By Tim Dierkes | at
Dayton Moore's second "top five" international free agent signing is likely to be Dominican shortstop Paul Carlixte, writes ESPN's Keith Law. Law says the Royals and Carlixte are near an agreement exceeding $1MM.
Law notes irregularities found by MLB's age investigation, but his source says Carlixte is a "great-looking shortstop with soft hands and a very quick bat."
By Tim Dierkes | at
The Royals are looking to add a power hitter, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The bat would slot into right field or the DH spot, depending on the health of Jose Guillen. Morosi names Jonny Gomes and Marcus Thames as two players of interest who could fit into Dayton Moore's limited budget.
Gomes, 29, was non-tendered by the Reds after hitting .267/.338/.541 in 314 plate appearances. 35% of those PAs came against left-handed pitching, keep in mind. Gomes would be best-served as a DH, as his limited defensive work in the outfield corners grades poorly. We haven't heard about much of a market for Gomes, aside from seemingly mild interest from the Reds and Yankees.
Thames, 33 in March, hit .252/.323/.453 in 294 plate appearances for the Tigers and was cut loose in November. He saw lefties even more often than Gomes. The main defensive difference between the two is Thames' 239.3 career innings at first base. The Indians and Blue Jays were named as interested parties in mid-December, though the Tribe may be out after signing Austin Kearns and Shelley Duncan.
Though not mentioned by Morosi, free agents Gary Sheffield and Jermaine Dye also fit the profile of right-handed bats with pop and limited defensive ability.
By Howard Megdal | at
Here are some Duraflame logs for the Hot Stove…
By Tim Dierkes | at
3:59pm: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that the Braves have not made an offer to Damon, contrary to Heyman's suggestion below.
12:49pm: Jon Heyman's latest column for SI.com leads with thoughts on contract talks for two superstars, Joe Mauer and Albert Pujols. Heyman says Mauer has been slow to engage with the Twins only because he's giving them a chance to put the 2010 team together first. Heyman believes Mauer is "thinking about a contract for at least seven years and more than $20MM, though he isn't going to press the $30MM issue that could conceivably come into focus if he goes the free-agent route." On the other hand, Heyman says Pujols is "surely seeking" $30MM a year. On to Heyman's other rumors…
By Tim Dierkes | at
The Royals signed reliever Matt Herges to a minor league deal, according to a team press release. Herges, 40 in April, posted a 6.8 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, and 3.38 ERA in 34.6 innings for the Indians and Rockies last year. He logged another 28.3 innings at Triple A.
Herges is one of a slew of minor league signings made by Royals GM Dayton Moore so far this offseason. Check out the full list here.
By Mike Axisa | at
The Royals have designated infielder Luis Hernandez for assignment according to a team press release. The move opens up a 40-man roster spot following the signings of Noel Arguelles and Scott Podsednik.
The 25-year-old Hernandez is a career .244/.284/.276 hitter in 243 big league plate appearances, though his defense at short is solid. His minor league performance isn't much better: .249/.297/.320 in over 2,800 plate appearances. Not much to see here, folks.
By Tim Dierkes | at
The Royals finalized their one-year $1.75MM deal with Scott Podsednik today. The contract includes a 2011 club option worth $2MM, but Podsednik can void it if he picks up 525 plate appearances this year. Both the 2010 and 2011 years include incentives worth $250K or more.
Podsednik, who turns 34 before the season starts, will compete with Mitch Maier and perhaps Brian Anderson for playing time in center field. He rates slightly below average on defense, according to UZR/150, but does add some value on offense. He hit .304/.353/.412 for the White Sox last year, stealing 30 bases in 43 attempts.
Royals GM Dayton Moore said last night on 610 Sports Radio that the Royals were close to signing a speedy outfielder. Today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted that Podsednik had a deal and ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick confirmed it was with the Royals. Dick Kaegel of MLB.com, Sam Mellinger of the KC Star, Rosenthal and John Marshall of the AP followed up with the details.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
Some more links for the evening…
By Tim Dierkes | at
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick names three free agents on the Royals' radar for center field: Rick Ankiel, Scott Podsednik, and Randy Winn. It should be noted that none of the three logged 500 innings in center in '09. Crasnick's source doesn't see the Royals spending much more than $2MM on a one-year deal, so playing time could be the biggest selling point. Coco Crisp at $5.25MM coming off two shoulder surgeries might be seen as an overpay by Oakland, if these other free agents sign for less than half that.
My guess is that Scott Boras will end up finding a reasonable one-year deal for Ankiel, much as he did for Joe Crede last year. Beyond the Pirates, we haven't heard much from other Ankiel suitors. Podsednik could land with the Giants or Tigers, while Winn is being courted by the Padres and D'Backs.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Brendan Bianowicz has more GM Trade History series updates for us. Click below to download Excel spreadsheets with info on the AL Central GMs (trades, free agent signings, and top draft picks).
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