Mariners Avoid Arbitration With Shawn Kelley
We'll keep track of tonight's sub-$3MM deals to avoid arbitration right here in this post..
- Mariners reliever Shawn Kelley agreed to a $935K deal to avoid arbitration, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. The 28-year-old Kelley will receive sequential bonuses for 60, 90, 120, and 150 days on #mariners roster that could boost the total value to $1.1M. The M's offered Kelley $750K while he filed for $1.2MM.
Angels To Sign Bill Hall
The Angels have agreed to sign free agent Bill Hall to a minor league deal, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The veteran is a client of Gaylord Sports Management.
Hall signed a minor league deal with the Orioles in April of last season and was outrighted to Triple-A twice during the season. The veteran appeared in seven games at the big league level and spent the bulk of the year in Norfolk hitting .246/.300/.430 with 15 homers in 90 games.
Mets Notes: Marcum, Alderson, Payroll
Earlier today, the Mets formally introduced Shaun Marcum to the press and later on, General Manager Sandy Alderson's fielded questions from season ticket holders. Here's a look at some highlights..
- Marcum is the premier pitcher to join the Mets this winter but he says that replacing the production of R.A. Dickey will require a team effort and the responsibility doesn't fall squarely on his shoulders, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The right-handed hurler believes that if he and the rest of the Mets' starting five can stay healthy and shoot for 200+ innings, it'll go a long way towards filling the void.
- The 31-year-old would have liked to have sign a multi-year deal this winter, but “nothing came about.” However, there wasn't a lack of interest for Marcum as he says 15-20 teams pursued him to some degree, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
- Alderson insists that the Mets have money to spend this season and in the coming years, but they intend on being careful about how they go about it, according to the Mets' Twitter feed.
- Marcum says he isn't feeling any residual effects from the elbow tightness that cost him nine weeks of play over the summer.
- The opportunity to make thirty starts was a plus for Marcum (via Mets on Twitter) as well as his history with J.P. Ricciardi (Rubin on Twitter).
- Vice President of player development and scouting Paul DePodesta opined that the Mets have one of the best pitching farm systems in MLB and says that they now have added some impact bats in the last couple of drafts (Twitter link).
D’Backs, Pennington Agree To Deal
January 30th: The deal is official now that Pennington has passed his physical, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (Twitter links). Pennington will earn $1.25MM in 2013 and $2.75MM in 2014. The deal also includes a $1MM signing bonus for a total of $5MM.
January 22nd: The Diamondbacks and Cliff Pennington have reached agreement on a two-year, $5MM deal, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The middle infielder is represented by Sosnick/Cobbe.
Arizona acquired Pennington from the A's last October in a three-team deal that also brought Heath Bell to the Diamondbacks. For his career, Pennington owns a .249/.313/.356 batting line across parts of five seasons in Oakland.
This was Pennington's first time as an arbitration eligible player. The two sides were $1MM apart upon exchanging figures – the 28-year-old filed for $2.8MM while Arizona countered with $1.8MM.
Arbitration Deals: Daniel Murphy, Kevin Jepsen
We'll keep track of today's arbitration agreements under $3MM right here..
- The Mets have avoided arbitration with Daniel Murphy by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $2.925MM, ESPN New York's Adam Rubin reports (Twitter links). The final total is a bit less than the midpoint between the figures exchanged by the two sides; Murphy asked for $3.4MM, the Mets offered $2.55MM. This was Murphy's first year of arbitration eligibility. Murphy, an ACES client, was the last of three arb-eligible Mets players to agree to a deal, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows.
- The Angels and reliever Kevin Jepsen have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1,181,250. The contract includes awards-based bonuses, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). Beverly Hills Sports Council represents Jepsen. The deal now means that the Angels have wrapped up all of their arb eligible players this offseason, as the MLBTR Arbitration Tracker shows.
Yankees Working To Void Alex Rodriguez’s Contract
The Yankees are exploring multiple avenues to void their contract with Alex Rodriguez, several baseball sources told ESPNNewYork.com's Wallace Matthews and Andrew Marchand. Rodriguez was among several MLB stars who were linked to a PED clinic in Miami, Florida. Even if the charges turn out to be true, however, the Bombers may have little chance of getting out from under his contract.
The three-time American League MVP is owed $114MM over the next five seasons. An industry source says the Yankees "are looking at about 20 different things," including whether A-Rod breached the contract by taking medical treatment from an outside doctor without the team's authorization, and the possibility that he may have broken the law by purchasing controlled substances from the clinic.
If the Yankees do take action to 86 the remainder of the third baseman's deal, they can't do anything until the MLB investigation is concluded, according to a source. For his part, Rodriguez has issued a statement denying the allegations.
White Sox Outright Zach Stewart To Triple-A
Today’s outright assignments..
- The White Sox have outrighted Zach Stewart to Triple-A Charlotte, according to Dan Hayes of CSNChicago (on Twitter). The move removes the right-hander off of the 40-man roster, which now stands at 39. Chicago claimed Stewart just last week.
Rockies Sign Jhoulys Chacin To Two-Year Deal
TUESDAY, 3:35pm: The Rockies announced that the deal is now official.
SATURDAY, 3:22pm: Jhoulys Chacin announced that he has agreed to a two-year, $6.5MM deal, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com (on Twitter). The club confirmed the news to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The right-hander is represented by Kinzer Management Group.
The 25-year-old, who was arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, filed for $2.6MM while the Rockies countered with $1.7MM according to MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker. The deal will leave Chacin with one more arbitration eligible year before he is eligible for free agency following the 2015 season.
Chacin missed considerable time in 2012 thanks to a nagging right shoulder issue and wasn't as sharp in his 14 starts as he has been in years past. For his career with the Rockies spanning four seasons, Chacin owns a 3.68 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.
Angels Nearing Two-Year Deal With Alberto Callaspo
January 28: Callapso's deal is worth $8.975MM, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times (on Twitter). There haven't been any hang-ups in the deal, despite the fact that it has yet to be completed. Callaspo simply hasn't been cleared to travel from Venezuela in order to complete his physical yet.
January 17, 8:45pm: The two sides will formally exchange figures tomorrow, Gonzalez tweets. The veteran still has to travel from Venezuela to take his physical.
8:41pm: Callaspo's deal is essentially done, pending a physical, an industry source tells Gonzalez (via Twitter). The third baseman's two-year deal pay him nearly $9MM.
8:34pm: Alberto Callaspo has a two-year proposal on the table from the Angels, an industry source told MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. Callaspo is in his final year of arbitration and is set to hit the open market after the 2013 season.
Signing the third baseman to a multi-year deal will give them a stopgap until top prospect Kaleb Cowart is ready to take over. The 29-year-old is represented by Eric Goldschmidt.
Phillies Sign Yuniesky Betancourt
The Phillies announced that they have signed infielder Yuniesky Betancourt to a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training. Betancourt is represented by Alex Esteban of Miami Sports Management.
Betancourt, who turns 31 on Thursday, hit .228/.256/.400 with seven home runs in 57 games with the Royals last season. The veteran also drew interest from the Twins and the Cubs at different points this winter.