Phillies Sign Matt Anderson
The Phillies have signed Matt Anderson to a minor league deal, a source tells Jerry Crasnick of ESPN (via Twitter). Anderson was taken with the top pick in the 1997 draft by the Tigers.
Anderson, 34, appeared in 245 games for the Tigers from 1998 to 2003. The right-hander registered a 4.89 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 during that span. He last pitched in the majors in 2005 for the Rockies where he was called on in 12 games. Anderson's last stint in affiliated baseball came in 2008 when he saw limited action with the White Sox's Triple-A affiliate.
Cubs Sign Reed Johnson
The Cubs and outfielder Reed Johnson have agreed to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, according to a team press release. This marks a return to Wrigley for Johnson, who spent the 2008 and '09 seasons with the Cubs before hooking on with the Dodgers last season.
Johnson was less-than-impressive in Dodger blue, turning in a slash line of .262/.291/.366 in 215 plate appearances. The 34-year-old has a career .748 OPS and a solid 4.6 UZR/150 in the outfield. Johnson is represented by WMG.
Phillies Interested In John Maine
The Phillies have had discussions with John Maine's representation, agent Rex Gary confirmed to Andrew Marchand and Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The right-hander made just 24 starts in 2009 and 2010 and was non-tendered by the Mets this winter.
Philadelphia already has five starters with Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton. Ideally though, the Phillies would like to move Blanton and the $17MM he is owed over the next two seasons.
Maine, who turns 30 in May, would likely have to accept a minor league deal. The right-hander underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in July and his agent says that he has recovered very well.
Mets To Sign Taylor Tankersley
The Mets have signed left-handed reliever Taylor Tankersley to a minor league deal, the team announced. Dave Gershman of the SPANdemonium blog first reported the agreement, which includes a Spring Training invitation, and MLBTR confirmed the deal.
The team's search for a lefty out of the bullpen began in earnest after losing Hisanori Takahashi and Pedro Feliciano in free agency. At times the Mets have been linked to some of the stronger left-handed relievers on the market such as Brian Fuentes, but for the most part they have targeted more affordable options this winter.
Tankersley, 28, missed all of the 2009 major league season with an elbow injury. After seeing limited action as a lefty specialist in 2010, he rejected a minor league assignment and was granted free agency in October. In four seasons with the Marlins, Tankersley had a 4.58 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9. The reliever is represented by Tom O'Connell.
Poll: Will Andruw Jones Sign With The Yankees?
Yesterday we learned that the Yankees have strong interest in free agent outfielder Andruw Jones. GM Brian Cashman is in search of a backup outfielder who hits right-handed and Jones is one of the better options available at this point in the offseason.
For Now, Mets Won’t Cut Castillo
While the Mets have internally discussed releasing second baseman Luis Castillo, they still plan to bring the veteran to camp, tweets Jon Heyman of SI. However, the club is at the 40-man limit and as they continue to look into acquiring more pieces, such as a left-handed reliever, they could sever ties with the second baseman.
Castillo's lack of versatility makes it difficult for the Mets to keep him. Mets GM Sandy Alderson has shopped Castillo around but after posting a .235/.337/.267 slash line in 2010, it's been difficult to find a taker. Alderson recently conceded to ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin that if he stays with the team, it'll have to be as the primary second baseman.
“If he’s going to be on the club, it probably will have to be as the regular second baseman, or somebody who plays quite a bit of the time at second base. He just doesn’t give us enough coverage other places to play a utility role…And I think that’s probably his best and maybe only role — regular duty at second base,” the GM explained.
The three-time All-Star is set to make $6MM in the final year of a four-year, $25MM deal.
Quick Hits: Rockies, Kouzmanoff, Kennedy
Links for Tuesday night..
- Steve Foster of Inside The Rockies takes a look into his crystal ball and predicts what the Rockies might look like in 2017.
