Quick Hits: Soriano, Manuel, Galarraga, Angels
Some items from around the majors…
- The Angels aren't one of the teams reportedly still interested in Rafael Soriano, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. The Yankees are "still trying," in spite of their earlier statements to the contrary.
- Charlie Manuel's agent tells Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com that Manuel and the Phillies have a mutual interest in working out a contract extension before Opening Day. Manuel has one year left on his current deal, and Salisbury speculates that he's looking for a two-year extension worth roughly $4MM per season.
- Armando Galarraga is out of options, eligible for arbitration and has probably been squeezed out of the Detroit rotation by Brad Penny, reports Jason Beck of MLB.com. If Galarraga gets too large of a salary bump in arbitration, the Tigers could choose to trade or just release him before Opening Day.
- The Angels' quiet offseason has been heavily criticized, but Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com reminds us that the Halos still have a very solid team.
- If the Twins don't re-sign Jim Thome, Kelly Thesier of MLB.com says the team could return to what it was looking for last winter: a right-handed hitting backup option in the outfield or at first base. Thesier cites Jorge Cantu and Troy Glaus as possibilities, and we've heard the Padres were considering the same two players. The Twins could also dip into the rest of the DH market, or look to upgrade their bullpen.
- There isn't much historial evidence to suggest that Josh Beckett will return to his ace form over the long run, writes John Tomase of the Boston Herald.
Tigers, Ryan Raburn Agree To Two-Year Deal
The Tigers announced that they agreed to a two-year deal with Ryan Raburn, avoiding arbitration. The 29-year-old will earn $3.4MM for 2011-12, according to the AP (on CBSSports.com). The deal pays him $1.3MM in 2011 and $2.1MM in 2012, according to Tom Gage of the Detroit News (on Twitter). Raburn was arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, so the Tigers will control his rights for a year after the extension expires.
Raburn established career highs in runs scored (54), hits (104) and doubles (25) last year. He added 15 homers and posted a .280/.340/.474 line in 410 plate appearances. Raburn did a bit of everything last year, playing all three outfield positions, logging 18 games at second base and appearing at first and third.
The right-handed hitter figures to pick up regular at bats in left field next year, and he's a candidate to sub in at other positions. That flexibility should give manager Jim Leyland some options. Meanwhile, GM Dave Dombrowski must come to terms with Armando Galarraga and Joel Zumaya, the team's unsigned arbitraiton eligible players. Keep track of the developments with our Arbitration Tracker.
Tigers To Sign Brad Penny
The Tigers have officially agreed to sign Brad Penny to a one-year, $3MM deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). ESPN.com's Buster Olney, who first reported the agreement, says the deal includes up to $3MM in incentives for the Legacy Sports client (Twitter link).
Penny will compete with Armando Galarraga at the back of a Tigers rotation that's led by Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Phil Coke. After starting the 2010 season with nine strong starts, Penny missed four months with a right shoulder strain. The 32-year-old's season line includes a 3.23 ERA with 5.7 K/9, 1.5 BB/9 and a career high 52.8% ground ball rate.
Penny has spent nearly his entire career in the National League and his one stint in the American League went poorly. The Red Sox signed him before the 2009 season and he posted a 5.61 ERA in 131 2/3 innings for Boston. As MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows, this isn't the first time Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has acquired Penny. He obtained him for the Marlins from the Diamondbacks in 1999.
Click here to read about the fallout from the deal.
Olney and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported that Penny was nearing a deal with the Tigers after the right-hander hinted at one on his Twitter account.
Fallout From The Brad Penny Deal
There are still over 100 free agents out there, but the Tigers could pass on all of them now that they've added another arm to their rotation. GM Dave Dombrowski agreed to sign Brad Penny to a one-year deal worth $3MM plus incentives, capping a busy offseason.
Penny's agreement with the Detroit means Jeremy Bonderman loses a suitor. The longtime Tiger won't return to the Motor City, but Bonderman can take solace in the fact that Penny signed a deal worth $3MM plus incentives after missing the final four months of the season. Like Penny, Bonderman, Jeff Francis, Chris Young and Justin Duchscherer have dealt with injuries in the past couple seasons, but they're drawing legitimate interest nonetheless.
The deal also impacts Armando Galarraga, who will now have to overcome serious competition to win the fifth starter's job. Before the Spring Training battle begins, Galarraga and the Tigers will determine the right-hander's 2011 salary; he's arbitration eligible for the first time.
