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Brandon Webb Rumors: Wednesday

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Yesterday we learned that the Rangers and Nationals are still showing strong interest in Brandon Webb, the Cubs' pursuit has slowed, and there is a mystery NL Central team expressing late interest.  I wouldn't be surprised to see other teams in play as well.  The latest:

Contract Details: Bruce, Lee, Jenks, Pirates, Gomez

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Here are some recent updates on contracts from around the majors:

Minor Deals: Stokes, Diaz, Barton, Brewers

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Rounding up today's minor signings:

  • The Blue Jays signed Brian Stokes, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 31-year-old struggled through 16 2/3 innigns for the Angels last year, but was useful for the Mets from 2008-09 before they sent him to L.A. for Gary Matthews Jr..
  • The A's signed right-hander Jonathan Ortiz, who combined a sinker and an above-average changeup to post 11.8 K/9 in the Yankees system this year, according to Eddy (all links go to Twitter).
  • The Tigers signed shortstop Argenis Diaz, who was non-tendered by the Pirates despite his strong glovework.
  • The Angels signed Ryan Braun – not the Brewers slugger, but the 30-year-old right-hander who posted a 2.20 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in 57 1/3 innings at Triple-A Charlotte last year. He last pitched in the majors for the 2007 Royals.
  • The Twins signed Matt Brown, a former Angel who should provide corner infield depth.
  • The Pirates re-signed Tyler Yates, who missed last season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
  • Brian Barton, who hit 19 homers and stole 18 bases in the Atlantic League this year, signed with the Reds, according to Eddy (on Twitter).
  • The Cubs signed lefty Polin Trinidad, who posted a 4.81 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 149 2/3 innings in the upper minor for the Astros last year (Twitter link).
  • The Brewers signed Edwin Maysonet and Shawn Riggans to minor league deals and invited them to Spring Training, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). Maysonet, 29, appeared in 46 games as a backup infielder for the Astros in 2008-09 and hit .248/.308/.329 in 356 minor league plate apperances last year. Riggans, who spent parts of four seasons with the Rays, barely played in 2010.
  • The Twins inked lefty Chuck James, tweets Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.  The 29-year-old former Brave had rotator cuff surgery in September of 2008.
  • The Nationals announced seven signings, including previously unreported contracts for Ryan Mattheus, Michael Aubrey, and Brian Bixler.  Mattheus, a 27-year-old right-handed reliever, was acquired by the Nats at the '09 trade deadline in the Joe Beimel deal, the same month he had Tommy John surgery.  His is a Major League deal.  Aubrey, drafted 11th overall by the Indians in 2003, hit .235/.310/.495 at Triple-A this year.  Bixler, a defensive-minded utility infielder, was acquired by Washington from the Pirates in August.

Rosenthal On Cubs, Greinke, Beltre, Pavano

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The Mariners could presumably ask for a king’s ransom in exchange for Felix Hernandez, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports thinks Seattle should build around the reigning Cy Young Award winner, not trade him. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

  • The Cubs are still willing to trade Kosuke Fukudome, but they’d likely have to cover some of the $13.5MM the outfielder is set to earn in 2011.
  • Were it not for his salary, the Reds might be a more serious suitor for Zack Greinke. However, a rival executive says Cincinnati is “tapped out,” payroll-wise.
  • The Nationals’ pursuit of Greinke has slowed and one source says it’s because of the team’s reluctance to include Jordan Zimmermann in a potential deal.
  • Adrian Beltre remains a “focus” for the Angels.
  • The Rangers, however, are more inclined to re-sign Vladimir Guerrero and add a first baseman than pursue Beltre, according to Rosenthal’s sources.
  • Don’t expect Texas to spend on a top free agent reliever, even if Neftali Feliz moves to the rotation.
  • Kerry Wood wants a two-year, $12MM deal, Rosenthal reports.
  • Another former Yankee, Carl Pavano, is searching for considerably more. He wants a three-year deal worth $10-11MM per season, one GM says. The Rangers are not pursuing Pavano right now.

Reds Extend Jay Bruce

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The Reds officially signed Jay Bruce to a six-year, $51MM extension today.  ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick broke the story on Thursday. The extension will keep Bruce in Cincinnati through at least 2016 – longer than any other member of the Reds is under contract for – and pay him $50MM in salary over the next six years. The deal includes a $1MM buyout for a $13MM option in 2017, plus a partial no-trade clause and the chance to earn more money with award bonuses. Agent Matt Sosnick represents Bruce.