- Carlos Gonzalez never wanted to leave Colorado, writes Jim Armstrong of The Denver Post.
- The talk of Adrian Beltre coming to the Athletics made third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff a little uneasy, writes Jane Lee of MLB.com.
- Adam Kennedy is happy to be back in the AL West, writes MLB.com's Greg Johns. Kennedy inked a minor league deal with the Mariners yesterday.
Mets Notes: Dickey, Capuano, Young, Reyes
Mets GM Sandy Alderson spoke with ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin yesterday to address a number of questions concerning the club. Here are some highlights..
- The Mets are scheduled to exchange arbitration figures with Angel Pagan, Mike Pelfrey, and R.A. Dickey next Tuesday. Alderson wants to maintain financial flexibility going forward but still won't rule out giving multiyear deals to any of the aforementioned arb-eligible players.
- The Chris Capuano signing does not preclude the Mets from getting another starting pitcher. In fact, Alderson says that he would like to sign another starter for a deal similar to Capuano's. The left-hander is set to make a base salary of $1.5MM but could earn more than $4.5MM through incentives in 2011.
- Rubin asks about reports in recent weeks that say the Mets have made offers to free agent pitchers Chris Young and Jeff Francis. Alderson says that the club has talked with agents for other pitchers before and after the Capuano signing but wouldn't characterize anything as being "beyond the discussion stage."
- Alderson seems open to the idea of talking about an extension with Jose Reyes during the season. The recently-crowned GM says that he doesn't have a firm policy when it comes to in-season negotiations. Earlier this month, Alderson said that he wouldn't talk about a new deal with Reyes during Spring Training.
- No surprise here, but the Mets are looking for out-of-house options when it comes to left-handed relief. Alderson summed it all up by saying that the club is looking for starting pitching, a lefty reliever, and fourth and fifth outfielder possibilities, in that order of priority.
- There's likely a position available for Omar Minaya if the former GM wants to pursue it.
Red Sox Sign Okajima To One-Year Deal
The Red Sox signed left-hander Hideki Okajima to a one-year deal worth $1.75MM, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick. The deal includes $550K in incentives and allows Okajima to become a free agent at the end of the 2011 season, Crasnick reports. (all Twitter links). The Pirates, Mets, Rays, Blue Jays and A’s all showed interest in the Joe Rosen client after the Red Sox non-tendered him in December.
Okajima, 35, has seen his performance decline in his four big league seasons. He followed up his 2.22 ERA as a rookie in 2007 with a 2.61 ERA in 2008 then a 3.39 ERA in 2009 and finally a 4.50 ERA in 2010. His strikeout rate was a career low 6.5 K/9 this past season while the walk rate was a career worst 3.9 BB/9. Okajima did miss time this summer with back stiffness, so perhaps that’s to blame.
The Red Sox have been in the market for a lefty reliever, and were recently said to have interest in Brian Fuentes. Although lefties hit .284/.357/.375 off Okajima in 2010, the funky southpaw has held them to a .217/.271/.320 batting line in his career.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement (via Twitter) and Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe first reported that the two sides were close.
Rockies Notes: Fuentes, Gonzalez, Kazmir, Beimel
Let's take a look at some Rockies-related tidbits..
- The Rockies like Brian Fuentes but the left-hander is looking to close and also looking for roughly $5MM per year. Colorado isn't looking to shell out that kind of money for the 35-year-old, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
- After resolving his visa issues, Carlos Gonzalez arrived in Denver today and will take a physical tomorrow to finalize his seven-year, $80MM contract, Renck writes. The Rockies will likely hold a presser on Tuesday to announce the deal.
- The Rockies lost interest in pitcher Scott Kazmir once they re-signed Jorge de la Rosa, Renck tweets.
- One reader asks Renck via Twitter if the Rockies are still interested in reliever Joe Beimel. It appears that other clubs have more interest in the veteran as Colorado hasn't talked to his representation lately.