Guardians Rumors

Dominican Police: Carmona Using Assumed Name

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 20, 2012 at 1:54pm CDT

FRIDAY: Carmona was released from court in the Dominican and asked for the forgiveness of fans, the U.S. government and the Indians, the Associated Press reports (via ESPN). It appears unlikely that the Indians will void Carmona's contract, but the right-hander has to get to the U.S. to get paid this year, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets.

THURSDAY, 3:25pm: The Indians issued the following statement regarding Carmona: “We were recently made aware of the situation that occurred today in the Dominican Republic and are currently in the process of gathering information,” GM Chris Antonetti said. “We are not prepared to make any additional comment at this time.”

2:23pm: Police in the Dominican Republic say Fausto Carmona's real name is Roberto Hernandez Heredia, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes tweets. Dionisio Soldevila of the AP tweets that Carmona is 31, not 28 and Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com tweets that the right-hander's chances of obtaining a visa quickly don't seem good. Yancen Pujols first tweeted news of the identity issues.

The Indians exercised Carmona's option after the season, so he'll earn $7MM in 2012. The ground ball pitcher posted a 5.25 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 188 2/3 innings in 2011. The Marlins placed Leo Nunez/Juan Carlos Oviedo on the restricted list because of issues related to his assumed name. It's not clear whether Carmona will be able to pitch in the U.S. by Opening Day.

Indians To Sign Ryan Spilborghs

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 20, 2012 at 12:42pm CDT

The Indians announced that they have agreed to sign free agent outfielder Ryan Spilborghs to a minor league deal. The Boras Corporation represents the outfielder, who was non-tendered in December.

Spilborghs posted a .210/.283/.305 line in 223 plate appearances for the Rockies in 2011, appearing at all three outfield positions. The 32-year-old has a career .273/.357/.443 line against left-handed pitching and could add balance to a Cleveland lineup that includes a number of outfielders who hit from the left side: Michael Brantley, Shin-Soo Choo, Ezequiel Carrera and Grady Sizemore. The Rangers also expressed some interest in Spilborghs, who has an overall career line of .272/.345/.423.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported the news on Twitter. Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported this morning that a deal was likely to occur and MLB.com's Jordan Bastian added detail.

Indians Likely To Sign Ryan Spilborghs

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 20, 2012 at 8:01am CDT

Free agent outfielder Ryan Spilborghs is likely to sign with the Indians, Troy Renck of the Denver Post tweets. The Indians are reviewing Spilborghs' medicals, Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets. The Boras Corporation represents the outfielder, who was non-tendered in December.

Spilborghs posted a .210/.283/.305 line in 223 plate appearances for the Rockies in 2011, appearing at all three outfield positions. The 32-year-old has a career .273/.357/.443 line against left-handed pitching and could add balance to Cleveland's lefty-heavy lineup. The Rangers also have some interest in Spilborghs, who has an overall career line of .272/.345/.423.

AL Central Notes: Twins, Royals, Pena, Kotchman

By Mike Axisa | January 19, 2012 at 5:47pm CDT

Earlier today we learned that 28-year-old Fausto Carmona is actually 31-year-old Roberto Hernandez Heredia, and that the right-hander might not be able to secure a visa to the United States anytime soon. MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says (on Twitter) that it's unclear if the Indians will be able to void Heredia's contract, plus he's not sure they would do that even if it is an option. Here's the latest from the AL Central…

Twins GM Terry Ryan told MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger that he's not ruling out the possibility of adding some more pitching (Twitter link). "I don't think you should ever say you're set to go," said Ryan.
A top Royals official told Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star that he'd "be really surprised" if the team signs or trades for another starting pitcher before Spring Training (Twitter link). Dutton says the team wants to get a look at its in-house options.
Royals GM Dayton Moore confirmed Dutton's report, telling Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports: “We could have probably jumped in there on some pitchers who were traded, but we need another year to find out what we have here with guys like Chris Dwyer, Jake Odorizzi and [Mike] Montgomery … We may be more receptive to a deal like that next year"
The Indians remain interested in Carlos Pena and Casey Kotchman, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). We've heard about their interest in both players throughout the offseason.
The Indians signed Jeremy Accardo to a minor league contract earlier today, and Tom Withers of The AP has the details (on Twitter). Accardo will make $825K if he's on the 40-man roster, with another $300K in incentives.
Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN provides the details of Joel Zumaya's contract with the Twins (on Twitter). The right-hander is guaranteed $400K of his $850K base salary, and he'll get all of it if he makes the team to start the season.

