Rays, Navarro Agree To Deal
Tampa Bay has come to terms with Dioner Navarro on a one-year, $2.1MM agreement, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. The soon-to-be 26-year-old struggled in 2009, posting a career worst OPS of .583.
Despite his disappointing campaign, do you think Navarro should have pressed ahead and sought out more money in arbitration?
Brewers Notes: Correia, Counsell, Non-Tenders
Some Brewers tidbits courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt:
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Haudricourt that he called the Padres earlier today and inquired about Kevin Correia. Even though he made his interest known, San Diego never followed up and instead signed the righty to a one-year deal.
- Melvin also confirmed that he has a tentative agreement in place for veteran Craig Counsell to return in 2010. He expects it to be finalized Monday.
- The decision to non-tender Seth McClung, Mark DiFelice, and Mike Rivera was not financially motivated, according to Melvin. For up-to-the-minute news on other players not being tendered, check out our running post.
Odds & Ends: Mets, Braves, Red Sox, Cust
Some Saturday links:
- The Mets have yet to make an offer to John Lackey and continue to focus on Jason Bay, according to David Lennon of Newsday (via Twitter).
- Meanwhile, Jon Heyman tweets that the Mets would be willing to give Bay a five-year deal if necessary.
- Braves GM Frank Wren said the club is open to retaining Kelly Johnson at a lesser salary, he said that he would be better suited to an opportunity where he could get more at-bats, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- While Wren continues to explore other options on the open market, the club is leaving the door open for Jason Heyward to win the job in right field, writes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Prior to being selected by the Mets in the Rule 5 draft and sold to the Dodgers, Carlos Monasterios told Bravos de Margarita that both the Dodgers and the Tigers were in contact with him (passed along by Diamond Leung).
- The Red Sox trade of Mike Lowell to Texas has not been officially completed as Rangers officials are looking over the third baseman's thumb, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- Recently non-tendered Jack Cust could be a fit for the White Sox, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
- Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick told Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic that the club still has room to spend this winter.
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says that barring something that's not currently on the team's radar, the second baseman job will go to Blake DeWitt plus a veteran, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America brings us the latest minor league transactions. Most notably, former Seton Hall Prep standout and Yankees' first round selection Eric Duncan has landed with the Braves.
Padres Avoid Arbitration With Kevin Correia
The Padres have signed Kevin Correia to a one-year deal worth "$3.6MM or so", according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter) who confirmed the initial tweet from Marty Caswell of XX 1090 Radio. Brock tells MLBTR that the deal may be a "tad higher" than the $3.6MM figure.
This past season, the 29-year-old recorded a 3.91 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 in 198 innings for the Padres. After spending six big league seasons with the Giants, San Diego inked the hurler to a one-year pact last winter with a base of $.75MM.
Athletics Non-Tender Jack Cust
Oakland has announced that they will not tender Jack Cust an offer, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). The writing has been on the wall for Cust since the A's acquired Jake Fox from the Cubs.
Cust is coming off of his weakest showing in his three years as a member of the Athletics, posting .240/.356/.417 with 25 homers. What teams should look into signing the soon-to-be 31-year-old slugger?
Rafael Soriano May Accept Arbitration
6:56pm: Braves GM Frank Wren told MLB.com's Mark Bowman he'd expect Soriano to request a trade if he accepts arbitration. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports expects this decision to go down to the buzzer.
12:40pm: MLB.com's Mark Bowman says Soriano's agent Peter Greenberg will make the rounds today, talking to as many teams as possible before making the arbitration decision.
11:29am: Heyman notes that Soriano has attracted interest from the Yankees, Orioles, and Astros. The Yankees would give up their #32 pick, the Orioles #37, or the Astros #43.
9:54am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes that if he accepts arbitration, Soriano cannot be traded before June 1st without his permission. I imagine he'd approve a deal in order to get a better role, though. Can Soriano find a two-year deal on the open market, given his health history and the draft pick cost?
MONDAY, 8:56am: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Mark Bowman of MLB.com are throwing out slightly lower estimates of $6.5-7.5MM for Soriano if he accepts arbitration. Both seem to believe Soriano should or will turn down arbitration. But keep it mind that it is certainly in the Braves' best interest for stories to pop up explaining why Soriano should test the open market.
SUNDAY, 9:09pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that Soriano is "now leaning toward accepting arbitration." That would make for a pretty pricey end-game trio in Atlanta, and suggests that maybe there isn't as much interest in his services as expected.
SATURDAY, 5:30pm: After it was reported earlier this week that Braves reliever Rafael Soriano would look for employment elsewhere, his agent tells Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com that his client is giving serious consideration to accepting arbitration.
This would leave Atlanta with a rather pricey bullpen as they recently inked both Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito to a combined guaranteed $10.2MM in 2010. Earlier this week, a high-ranking executive told Buster Olney that Soriano could net roughly $8MM in arbitration. Furthermore, this would likely mean that the soon-to-be 30-year-old would have to accept a role as a set-up man rather than close for Atlanta.
Soriano's agent Peter Greenberg told Crasnick that Soriano would take the decision "down to the wire." One has to think that the Braves will be less than pleased if the Type A free agent chooses to accept arbitration at this stage. Did Atlanta jump the gun by signing Wagner and Saito? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.
Marlins To Deal Lindstrom At Meetings?
4:58pm: MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets that about ten teams are in on Lindstrom, and nothing is imminent.
