Orioles, Luke Scott Avoid Arbitration
The Orioles avoided arbitration with Luke Scott, agreeing to a $6.4MM deal, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. As our Arb Tracker shows, Scott filed for $6.85MM, while the O's countered with a $5.7MM offer.
Scott led the Orioles in homers (27) last year, when he earned $4.05MM. The 32-year-old hit .284/.368/.535 in 517 plate appearances, mostly as the Orioles' DH. Scott will play left field in 2011, when Vladimir Guerrero takes over as the Orioles' everyday DH.
The Orioles can retain Scott in 2012 if they offer arbitration, but they could choose to cut him loose after the season if they determine that his salary as a fourth-time arbitration eligible player will out-strip his production.
Orioles right-hander Jeremy Guthrie is one of eight arbitration eligible players who is still without a contract for 2011.
AL East Links: Gonzalez, Bautista, Shealy, Orioles
The Yankees already added a reliever today. Here are some notes on what their division rivals are up to…
- Adrian Gonzalez says he hasn't imposed a deadline for extension negotiations with the Red Sox, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Gonzalez, who worked out at Red Sox camp today, did not seem worried about talks with Boston, according to Cafardo.
- The Blue Jays' arbitration hearing with Jose Bautista will take place Monday, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Jays signed Ryan Shealy to a minor league deal, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 31-year-old appeared in five games for the Red Sox last year after spending the 2009 season in the minors. Shealy posted a .231/.345/.472 line at Triple-A for the Red Sox and Rays last year.
- Speaking of Boston, Alex Speier of WEEI.com introduces us to the team's many bullpen candidates. They have lots of left-handers to choose from. Felix Doubront, Rich Hill, Andrew Miller, Hideki Okajima and Dennys Reyes will provide manager Terry Francona with plenty of options.
- The Orioles are actively discussing deals with Luke Scott and Jeremy Guthrie, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The O’s don’t appear to be on the verge of an agreement with either arbitration eligible player. Scott’s hearing is next Monday and Guthrie’s hearing will take place Wednesday. Keep track of all the remaining arbitration hearings with our Arb Tracker.
Orioles To Sign David Riske
The Orioles agreed to sign David Riske to a minor league deal, CAA, his agency, announced on Twitter. Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who has already re-signed Koji Uehara and Mark Hendrickson and signed Jeremy Accardo and Kevin Gregg, continues to add relievers.
Last year Riske returned from 2009 Tommy John surgery to appear in 23 games for the Brewers, before Milwaukee released him. The 34-year-old fly ball pitcher struck out 16 batters and walked 8 in 23 1/3 innings, posting a 5.01 ERA.
AL East Links: Lowell, Guerrero, Jeter
This round of Monday afternoon links includes updates on one player who is leaving the AL East, one who is just arriving in it and one who has played his entire career there…
- Former Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he knows he'll miss playing this year, though his transition to retirement has been smooth so far.
- Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun explains that Orioles owner Peter Angelos and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail wanted to sign Vladimir Guerrero and that Guerrero wasn't wavering on his $8MM asking price. The sides agreed to a deal last Friday.
- Derek Jeter tells Brian Costello of the New York Post that that he's "done with" feeling hurt by his contract negotiations with the Yankees and not worried about potential position switches.
Quick Hits: Diamondbacks, Guerrero, Marcum, Pence
Football will dominate today's sports headlines, but ESPN.com's Jayson Stark tweets some good news for baseball fans – Super Sunday also represents the start of the last week without baseball until November! Here are today's links, as the Packers and Steelers prepare to square off in Texas….
- The Diamondbacks could hit it big in the draft this year, a rival scout tells Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Arizona will hold the No. 3 and No. 7 picks this June.
- It's time to give Peter Angelos and the Orioles credit for signing Vladimir Guerrero, writes Kevin Cowherd of The Baltimore Sun. The big ticket signing is the latest move made by the O's who will see their payroll jump from $73MM in 2010 to $93MM in 2011.
- Francisco Liriano's $4.3MM salary could impact the Brewers' negotiations with Shaun Marcum, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Both pitchers submitted a $5MM figure. Milwaukee countered with $3MM while the Twins offered Liriano $3.6MM before settling on a $4.3MM mark last week.
- An arbitration hearing for Hunter Pence and the Astros has been set for February 18th, reports Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, Pence is Houston's last remaining case, and the two sides' figures are $1.75MM apart.
- Within a piece on the Rays' bullpen, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune writes that the team is waiting until early this week to make roster moves to free room on the 40-man roster for Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez.
- The Yankees' hunt for starting pitching and the Mets' financial issues will get more attention, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post thinks the more intriguing stories in New York involve the futures of the two starting shortstops.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer previews some storylines and poses some questions for the Reds as they prepare for the season.
