Capps To Select Finalists Soon
SATURDAY, 7:13pm: Capps confirmed to ESPN Radio Chicago today that he has had preliminary discussions with the Cubs about joining the club.
THURSDAY, 6:26pm: The Washington Nationals are one of Capps' finalists, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Of all the interested teams, Washington should provide one of the clearest paths to a closing role for Capps.
4:51pm: The Pirates non-tendered reliever Matt Capps Saturday night, and roughly half the teams in baseball have inquired. Pirates GM Neal Huntington explained the non-tender decision in an MLB.com chat today:
Despite wanting to retain Matt and making an aggressive offer that we believed would be at or near his free-agent value prior to the tender deadline, we felt that the risk of an arbitration award at a substantially higher amount was not a good business decision for us…Obviously, we would have preferred to get something of value in trade for Matt, but given his track record beginning in the second half of 2008, his trade value was limited throughout the summer and again this offseason.
Capps may be able to find a two-year deal. While he'd like to close, his agent Paul Kinzer told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he'd accept a set-up role with a contender. The following teams have been linked to Capps: the D'Backs, Cubs, Orioles, Rangers, Rockies, Marlins, Nationals, Mets, Tigers, and Yankees (we're still about six teams short, five if you count the Pirates). Kinzer told Rosenthal Capps "plans to select five or six finalists by the weekend, then make his decision."
Odds & Ends: Treanor, Barton, Damon, Kelly Johnson
More links as the weekend draws closer…
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that the Brewers signed catcher Matt Treanor to a minor league deal. The former Tiger struggled to stay healthy this year.
- The Dodgers signed outfielder Brian Barton to a minor league deal, according to Hernandez. The 27-year-old has hit just .268/.354/.392 in 179 big league plate appearances, all coming in 2008.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson has learned that the Nationals are not interested in Johnny Damon because they're trying to improve their defense.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets that Damon has some interest in signing with the Braves. The outfielder would have to be willing to take a pay cut to join the club, in O'Brien's opinion.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that the D'Backs have made Kelly Johnson an offer. The details aren't clear, but Piecoro guesses it's a one-year deal worth $2MM.
- Dodgers' GM Ned Colletti said that any talks with Cincinnati are "all but dead," according to Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times. Yesterday we heard the two teams were exploring an Aaron Harang trade.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Tigers, Giants and Royals have interest in Jack Cust. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick says the Mariners may be the favorites to sign Cust.
- Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com hears that Jose Contreras is narrowing his options down and preparing to sign. His agent says "there are some interesting opportunities in the bullpen."
- Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com says that with his options dwindling, Miguel Tejada might have to slide over to third to be rewarded with a contract.
- Claudio Vargas' deal with the Brewers is worth $900K, says Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel. The righty could also earn another $400K in incentives.
- O'Brien mentions that Adam LaRoche said there's been no contact from the Braves that he knows of. Earlier we learned that some teams were put off by LaRoche's asking price.
- Corey Brock of MLB.com reports that the Padres have named Jaron Madison scouting director. Madison spent the last two years working as the assistant scouting director in St. Louis.
- Venezuelan reporter Efrain Zavarce says that Kelvim Escobar has signed with…a Venezuelan Winter League team. He'll pitch in relief tomorrow, and the Rays will have someone in attendance.
Minor League Signings: Dumatrait, Stokes, Hacker
MLBTR has learned of three minor league signings:
- The Tigers signed 28-year-old lefty Phil Dumatrait, formerly of the Pirates. Dumatrait missed most of the year with a shoulder injury and was recently non-tendered when an agreement could not be reached on his minor league salary.
- First baseman Jason Stokes, 28 in January, also signed with the Tigers. He missed time in recent years due to back problems, but is healthy now.
- Righty Eric Hacker, 27 in March, signed with the Giants. This year at various Double and Triple A stops he compiled a 4.45 ERA, 6.2 K/9, and 3.5 BB/9 in 147.6 innings. The Pirates acquired Hacker in May after the Yankees designated him for assignment.
