Olney On Vlad, Zambrano, Yankees, Fuentes
The latest from ESPN.com's Buster Olney on potential contracts and trades:
- The Rangers and Vladimir Guerrero are now "on the same page" and are discussing the parameters of a one-year deal. Vlad originally sought a multiyear contract.
- Though there's been speculation that the Yankees could inquire on Carlos Zambrano, Olney reports that they will not attempt to acquire him.
- Now that the Red Sox have agreed to sign Bobby Jenks, their payroll is higher than the Yankees' (Twitter link).
- Brian Fuentes is looking for a deal that resembles the three-year $15MM contract Scott Downs signed, according to Olney (on Twitter).
Red Sox Sign Matt Albers
The Red Sox have signed Matt Albers, the team announced. Peter Gammons first reported the deal on NESN's Red Sox Hot Stove Live. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported earlier in the week that the Red Sox had interest in Albers, who became a free agent when the Orioles non-tendered him earlier this month. Hendricks Sports represents Albers.
The 27-year-old spent three seasons in Baltimore after the Orioles acquired him in the Miguel Tejada trade. He posted a 4.52 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 75 2/3 innings last year. The right-hander has a 5.11 ERA in 317 1/3 career innings with the O's and Astros.
Albers has less than four years of service time, so the Red Sox will be able to keep him around for the 2012 and 2013 seasons if they so choose.
Dodgers To Sign Matt Guerrier
The Dodgers signed Matt Guerrier to a three-year deal, the team announced today. The deal is for $12MM over three years, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Newsday's Erik Boland first reported the agreement (on Twitter).
The right-hander joins Scott Downs and Joaquin Benoit as the setup relievers to agree to three-year contracts this winter. Guerrier will not cost a draft pick, since the Twins declined to offer him arbitration.
Guerrier led the league in appearances in 2008-09 and pitched in 74 games this past season. Not only is he durable, he is a ground ball pitcher with a career 2.7 K/BB ratio against righties. That figure drops against lefties (1.5 K/BB), but he induces more ground balls against them.
However, defense independent pitching stats like FIP and xFIP suggest Guerrier's 3.17 ERA would have been higher if he had been less lucky in 2010. He posted solid ratios of 5.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 last year, but both rates were better in 2009.
The Red Sox, Orioles and Blue Jays also expressed interest in the 32-year-old this offseason. Boston offered a two-year deal with a vesting option for 2013, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The Rockies also bid on Guerrier, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
When I examined Guerrier's free agent stock earlier in the offseason, I expected him to land a one-year deal, so agent Joe Bick deserves credit for taking advantage of a player-friendly market.
Padres Acquire Eric Patterson
The Padres acquired Eric Patterson from the Red Sox, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). He is the player to be named in the Adrian Gonzalez deal, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter). The Red Sox acquired Patterson from the A's for Fabian Williamson this summer.
Patterson, 27, has played second base, left field and center field in his four-year major league career. Given the Padres' outfield depth and need for a second baseman, it seems likely that they've acquiRed Patterson for infield depth. In 204 plate appearances for the A's and Red Sox last year, Patterson hit .214/.272/.406 with 11 stolen bases in 12 attempts.
Red Sox On Verge Of Deal With Bobby Jenks
The Red Sox are on the verge of a deal with Bobby Jenks, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Jenks, who is looking for "closer money," appears to be drawing lots of interest.
The White Sox non-tendered the reliever earlier in the month after a season in which Jenks posted a career-high 4.44 ERA with otherwise strong numbers. His 58.3% ground ball rate placed him tenth among relievers with at least 50 innings of work and he posted 10.4 K/9 with 3.1 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings. He picked up 27 saves, his lowest total since becoming the team's full-time closer in 2006.
Heyman reported earlier this afternoon that the Red Sox are open to trading Jonathan Papelbon, though his trade value is low, since he's likely to earn $11MM or so through arbitration (Twitter link).
Red Sox Sign Lenny DiNardo
The Red Sox have brought back a familiar face, signing lefty Lenny DiNardo to a minor league contract according to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. He originally broke in with Boston back in 2004.
