Nationals Sign Five
7:05pm: Chico Harlan mentions three more minor league signings for the Nats: catcher Gustavo Molina, pitcher Gustavo Chacin, and infielder Jose Castillo.
Chacin, 28, won 13 games as a rookie in ’05. After that he dealt with elbow and shoulder injuries but at least got his own cologne. Castillo, 28 in March, hit .246/.292/.376 in 455 plate appearances for the Giants and Astros this year.
2:54pm: According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Nationals signed Corey Patterson and Jorge Sosa to minor league deals. Patterson gets $800K, while Sosa gets $850K.
Patterson, 29, was awful this year with a .205/.238/.344 line in 392 plate appearances. He was above average defensively though. The Nationals were an odd choice for him given their crowded outfield.
Sosa, 32 in April, pitched in the Astros, Mariners, and Mets organizations this year. His claim to fame was his flukey 2.55 ERA in ’05 for the Braves.
Ricciardi: “We’re Done”
So much for J.P. Ricciardi’s recent name-drop of Orlando Hudson and Jason Giambi. He told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian today: "We’re done. We won’t be spending any money." J.P. is going to let the kids play in 2009.
One minor option for the Blue Jays is Michael Barrett, who they’d like to sign to a minor league deal.
Yankees Sign Mark Teixeira
3:58pm: Joel Sherman says the Red Sox were at eight years, $168MM, so the Yankees outbid them by $12MM.
3:38pm: The contract does not include an opt-out clause, according to Danny Knobler. Knobler agrees with Olney that the Red Sox fell about $10MM short. He says the Sox are not inclined to react by "stepping up their pursuit of Derek Lowe or any other top starting pitcher."
2:55pm: Olney now agrees it’s an eight-year, $180MM deal ($22.5MM per year). Bill Madden says Teixeira told the Yankees he preferred them all along, after the Angels and Red Sox backed off. Ha. Joel Sherman says the Yankees made this decision with the 2010 season in mind, given the weak free agent market. He says they’ll now attempt to trade one of Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Xavier Nady, and Nick Swisher.
2:26pm: Buster Olney says the Yankees have reached an agreement with Teixeira on an eight-year deal worth more than $170MM.
Aside from the Red Sox, the Brewers and Blue Jays also lose here. Each team’s draft pick from the Yanks is pushed back one round – the Brewers get a second-rounder from them for C.C. Sabathia, the Jays get their third-round pick for A.J. Burnett.
2:17pm: According to Jon Heyman, the Yankees are on the verge of signing Mark Teixeira to an eight-year, $180MM deal with a full no-trade clause.
Mets Deep In Negotiations With Lowe
According to Yahoo’s Gordon Edes, the Mets are deep in negotiations with free agent starter Derek Lowe. However, the Mets have yet to make an offer.
Astros Sign Clay Hensley
According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Astros signed pitcher Clay Hensley to a minor league deal worth $550K. Hensley, 29, posted a 3.94 ERA in Triple A and a 5.31 mark in the Majors this year after recovering from labrum surgery. The Padres chose to non-tender him.
Hensley had success back in ’06, tossing up a 3.71 ERA in 187 innings on the strength of a 54% groundball rate.
Phillies Sign Gary Majewski
According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Phillies signed reliever Gary Majewski to a minor league deal worth $650K.
Majewski is best known for being the subject of a grievance filed by the Reds against the Nationals regarding an undisclosed shoulder injury. Majewski, 29 in February, has been hit hard in the Majors the past few years.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Bradley, Burrell, Dunn
Ken Rosenthal filed a new column earlier today.
- The Angels are lukewarm on Manny Ramirez, and for now are talking about filling their lineup with internal candidates.
- Kevin Towers says that if the Jake Peavy sweepstakes heats back up, "nobody is going to know it." Rosenthal discusses the chances of the Angels or Cubs.
- Mark Teixeira is "almost certain" to get an escape clause in his deal.
- The Cubs are confident about signing Milton Bradley, but the Rays, Yankees, and Nationals are interested too.
- Rosenthal looks at possibilities for Pat Burrell, discussing the Rays, Mariners, Rangers, and Reds.
- The Brewers expressed interest in Adam Dunn as they were mulling a Mike Cameron trade (Corey Hart would’ve played center).
- Bobby Abreu "remains in touch with the Yankees." Surprisingly to hear, as the two sides reportedly had not spoken for quite a while.
- The Rangers would like to move some salary, with Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, and Hank Blalock the candidates.
- The Royals like Jerry Hairston Jr., but don’t have the money to sign him.
Teixeira Announcement Expected Today
1:32pm: Heyman now has the Yanks in "deep discussions" with Tex; he says they’ve stepped up their efforts in recent hours.
1:02pm: Jon Heyman says the Yankees are still in it – they’re "talking seriously with Teixeira’s people." He agrees that a decision could be made as soon as this afternoon.
12:42pm: Danny Knobler believes it’s down to the Nationals and Red Sox. His sources say Teixeira hasn’t decided yet but is expected to make up his mind today.
12:08pm: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has the Nationals at nine years, $180MM and the Red Sox at eight years and around $170MM.
10:55am: Chico Harlan of the Washington Post talked to a Nationals spokesman who is not aware of any plans for an announcement today regarding Teixeira. WEEI’s Alex Speier notes that it is not a lock that Teixeira signs by Christmas.
10:28am: Buster Olney and Peter Gammons say Teixeira’s decision is "seemingly imminent." The journalists say the Orioles’ negotiations for Tex "appear dormant." They suggest the Yankees are lurking in case Boras offers Teixeira to them at a discount (or perhaps just to drive up the price for Boston).
10:20am: According to Thom Loverro of the Washington Times, "there will be an announcement today regarding the future of free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira." Loverro says there are strong indications the Red Sox will be the victor, though it’s unclear whether those indications are based on inside information.
We learned from Roch Kubatko yesterday evening that the Nationals upped their bid to $178-184MM over eight years (Jim Williams says $178-183MM).
Mariners Re-Sign Jamie Burke
According to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, the Mariners re-signed recently non-tendered catcher Jamie Burke to a minor league deal. Burke, 37, hit .261/.303/.326 in 100 plate appearances while throwing out 29.4% of attempted thieves.
Odds and Ends: Boras, Wigginton, Burrell
Tuesday linkage…
- Changed my mind on the chat…we will not be holding it at 2pm today. The time/day of the chat is TBD.
- Here’s a list of the largest contracts in baseball history. You can see why Scott Boras would want Teixeira to reach $190MM.
- Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times notes that aside from Felipe Lopez, all of Boras’ free agent clients are unsigned.
- Peter Abraham explains the Yankees’ large luxury tax.
- The Reds have yet to open talks with Aaron Miles, Ty Wigginton, and Pat Burrell. Talks are ongoing with Jerry Hairston Jr. and Willy Taveras, though Walt Jocketty is not making much progress with Rocco Baldelli.