White Sox Claim Freddy Dolsi
The White Sox have claimed former Tigers reliever Freddy Dolsi off of waivers, tweets Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Merkin adds that the trade of Jon Link to the Dodgers has allowed the club to add Dolsi to the 40-man roster.
In the last two seasons with the Tigers, Dolsi has posted a 3.55 ERA over 58.1 innings of work. In that period of time his fastball was clocked at an average of 94.8 miles per hour.
White Sox Acquire Juan Pierre
FRIDAY, 12:57pm: The Dodgers will obtain Ely and Link to complete the deal, tweets MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
TUESDAY, 11:44am: The Dodgers will choose two pitchers from a list of arms that could contribute in the majors next year, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The teams will complete the trade on or before January 7th, 2010, according to a Dodgers press release.
11:31am: The Dodgers have officially announced the deal, according to Hernandez. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that John Ely and Jon Link are heading to the Dodgers. The Tigers and Pirates also had interest in Pierre, according to Morosi.
10:43am: The White Sox will pay $3MM of Pierre's salary in 2010 and $5MM of it in 2011, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. That means the Dodgers will pay the remaining $10.5MM.
10:28am: Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times says the Dodgers will acquire two players to be named later.
9:52am: The White Sox acquired Juan Pierre from the Dodgers for two minor league pitchers, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (and confirmed by Ken Rosenthal). The Dodgers will take on roughly half of Pierre's salary. The outfielder has $18.5MM remaining on his deal ($10MM next year and $8.5MM in 2011), so the Dodgers are taking on about $9MM.
Pierre, 32, hit .308/.365/.392 in 425 plate appearances for the Dodgers last year. He stole 30 bases and played well in the outfield, according to UZR (though we don't want to draw sweeping conclusions from 750 innings of work).
The White Sox had shown interest in Scott Podsednik and Brett Gardner, but they appear set with their new addition. If Pierre performs close to last year's levels, the White Sox will have themselves a bargain (depending on the pitchers they give up).
Cust Hopes To Sign By Christmas
Free agent outfielder/DH Jack Cust hopes to sign by Christmas, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. He's expected to have two or three offers from which to choose.
Crasnick finds the A's, Rays, and Mets unlikely to sign Cust despite varying degrees of interest. Instead, the ESPN scribe considers the Royals, Mariners, and Tigers to be "possible fits." The issue with the Mariners: it'd be out of character for them to endure Cust's ugly defense in left field, and signing him as a DH would reduce Ken Griffey Jr.'s role.
Crasnick does not mention the White Sox, Rangers, or Blue Jays, though those teams could technically make room for Cust at DH.
Given that Cust played his first full season at 28 in '07, the concern is that his downward offensive trends of the last two years will continue.
Multiple Teams Watching Kelvim Escobar
WEDNESDAY, 10:52pm: Peter Greenberg, Escobar's agent, informed FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi that representatives from the Yankees and Twins were also at the throwing session (via Twitter).
WEDNESDAY, 2:54pm: Zavarce tweets that the Rays, Cubs, Brewers, Giants, Pirates, Tigers, Mariners, and A's are on hand to watch Escobar throw. Several of those clubs are new additions to the list of suitors.
TUESDAY, 10:17am: If you speak Spanish and would like to read Zavarce's full article about Escobar, click here to download a PDF.
MONDAY, 1:08pm: The Mets offered a minor league deal to pitcher Kelvim Escobar, reports Efrain Zavarce for Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional. According to Zavarce, the Rays are also interested. We cannot find Zavarce's article online, but follow him on Twitter if you speak Spanish. Hat tip to ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr., who pointed followers to Zavarce's article and provided translation.
We learned during the Winter Meetings last week that the Mariners, Brewers, Orioles, Mets, and Yankees are other suitors for Escobar, who will pitch as a reliever in 2010 in hopes of preserving his shoulder.
Tigers Sign Ramon Santiago For Two Years
3:42pm: Santiago will receive $2.5MM over two years, reports the AP.
