Yankees Claim Jim Miller
The Yankees claimed right-hander Jim Miller off of waivers from the Athletics, the A's announced. The A's had designated Miller for assignment ten days ago.
Miller, 30, appeared in 33 games for Oakland this past season. He posted a 2.59 ERA with 8.1 K.9 and 5.0 BB/9 in 48 2/3 innings.
Catching Rumors: Napoli, Pierzynski, Rockies
The Pirates recently agreed to sign Russell Martin to a two-year, $17MM contract. Here's the latest on some other MLB catchers…
- The Yankees don't sound very interested in Mike Napoli or Pierzynski, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
- The Mariners aren’t seriously interested in A.J. Pierzynski and the Yankees weren’t looking too closely at the free agent catcher before Martin agreed to sign in Pittsburgh, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (all Twitter links). Heyman hears Pierzynski to the Dodgers is “not happening.” Heyman suggested yesterday that the Dodgers could have interest in Pierzynski.
- The Rockies seem confident that Ramon Hernandez will rebound in 2013, so they might not have interest in pursuing veteran catching depth, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes (on Twitter).
Quick Hits: Greinke, Twins, Martin, Napoli, Royals
Several player agents tell Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that the Mariners' chances of attracting free agent hitters have improved now that Safeco Field's fences are being moved in. That said, while the shorter fences will help, "players look at all of those factors, but in the end, it still comes down to where they can get the best contract. And it always will," one agent says.
Here are some items from a very busy day in baseball….
- The Dodgers met with Zack Greinke on Thursday, tweets Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports.
- In an interview with 1500 ESPN Twin Cities radio (via Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN), Twins assistant GM Rob Antony said his team will likely pursue free agents over trades at the Winter Meetings. "We probably don't have a lot of pieces that we do have to trade for starting pitching [with Denard Span now gone]," Antony said. "We'll probably be a little more aggressive and spend our time at the winter meetings talking to agents rather than clubs."
- Russell Martin said the Yankees told him they didn't have the money available to match Pittsburgh's two-year/$17MM offer, reports David Waldstein of the New York Times. The Yankees didn't make Martin an offer and have yet to make any offers to position players this offseason, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (both links are to Twitter).
- The Yankees aren't likely to pursue either A.J. Pierzynski or Mike Napoli, reports Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York.
- The Pirates considered pursuing Napoli but didn't think he could stay healthy and effective as a full-time catcher in the NL, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- The Royals offered Ryan Dempster a two-year, $26MM contract but are no longer bidding on the Canadian right-hander now that his price tag has risen, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. At least six teams besides Kansas City have been connected to Dempster this offseason.
- Also from Dutton, the Royals offered Scott Feldman a one-year, $4.5MM deal before the righty agreed to a one-year, $6MM contract with the Cubs earlier this week.
- MLB.com's John Schlegel lists 10 potential bargain signings on the free agent market.
- The week's minor league transactions are recapped by Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
- Orioles GM Dan Duquette tells MASNsports.com's Mel Antonen (Twitter link) that negotiations with Nate McLouth and Joe Saunders have been a "little slow" to develop.
Yankees Agree To Terms With Mariano Rivera
The Yankees have agreed with closer Mariano Rivera on a one-year contract for 2013, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). The deal is worth $10MM in guaranteed money, plus extra performance and awards incentives. Rivera is represented by SFX.
Rivera, who turns 43 today, appeared in just nine games before tearing his ACL in May. He considered retirement after his two-year, $30MM contract expired before deciding to return. Rivera, the all-time leader in saves, has remained very effective beyond his 40th birthday — he posted a 1.87 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 from 2010-12, his age 40, 41 and 42 seasons. Rivera was ranked as the 39th-best free agent on the market by MLBTR's Tim Dierkes, who unsurprisingly predicted that it would be "Yankees or retirement" for the veteran stopper.
The Yankee icon is expected to immediately resume his duties as closer, though it wouldn't be surprised to see New York pick up another experienced bullpen arm to provide depth given the nature of Rivera's injury. Rafael Soriano, who became the closer in the wake of Rivera's injury last season, elected to opt out of his contract with the Yankees in search of a multiyear deal.
ESPN's Jayson Stark reported earlier today that the two sides were close to a deal, with YES Network's Jack Curry and FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi both adding contract details (Twitter links).
MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post
Yankees, Mariano Rivera Nearing Deal
3:15pm: Jack Curry of the YES Network has heard Rivera's salary could end up in the $10-11MM range and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears it'll be a $10MM deal (Twitter links).
2:20pm: The Yankees are finishing off a contract with closer Mariano Rivera and expect to complete a deal by tomorrow, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports. SFX represents Rivera, who missed most of the 2012 season with a torn ACL.
The sides have agreed on the parameters of a one-year deal, and have worked today to agree on Rivera's salary and incentives. The deal is expected to guarantee Rivera $11-12MM and include incentives that could bring the total value of the deal to $15MM, Stark reports.
