MLBTR Originals
Here's a look back at the original reporting and analysis produced by our writing staff this week..
- Tim Dierkes was the first to learn of Pat Burrell's retirement. In nine seasons with the Phillies, the 35-year-old hit .257/.367/.485 with 251 home runs. Tim also listed this offseason's other candidates for retirement.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo doesn't have to worry about the top of his rotation for a while since Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg are under control through 2016, but Jordan Zimmermann can hit the open market a year earlier. Mike Axisa looked at what it would take for the Nats to lock the right-hander up.
- Speaking of the Nats' rotation, Ben Nicholson-Smith examined the club's retooled rotation.
- With the 2011-12 offseason winds down, Ben gave us a preview of 2013's best free agent starters.
- Roughly 29% of MLBTR readers think that Manny Ramirez will wind up signing with the Athletics, while almost 28% say that he'll go unsigned this winter.
- Only three of MLBTR's top 50 free agents remain unsigned, writes Mark Polishuk.
- Casey McGehee and Garrett Jones haven’t teamed up on the field yet, but they’re already linked through the arbitration process, writes BN-S. The two have had remarkably similar career arcs and statistical production.
- Tim Dierkes examined the worst contract extensions from two years ago.
- Howard Megdal noticed similarities between the free agency of Edwin Jackson and Jason Schmidt in 2001. He also found a way to work in an Arrested Development reference, which is pretty neat.
- MLBTR is increasing efforts to enforce our commenting policy. Get re-acquainted with the rules with this handy post.
- Anibal Sanchez is entering his final season as an arbitration eligible player, and the Marlins view him as a candidate for a contract extension.
- Why pay for a fantasy baseball magazine with outdated info when you can read everything at RotoAuthority.com for free? Here's a look at some of the site's best pieces from this past week.
- If you missed out on Tim's weekly chat, you can check out the transcript right here.
- Mike Axisa rounded up the best of the web for the latest installment of Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- There's plenty to look forward to this month, but if recent history is any indication, we shouldn't be expecting franchise-altering trades to go down in the next six weeks, Ben writes. The calm six week stretch can largely be attributed to teams wanting to see what they have in-house before looking for outside help.
- MLBTR is seeking a part-time ad sales person.
Brad Penny Signs With SoftBank Hawks
4:48pm: ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that Penny's deal contains a $4.5MM mutual option that becomes a player option if he pitches 150 innings or wins 12 games.
1:32pm: Penny's contract is worth $4MM plus $3.5MM in performance bonuses, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). A source tells Rosenthal (via Twitter) that Penny's deal is the largest ever given to an American pitcher in his first year with a Japanese team.
10:34am: Brad Penny has signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball, according to the team's website (Japanese link). Penny's deal is for one year and $3MM, plus performance bonuses, according to a report from the Yomiuri Shimbun passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker.
ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick recently reported that Penny was weighing an opportunity with the Hawks. The 33-year-old posted a 5.30 ERA with 3.7 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 31 starts for the Tigers last season.
The Chunichi Dragons have also picked up a former Major Leaguer in reliever Jorge Sosa, according to Sanspo (Japanese link). Newman writes that Sosa received a $100K signing bonus in addition to his $300K salary.
Athletics Pursuing Koji Uehara
The Athletics are among the teams pursuing the Rangers' Koji Uehara, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Orioles also remain interested in the right-handed reliever.
Last week, Rosenthal wrote that Texas might be looking to move the 36-year-old to sign a lefty reliever like Mike Gonzalez. Uehara recently used his limited no-trade clause to block a trade that would have sent him to the Blue Jays and is said to be seeking a return to Baltimore.
Cafardo On Lannan, Bourjos, Cespedes, Vazquez
Jason Varitek is facing a very difficult decision, and the catcher has been considering the very difficult reality of retirement, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Varitek, who turns 40 in April, would seem to be a good fit in Minnesota. The Twins will likely carry three catchers as Joe Mauer will need time to DH and rest and Ryan Doumit will mostly DH while also backing up Mauer.
Varitek isn't the only veteran wondering about his baseball future. Ivan Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, Magglio Ordonez, and Vladimir Guerrero also hope to continue playing in 2012. Here's more from Cafardo..