DiNardo, 31, owns a 5.36 ERA in 257 big league innings, most of which came as a member of the Athletics. He spent last season with Oakland's Triple-A affiliate and hasn't appeared in the big leagues since the end of the 2009 season with the Royals. DiNardo has experience both as both a starter and reliever, though he's performed considerably better coming out of the bullpen.
Relievers On Boston’s Radar
4:23pm: The Red Sox are having ongoing discussions with Dan Wheeler about a possible deal, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. One of Speier's sources is optimistic about the negotiations.
1:16pm: The Red Sox liked Matt Guerrier well enough to offer him a two-year deal, but the Dodgers offered a third guaranteed year and the right-hander has agreed to play for Los Angeles. The Red Sox will have to move on to other targets as they look to round out their 'pen. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has the details on what he says is the biggest challenge of the offseason for GM Theo Epstein.
Two former Twins, right-hander Jesse Crain and left-hander Brian Fuentes are the team’s priorities now. The Red Sox are also considering trades and would “love” to reacquire Justin Masterson, according to Cafardo. The Indians have been reluctant to part with Masterson, whom they acquired in the 2009 Victor Martinez trade.
There are a number of alternatives for Epstein to pursue, including Indians relievers Joe Smith and Rafael Perez, who “could be on Boston’s radar.” The A’s are likely willing to listen on their relievers and the Mariners would listen on David Aardsma, Cafardo writes.
Red Sox Notes: Soriano, Crain, Guerrier, Cameron
The AL East is a busy division these days. The Yankees have to finalize their rotation, the Rays have to reconstruct their 'pen and the Orioles are acquiring players in bunches. The Red Sox have added two star players to their lineup, but they're still contemplating more moves. Here's the latest:
- The Red Sox would only offer a three-year contract to an elite reliever, a source tells Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Rafael Soriano fits that description, but Speier says the Red Sox are an unlikely suitor, since they already have Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard.
- Boston had significant interest in Scott Downs after signing Carl Crawford, according to Speier. Downs was a Type A free agent who would ordinarily cost a top pick, but the Red Sox had already surrendered their top pick to sign Crawford, so adding Downs would only have cost Boston its second round selection. The Angels gave Downs a three-year deal, more than the Red Sox were comfortable offering.
- The Red Sox maintain interest in Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain. Guerrier is not looking for a Joaquin Benoit-like deal ($16.5MM over three years) and, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, remains one of the team's top targets.
- The Phillies have kicked the tires on Mike Cameron, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter).
Yankees Re-Sign Mariano Rivera
The Yankees re-signed Mariano Rivera to a two-year deal, the team announced today. The contract will pay Rivera $30MM, according to Christian Red of the New York Daily News.
Now 41, Rivera is coming off yet another dominant season. He posted a 1.80 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 60 innings of work. It's logical to assume that Rivera will slow down at some point, but recent history suggests Rivera can still be an effective late-inning reliever. He has a 1.64 ERA with 8.9 K/9, 1.3 BB/9 and three All-Star selections since 2008.
Rivera received competitive offers from rival teams, including the Red Sox, but wanted to stay in pinstripes. Agent Fernando Cuza confirmed that interested teams other than the Yankees called about Rivera and Jon Heyman of SI.com reported that the Red Sox and Angels were two of three teams that offered the closer three-year deals (all Twitter links).
Orioles Still Have Offer On Table For Gregg
2:48pm: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets that the Orioles have not made a two-year, $12MM offer to Gregg and they don't feel a deal is imminent. They've still got a two-year offer in the $8-10MM range on the table.
2:44pm: The Orioles are close to a two-year, $12MM deal with reliever Kevin Gregg, reports ESPN's Joe McDonald. He notes that the Red Sox and Nationals are still involved in talks with Gregg, but the Orioles are the frontrunner.
The potential Baltimore deal is the same as the one they struck with Mike Gonzalez a year ago, and I think they'll have similar regrets in overpaying for saves again. Gregg, 32, posted a 3.51 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 4.6 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9, and 42.3% groundball rate in 59 innings this year. He saved 37 games in 43 tries, an improvement on his 76-77% success rate of the previous two years.