Mariners On Verge Of Signing Chone Figgins
SUNDAY, 6:33pm: Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times says Figgins will take his physical tomorrow, and assuming he passes, the team will announce the signing either later in the day or on Tuesday. Baker says probably the latter.
FRIDAY, 10:03pm: Not sure if this moves the story forward, but the AP says the Mariners and Figgins have a preliminary agreement on a four-year, $36MM deal.
9:21pm: Brown tweets that "Angels officials concede (that) Figgins (is as) good as gone to M's."
9:04pm: Stark says that the two sides are "very close" to finalizing a deal. He adds that Figgins would be guaranteed $36MM over four years, and there are indications that the deal will include a vesting option that could push the value of the contract to $45MM.
Meanwhile, according to Bill Shaikin of The LA Times, Angels' GM Tony Reagins said that Figgins is close to a decision, one way or the other. "We've made an offer," said Reagins. They've had a chance to evaluate it."
6:52pm: Larry LaRue of The News Tribune says the Mariners need to wait until at least Monday to finalize the deal. Why Monday, you ask? Because that's the deadline for free agents to accept arbitration, and they have to make sure Adrian Beltre declines before proceeding with Figgins.
3:48pm: ESPN's Jayson Stark agrees that the Mariners are close to a deal with Figgins, but says financial terms are still being negotiated and the Angels "aren't completely out of the running." Meanwhile Shannon Drayer of ESPN Seattle says the deal is "all but done" but most likely will not be announced today.
2:50pm: Heyman now tweets that the Ms are "very close to getting Figgins." In a subsequent tweet he suggests the deal will be for about $35MM.
2:26pm: SI's Jon Heyman has a more open-ended take on Figgins, via Twitter – he has the player asking for $36MM over four years with the Mariners at $32MM over four or $27MM over three. He says the Angels are at $24MM over three. Similarly, Yahoo's Tim Brown has an Angels source who says, "We're still hanging around."
1:35pm: The Mariners are on the verge of signing Chone Figgins to a four-year deal in the $36MM range, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. His source says the sides are "very close" to a deal. In his original article Rosenthal left the door open for the Angels to make a late push to re-sign Figgins, but that portion has been removed.
If they complete the deal, the Mariners would surrender their #18 pick to the Angels unless they also sign one of the other remaining Type As who was offered arbitration (the Angels could still end up with that pick if the Ms sign John Lackey too).
Rosenthal's price range doesn't sound too crazy given the five-year, $50MM predictions that had been floating about. With Figgins and Jack Wilson on the left side of the infield, the Mariners' defense would be spectacular. Figgins also helps offensively, given his league-leading 101 walks this year.
Odds & Ends: Holliday, Phillies, Marquis, Navarro
Some Saturday morning links…
- Bernie Miklasz of The St. Louis Post Dispatch says the Cardinals blew it by telling the fans and media that they'd make an aggressive attempt to re-sign Matt Holliday. How could they have blown it when there's still a chance he could come back?
- Both David Murphy of The Philadelphia Daily News and Scott Lauber of The News Journal looked at the Phillies' long-term payroll now that Placido Polanco is on board for the next three years.
- The Mets are among the teams on Jason Marquis' wish list, writes Ben Shpigel of The NY Times, and the team has reciprocated that interest. Shpigel adds that the Mets are trying to find a "sturdy starter" from a group that includes Marquis, Joel Pineiro, and Randy Wolf.
- The Rays have a week to decide whether they'll tender a contract to Dioner Navarro, and executive vice president Andrew Friedman "indicated this week he might need every hour until that deadline to make a decision," according to Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune.
- In a highly recommended feature by Tim Sullivan of The San Diego Union Tribune, former Padres' GM Kevin Towers indicated that he'd like to learn more about the AL, saying "I’d like to see how they do business, how you put an American League team together."
- Lynn Henning of The Detroit News says that the Tigers got nothing in return for Placido Polanco, but they could have if he hadn't played so well in the second half.
- With Chone Figgins on the verge of going to Seattle, the Angels may finally give Brandon Wood a chance to play, writes Bill Shaikin of The LA Times.
- ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes says that if Terry Francona has his way, Mike Lowell won't be moving to first. Lowell said he wouldn't rule out a move across the diamond earlier this week.
- The Orioles have been downplaying the posssibility of any major moves during the Winter Meetings, according to The Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck.
Latest On Roy Halladay
Last night we heard from former Blue Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi that Roy Halladay wants to be traded, adding that whenever you have a player of that magnitude, any decision to move him is one ownership makes. The Halladay talk figures to get hot and heavy during the Winter Meetings next week, so let's see what's being written about the situation right now…
- The Jays are looking for "top prospects at pitcher, shortstop and catcher in any deal," says Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune. He adds that the White Sox surely would have been in on Halladay if they didn't acquire Jake Peavy at the deadline.
- Anthony McCarron of The NY Daily News says the Yankees will "see what's there," referring to potential trade talks with Toronto.
- ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes says "it's starting to sound like [the Red Sox] have considerable qualms about the kind of money and players it will take to land" Doc.
- Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus says that a trade to the Angels will not happen because Halladay wants to train in Florida, and that's "absolute." The Halos train in Tempa, Arizona. If true, this demand would also eliminate the Cubs, Dodgers, and Rangers, all of whom train in Arizona and have been linked to Halladay at various times.
