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Indians To Sign Orlando Cabrera

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The Indians officially announced that they signed Orlando Cabrera to a one-year Major League contract. Cabrera gets $1MM according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com (on Twitter). Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the deal includes incentives (Twitter link).

The 36-year-old Colombian will compete for the second base job, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Indians are keeping Asdrubal Cabrera at short and challenging their new acquisition to learn a new position.

Cabrera has 33 games of big league experience at second base, but has spent most of his 14-year career at shortstop. Last year, Cabrera hit .263/.303/.354 in 537 plate appearances for Ohio's other team, the Reds. Cincinnati did not offer the Type B free agent arbitration after the season, so they don't get a compensation pick for their loss.

Cabrera's deal is just the second one the Indians have completed under new GM Chris Antonetti, as MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows. The team brought Austin Kearns back to Cleveland earlier in the offseason.

Cabrera's brother, Jolbert, spent five seasons with the Indians (1998-2002). Jon Heyman of SI.com first reported the agreement between Cleveland and Cabrera.

Central Notes: La Russa, Boras, Astros, Looper

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In a ceremony today at the White House for winners of the Presidential Medal Of Freedom, President Obama described Cardinals legend Stan Musial as "an icon, untarnished, a beloved pillar of the community, a gentleman you would want your kids to emulate."  Congratulations to Musial for adding this prestigious award to his overflowing list of lifetime achievements.

Let's look at the middle of the baseball map for news from the NL and AL Central divisions…

  • Tony La Russa is facing sharp criticism over his comments that the MLBPA was pressuring Albert Pujols to sign a record-setting contract.  Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports calls La Russa's statement "excessive and nonsensical."  Agent Scott Boras, speaking to Jim Duquette and Kevin Kennedy on MLB Network Radio today, said La Russa's comments were "really not well thought out" and lacking in evidence.
  • Boras noted that he hasn't spoken "at length" with his client Matt Holliday about Holliday's recent statement that he would consider deferring money from his own contract if it meant St. Louis could keep Pujols.  "Matt is very generous and Matt really wants the best for his team and he wants to win," Boras said.  Thanks to Andrew FitzPatrick of SiriusXM for providing a transcript of Boras' interview.
  • Ed Wade discussed Hunter Pence's leadership abilities, his club's bullpen depth, Brett Wallace's opportunity to win an everyday job and other Astros topics in a media Q&A session.  MLB.com's Brian McTaggart has the partial transcript.
  • Braden Looper tells MLB.com's Carrie Muskat that he would've retired if he hadn't been signed by the Cubs, since he and his family live in the Chicago area.  Looper expressed his interest in pitching for the Cubs last winter and sat out the 2010 season after not finding an acceptable contract.
  • Chris Antonetti says the chances of the Indians acquiring another starter are "slim," tweets Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
  • Also from Hoynes, Orlando Cabrera's deal with the Tribe will become official once the infielder passes a physical over the next two days.
  • Daniel Hudson talks to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune about the deal that sent the young right-hander from the White Sox to the Diamondbacks last summer.
  • The Royals finalized their $300K contract with Dominican pitcher Darwin Castillo, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  The team has yet to determine if the 6'5" right-hander will go to the Arizona Rookie League or pitch for the Royals' Dominican academy.

Quick Hits: Young, Papelbon, Marlins, Rangers

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On this day in 1989, the Yankees re-signed Tommy John, who was 45 years old at the time. John lost seven of the 10 starts he made in '89, and was released by the Yankees on May 30th. It would be his last stint in the majors. Of course, over two decades later, the southpaw is a bigger household name than ever, immortalized as the namesake of a surgical procedure now common among pitchers: Tommy John surgery. Here are the links for Sunday, as we celebrate the return of baseball. Pitchers and catchers report!

Indians Making Progress With Kevin Millwood

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FEBRUARY 12: The Indians are still unwilling to sign Kevin Millwood to a one-year, $4MM deal, tweets Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.  Meanwhile, the club still has interest in Jeremy Bonderman, but on a minor league deal.

FEBRUARY 5, 3:26pm: Millwood is still talking with multiple clubs and has yet to decide where he will pitch in 2011, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  Meanwhile, even though the Indians would prefer to bring someone in on a minor league deal, the team has not ruled out signing a pitcher to a big league contract, writes Bastian.

11:50am: The Tribe may try to bring in one starting pitcher but not two, and there's a still a chance they won't sign anyone, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.  Cleveland has been connected to Jeremy Bonderman recently, and Bastian says the Millwood talks seem to indicate that a snag has been hit with Bonderman.

9:34am: The Indians are making progress with free agent Kevin Millwood, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. He notes that CEO Paul Dolan would have to approve the signing if it's a big league contract.

Just a few days ago we heard that Millwood's camp was still seeking $4-5MM, prompting MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith to list some potential suitors for the right-hander. Millwood, 36, is familiar with the Indians, having pitched in Cleveland back in 2005, when he led the league with a 2.86 ERA and finished sixth in the Cy Young voting.

If the Tribe manages to bring Millwood back, one thing they can count on are innings. He's made no fewer than 29 starts or thrown fewer than 168 2/3 innings since 2004, eclipsing 190 innings in each of the last two seasons. Unfortunately he's posted an ERA north of 5.00 in three of the last four years, and his strikeout and ground ball rates have dipped down to 5.9 K/9 and 39.8%, respectively, over the last two years while his homer rate has climbed to 1.3 HR/9. 

