Reds Rumors

Reds Sign Willie Harris

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 23, 2012 at 3:22pm CDT

3:22pm: The sides agreed to a minor league deal, according to Fay on Twitter. Harris can earn an $800K salary if he makes the Reds out of Spring Training and the deal includes another $200K in incentives, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.

1:48pm: Reds manager Dusty Baker says the team signed Willie Harris, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Paragon Sports International represents the versatile 33-year-old.

Harris spent the 2011 campaign with the Mets after a three-year stint in Washington. He posted a .246/.351/.317 line in 283 plate appearances last year, when he earned a base salary of $800K. He can play all three outfield positions plus second and third and owns a .330 on-base percentage in 11 seasons. The Nationals and Mets were also linked to Harris this offseason.

Quick Hits: Lincecum, Red Sox, Gordon, Francis

By Zachary Links | January 20, 2012 at 11:02pm CDT

Friday night links..

The Giants and the agent for Tim Lincecum have made significant progress since exchanging arbitration figures and both sides are confident that a resolution can be reached before a hearing would be scheduled, writes Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News.
The Reds could look to land an infielder via trade, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
It appears that talks between the Rockies and Red Sox regarding Marco Scutaro are dormant, but Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes that Boston's possible motivation for a move involving Scutaro would be to free up payroll. The club has reportedly expressed interest in White Sox starter Gavin Floyd and free agent outfielder Cody Ross, but neither move could be made unless a trade was made to offer budgetary relief according to a source.
The Royals and Alex Gordon aren't particularly close on a deal but talks remain cordial and both sides want to get something done, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
Left-hander Jeff Francis is starting to attract more interest from teams in the market for a starting pitcher including the Mariners, Reds, Blue Jays, and Mets, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (Twitter links)
Jesus Montero has dealt with his visa issue and is scheduled to travel from Florida to Seattle today for his Mariners physical, tweets Ken Davidoff of Newsday.
Braves GM Frank Wren doesn't believe that his club has a major personnel need, writes Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Wren also believes that this year's bullpen figures to be even deeper that last year's.
Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post (via Twitter) is told that the Marlins have no interest in bringing Ivan Rodriguez back.

Reds To Sign Ryan Madson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 20, 2012 at 1:34pm CDT

If any doubt remained about the Reds' intentions for the 2012 season, it has now disappeared — they're going for it. GM Walt Jocketty continued adding to his new-look pitching staff by officially agreeing to terms with Ryan Madson on a one-year, $8.5MM deal. Scott Boras represents the right-hander, who will become the closer in Cincinnati's bullpen.

The contract includes incentives and a 2013 mutual option. Madson will earn $6MM in 2012 and the deal includes an $11MM option with a $2.5MM buyout for 2013.

Madson posted a 2.37 ERA with 9.2 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 48.8% ground ball rate in 60 2/3 innings for the Phillies in 2011. The 31-year-old saved 32 games in his first full season as a closer.

The Reds don't have to surrender a draft pick to sign Madson, but the Phillies will obtain two picks this June because they offered arbitration after the season. One selection will come before the Reds' second round pick and the other will come in the supplementary first round.

Madson could cash in next offseason if he repeats his 2011 performance in Cincinnati. He appeared to be close to signing a $44MM contract with the Phillies early in the offseason, but talks fell through and Jonathan Papelbon signed in Philadelphia, leaving Madson in a market that has slowed down for relievers.

Francisco Cordero had been talking with the Reds throughout the offseason, but it seems unlikely that he'll return to Cincinnati at this point.

Right-handers Nick Masset, Logan Ondrusek, Jose Arredondo, Sam LeCure and Andrew Brackman figure to join Madson in the Reds' bullpen mix in 2012. The Reds also have an impressive trio of left-handers: Sean Marshall, Bill Bray and Aroldis Chapman.

Jocketty has now addressed most of his offseason needs. He can consider an extension for Brandon Phillips and resolving arbitration cases for Masset and Arredondo.