12:21pm: Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald downplays the Rangers' and Rays' interest in Lindstrom. He notes that the Marlins contingent won't arrive in Indianapolis until tonight.
MONDAY, 6:58am: Buster Olney tweets that the Rangers may be the most serious team interested in Lindstrom. Two teams have fallen out of the running, but two other teams are now interested.
SUNDAY, 8:48pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman says two teams besides the Rays and Rangers are in on Lindstrom as well. Any ideas?
8:06pm: Rosenthal says the Rangers are among the interested teams.
7:39pm: ESPN's Buster Olney says a deal is imminent, though we're not sure where Lindstrom is headed.
6:58pm: MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets that the Rays are "exploring interest" in Lindstrom.
9:33am: Matt Lindstrom is "virtually certain" to be traded at the winter meetings, if not before, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Of the six teams that have expressed interest in the soon-to-be 30-year-old, three have stepped to the forefront in recent days.
Lindstrom, who is arbitration-eligible for the first time in his career, makes sense as a Marlins trade candidate. Earlier this week we heard that the righty was part of a trio of Florida relievers who could be dealt.
The Idaho native had a down year in 2009, as he was slowed down by an elbow injury. In his third big league season, he posted an ERA of 5.89 and threw just 47.1 innings.
What clubs should be burning up Florida's phone lines in regards to this fireballer?
Cust Could Be Odd Man Out In Oakland
MONDAY, 3:10pm: Don't look for Cust to land in Seattle, says Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.
SUNDAY, 12:20pm: The A's acquisition of Jake Fox from the Cubs could spell the end of Jack Cust's time in Oakland, writes Carl Steward of the Mercury News. Cust, who is set to command between $4-5MM in arbitration, is a likely non-tender candidate.
However, Oakland GM Billy Beane may just find a taker for the soon-to-be 31-year-old slugger at the winter meetings. Both the Mets and Mariners could be interested. Beane also says that the club is more likely to sign a free agent during the meetings than make a trade.
How much could the A's get for Cust, considering that everyone knows the club is unlikely to tender him an offer?
Royals To Sign Noel Arguelles
4:38pm: Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star tweets that the Royals are saying there could be up to two or three weeks worth of paperwork before the signing is official. Technically, no deal is in place yet.
SUNDAY, 2:46pm: Keith Law weighs in with his reaction to the signing, calling it a "tremendous get for the Royals." Law profiles Arguelles, and also discusses the mentality that international free agency favors big-market teams like the Yankees and Red Sox. Law finds the mentality to be a myth, to put it lightly.
SATURDAY, 10:41pm: More detail courtesy of Passan, who says that the two sides have agreed to a pact. On top of the $7MM, Arguelles can earn up to $2MM in incentives as well – and give Passan a dead-on prediction. Of course, the deal will not become official until the youngster passes a physical.
Arguelles' fastball reached 94 mph when he threw for the Cuban national team. Also armed with a strong changeup and above average curveball, he must improve his control to truly capitalize on his potential.
10:31pm: The Royals are believed to be near a major-league agreement with lefty Noel Arguelles, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. The deal is reportedly worth $7MM over five years.
This comes as somewhat of a surprise as we recently heard that the most interested clubs were the Athletics, Rays, Mariners, and Yankees. Late last month, Passan predicted that the Cuban defector would fetch between $8.2MM and $10MM, slightly more than what he is set to receive from Kansas City.
Odds & Ends: M’s, O’s, Closers, Molina, Willingham
Let's take a look at some Sunday links:
- A number of league officials have told the New York Post's Joel Sherman that they expect the Mariners and the Orioles to spend big this offseason. The M's have already started spending big, inking Chone Figgins earlier this week. Hearing that the Orioles are ready to spend big, however, comes as a surprise.
- Peter Gammons agrees on the Mariners; he tweets that one executive says we should watch for Seattle to be in on both Jason Bay and John Lackey. The Mariners have money, and as Gammons says, "Jack Z loves to lay low and strike."
- We know that there are plenty of capable closers available on the open market, but Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports reports that there are a handful available via trade as well. The Reds are hoping to move Francisco Cordero and the remainder of his hefty contract – two years, $25MM. San Diego believes that Heath Bell's value is at its absolute zenith and is looking to capitalize. The Pirates hope to find a new home for Matt Capps, who they labeled as their closer for 2010.
- Jon Heyman wonders aloud if Bengie Molina is seeking a three-year pact, since the Mets are willing to give him two years and there is no deal in place yet (via Twitter).
- Heyman also tweets that the Cubs and Rays are not close on a Milton Bradley-for-Pat Burrell swap. The possibility of including the Mets and Luis Castillo in a three-way trade is "not helping things."
- The Mets are interested in Josh Willingham, according to William Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter).
- Don't expect the Padres to move Adrian Gonzalez in Indianapolis, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com. However, if San Diego does make any moves at all, it will likely be via trade.
- Jon Paul Morosi offers a high-level preview of each team's thoughts going into the Winter Meetings, broken down by National League and American League.
- A few overseas updates courtesy of Patrick from NPB Tracker: The Hansin Tigers are nearing a deal with Randy Messenger, and have interest in Jason Bulger, should he be removed from the Angels' 40-man roster. Patrick also adds that Nelson Payano is likely to return to MLB-affiliated ball. The lefty last worked with the AA affiliates for Seattle and Atlanta in 2008.
- Ken Davidoff tweets that once the Yankees non-tender Chien-Ming Wang, the Dodgers will have interest in the right-hander, as Joe Torre and Larry Bowa are both big fans.