- There is a lot of speculation that the Nationals will deal John Lannan to the Angels for Peter Bourjos, with the Halos putting Mike Trout in center field. The Nats beat Lannan in arbitration last week and were said to be aggressively shopping the left-hander.
- Alternatively, the Nats could move Jayson Werth to center and sign a right fielder. Cafardo adds that it now appears that Yoenis Cespedes is not in their plans and they have cooled on B.J. Upton.
- Javier Vazquez is retired for now, but Cafardo wonders if a team could convince him to play. An AL GM remarked that Vazquez would be a perfect fourth or fifth starter on a contending team and believes that the pitcher looks as good as he's ever been.
- Scott Boras is no longer representing Manny Ramirez. Ramirez signed on with Boras in early 2008 and the agent negotiated the slugger's two-year, $45MM contract with the Dodgers the following year.
- Boras wound up receiving eight offers in total for Prince Fielder, including the winning bid from the Tigers.
- A couple of agents are frustrated after dealing with the Red Sox front office/ownership lately as compared to what they were used to in the past. However, there has been quite a bit of praise for GM Ben Cherington.
- Right-hander Brandon Webb hasn't given up on pitching and according to one American League executive, the plan is for the 32-year-old to throw for teams sometime in March.
- Mark Prior is also looking to attempt one more comeback. The right-hander, who spent some of last season with the Yankees, had surgery for a sports hernia and the problem isn't completely corrected. Like Webb, Prior could work out for teams as early as March.
- Knuckleballer Charlie Haeger was supposed to be in Red Sox minor league camp but instead ripped up his elbow long-tossing over the winter. The veteran will unfortunately miss the season.
- Cafardo feels that the Red Sox missed an opportunity to sign Edwin Jackson to a good value deal at one year, $10MM and shouldn’t let Roy Oswalt slip away now.
Red Sox, Aceves Agree To One-Year Deal
The Red Sox and Alfredo Aceves have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.2MM deal with $100K in bonus incentives, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. In addition to the $1.2MM base, Aceves will receive $25K for 5, 10, 15 and 25 starts or 55, 60, 65 and 70 appearances, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
The two sides settled right around the midpoint as the Red Sox offered $950K and the right-hander was seeking $1.6MM, according to MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker. The O'Connell Sports Management client has just over three years of service time to his credit and isn't set to hit the open market until after the 2014 season.
With Aceves signed, Boston has just one arbitration case left to tackle in David Ortiz.
Latest On Roy Oswalt
7:09pm: Rosenthal now hears that the Reds are not actively pursuing Oswalt, but they are kicking the tires on the right-hander (Twitter link).
1:53pm: Pitcher Roy Oswalt is without a contract two weeks before the start of spring workouts and a number of suitors remain in the mix for his services. Because the right-hander's top choices – St. Louis and Texas – are dealing with budget constraints, clubs such as the Reds continue to explore the possibility of signing him, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Walt Jocketty & Co. have spoken with Oswalt’s representatives recently and would probably need to move payroll and stretch their budget in order to afford him, according to a source. Signing the 34-year-old, the duo writes, would signal that the Reds are going all-in and looking to win before the potential departures of Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips via free agency. Votto is signed through 2013 while Phillips is set to hit the open market next winter.
Oswalt and the Red Sox continue to have “mutual interest” in one another, according to one source with knowledge of the dialogue. He also remains interested in returning to the Phillies, according to sources, but they haven’t been aggressive in looking for starters.
Giants Notes: Cespedes, Ramirez, Torres
Yesterday, Giants GM Brian Sabean talked to the press about the possibility of signing Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum to contract extensions. Here's more on San Fran..
- Not a huge surprise here, but Sabean said that the Giants won't go after Yoenis Cespedes, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. "The price tag is probably beyond what his talent is," the GM said. The outfielder still has a number of suitors including the Marlins, Cubs, White Sox, Orioles, and Tigers.
- Sabean said that Ramon Ramirez was included in the Andres Torres–Angel Pagan trade in December to even out the money, Schulman tweets. Back in December, the GM admitted that if the Giants hadn't traded Ramirez, they would have tendered the right-hander a contract.
