Juan Pierre Wants A Starting Job
Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times and Ken Gurnick of MLB.com spoke to Dodgers outfielder Juan Pierre, who is penciled in as the team’s starting left fielder currently. The problem for Pierre is that a Manny Ramirez signing would bump him back into the fourth outfielder job.
Pierre is owed $28.5MM over the next three seasons, so a trade seems nearly impossible. Pierre doesn’t agree though:
"When they want to get rid of guys, they get rid of guys. I’m not saying to go the whole Andruw route, but I wouldn’t say untradeable."
At the end of the season Pierre’s agent suggested a trade might be optimal, and Pierre agreed:
It’s a tough spot for both sides. I think [a trade] would have helped both sides. It would have made sense. But I know the market changed last year. Other teams might not want me. Just be straight with me and I’m cool.
Pierre is done keeping his mouth shut:
"For the betterment of the team last year, I kept my mouth shut and let them play. That said, this year, I don’t want that role again."
Rangers Consider Josh Hamilton Extension
MONDAY: A minor update from Sullivan:
The Rangers have expressed an interest to Hamilton’s agent Michael Moye and got a positive response in return. No offers have been exchanged on either side.
THURSDAY: MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers may attempt to sign Josh Hamilton to a long-term deal this spring. He notes that the Rangers have a history of doing spring deals with pre-arbitration players, with Ian Kinsler, Hank Blalock, and Michael Young serving as examples.
I wonder if Dustin Pedroia‘s recent six-year, $40.5MM extension could be a model, as both players have two years of service time. Nick Markakis has three years service time already. But if you look at his third through his eighth seasons, he’ll earn about $47MM.
Corey Hart Hopes To Avoid Hearing
On Saturday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel learned that a new offer was made to Corey Hart for ’09 and his agent turned it down. The sides remain $1.1MM apart ($3.8MM vs. $2.7MM) with a hearing scheduled for Wednesday. Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash thinks it will be difficult to avoid. Hart’s comparables are said to be Andre Ethier (Tuesday hearing) and Josh Willingham (Wednesday).
However, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy quoted Hart yesterday as saying:
"I think [a compromise] is going to happen. I’m trying to stay out of it as much as I can, but I think we’re all hoping that something is going to happen. Obviously, nobody wants a hearing and I love everything about Milwaukee from the owner on down. I have nothing to say to put them down because I’ve enjoyed it, and I think they know that."
Mark Buehrle May Consider Retirement After 2011
According to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune, White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle "was talking about walking away from baseball after the 2011 season, when his contract expires." Buehrle wondered if he’ll prefer a one-year deal after his current contract ends. He spoke about missing his family deeply when he’s away and guaranteed that he won’t be pitching at age 40.
Speaking of Buehrle, MLB.com’s Scott Merkin has his line on the Sox signing Bartolo Colon: "I think they got him so I wouldn’t be the fattest pitcher on the staff."
Red Sox Rumors: Lugo, Bay, Varitek, Beckett
The latest on the Red Sox, courtesy of WEEI’s Alex Speier.
- Julio Lugo says he’s in the best shape of his career. The $9MM shortstop won’t be happy if he’s on the bench this year. Speier believes he’ll ask for a trade if he doesn’t win the competition with Jed Lowrie. Lugo was following the Tigers trade rumors earlier this winter.
- Jason Bay remains open to an extension, but admitted "it’s not the end-all, be-all." Bay will be part of the 2009-10 free agent class if the Sox don’t lock him up.
- According to the AP, catcher Jason Varitek spoke of spending the rest of his career with the Red Sox.
- WEEI’s Rob Bradford spoke to Josh Beckett, who hopes to remain in Boston past his current contract. The Red Sox have a $12MM club option for a $2MM buyout for 2010.
- Bradford also reports that the Brad Wilkerson signing is official; he’s in camp on a minor league deal.
Braves Make New Offer To Glavine
SUNDAY: Jayson Stark says that a reunion between the two sides is becoming more likely. He quotes Braves GM Frank Wren as saying:
"I think we’ve made some progress," GM Frank Wren told ESPN.com Sunday. "I think there’s a true desire on both parties to get something done."
FRIDAY: Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports mentioned these details on Tom Glavine‘s contract aspirations:
Glavine is seeking a guarantee of $3MM, plus incentives that could push the total value of his package into the $6MM range. He is willing to defer a portion of his salary.
Today, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says the Braves have offered a new one-year proposal that would defer the incentives for up to five years. The offer guarantees $1MM, with a chance to earn another $3MM in deferred incentives. Bowman suggests both sides are more optimistic today than they were yesterday.
Ken Griffey Jr. Rumors: Friday
6:15pm: New Seattle Mariners first baseman Russell Branyan thinks Griffey wants to return to his first organization. Branyan said he visited with Griffey in January at his home in Orlando, Fla.
