Mets’ Molina Strategy Linked To Bay
Ken Davidoff of Newsday (subscription required) reminds us that the Mets made offers to Jason Bay (four years and about $65MM) and Bengie Molina (two years and about $10MM) on December 10th. After talking to a Mets official, Davidoff explains the team's strategy:
If the team fails to secure Bay, it will strongly consider raising its offer to Molina. But if Bay signs, the Mets will hold a harder line with Molina.
MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone doesn't see why the two would be related, and I agree. Is it a payroll thing? Or do the Mets simply hold Molina in higher regard than the other 29 teams?
Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post says both players are holding out for an extra year, and the Mets might start considering other options if the stalemate continues.
Capps To Select Finalists Soon
SATURDAY, 7:13pm: Capps confirmed to ESPN Radio Chicago today that he has had preliminary discussions with the Cubs about joining the club.
THURSDAY, 6:26pm: The Washington Nationals are one of Capps' finalists, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Of all the interested teams, Washington should provide one of the clearest paths to a closing role for Capps.
4:51pm: The Pirates non-tendered reliever Matt Capps Saturday night, and roughly half the teams in baseball have inquired. Pirates GM Neal Huntington explained the non-tender decision in an MLB.com chat today:
Despite wanting to retain Matt and making an aggressive offer that we believed would be at or near his free-agent value prior to the tender deadline, we felt that the risk of an arbitration award at a substantially higher amount was not a good business decision for us…Obviously, we would have preferred to get something of value in trade for Matt, but given his track record beginning in the second half of 2008, his trade value was limited throughout the summer and again this offseason.
Capps may be able to find a two-year deal. While he'd like to close, his agent Paul Kinzer told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he'd accept a set-up role with a contender. The following teams have been linked to Capps: the D'Backs, Cubs, Orioles, Rangers, Rockies, Marlins, Nationals, Mets, Tigers, and Yankees (we're still about six teams short, five if you count the Pirates). Kinzer told Rosenthal Capps "plans to select five or six finalists by the weekend, then make his decision."
Orioles Sign Mike Gonzalez
The Orioles signed lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez to a two-year deal worth $12MM guaranteed, as first reported by Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Gonzalez is likely to close for the O's, and Yahoo's Tim Brown tweeted that he can earn another $4MM in incentives. Since the Braves offered arbitration to Gonzalez, a Type A free agent, the Orioles will surrender their second-round pick (currently #44) to them.
Gonzalez, 32 in May, attracted strong interest this winter (at least according to Scott Boras). For the Braves this year he posted a 2.42 ERA, 10.9 K/9, and 4.0 BB/9 in a career-high 74.3 innings. He saved ten games, with Rafael Soriano getting the Braves' other chances. Gonzalez had Tommy John surgery in May of '07 and made it back to the Majors about a year later. He missed some time in July of this year with elbow tendinitis, but says the injuries are completely behind him.
Dan Connolly's Baltimore Sun article has quotes from Gonzalez, Orioles president Andy MacPhail, and manager Dave Trembley. So far this winter the Orioles have added Gonzalez, Kevin Millwood, and Garrett Atkins (at a total cost of $25MM), but Trembley said he doesn't think MacPhail is done yet.
Minor League Signings: Dumatrait, Stokes, Hacker
MLBTR has learned of three minor league signings:
- The Tigers signed 28-year-old lefty Phil Dumatrait, formerly of the Pirates. Dumatrait missed most of the year with a shoulder injury and was recently non-tendered when an agreement could not be reached on his minor league salary.
- First baseman Jason Stokes, 28 in January, also signed with the Tigers. He missed time in recent years due to back problems, but is healthy now.
- Righty Eric Hacker, 27 in March, signed with the Giants. This year at various Double and Triple A stops he compiled a 4.45 ERA, 6.2 K/9, and 3.5 BB/9 in 147.6 innings. The Pirates acquired Hacker in May after the Yankees designated him for assignment.
Names Discussed In Giants-Uggla Talks
2:13pm: A source tells Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com that a deal sending Uggla to the Giants is "not going down."
Crasnick writes that the first obstacle would be financial. The Giants will have to give Tim Lincecum a major raise in arbitration and are already hamstrung by the contracts of Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand. Uggla is expected to make more than $7MM in 2010.
Sabean & Co. are also hesitant to part with Jonathan Sanchez, as his departure would leave the club with only three proven starters.
10:43am: Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald informs us of names discussed in the Marlins' discussions with the Giants for Dan Uggla:
Giants players who were discussed include right-hander Jonathan Sanchez; lefty Clayton Tanner, and a midlevel pitching prospect.
It's unclear from Jackson's blurb who proposed what or if all three pitchers would be a possible return for Uggla. I believe that Sanchez alone would be more than enough for the Marlins – he has three years of team control compared to Uggla's two. Plus, Uggla's projected salary in his final arbitration year (2011) could be pretty steep. I'd be surprised to see Giants GM Brian Sabean move Sanchez for Uggla.