- Speaking of Torres, a competing baseball exec told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) that he sees the former Giant as a fifth outfielder, even though he is slated to start in center field for the Mets. Heyman agrees with that assertion.
Athletics Evaluating Magglio Ordonez
In addition to Manny Ramirez, the A's are also evaluating Magglio Ordonez for a spring tryout, according to Peter Gammons of MLB.com (via Twitter). The slugger is recovering from surgery after re-fracturing his right ankle during the ALCS in 2011.
Roughly two weeks ago, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported that Ordonez could be medically cleared by this point which would in turn spark interest in him. Ordonez, who turned 38 last Saturday, hit just .255/.303/.331 in 92 games with the Tigers last season.
Week In Review: 1/22/12 – 1/28/12
It's time to take a look back at the week that was..
- The Tigers officially agreed to sign free agent first baseman Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214MM contract. The agreement has no opt-outs and will keep Fielder in the Motor City through his age 36 season for an average annual value of $23.78MM. Over the years, Tigers owner Mike Ilitch and GM Dave Dombrowski have dealt extensively with Scott Boras regarding clients such as Kenny Rogers, Ivan Rodriguez, Johnny Damon and Magglio Ordonez.
- The Rangers are set to meet with Roy Oswalt tomorrow morning, assuming he's still a free agent by then. The Cardinals were reportedly close to a deal with the veteran pitcher but those rumblings have been denied by GM John Mozeliak. There is "no chance" of Oswalt relieving in 2012, agent Bob Garber told Tim Dierkes.
- Free agent pitcher Edwin Jackson has multiple three-year offers. The Red Sox have made Jackson an offer and it's believed that he would take a one-year deal to play in Boston. The Orioles are in the mix and though it doesn't look like they'll offer a four-year deal, they could put a three-year contract with an option year on the table.
- The Giants and Tim Lincecum agreed to a two-year, $40.5MM contract extension, avoiding arbitration with the two-time Cy Young Award winner. The two-year deal buys out Lincecum's final two seasons of arbitration eligibility and avoids a potentially historic hearing. The right-hander will earn $18MM in 2012 and $22MM in 2013 to go along with a $500K signing bonus.
- The Blue Jays signed right-hander Brandon Morrow to a three-year, $20MM extension, the team announced. The deal includes a 2015 option for $10MM. Morrow will earn $4MM in 2012 and $8MM in 2013 and 2014. There's a $10MM option with a $1MM buyout in 2015 for a total guarantee of $21MM.
- The Red Sox signed outfielder Cody Ross to a one-year deal worth roughly $3MM plus incentives. Ross played all three outfield positions for the Giants last season and hit .240/.325/.405 line with 14 home runs in 461 plate appearances. The club designated right-hander Scott Atchison for assignment to make room for Ross.
- The Dodgers pushed hard for Prince Fielder for weeks and thought they had a legitimate chance of signing him by offering the slugger a seven-year deal.
- MLB has informed teams that Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is now a free agent after recently gaining residency in the Dominican Republic.
- The Blue Jays agreed to sign right-handed reliever Francisco Cordero to a one-year, $4.5MM contract. Cordero, 36, posted a 2.45 ERA with 5.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 50% ground ball rate in 69 2/3 innings for Cincinnati this past season.
- The Rockies and Rafael Betancourt agreed to a contract extension which guarantees Betancourt's $4.25MM mutual option for 2013 and adds an option at the same salary for 2014. He'll earn $4MM in 2012 as part of his current contract.
- The Phillies avoided arbitration with Hunter Pence, agreeing to a one-year, $10.4MM contract for 2012. The sides settled at the midpoint between Pence's request for $11.8MM and the Phillies' $9MM offer.
- The Yankees and Russell Martin avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $7.5MM with $100K in performance bonuses.
- The Reds acquired infielder Wilson Valdez from the Phillies for left-hander Jeremy Horst. Horst will be in Major League Spring Training as a non-roster player.
- A possible deal to send Rangers reliever Koji Uehara to Toronto fell through when the reliever exercised his no-trade clause. Uehara is now said to be drawing trade interest from the Orioles.
- Juan Pierre signed a minor league deal with the Phillies that includes an invitation to Spring Training.
- On Friday, the Giants agreed to sign free agent infielder Ryan Theriot to a one-year deal worth $1.25MM with $750K in incentives.
- The Yankees have interest in Raul Ibanez. The veteran has drawn interest from a number of clubs, including the Mets and Tigers, in recent weeks.
- There are early indications that the Giants will have a decent or better chance to lock Matt Cain on another long-term deal.
- Free agent outfielder J.D. Drew is "very likely" to retire.
- The Blue Jays signed 44-year-old infielder Omar Vizquel to a minor league contract that contains an invitation to the Major League Spring Training camp.
- The Reds and reliever Jose Arredondo avoided arbitration by agreeing to terms on a two-year, $2MM contract.
- The Mariners signed Kevin Millwood to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training.
- Jeff Keppinger signed a one-year, $1.525MM Major League deal with the Rays. In order to make room for the 31-year-old, the club designated Russ Canzler for assignment.
- The Orioles announced that they have signed Wilson Betemit to a two-year, Major League contract that includes a vesting option for 2014. Betemit's deal could be worth up to $6MM.
- Cuban left-hander Gerardo Concepcion, an 18-year-old free agent, is very close to signing with a team. According to his agent, Concepcion has drawn the most interest from the Rangers, White Sox, Cubs, and Yankees.
- The Indians placed Roberto Hernandez Heredia (better known as Fausto Carmona) on the restricted list. The move clears a spot on the team's 40-man roster, and Hernandez will not accrue service time or get paid until he reports.
- The Red Sox and Andrew Bailey avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.9MM deal that includes $100K in incentives.
- The Nationals agreed to sign free agent right-hander Brad Lidge to a one-year deal. Lidge will earn $1MM plus incentives.
- Corner outfielder Austin Kearns agreed to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training.
- The Reds signed Willie Harris to a minor league deal. The 33-year-old can earn an $800K salary if he makes the Reds out of Spring Training.
- The Diamondbacks claimed catcher Craig Tatum off of waivers from the Astros. The 28-year-old backstop will provide the Diamondbacks with another option behind Miguel Montero and Henry Blanco.
- The White Sox signed left-hander Scott Olsen to a minor league contract with a 2013 team option.
- The Red Sox signed right-hander John Maine to a minor league contract.
- The Reds agreed to sign free agent left-hander Jeff Francis to a minor league deal.
- The Astros signed left-hander Zach Duke to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training.
- The Indians inked reliever Dan Wheeler to a minor league contract.
- The Giants agreed to terms with reliever Clay Hensley on a Major League contract.
Quick Hits: Chacin, Orioles, Dodgers, Ramirez
Sunday night links..
- No team has been has active as the Rockies over the last five years of locking up young players long term before they reach the arbitration process and Troy Renck of The Denver Post writes that Jhoulys Chacin is the next candidate. Chacin is eligible for salary arbitration in 2013 and can't become a free agent until 2016. When asked, GM Dan O'Dowd told Renck that the club isn't ready to do anything at this time.
- The Orioles are involved in "at least three" active trade talks, a source tells Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com. Earlier today, we learned that the O's are in talks with the Cardinals regarding Kyle McClellan.
- There are at least five major groups left in the bidding to buy the Dodgers and all have submitted bids for at least $1.5 billion, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
- Assistant GM David Forst suggested that the Athletics are open to signing slugger Manny Ramirez but the team is not actively pursuing the free agent, according to the Associated Press.
- Brewers negotiator Teddy Werner said there has been "good progress" in talks with arbitration-eligible right-hander Shaun Marcum, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Marcum filed for $8.7MM and the Brewers countered with $6.75MM in arbitration.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo confirmed to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (via Twitter) that the club has no interest in reacquiring Adam Dunn.
- The Orioles' top priority is upgrading their bullpen, but if trade talks for Kyle McClellan come to fruition he could be yet another starting option, tweets Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com.
- While Commissioner Bud Selig looks to expand the postseason from eight to ten teams this year, there remains uncertainty whether it can happen before 2013, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Despite Selig's aspirations, the Players Association still has doubts whether it's feasible.
- New Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez doesn't expect to replace Prince Fielder's bat in the lineup but says that he is fitting in well with his new team, Haudricourt writes.