MLBTR Originals
Here's a look back at some of the analysis and reporting MLBTR's writing team delivered this week..
- Mike Axisa brought us two installments of This Date In Transaction History, one for January 15th and one dedicated to Chan Ho Park.
- We asked MLBTR readers to weigh in on where Jim Thome will sign, if Andruw Jones will end up in pinstripes, and who the Rays will sign to DH.
- This week MLBTR confirmed a report that the Mets signed Taylor Tankersley to a minor league deal. The left-handed reliever will receive an invitation to Spring Training.
- Only a few free agent groundballers remain on the open market, says Ben Nicholson-Smith. Ben also looked at the potential destinations for the remaining designated hitters.
- Need a refresher course on how to get the most out of MLBTR? We got you covered. We also ran down all of MLBTR's regular features.
- This week baseball blogs weighed in on Trevor Hoffman's career, Chris Perez's arbitration case, and much much more.
- Agent Scott Boras will have his work cut out for him as he tries to find a monster deal for Prince Fielder next winter, writes Mike Axisa.
- The Brad Penny deal could affect more people than you think.
- We revisted the free agent arbitration decisions in the American League and the National League.
- Missed our weekly chat? Don't worry, you can find the full transcript right here.
Week In Review: 1/9/11 – 1/15/11
It's time to take a look back at the week that was..
- The biggest surprise of the week was arguably the Yankees' signing of Rafael Soriano. The 31-year-old will make $35MM over three years and can opt out after either of the first two years. The agreement came just days after GM Brian Cashman said that he wouldn't surrender a first-round pick to sign a free agent. Despite some speculation to the contrary, Cashman reportedly still has the full backing of the Steinbrenners.
- All-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman announced that he's retiring after 18 big league seasons. The seven-time All-Star Hoffman walks away with 601 career saves, a 2.87 ERA and 1133 strikeouts in 1089 1/3 innings for the Marlins, Padres and Brewers.
- Dan Lozano, the agent for Albert Pujols, told Cardinals GM John Mozeliak that Spring Training is now the deadline for a new deal to be struck. and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said that he was "hopeful" that the club can extend Pujols by the start of the 2011 season.
- On Friday the Twins announced a deal with veteran Jim Thome. The left-handed slugger will earn $3MM guaranteed and could earn more through incentives. Thome is 11 homers away from reaching 600 and 20 away from matching Sammy Sosa for seventh place all-time.
- The Athletics agreed to a two-year, $8.1MM contract with Grant Balfour. The deal includes a club option for 2013 and the team has agreed to not offer the reliver arbitration at the end of the deal. The Rays will obtain the A's second-round selection as their first-round pick is protected. The A's may not be done adding to the 'pen as they look to sign Brian Fuentes.
- The Rays will bring Kyle Farnsworth aboard on a one-year deal worth $3.25MM. The total deal could be worth $6MM if his option for '12 is picked up.
- The Yankees would consider moving Joba Chamberlain if it netted them a "viable starter."
- The Royals landed starter Jeff Francis for a guaranteed $2MM in 2011. The left-hander can earn another $2MM in incentives. Francis had interest from at least seven teams before accepting Kansas City's offer.
- The Tigers officially agreed to sign Brad Penny to a one-year, $3MM deal this week. The deal also includes up to $3MM in incentives.
- The Reds signed Fred Lewis to a one-year major league deal.
- This week several players avoided going to arbitration with their teams. We'll highlight the most noteworthy deals of the week in this post but as always, you can keep tabs on all arbitration cases using our Arb Tracker.
- The Padres avoided arbitration with Jason Bartlett and agreed to sign him to a two-year deal worth $11MM. The deal buys out Bartlett's final season as an arbitration eligible player and one free agent year.
- The D'Backs agreed to sign Willie Bloomquist to a one-year, $1.05MM deal. The contract includes a mutual option for 2012.
- Fireballer Joel Zumaya was arbitration eligible final time but instead agreed to a one-year, $1.4MM deal. Ryan Raburn was arb eligible for the first time but instead agreed to a two-year, $3.4MM deal.
