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Phillies Sign Jonathan Papelbon

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Jonathan Papelbon's desire to set the market for closers was never a secret — it's now a reality. The Phillies have agreed to sign the 30-year-old to a precedent-setting four-year, $50,000,058 deal that establishes the record for guaranteed money for a reliever.  The Phillies announced the deal today, noting that Papelbon will continue to wear #58.

Papelbon

The contract includes a $13MM option for 2016 that vests with 55 games finished in 2015 or 100 in 2014-15, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. The Phillies appeared to have a deal with Ryan Madson earlier this week, but talks fell through and the sides didn't complete the rumored four-year, $44MM deal. Papelbon's agents at ACES stepped in and the Phillies have their closer.

Papelbon posted a 2.94 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 64 1/3 innings for the Red Sox in 2011, saving 31 games. He's a Type A free agent who will cost the Phillies their first round draft pick in 2012, assuming the upcoming collective bargaining agreement doesn't change draft pick compensation for this offseason. Boston will obtain the 31st overall pick in next June's draft unless the Phillies sign an additional Type A free agent with a higher ranking than Papelbon. If the Phillies lose Madson to another team after offering him arbitration, they'll surrender one pick and gain two.

Papelbon is the first of MLBTR's top 50 free agents to sign. Check out MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker for the details. Bryan Grosnick examines the fantasy baseball implications of the move at CloserNews.

Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com first reported the deal and its terms. Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, Jon Heyman of SI.com, Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM and others added detail.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

East Links: Ramos, Red Sox, Jones

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A late-night snack for those of you with a hunger for news on baseball's two Eastern divisions:

  • Even after his kidnapping, Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos plans to begin playing for the Aragua Tigres on Wednesday of this week, tweets Mark Zuckerman of CSNwashington.com.
  • FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Red Sox will conduct a second interview with Dale Sveum and least one other candidate in their search for a new manager.
  • While the organization doesn't sound like they're considering the idea, CSNbaltimore's Rich Dubroff wonders if the Orioles should entertain the thought of trading Adam Jones. Dubroff quotes one rival scout who thinks they should hang onto the 26-year-old center fielder, saying: "If they're willing to move him, they're stupid."

AL East Notes: Yankees, Ortiz, Red Sox, Reynolds

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Here's a look at some items out of the American League East..

  • The Yankees remain unlikely to pursue David Ortiz, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.  General Manager Brian Cashman reiterated that the team's focus is on shoring up the starting rotation and also noted that the team has a number of internal candidates for the DH spot.
  • More from Speier as Cashman says that he's intrigued by the possibility of finally being able to have trade talks with Theo Epstein now that he is in charge of the Cubs.
  • The Red Sox will have to address the back of their rotation this winter and Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe outlines the different avenues that GM Ben Cherington can explore.  Abraham writes that even though the Sox will look into lefthanders C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle, a major deal is unlikely.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com wonders if Mark Reynolds' name will come up at this week's GM meetings in Milwaukee.  The Orioles hold an $11MM option on Reynolds' contract for 2013 and he isn't eligible for free agency until the following year.

Cafardo On Red Sox, Cuddyer, Sizemore, Marlins

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One of Red Sox GM Ben Cherington's toughest tasks this season will be finding fourth and fifth starters, writes Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe.  Cherington could do it by pursuing the top free agent hurlers on the open market or try to bolster the rotation via trade.  It's widely expected that the White Sox will make either Gavin Floyd or John Danks available and Cafardo wonders if the Red Sox could get Anibal Sanchez back from the Marlins.  Free agent Hiroki Kuroda is a likely target but appears to be out of reach.  The veteran declined a chance to be traded to the Sox last season as he didn’t want to play anywhere but Los Angeles.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • Free agent Michael Cuddyer isn't as high of a priority for the Phillies as portrayed by the media.  A major league source characterized him as "a middle priority" and while Philadelphia would love to have him, the club isn't going to "go crazy" to make it happen.
  • It's widely believed that Grady Sizemore could be had for a bargain price but the center fielder has a few teams pursuing him, including the Red Sox.  However, his talks with Boston are in very preliminary stages, and his injury history and left-handed bat mean that he's an unlikely fit.
  • An agent told Cafardo that the Marlins' offers to Albert Pujols, Mark Buehrle, and Jose Reyes should be taken seriously and are not for show. 
  • If the Marlins land Pujols or Prince Fielder, first baseman Gaby Sanchez will be major trade bait for the club. 
  • If the Red Sox don't make a lot of pitching moves, we could see Alfredo Aceves moved into the rotation.  The right-hander pushed to start in the past but Terry Francona thought Aceves was too valuable to remove from his bullpen role. 
  • A National League scout says that center fielder Yoenis Cespedes is likely to be moved to one of the corner outfield spots in the majors.  Yesterday, we learned that the Cuban defector may not become a free agent for two months.

