Multiple Teams Eyeing Joel Pineiro
Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets of six early suitors for free agent righty Joel Pineiro, who is perhaps now the best free agent starter available aside from John Lackey. Brown names the Yankees, Mets, Nationals, Cubs, Orioles, and Angels as interested teams. ESPN's Jayson Stark says Pineiro wants more than $10MM a year.
Pineiro had a fine 2009 season, using a sinker to get tons of groundballs and walking very few. But while he's a couple years younger than Randy Wolf, I can't see Pineiro getting a four-year deal. I think he'll be hard-pressed to get three. And regarding the Cubs' interest, I'd be surprised if they found the cash. The Yankees also seem unlikely.
Yankees Re-Sign Andy Pettitte
12:26pm: The deal is official, tweets Sherman.
10:13am: Sherman says the Yankees re-signed Pettitte for one year and $11.75MM. The Yanks have certainly accomplished their early-offseason goals. Pettitte was one of the better free agent starters available, though he wasn't really available to other teams.
9:40am: Newsday's Ken Davidoff sees the deal being for about $11.5MM, and believes it will be finished in the next day or two. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the exact number is $11.75MM.
9:11am: The Yankees are closing in on a deal with Andy Pettitte for about $12MM, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. He says the contract will be finalized today.
Randy Wolf To Sign With Brewers
11:46am: Haudricourt writes that there is a fourth-year club option and the value of the deal is "just under $30MM." Rosenthal says the final number is $29.75MM.
11:22am: Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that the Brewers will agree with Wolf today on a three-year deal worth just under $30MM. Ken Rosenthal says an agreement has been reached. ESPN's Buster Olney agrees with Haudricourt's figure: $27MM.
WEDNESDAY, 9:22am: Haudricourt says the Brewers have a meeting with Tellem today, and they expect a response on Wolf. If they sign him, they'll next look for a set-up man, possibly Kevin Gregg. If they don't get Wolf, Jon Garland is Plan B.
11:39pm: Now, Haudricourt says the Brewers offered $27MM over three years. They are hoping for a response tomorrow.
2:46pm: Haudricourt believes the Brewers offered Wolf three years and $31MM. He should probably sign that.
9:32am: The Mets will meet with Wolf's agent Arn Tellem today, says Haudricourt, suggesting the Brewers' offer is being shopped around.
TUESDAY, 8:37am: ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that the Brewers offered Wolf more than Tim Hudson's three-year, $28MM deal, but a half-dozen other teams remain in the mix. Heyman tweets that the Mets aren't giving up, but hope two years will be enough.
MONDAY, 11:06pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Brewers are "on [the] verge" of signing Wolf to a three-year pact.
10:02pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Brewers did offer Wolf a third year. The Brewers are the "frontrunner" for Wolf's services and a deal could apparently go down within days.
9:34pm: Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel hears that it will take a three year offer to lure Wolf to Milwaukee. The Brewers appear willing to offer the lefty a third year. The Dodgers didn't offer him arbitration, so at least he won't cost a draft pick. Still, the deal's far from a certainty at this point.
9:22pm: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse hears that the Brewers are closing in on a three-year deal with Wolf. Price writes that he's "trying to confirm" the rumor, so it's definitely not a sure thing. Stay tuned.
7:21pm: A source close to Wolf calls this rumor "nonsense," according to Yahoo's Tim Brown.
6:41pm: A Randy Wolf signing may be imminent, if you believe the word of "one high-ranking club executive" who spoke to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. We learned today that the Mets plan to meet with Wolf's agent, and the Brewers are making a "strong run" at the lefty. Wolf was also linked to the Mariners for the first time, by SI's Jon Heyman.
Odds & Ends: Sheffield, Matsui, Darvish
Kicking off a fresh Odds & Ends post for Day 3 of the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis…
- NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says reliever Ryota Igarashi received a one-year big league offer from an unknown team.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says Justin Duchscherer would like to pitch for the D'Backs, but a deal is not likely. He also notes that the D'Backs denied offering Chris Snyder to the Rangers for C.J. Wilson.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe learned that Gary Sheffield has four suitors currently, the Red Sox not among them.
- John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle names the A's as a "possible suitor" for Hideki Matsui, which ESPN's Keith Law thinks would be pointless.
- Wezen-Ball gives us the history of the highest-paid player in baseball, from Nolan Ryan onward.
- Yu Darvish became the youngest player in Japanese baseball history (he's 23) to reach 300 million yen when he re-signed for 330 million, reports Kyodo News. That comes to about $3.75MM currently.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff notes that Rudy Seanez wants to pitch next year.
- ESPN's Mike Salk says the Mariners "specifically chose" Jack Wilson over J.J. Hardy.
Market For Mike Cameron, Marlon Byrd
WEDNESDAY, 11:15am: Jon Paul Morosi says the markets for Cameron and Marlon Byrd are running parallel, with the Braves, Angels, Cubs, Yankees, Mariners, Mets and Giants checking in on both.