- Halos catcher Jeff Mathis won't have to go in front of an arbitrator after agreeing to terms on a one-year, $1.7MM deal. The Angels avoided arbitration with Alberto Callaspo.
- Kansas City avoided arbitration with Alex Gordon, the second overall pick in the 2005 draft. The Royals also avoided arbitration with the top pick in the 2006 draft, Luke Hochevar. Hochevar will reportedly make $1.76MM in 2011.
- The Athletics and Brad Ziegler avoided arbitration when they agreed to a one-year deal.
- The Blue Jays and Carlos Villanueva won't need to sit in front of an arbitrator. They two sides came to terms on a one-year, $1.415MM pact.
- Ben Francisco, who was eligible for arbitration for the first time, will remain with the Phillies on a one-year agreement.
- The Cardinals announced a one-year deal with Kyle McClellan, meaning that they have no more arbitration-eligible players for 2011.
- Geovany Soto got an early 28th birthday present when he avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3MM deal with the Cubs.
- Colorado avoided salary arbitration with Matt Belisle when they agreed to a one-year, $2.35MM deal.
- At least five teams are showing interest in Manny Ramirez.
- Pitcher Kris Benson decided to hang 'em up after 12 years in the majors. Benson was the first overall pick in the 1996 draft.
- The Marlins signed a quartet of players to minor league deals: Joe Thurston, Dewayne Wise, Clint Sammons, and Jamie D'Antona.
- Catcher Max Ramirez was claimed on waivers for the second time in six days when the Cubs claimed him from the Red Sox.
- On Saturday, the Royals and Bruce Chen agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.5MM. Chen can earn another $1.5MM through incentives.
- The Cards agreed to minor league contracts with Miguel Batista and Ian Snell. St. Louis also signed veteran infielder Ramon Vazquez to a minor league deal.
- After a strong winter in Venezuela, reliever Jorge Julio signed a minor league contract with the Pirates.
- Catcher Raul Chavez agreed to a minor league deal with the Mets. The club also agreed to sign Willie Harris to a minor league contract.
- The Phillies picked up former top pick Matt Anderson on a minor league deal.
- The Cubs signed Reed Johnson to a minor league deal.
Orioles Avoid Arbitration With Adam Jones
7:38pm: The deal is worth roughly $3.25MM, according to Connolly (via Twitter). That's about what MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted in August, as Jones gets his first big payday after losing a Super Two tiebreaker the previous offseason.
6:37pm: The Orioles have agreed to a one-year deal with Adam Jones, according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). This year was the outfielder's first as an arbitration-eligible player.
Last season Jones came close to replicating the numbers from his 2009 All-Star campaign. The 25-year-old hit .284/.325/.442 with 19 homers in 621 plate appearances. In five big league seasons, Jones owns a slash line of .274/.319/.427 with a respectable -4.7 UZR/150 in center field.
According to MLBTR's Arb Tracker, the O's now have five players who are still eligible for arbitration this winter. Felix Pie, J.J. Hardy, Jeremy Guthrie, Jim Johnson, and Luke Scott are still scheduled to exchange figures with the club.
Pirates To Sign Jose Veras
The Pirates have agreed to sign Jose Veras to a minor league deal, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (Spanish link). The reliever will earn a base of $1MM plus incentives if he makes the big league roster, Rojas tweets. Otherwise, the veteran will make $15K each month in the minors.
Earlier this week we learned that six different clubs offered the right-hander a minor league deal. Ultimately, Veras chose the Pirates over opportunities with the Giants, Rockies, Twins, Marlins, and Rays.
Veras, 30, registered a 3.85 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 48 innings for the Marlins last year. Florida opted to non-tender him in early December.
Dodgers Nearing Deal With Marcus Thames
The Dodgers are on the verge of signing free agent outfielder Marcus Thames, baseball sources tell MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. However, the club declined to confirm that a signing of the 33-year-old is close. Thames would provide the Dodgers with right-handed power and could platoon with Jay Gibbons in left field.
