Odds & Ends: Nelson Cruz, Tejada, White Sox, Ankiel
Some links to browse through on your Sunday afternoon…
- Besides sifting through the remaining free agents, the Yankees are exploring the trade market for left field, writes Frankie Piliere of Fanhouse (via Twitter). Piliere heard unconfirmed whispers that one of those inquiries was made on Nelson Cruz.
- Oregon State left-hander Josh Osich will miss the 2010 season due to Tommy John surgery, writes Jason Churchill. The 20-year-old southpaw had been described as a "lock for the mid- to late first round" by Keith Law.
- Steve Melewski takes a look at the arguments for and against Miguel Tejada's return to Baltimore, and also suggests slotting Miggy into the cleanup spot to start the season.
- White Sox VP Scott Reifert passes along a quote (via Twitter) from scouting director Doug Laumann, saying the south-siders will likely focus on pitching in the next draft.
- Rany Jazayerli has mixed feelings about the Royals' acquisition of Rick Ankiel, but says the outfielder is a better fit than Mike Jacobs was a year ago.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski repeated that he's not going to sign a hitter who can't play the field, writes John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times doesn't expect Johnny Damon to return to the Yankees in 2010.
- Fernando Tatis and Ryan Freel are options for the Rockies, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
- Derrick Turnbow is still on the Rockies' radar, writes Renck.
- Tom Robson heads Bob Elliott's list of Canadians eligible for the 2010 draft at the Canadian Baseball Network.
Olney On Damon, Thome, Ortiz
ESPN.com's Buster Olney wonders if the new Rangers ownership will make a splash and go after Ben Sheets, a known favorite of Nolan Ryan. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman says the Yankees have not set any deadlines on their negotiations with Johnny Damon. Jon Heyman of SI.com reported yesterday that Damon had to make a decision within days, but that's not the case, according to the GM.
- Olney doesn't think it makes sense for the White Sox to give Jim Thome a roster spot.
- The Red Sox will look to replace David Ortiz if he struggles in the first half. They'll pursue a catcher and move Victor Martinez to DH if Big Papi starts this season as poorly as he started last season.
Twins, White Sox Interested In Jim Thome
SUNDAY, 10:36am: Guillen told fans that the club has yet to make a decision on Thome, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Of all the options out there, Guillen likes Thome best, tweets MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
SATURDAY, 2:04pm: Ozzie Guillen told White Sox fans this morning that he will only look to bring Thome back if he can get him a healthy number of at-bats, writes Cowley.
10:44am: Cowley tweets a quote from Guillen on Thome, who said "we have to make a decision on him before I leave for Miami." That's tomorrow, according to Cowley.
9:36am: White Sox GM Kenny Williams said that Thome isn't a fit on the 2010 team "unless Ozzie (Guillen) says," tweets team vice president Scott Reifert.
FRIDAY, 9:02pm: A White Sox source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times that the chances of Thome re-signing with the Sox is "50-50 now, which couldn't be said [Thursday]." The source added that Chicago tops the list of teams Thome wants to play for, however he does have some interest in Minnesota.
3:03pm: The Twins have interest in free agent slugger Jim Thome, according to Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune. Christensen writes that the Twins are bargain hunting and if Thome is willing to come at the right price, there could be a match. A Twins official confirmed the club's interest, which was first reported by a Chicago radio station.
Even though the team already has a lefty DH in Jason Kubel, the 39-year-old would boost a lackluster Minnesota bench. Thome hit .249/.372/.493 with 23 HRs for the White Sox before being dealt to the Dodgers in late August.
Odds & Ends: Tigers, Rangers, Lee, Matthews
Saturday linkage…
- White Sox GM Ken Williams said that the club proposed a long-term deal to Bobby Jenks before signing him to a one-year contract, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter).
- Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski admitted that they were "probably too liberal in giving long-term contracts to players," tweets MLB.com's Jason Beck. However, Dombrowski did say they want to sign Justin Verlander, presumably long-term (via Beck's Twitter).
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan tweets that there's a strong chance the sale of the Rangers could be completed today.