Rivera, who turns 43 today, appeared in just nine games before tearing his ACL in May. He considered retirement after his two-year, $30MM contract expired before deciding to return. Rivera, the all-time leader in saves, has remained effective beyond his 40th birthday. He posted a 1.87 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 from 2010-12, his age 40, 41 and 42 seasons.
If the Yankees can complete a deal with Rivera, they will have addressed one of the most pressing needs. They have already re-signed Andy Pettitte and Hiroki Kuroda.
Olney On Upton, Pettitte, Wright
The center field market will be shaped in part by B.J. Upton’s deal with Atlanta, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney wrote today. Here are more notes from Olney’s column, starting with Upton…
- The Braves signed Upton to a franchise record five-year, $75.25MM contract despite some warning signs that other organizations had identified, Olney writes. Upton has a declining on-base percentage and a bat that can be inconsistent. However, one of Olney's sources praised the deal. "He is the most talented player in the free agent market and somebody I think will age well," the person said.
- The conversations about a 2013 contract between the Yankees and Andy Pettitte started at the GM Meetings earlier this month, agent Jim Murray told Olney. “We worked on it between then and now, talking fairly frequently," Murray said. Pettitte signed a one-year, $12MM contract yesterday.
- Agents and executives agree that David Wright will take the Mets’ extension offer, Olney reports. It would be difficult to decline such a proposal, since there’s no guarantee he’d have similar long-term offers a year from now. MLBTR rounded up the latest on Wright earlier today. It appears the Mets have offered him $124MM for seven seasons starting in 2014.
Pirates, Yankees Pursuing Russell Martin
9:14pm: The Pirates originally offered Martin a two-year contract according to George A. King III of The New York Post, but they've since increased the offer to three years and upwards of $22MM. Meanwhile, Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports the Pirates never made an offer as high as $25MM.
3:08pm: Martin sees potential in the Pirates and has a favorable opinion of manager Clint Hurdle, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (all Twitter links). One executive believes the dynamic between the Pirates and Yankees would get interesting if the Pirates offered Martin a three-year, $24MM contract. Other teams remain in the mix on Martin.
8:15am: The Pirates appear to be making a serious attempt to sign free agent catcher Russell Martin, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Though the Rangers and Mariners are also suitors for Martin, he will likely choose between the Yankees and Pirates. The decision could occur before next week’s Winter Meetings, as Martin is expected to choose within several days.
The Pirates might out-bid the Yankees for Martin, Heyman reports. Pittsburgh could offer $25MM over three years, but the Yankees don’t appear to be in that range. It appears that the Yankees are offering a two-year deal, though if they sweeten their offer in terms of years or salary, that could be enough to bring Martin back to New York.
Andrew Marchand reported yesterday that Martin seeks a four-year deal worth $9-10MM per season.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Yankees Designate Eli Whiteside For Assignment
The Yankees announced that they designated catcher Eli Whiteside for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for Andy Pettitte.
The Yankees avoided arbitration with Whiteside just two days ago, agreeing to terms on a $625K contract for 2013. The Yankees guaranteed Whiteside $200K of that sum, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).
Whiteside appeared in 12 games with the Giants this past season and played another 60 contests with San Francisco's Triple-A affiliate. In parts of five seasons at the MLB level, the 33-year-old has a .215/.273/.335 batting line. He had been a non-tender candidate with a projected salary of $600K. Be sure to check out MLBTR's Non-Tender Tracker for the status of arbitration eligible players.
Yankees To Sign Andy Pettitte
The Yankees announced that they have signed Andy Pettitte to a one-year, Major League contract. Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, who first reported the deal, adds that it's worth $12MM (on Twitter). The contract also includes $2.5MM in awards bonuses according to Mark Feinsand of The New York Daily News (on Twitter). Excel Sports Management now represents the 40-year-old left-hander.
Pettitte pitched well in 12 regular season starts this past season before making two quality starts in the postseason. He posted a 2.87 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 56.3% ground ball rate in 75 1/3 regular season innings in 2012, while earning $2.5MM.
The Yankees' rotation now looks considerably stronger than it did earlier in the month. They recently signed Hiroki Kuroda, who joins C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova in the team's rotation. David Phelps and even Michael Pineda could also contribute as starters.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney first reported the sides were nearing a deal. Mike Axisa contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of US Presswire.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Mauer, Reynolds
A look at the latest out of the American League East..
- We learned earlier today that the Yankees have not had serious talks with Ichiro Suzuki yet about a possible return and Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News adds that the club has yet to make an offer to any position player.
- The Red Sox inquired on Joe Mauer in September, October, and November and were repeatedly told by the Twins that he would not be traded, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB.com. If the Twins did have a change of heart, they would still have to work around the catcher’s full no-trade clause.
- The Orioles have had absolutely zero talks with Mark Reynolds on a new deal for next year, tweets Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com. Meanwhile, Executive Vice President Dan Duquette says that they’ll be exploring a new deal with him between now and Friday, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter).