Cubs Acquire Robert Coello
The Cubs acquired Robert Coello from the Red Sox for minor league infielder Tony Thomas, the teams announced. The Red Sox designated Coello for assignment last week and moved closer to a deal this afternoon.
Coello led Red Sox minor leaguers with 130 strikeouts last year, before pitching in the Dominican Winter League and the Mexican Pacific League. He spent last season in the upper minors, where he posted a 3.86 ERA with 10.9 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 107 1/3 innings as a starter and reliever. The Red Sox called the 26-year-old up for a six-game stint in the majors at the end of the season. The Reds drafted Coello as a catcher in 2004 and the Angels converted him to a pitcher before the 2007 season.
Thomas, 24, placed second in the Southern League in triples (11) and fourth in slugging percentage (.485) last year. The 2007 third rounder was at Double-A for the second consecutive season; he posted a .276/.338/.485 line with 15 stolen bases in 17 attempts.
Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reported yesterday that the Red Sox were moving toward a trade.
Cubs, Marmol Agree To Three-Year Deal
The Cubs agreed to a three-year extension with closer Carlos Marmol, avoiding arbitration, the team announced. Marmol's deal is worth $20MM over three years, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter). Marmol will earn $3.2MM in 2011, $7MM in 2012 and $9.8MM in 2013, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter).
The 28-year-old right-hander struck out a career-high 16 batters per nine innings last year, saving 38 games and posting a 2.55 ERA. He walked lots of batters (6.0 BB/9) as usual and was exceptionally difficult to hit (4.6 H/9). Marmol's new deal keeps him in Chicago through his age-30 season.
The contract buys out Marmol's two remaining seasons of arbitration eligibility and covers his first free agent season. Agent Barry Praver represents Marmol, who earned $2.125MM last year.
As MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows, this is the second time this offseason the Cubs have agreed to an extension with an arbitration eligible pitcher. They signed Sean Marshall to a two-year deal last month. Only five arbitration eligible players remain unsigned for 2011: Jose Bautista, Kelly Johnson, Hunter Pence, Rickie Weeks and Delmon Young.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement.
Cubs, Marmol Close To Long-Term Deal
FEBRUARY 13TH: The deal is expected to be for three years and worth around $23MM, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
12:54pm: Marmol's agent, Barry Praver, arrived at Fitch Park in Arizona today to finalize a multiyear deal for the closer, tweets Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. The contract extension is expected to be announced Monday, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter).
FEBRUARY 3RD: The Cubs are close to signing closer Carlos Marmol to a long-term contract extension, according to Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan of the Chicago Tribune. The new deal is expected to be announced before Cubs pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training in Mesa, Arizona on February 13th.
The deal would buy out Marmol's remaining two years of arbitration eligibility for 2011 and '12 and perhaps lock him up beyond that. The righty had asked for $5.65MM in arbitration with the Cubs countering at $4.1MM. Marmol is the Cubs' final remaining arbitration-eligible player, as our Arbitration Tracker shows.
Marmol, 28, is coming off an excellent season in which he posted a 2.55 ERA and a whopping 16.0 K/9 en route to 38 saves. He gets it done with an extreme blend of strikeouts, walks, and flyballs.
NL Central Notes: Snell, Pujols, Samardzija, Prince
Some items of note out of the NL Central as players and reporters alike continue to trickle into Spring Training camps in Florida and Arizona …
- Cardinals non-roster invitee Ian Snell, signed to a minor league deal, cited Redbirds pitching coach Dave Duncan as an incentive for him signing with St. Louis, writes Matthew Leach of MLB.com. Duncan, of course, is known for his penchant for helping down-on-their-luck pitchers get their careers back on track. Snell, who spent 2010 with the Mariners, has had a rough go of it since posting 14 wins with the Pirates back in 2006.
- Is Albert Pujols worth upwards of $30MM for as many as 10 years? That's the question examined at length by Tim Logan of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The baseball community has made great strides in calculating how a player's performance translates to wins in recent years, but even still, it can be tough to pinpoint the connection between wins and return on investment (financially), Logan writes.
