Rangers Avoid Arbitration With Neftali Feliz
The Rangers announced that they have avoided arbitration with Neftali Feliz on a one-year deal. The pact is worth $2.9MM, a source told Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest (on Twitter). He can earn an additional $50K based on appearances, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned. Feliz is a client of California Sports Management.
The 24-year-old was brought into the rotation in 2012 but wound up missing most of the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. In the fall, GM Jon Daniels told reporters that he would likely bring Feliz back in 2013 as a reliever.
MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows that Texas' lone remaining open case is with outfielder David Murphy.
A’s Avoid Arbitration With Jaso, Smith
7:46pm: Jaso's deal is worth $1.8MM, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
6:24pm: The A’s announced that they have agreed to terms with catcher John Jaso and outfielder Seth Smith on one-year contracts for the 2013 season. Terms of the deals are not yet known. Jaso is a client of ACES while Smith is represented by Aegis Sports Management.
Oakland acquired Jaso just yesterday from the Mariners in the three-team deal that sent Mike Morse to Seattle. The 29-year-old, who is first-time arbitration eligible this winter, is under team control through the 2015 season. Jaso hit .276/.394/.456 in 108 games last season, his best offensive campaign to date.
Smith, 30, has a career .267/.345/.470 slash line across six big league seasons. The A's acquired Smith from the Rockies for Guillermo Moscoso and Josh Outman on Wednesday. Smith, who will hit the open market after the 2014 season, earned $2.4MM from Colorado last season.
As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, the A's have two arbitration eligible players left in Jerry Blevins and Brandon Moss.
Yankees Avoid Arbitration With Joba Chamberlain
7:27pm: The contract includes an attainable $275K bonus for games finished, Davidoff tweets.
6:56pm: Chamberlain's deal will pay him $1.875MM, according to Ken Davidoff of Newsday (on Twitter).
6:33pm: The Yankees announced that they have avoided arbitration with Joba Chamberlain by agreeing to terms on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal. There's no word on the dollar amount just yet.
Chamberlain has suffered a number of setbacks over the years, including Tommy John surgery in 2011 and a dislocated ankle prior to the 2012 season. The once-promising prospect has made just 49 relief appearances across the last two seasons, posting a 3.47 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9.
The right-hander recently changed representation, following agent Jim Murray to Excel Sports Management after his departure from the Hendricks Brothers firm. MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows that the Bombers have two remaining cases in David Robertson and Boone Logan.
Nationals Avoid Arbitration With Drew Storen
The Nationals have avoided arbitration with Drew Storen by reaching agreement on a one-year, $2.5MM contract, according to his representatives at CAA Sports (on Twitter). The contract also includes $1MM in performance bonuses.
Storen, 25, was eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter thanks to his Super Two status. The former tenth-overall pick of the 2009 draft posted a 2.37 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 37 appearances last season. The newly-acquired Rafael Soriano will close for the Nats in 2013 but GM Mike Rizzo made it known today that he is still confident in Storen's abilities.
Swartz projected that Storen would earn $1.7MM through the arbitration process. The reliever will be eligible for free agency after the 2016 season.
The Nationals have six remaining unsigned arbitration eligible players: Roger Bernadina, Tyler Clippard, Ian Desmond, Ross Detwiler, Craig Stammen, and Jordan Zimmermann. They're currently regarded as a file and trial team by case, and past history shows the team is certainly willing to go to a hearing.
Reds, Logan Ondrusek Agree To Deal
The Reds and Logan Ondrusek have agreed to terms on a two-year deal to avoid arbitration, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The right-handed reliever is a client of Rich Thompson.
Ondrusek, 28 in February, posted a 3.46 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 63 games last season. This was the reliever's first time entering the arbitration process and it looks like he won't encounter it again until after the 2014 season. Ondrusek, who is a Super Two, is eligible for free agency after the 2016 campaign.
The Reds have several arbitration cases left, including Mat Latos. Earlier this week, Matt Swartz examined Latos' situation. Swartz's projections had Ondrusek pegged at $900K this winter.
Mets, Bobby Parnell Agree To Deal
The Mets announced that they have avoided arbitration with Bobby Parnell on a one-year, $1.7MM deal for 2013, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (via Twitter). The 28-year-old is represented by ACES.
The right-hander posted a 2.49 ERA last season with 8.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 74 relief outings. Parnell, 28, reportedly picked up trade interest this winter but the Mets opted to hang on to him instead. Matt Swartz's arbitration model developed exclusively for MLBTR projected a $1.5MM deal for Parnell.
Parnell won't be eligible to hit the open market until after the 2015 campaign. After getting Parnell squared away, GM Sandy Alderson & Co. can now focus on their two remaining arb eligible players – Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy.
Astros Sign Rick Ankiel
The Astros have signed Rick Ankiel to a contract that will bring him to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The 33-year-old is represented by Scott Boras.
Ankiel will be entering camp as a hitter and isn't eyeing a return to the mound, as Boras explained back in November. The deal reunites the veteran with manager Bo Porter, who was in Washington during Ankiel's time there. Ankiel also has a history with General Manager Jeff Luhnow from his playing days with the Cardinals.
In the previous two seasons with the Nationals, Ankiel has posted a .236/.292/.377 slash line with 14 homers. Since returning to baseball as an outfielder in 2007, Ankiel has hit .246 .309/.428 for the Cardinals, Royals, Braves, and Nats.
Brewers Avoid Arbitration With Carlos Gomez
5:46pm: Gomez will earn $4.3MM in 2013, a baseball source told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
5:39pm: The Brewers announced that they have reached agreement with Carlos Gomez on a one-year deal to avoid arbitration. The centerfielder is represented by Scott Boras. Terms of the deal are not yet known but Matt Swartz projected that he would earn $3.4MM through the arbitration process.
Gomez, 27, will be eligible for free agency at the end of the year. The outfielder had his best season to date in 2012, posting a slash line of .260/.305/.463 with 19 homers in 452 plate appearances.
Milwaukee now has three players still eligible for arbitration in right-handers John Axford, Burke Badenhop, and Marco Estrada.
Giants Talking To Brandon Lyon
The Giants are in deep discussions with reliever Brandon Lyon, according to Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com. If the Giants sign the right-hander, it is expected to be the last move they make this winter.
If inking Lyon does close the books on significant moves for the 2012/13 offseason, that would spell the end of fellow reliever Brian Wilson in San Francisco. Giants vice president Bobby Evans says that it's an oversimplification to say that signing Lyon would leave Wilson on the outside, but he acknowledged that "there are only so many spots that can be filled."
In 67 outings for the Astros and Blue Jays last season, Lyon posted a 3.10 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. It was an all-around strong showing for the 33-year-old who was limited to just 15 games in 2011 due to bicep surgery.
D’Backs, Tony Sipp Avoid Arbitration
The Diamondbacks have reached agreement on a one-year, $1.275MM deal with Tony Sipp, the right-hander told Creg Stephenson of GulfLive.com. Sipp is a client of the Bledsoe Brothers.
Sipp, 29, came to the Diamondbacks in the three-team deal which shipped Shin-Soo Choo to the Reds last month. He was a fixture of the Indians' bullpen in 2012 as he posted a 4.42 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 63 relief appearances. MLBTR's projection model had Sipp coming away with a $1MM deal in arbitration.