TUESDAY, 4:29pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has thoughts on the market for free agent center fielder Mike Cameron. He names the Mariners, Cubs, Red Sox, and Yankees as potential suitors Cameron, who turns 37 in January. Rosenthal notes that Cameron would move from center to left field for the right team.
Regarding the Cubs, Rosenthal explains that they can pursue him if they free up "a good amount" in their Milton Bradley trade. Marlon Byrd and Scott Podsednik could be other options if they save less.
Boof Bonser Designated For Assignment
WEDNESDAY, 10:47am: La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins attempted to sign Bonser to a one-year deal recently, but were turned down. He's expected to be released.
TUESDAY, 1:32pm: The Twins designated pitcher Boof Bonser for assignment to make room for Carl Pavano, tweets Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The 28-year-old Bonser had labrum and rotator cuff surgery in February. Bonser sports a 5.12 ERA, 7.3 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 over 391.6 career innings spanning three seasons.
Yankees Outfield Situation
The Yankees' acquisition of Curtis Granderson yesterday obviously affects their other outfielders and free agents Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. ESPN's Buster Olney says that if the Yanks re-sign Damon, they're more likely to trade Nick Swisher. He finds it "increasingly unlikely" that they re-sign Matsui, whether or not Damon returns. Olney doesn't mention it, but we also have to consider the possibility Melky Cabrera is dealt. Damon, for his part, still thinks there's a window for him to return (talking to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times).
Swisher, 29, hit .249/.371/.498 in 607 plate appearances this year, drawing 97 walks and hitting 29 home runs while playing right field and a little first base. He's guaranteed $16.75MM over the next two seasons. Do you prefer Swisher or Damon, if you had to choose one?
Cardinals Sign Brad Penny
WEDNESDAY, 3:58am: Penny has passed his physical, according to an AP release, making the deal official.
TUESDAY, 10:11am: Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that Penny will get the full $9MM if he reaches 204 innings. Also, the Cardinals agreed not to offer arbitration if Penny is a Type A free agent (a clause I'm betting will be popular this year).
5:32am: ESPN's Keith Law calls the deal "an excellent move" for the Cardinals, citing Dave Duncan's track record with reclamation projects. He also opines that this deal will probably raise the asking price for names like Ben Sheets, Rich Harden, Erik Bedard, and Justin Duchscherer.
MONDAY, 6:27pm: ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that a physical is scheduled for Tuesday, and Penny will get a one-year, $7.5MM deal with another $1.5MM in incentives. Pretty big base salary.
5:45pm: Goold wrote earlier today that a "person with knowledge of the deal" says it could be worth $9MM if all incentives are reached. Meanwhile, Baggarly has details on the Giants' failed negotiations to retain Penny.
3:14pm: Strauss tweets that the Giants have all but acknowledged Penny is gone, and the Cardinals just need to complete the physical (the money is in place). Strauss believes the Cards are still in the market for more starting pitching and wonders if they're close to their breaking point with Matt Holliday.
2:32pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Cardinals are the frontrunner for Penny but the Giants and another team remain in talks for him. Rosenthal feels that John Smoltz will have to go elsewhere if the Cards sign Penny. Derrick Goold of the P-D weighs in, suggesting the Cards might be close to a deal.
1:19pm: ESPN's Buster Olney says Penny is close to a decision, and is in serious negotiations with the Cards. The Giants are apparently still in the mix.
1:05pm: Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that buzz says the Cardinals are "in heavy" on Penny. Strauss adds that the Cardinals denied anything final with Penny, though Baggarly didn't suggest a deal was done.
12:48pm: The Cardinals are nearing a deal with Brad Penny, tweets Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. He says the Giants "don't expect to compete." Penny, 31, made 30 starts between the Red Sox and Giants this year, posting a 4.88 ERA, 5.7 K/9, and 2.6 BB/9. He's the hardest-throwing free agent starter, and would be interesting in St. Louis on a one-year deal.
Peter Gammons To Join MLB.com, NESN
10:23pm: Gammons will join MLB.com, the MLB Network and NESN.com. He gives MLBTR a shout out in this Boston Globe article, saying "I love stuff like MLBTradeRumors.com." We sure look forward to watching his broadcasts and reading his work.
2:08pm: Surprising press release today: legendary journalist Peter Gammons will leave ESPN to pursue other endeavors after the Winter Meetings. Hopefully Gammons will continue writing for another outlet.
Jason Bay Rumors: Tuesday
7:20pm: Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Jason Bay appears to be a "longshot," speaking on 830 KLAA in Los Angeles tonight.
6:53pm: Some feel the Angels are pushing hard for Bay, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.
10:25am: ESPN's Buster Olney told us yesterday that the Mariners are "unlikely to get involved" on free agent outfielder Jason Bay. Today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a similar note, saying the team's interest has been overstated. Things have mostly been quiet on Bay, though the Angels may have opened talks and the Red Sox will meet this morning with his representatives (tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown).