Odds & Ends: Gagne, Stairs, Dotel
Thursday night linkage..
- Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Radio talked to M's GM Jack Zduriencik, who declined to disclose how much money the club had left to spend this offseason. One baseball source told Drayer that the M's likely have "a little left, but not much."
- Scott Lauber of The News Journal tweets that Phillies GM Ruben Amaro was less than impressed after watching Eric Gagne throw yesterday, saying "He was okay." We first heard about Gagne's comeback back in December, when the 34-year-old said he would be open to pitching in the minors.
- Matt Stairs, who is still hoping to land a job at the age of 41, has dropped 31 pounds in order to get himself in game shape, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. In 129 plate appearances last season, Stairs posted .194/.357/.379 with 5 HRs.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette spoke to recently signed Octavio Dotel who told him that the Pirates were the only team to offer him the role of closer. Dotel says that he's not worried about being rusty after not closing since 2007.
New York Notes: Pineiro, Smoltz, Nady
Some New York news and notes courtesy of Newsday's Ken Davidoff..
- Davidoff's understanding is that the Mets' offer to Joel Pineiro was very similar to the Angels' offer of two-years, $16MM. While it would be natural to assume that the free agent hurler preferred the stability of the Halos franchise to the Metropolitans, he writes that he doesn't know that for certain.
- The Mets would definitely like to sign John Smoltz, though it would cause a logjam of starting pitchers. Davidoff suggests that the team could move John Maine in order to create space for him.
- Speaking of Smoltz, Davidoff hears that the Yankees were interested in the 42-year-old prior to landing Javier Vazquez.
- As we've heard elsewhere, the Bombers are looking for one more outfielder and are considering right-handers Xavier Nady and Rocco Baldelli.
Nationals Interested In Jacobs
In an interview on the MLB Network, GM Mike Rizzo said that the Nationals are interested in free agent first baseman Mike Jacobs, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Ladson writes that he is unsure as to how Jacobs would fit in with the club, as the team already has Adam Dunn at the position with Mike Morse as the backup.
With the Royals in 2009, Jacobs posted a slash line of .228/.297/.401 with 19 HRs in 478 plate appearances. The 29-year-old avoided arbitration with Kansas City last February, settling for $3.275MM after seeking $3.8MM. After coming off of the worst season of his career, it seems as though Jacobs' will have to settle for less on this go-round.
Dodgers Notes: Padilla, Garland, Sheets
Let's check out a couple of Dodgers-related tidbits..
- Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times tweets that even though the Dodgers signed Vicente Padilla at a bargain price, GM Ned Colletti says that the club probably could not afford another starting pitcher. It sounds as though Jon Garland and Braden Looper just lost a suitor.
- Unsurprisingly, Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter) hears that the Dodgers, as well as the Rangers, may not have the money needed to sign Ben Sheets. Olney also tweets that the Mets and the A's might be in the best position to be aggressive, based on the agents' perception of which teams are still spending.
Mariners Sign Felix Hernandez To Five-Year Deal
All the teams that had begun salivating over Felix Hernandez's upcoming free agency will have to wait a little longer than expected. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik officially locked Hernandez up to a five-year $78MM deal that delays the right-hander's entrance onto the open market by three years.
The contract buys out Hernandez's two remaining years of arbitration plus three years of free agency at an average annual salary of $15.6MM. FanGraphs says Felix's performance was worth exactly double that in 2009, and has been worth at least as much every year since 2007. Nearly $80MM isn't bad for a 23-year-old pitcher, and the Mariners are securing one of the game's best arms.
This past season was nothing short of brilliant for Hernandez, who posted a 2.49 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 238.2 IP. That performance led to his first All-Star game selection and a second-place finish in the American League Cy Young balloting.
The incentive-laden deal includes a $3.5MM signing bonus and has a limited no-trade clause. Felix makes $1MM if he wins a Cy Young, $500K if he finishes second, and $250K if he finishes in third.
Earlier in the week we heard that Felix and the Mariners were working towards a five or six-year deal. As expected, Hernandez will earn considerably more than Josh Johnson, whose new deal calls for $13.75MM paydays in each of his first two free agent years.
It has been a busy offseason for Seattle and GM Jack Zduriencik; the club has added stars like Cliff Lee, Milton Bradley, and Chone Figgins.
ESPN.com's Keith Law first reported the agreement and Francisco Blavia of Lider en Deportes tweeted the terms. Jon Heyman of SI.com, Coley Ward and Buster Olney of ESPN.com added details.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Papelbon, Bay, Lopez, Brewers
Monday night linkage…
- The World Umpires Association voted to ratify a new five-year contract with MLB that will extend to December 31st, 2014, according to Barry M. Bloom and Tom Singer of MLB.com. The new contract was agreed upon in principal last month, but was not officially ratified until late Monday night.
- Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe writes that neither Jonathan Papelbon nor the Red Sox seem interested in a long-term deal. Boston may be reluctant to lock Papelbon in for the long-haul as they have Daniel Bard waiting in the wings.
- Peter Gammons, in an appearance on NESN, said that the Red Sox and Jason Bay agreed to a four-year, $60MM pact in July, before an MRI raised concerns about both of his knees. As a result, Boston reduced their offer from four years to two years. Gammons suggested that this was an example of why an independent medical staff should be in place in the majors.
