Yankees, David Robertson Avoid Arbitration
The Yankees avoided arbitration with David Robertson, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The sides agreed on a one-year, $3.1MM deal for 2013.
Robertston had filed for a salary of $3.55MM and the Yankees had countered with a $2.85MM offer, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows. The $3.1MM agreement sits slightly below the $3.2MM midpoint between the sides' filing numbers. Robertson, a Lapa/Leventhal client, remains on track to hit free agency following the 2014 season.
The Yankees have now agreed to terms with all five of their arb eligible players.
Minor Transactions: Paulino, Johnson
We'll track the day's minor moves here…
- The Mariners have signed Ronny Paulino to a minor league deal, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman (via Twitter) reports. The M's were known to be looking for veteran catching depth after dealing John Jaso last week, and Paulino will be in the mix to provide backup behind Jesus Montero. Paulino, 31, posted a .567 OPS in 64 PAs with the Orioles last season and elected to become a free agent in October.
- The Yankees signed first baseman Dan Johnson to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, Sweeny Murti of WFAN reports (on Twitter). Johnson, 33, appeared in 14 games for the White Sox in 2012. He spent most of the season with Chicago's Triple-A team, where he posted a .267/.388/.492 batting line and hit 28 home runs. As Murti notes, Johnson hit a game-tying home run in the final game of the 2011 regular season to help the Rays reach the playoffs.
AL East Notes: Cherington, Upton, Kubel, Rays
Pedro Martinez is returning to the Red Sox as a special assistant to GM Ben Cherington, the club announced today. The future Hall-of-Famer told reporters (including MLB.com's Ian Browne) that he will be helping instruct the organization's pitchers during Spring Training and throughout the season. "I hope to be a friend to most of those kids that probably have some questions or if they have uncertainties about what they're going to be facing," Martinez said. "What kind of things they should be aware of? I think I'm very well prepared and armed to actually help them with it."
Here are some more items from around the AL East…
- In an interview on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan show (partial transcript here), Cherington said the Red Sox addressed a number of weaknesses over the winter and he thinks the Red Sox can contend. "Maybe we didn’t make the one headline move or haven’t to this point…but I do think we’ve added strength to a lot of different areas to the roster, a lot of areas we had holes in," Cherington said. He also defended Boston's ownership against recent criticisms from ex-manager Terry Francona.
- The Orioles had interest in Justin Upton but weren't prepared to move top prospects like Manny Machado or Dylan Bundy in return, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports.
- Connolly also outlined the talks between the Orioles and Diamondbacks about Jason Kubel, saying that the O's never had more than "lukewarm" interest in Kubel's services. The Orioles felt they were Arizona's "backup plan" to trade an outfielder as the Snakes' preference was to swap Upton.
- Rays owner Stuart Sternberg told Hillsborough County Commission officials that "Major League Baseball at this point no longer believes in the Tampa Bay area," reports Stephen Nohlgren of the Tampa Bay Times. Sternberg reiterated his belief that a new stadium is needed to make his franchise viable and said he is committed to keeping the team in the Tampa area. MLB released a statement today expressing disappointment in the Rays' attendance, saying, "The status quo is simply not sustainable."
- Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos discussed the team's winter moves, plans for the upcoming season and more in an online chat with Toronto Sun readers. Included is a nice compliment for MLB Trade Rumors, as Anthopoulos says he reads our website, "All the time, and I'd venture to say that almost every front office person in baseball does the same. Great site and great way to stay connected with what's happening."
- The Yankees are running out of options if they want to add right-handed hitting outfield depth, opines Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog.
Quick Hits: Rockies, Yankees, Wells
The latest links from around MLB, as the Justin Upton rumors pick up…
- Though the Rockies continue looking for starting pitching, they aren’t close to signing Carl Pavano or Derek Lowe, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports. Renck reported earlier this week that the Rockies were pursuing the free agent right-handers aggressively.
- The Rockies would love to sign free agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba to a minor league deal, Renck reports. The veteran backstop played for the Rangers, Brewers and Blue Jays in 2012.