I wonder if Jonathan Sanchez's name could come up as a comparable pitcher. Sanchez, who's one year ahead of Galarraga in terms of service time, had similar career numbers last offseason (4.81 ERA, 429 K, 214 BB in 413 1/3 innings) to the ones Galarraga has now (4.49 ERA, 301 K, 186 BB in 475 1/3 innings). The Giants paid Sanchez $2.1MM for the 2010 season. Interestingly, both pitchers even approached pitching perfection in their final pre-arbitration seasons – Sanchez with a no-hitter and Galarraga with a near-perfect game.
Penny's deal sends the Tigers' offseason spending over the $100MM mark, as MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker shows. The team has now committed $102.25MM to Victor Martinez, Joaquin Benoit, Brandon Inge, Jhonny Peralta, Magglio Ordonez and Penny.
Tigers catchers will have to handle some of the hardest throwers in the game in 2011. Dombrowski has added Penny (94.1 mph fastball in 2010) and Benoit (94 mph) to a staff that already included Justin Verlander (95.4 mph), Ryan Perry (95.4 mph), Jose Valverde (95.2 mph) and Max Scherzer (93.2 mph).
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Quick Hits: Yankees, Bonderman, Reds, Thome
The Giants signed Aubrey Huff on this date in 2010. The first baseman hit .290/.385/.506 and the Giants won the World Series. Here are some links and news items to look through while we await the bargain signing of the 2010-11 offseason…
- Jack Curry of the YES Network tweets that while the Yankees continue to monitor the starting pitcher market, we shouldn't expect them to sign Jeremy Bonderman. The Yanks showed interest in the right-hander about a week ago.
- "I think I'm done," said Reds GM Walt Jocketty to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. "[Today's Fred Lewis and Edgar Renteria signings] are a couple of pieces we felt we needed."
- ESPN's Buster Olney wonders if the Twins' interest in Jim Thome is limited because they know he won't play as much in 2010 with Justin Morneau returning (Twitter links). He adds that once Thome comes off the board, the free agent DH logjam should clear up. Earlier today we learned that the Rangers' were after the man with the eighth most homers in baseball history (589).
- Padres' GM Jed Hoyer told MLB.com's Corey Brock that the team's payroll is in the mid-$40MM range, so they do have a little more money to spend (Twitter link).
- Scott Thorman and Fu-Te Ni are among the Tigers' non-roster invitees, according to the team. Manager Jim Leyland's son Patrick will also be in camp.
- As Yahoo's Jeff Passan explains in his examination of the Padres' offseason, it doesn't make sense for San Diego to extend Heath Bell. You can discuss Bell's future right here.
- Chad Jennings of the Journal News takes our list of top remaining free agents and considers whether those players would fit on the Yankees.
- MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince points out that the Cardinals have limited time to figure out an extension with Albert Pujols. The Cards started talks with their first baseman and they appear to be going well at this point.
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia tells MLB.com's Lyle Spencer that he'd like to add a player with a high on base percentage.
Quick Hits: Garcia, Delgado, Nationals, Rockies
Happy birthday to the Big Cat, Johnny Mize! The Hall-of-Famer was born on January 7, 1913 in Demorest, Georgia. Other notable players born on this day include Jon Lester, Alfonso Soriano, Eric Gagne and Francisco Rodriguez.
Onto the news items….
- A reunion between Freddy Garcia and the Tigers is "possible, though unlikely at this point," writes MLB.com's Jason Beck. Garcia, who made three starts for Detroit in 2008, "is believed to be open" to the idea and Tigers officials at least discussed the prospect, Beck reports. The right-hander appears to be behind at least Jeremy Bonderman and Brad Penny on the club's list of veteran depth options for the rotation.
- Carlos Delgado is recovering from his third hip surgery but still hasn't ruled out a Major League comeback, writes Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.
- The Nationals are counting on a much-improved defense to help them in 2011, reports Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post.
- While the Rockies haven't made any huge additions, their moves to keep their young core players gave them the most successful offseason in the NL West, writes Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports.com.
- Ed Wade says the Astros might consider acquiring a replacement for Jeff Keppinger if none of their young infielders can fill the backup role in Spring Training, reports Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.
- Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com says the Indians need to start seeing some production in 2011 from the young players the team received in the Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia trades.