- Cubs right-hander Jeff Samardzija is out of minor league options, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, and is therefore all but assured of a roster spot (likely in the bullpen) coming out of Spring Training, lest he be exposed to waivers. Samardzija has been shuttled between the minors and Majors, as well as starting and relieving, since being drafted by the Cubs in the fifth round in 2006.
- Prince Fielder is probably hoping Pujols signs an extension before hitting free agency so that Fielder's market value isn't diminished next offseason, writes Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Fielder is scheduled to become a free agent after this season, and with fewer teams in need of a premier first baseman as of now, he'll need all the leverage he can get, according to Shaikin.
Cubs Expect To Avoid Arbitration With Marmol
Cubs GM Jim Hendry said that he still expects to avoid arbitration with closer Carlos Marmol, writes Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.
The Cubs and Marmol have an arbitration hearing scheduled for Feb. 15, but whether it be a one- or multiyear deal, Hendry said that he doesn't think the hearing will come to fruition, noting that he has a long-standing relationship with Marmol's agent, Barry Praver.
The North Siders prefer to ink Marmol to a three-year deal in the range of $22-25MM, according to Levine, which would buy out the right-hander's two remaining years of arbitration eligibility as well as one year of potential free agency. Marmol is seeking $5.65MM for 2011 while the Cubs have submitted a figure of $4.1MM, rendering a midpoint of $4.88MM, as our Arbitration Tracker shows.
Marmol reported to Spring Training in Mesa, Arizona, on Saturday and took a physical, indicating that a pre-hearing agreement may be imminent.
Quick Hits: Duchscherer, Ramirez, Marmol, Broxton
Links for Saturday..
- Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun called the Orioles' signing of pitcher Justin Duchscherer the latest "late-winter Hail Mary" by GM Andy MacPhail.
- C.C. Sabathia told Mark Hale of the New York Post that he isn't concerned about the Yankees' rotation.
- Carlos Marmol took his physical in Mesa, Arizona today, tweets Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. Marmol and the Cubs should finalize a long-term deal this week.
- The Nationals still have loose ends to tie up from the Esmailyn Gonzalez scandal, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
- Tom Singer of MLB.com will be keeping a close eye on Jonathan Broxton of the Dodgers as he looks to get his career back on track this season. Recently our own Mike Axisa characterized 2011 as a make or break year for the closer as he approaches free agency.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Cardinals and outfielder Jim Edmonds have not yet scheduled the physical that he needs to pass in order to finalize his minor league deal with the club. GM John Mozeliak confirmed that the agreement is open-ended in order to allow Edmonds time to recover from foot surgery before taking the physical.
- After signing a one-year, $4MM this winter, Aaron Harang is looking to return to old form with the Padres, writes Don Norcross of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- Meanwhile, Eric Chavez is looking for a fresh start with the Yankees, writes Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News.
Olney On Mets, Dodgers, Pujols
A year ago it was the Rangers and Cubs. Now, the Mets and Dodgers have ownership issues, as ESPN.com's Buster Olney explains in his latest blog entry. Here are the details…
- Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has “serious” financial problems, according to Olney. The day-to-day costs of running a team could soon create more of a need for cash for McCourt, who has looked for investors, but has not shown any interest in selling off much of the team.
- MLB is expected to let the Dodgers ownership situation play out on its own, writes Olney.
- The Dodgers’ ownership issues appear to be “much more immediate” than those of the Mets, but the Mets have significant financial obligations in a number of areas. For more on the Madoff/Wilpon/Mets mess, read Howard Megdal's latest for MLBTR.
- Both the Mets and Dodgers have been mentioned as hypothetical landing spots for Albert Pujols, who will hit free agency if he doesn’t sign an extension by the time Spring Training starts. One rival executive suggested to Olney that the Cubs could become the top bidder for Pujols if he hits the open market. "I think their ownership is gearing up for that," the executive said.