The 23-year-old batted .281/.353/.493 with 25 homers as Cincinnati's everyday right fielder in 2010. His 5.3 Wins Above Replacement placed him tenth among MLB outfielders last year and even if that stat doesn't impress you, this will: Bruce's September 28th walk off home run clinched Cincinnati's first playoff berth in 15 years. 

A super two player, Bruce would have been arbitration eligible for the first time this winter and was on track to hit free agency after the 2014 season. Reds GM Walt Jocketty has discussed locking up Bruce for a while and this deal will keep the outfielder under contract until he's 29 or 30. 

Justin Upton, who is four months younger than Bruce, signed a comparable extension with the Diamondbacks before the 2010 season. Upton's six-year, $51.25MM deal will keep him under team control for all of his arbitration seasons and what would have been his first two years of free agency.

Next up for the Reds – extending Joey Votto. Like Bruce, the 2010 NL MVP is arbitration eligible for the first time and open to discussing an extension. Jocketty has already signed Bronson Arroyo to an extension this month.

Mets Notes: Castillo, Perez, Young, Reyes

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Mets GM Sandy Alderson confirmed that the team will not spend more than $135-140MM on 2011 payroll. That's a ton of money for most teams, but the Mets have committed most of that to the players already on their roster, so they don't have much to spend. Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork has the details:

  • Not surprisingly, Alderson said there's "no market" for Luis Castillo or Oliver Perez, even if the Mets wanted to trade them. The two players will be in Mets camp this Spring Training.
  • Alderson confirmed that he's looking to sign a "bounceback" starter to a low base salary. Chris Young was Alderson's "hypothetical" example of such a pitcher, but the tall right-hander is more than just an example. As Rubin notes, the Mets are still interested in Young.
  • It appears that Johan Santana will return around the All-Star break. The lefty underwent surgery to repear an anterior capsule tear in his left shoulder in October.
  • The Reds and Mets have not discussed a potential Jose Reyes trade, GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).

Odds & Ends: Arroyo, Varitek, Angels, Werth

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The Red Sox officially introduced Carl Crawford to Red Sox Nation at a press conference this morning, but that's not the only hot stove news today…

D’Backs Notes: Konerko, Heisey, Parra, Lee

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Some news from the desert, courtesy of The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro…

  • The Diamondbacks' offer of a three-year, $30MM contract to Paul Konerko would have put them over their payroll threshold, but they couldn't pass up the chance to get "a star-caliber hitter at a possible hometown discount."  Arizona CEO Derrick Hall tells Piecoro that the team had a legitimate chance to sign Konerko before he eventually re-signed with Chicago.
  • The Reds were interested in Gerardo Parra and the D'Backs in Chris Heisey, but a potential deal of the two outfielders was scuttled because the Reds want to keep Heisey.
  • Derrek Lee "is said to have interest in" playing in Arizona.  We've heard that the D'Backs have had interest in Lee, but Piecoro thinks the first baseman "might be a longshot financially."
  • The D'Backs won't be going after any pitching in the short term, following the acquisition of Rule 5 draft pick Joe Paterson.

Reds Have Preliminary Extension Talks With Cueto

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The Reds have locked up two players and discussed a potential extension with a third, but GM Walt Jocketty isn't stopping there. He has had preliminary discussions with Johnny Cueto's representatives about a long-term deal, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Like teammate Joey Votto, Cueto is arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason. The 24-year-old posted a 3.64 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 185 2/3 innings last year. He has started at least 30 games for three consecutive seasons and has career marks of 7.3 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 4.27 ERA. Over the course of his career, Cueto has induced an equal amount of air and ground outs (40.0% fly ball rate and 40.6% ground ball rate).

If the Reds extend Cueto it wouldn't be surprising to see them commit about $16MM for his three arbitration years, 2011-13. The right-hander is set to hit free agency after the 2013 season.

Short-Term Extension Likely For Joey Votto

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The Reds have locked up Bronson Arroyo and Jay Bruce to extensions this month and the next logical candidate for an extension is NL MVP Joey Votto.  The Reds are interested in signing the first baseman to a multiyear deal, but if they do sign him to an extension, it will likely be for less than the six years Bruce got, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).

Free agency is proving to be lucrative for All-Star caliber players, so as one NL executive pointed out to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, top young players may be tempted by the open market.

"If you are Joey Votto and you see what [Jayson]  Werth got and [Carl]  Crawford got, why would you ever sign now rather than wait until free agency?" the exec asked.

Votto, 27, is arbitration eligible for the first time this winter and is on track to hit free agency after the 2013 season. He could sign a two or three-year deal without affecting his path to free agency, much like Prince Fielder did two offseasons ago.

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