- The Yankees discussed Delmon Young internally, but didn’t have great reports on his performance, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The Phillies signed Young to a one-year contract yesterday.
- Vernon Wells could spend much of the coming season on the Angels’ bench, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. Wells is unlikely to be traded, yet he doesn’t project as a regular. Though the Angels explored deals involving Wells, owner Arte Moreno was never willing to absorb a substantial part of the $42MM remaining on Wells’ contract to complete a trade. Naturally other teams weren’t interested in paying Wells $21MM per season through 2014.
Rosenthal On Posey, Dodgers, Yankees
Yesterday Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Mariners are at least considering a four-year, $100MM extension offer for Felix Hernandez. Rosenthal has another round of rumors at FOXSports.com today. Here are some highlights…
- Buster Posey and the Giants have mutual interest in reaching a long-term deal, but there’s no urgency to complete an extension. Rosenthal estimates that a seven-year, $120MM deal on top of Posey’s $8MM salary for 2013 could work for both sides.
- Though the Dodgers denied Don Mattingly’s request for increased job security, team officials rave about the manager privately and dispute that he’s a ‘lame duck.’ However, Rosenthal guesses that the team will address the matter before too long to preserve Mattingly’s authority. This time, they probably won’t announce the length of their agreement in an attempt to avoid future scrutiny.
- The Yankees intend to lower their payroll below $189MM by 2014, but the financial incentives in place for doing so might not be as strong as initially anticipated. The team could end up obtaining less than expected from the new market-disqualification revenue-sharing program, as Rosenthal explains. However, Yankees officials say the team’s offseason strategy has been influenced by available players rather than maneuverings based on the sport’s collective bargaining agreement.
Quick Hits: Heyward, Rolen, Logan, Porcello
It's time for players such as Buster Posey, Mike Trout and Jason Heyward to get long-term contract extensions, Jim Bowden writes at ESPN.com. Many players, perhaps even some of those on Bowden's list, will sign extensions in the coming months, and MLBTR's Extension Tracker will document all of the deals. In the meantime, here are today’s links…
- Though Scott Rolen hasn't made a final decision about whether to play in 2013, he has told people that the Reds would be his top choice if he does return, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports (Twitter link).
- CAA now represents reliever Boone Logan, MLBTR has confirmed. The Yankees recently avoided arbitration with the left-hander, agreeing to a one-year, $3.15MM deal for 2013. Be sure to rely on MLBTR’s Agency Database for all agency-related queries.
- The Tigers don’t appear to be close to trading Rick Porcello, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter links). Knobler adds that there’s no real pressure to move Porcello in the immediate future despite Detroit’s starting pitching depth. The Tigers have also been calling around trying to move Brennan Boesch, Knobler reports.
Quick Hits: Beltran, Yanks, Marlins, Valverde
MLBTradeRumors readers will be sure to note that longtime MLBTR writer Mike Axisa has become the newest contributor to the Eye on Baseball blog at CBSSports.com. Congrats to Mike, who started things off today with a look at the Yankees’ core pieces. As always, Mike’s latest piece is worth your time. Mike’s by-line won’t be appearing at MLBTR anymore, but Zach Links has become a full-time writer and he’ll be taking over the site’s Baseball Blogs Weigh In feature from now on. You can reach Zach here with your submissions: ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
Here are some links from around MLB…
- Carlos Beltran's preference is to return to the Cardinals following the 2013 season, writes MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. However, the presence of Matt Holliday, Jon Jay and top prospect Oscar Taveras might leave Beltran without a spot on St. Louis' roster.
- In a piece at River Ave. Blues, Mike previews a potential extension for Yankees right-hander David Robertson, suggesting a three-year, $15MM deal could work for both sides. That said, cost certainty isn't a huge priority for the Yankees, so "working out a multi-year contract with Robertson probably isn’t worth the hassle" from the standpoint of the club.
- The Marlins are hearing from the agents for several veteran free agents who would love to play in Miami, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Freddy Garcia and Bobby Abreu are among the players who would like to join the Marlins, Jackson writes.
