceeding $1MM.
Law notes irregularities found by MLB's age investigation, but his source says Carlixte is a "great-looking shortstop with soft hands and a very quick bat."
White Sox Re-Sign Ramon Castro
The White Sox re-signed catcher Ramon Castro to a one-year, $1MM deal with a club option for 2011, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. MLB.com's Kelly Thesier says the deal pays $800K in 2010 and has a $1.2MM club option/$200K buyout for '11. She notes that the Sox designated catcher Cole Armstrong for assignment to make room for Castro.
Castro, 34 in March, was traded with cash by the Mets to the White Sox in May of '09 for Lance Broadway. Castro hit .219/.292/.406 in 171 plate appearances on the season, catching about 400 innings. A December 14th report that Castro signed with the Blue Jays proved to be inaccurate. The Padres were another club known to be interested in Castro. The backup catcher market still includes Brad Ausmus, Jose Molina, and Mike Redmond.
The White Sox have added over $29MM in new contracts this winter, acquiring/re-signing Mark Teahen, Juan Pierre, J.J. Putz, Mark Kotsay, Omar Vizquel, Freddy Garcia, Castro, Andruw Jones, and others.
Pirates Add Bass, Carlin, Myrow
The Pirates reached agreements with pitcher Brian Bass, catcher Luke Carlin, and outfielder Bryan Myrow on minor league deals, according to a team press release.
Bass, 28, posted a 4.90 ERA, 5.6 K/9, and 4.6 BB/9 in 86.3 relief innings last year. He allowed 11 home runs in that time despite an excellent 61.4% groundball rate. The Orioles non-tendered him after the season.
Carlin, 29, hit .321/.430/.481 for the D'Backs' Triple A club. They still chose to outright him in early December. Myrow, 33, hit .307/.419/.496 for the Triple A affiliates of the Pirates and White Sox. Both players have had multiple Triple A stints, but their 15% walk rates in '09 are intriguing.
Damon Remains Unlikely For Yankees
Buster Olney of ESPN and Joel Sherman of the New York Post find a Johnny Damon-Yankees reunion unlikely.
Both writers say Damon would have to greatly reduce his salary demands. According to Sherman, the Yankees are telling agents they have only $2MM to spend. Both writers also agree that Brian Cashman would have to lobby Hal Steinbrenner to expand the budget to accomodate Damon. Sherman says a July trade for Mike Cameron was scrapped because Hal would not approve a $5.5MM increase.
In the likely event the Yanks move on from Damon, Sherman ranks the team's targets: Xavier Nady, Reed Johnson, Rocco Baldelli, Jerry Hairston Jr., and Marcus Thames.