Quick Hits: Toregas, Montanez, Hargrove, Payrolls
A few notes from around the league that have nothing to do with players who avoided arbitration or filed salary figures…
- The Pirates signed catcher Wyatt Toregas to a minor league contract with an invitation Spring Training according to a team press release. The 28-year-old spent the 2010 season in the Indians' farm system, hitting .227/.311/.383 in 148 plate appearances.
- The Cubs signed outfielder Lou Montanez to a minor league deal according to Baseball America's Matt Eddy (on Twitter). They drafted him third overall back way back in 2000. Montanez hit .223/.257/.323 in 266 plate appearances with the Orioles over the last three seasons.
- Former Indians manager Mike Hargrove is back with the team as a special advisor, the club announced today.
- The Marlins project to have an Opening Day payroll around $58MM according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. It will be the franchise's highest payroll since opening the 2005 season at $60.4MM.
- The Twins, meanwhile, project to have an Opening Day payroll around $105.4MM according to Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune (Twitter links), but he says that a Carl Pavano signing could push that up to $115MM.
- The Royals are now projected to have a payroll around $40MM after Gil Meche's surprise retirement, tweets Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star. In a separate pair of tweets, Dutton says the team is unlikely to use the payroll savings from Meche's retirement on free agents, but will instead boost their draft and international free agent budgets.
Contract Details: Votto, Saito, Thome, Bloomquist
Updates to a few recently completed contracts…
- John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer has the breakdown of Joey Votto's new contact with the Reds. The reigning NL MVP will earn $5.5MM in 2011 and $9.5MM in 2012 before jumping up to $17MM in 2013. His $6MM signing bonus will be paid out between now and 2014.
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that Takashi Saito has a clause in his contract stipulating that the Brewers must release him after the 2011 season. That prevents the team from offering him arbitration if he qualifies as a Type-A free agent.
- Jim Thome's deal with the Twins includes a boatload of incentives, reports Joe Christensen of The Star Triibune. The slugger will earn $200K for 200 plate appearances, and $300K each for 300, 350, and 400 plate appearances.
- Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com tweets that Willie Bloomquist's contract with the Diamondbacks will pay him $900K in 2011. It also includes a mutual option for 2012 worth $1.1MM.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweets that Austin Kearns' contract with the Indians contains incentives tied to plate appearances. He'll earn $50K each for 400, 425, 475, and 500 plate appearances.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark put together a list of the offseason's most creative contract clauses.
Players To Avoid Arbitration: Tuesday
Today is the deadline for players and teams to submit arbitration figures. The sides will then settle on a salary between the team's proposed number and the player's proposed number or go to an arbitration hearing. Arbitration eligible players are under team control, so the clubs don't risk losing them – it's a question of how much the players will earn.
Yesterday, 11 players avoided arbitration. We could see just as many agreements trickle in today and we'll keep you posted on them right here and with our Arb Tracker. The latest updates will be at the top of the post:
- The Angels have agreed to terms with Reggie Willits and Howie Kendrick, tweets Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times. Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register tweets that Kendrick will earn $3.3MM, Willits $775K (on Twitter).
- The Giants agreed to terms with Santiago Casilla on a one-year deal worth $1.3MM with incentives, according to ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas (on Twitter). The team also announced that they avoided arb with Jonathan Sanchez and Ramon Ramirez (on Twitter). Sanchez will earn $4.8MM with incentives tweets Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle while Ramirez will earn $1.65MM according to Janie McCauley of The Canadian Press.
- The Braves agreed to terms with Peter Moylan and Eric O'Flaherty, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman (on Twitter). Moylan gets $2MM, O'Flaherty gets $895K according to Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter).
- The Mariners agreed to terms with Brandon League, David Aardsma and Jason Vargas, the team announced. Aardsma will earn $4.5MM with plenty of incentives, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (plus Twitter link).
- The Rangers agreed to terms with C.J. Wilson and Nelson Cruz, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan (Twitter links). Cruz gets $3.65MM, and Wilson gets $7.05MM with a chance to earn another $100K according to his agent Bob Garber, via email.