- Cards manager Tony La Russa said that if the club makes one more move this off-season, he would prefer another hitter to a pitcher, writes Matthew Leach of MLB.com. Ideally, La Russa says he would like a third baseman who could also play the outfield. Leach writes that Felipe Lopez comes to mind.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke to Brewers negotiator Teddy Werner, who said that Jody Gerut might be the only arbitration signing today. We'll be keeping you posted on all of the day's signings in this handy post.
Odds & Ends: Schumaker, Chapman, Thome
Sunday linkage…
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reflects on Eric Byrnes' time with the D'Backs.
- Skip Schumaker tells MLB.com's Matthew Leach that he and the Cardinals are nearing an agreement on a 2010 contract.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets that the Marlins were willing to offer $20MM to Aroldis Chapman.
- MLB.com's Scott Merkin writes that a handful of teams have contacted Jim Thome, including the Rays, though nothing is imminent.
- Owner Tom Ricketts defended general manager Jim Hendry this Saturday at the Cubs' annual convention, according to Melissa Isaacson of ESPNChicago.com.
- Shi Davidi from the Canadian Press spoke with both Justin Morneau and Jeff Francis at Baseball Canada's Annual Awards Banquet Saturday. Morneau expects to begin full workouts in a couple of weeks as a season-ending stress fracture in his back appears to have healed without issue. Francis is recovering from shoulder surgery but expects to be ready for Spring Training.
- Bill Ladson tweets that Ryan Zimmerman thinks the Nationals are having their best offseason since he's been with the organization. Some of the larger moves we've seen the Nats make include signing Jason Marquis, Matt Capps, and Ivan Rodriguez, in addition to trading for Brian Bruney.
- Eric Chavez told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he is comfortable with shifting to a utility role after the addition of third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff.
- Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter) "overheard" that the Brewers will sign at least one more pitcher. Recently, Milwaukee outrighted pitcher Omar Aguilar to Triple-A, though assistant GM Gord Ash claimed it wasn't in anticipation of an acquisition.
- ESPN's Buster Olney writes that the Marlins didn't give Josh Johnson an extension just to appease the "Powers That Be". Those within the organization expected the deal to get done well before the joint press release from the commissioner's office and the players' union.
- Olney also writes that the Marlins are still looking for bullpen help and will sift through the remaining free agent relievers, including Kiko Calero. Florida declined to offer arbitration to Calero, to avoid giving him a raise on his $500K salary in 2009.
Cafardo On Washburn, Garland, Marlins
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe spoke to Red Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan who talked about free agent pickups Mike Cameron and Adrian Beltre. Let's take a look at his news and notes from around the majors:
- Free agent pitcher Jarrod Washburn could have a suitor in the Milwaukee Brewers. Back in November the lefty said that the Brewers were one of the teams "on his radar". Cafardo also writes that none of the free agent pitchers on the market should expect a commitment similar to Randy Wolf's three-year, $30MM deal.
- Meanwhile, Jon Garland could be a fit for the Giants, who are still looking to add a starter, although we heard otherwise on Friday this week. Recently we heard that the Dodgers contacted his agent, though they still appear to be hamstrung by their financial situation.
- Cafardo believes that Scott Boras played a role in MLB and the players' union coming down on the Marlins' thin payroll. Boras told him during the general managers' meetings in November that the Marlins were pocketing their revenue-sharing and central-fund sourcing money. Meanwhile, Cafardo wonders aloud how the Pirates have avoided similar scrutiny from the union and MLB.
Giants Notes: Byrnes, Winn, LaRoche
Let's take a look at some Giants-related tidbits courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea..
- Eric Byrnes, who was recently designated for assignment by the D-Backs, told Shea that San Francisco would be the "best fit" for him geographically. Byrnes grew up a Giants fan and makes his offseason home in the Bay Area. The 33-year-old outfielder also admitted that he's not in a position to call himself an everyday player.
- Shea floats ex-Giant Randy Winn as an option for the Mets should they seek someone to fill-in while Carlos Beltran recovers from surgery.
- Adam LaRoche turned down a two-year, $17MM offer from the Giants to sign with the Arizona, where he may receive as little as $6MM for one year. LaRoche said that one reason for his decision was that he preferred Chase Field's hitting conditions to AT&T Park.
Odds & Ends: Kouzmanoff, Taguchi, Draft
Some links on this frosty Saturday night…
- Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic spoke to Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes, who took full responsibility for Eric Byrnes' three-year, $30MM contract. Arizona designated Byrnes for assignment on Friday.
- The Rays have four remaining arbitration-eligible players in Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, J.P. Howell, and B.J. Upton. The club will stick with their policy of cutting off negotiations after exchanging figures, which happens at noon on Tuesday, writes Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Tampa Bay does this to try to bring about a settlement and to avoid settling at an artificial midpoint between the two figures.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com isn't terribly upset that the O's weren't the club to land Kevin Kouzmanoff. Kubatko understands frustrations over the Orioles' lack of production at third, but notes that the 28-year-old's offensive production was nothing to write home about in 2009. Kouzmanoff hit .255/.302/.420 with 18 HRs for the Padres last season.
- As we heard earlier today, a committee is being formed to work on changes to the amateur draft. The committee will look into making the draft worldwide and instituting a slotting system. Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues doesn't see any changes being made until after 2011, when the collective bargaining agreement expires.
- The Orix Buffaloes are close to signing So Taguchi, according to a report from Sponichi passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (via Twitter). The 40-year-old emerged with the Cubs at the end of last season, making 12 plate appearances in six games.