If you're wondering about Tanner, he's a 22-year-old lefty who repeated High A ball for the Giants this year and posted a 3.17 ERA, 7.8 K/9, and 2.7 BB/9 in 139.3 innings. His Baseball America Handbook blurb before this season spoke of shoulder issues but a dependable curveball, predicting he'd spend '09 in Double A. Tanner made Kevin Goldstein's Giants Top 11 for Baseball Prospectus heading into the '08 season, with this synopsis: "Tanner projects as a back-end starter, with a backup plan involving a future as a grounder-inducing reliever."
Yankees Near Deal With Nick Johnson
FRIDAY, 1:14pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney says Johnson will make $5.5MM next year, plus incentives based on plate appearances. The deal includes a mutual option for 2011 worth $5.5MM.
THURSDAY, 6:13pm: The deal is now near completion, says Davidoff. Pending a physical, Johnson will agree to a one-year deal with the Yankees worth about $5.5MM.
5:14pm: Newsday's Ken Davidoff agrees that the Yankees and Johnson are engaged in "serious discussions," but notes that Johnson has yet to take a physical.
4:24pm: King now says the Yankees are "moving toward" a one-year deal with Johnson, which could be announced tomorrow.
3:17pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Giants increased their offer to Johnson to the $5.5-6MM range. Johnson earned $5.5MM this year to finish a Jim Bowden-authored contract signed in March of '06. The Mariners remain in the mix as well.
9:00am: We've known of the Yankees' interest in Nick Johnson since at least December 7th, when ESPN's Jayson Stark put them among seven teams to inquire. Today, George King of the New York Post has a little more detail on the Yankees' interest.
King says the sides are discussing a one-year deal, which is important to note since Johnson was said to be seeking two years. Said Johnson's agent Rex Gary of the talks:
"We have had dialogue, things are moving forward. Something could happen to speed things up, but it’s hard to predict."
Given Mark Teixeira's presence, Johnson would spend most of his time at DH. King suggests a Johnson signing might eliminate the chances of Johnny Damon returning. Johnson would be coming home if he signed with the Yankees – he was drafted by them in '96 but traded to the Expos in '03 with Randy Choate and Juan Rivera for Javier Vazquez. Interestingly, all four players involved in that six-year-old deal were productive in 2009.
Johnson, whose .426 OBP this year leads all free agents, is also known to have interest from at least the Mariners, Giants, and Red Sox.
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Market For Adrian Beltre
The market for third baseman Adrian Beltre, 31 in April, remains difficult to decipher. You might expect a third baseman coming off an injury-shortened .265/.304/.379 line to take a make-good, one-year deal, even considering exceptional defense. For example, Joe Crede signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal in late February. Since both players are Scott Boras clients, why is Boras seeking a four-year deal worth at least $40MM for Beltre? (Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reporting).
One reason is that Beltre proved very durable prior to 2009, whereas Crede was not. Also consider that Beltre has a better offensive track record and played in a tough park for hitters. At the risk of doing Boras' bidding, it's interesting to note that Beltre hit .286/.330/.486 away from Safeco over the last three seasons. Considering that Beltre might be the game's best defensive third baseman, Boras' asking price doesn't seem so crazy.
As far as the current market, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Giants have remainined in contact. However, they are not finding common ground with Boras on the years or dollars. The Red Sox are known to like Beltre, but as WEEI's Alex Speier noted yesterday, signing him could push them over the luxury tax threshold. The Orioles, Twins, Angels, and Cardinals haven't generated much Beltre buzz, though the Mariners appear to be leaving the door open to re-sign him.
Cust Hopes To Sign By Christmas
Free agent outfielder/DH Jack Cust hopes to sign by Christmas, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. He's expected to have two or three offers from which to choose.
Crasnick finds the A's, Rays, and Mets unlikely to sign Cust despite varying degrees of interest. Instead, the ESPN scribe considers the Royals, Mariners, and Tigers to be "possible fits." The issue with the Mariners: it'd be out of character for them to endure Cust's ugly defense in left field, and signing him as a DH would reduce Ken Griffey Jr.'s role.
Crasnick does not mention the White Sox, Rangers, or Blue Jays, though those teams could technically make room for Cust at DH.
Given that Cust played his first full season at 28 in '07, the concern is that his downward offensive trends of the last two years will continue.
Mariners Interested In Johnny Damon
The Yankees prefer Johnny Damon to Nick Johnson, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post, but Damon's current asking price of three years at perhaps $11MM per does not work for them. We've also seen Damon mostly dismissed as an option for the Giants. If he doesn't re-sign with the Yankees, where might Damon land?
Earlier today Sherman tweeted that the Mariners have interest in Damon. Larry Stone of the Seattle Times looks more deeply at the Mariners-Damon connections over the years. He also provides this nugget, which he has never confirmed with Damon:
I heard from someone who works around the Mariners that after Bill Bavasi was fired in 2008, and the Mariners were searching for a new general manager, Damon actually was telling people he would be interested in the job. This person insisted that Damon seemed dead serious, even though he was still an active player.
We haven't heard much else about possible destinations for Damon. Perhaps the Mets or Cardinals would consider him, but I'm just speculating.