Managerial Notes: Red Sox, Lamont, Cubs, Cardinals

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The Cubs, Cardinals, and Red Sox still have managerial vacancies to fill, and each club seems to have narrowed its search to a few finalists. Here are the latest links:

  • SI.com's Jon Heyman reports (on Twitter) that the Cardinals are very high on Matheny, and the race appears to be down to him and Terry Francona.
  • The Red Sox could conduct follow-up interviews with their managerial candidates at the GM meetings in Milwaukee next week, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
  • The Sox met with Gene Lamont today, concluding their first round of interviews, as Lauber writes. GM Ben Cherington said of his interviewees: "All five of those guys, I can envision hiring to manage the Red Sox. We’ve got to pick one."
  • Tim Britton of the Providence Journal explains how Lamont's past experience is unique among the five Red Sox candidates.
  • Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe examines the finalists for the Red Sox and Cubs managerial openings, and predicts the jobs will go to Dale Sveum and Mike Maddux, respectively. Abraham also writes that Cherington has started to compile a list of pitching coach candidates, but will work with the new manager when deciding who to hire.
  • Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch breaks down the pros and cons of the Cardinals' candidates, concluding that Mike Matheny looks like the favorite.

Ortiz Will Affect Red Sox’s Outfield Plans

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The Red Sox lost their closer yesterday, and today GM Ben Cherington told reporters (including Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe) that losing their DH would affect what the team does in right field (Twitter link). If they're able to retain David Ortiz, they're unlikely to chase a big bat for the outfield. Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald provides a quote…

“There’s some interesting guys out there that could factor into our right-field mix,” said Cherington. “A lot of that depends again on David. If David’s here, we’re going to go in a certain direction with the outfield. If he’s not here, it sort of opens it up a little bit. There’s alternatives, both in free agency and in a trade market for guys that can play right field.”

Ortiz, 36 next week, hit .309/.398/.554 with 40 doubles and 29 home runs in 2011, his best output since 2007. Boston's right fielders, on the other hand, hit just .233/.299/.353 as J.D. Drew battled injuries and fill-ins like Josh Reddick, Mike Cameron, and Darnell McDonald struggled. Rick Ankiel and David DeJesus could represent low-cost right field solutions, though that is just speculation.

The Red Sox did not offer Ortiz a contract during the exclusive negotiating period, but yesterday we heard that the two sides have been talking.

Minor Moves: Snyder, Fox, Torres

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We'll track the latest minor transactions here….

  • The Astros have signed outfielder Brad Snyder to a minor league contract, tweets Alyson Footer. The 29-year-old was drafted by the Indians in the first round of the 2003 draft, and spent the last three seasons in the Cubs' organization. He posted an .801 OPS in 407 Triple-A plate appearances for Iowa in 2011.
  • Right-hander Matt Fox has agreed to a minor league deal with the Mariners, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The 28-year-old turned down more money from the Red Sox in favor of what he feels is a better opportunity to pitch in the bigs, MLBTR has learned. Fox made four Major League appearances for the Red Sox and Twins in 2010, but pitched exclusively for Boston's Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket last season.
  • Within the previously linked tweet, Eddy adds that left-hander Joe Torres has re-signed with the Rockies. Torres, a former tenth overall pick by the Angels, spent most of 2011 pitching out of the bullpen at Double-A Tulsa, recording 10.1 K/9 and a 2.28 ERA in 55 1/3 innings.