Quick Hits: NL Central Grades, J. Upton, Salazar
Here are some items of note for Feb. 8. On this day in 1999, the Red Sox's arbitration hearing with Midre Cummings was decided by Elizabeth Neumeier, marking the first time a woman had decided an arbitration case since its adoption by MLB in 1974. The preceeding 409 cases had all been decided by men.
- With Spring Training nearly upon us and most teams merely making a few roster tweaks here and there, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hands out his grades for the best and worst offseasons among the residents of the NL Central. The Brewers, on the strength of bolstering their rotation with Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, fared the best, writes Stark. The Cubs did well to retool a bit with the additions of Matt Garza and Carlos Pena, while the Pirates and Reds got so-so marks for their modest changes. The rebuilding Astros are pulling up the rear, and the jury is still out on the Cardinals, who have an outstanding issue to tend to with respect to a potential extension for Albert Pujols.
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers was never really interested in dealing Justin Upton this offseason, writes Tom Verducci of SI.com, but he felt it prudent to gauge other teams' interest. No offers were of particular interest to Towers, according to Verducci. Towers is interested in seeing what Upton can do under the tutelage of new hitting coach Don Baylor, under whom one-time uberprospect Carlos Gonzalez realized his full potential with the Rockies in 2010.
- Padres infielder Oscar Salazar has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment, has accepted his minor league assignment and will be in Major League camp, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com.
Quick Hits: Young, Ortiz, Blue Jays, Chicago Teams
Congratulations to Jack Gillis, Jim Howard, Terry Reynolds and Mike Toomey on their induction into the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame! The four long-time scouts will be inducted individually during separate ceremonies through August.
Some news items…
- The Rockies and Rangers were close enough on a Michael Young trade package earlier this winter that a Colorado player who would've gone to Texas, Eric Young Jr., was asked to take a physical, reports Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports.com. Texas was concerned by the stress fracture that sidelined Young Jr. for half of last season and the two sides couldn't settle on a deal.
- With Vladimir Guerrero struggling to find a contract, FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal wonders if a similar fate awaits David Ortiz in next winter's free agent market.
- The Blue Jays' decision to start John Buck over prospect J.P. Arencibia in August and September of last season was an organizational call, Alex Anthopoulos tells MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. The Jays GM said he promised Buck an everyday job if he signed with Toronto, and Anthopoulos wanted to stand by his agreement. "When we give our word to someone … that's part of our brand," Anthopoulos said. "When I'm negotiating with an agent or I'm trying to recruit a player, and we have to tell them something, whether it's good or bad news, they know that we're going to honor our word and we're going to be straight shooters."
- Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago discussed several Cubs and White Sox topics in a chat with fans.
- Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com gives his list of the offseason's biggest winners and losers. I'm not sure if I agree with Urban's designation of Manny Ramirez as the biggest individual "loser" this winter — he took a big pay cut, but the Rays should still be a contending team.
Cubs Sign Braden Looper, Augie Ojeda
MONDAY: Looper's deal pays him $1MM if he makes the team and includes about $2MM more in incentives, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
THURSDAY: The Cubs signed righty Braden Looper and infielder Augie Ojeda to minor league deals today, the team announced in a press release.
Looper, 36, last pitched for the Brewers in 2009. He threw for the Cubs before the 2010 season, but ultimately decided to sit out. Looper converted to starting in 2007, making 97 starts over a three-year span. He limits walks and keeps the ball on the ground fairly well, and could find innings with the Cubs if one of their starting five gets injured.
Ojeda, 36, broke into the Majors in 2000 with the Cubs. He's also served as a middle infield backup for the Twins and Diamondbacks. Ojeda was non-tendered by Arizona at the December deadline after earning $825K in 2010.
In total the Cubs invited 21 non-roster players to Spring Training, including Reed Johnson, Todd Wellemeyer, and Scott Moore. The team decided to bring in multiple veterans they knew from previous stints.