Padres Targeting Brad Ausmus
According to MLB.com’s Corey Brock, Padres GM Kevin Towers has a veteran catcher as the final item on his offseason wish list. His good friend Brad Ausmus appears to be the target, with a resolution possible by week’s end. Brock figures he could sign for less than a million bucks.
The Padres traded for Ausmus back in ’93 and sent him to the Tigers in the blockbuster deal of ’96.
Phillies Avoid Arb With Chad Durbin
According to Todd Zolecki of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies avoided arbitration with reliever Chad Durbin by signing him at $1.635MM for ’09. The Phils signed Durbin for $900K after the Tigers non-tendered him following the ’07 season. He responded with a 2.87 ERA in 87.6 innings. Ryan Howard is now the team’s lone arbitration case.
Jeff Kent Retires
According to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, Jeff Kent has retired after 17 seasons. Here’s a look at the career numbers. Kent finishes with a .290/.356/.500 line in 9537 plate appearances, racking up 377 home runs.
Henry Schulman’s reflection on Kent is a good read.
Marlins Not Looking To Lock In Uggla
The Marlins are less than a million bucks apart with second baseman Dan Uggla; the full list shows that this gap is toward the low end. No matter what happens, Uggla will be the team’s second highest-paid player (Hanley Ramirez will earn $5.5MM in ’09).
Uggla’s agent, Jeff Borris, explained that the Fish are not looking to sign his client long-term:
"The Marlins are not interested in signing Daniel Uggla to a multiyear contract. We always would be open to listen to anything, but they made it very clear to us they were only going to sign Hanley and Hanley alone."
Regarding new acquisition Emilio Bonifacio, Borris noted that "his price is right for the Marlins." The author of the blog post, Mike Berardino, suspects Uggla could be traded by the July deadline if not sooner.
Uggla, 29 in March, provides a blast of right-handed power at second base. He hit .260/.360/.514 in 619 plate appearances. His defense was well below-average in ’07 but slightly above par in ’08, according to John Dewan’s plus/minus system. Uggla could be a candidate to play third base if traded. He is under team control through 2011. Teams such as the Twins, Angels, and Giants could make sense.
Phillies Sign Jayson Werth To Multiyear Deal
11:40am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman has the details – Werth gets a two-year, $10MM deal. He’ll get $3MM in ’09 and $7MM in ’10, which would’ve been his first free agent year.
10:09am: According to CSN Philly, the Phillies avoided arbitration with outfielder Jayson Werth by signing him to a multiyear deal. Werth was set to reach free agency after the season. Scout.com’s Chuck Hixson has a source saying it’s a two-year deal worth around $9MM, while Scott Lauber heard $8MM.
Rosenthal On Sheets, Cruz, Cabrera, Reyes
The latest from Ken Rosenthal…
- Rosenthal recommends the Yankees sign Ben Sheets and Juan Cruz, partially because they’d pay less of a cost in draft picks than any other team. One exec predicted Sheets would require a $6-8MM base with the potential to earn at least $14MM, and possibly a "lucrative club option." Despite Rosenthal’s recommendation, the Yanks remain focused on Andy Pettitte (who is not weighing an offer from the Astros).
- Industry sources tell Rosenthal that the Red Sox have kept their payroll flexible in case mid and low-revenue teams need to dump contracts.
- The A’s probably cannot afford both Nick Johnson and Orlando Cabrera, so they’ll wait to see what happens with Cabrera before pursuing the trade with Washington.
- Prince Fielder filed for $8MM against the Brewers’ $6MM; Rosenthal indicates the team feared he’d file higher.
- One chatter mentioned yesterday that Cory Sullivan and Jeremy Reed are the exact same player; one GM said the same to Rosenthal.
- Dennys Reyes has backed off his demand for Jeremy Affeldt money (two years, $8MM). Affeldt seemed like a bargain at the time.
- Expected to be in attendance at Kris Benson‘s upcoming throwing session: the Dodgers, Rangers, Padres, Rockies, and D’Backs. Looks like an NL West affair.
Arbitration Figures Submitted
In this post we will attempt to keep a record of arbitration figures submitted by teams and players. Hearings will be held in February if the sides can’t agree beforehand. If it reaches a hearing, an independent panel chooses either the player or the team’s figure. This list is ordered by player request amount.
- Ryan Howard: $18MM. Phillies: $14MM. Diff: $4MM.
- Prince Fielder: $8MM. Brewers: $6MM. Diff: $2MM.
- Garrett Atkins: $7.95MM. Rockies: $6.65MM. Diff: $1.3MM.