- At his introductory press conference, Cliff Lee said he was hoping to be wowed by Seattle and the Mariners, and if he is, he would be open to re-signing there according to Larry Stone of The Seattle Times. When asked about his next contract, Lee joked "I want a 10-year deal for about 200 billion. Nah, I don't know."
- Tom Gage of The Detroit News writes that the Tigers have five lefty relievers on their roster, so don't be surprised if one of them gets traded. Bobby Seay might be the most vulnerable of the five (despite being the most established) because he'll make $2.475MM in 2010 and lefties hit him better than righties last year.
- ESPN's Buster Olney spoke to several people in the game about the Mets picking up Gary Matthews Jr., and the general thought is that he "can't hit for average, can't hit for power, his defense ranks statistically among the worst outfielders in the majors, and, to top it off, rival scouts have been reporting that in recent years he has been a clubhouse negative."
- Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald has some quotes from Red Sox principal owner John Henry about the team's offseason.
- Free agent reliever Oscar Villarreal will throw for teams next Friday, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. He last pitched in the majors back in 2008 with the Astros.
Odds & Ends: Brewers, Molina, Zduriencik, White Sox
Friday Night Lights Links…
- Brewers' GM Doug Melvin said that they're finished signing "impact" free agents according to a tweet from MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. He did not, however, rule out a trade with payroll implications.
- Ed Price of AOL FanHouse says (via Twitter) that Bengie Molina passed up an extra $1MM in salary for 2010 from the Mets for a familiarity of San Francisco.
- David Laurila of Baseball Prospectus sat down for a must read interview with Mariners' GM Jack Zduriencik. Best of all, it's not behind their subscriber wall.
- An interesting quote by White Sox GM Kenny Williams at SoxFest today, courtesy of a tweet from Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune: "There's always one more move to be made."
Odds & Ends: Tatis, Astros, Ludwick, A’s
Some links for Friday…
- Buster Olney of ESPN tweets that the Nationals have put Josh Willingham on the market once again. If they move the soon-to-be 31-year-old, it could clear the way for Adam Dunn to be moved to the outfield. Willingham recently avoided arbitration with the Nats, agreeing to a one-year, $4.6MM pact.
- Mike Puma of the New York Post hears that the Mets could bring Fernando Tatis back if they don't re-sign Carlos Delgado. However, the Mets have not contacted Tatis' agent.
- The Astros appear unwilling to talk multi-year deals with arbitration-eligible players Wandy Rodriguez, Hunter Pence and Tim Byrdak, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (via Twitter).
- The Cards and Ryan Ludwick avoided arbitration and agreed on a one-year $5.45MM deal for 2010, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- A's prospect Grant Desme is retiring from baseball to "pursue the priesthood," according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Baseball America ranked Desme the club's eighth-best prospect this offseason.
- Craig Brown of Royals Authority doesn't see why the Royals signed Scott Podsednik if they were going to add Rick Ankiel, too.
- Tyler Hissey ranks the remaining free agents. Check out our comprehensive free agent list right here.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Mariners have been working on possible deals involving Jose Lopez.
- Olney says Jim Thome is talking with a few teams.
- Could the Brewers lock Prince Fielder up to a deal that keeps the first baseman in Milwaukee after the 2011 season? MLB.com's Adam McCalvy asked Brewers GM Doug Melvin if the club might extend Fielder soon and Melvin said: "I don't know the answer to that."
- Meanwhile, another big left-handed slugger is just looking for a job. Jim Thome remains available, but White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen tells MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he's happy to rotate players in and out of the DH spot this year.
- The Pirates, who are likely done making major moves this offseason, project to have an Opening Day payroll of $35.65MM, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog tweets that the Mets are close to making a deal.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik says he's going to "tweak and add" before the season starts, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.
Odds & Ends: Gomes, Coffey, Nolasco, Vazquez
Links for Thursday…
- Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that team sources have told him that the Cubs are looking at Jonny Gomes as a fourth outfielder. Gomes – who proved to be one of the best minor league deals of 2009 – confirms.