Relievers Notes: Wood, Madson, Papelbon

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Jonathan Papelbon became the first major free agent to change teams yesterday, agreeing to a four-year contract worth $50MM with the Phillies. Reactions to the contract were generally mixed, though almost everyone agreed that the size of the deal was staggering. Let's round up the latest from the relief pitcher market…

  • Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune reports that Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has had preliminary talks with Kerry Wood, who is expected to return next season. The 34-year-old righty pitched to a 3.35 ERA in 51 IP after returning to Chicago's north side on a below-market one-year, $1.5MM contract last winter.
  • Despite reports of a four-year, $44MM offer, MASN's Jen Royle hears from a source that the Phillies only offered Ryan Madson a three-year contract. They were unwilling to give him the extra year he wanted (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox, meanwhile, were not willing to give Papelbon a guaranteed fourth year according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
  • MLB.com's Peter Gammons reports (on Twitter) that the Red Sox offered Papelbon to the Braves in exchange for Javier Vazquez two offseasons ago. Atlanta rejected the offer, then traded Vazquez to the Yankees shortly thereafter.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote about how the rest of the closers' market is shaping up and the impact of Papelbon's contract. Here is our look at the trade and free agent markets for right-handed relievers.

AL East Notes: Sveum, Posada, Blue Jays, Mora

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Some news from the AL East….

  • Team sources tell Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston that Ben Cherington is "extremely high" on Dale Sveum.  The former Red Sox third base coach is one of five candidates that appear to be the finalists to be Boston's new manager.  Edes guesses that Cherington may have already settled on his choice and "is just going through the process" for the sake of due diligence.  
  • We heard yesterday from SI's Jon Heyman that Jorge Posada could sign with the Orioles or Marlins if he decides to keep playing, but Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com doesn't see Posada in Baltimore "under any circumstances" next year.  I agree with Melewski; it's hard to imagine Posada wanting to spend his probable last season as a bench player for a non-contender.
  • Bob Klapisch of the Record lays out the case for Posada to retire.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos enters this offseason with much more "clarity" about the state of his team after spending two years remaking the roster, writes Rogers Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.
  • Melvin Mora tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he wants to return to the Orioles.  If not Baltimore, Mora wants to play on the East Coast to be near his wife and six children.

Reaction To The Jonathan Papelbon Signing

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Jonathan Papelbon became the first major free agent of the 2011-12 offseason to switch teams, agreeing to a four-year, $50MM contract with the Phillies today that also includes a vesting option for a fifth year.  Here is a sample of the reaction to the big signing…

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video link) says the Papelbon signing "is classic Philadelphia 21st century stuff: a quick strike, a big name and a lot of money."  It's a major commitment to a closer, but Rosenthal points out that Papelbon's numbers are comparable to the first six years of Mariano Rivera's career.
  • Rosenthal also notes that it hurts other free agent closers that the free-spending Phillies are no longer in the market for a stopper.
  • ESPN's Keith Law trashed the signing, citing the poor history of relievers in multiyear contracts, the fact that the Phils deprived their "depleted" farm system of a first-round draft pick as compensation for Papelbon and his belief that Ryan Madson is the better reliever on the market.  Law also projects that Papelbon will allow more home runs pitching at Citizens Bank Park.
  • "Papelbon is a safer bet than Madson, basically the same age and with a much longer and better track record as a closer," writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  "Madson looked good in 2011, but in a role where success is often a year-to-year thing, it's very easy to say you'd rather have Papelbon."
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports thinks "it’s hard to find much fault with" the signing, given Papelbon's experience pitching in a big market and in important games.  Morosi also looks at the rest of the offseason closer market.
  • The amount of money the Phillies paid is "stunning," according to Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston (Twitter link).  "If there was any year to lose your closer, this might be it," Edes writes.  "Other options out there, none as good as [Papelbon]."
  • The hefty contract and loss of a first round draft pick "seems steep" for Papelbon in the opinion of SI.com's Jon Heyman, but he likes how the Phillies are committed to contending every season.  Heyman also thinks the Red Sox will look to sign one of the available closers, due to Daniel Bard's poor numbers during Boston's September collapse (both Twitter links).
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