Earlier in the month 17.7% of 13,700 MLBTR readers said they expect Madson to sign with the Reds. He ranked 14th on MLBTR's list of top free agents entering the offseason.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported the move. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick added the financial terms and John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon and ESPN's Jayson Stark added detail. Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Contract Details: Bray, Nationals, Cust

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 18, 2012 at 8:50pm CDT

All of last night’s filing numbers, including player submissions, team submissions and midpoints, can now be found in MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker. Here are some contract details from around MLB:

The Reds and Bill Bray settled at $1,417,500 yesterday, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes tweets. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected a $1.4MM salary for the left-handed reliever.
Right-hander Tyler Clippard and the Nationals agreed to terms yesterday on a $1.65MM deal for 2012, I tweeted earlier tonight. The 26-year-old reliever had been projected for $1.7MM
Tom Gorzelanny obtained $3MM from the Nationals for 2012, I noted on Twitter earlier this evening. That's a little north of what had been reported Tuesday and it tops the left-hander’s projected $2.8MM salary.
Agent Bobby Barad told Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle that the Astros’ 2013 option for the newly-signed Jack Cust is worth $1MM. Cust agreed to a non-guaranteed Major League deal worth $600K yesterday.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: Tuesday

By Tim Dierkes | January 17, 2012 at 7:23pm CDT

Dozens of arbitration eligible players have agreed to deals with their respective teams today and we've been tracking all of the developments right here. Several teams, including the Rays, Nationals, Marlins, White Sox, Blue Jays, Braves, and perhaps Astros, are known for committing to going to hearings if they get to the point of filing. Keep track of all the madness with MLBTR's arbitration tracker, which shows settlement amounts, filing figures, and midpoints. Today's players to avoid arbitration on deals worth less than $4MM:

The Cardinals avoided arbitration with pitcher Kyle McClellan, tweets B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest. Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (on Twitter) that the one-year deal is worth $2.5MM with incentives based on starts. MLBTR projected a $2.7MM for the Steve Comte client.
MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith reports (on Twitter) that the Padres and Chase Headley agreed to a one-year deal worth $3.475MM, avoiding arbitration. Earlier this evening, the Padres announced that they avoided arbitration with Luke Gregerson, Edinson Volquez, Carlos Quentin and Will Venable. They also avoided arbitration with lefty reliever Joe Thatcher on a deal worth $700K, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. CAA announced catcher John Baker has signed for $750K. Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune first reported that the Padres reached agreements with Hundley, Chase Headley, and Tim Stauffer. Hundley will earn $2MM in 2012, MLB.com's Corey Brock tweets. Dan Hayes of the North County Times tweets the salaries for Volquez ($2.2375MM), Venable ($1.475MM), Gregerson ($1.55MM)
The Rangers avoided arbitration with Matt Harrison, tweets Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. The ACES client gets $2.95MM on a one-year deal. MLBTR had projected a $2.9MM salary.
The Cubs announced that they have avoided arbitration with Jeff Baker ($1.375MM), Blake DeWitt ($1.1MM), Ian Stewart ($2.237MM) Chris Volstad ($2.655MM), and Randy Wells ($2.705MM). MLB.com's Carrie Muskat tweeted the salary figures.

Reds To Sign Ryan Ludwick

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 16, 2012 at 9:09pm CDT

The Reds have agreed to sign free agent outfielder Ryan Ludwick to a one-year deal that includes a mutual option for 2013, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Ludwick gets a $2.5MM guarantee and could earn another $500K in incentives, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. Beverly Hills Sports Council represents Ludwick, who played for Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty in St. Louis.

Ludwick, who can play left and right field, gives the Reds some much-needed outfield depth. Like left fielder Chris Heisey, Ludwick is a right-handed hitter. However, Ludwick has hit right-handers (.804 OPS) better than left-handers (.751 OPS) in his nine-year career.

Ludwick, 33, posted a .237/.310/.363 line with 13 homers for the Padres and Pirates in 2011. His batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage all dropped for the third consecutive season. However, UZR/150 suggests Ludwick has played average defense in the outfield corners in recent years.

