Rays Ink 17 Pre-Arb Players
According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays agreed to contracts with 17 pre-arbitration players Wednesday.
B.J. Upton, Matt Garza and Andy Sonnanstine had their contracts renewed. As Tim has noted several times in the past, before players are eligible for arbitration, the team basically gets to decide their salaries.
Rays Lack Payroll Flexibility
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times talked to Rays owner Stu Sternberg, who said the Rays lack payroll flexibility to make an in-season acquisition. Still, Sternberg left the door open to change his mind midsummer. I wonder if the Rays could move a reliever and trim $3MM or so.
The Pudge Rodriguez Market
Ivan Rodriguez is past his prime by about a decade, but still he caught over 100 games last year and put up an OPS of .713. Let’s take a look at the possible suitors for Pudge and the teams that have said they won’t pursue him:
- Astros GM Ed Wade said earlier in the week that he doesn’t intend to sign Pudge, regardless of Toby Hall‘s shoulder.
- The Mets don’t appear to be interested either.
- On Sunday, Pudge said he wants to sign with the Astros, Mets or Marlins. The first two teams don’t seem interested, so could the Marlins offer him a minor league deal? Currently their catchers are John Baker and Mike Rabelo.
- DRaysBay suggests the Rays could use Rodriguez to back up Dioner Navarro.
- This is pure speculation on my part, but the A’s, whose current backup is Rob Bowen, have been willing to give veterans second chances before. Mike Piazza, Frank Thomas (twice) and now Nomar Garciaparra have all attracted Billy Beane’s attention, so why not Rodriguez?
Lots of teams could use catching depth; which one’s the best fit for Pudge?
Rays Sign Isringhausen To Minor-League Deal
According to Mark Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays have signed veteran reliever Jason Isringhausen to a minor-league deal.
Once one of the league’s premier closers, Isringhausen is coming off arguably his worst season in ten years. After posting a 5.70 ERA in 42.2 innings, he had surgery Sept. 12 to repair a torn flexor tendon. He lives in the Tampa Bay area.
Indians Acquire Salas, Designate Marte
According to MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince, the Indians acquired reliever Juan Salas from the Rays today for infielder Isaias Velasquez. The Tribe designated one-time top prospect Andy Marte (who is out of options) for assignment to make room. Salas had been designated for assignment by Tampa Bay when they added Brian Shouse.
Salas, 30, posted a 2.62 ERA in 44.6 Triple A innings last year with excellent strikeout and walk numbers. Salas’ history includes a PED suspension, a falsified birth date, and a conversion from third base. Aside from that he’s known for his cutter. Salas dealt with an epileptic seizure, a sore elbow, and visa problems in ’08. Velasquez, 20, hit .281/.368/.343 last year in Low A ball.
Marte was a regular on Baseball America top 100 prospects lists – 40th in ’03, 11th in ’04, 9th in ’05, and 14th in ’06. He was traded by the Braves to the Red Sox for Edgar Renteria in December of ’05, and then flipped to the Indians the following month along with Guillermo Mota, Kelly Shoppach, Randy Newsom, and cash for Coco Crisp, David Riske, and Josh Bard.
Rays, Willy Aybar Agree To Multiyear Deal
3:01pm: Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times has the financial details of Aybar’s deal.
9:23am: According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the Rays and infielder Willy Aybar avoided arbitration and agreed to a multiyear deal worth $2.6MM plus incentives.
Aybar’s likely deal has been known for a while now; it should be two years plus an option. I believe Aybar is a Super Two player, in which case the deal would not buy up all four of his arb years.
Rays Ink Adam Kennedy To Minor League Deal
According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays have added infielder Adam Kennedy on a minor league contract.
Kennedy was released by the Cardinals about a week ago. St. Louis has to foot the bill for his $4MM ’09 salary, so it’s a fairly low-risk signing by the Rays. The 33-year-old hit .280/.321/.372 last season with two home runs and 36 RBI in 339 at-bats. He’ll earn just the league minimum ($400K) from the Rays if he makes the roster.
"We talk a lot about depth, and I think this move fits perfectly in line with that," Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman said Tuesday. "He’s a tremendous defender, he does a lot of things well and we’re anxious to watch him play on a daily basis.”
Rays Close To Two-Year Deal With Willy Aybar
MONDAY, 10:39am: MLB.com’s Bill Chastain says Aybar is pleased about his new deal with the Rays and it will be announced soon.
TUESDAY, 5:44pm: The Tampa Tribune’s Marc Lancaster confirms Topkin’s report and has gathered a quote from VP of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman:
“It’s premature to comment on it, but I think it’s safe to say that we’re very close.”
3:10pm: According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays are closing in on a two-year deal with an option for infielder Willy Aybar. Aybar is a Super Two player (he has four arbitration years). He’ll be eligible for free agency after the 2012 season.
Arb Hearings Postponed For Aybar, Santana
According to the AP, arbitration hearings for Willy Aybar and Ervin Santana were postponed until next week. 11 other players also have pending hearings.
Rays Sign Brian Shouse, DFA Juan Salas
According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays’ one-year deal with left-handed reliever Brian Shouse is official.
Shouse will make $1.35MM in ’09 and has a team option for 2010 worth $1.9MM. The club designated reliever Juan Salas for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.