- The Brewers signed arbitration-eligible reliever Todd Coffey for $2.025MM, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. That's just short of the midpoint.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro writes that a strong 2010 season would lead the Marlins to explore a multiyear deal with Ricky Nolasco. Nolasco is under team control through 2012, and will earn $3.8MM in his second arbitration year.
- Yankees pitcher Javier Vazquez spoke to Puerto Rican newspaper La Perla del Sur. MLBTR's translator Nick Collias supplies this interesting quote: "I don't have much playing time left…I go year by year, and I don’t know if it will be one, two or three years, but I'm definitely not going to play until 40." Vazquez is eligible for free agency after the season.
- Rockies outfielder Dexter Fowler switched to Scott Boras in November, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post wrote in a Monday blog post. Fowler's been added to our Scott Boras client list, which can always be found on the sidebar.
- MLBTR missed this January 14th signing: the White Sox added Daniel Cabrera on a minor league deal. Cabrera, 29 in May, posted a 0.55 K/BB ratio and 6.00 ERA in 51 big league innings last year.
- The Mets and Diamondbacks haven't had any new discussions for catcher Chris Snyder, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Piecoro examines the debate about whether to trade Snyder.
- Luke Scott wants to play defense, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Scott says he's "taking one for the team" by serving as DH, and it hurts him in contract negotiations.
- Slugger Jim Thome continues to keep the door open for the White Sox, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. However, in comments to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, manager Ozzie Guillen indicated a preference to avoid a permanent DH.
Players To Avoid Arbitration: Tuesday
Noon ET today was the deadline for both the team and player to submit their salary figures for arbitration, however the two sides can come to an agreement at any point before the actual hearing. The hearings are scheduled for the first week of February.
We'll keep track of the players who avoid arbitration today by agreeing to deals here. Make sure you check back in for updates, and be sure to click the "Continue Reading" link to see today's full list of settlements. Yesterday's list can be found here.
- Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Angels avoided arbitration with Mike Napoli and Reggie Willits by signing the duo to one-year deals. Napoli will earn $3.6MM in 2010 with a $100K bonus if he makes 120 starts. Willits' contract is worth $625K.
- Zach Duke's one-year contract with Pittsburgh is worth $4.3MM with no performance bonuses, tweets Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- The Padres and reliever Mike Adams have agreed to a contract, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (via Twitter). Brock's follow-up tweet says Adams' deal is worth $1MM, virtually splitting the difference between San Diego's $875K offer and Adams' $1.2MM demands.
- Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets that the Twins have agreements in place with all eight of their arbitration eligible players. In a follow-up tweet, Christensen reports that Francisco Liriano agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.6MM and Jesse Crain agreed to a one-year contract worth $2MM.
- Marc Carig of the New Jersey Star-Ledger reports that the Mets avoided arbitration with reliever Sean Green (via Twitter). The one-year deal was worth $975K, according to the New York Daily News' Anthony McCarron.
- The Tigers avoided arb with Gerald Laird and Zach Miner as well according to James Jahnke of The Detroit Free Press. MLB.com's Jason Beck tweets the details on the one-year contracts: Laird will earn $3.95MM, Miner will earn $950K.
- Christensen tweets that the Twins avoided arb with Brendan Harris, signing him to a two year deal worth $3.2MM with another $650K in possible incentives.
- The Tigers and Bobby Seay avoided arbitration according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (via Twitter), agreeing to a one year deal worth $2.475MM.
- Thesier tweets that Matt Guerrier agreed to a one year deal worth $3.15MM with the Twins, avoiding arb.
- Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe tweets that the Red Sox have avoided arbitration with Ramon Ramirez and Manny Delcarmen, with Delcarmen getting $905K plus incentives according to Joe McDonald of The Providence Journal. Boston avoided arb with Jonathan Papelbon as well.
Players Avoiding Arbitration: Monday
More 2010 salary agreements are expected in advance of Tuesday's noon deadline for exchanging arbitration figures.
- Chad Durbin has avoided salary arbitration, agreeing to a $2.125MM contract with the Phillies, tweets Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. This marks an increase over the $1.635MM he received by avoiding arbitration last year.