- Dan Uggla: $5.35MM. Marlins: $4.4MM. Diff: $950K.
- Jayson Werth: $4MM. Phillies: $3MM. Diff: $1MM.
- Justin Duchscherer: $4.6MM. A’s: $3MM. Diff: $1.6MM.
- David Weathers: $4.6MM. Reds: $3MM. Diff: $1.6MM.
- Zack Greinke: $4.4MM. Royals $3.4MM. Diff: $1MM.
- Ryan Ludwick: $4.35MM. Cardinals: $2.8MM. Diff: 1.55MM.
- Justin Verlander: $4.15MM. Tigers: $3.2MM. Diff: $950K.
- Jeff Francoeur: $3.95MM. Braves: $2.8MM. Diff: $1.15MM.
- Ryan Zimmerman: $3.9MM. Nationals: $2.75MM. Diff: $1.15MM.
- Mark Teahen: $3.85MM. Royals: $3.05MM. Diff: $800K.
- Corey Hart: $3.8MM. Brewers: $2.7MM. Diff: $1.1MM.
- Mike Jacobs: $3.8MM. Royals: $2.75MM. Diff: $1.05MM.
- Paul Maholm: $3.8MM. Pirates: $2.65MM. Diff: $1.15MM.
- Nate McLouth: $3.8MM. Pirates: $2.75MM. Diff: $1.05MM.
- Andre Ethier: $3.75MM. Dodgers: $2.65MM. Diff: $1.1MM.
- Edwin Encarnacion: $3.7MM. Reds: $2.55MM. Diff: $1.15MM.
- Conor Jackson: $3.65MM. D’Backs: $2.45MM. Diff: $1.2MM.
- Josh Willingham: $3.6MM. Nationals: $2.55MM. Diff: $1.05MM.
- Scott Olsen: $3.5MM. Nationals: $2.5MM. Diff: $1MM.
- George Sherrill: $3.4MM. Orioles: $2.2MM. Diff: $1.2MM.
- Rick Ankiel: $3.3MM. Cardinals: $2.35MM. Diff: $950K.
- Kelly Johnson: $3.3MM. Braves: $2.35MM. Diff: $950K.
- Casey Kotchman: $3.25MM. Braves: $2.475MM. Diff: $775K.
- John Maine: $3MM. Mets: $2.2MM. Diff: $800K.
- Wandy Rodriguez: $3MM. Astros: $2.25MM. Diff: $750K.
- Rickie Weeks: $2.8MM. Brewers: $2MM. Diff: $800K.
- Geoff Geary: $2.1MM. Astros: $1.425MM. Diff: $675K.
- Brian Bannister: $2.025MM. Royals: $1.45MM. Diff: $575K.
- Chad Durbin: $1.95MM. Phillies: $1.35MM. Diff: $600K.
- Pedro Feliciano: $1.95MM. Mets: $1.35MM. Diff: $600K.
- Matt Guerrier: $1.75MM. Twins: $1.2MM. Diff: $550K.
- Melky Cabrera: $1.7MM. Yankees: $1.2MM. Diff: $500K. UPDATE: signed.
- Brian Bruney: $1.55MM. Yankees: $1.1MM. Diff: $450K.
- Brian Tallet: $1.3MM. Jays: $950K. Diff: $350K.
- Shawn Camp: $950K. Jays: $700K. Diff: $250K.
- Shawn Hill: $775K. Nationals: $500K. Diff: $275K.
Mariners Acquire David Aardsma
According to Ryan Divish, the Mariners acquired reliever David Aardsma from the Red Sox for minor league lefty Fabian Williamson. Aardsma had been designated for assignment on Thursday.
Aardsma, 27, posted a 5.55 ERA in 48.6 innings for the Red Sox last year. Control was a problem, but he did rack up Ks. Aardsma’s average fastball velocity was 94.5 mph.
Phillies Avoid Arb With Victorino, Blanton
4:45pm: Todd Zolecki says the Phils signed Joe Blanton for $5.475MM.
1:19pm: According to CSN Philly, the Phillies avoided arbitration with outfielder Shane Victorino by signing him for ’09. The Philadelphia Daily News says he’ll get $3.125MM.
Mariners Avoid Arb With Bedard, Heilman
4:16pm: Ryan Divish says the Ms reached an agreement with Heilman.
1:26pm: According to Larry LaRue, the Mariners avoided arbitration with pitcher Erik Bedard by signing him for ’09 at $7.75MM plus $650K in incentives. LaRue believes they’re close to a deal with Aaron Heilman.