Blue Jays Decline Options On Kevin Gregg
The Blue Jays have declined options on right-hander Kevin Gregg, making him a free agent, according to a team press release. Toronto held options of $4.5MM for 2011 or $8.75MM across the next two years. The reliever will instead receive a buyout of $750K.
In his first year north of the border, Gregg turned in a 3.51 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9. MLBTR learned last week that the 32-year-old will be a Type B free agent. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com tweets that the Blue Jays will likely offer him arbitration in order to land a compensatory draft pick if he declines and goes elsewhere.
Our own Ben Nicholson-Smith recently compared Gregg to a trio of relievers from last winter's free agent class: Brandon Lyon, Fernando Rodney, and Jose Valverde. All three had similar contract years to Gregg and all three secured multi-year deals worth upwards of $11MM.
Giants Decline Renteria’s 2011 Option
As expected, the Giants have officially declined their $10.5MM option on shortstop Edgar Renteria, tweets Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News. The 2010 World Series MVP will receive a buyout of $500K.
The 34-year-old is still mulling retirement, says Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).
Hoyer Willing To Listen To Offers For Gonzalez, Bell
Padres GM Jed Hoyer said in an interview on XX1090 Sports Radio that the club will listen to offers for Adrian Gonzalez though he expects to start the season with him, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times. The GM even said that the club has yet to make the star slugger an offer as they are far apart on compensation and he will likely go elsewhere, tweets Marty Caswell of XX1090 Sports Radio. Hoyer added that it is a near-certainty that Gonzalez will explore the open market after 2011, says Hayes (via Twitter).
While the Padres have yet to submit an offer to Gonzalez's agent, the two sides reportedly made plans to meet this week. However, a long-term deal seems unlikely in the wake of CEO Jeff Moorad's comments last month and Hoyer's remarks this evening.
Hoyer will also listen to offers on Heath Bell as he believes that the club has two closer candidates in Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson, Hayes tweets. Bell earned $4MM in 2010 and is due a raise in arbitration.
The Padres GM also confirmed that Mets GM Sandy Alderson has asked for permission to speak with Paul DePodesta but hopes that he will stay with San Diego, tweets Caswell.
Marlins Offer Uggla Four-Year Deal
The Marlins have offered Dan Uggla a four-year deal that starts with $8MM in 2011, according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter). The second baseman, however, is seeking a five-year pact with the club.
It was suggested late last week by the Palm Beach Post's Joe Capozzi that the Fish could have offered a four-year deal to the two-time All-Star. Uggla's agent Terry Bross told the paper that there was some "movement" in the negotiations.
A 2011 salary of $8MM would essentially represent a lateral move for Uggla in the short-term as he earned $7.8MM this season. Uggla is expected to earn upwards of $10MM next season if he heads to arbitration.
Yankees Seek Left-Handed Reliever
Yankees GM Brian Cashman addressed the media this afternoon to talk about the brand new deal for manager Joe Girardi and the club's plans for the offseason. While he didn't tip his hand too much, he did indicate that the club will be on the look out for a left-handed reliever this winter, writes Chad Jennings of The Journal News.
“If I can find a left-handed reliever who can join Boone Logan, I think that will make our choices out of the pen better for our manager,” the GM said. “It’s easy to talk about it. It’s harder to find it. Those are the obvious things that stand out for me: Continue to improve your starting rotation, find a left-handed reliever and then get after it.”
The Yankees already know that they'll be short-staffed in the bullpen to start the year as Damaso Marte will miss significant time after undergoing shoulder surgery. Recently, our own Ben Nicholson-Smith identified five lefties on the open market this winter that can be had on the cheap. If the Yankees are willing to spend more, however, they could pursue the likes of Pedro Feliciano and Scott Downs.
Odds & Ends: Lee, Lewis, Blue Jays, Moyer
Links for Friday as the Rangers prepare for a crucial game 3 tomorrow night..
- Carlos Lee could be attractive to a team in need of a designated hitter, says MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
- Ed Price of Fanhouse details the long and strange journey taken by Colby Lewis.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian writes that with Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, and Kevin Gregg all eligible for free agency this winter, the Blue Jays' bullpen could get a lot younger.
- It's unlikely that the Phillies would bring back Jamie Moyer on anything other than a non-guaranteed deal, writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
- The Orioles have agreed to hire Rick Adair as their bullpen coach and Jim Presley as hitting coach, reports Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. Both men have agreed to two-year deals though some contractual language is still being worked out.
- Yanks GM Brian Cashman will talk to Triple-A pitching coach Scott Aldred and bullpen coach Mike Harkey about filling the Yanks' pitching coach vacancy, writes Anthony McCarron of the Daily News. However, Cashman cautions that a hire will likely be made "later rather than sooner."
Non-Tender Candidate: Mike Fontenot
In mid-August the Giants struck a deal with the Cubs to acquire infielder Mike Fontenot in exchange for minor league center fielder Evan Crawford. The Cubs chose to part ways with the 30-year-old who was unable to give an encore performance of his strong 2008 campaign. In that season he delivered a slash line of .305/.395/.514 with nine homers. His flat 2010 numbers with the Cubbies (91 OPS+) and the rise of Starlin Castro made Fontenot expendable.
Fontenot didn't set the world on fire at the end of the Giants' regular season either, hitting .282/.329/.310 in 76 plate appearances. While he has the ability to play shortstop and third base, his best position is second base. Second base is, of course, already occupied by Freddy Sanchez, who is under contract through 2011. While he could conceivably be a cheap alternative if the Giants choose not to retain Juan Uribe, his light-hitting and weak play at shortstop make that unlikely.
As for Fontenot, he earned $1MM and will head to arbitration this winter for the second time. While he's not a bad utility option to keep around, the Giants could very well choose to non-tender him. After all, they didn't exactly give up a ton to acquire him this year. What do you think San Francisco will do with Fontenot? Click here to vote, and here to view the results.
Heyman On Mets, Valentine, Yankees, Padres
New Mets GM Sandy Alderson is going into his new position with an open mind and the understanding that he has a lot of work ahead of him, writes Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. While we've already heard that J.P. Ricciardi and Paul DePodesta could join Alderson in Queens, Heyman suggests that another one of the GM's former co-workers could make the trip as well. A's executive Grady Fuson could possibly join the Mets front office, though Alderson has suggested to some friends that he'll remain in Oakland. Even Omar Minaya could return to the club in some capacity as he has a relationship with Alderson and "a fondness" for owner Fred Wilpon. Let's see what else Heyman has for us..
- Earlier this week Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wondered if the Brewers could afford Bobby Valentine, a fair concern considering the team's limited budget and the ex-manager's rumored seven-figure salary at ESPN. However, owner Mark Attanasio could be willing to shell out the big bucks to land Bobby V as he is said to be concerned about ticket sales slumping following two losing seasons. Valentine would certainly qualify as a dynamic hire and could make enough of a splash to boost attendance and TV revenues.
- Former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes is believed to have several opportunities after winning the silver medal in the Mets' GM search. We learned earlier this week that Byrnes could wind up in San Diego due to his ties to the club's front office and most notably owner Jeff Moorad. Heyman says that Byrnes could land with the Padres even if DePodesta doesn't head east for a gig with the Mets.
- After firing pitching coach Dave Eiland, the Yankees are in the market for a replacement. One possibility for the job is Rick Kranitz, who was the pitching coach for Joe Girardi in Florida.
Non-Tender Candidate: Fred Lewis
Next season in Toronto, the Blue Jays will likely roll out an outfield of Jose Bautista, Travis Snider, and Vernon Wells. Meanwhile, Fred Lewis says that he considers himself an everyday position player. The veteran will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter and is due for a raise.
In 480 plate appearances this season, Lewis hit .262/.332/.414 with eight homers. While the soon-to-be 30-year-old jumped out to a hot start with the Jays, he received less playing time late in the season.
Even if Lewis does have a change of heart and agrees to stay on in a reserve role, Toronto could still go in a different (and cheaper) direction by using DeWayne Wise as their fourth outfielder. While Wise likely won't bring the same offensive production as Lewis, his defense (career 8.4 UZR/150) tops what Lewis has been able to do in the outfield (career -2.6 UZR/150)
With all of this in mind, do you believe that the Blue Jays will non-tender Lewis this winter? Click here to vote and here to view the results.
Giants Won’t Increase Payroll Substantially
Even though the Giants' postseason run could increase revenues next season, the club will not make a major increase to their payroll, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
"We're always going to want to be somewhat creative," team president and chief operating officer Larry Baer said. "We're not going to have a doubling effect, or a double-digit massive increase. That's not who we are. The good news is, who we are is not going down in payroll either."
While the organization won't spend tons of money this winter, Baer says that ownership will do what it can to keep the team in tact. Roughly $20MM will be coming off of the books this offseason but much of that will go to raises for Tim Lincecum, Mark DeRosa, Matt Cain, and Brian Wilson. Meanwhile, Cody Ross, Jonathan Sanchez, and Andres Torres will all be arbitration-eligible.
The Giants won't be backing up a Brinks truck for a major free agent in the coming months but they have been able to find success on the cheap, as our own Steve Adams pointed out over the weekend.