- The Rockies signed Ryan Spilborghs to a two-year deal worth $3.25MM, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post. The 30-year-old, who was arb-eligible for the first time, could earn an additional $1.15MM in incentives over the course of the deal.
- Arizona agreed to terms with right-handed pitchers Chad Qualls and Aaron Heilman, reports Steve Gilbert of MLB.com (via Twitter). Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweets that Heilman gets $2.15MM whereas Qualls will make $4.185MM in 2010. This was the third arbitration-eligible year for both players.
- The Bombers avoided arbitration with their last two eligible players, Chad Gaudin and Boone Logan, according to Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees Blog. This was Gaudin's third arbitration-eligible year and Logan's very first. Marc Carig of the Newark Star Ledger reports that Gaudin will make $2.95MM with incentives while Logan will make $590K.
- The Rangers agreed to terms with pitcher C.J. Wilson on a one-year deal worth $3.1MM, reports T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The deal represents a $1.25MM raise in base pay for the 29-year-old, who avoided his first potential arbitration hearing this time a year ago.
- The Reds agreed to terms with Jared Burton, their last arbitration-eligible player, reports John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer. This was Burton's first flirtation with the arbitration process.
- The Marlins avoided arbitration with Anibal Sanchez and Renyel Pinto by signing each to one-year deals, according to the Marlins' official twitter page. This is the first go-round in arbitration for both players. Sanchez will earn $1.25MM with up to $100K in bonuses, reports Jon Paul Morosi (via Twitter). Pinto will make $1.075 according to the Associated Press.
- Tony Pena and the White Sox have avoided arbitration, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal, tweets White Sox VP Scott Reifert. Pena will earn $1.2MM, according to Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). This was the 28-year-old's first time being arbitration-eligible.
- Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla settled at $7.8MM, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. It's a $2.45MM raise for the slugger, who was arb-eligible for the second time. He remains a trade candidate. Uggla told Frisaro he was happy to avoid a hearing, even after winning last year.
- The Brewers signed outfielder Jody Gerut for 2010, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. MLB.com's Adam McCalvy pegs the value at $2MM, a $225K raise. This is Gerut's final arbitration year.
- Blue Jays pitcher Shaun Marcum, who missed '09 due to Tommy John surgery, signed for $850K tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. 2010 is Marcum's first arbitration year.
Odds & Ends: Alfaro, Brewers, Byrnes, Giambi
Monday links, as we await a flurry of players avoiding arbitration…
- The Rangers signed 16-year-old Colombian catcher Jorge Alfaro for $1.3MM, reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. Click here to watch video, courtesy of Kiley McDaniel.
- The Mariners agreed to sign 17-year-old righty Kevin Quintanilla out of El Salvador.
- Here's a link to Jon Heyman's latest at SI.com, where he ranks which teams have had the best offseasons so far.
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Yankees did not make an offer to Jerry Hairston Jr., nor have they had recent contact with Johnny Damon.
- Olney also says the Rockies "are staying in contact with Jason Giambi, but they are considering other options first."
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel names the Brewers' arb-eligible seven, while also noting that GM Doug Melvin "remains in touch with the agents for free-agent lefties Doug Davis and Jarrod Washburn."
- Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star writes about the Blue Jays' six arb-eligibles, noting that GM Alex Anthopoulos will not negotiate beyond Tuesday's deadline.
- Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner believes Eric Byrnes is a fit for the Ms, though he acknowledges that the team already has several injury-prone players. Cameron would be willing to pay about $1MM for Byrnes. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic looks back at the positive side of Byrnes' Arizona tenure.
- In a FanGraphs article, Cameron says the WAR stat does value relievers correctly, and teams are just overpaying for closers.
- WEEI's Rob Bradford wonders if Jonathan Papelbon's 2010 salary will lead to Theo Epstein's first arbitration hearing.
- White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he wants to stay with the team beyond 2010, the last year of his current contract.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan examines the Athletics, who he feels are set up to contend in 2011.
- At the Cubs Convention over the weekend, GM Jim Hendry said fans can "expect to have two new faces" before Spring Training. The Cubs seek a reliever and a bench bat.