MLB Teams Sign Six Dominican League Prospects

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The Dominican Prospect League announced that Major League organizations have signed six of its top prospects. Here are the details on the deals:

  • The Yankees signed 20-year-old center fielder Freiter Marte for $100K. Marte had been selected to play in the DPL All-Star Game.
  • Elvis Rubio, who was also chosen to play in the All-Star Game, signed with the Brewers for $95K. Rubio is a 17-year-old corner outfielder.
  • If you think Rubio is young, look at who the Rays signed. Tampa Bay signed 16-year-old left-hander Luis Cepeda for $60K. The Rays get another DPL All-Star in Cepeda.
  • The Cardinals signed Fernando Gonzalez, a 16-year old right-hander, for $66K. Gonzalez has drawn comparisons to a young Leo Nunez, according to the league.
  • The Indians signed Kevin Calderon for $80K. The 16-year old made this year's All-Star team and is considered a top defensive catcher.
  • The Pirates signed Leandro Rodriguez, a 17-year-old right-hander with a loose arm, for $80K. 

Quick Hits: Diamondbacks, Guerrero, Marcum, Pence

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Football will dominate today's sports headlines, but ESPN.com's Jayson Stark tweets some good news for baseball fans – Super Sunday also represents the start of the last week without baseball until November! Here are today's links, as the Packers and Steelers prepare to square off in Texas….

Cafardo’s Latest: Pettitte, Millwood, Blanton

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Even now that Andy Pettitte has announced his retirement, it seems the debate over whether he'll pitch again won't die. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe talked to one scout who, following Pettitte's press conference, was still unconvinced the left-hander is done for good.

"I get the feeling his career isn’t over. For one, he can still pitch at a high level. Secondly, he didn’t retire with any conviction. The stuff about going back and forth on whether or not to pitch leads me to believe he’ll decide to pitch again."

Whether or not the scout is on to something, the Yankees are looking elsewhere for starting pitching. Cafardo has a couple notes on their search among this week's hot stove updates….

  • We heard yesterday that the Indians were "making progress" with Kevin Millwood, who is talking to multiple clubs. Cafardo names the Yankees, Mets, and Tribe as teams still in on the right-hander, with salary as the primary hang-up. Given Scott Boras' success so far this offseason, it would actually be somewhat surprising if he and Millwood don't eventually get what they're asking for.
  • The Yanks will "see what they have" with pitchers like Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon, and Sergio Mitre before they consider trading for someone like Joe Blanton.
  • The Red Sox are eyeing former Yankee Alfredo Aceves as a potential injury rehab project.
  • According to Cafardo, it would be the "shock of the century" if Adrian Gonzalez and the Red Sox don't come to terms on a contract extension by the end of Spring Training.

Quick Hits: Millwood, Bautista, Hawkins

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Here are some items of note for Feb. 3, 2011, the day on which former AL Rookie of the Year and MVP Fred Lynn turned 59.

  • The Indians are interested in free-agent righty Kevin Millwood, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer, but not at the current asking price of one year, $4-5MM. Cleveland is among the handful of potential Millwood suitors enumerated by Ben Nicholson-Smith earlier on Thursday. The Yankees are part of the group, too, and it stands to reason that Andy Pettitte's retirement might strengthen their interest, writes Chris Bahr of the Sporting News.
  • The Red Sox's interest in trading for Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista is telling because it indicates there is a belief among baseball executives and talent evaluators that Bautista's monstrous 54-homer campaign in 2010 was not a fluke, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. The Red Sox eventually got their man when they signed free-agent outfielder Carl Crawford, so Bautista-to-Boston is obviously off, notes Morosi, but it bodes well for Bautista in his final season before hitting free agency.
  • Brewers reliever LaTroy Hawkins said that his surgically repaired shoulder feels good and that he'll compete for a spot in Milwaukee's bullpen, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Hawkins signed a two-year, $7.5MM deal with Milwaukee prior to last season but pitched in just 18 games before being lost to an injured labrum and rotator cuff. Hawkins has a guaranteed contract, so the Brewers will surely want him to be at full strength and pitching well, but it bears watching how they handle him if he struggles with injury and/or ineffectiveness.

Olney On Maholm, Carmona, Alderson

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Spring Training hasn't begun yet, but ESPN.com's Buster Olney gets a head start on the summer's trade rumors by listing some pitchers who could be available this July. James Shields, Joe Blanton and Edwin Jackson are possible trade candidates, but as Olney points out, it's entirely possible that those starters won't be available and others will be on the block. Here are the details:

  • The perception around the league is that the Pirates have been willing to talk about trading Paul Maholm. The left-hander is likely a year away from free agency, so the Pirates could shop him if they aren't interested in keeping him. Maholm earns $5.75MM this year and after the season the Pirates can exercise a $9.75MM buyout for 2012 or pay a $750K buyout.
  • Fausto Carmona is "going to draw a lot of interest," but the Indians would ask for top prospects in exchange for Carmona who is young (27) and signed to a team-friendly contract. 
  • Justin Masterson will "continue to draw interest because of his past success and his versatility," Olney writes.
  • Olney guesses that Mets GM Sandy Alderson would prefer not to talk to the Wilpons about their financial situation. By avoiding those conversations, Alderson can focus on baseball and avoid being drawn into a legal case.

Quick Hits: Rockies, Guerrero, Lee, Indians, Athletics

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On this day in 1999 the Yankees sent Mike Lowell to the Marlins for Todd Noel, Mark Johnson and Ed Yarnall.  Here are some links for tonight as we anticipate more roster shakeups..

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