Odds & Ends: Mariners, Gomes, Holliday, Bay
Links for Wednesday…
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times sees Adam LaRoche as the best free agent first base option for the Mariners. He likes the idea of acquiring the Orioles' Luke Scott as an alternative.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer talked to Reds assistant GM Bob Miller, who said Jonny Gomes wants to explore the market.
- Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch can't see how Scott Boras will find a suitor for Matt Holliday aside from the Cardinals.
- WEEI's Alex Speier looks back at the circumstances that resulted in Jason Bay being traded by Omar Minaya and Steve Phillips early in his career.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro has a new Marlins mailbag up, in which he explains that Dan Uggla no longer appears to be a fit for the Giants.
Diamondbacks Sign Kelly Johnson
The Diamondbacks signed second baseman Kelly Johnson to a one-year, $2.35MM deal today. They'll also retain his rights for 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player. The impending agreement was first reported yesterday by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. This morning SI's Jon Heyman tweeted that an agreement had been reached, and Piecoro later added the contract value. Piecoro also wrote yesterday that signing Johnson could make Augie Ojeda expendable.
Johnson, 28 in February, lost the Braves' starting second baseman job to Martin Prado in July and hit .224/.303/.389 overall. He spent time on the DL for right wrist tendinitis. MLBTR learned earlier this month that the Pirates, Cardinals, and Astros also had interest in Johnson, who was non-tendered by the Braves on December 12th.
Jay Marshall Designated For Assignment
The A's designated southpaw reliever Jay Marshall for assignment to make room for Justin Duchscherer today, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Marshall, 27 in February, spent most of the last two seasons in the minors. This year at Triple A he posted a 3.20 ERA, 5.3 K/9, and 2.7 BB/9 in 50.6 innings.
Marshall joined the A's as a Rule 5 claim from the White Sox in '06. The A's did their part and kept Marshall with the big club in '07, but the Red Sox claimed him off waivers after the season. The A's were able to claim him back a few months later.
Ramon Castro Remains A Free Agent
Back on December 14th, ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. tweeted that the Blue Jays signed catcher Ramon Castro to a one-year deal worth nearly $1MM. The move seemed unnecessary, with John Buck and Raul Chavez already in the fold.
Today, The Fan 590's Mike Wilner says the Jays never signed Castro:
It turns out that the power-hitting back-up catcher who everyone reported that the Blue Jays had signed earlier this month is still a free agent. The Jays never did sign him, despite getting involved in negotiations with him. I’m not sure how or why it fell through, or if it even got close enough to reach the point where one can even accurately say that it 'fell through', but it didn’t happen.
So, Castro heads back to the free agent backup catcher pool, where guys like Toby Hall, Jose Molina, and Mike Redmond continue to wait.
Olney On Adrian, Pineiro, Holliday, Orioles
The latest from Buster Olney's ESPN blog…
- Despite preliminary talks, Olney finds a Padres extension for Adrian Gonzalez to be "very, very unlikely."
- The Dodgers "are in the chase" for free agent starter Joel Pineiro, with the Angels and Mets other suitors. The Dodgers were first linked to Pineiro by MLB.com's Ken Gurnick on December 8th. With a chunk of the Juan Pierre savings already spent on Jamey Carroll, Pineiro seems out of their price range.
- Olney guesses that Matt Holliday will ultimately sign for five years and $82.5-85MM, with options and/or incentives that could "dress it up as a deal that could be worth over $100MM."
- The Orioles continue to hunt for a pitcher and corner infielder. I should note that they were initially linked to Pineiro, but maybe the $9MM committed to Kevin Millwood takes them out of the mix. An Erik Bedard reunion could be a possibility.
NL West Moves
Let's take a look at moves by NL West teams so far this offseason.
