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Orioles Notes: Guthrie, Millwood, Scott

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Some news items out of the Orioles' FanFest event this weekend…

  • The Orioles have discussed a multiyear contract with Jeremy Guthrie, the right-hander tells MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski.  "I love pitching here and anytime you can provide your family with security, it's a great option," Guthrie said.  "I'm very happy to also play it out year-by-year and have the motivation to go out and do the best that I can. Whatever happens, I'll be a good spot."  Guthrie is going through the arbitration process for the second time in his career; MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith recently analyzed Guthrie's case. 
  • Kevin Millwood is still an option for the O's, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  Andy MacPhail told the FanFest crowd that the idea of re-signing Millwood "hasn't been ruled out 'by any stretch,' " but the Orioles can't guarantee a rotation spot to Millwood or any free agent starter.  We've heard that Millwood is interested in returning to Baltimore, but without the promise of a regular starting gig, he could turn to other suitors like the Indians or Yankees.
  • Luke Scott has told Buck Showalter that not only is he willing to move to left field if Baltimore signs Vladimir Guerrero, but Scott "wants to play defense," Showalter tells Steve Melewski.  Scott played 106 games in left in 2008 and had a very solid +5.8 UZR/150 rating, but he has made just 40 outfield starts over the last two seasons.

Quick Hits: Farnsworth, Durbin, Izzy, Duchscherer

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Here are a few items of note for Jan. 29, 53 years to the day after Stan Musial became the National League's highest-paid player with the one-year, $100K contract he signed with the Cardinals …

  • The Rays will pay Kyle Farnsworth $2.6MM in salary in 2011, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. If Farnsworth's option for 2012 is picked up, he will earn $3.3MM that year. If it's declined, the buyout is $650K. The deal also includes up to $300K in incentives for games finished.
  • The Phillies have not re-signed free-agent reliever Chad Durbin because he is seeking a two-year deal at a higher annual salary than the club is comfortable giving him, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Philly is also intent on preserving the roster spot for the sake of grooming younger relievers, according to Stark.
  • The Reds will decide whether to sign free-agent reliever Jason Isringhausen after watching him throw a bullpen session on Monday in Arizona, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Isringhausen signed a minor-league deal with the Reds last July but did not appear in any games for them. He last appeared in the big leagues with the Rays in June 2009, a stint that ended when he suffered an arm injury that required Tommy John surgery.
  • The Orioles remain fairly interested in free-agent pitcher Justin Duchscherer after receiving positive feedback on the right-hander's Friday bullpen session, blogs Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.

Vladimir Guerrero Rumors: Saturday

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10:23am: Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said that there's no timetable on a Guerrero decision, tweets Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.

9:06am: The Orioles are "settled" on their position in contract negotiations with free-agent Vladimir Guerrero, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.

The O's offer to Vlad stands at $4.5-5MM, and if that's not enough to land him, Baltimore is OK with that, Olney says.

This, of course, after several days of hard bargaining between the Orioles and Guerrero.

Quick Hits: Duchscherer, Ohlendorf, Tolleson

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Links for Friday…

  • Justin Duchscherer threw 50-55 pitches in front of two teams today, including the Orioles according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. Duchscherer has invited every team except the Athletics to a public workout next Tuesday. Connolly says it's possible he'll sign before then. (Twitter links)
  • "Both sides of the table are hopeful of finding a solution without going to a hearing," said Pirates GM Neal Huntington to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch when asked about Ross Ohlendorf's arbitration case. "But both sides are fully prepared to go to a hearing if that's the only way to find a resolution. That's not an ideal ending, and I think both sides are fully aware of the ramifications if we had to go there." Pittsburgh hasn't gone to a hearing with a player since Jack Wilson in 2004. Our Arbitration Tracker shows that Ohlendorf filed for $2.02MM, the team $1.4MM.
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock says we shouldn't expect the Padres to move any starting pitchers in Spring Training this year.
  • The Athletics announced that infielder Steven Tolleson has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A. He was designated for assignment last week when Oakland announced the Brian Fuentes signing.

Orioles Not Making Progress With Vladimir Guerrero

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6:05pm: Olney says the O's are being told that Guerrero has an $8MM offer in hand, which is about $3.5MM more than they are willing to spend, including incentives (Twitter link). Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reported that Baltimore's offer falls in the $3MM to $5MM range.

MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli hears that the two sides are not close to a contract, while SI.com's Jon Heyman hasn't heard of any recent progress. (Twitter links)

5:21pm: The Orioles and Vladimir Guerrero are making progress in their talks, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). If a deal does get worked out, Guerrero would assume DH duties and push Luke Scott to left field according to Buster.

Yesterday we heard that the O's offered Vlad a one-year deal worth about $2MM, but the former AL MVP wasn't terribly enthusiastic about it. As Ben Nicholson-Smith explained, Guerrero's market is limited, so it's tough to see him signing for much more than what was offered. He hit .300/.345/.496 with 29 homers for the Rangers last season, earning $6.5MM in the process.