- Agent Scott Boras expects increased interest in free agent right-hander Jose Valverde now that Rafael Soriano has signed with the Nationals, George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press reports. The Tigers, Valverde's most recent team, seem confident in the ability of 22-year-old Bruce Rondon.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
East Notes: Rays, Scott, Mets, Yankees, Soriano
Here's a look at some items out of the AL and NL East..
- The field of available DH options for the Rays has thinned out somewhat, but there are still a good number of options including Luke Scott and Delmon Young, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Other free agent sluggers that Tampa Bay might consider include Dan Johnson, Aubrey Huff, Jim Thome, and Carlos Lee.
- The Mets’ plan is to emulate the Giants by playing sound baseball in a large ballpark and developing strong pitching to carry them through, writes Kevin Kernan of the New York Post. Sandy Alderson & Co. see it as the more cost-effective plan towards winning as home run hitters tend to cost big bucks.
- The Yankees knew that they would be parting ways with Rafael Soriano this winter and GM Brian Cashman told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post that he wasn't exactly sweating things out before the closer signed with the Nationals. Agent Scott Boras still has to find homes for Michael Bourn, Kyle Lohse, Francisco Rodriguez, and Jose Valverde, but says that he's not afraid to wait for the right deal.
Arbitration Filing Numbers
Many players will avoid arbitration today, and dozens of others exchanged figures with their teams in anticipation of hearings. Most cases won't go to arbitration hearings, but teams such as the Rays, Marlins, Blue Jays and Braves are known for their 'file and trial' policies. For players on those teams this marks the last chance at negotiations before a hearing.
MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker will keep you up to date on every one of the filing numbers from around the game, but here are the highlights — players who filed for $4MM or more. Now for the details…
- Clayton Richard filed for $5.55MM while the Padres offered $4.905MM, according to CBSSports.com.
- Martin Prado filed for $7.05MM while the Braves countered with $6.65MM, Heyman reports (on Twitter).
- Sergio Romo filed for $4.5MM and the Giants countered at $2.675MM, Heyman reports (on Twitter).
- Max Scherzer filed at $7.4MM and the Tigers offered $6.05MM, Heyman reports (on Twitter).
- Jason Hammel filed at $8.25MM and the Orioles offered $5.7MM, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter). Jim Johnson filed at $7.1MM and the Orioles countered at $5.7MM.
- Homer Bailey filed at $5.8MM and the Reds filed at $4.75MM, Heyman tweets.
- Jordan Zimmermann filed at $5.8MM and the Nationals offered $4.6MM, Heyman tweets.
- Dexter Fowler filed at $5.15MM with the Rockies offering $4.25MM, Heyman tweets
- Shin-Soo Choo filed at $8MM and the Reds offered $6.75MM, Heyman tweets.
- Chase Headley filed for $10.3MM with the Padres countering at $7.075MM, Heyman tweets.
- Mat Latos asked for $4.7MM and the Reds offered $4.15MM, Heyman tweets.
- Jason Motte filed at $5.5MM and the Cardinals offered $4.5MM, Heyman tweets.
- David Murphy filed at $6.5MM and the Rangers offered $5.05MM, Heyman tweets.
Minor Moves: Wilson, Powell, Yankees, Mets
We'll keep track of tonight's minor moves here..
- The Yankees signed veteran catcher Bobby Wilson to a minor league deal, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). Wilson will vie for playing time with Chris Stewart, Francisco Cervelli, and rookie Austin Romine this spring. The backstop hit .208/.272/.321 in five seasons with the Angels.
- The Mets announced that they have signed catcher Landon Powell to a minor league contract with an invite to major league Spring Training. The former first-round pick hit .207/.284/.328 in three seasons with the A's.
- The Yankees inked second baseman Reegie Corona, who was once a well-regarded prospect in their system, Eddy tweets. He was playing in Venezuela and has been out of affiliated ball since 2010.
- The White Sox signed shortstop turned right-handed pitcher Tony Pena Jr. to a minor league deal, tweets Eddy. Pena switched positiions back in 2009.
- The Brewers signed catcher Robinzon Diaz to a minor league deal with an invitation to early minor league camp, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Diaz spent time in theRangers and Angels systems last year.