Diamondbacks
- Acquired/Re-signed: Tony Abreu, Aaron Heilman, Carlos Corporan, T.J. Beam, Drew Macias, Edwin Jackson, Ian Kennedy, Zach Kroenke, Bob Howry, Jeff Bailey, Brandon Webb, Rodrigo Lopez
- Lost: Doug Slaten, Yusmeiro Petit, Alex Romero, Trent Oeltjen, Ryne White, Scott Maine, Daniel Schlereth, Max Scherzer, Josh Whitesell
Rockies
- Acquired/Re-signed: Rafael Betancourt, Matt Belisle, Randy Flores, Juan Rincon, Matt Wilhite, Ryan Harvey, Paul Phillips
- Lost: Joel Peralta, Matt Murton, Jason Marquis, Mike McCoy, Garrett Atkins
Dodgers
- Acquired/Re-signed: Doug Mientkiewicz, Carlos Monasterios, Armando Zerpa, Josh Towers, Jamey Carroll, Jon Link, John Ely, Angel Berroa, Justin Miller, Luis Ayala
- Lost: Tony Abreu, Randy Wolf, Juan Castro, Juan Pierre, Mitch Jones
Padres
- Acquired/Re-signed: Radhames Liz, Dusty Ryan, Jackson Quezeda, Chris Stewart, Chris Denorfia
- Lost: Eulogio de la Cruz, Eliezer Alfonzo, Drew Macias, Luis Rodriguez, Henry Blanco
Giants
- Acquired/Re-signed: Steve Johnson, Mark DeRosa, Tony Pena Jr., Joe Borchard
- Lost: Justin Miller, Bob Howry, Brad Penny, Ryan Sadowski
Athletics Rumors: Chapman, Duchscherer, Beltre
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle brings us the latest A's buzz…
- The A's are "in the thick of the bidding" for Aroldis Chapman. We saw a tweet yesterday from MLB.com's Joe Frisaro that the Marlins are also "firmly in the Chapman sweepstakes." ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. pointed out yesterday that Chapman stands to lose millions to taxes if he signs in 2010, and it's unlikely the paperwork could be done in time even if an agreement is reached in '09.
- Slusser says Justin Duchscherer had a physical yesterday and his signing should be announced this morning. His contract calls for a $2MM base with another $3.5MM in incentives.
- The Athletics' talks for Adrian Beltre "have not progressed much beyond the initial stages," writes Slusser. ESPN's Buster Olney wrote on Saturday that the A's are "taking a serious look" at Beltre. We read details on Boston's interest from ESPN's Gordon Edes yesterday.
Giants Notes: DeRosa, Free Agent Targets
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News has Giants notes after a conference call with Brian Sabean and newly-signed Mark DeRosa.
- DeRosa explained that he was "tired of being a lot of teams' Plan B."
- Sabean hopes to add another hitter, and has free agent offers on the table. One offer is to Juan Uribe, while Baggarly speculates that another might be to Adam LaRoche. There are plenty of first basemen and corner outfielders still available, if you'd also like to speculate.
- Sabean reiterated that Matt Holliday is too expensive for the Giants, while Baggarly added that the Giants are not in on Adrian Beltre.
- Sabean mentioned that he hasn't yet beefed up efforts to acquire a fifth starter or catcher. We did hear the Giants linked to many catchers earlier this winter, however.
Odds & Ends: Thome, Chapman, Mariners
Links for Tuesday, as we wait for the hot stove to reignite…
- MSG's Tina Cervasio tweeted that she saw Jim Thome at a Detroit area hotel, prompting ESPN's Jerry Crasnick to wonder (via Twitter) if there's a match with the Tigers.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. points out that Aroldis Chapman stands to lose millions of dollars due to taxes if he signs in 2010.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times looks at the Mariners' remaining trade bait.
- ESPN's Buster Olney feels that Scott Boras' reputation "will remain cemented" no matter how the rest of the offseason plays out. Olney also notes that other agents, such as the Levinson brothers, moved quickly to get many of their top clients signed.
- John Tomase of the Boston Herald has a few free agent relief names for the Red Sox to consider.
Giants Sign Mark DeRosa
The Giants signed Mark DeRosa to a two-year, $12MM deal today. SI's Jon Heyman tweeted news of the offer on December 23rd, and ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted that day that DeRosa was leaning toward accepting. Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports said a two-year deal was close. Following that, Heyman tweeted that an agreement had been reached.
Rosenthal says DeRosa will fill a third base/super-utility role for the Giants. He reminds us that the Giants are also close to re-signing Juan Uribe, which would make for a "very versatile roster" and would push Pablo Sandoval to first base. Rosenthal tweeted that DeRosa will give $7.5K per season to charity. He gets $200K if the Giants trade him
$6MM a year is big bucks for DeRosa, as he turns 35 in February and had wrist surgery in November. The Cardinals will receive a supplemental draft pick for their loss. The Cards never made a formal offer to DeRosa, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.