- Frank McCourt met with executives from the comissioner's office to outline his plans for keeping control of the Dodgers amidst his divorce proceedings, reports the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin.
New York Notes: Andruw Jones, Buchholz, Pettitte
The MLBTR team sends its condolences to the friends and family of Ryne Duren, the hard-throwing right-hander who passed away today at age 81. Duren pitched for seven teams over his 10 seasons in the majors, but is best remembered as a Yankee for his role in helping the Bronx Bombers win the 1958 World Series. Duren posted a 2.02 ERA and a 10.3 K/9 rate that season, also leading the league with 20 saves.
Some Yankee and Met-related items…
- The Yankees have "started talks" with Andruw Jones, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, though "nothing's close" between the two sides. Heyman mentioned the Bombers were "considering" Jones a few days ago.
- The newly-signed Taylor Buchholz can double his $600K base salary from the Mets if he makes the 25-man roster and reaches various games played incentives, reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Also from Rubin (Twitter link), if the Mets do add another starting pitcher, they don't want to pay more than the $1.5MM (plus another $1.5MM in incentives) they paid to sign Chris Capuano.
- ESPNNewYork.com's Wallace Matthews speculates that Andy Pettitte may be holding off on a return to the Yankees due to his pending testimony this summer at Roger Clemens' federal perjury trial.
- The Yankees haven't begun negotiating with their three arbitration-eligible players (Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Boone Logan) yet, reports Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog.
- There is "no deal imminent" for Jeremy Bonderman, tweets FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi. The Yankees and Tigers were both connected to the right-hander earlier this week.
Tigers Continue Pursuit Of Brad Penny
The Tigers are still pursuing Brad Penny as they look to add depth to their starting rotation, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Morosi reported last month that the Tigers were considering Penny, who missed most of the 2010 season with a right shoulder strain. Later that day, GM Dave Dombrowski explained that the Tigers are comfortable with their pitching staff, but open to additions.
Penny posted a 3.23 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 55 2/3 innings for the Cardinals last year before going on the disabled list in May. The 32-year-old has spent nearly his entire career in the National League and his one stint in the American League went poorly. The Red Sox signed him before the 2009 season and he posted a 5.61 ERA in 131 2/3 innings for Boston.
Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Phil Coke will likely start for the Tigers, who appear interested in providing Armando Galarraga with some competition for the fifth rotation spot. Dombrowski recently told Tom Gage of the Detroit News that the Tigers are keeping an open mind about free agent starter Jeremy Bonderman.
Tigers Consider Adding Rotation Depth
Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski told Tom Gage of the Detroit News that the Tigers have “talked to some people” and remain open minded about adding a starter to compete for a job at the back of the team’s rotation. Dombrowski told reporters last month that he was “comfortable” with his pitching staff, but open to potential changes or additions.
The Yankees have interest in Jeremy Bonderman, and the Tigers haven’t ruled out a reunion with the 28-year-old. The team is “keeping an open mind about Jeremy," Dombrowski told Gage. The team would not sign Bonderman and another starter, though.
FOX Sports reported in December that the Tigers had considered veteran starters, including Brad Penny. Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Phil Coke are pencilled in to the team’s rotation and Armando Galarraga will likely compete with any new additions for the final rotation spot.
Odds & Ends: Aardsma, Rendon, Miner, Germano
Let's help ring in the New Year with some links..
- "I've grown to really like that mlbtraderumors.com site," said David Aardsma to Kirby Arnold of The Herald. "I find out so much information about everybody – who we're bringing in, who we're looking at. So, it's kind of hard to miss it. In a way, I'm flattered they believe other teams would want me to be their closer." Welcome to the site, David!
- Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon has been cleared to resume full baseball activities according to Joseph Duarte of The Houston Chronicle. Rendon suffered severe injuries to his right foot and ankle this past July, and is the early front runner to be the first overall selection in a loaded 2011 draft.
- The Royals see Zach Miner as a potential starter depending on how well and how quickly he comes back from Tommy John surgery, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Earlier today the Royals signed the right-hander to a minor league deal.
- Indians reliever Justin Germano has accepted an assignment to Triple-A Columbus, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Meanwhile, the club's signing of Austin Kearns is not yet official due to the holidays.
- Gabe Lacques of USA Today writes that there are no major gaps for the Tigers to fill.
- Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues wonders what the next collective bargaining agreement could mean for the MLB draft.