Players To Avoid Arbitration: Monday
Teams and players exchange arbitration figures tomorrow if they haven't already come to terms for 2011. That means plenty of players will likely avoid arbitration today. We'll keep track of them all right here and with our Arbitration Tracker; the latest updates are at the top of this post:
- The Blue Jays avoided arbitration with Shawn Camp, agreeing to a one-year, $2.25MM deal, according to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm (on Twitter).
- The Tigers avoided arbitration with Armando Galarraga by agreeing to a one-year, $2.3MM deal, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
- The Orioles and Jim Johnson have agreed to a one-year, $975K deal, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun.
- The Blue Jays have reached agreement on a one-year, $830K deal with Jesse Litsch, according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star (Twitter links).
- The Indians have avoided arbitration with Asdrubal Cabrera, agreeing to a one-year deal, according to the team's Twitter feed. The deal is worth $2.025MM, according to the Associated Press.
- The Marlins have agreed to terms one-year deals with Leo Nunez and Edward Mujica, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (via Twitter). Nunez will earn $3.65MM, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com tweets. Meanwhile, Mujica will make $800K according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).
- The Blue Jays and Casey Janssen have agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.095MM, according to the Associated Press.
- The Rays and B.J. Upton avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $4.825MM, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (Twitter links).
- The Nationals avoided arbitration with John Lannan, agreeing to a one-year, $2.75MM deal, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
- The Rockies and Matt Lindstrom agreed to a two-year deal.
- The Royals avoided arbitration with Robinson Tejeda, agreeing to a one-year contract, the team announced. It's worth $1.55MM, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). The deal leaves Billy Butler and Kyle Davies as Kansas City's remaining unsigned arbitration eligible players.
Olney On Sizemore, Jones, Votto, Pujols
Grady Sizemore tells ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that it's "miserable" to have to sit and watch others play. The center fielder, who is on track to be ready for Opening Day after microfracture knee surgery, says he can't wait to return to the playing field. Here are Olney’s thoughts on Sizemore, plus rumors from around the league:
- Sizemore’s contract includes an $8.5MM option for 2012, so within a year the Indians will have to decide whether to exercise the option, let him hit free agency or trade him.
- The Yankees are the frontrunners for Andruw Jones, Olney reports (on Twitter).
- Joey Votto’s three-year, $38MM extension makes sense for both sides, in Olney’s opinion.
- It’s apparent that talks between the Cardinals and Albert Pujols “are not going as smoothly as the Cardinals want,” Olney writes. Click here to vote on Pujols’ future in St. Louis.
Quick Hits: Pedro, Young, Rays, Thome
On this date nine years ago, Carlos Pena and Ryan Ludwick were traded for each other. Here are some links on a day that has featured a number of signings, but no trades…
- Pedro Martinez told Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald that he hasn't decided whether to pitch in the majors again or retire. The three-time Cy Young Award winner last pitched in 2009, when he made a late-season comeback for the Phillies.
- Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com wonders if Chris Young is the top option remaining in the Mets' price range, now that the Royals have agreed to a deal with Jeff Francis. Mets executive J.P. Ricciardi told Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com that Young "could be a nice fit" for the team.
- The Rays seem to like Vladimir Guerrero more than Manny Ramirez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Heyman also lists his best and worst deals of the offseason.
- Jim Thome, who agreed to a one-year deal with the Twins today, would like to play at least two more seasons, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (on Twitter).
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian takes a position-by-position look at the Indians' roster.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo says it's been frustrating and disappointing not to add top starting pitchers this offseason, according to Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com.
Waiver Rumors: Brown, Igarashi, Rapada
The latest on three players who were recently designated for assignment…
- The Indians announced that Jordan Brown has cleared waivers. The Indians had designated the 2006 Carolina League MVP for assignment last week, but he will remain in the Cleveland organization and arrive in Spring Training as a non-roster invitee.
