Padres Sign Matt Stairs
TUESDAY, 4:06pm: MLB.com's Corey Brock tweets that the deal is now official.
SATURDAY, 4:05pm: The Padres will sign Matt Stairs, according to a tweet from ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The soon-to-be 42-year-old has a minor league deal with a major league invite, though Crasnick says (via Twitter) that it appears he has a very good chance of making the roster.
Stairs is hoping to be San Diego's left-handed bat off of the bench. Earlier in the week, Crasnick reported that Stairs dropped a whopping 31 pounds in order to get himself into shape for Spring Training.
Stairs hit .194/.357/.379 with 5 HRs in 129 plate appearances for the Phillies last season.
Odds & Ends: Byrdak, Rangers, Storen
Sunday night links..
- The Astros have agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.6MM with pitcher Tim Byrdak, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The dollar figure is the midpoint between Houston's offer and Byrdak's submission. The agreement leaves Wandy Rodriguez as the team's last remaining arbitration eligible player.
- Boston's international scouting efforts are starting to yield some results, writes Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal. Of the twelve minor leaguers at this year's rookie development program, six of them were foreign-born.
- Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter) hears that Chuck Greenberg's group will pay $570MM for the Texas Rangers, though he notes that is unconfirmed.
- While all eyes are on Stephen Strasburg in Washington, right-hander Drew Storen is trying to make the Opening Day roster, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The Nationals used their other first-round selection, tenth overall, to select Storen in the 2009 draft.
Week In Review: 1/17/10 – 1/23/10
Let's take a look back at the week that was:
- Felix Hernandez agreed to continue his reign in Seattle, inking a five-year, $78MM deal with the M's. The contract buys out his two remaining years of arbitration plus three years of free agency.
- The Red Sox and closer Jonathan Papelbon agreed to a one-year deal worth $9.35MM. Incentives could put another $150K in the 29-year-old's bank account.
- The Phillies avoided arbitration with Joe Blanton and Shane Victorino, signing them each to three-year deals worth $24MM and $22MM, respectively.
- The Angels landed free agent pitcher Joel Pineiro for $16MM over two years. St. Louis will receive a first round pick as compensation for losing the Type-B free agent.
- Josh Johnson officially signed a four-year, $39MM extension with the Marlins.
- The Dodgers locked up Andre Ethier and Jonathan Broxton, inking them both to two-year deals. Broxton will earn $11MM in his final two years of being contractually controlled. Ethier, meanwhile, will still be under Dodger control for one more year following his contract, which could be worth as much as $15.625MM.
- Tim Lincecum filed for $13MM in arbitration while the Giants submitted $8MM.
- Meanwhile, Justin Verlander filed for $9.5MM in arbitration while the Tigers countered with $6.9MM.
- Johnny Damon is still without a team, but this week we learned that the Yankees would welcome him back – at the right price, of course. We could see Damon sign somewhere shortly, as he told Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger that he "should have a team in a week."
- The Orioles agreed to a one-year, $6MM deal with Miguel Tejada, who will play third for the first time in his major league career. This means that Garrett Atkins, who signed a one-year, $4.5MM deal with the O's, will play first.
- Colorado locked up two key bullpen pieces – Huston Street and Rafael Betancourt. Street, who was arb-eligible for the final time, agreed to a three-year deal worth $22.5MM with an option for a fourth year. Meanwhile, Betancourt agreed to a two-year deal for $3.775MM per year.
- Milwaukee signed Doug Davis to a one-year deal worth $5.25MM guaranteed, including the $1MM buyout of his 2011 mutual option. The mutual option would pay the 34-year-old $6.5MM in total.
- The Giants re-signed Bengie Molina to a one-year deal worth $4.5MM. Molina accepted San Francisco's offer despite a one-year, $5MM offer from the Mets.
- The Mets received outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. in exchange for reliever Brian Stokes. The Halos will pick up all but $2MM of the $23.5MM remaining on his deal.
- Rick Ankiel agreed to a one-year deal for $3.25MM with the Royals. The contract includes up to $500K in incentives and a mutual option for 2011 worth $6MM.
- After weeks of speculation, the Pirates finally signed Octavio Dotel to a one-year deal with a club option for 2011. Dotel will earn $3.25MM in 2010 and $4.5MM in 2011, if the option is exercised.
- The Dodgers brought Vicente Padilla back on a one-year, $5.025MM deal. However, GM Ned Colletti says that it is unlikely that the Dodgers can afford to sign another free agent pitcher.
- A pair of former Mets landed minor league deals with the Rockies, Paul Lo Duca and Jay Payton.
- Jim Edmonds is looking to make a comeback in 2010, and he may get his opportunity in St. Louis.
- Carl Pavano and the Twins avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year pact worth $7MM. The contract does not include any incentives.
- A pair of aging sluggers found homes in the NL West as Matt Stairs signed with the Padres and Jason Giambi agreed to return to the Rockies for $1.75MM.
- We heard that the Nationals are interested in Orlando Hudson as well as Orlando Cabrera. Hudson is allegedly seeking $9MM per year.
- The Indians acquired shortstop Brian Bixler from the Pirates in exchange for infielder Jesus Brito.
Phillies, Ruiz Agree To Multi-Year Deal
7:33pm: The deal is worth $8.85MM over three seasons, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. The contract includes a fourth-year club option of $5MM with a five-year buyout as well as performance incentives for games started.
5:22pm: The Phillies and catcher Carlos Ruiz have agreed to terms on a three-year, $9MM deal, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Ruiz, who turns 31-years-old on Friday, had his best offensive campaign to date in 2009, hitting .255/.355/.425 with a career-high 9 HRs in 107 games. The deal covers all of Ruiz's remaining arbitration years.
With Chooch set to sign, the Phillies have avoided arbitration with their three eligible players. Earlier in the week, the club agreed to a three-year, $24MM extension with pitcher Joe Blanton. Shane Victorino was next up, inking a three-year, $22MM pact.
Twins, White Sox Interested In Jim Thome
SUNDAY, 10:36am: Guillen told fans that the club has yet to make a decision on Thome, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Of all the options out there, Guillen likes Thome best, tweets MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
SATURDAY, 2:04pm: Ozzie Guillen told White Sox fans this morning that he will only look to bring Thome back if he can get him a healthy number of at-bats, writes Cowley.
10:44am: Cowley tweets a quote from Guillen on Thome, who said "we have to make a decision on him before I leave for Miami." That's tomorrow, according to Cowley.
9:36am: White Sox GM Kenny Williams said that Thome isn't a fit on the 2010 team "unless Ozzie (Guillen) says," tweets team vice president Scott Reifert.
FRIDAY, 9:02pm: A White Sox source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times that the chances of Thome re-signing with the Sox is "50-50 now, which couldn't be said [Thursday]." The source added that Chicago tops the list of teams Thome wants to play for, however he does have some interest in Minnesota.
3:03pm: The Twins have interest in free agent slugger Jim Thome, according to Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune. Christensen writes that the Twins are bargain hunting and if Thome is willing to come at the right price, there could be a match. A Twins official confirmed the club's interest, which was first reported by a Chicago radio station.
Even though the team already has a lefty DH in Jason Kubel, the 39-year-old would boost a lackluster Minnesota bench. Thome hit .249/.372/.493 with 23 HRs for the White Sox before being dealt to the Dodgers in late August.
Odds & Ends: Rangers, Hudson, Loretta, Pence
More Saturday linkage..
- Ty Wigginton of the Orioles will likely see his number of at-bats decrease after the team's signing of Miguel Tejada and Garrett Atkins. Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com says that the 32-year-old could be a trade candidate in Spring Training.
- The sale of the Rangers to Chuck Greenberg's group is complete and an announcement is forthcoming, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- Phil Wood of MASNSports.com understands the Nats' pursuit of Orlando Hudson, but not their reported interest in Orlando Cabrera. Hudson is reportedly seeking $9MM per season whereas Mike Axisa estimates that Cabrera can be had for $3MM.
- Veteran infielder Mark Loretta is expected to retire this week and take a job with an unspecified major league club, writes Jerry Crasnick of ESPN. The 38-year-old, who spent 2009 with the Dodgers, has a career .754 OPS.
- Brian McTaggart of MLB.com writes that signing Hunter Pence to one-year, $3.5MM deal makes sense for Houston. McTaggart senses that there is some kind of a groundswell of support by Astros fans to lock up the 26-year-old, but the club still has three years of contractual control to make such a deal happen.
- Signing Brad Penny saved money for the Cardinals, writes Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. While it may seem as though Penny's $7.5MM deal is similar to Joel Pineiro's two-year deal that will pay him an average of $8MM per season, the extra year on Pineiro's contract didn't fit into the Cards' budget.
- Due in part to the team's overload of left field options, top Reds prospect Todd Frazier could see some time at shortstop this season, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Frazier played shortstop in his time at Rutgers University but was moved to the outfield as he was considered to be "too big for the spot." GM Walt Jocketty said that there will be open competition for the role of starting shortstop, though Fay says that it will likely go to the light-hitting Paul Janish.
Astros, Hunter Pence Avoid Arbitration
The Astros have avoided arbitration with Hunter Pence, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $3.5MM, tweets Alyson Footer of MLB.com. The signing leaves Houston with two remaining arbitration-eligible players: Wandy Rodriguez and Tim Byrdak.
Pence received his first All-Star selection in 2009, hitting .282/.346/.472 with 25 homers. He also played a solid right field, recording a UZR/150 of 5.3.
This was the 26-year-old outfielders' first time being arb-eligible. The two parties met in the middle as Pence submitted a figure of $4.1MM and Houston submitted $3.1MM.
Rangers Sign Toby Hall
The Rangers have signed catcher Toby Hall to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Sullivan writes that the move gives Texas some depth at catcher.
Hall has played in 686 major league games, mostly for the Rays and White Sox with a short Dodgers stint in between. His last season in the big show was in 2008, when he played in 41 games for the White Sox, posting an OPS of .634.
Hall elected to undergo shoulder surgery roughly eleven months ago, which resulted in the Astros voiding his minor league deal.
Can Phillies Afford To Re-Sign Jayson Werth?
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro told reporters today that the club may not be able to retain Jayson Werth as they already have $130MM committed to just 14 players for 2011, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. His comments came after the press conference to announce the re-signing of Shane Victorino and were unsolicited by the media in attendance.
Amaro wondered aloud if the contracts given to Jason Bay and Matt Holliday would affect Werth's asking price. Recently, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com wrote that he isn't sure if the Phils could retain Werth for Bay-type money. Werth had his strongest offensive showing to date in 2009, hitting .268/.373./.506 with a career high 36 homers.
While his .879 OPS in '09 doesn't quite match Bay's walk year OPS of .921, Werth's solid defensive play (6.1 UZR/150) certainly trumps Bay's notoriously weak fielding (-11.2 UZR/150).
Phillies Sign Victorino To Three-Year Deal
The Phillies have officially signed Shane Victorino to a three-year, $22MM deal. The contract, which buys out Victorino's two remaining arbitration years and one free agent year, will keep Victorino in Philly through 2012. Craig Calcaterra of Circling The Bases first reported the agreement.
Victorino earned $3.125MM in 2009, when he hit .292/.358/.445 with 10 HRs. In the field, the Flyin' Hawaiian posted a slightly below average UZR/150 of -4.2. Calcaterra writes that if Joe Blanton's deal is any indication, Victorino's contract will likely be backloaded.
With Victorino back in the fold, catcher Carlos Ruiz is the only remaining arbitration-eligible Phillie. However, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com writes that GM Ruben Amaro expressed optimism that a multi-year deal could be reached with him as well. Assistant GM Scott Proefrock believes that the team will come to an agreement on a one-year or multi-year deal with Ruiz within the week.