Angels “Working Hard” To Trade Gary Matthews Jr.
The Angels are "working hard to trade Gary Matthews Jr. to clear money for other pursuits," according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. With Matthews owed $23.5MM over the next two years if traded, it will be difficult for GM Tony Reagins to unload a significant portion of the contract.
Matthews, 35, hit .250/.336/.361 in 360 plate appearances for the Angels this year, playing all three outfield positions. Between the contract, Matthews' loss of power, and his questionable defense, he has strong negative value. Without the contract, what would Matthews fetch on the free agent market? Maybe one year, $1-2MM?
If the Angels hope to trade Matthews to free up money, it would make sense to pair him with a more desirable player. Kind of like what the Cubs did with Aaron Miles and Jake Fox yesterday, but on a grander scale.
Angels Still In On John Lackey
The Angels "remain heavily in the mix" for John Lackey, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal says the Angels' renewed their efforts to re-sign Lackey at the behest of owner Arte Moreno, though GM Tony Reagins denied any change in the team's course.
Rosenthal lays out three other factors that might be motivating the Angels to consider re-upping Lackey: an unappealing asking price for Roy Halladay, uncertainty with Scott Kazmir, and the Mariners' interest in Lackey.
If the Angels do allow Lackey to leave, they'll gain two draft picks as compensation. A couple of big-market clubs might be out of the Lackey bidding – Gordon Edes recently wrote that Lackey is not a Red Sox target, and Bill Shaikin said the Dodgers won't be in pursuit. The New York teams haven't been ruled out, while the Nationals and Brewers could be dark horses.
Mariners Are Frontrunners For Figgins
7:50pm: The M's are the "clear frontrunners" to sign Figgins, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi writes that it is likely that the switch-hitting third baseman will receive a four-year deal in excess of $30MM.
6:06pm: The Mariners are the latest team to join the chase for free agent Chone Figgins, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter). Heyman also notes that the Angels are "still trying."
Figgins, in all probability, would fill the club's void at third base where he turned in a UZR/150 of 18.8 in 2009. Do you think the Mariners should pursue Figgins or find a different, and perhaps cheaper, solution at third?
Eight Teams Interested In Carroll
There's no shortage of interest in Jamey Carroll this year. Ed Price of AOL FanHouse reports that the Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, A's, Rangers, Pirates, Reds and Indians all have interest in the 35-year-old utility man. We know the Marlins are interested, too.
Carroll hit .276/.355/.340 with the Indians last year, spending most of his time at second and third, and playing some outfield as well. UZR/150 suggests Carroll has been an above-average defender at second base over the course of the last five years.
Angels Offer Arb To Only Figgins, Lackey
Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that the Angels offered arbitration to just two of their ranked free agents — Type As Chone Figgins and John Lackey. Los Angeles' other Type A free agent, veteran reliever Darren Oliver, as well as Type B Vladimir Guerrero and unranked free agents Kelvim Escobar and Robb Quinlan did not receive offers from the club.
Though L.A. could have received two draft picks as compensation for Oliver had he turned down arbitration and signed with another club, there's also a chance that teams would be scared off by the prospect of losing a draft pick in order to sign a 39-year-old setup man. The Angels didn't want to run the risk of Oliver accepting the offer and possibly earning a healthy raise given his career-best 2.71 ERA and 8 K/9 in 2009.
Los Angeles Rumors: Halladay, Matthews, Pierre
Mike DiGiovanna and Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times pass on a few interesting notes related to the Dodgers and Angels. Here are the highlights:
- If the Angels were to make a run at Roy Halladay, it would cost them at least one big-league arm from the Joe Saunders/Jered Weaver/Ervin Santana group, which could help offset Halladay's 2010 salary.
- Angels' owner Arte Moreno has said in the past that he's willing to bump the club's payroll a little for a potential franchise player. This could give the team some financial maneuverability if they tried to trade for Halladay or sign a free agent like Jason Bay.
- The Dodgers don't want to give up any major league pitching to acquire Halladay, making them an unlikely trading partner for the Jays.
- Both the Dodgers and Angels have a handful of salaries coming off their books, but will owe plenty of players raises through arbitration, restricting their ability to make much impact in free agency.
- The Angels will look into dealing Gary Matthews Jr., but would probably have to eat too much of his salary to make a trade worthwhile.
- The Dodgers have their own outfielder with an oversized contract: Juan Pierre. The team might try to trade Pierre for an equally overpriced back-of-the-rotation pitcher.
- If the Angels were to retain one of their big free agents (John Lackey, Chone Figgins), they could attempt to backload the contract, helping themselves out financially in the short term.
Halladay Would Approve Deal To Yankees
SATURDAY 8:31am: ESPN's Buster Olney hears that Halladay's preferred destinations are the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, or Phillies.
FRIDAY 7:32pm: Roy Halladay would be willing to waive his no-trade clause to pitch for the Yankees, writes Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, in an article for Slam Sports.
A major league executive told Elliott that he doesn't know where Halladay might end up, but knows that he has told the Blue Jays that he would agree to be dealt to the Yanks. Doc has used his no-trade clause before to prevent being shipped to the Twins and Rangers.
Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos has said that he would not be against trading a player in the American League East if it were the best deal on the table. Should he make an exception in the case of Halladay?