Red Sox Notes: Shoda, Coello, Bishop
Don't let all that snow in Boston fool you, Spring Training is fast approaching. Here's some of the latest BoSox news out of Fort Myers, Florida..
- As we learned last night, the Red Sox are closing in on a deal with Japanese left-hander Itsuki Shoda. A major league source told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that Shoda has been invited to minor league camp and would have to win a job to stay with the organization. The figures on the deal are not yet out but Abraham writes that the cost to the Red Sox is minimal.
- Robert Coello, who was designated for assignment on Wednesday, is still working out at the Red Sox minor league training facility while he waits to hear where he might be playing baseball this season. The 26-year-old should be able to draw interest from clubs after turning in a 3.86 ERA with 10.9 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 107 1/3 innings for Boston's Double-A and Triple-A affiliates as a swingman.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com profiles the story of Te Wera "Beau" Bishop and how the New Zealand softballer was discovered by the BoSox.
Quick Hits: Marcum, Blanco, Peavy, Pujols
Links for Wednesday night..
- Brewers negotiator Teddy Werner told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter) that the ability for Shaun Marcum to exceed the $4MM arb midpoint via incentives was key to making the deal happen.
- Royals outfielder Gregor Blanco is out of options and on the bubble, writes Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
- The Mets could learn a lot from the Rangers, who also experienced financial trouble recently, writes Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal.
- Jake Peavy is eager to fulfill the expecations that the White Sox had for him when they traded for him in 2009, writes Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
- Agent Adam Karon has been promoted to partner and general counsel at Sosnick-Cobbe Sports, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Karon represents Jonathan Singleton, Brent Morel, Jesse Biddle, Sean Coyle, Chris Heisey, and others.
- Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (via Twitter) points out that the Cardinals have an exclusive negotiating window with Albert Pujols from the end of the team's season to five days after the World Series.
- The Cards should give Pujols the dollars he's looking for but only across seven years, says Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter).
- The White Sox are amongst the teams that did well this offseason, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.
- Reliever Duaner Sanchez worked out for several clubs in Arizona today, though the Red Sox were not among them, tweets Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. The veteran right-hander last pitched in the majors in 2009 when he made 12 appearances for the Padres.
Brewers, Marcum Avoid Arbitration
The Brewers and pitcher Shaun Marcum have agreed to a deal, avoiding arbitration in advance of their Thursday hearing, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The deal is for one-year and will pay the right-hander $3.95MM, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
With Marcum seeking $5MM and the club offering $3MM, the base figure falls just short of the midpoint. However, the deal will include performance bonuses that can push the deal beyond $4MM, according to McCalvy.
Last season, Marcum turned in a 3.64 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 31 starts for the Blue Jays. The 29-year-old is represented by Turner/Gary.
According to MLBTR's Arb Tracker, the Brewers are left with just one unsettled arbitration case: second baseman Rickie Weeks. Weeks wants $7.2MM for 2011 while the Brewers are offering $4.85MM. The two sides are scheduled to go to arbitration next Thursday but the club is said to be optimistic about reaching a deal beforehand.
Yankees Void Deal With Vizcaino
The Yankees have voided their contract with reliever Luis Vizcaino, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The right-hander tore his Achilles tendon late in the Winter Ball season and is not likely to pitch this season.
Vizcaino, 36, signed a minor league deal with the Yanks in December that would have paid him $750K for making the big league roster. The Yanks saw the veteran as a candidate to work his way to the majors in '11 after he impressed in the Dominican Winter League, throwing consistently in the mid-90s. Vizcaino's winter performance was crucial as he missed all of 2010 and most of 2009 with arm trouble.
For his career, Vizcaino has a 4.33 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.
Brewers Notes: Marcum, Cabrera, Betancourt
This winter the Brewers have been working to sign Rickie Weeks to a multiyear extension. There hasn't been much news on that front in the last week, but here are some other noteworthy developments out of Milwaukee..
- The Brewers and pitcher Shaun Marcum remain deadlocked as they are less than 24 hours away from a scheduled arbitration meeting, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. As seen on MLBTR's Arb Tracker, Marcum is seeking $5MM while the Brewers have offered $3MM. Brewers senior director of business operations Teddy Werner remains hopeful that the two sides can work out a deal, citing previous cases that the club has settled in the eleventh hour. As McCalvy pointed out on Sunday, Francisco Liriano's arb case could impact Marcum's as both pitchers submitted figures of $5MM. Liriano wound up settling with the Twins for $4.3MM.
- The club has not inquired about free agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera, GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter). Some have speculated, including SI's Jon Heyman, that Milwaukee was a possible landing spot for the veteran. This likely means that the club will take care of the shortstop position internally, turning the keys over to Yuniesky Betancourt.