Sources say that the Dodgers are also looking at veterans Eric Chavez and Gabe Kapler as they search for a power bat. The front office also is thinking about moving Matt Kemp from center field to right, Andre Ethier right field to left, and Tony Gwynn starting in center field. That alignment would help fortify the Dodgers' defense but Gwynn must perform well at the plate in Spring Training in order to make that a possibility.
Pujols’ Agent Sets Deadline For Extension Talks
6:24pm: ESPN's Buster Olney says (via Twitter) that if a contract can not be worked out by the deadline, Pujols "is intent on testing the free agent market." SI.com's Jon Heyman spoke to one executive that thinks Pujols would get 20% less than expected on the open market because big spenders like the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, and Tigers don't figure to enter the bidding given their first base situation (Twitter link).
Olney speculates that the Cubs, Angels, Dodgers, and Giants could be interested.
1:41pm: Dan Lozano, the agent for Albert Pujols, notified the Cardinals that Spring Training is the deadline for a new deal to be struck, GM John Mozeliak told Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). Earlier this week, Cards chariman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said that he was "hopeful" that the club can extend Pujols by Opening Day.
It's difficult to find a dead-on comparison for the stellar slugger, but our own Ben Nicholson-Smith suggested that Pujols could compare himself to Alex Rodriguez who is earning $27.5MM per season over the life of his newest contract. We don't know much about the inner-workings of the talks as it is, but earlier today Mozeliak vowed to keep his lips sealed on the matter.
Athletics Notes: Fuentes, Relievers, Right-Handed Bat
Yesterday the Athletics agreed to sign Grant Balfour to a two-year deal and today we learned that they're making a push for Brian Fuentes. ESPN's Buster Olney brings us a pair of Oakland-related tidbits..
- Location could definitely work in the A's favor as they look to land Fuentes, Olney tweets. Fuentes, a "[California] guy", was raised in Merced – roughly two hours east of Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The left-hander is arguably the best remaining free agent reliever available.
- Oakland's signing of Balfour likely won't be the club's last move of the offseason, Olney writes. The A's are now in search of bullpen depth and a right-handed bat. If Oakland decides not to spend on a lefty reliever like Fuentes they could go with less-expensive options such as Joe Beimel, Tim Byrdak, Dennys Reyes, and Mark Hendrickson. A few notable right-handed relievers remain as well including Chad Durbin and Manny Delcarmen.
Cardinals To Sign Ramon Vazquez
The Cardinals are set to sign infielder Ramon Vazquez to a minor league deal, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The deal comes with an invite to Spring Training and could be completed and announced this weekend, a source told Goold.
Vazquez, 34, last appeared in the majors in 2009 with Pittsburgh. The veteran, who is represented by MDR Sports, could give the Cards some much needed depth on the left side of the infield. Vazquez spent 2010 with the Triple-A affiliates of the Mariners and Astros, hitting .257/.330/.363 in 202 plate appearances.
Phillies Avoid Arbitration With Ben Francisco
The Phillies have agreed to a one-year, $1.175MM deal with Ben Francisco, tweets Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The 29-year-old outfielder is represented by John Boggs.
This offseason was Francisco's very first as an arbitration eligible player. In 2010, Francisco turned in a .268/.327/.441 slash line with six homers in 197 plate appearances. Philadelphia acquired the right-handed batter from Cleveland in the deal that brought them Cliff Lee in 2009. To keep up with the status of every arbitration eligible player, bookmark our handy Arb Tracker.
Paul Hagen of The Philadelphia Daily News has the breakdown of the incentives in Francisco's contract.
Cardinals To Sign Batista, Snell
The Cardinals have agreed on minor league deals with Miguel Batista and Ian Snell, according to the club (via Twitter). Both right-handers will receive invitations to Spring Training.
Batista, 40 in February, turned in a 3.70 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 for the Nationals last season. In 16 major league seasons with eight different clubs, Batista owns a 4.51 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9.
Snell, 29, was part of a seven-player swap between the Mariners and the Pirates in 2009. The hurler cleared waivers and accepted a Triple-A assignment after being DFA'd by the M's in June. Snell has a career 4.80 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.