Rangers Avoid Arb With C.J. Wilson
According to Richard Durrett, the Rangers avoided arbitration with reliever C.J. Wilson by signing him at $1.85MM plus incentives for ’09. Marlon Byrd is the team’s remaining case.
Pirates Sign LaRoche, Duke, Grabow, Yates
1:21pm: Kovacevic says the Bucs also avoided arb with Zach Duke ($2.2MM plus $100K in incentives), John Grabow ($2.3MM plus $75K in incentives), and Tyler Yates ($1.3MM plus $25K in incentives).
9:28am: According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, the Pirates avoided arbitration with first baseman Adam LaRoche by signing him for $7.05MM for ’09. He can make another $100K based on plate appearances. Dejan Kovacevic reports the same.
LaRoche will be eligible for free agency after the season. 2009 would be a fine time to overcome his April/May inadequacies.
Rockies Avoid Arb With Buchholz, Grilli, Barmes
According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Rockies avoided arbitration with Taylor Buchholz ($1.055MM plus $40K in incentives), Jason Grilli ($800K), and Clint Barmes ($1.625MM). The case of Garrett Atkins remains unresolved.
Verducci On Hamels, Shields, Lowe, Manny
Let’s take a look at the latest from SI.com’s Tom Verducci.
- Interesting line: "One journeyman reliever, for instance, turned down a $2 million offer, saying he would retire before taking that kind of money." Many veterans will choose between swallowing their pride and retiring this spring.
- Verducci makes a comparison between Cole Hamels and James Shields, who were called up 19 days apart. The extra service time for Hamels gave him Super Two status, meaning he became arbitration-eligible four times instead of three. That decision probably cost the Phillies more than $10MM.
- The Mets were willing to give Derek Lowe $14MM per year.
- The Giants don’t believe Manny Ramirez is anywhere near a decision right now. He’s a special case for them (they’re not in the market for an outfielder) but they won’t enter a bidding war.
- The Blue Jays aren’t interested in Orlando Cabrera; they’re content with Marco Scutaro.
Dodgers Avoid Arb With Martin, Broxton
12:40pm: MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger says the Dodgers also reached an agreement with Jonathan Broxton ($1.825MM plus $200K in incentives), leaving Andre Ethier as the team’s lone arbitration case.
11:50am: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers avoided arbitration with catcher Russell Martin by signing him for ’09 at $3.9MM. It’s a record for a first-year arb catcher, though a smaller amount than I was anticipating.
Marlins Avoid Arb With Ross, Nolasco, Amezaga
According to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, the Marlins avoided arbitration with Cody Ross ($2.225MM), Ricky Nolasco ($2.4MM plus $50K in incentives), and Alfredo Amezaga ($1.3MM). They’re headed to a February hearing with Dan Uggla.
Royals Avoid Arb With John Buck, Joel Peralta
According to Sam Mellinger, the Royals avoided arbitration with John Buck and Joel Peralta ($640K) by signing both for 2009. The cases of Brian Bannister, Zack Greinke, Mike Jacobs, and Mark Teahen remain unresolved. Dayton Moore has yet to go to a hearing as Royals GM.
Rays Avoid Arb With Jason Bartlett
12:11pm: The noon filing deadline passed without an agreement for Navarro or Aybar, so Marc Topkin anticipates hearings for both.
10:50am: According to Marc Topkin, the Rays avoided arbitration with shortstop Jason Bartlett by signing him at $1.98125MM for ’09. Bartlett is under team control through 2011. The Rays’ other two arb-eligibles are Dioner Navarro and Willy Aybar; they’re making progress with Navarro. The Rays have a policy of not negotiating once figures are exchanged.
D’Backs Avoid Arb With Chad Qualls
According to Nick Piecoro, the D’Backs avoided arbitration with reliever Chad Qualls by signing him at $2.535MM for ’09. The Conor Jackson case remains unresolved.
Mets Sign Cory Sullivan
According to Troy Renck, the Mets signed outfielder Cory Sullivan to a Major League deal worth $600K with $300K in incentives. Sullivan is known as a strong defender, but his plus/minus numbers in 1123 center field innings don’t support it.