Yankees Sign Eric Chavez To Minor League Deal
The Yankees have signed Eric Chavez to a minor league deal, according to WFAN's Sweeny Murti. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports that the deal is done and that Chavez will earn $1.5MM if he makes the big league team (Twitter links). The third baseman, who is represented by Lapa/Leventhal, can earn up to $4MM more in bonuses.
Until now, the 33-year-old Chavez has been a career Oakland Athletic. Unfortunately for the veteran, he has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, seeing time in just 64 games across the last three seasons. In 13 big league seasons, Chavez owns a slash line of .267/.343/.478.
Chavez worked out for the Dodgers a few weeks ago and has also been linked to the Mariners and Blue Jays in recent months.
Delgado Hopes To Return By Spring Training
MONDAY, 7:41pm: Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports that Delgado has not received any offers yet (on Twitter). He'll likely have to prove he's healthy before teams show interest.
SUNDAY, 9:03pm: Veteran slugger Carlos Delgado is still recovering from surgery on his left hip but hopes to return to the majors this year, writes Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. The 38-year-old has not played in a Major League game since May 10, 2009.
"If I am healthy, I will find a way," said Delgado, who is 27 home runs shy of reaching 500. "I know how to play. I don't want to retire. The reason why I put myself through three surgeries in 18 months is because I want to play. Otherwise, I would have just hung it up."
Delgado went under the knife last September for the third hip surgery of his career. A month prior to that he signed a minor league deal with the BoSox that would have paid him a prorated portion of $3MM upon reaching the majors.
Before he signed with Boston, the White Sox, Rockies, and Mariners were among the clubs known to have interest. The two-time All-Star said last November that he was still waiting for a call from a major league club and had no preference as to where he signs.
MLBTR Originals
Here at MLBTradeRumors, we're about a lot more than supplying you with up-to-the-minute hot stove news. Here's a look back at some of our original work this week..
- We asked our readers to vote on which team offered Vladimir Guerrero $8MM, how the 2011 Rays will fare, and Justin Duchscherer's next team. More than half of you guessed correctly, saying that Duchscherer would wind up in Baltimore.
- This season will be a "Make Or Break Year" for Dodgers reliever Jonathan Broxton and Bucs catcher Ryan Doumit.
- Fifteen players have signed guaranteed one-year contracts worth less than a million bucks this winter and Mike Axisa introduced us to the six-figure contract club.
- Check out our latest installments of "This Date In Transactions History".
- Unclear about what's considered in arbitration cases? Here's what matters in arbitration and what does not.
- We took a look around the blogosphere in Friday's edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- I feel rather svelte after reading Howard Megdal's Jack Of All Trades: Baseball's Roundest.
- Now you can subscribe to MLBTR on your Amazon Kindle for just $1.99 per month. How cool is that?
- Ben Nicholson-Smith examined ten well-paid arb eligible players. And if you need even more Ben in your life (who doesn't?) check out his series of guest posts over at Fangraphs.
- We covered a lot of ground in this week's chat. If you missed any part of it, you can take a look at the transcript here.
- With just weeks to go until pitchers and catchers report, we ran down the twenty biggest free agent deals of the offseason.
Pujols Talks Not Going Well
6:29pm: Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch heard that the two sides are "nowhere close" according to someone in Pujols' camp. He says the Cardinals remain reluctant to counter the ten-year, $300MM structure Pujols' side presented last year and are "leery of setting Pujols' market for fear their proposal could be rejected and eventually shopped should he reach free agency."
1:06pm: Contract talks between the Cardinals and Albert Pujols are headed in the wrong direction, major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The clock is ticking as there are less than two weeks until the first baseman’s self-imposed deadline for an agreement. The Cards' position players report to Spring Training on February 18th.
Even though talks between the two sides are fluid, the Cardinals are balking at the 31-year-old’s asking price. The slugger is seeking a contract that will reflect his status as the game's top player, meaning that he's likely looking to top Alex Rodriguez's ten-year, $275MM deal.
If Pujols does hit the open market after the 2011 season, Rosenthal writes that the Cubs, Rangers, and Angels are among the teams that could pursue Pujols. The Mets and Dodgers also could jump into the fray provided that their financial situations improve. The Yankees and Red Sox are obviously set long term at the first base position but Rosenthal posits that either team could get creative in an attempt to land Pujols.
Giants To Sign Mercedes
The Giants have reached an agreement with pitcher Simon Mercedes of the Dominican Prospect League, according to Spencer Fordin of MLB.com. The 18-year-old, who pitched in the DPL All-Star game earlier today, will receive $400K.
The right-handed pitcheris the second player from the DPL to sign with a major league club this month. Pitcher Darwin Castillo signed with the Royals last week for $300K.
Mercedes reaches the low 90's with his fastball and will begin his career with the Giants low in the team's farm system.