Orioles To Sign Nick Green

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5:47pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman reports that Green will earn $600K if he makes the big league team (Twitter link).

3:24pm: The Orioles have agreed to sign Nick Green to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). The sides appeared to be close to a deal in December, when the Orioles re-signed Cesar Izturis. 

Green appeared in 14 big league games for the Blue Jays and Dodgers last year. The 32-year-old has a .237/.305/.348 line in 1131 big league plate appearances over the course of six big league seasons. Green figures to compete with Robert Andino and Brendan Harris for a utility job.

Orioles Sign Nick Bierbrodt

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The Orioles have signed left-handed pitcher Nick Bierbrodt to a minor-league deal, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Bierbrodt, a former first-round pick, is something of a blast from the past, at least on the Major League scene. He spent all of 2010 in the Rockies' organization, according to Rosenthal, and last appeared in the bigs with the Rangers in 2004.

For his career, Bierbrodt has a 6.66 ERA in 144 2/3 innings, with 7.0 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9.

There is a connection here, as Rosenthal notes, as O's skipper Buck Showalter is familiar with Bierbrodt from his days as Arizona's manager. The Diamondbacks drafted Bierbrodt in 1996.

Orioles Make Guerrero An Offer

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2:48pm: Guerrero is not excited about the Orioles' offer, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (on Twitter). The offer was for about $2MM and now the Rangers "return to the race" for Vlad.

12:23pm: The Orioles have made Vladimir Guerrero an offer, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The team hopes he accepts their offer, which could be for one year and $3-5MM, but they’re prepared for him to turn it down.

Earlier today, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported that the Orioles could have interest in Guerrero on a one-year deal worth $2MM or so. At this point, Vlad wants a two-year deal, according to Olney (Twitter link). Guerrero is not going to sit out the season, according to Rosenthal, who suggests that a deal with the Orioles makes sense for both sides.

Guerrero’s suitors are limited, as I explained this morning. The Rangers, Angels and Blue Jays are the only logical destinations outside of Baltimore, but Guerrero isn’t a perfect fit for those clubs. Rosenthal reports that Toronto would prefer a DH who can play the field to provide insurance for Adam Lind, who is transitioning to first base.

AL East Notes: Beimel, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Jennings

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We've already caught up on the Yankees, but it's now time to check in on a few of the Bronx Bombers' AL East rivals. Here's the latest:

  • Joe Beimel is deciding between three teams, according to MLB.com's Evan Drellich. The Red Sox, Orioles and one National League club are the finalists for the lefty's services, agent Joe Sroba says. 
  • Could Michael Young be a fit in Toronto? Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star thinks so. Nobody asked me, but I don't see the Blue Jays as a possible destination for Young, who happens to be a close friend of Vernon Wells'.
  • An MLB executive tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney the Blue Jays “have a chance to be a real power for years to come,” and believes that Alex Anthopoulos & Co. will do a lot with their upcoming draft picks and newfound payroll flexibility.
  • A lot of rival executives tell Olney that they consider the Red Sox the best team in baseball on paper, but wonder how much Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia will produce behind the plate.
  • Some people around the league question whether Rays prospect Desmond Jennings will reach the potential he showed a couple seasons ago.

Guerrero’s Four Potential Landing Spots

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If you're a DH, you're not going to have more than 14 suitors, no matter how well you hit. Vladimir Guerrero hit well last year, posting a .300/.345/.496 line with 29 homers, but even at the beginning of the offseason, his list of possible destinations wasn't a long one. As Spring Training approaches, that list has shrunk to four. Here are the possible destinations for Vlad:

  • Orioles – The sides continue to talk, but there's "nothing on the horizon," according to Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail. The Orioles don't necessarily have the money to afford Guerrero, but they would likely move Luke Scott to left field if they do sign Vlad, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold would probably be out of luck in that situation. ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Orioles could have interest in Guerrero on a one-year deal worth $2MM or so. At this point, Vlad wants a two-year deal (Twitter link).
  • Blue Jays – The Blue Jays are open to bolstering their bench, but they intend to provide Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion with regular playing time. Adding Guerrero would likely reduce Lind's exposure to left-handed pitchers, which would be a plus given Lind's struggles against southpaws.
  • Rangers – They don't have roster space for him now, since Mike Napoli and Michael Young will likely be the team's primary DHs. But Young could theoretically be traded before the season begins and the Rangers expressed at least some interest in re-signing Guerrero earlier in the week.
  • Angels - The Angels could combine Guerrero with Bobby Abreu, partly to ensure that Abreu's 2012 option doesn't vest, as Dave Cameron of FanGraphs explains. Angels GM Tony Reagins told Jim Bowden of FOX Sports Radio that the door is still open for Guerrero to return to the Halos.
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