Reds, Arredondo Nearing Two-Year Deal

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 16, 2012 at 5:13pm CDT

The Reds are nearing a two-year deal with right-handed reliever Jose Arredondo, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The 27-year-old had a projected 2012 salary of $1MM through arbitration.

Arredondo posted a 3.23 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 5.3 BB/9 and a 42.1% ground ball rate in 53 innings last year. A two-year deal would cover the first two of his four arbitration seasons (he's a super two player). Arredondo, who missed the 2010 season with Tommy John surgery, broke onto the scene in 2008 with an impressive debut season in Anaheim (1.62 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 51.2% ground ball rate in 61 innings).

Reds Sign Dioner Navarro

By Tim Dierkes | January 16, 2012 at 2:33pm CDT

The Reds signed catcher Dioner Navarro to a minor league deal, according to the team's Twitter feed. He'll earn $800K plus $200K in incentives in the bigs, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Navarro, 28 in February, will provide veteran depth after catching tandem Devin Mesoraco and Ryan Hanigan. He's represented by MDR Sports Management.

Navarro hit .193/.276/.324 in 202 plate appearances for the Dodgers last year, catching 428 innings. He was designated for assignment in August. The Reds' other non-roster invitees include Sean Gallagher, Ron Mahay, Kanekoa Texeira, Clay Zavada, and Corky Miller.

Quick Hits: Wood, Soriano, Yankees, Moreland, O’s

By Mike Axisa | January 14, 2012 at 11:01pm CDT

Some links as Saturday turns into Sunday…

Before re-signing with the Cubs, Kerry Wood agreed to a deal with another club and was preparing for his physical when the Cubs swooped in according to Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago. Levine hears that the Reds were most interested in Wood before he re-signed with Chicago, but it's unclear if they're the team he had the agreement with.
As many as eight teams have inquired about Alfonso Soriano, reports Levine. Most of those clubs are American League teams. Levine says Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts reiterated that he'll to eat most of the money owed to Soriano to facilitate a trade.
Marc Carig of The Star Ledger wonders if the Michael Pineda trade is a sign of things to come for the Yankees, who could opt to trade for pitching in the future rather than sign free agent arms to long-term deals.
"All I can do is worry about getting healthy and being a part of this team next year," said Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland to FOXSportsSouthwest.com's Anthony Andro when asked about the Prince Fielder rumors (Twitter link).
“Our minor-league system is in the bottom ten-percent in the industry in terms of signing players at the amateur level and developing them for the big leagues," said Orioles GM Dan Duquette to Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com. "That’s what needs to improve over the next couple of years.”
The Orioles have signed utility man Peter Fatse away from the independent Newark Bears, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. The 24-year-old spent two seasons in the Brewers' farm system before hitting .279/.348/.418 with five homers in 284 plate appearances for Newark last season.

Reds Notes: Baker, Left Fielders, Smith, Larkin

By Mark Polishuk | January 13, 2012 at 9:40pm CDT

Some news items out of the Queen City…

Dusty Baker is only signed through 2012 and John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer isn't sure Baker will be back even if the Reds reach the postseason, noting that the club is high on Triple-A manager David Bell. Fay also addresses several other Reds-related questions from his Twitter followers in this mailbag piece.
"We'd like a guy that can play more than just left field," GM Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. "We'd like to have a guy that will fit well with the club, have a veteran influence, a veteran leadership type of guy and be a character guy." Sheldon outlines several outfielders still on the market as looking for left field depth has suddenly become the Reds' top remaining offseason priority.
Rockies outfielder Seth Smith would be a perfect platoon partner with Chris Heisey in left field, argues Fangraphs' Dave Cameron.
Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News talks to long-time Reds scout Gene Bennett, who was the driving force behind the Reds drafting newly-inducted Hall-of-Famer Barry Larkin.
In case you missed the news from earlier today, the Reds signed Ron Mahay and Clay Zavada to minor league contracts.

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