- Ryota Igarashi cleared waivers as expected and was outrighted to Triple-A, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Mets DFA'd Igarashi last week.
- The Rangers put left-hander Clay Rapada on release waivers and intend to release him, according to ESPNDallas.com. The Rangers designated Rapada and Max Ramirez for assignment last week.
Indians Inquired About Chen, Millwood
The Indians have talked to Scott Boras about two of his clients, starters Bruce Chen and Kevin Millwood, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Tribe are looking for starting pitching help, but as Hoynes notes, the club is hampered by its financial situation.
"It doesn't really matter how much interest the Indians have in a free-agent pitcher…it's all about how much interest the pitcher has in the Indians," Hoynes writes. "As for the second prong, unless ownership is overcome by an unusual circumstance, the interested pitcher would have to sign a minor-league contract."
Chen's solid 2010 season figures to earn him a Major League contract somewhere, but we haven't heard much buzz about the veteran southpaw other than some mutual interest between he and the Royals, though not for anything more than a one-year deal. If Chen opened himself up to the possibility of a minor league contract, you'd think that would notably expand his market, and the Indians would likely get outbid.
Millwood might be the more realistic option for the Indians, though he has been connected with the Royals, Rockies and Yankees this winter. Cleveland and Kansas City would give Millwood the best chance at regular innings and it would be easier for Millwood to rebuild his value for a future contract if he wasn't pitching in hitter-friendly ballparks like Coors Field or Yankee Stadium. Millwood pitched for the Tribe in 2005 and delivered a league-best 2.86 ERA in 192 innings before signing a five-year, $60MM free agent contract with Texas.
As for other free agent starters, Hoynes reports the Tribe's interest in former Indian Bartolo Colon "has cooled considerably." Hoynes also says the Indians were in contact with Brad Penny before the right-hander signed with Detroit.
Indians Notes: Perez, Antonetti, Prospects
The Indians could add a veteran starter and build infield depth before Spring Training begins, but it's been a quiet offseason for the Tribe so far. They've made a number of minor deals and signed Austin Kearns - here's what's up next for the Indians…
- Chris Perez says his agent has started discussing a deal with the Indians, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter). Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo and Rafael Perez are also eligible for arbitration this offseason. Here's a look at how an extension between Choo and the Indians might look. If you ask Jon Heyman of SI.com, an extension is not likely (Twitter link).
- Chris Antonetti is the newest GM around. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com chronicles the 36-year-old's rise from Expos intern to Indians executive.
- The Indians announced that they hired former big leaguer and longtime Astros employee Tom Wiedenbauer to be the field coordinator of their player development system.
- Top prospects Lonnie Chisenhall, Alex White and Jason Kipnis will attend the Indians' upcoming Winter Development program.
Indians Notes: Stopgaps, Rotation, Choo
It has not been a fun winter in Cleveland, and it's not just because of the Cavaliers. The Indians have signed just one player to a big league contract (Austin Kearns), doing the rest of their work on the minor league side. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about the team's plight in a feature article today, which contained some news about the club's present state and what's to come…
- "We've been in a similar situation before, and we've demonstrated the ability to overcome those challenges and put together a championship-caliber team," said new GM Chris Antonetti, referring to the team's rebuilding nature. "We feel equally strong about our talent base now and throughout our farm system. The challenge is to have patience and let those guys play."
- The Tribe has passed on overpaying third base stopgap players like Jorge Cantu and Pedro Feliz, instead opting to sit tight with their in-house options until top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall is ready.
- Antonetti won't rule out the possibility of adding another starting pitcher to a rotation that currently features Fausto Carmona, Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco, and Mitch Talbot. Former Indian Bartolo Colon is a possibility.
- "It's something we remain interested in pursuing," said Antonetti, answering a question about a possible extension for Shin-Soo Choo. "Whether or not there's common ground at this point, we'll have to see." Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at Choo as an extension candidate at the end of the 2010 season.
- Unsurprisingly, the team has little payroll flexibility and will continue to shop in the bargain bin.