12:52pm: The Tigers signed shortstop Ramon Santiago to a two-year deal, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck. The deal covers Santiago's final arbitration year (2010) as well as one free agent season (2011). Santiago earned $850K last year, hitting .267/.318/.385 in 296 plate appearances while playing both middle infield positions.
Odds & Ends: Carroll, Crisp, Cameron, Hermida
Links for Wednesday…
- The Tigers signed lefty Brad Thomas out of Korea, and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that they paid $1MM.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirmed our report of the Pirates' interest in Kelly Johnson, explaining that the Pirates view him as a corner outfield option.
- FanGraphs' Dave Cameron wonders why teams seem to undervalue Cliff Lee. In a related story, Lee's agent Darek Braunecker believes their position has been mischaracterized.
- ESPN's Buster Olney expects Jamey Carroll to choose between two-year offers from the A's and Dodgers, probably today (I mistakenly wrote the Angels earlier).
- Mentioned first on Twitter: I've heard that Coco Crisp would prefer a one-year deal with the Padres or A's.
- Boston's Mike Cameron signing was officially announced today. Michael Silverman and John Tomase of the Boston Herald have details on the two-year, $15.5MM contract. John Lackey's deal was also announced.
- WEEI's Alex Speier says the Red Sox told Jeremy Hermida they'd trade him if they re-signed Jason Bay. Speier wonders if the Cameron signing will prompt a Hermida deal.
- The Angels' one-year, $6.5MM deal with Hideki Matsui was also announced, as was John Buck's one-year, $2MM deal with Toronto and Ross Gload's two-year, $2.6MM deal with the Phillies.
- The Royals put out word they've re-signed outfielder Shane Costa to a minor league deal. Costa, 28, missed almost the entire '09 season with a leg injury.
- USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets details on LaTroy Hawkins' two-year, $7.5MM deal with the Brewers.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker examines the reports about reliever Ryota Igarashi, who might be headed to the Red Sox or Mets.
- The Mariners signed 19-year-old shortstop Pedro Okuda to a minor league deal, according to a team press release. Okuda was born and raised in Brazil but attended high school in Japan.
Odds & Ends: Balfour, Orioles, Chapman, Lowe
Rounding up the first batch of miscellaneous Sunday links….
- The Rays agreed to terms with reliever Grant Balfour, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Balfour signed a one-year, $2.05MM deal, avoiding arbitration.
- The Baltimore Orioles are still searching for a closer, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Zrebiec suggests that Fernando Rodney and Kevin Gregg could be atop the O's list of targets.
- MASN's Roch Kubatko runs down the Orioles' closing options too, adding new free agent Matt Capps to the mix.
- Meanwhile, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has reaction from GM Neal Huntington, who says that media reports of the 26-year-old being non-tendered hurt his trade value. Huntington also said that the Bucs would "love" to have him back in the bullpen – at the right price. Capps isn't on the Yankees radar, says Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger (via Twitter).
- John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Tigers' closer search also continues. The team was looking at J.J. Putz, but backed off because of health questions, not money concerns.
- Tuesday could be "Judgment Day" for Aroldis Chapman, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. Chapman will throw a session with a slew of teams expected to be in attendance.
- Within a piece which focuses on yesterday's non-tender decisions, ESPN.com's Buster Olney mentions that a handful of clubs are interested in Brian Giles, including the Yankees and Reds. It's still up in the air whether teams will be willing to offer Giles more than a minor league contract.
- One interesting tidbit from the latest article by Newsday's Ken Davidoff: An AL West official tells Davidoff that he'd like to see Jered Weaver, rather than Joe Saunders, leaving the division in a potential Roy Halladay trade offer. I have to think Jays fans would agree. Both pitchers were selected 12th overall in their respective drafts: Saunders in 2002 and Weaver in 2004.
- Speaking of the AL West, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports thinks it's the most intriguing division for hot stove news this winter.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter) says that the Angels are a possible destination for Derek Lowe if they cannot re-sign John Lackey. Other possibilities include the Mariners, Red Sox and Yanks. O'Brien also suggests the Mets, provided that the Braves are willing to trade within their division.