Minor Moves: Petit, Loux

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 19, 2012 at 12:13pm CDT

Here's where we'll track the day's minor moves…

The Indians signed infielder Gregorio Petit to a minor league deal, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets. The 27-year-old appeared in the Majors with the Athletics in 2008-09, but didn't play affiliated baseball last year. He spent the 2010 campaign with the Rangers' top affiliate, where he posted a .658 OPS in 525 plate appearances as the Oklahoma City shortstop.
The Giants announced 25 non-roster invitees, including right-hander Shane Loux. The 32-year-old last appeared in the Majors in 2009 and spent the 2011 season as a starter for the Giants' top affiliate.

Indians Sign Fred Lewis

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 19, 2012 at 11:13am CDT

The Indians announced that they signed outfielder Fred Lewis to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training. The club also confirmed that it has signed Jeremy Accardo to a minor league deal.

Lewis posted a .230/.321/.317 line in 210 plate appearances last year, but he spent time on the disabled list with a strained right oblique muscle. The 31-year-old played both corner outfield positions for the Reds, who signed him for $900K. Lewis elected free agency in the fall after the Reds outrighted him off of their roster. Lewis has a track record of success against right-handed pitching (.780 career OPS), though Cleveland's lineup already features a number of left-handed bats.

Indians To Sign Jeremy Accardo

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 19, 2012 at 10:14am CDT

The Indians have agreed to sign right-handed reliever Jeremy Accardo to a minor league deal, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick tweets. The Phillies also expressed interest in the Lapa/Leventhal client.

Accardo, who turned 30 last month, posted a 5.73 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 and a 37.4% ground ball rate in 37 2/3 innings for the Orioles in 2011. The seven-year veteran also logged 33 1/3 innings at Triple-A, where he posted a 2.16 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. Baltimore outrighted Accardo off of the 40-man roster in October and he elected free agency.

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.

Arbitration Filing Numbers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 17, 2012 at 6:55pm CDT

Many players avoided arbitration today, but dozens of others exchanged figures with their teams in anticipation of hearings. Most cases won't go to arbitration hearings, but teams such as the Rays, Nationals, Marlins, White Sox, Blue Jays and Braves have stuck to 'file and trial' policies in the past.

MLBTR's arbitration tracker will keep you up to date on every one of the filing numbers from around the game, but here are the highlights — players who filed for $4MM or more. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com had most of the info with MLBTR and others also contributing:

Tim Lincecum filed at $21.5MM, while the Giants filed at $17MM, as noted earlier.
David Ortiz filed for $16.5MM, while the Red Sox offered $12.65MM, Heyman tweets.
Hunter Pence filed for $11.8MM, while the Phillies countered at $9MM, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com tweets.
Mike Napoli filed for $11.5MM while the Rangers countered at $8.3MM, Heyman tweets.
Jeremy Guthrie filed for $10.25MM, while the Orioles filed at $7.25MM Heyman tweets.
Matt Garza filed for $12.5MM, while the Cubs countered at $7.95MM, Heyman tweets.
Clayton Kershaw filed for $10MM, while the Dodgers countered at $6.5MM, Heyman tweets.
Shaun Marcum filed for $8.7MM and the Brewers countered with $6.75MM, according to the Associated Press via MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
Russell Martin filed for $8.2MM, while the Yankees offered $7MM, MLBTR has learned.
Nelson Cruz filed at $7.5MM, while the Rangers countered at $5.5MM, Heyman tweets.
Adam Jones filed for $7.4MM, while the Orioles offered $5MM, Heyman tweets.
Miguel Montero filed at $6.8MM, while the Diamondbacks filed $5.4MM according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter).
John Lannan filed for $5.7MM, while the Nationals countered at $5MM, Heyman tweets.
Alex Gordon filed at $5.45MM, while the Royals countered at $4.15MM, Heyman tweets.
Asdrubal Cabrera filed for $5.2MM, while the Indians countered at $3.75MM, Heyman tweets.
Michael Morse filed at $5MM, while the Nationals countered with $3.5MM, Heyman tweets.
Andrew Bailey filed for $4.7MM, while the Red Sox filed for $3.35MM, Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com tweets.
Brandon Morrow filed for $4.2MM, while the Blue Jays countered at $3.9MM, MLBTR has learned.

Indians Avoid Arbitration With Masterson, Perez

By Tim Dierkes | January 17, 2012 at 12:43pm CDT

The Indians avoided arbitration with pitchers Justin Masterson ($3.825MM) and Chris Perez ($4.5MM), tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. For the Indians, Asdrubal Cabrera and Rafael Perez remain.

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