“He told me he’d love to come back here. … I asked him if we were going to be teammates again. He seemed very open to it,” Branyan said.
4:52pm: MLB.com’s Jim Street says dialogue continued today, but there’s no agreement yet. Griffey’s agent Brian Goldberg said he’s "keeping the information to a minimum with Junior while he’s playing in the Pro-Am tournament."
9:32am: According to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, the Mariners and Ken Griffey Jr. "are moving toward finalization of a one-year, incentive-laden contract." At a golf tournament yesterday, Griffey did not seem to have much knowledge of the talks.
Geoff Baker offers thoughts on the expected Griffey signing over at his blog. Keith Law on ESPN Radio recently offered this thought: "This isn’t a baseball move, this is a marketing move."
Arb Hearings Postponed For Aybar, Santana
According to the AP, arbitration hearings for Willy Aybar and Ervin Santana were postponed until next week. 11 other players also have pending hearings.
Who Had The Scoop?
Given the number of journalists in competition these days, as well as the instantaneous nature of breaking news, it is very difficult to scoop a major baseball story. Let’s tip our cap to the journalists who were the first to report this winter’s biggest deals. I won’t list them here, but in many cases one person scooped the agreement and a second person had the terms. Many of these are open to interpretation due to the language used.
Free agents
- Mark Teixeira: Jon Heyman of SI.com
- C.C. Sabathia: Joel Sherman of the New York Post
- A.J. Burnett: Jerry Crasnick of ESPN
- Derek Lowe: David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Ryan Dempster: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports
- Francisco Rodriguez: Joel Sherman of the New York Post
- Oliver Perez: Jon Heyman of SI.com
- Raul Ibanez: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports
- Milton Bradley: Bruce Levine of ESPN Radio
- Rafael Furcal: Tim Brown of Yahoo (difficult to determine)
- Kenshin Kawakami: David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Kerry Wood: Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com (difficult to determine)
- Adam Dunn: Chico Harlan of the Washington Post
- Edgar Renteria: Tim Brown of Yahoo (difficult to determine)
- Casey Blake: Jayson Stark of ESPN
- Brian Fuentes: Buster Olney of ESPN
- Pat Burrell: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports
- Jamie Moyer: Howard Eskin of WIP 610 Radio
- Juan Rivera: Tim Brown of Yahoo
- Damaso Marte: Impacto Deportivo (journalist unknown)
- Koji Uehara: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun
- Randy Johnson: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports
- Jon Garland: Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic
- Trevor Hoffman: Barry Bloom and Adam McCalvy of MLB.com
- Andy Pettitte: Jon Heyman of SI.com
- John Smoltz: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe
- Jason Giambi: Buster Olney of ESPN
- Bobby Abreu: Jon Heyman of SI.com
- Brad Penny: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports
- Jason Varitek: Jon Heyman of SI.com
- Randy Wolf: Tim Brown of Yahoo
- Nick Punto: Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune
- Kyle Farnsworth: Steve Phillips of ESPN
- Dayan Viciedo: Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune
- Junichi Tazawa: Sponichi (journalist unknown)
Extensions
- Ryan Howard: Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer
- Prince Fielder: Tom Verducci of SI
- Cole Hamels: Joel Sherman of the New York Post
- Nick Markakis: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun
- Dustin Pedroia: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports
- Kevin Youkilis: Peter Gammons of ESPN
- Paul Maholm: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Jayson Werth: John R. Finger of CSN Philadelphia
- Ryan Madson: Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer
- Ryan Doumit: Jerry Crasnick of ESPN
- Chris Snyder: Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic
Trades
- Matt Holliday: Jon Heyman of SI.com
- J.J. Putz: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (difficult to determine)
- Javier Vazquez: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports
- Jason Marquis: Steve Phillips of ESPN
- Mark DeRosa: Bruce Levine of ESPN Radio
- Edwin Jackson: Ed Price of FOX Sports
- Ramon Hernandez: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (difficult to determine)
- Gerald Laird: Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press
- Khalil Greene: Joel Sherman of the New York Post
- Coco Crisp: Brian McRae of Sports Radio 810
- Kevin Gregg: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports
- Nick Swisher: Jerry Crasnick of ESPN
- Scott Olsen: Peter Gammons of ESPN
- Mike Jacobs: Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star
Twins Still Face Gap With Joe Crede
La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports on the gap between the Twins and Joe Crede:
The Twins were present today in Arizona as Crede took batting practice. The Twins remain interested in his services, but indications are that Crede wants $7MM guaranteed – up to $11MM with incentives – and the Twins aren’t going there. Indications are that the Twins are willing to craft a deal that reaches $7-8MM with incentives. The incentives would occur right away, like getting $1MM or so for making the Opening Day roster.
It’s true that Crede is the only viable free agent third base option out there. But if these demands are accurate, Scott Boras is just not being reasonable right now.