Quick Hits: Vlad, Brewers, Yankees, Pujols
Nine years ago today, MLB announced it had withdrawn its plan to contract the Twins and Expos due to legal issues and major opposition from the players' union. Minnesota has won six division titles and moved into Target Field since then, and they now boast a $100MM+ payroll. The Expos have since relocated to Washington and moved into Nationals Park, and this winter they handed out their first $100MM+ contract.
Here's some links for Saturday…
- Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports (on Twitter) that Vladimir Guerrero is scheduled to take his physical with the Orioles this upcoming Friday in Baltimore.
- Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio spoke to Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel about letting talent dictate the team's payroll as opposed to spending for the sake of spending.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman wasn't terribly interested in the starters that were left on the open market after Cliff Lee signed with the Phillies, writes Chad Jennings of The LoHud Yankees Blog.
- In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney says there does not to appear to have been much progress in talks about a long-term contract extension between the Cardinals and Albert Pujols. The Spring Training deadline is about two weeks away.
- Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun says the Guerrero signing has created some questions, such as what the Orioles' Opening Day payroll will be.
- Minor league contract signees Eric Chavez and Ronnie Belliard will compete with four homegrown players for two spots on the Yankees' bench according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but he notes that Ramiro Pena and Eduardo Nunez have an advantage because they can play shortstop.
Orioles Notes: Guerrero, Duchscherer, Scott
It's been a surprisingly busy winter for the Orioles with their newest acquisition coming tonight in the form of a one-year, $8MM deal with Vladimir Guerrero. Here's are some of the reactions to the newest Oriole plus other pieces of O's news..
- The $8MM deal with Guerrero will bring Baltimore's payroll to roughly $93MM, up from $73MM in 2010, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun.
- Landing Guerrero puts an exclamation point on an offseason that started poorly, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. In a separate tweet, Heyman calls the $8MM deal a "miracle" for the slugger.
- New Orioles right-hander Justin Duchscherer was asked to undergo a more rigorous physical exam than most, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com. The 33-year-old has been through two hip operations over the last two years.
- The O's haven't made any progress on their arbitration case with Luke Scott, tweets Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. Both parties are still hopeful that they can avoid a hearing. Scott has already said that he would like to sign a long-term deal in Baltimore. You can keep track on all arbitration cases with MLBTR's Arb Tracker.
Orioles Sign Justin Duchscherer
The Orioles and Justin Duchscherer have finalized a one-year deal that could be worth as much as $4.5MM in salary and incentives. The right-hander has passed his physical, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Dan Connolly of the Sun reports that Duchscherer gets $700K guaranteed and that his base salary will jump to $1.1MM when he makes the roster (Twitter links). To get the full $4.5MM, he'll have to make 30 starts.
Earlier in the week we heard that just a handful of clubs were in on the Duke of Hurl, and it eventually came down to beltway neighbors Baltimore and Washington. Duchscherer is represented by Lapa/Leventhal.
The 33-year-old right-hander made just five starts for the Athletics last year, pitching to a 2.89 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 28 innings. He had surgery on his hip, and has also battled elbow issues and depression in recent years. Duchscherer has a ton of experience as both a starter (3.01 ERA in 194 1/3 IP) and a reliever (3.22 ERA in 260 1/3 IP), but he recently said he'd like to remain in the rotation. He's never come close to making the 30 starts needed to max out his contract, topping out at 22 starts in 2008.
Duchscherer showcased his stuff at a workout on Friday, and was set for an encore performance on Tuesday, but that obviously won't be necessary. The O's have been looking for a veteran starter to slot in behind Jeremy Guthrie and in front of their younger arms, which Duke should be able to do as long as he's healthy.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick first reported the agreement.
Orioles Sign Randy Winn
The Orioles announced that they have signed Randy Winn to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training. The 36-year-old will provide depth behind outfielders Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold.
Winn has not made the playoffs in 13 years at the Major League level, though he came close last year. The Yankees, who made it to the ALCS in 2010, signed him, but designated him for assignment after he struggled. The Cardinals picked him up, only to struggle down the stretch themselves.
In 233 plate appearances for the Yankees and Cardinals last year, Winn batted .239/.307/.356 and played all three outfield positions. He was an everyday player as recently as 2009, but at this point in his career, the switch-hitter is likely a bench player.
Orioles Notes: Guerrero, Lee, Bergesen
The next two days will likely be pivotal for negotiations between the Orioles and Vladimir Guerrero, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Here are the details and other notes on the Orioles:
- Guerrero is looking for more than the Orioles have offered, according to Olney (on Twitter). The Orioles were told that Guerrero has an $8MM offer elsewhere over the weekend, but they offered $4.5MM or so.
- Derrek Lee told Rick Apperson of BaseballNation.net that he signed with the Orioles because they offered the most money ($7.25MM plus incentives) and because he likes Baltimore and is excited to play with some of the Orioles' young players under Buck Showalter.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun suggests Brad Bergesen will join Justin Duchscherer, Jeremy Guthrie and Brian Matusz in the starting rotation. Jake Arrieta and Chris Tillman seem likely to compete for the final rotation spot, but lots can change in two months.