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Barry Bonds Rejections

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Yesterday Bob Nightengale of USA Today talked to Barry Bonds’ agent Jeff Borris, learning that Borris will contact all 30 teams in hopes of landing a job for his client.  Borris is not optimistic.  In case it becomes a trend, we’ll use this post to note which teams have rejected the agent’s overtures.

  • The Nationals will pass – manager Manny Acta told Chico Harlan of the Washington Post that "It’s not a match for us" while choking back laughter.
  • Twins GM Bill Smith to the AP: "I would tell you that I don’t think it’s a very good fit for us right now."
  • Reds manager Dusty Baker to John Fay: "I don’t [see] where. He might be better suited for an American League team."
  • Pirates president Frank Coonelly: "We are not interested in inviting Barry to Spring Training."
  • Nick Cafardo hears that the Red Sox won’t pursue Bonds either.
  • Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that Angels GM Tony Reagins has no interest in Bonds.

Odds And Ends: Orioles, Bowden, Nathan

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A few links for Sunday afternoon…

  • According to MLB.com’s Spencer Fordin the Orioles used "number crunching and statistical analysis" to compare Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis to similar past and present players before locking them up to deals worth $40MM and $66MM, respectively.
  • Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports that Joe Nathan’s happy to see Jonathan Papelbon making lots of money this year ($6.25MM) because it’s good for closers in general.
  • Jayson Stark of ESPN.com points out the absurdity of the Manny Ramirez negotiations and suggests the structure of a deal that could work for both sides. It’s been nearly four months since the Dodgers made their initial offer of two years and $45MM.
  • Pete McElroy of MASN Sports reports that Dmitri Young’s "shocked" to see Jim Bowden resign. Young, who first dealt with Bowden on the Reds, spoke glowingly of his former GM.
  • According to MLB.com’s Jason Beck Jim Leyland confirmed that the Tigers had some offseason discussions about Juan Cruz.
  • The draft’s still three months away, but Keith Law of ESPN.com is already putting together scouting reports about some top amateur players.
  • MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer dreams up a deal that sends Adrian Gonzalez and Jake Peavy to the Angels for 10 players.

Today’s Signings: Sanchez, Weaver, Galarraga

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MLBTR has an update on major league signings for today based on e-mail communication with Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman. His article is here.

Florida Marlins – Anibal Sanchez, $400,000
L.A. Angels – Jered Weaver, $465,000
Arizona Diamondbacks – Tony Pena, $430,000
Detroit Tigers – Armando Galarraga, $430,000
San Francisco Giants – Jonathan Sanchez, $455,000

Thursday Pre-Arbitration Signings

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7:41pm: The Miami Herald has a list of eight players who agreed to terms with the A’s for 2009. Daric Barton, Kurt Suzuki, Dallas Braden, Dana Eveland, Gio Gonzalez, Sean Gallagher, Henry Rodriguez and Landon Powell all agreed to one-year contracts.

12:27pm: According to a press release, via the Miami Herald, the Brewers have inked Tony Gwynn Jr., Manny Parra, Hernan Iribarren and Chase Wright to one-year contracts.

11:48am: The Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett has a few more from the Angels.  Howie Kendrick, Dustin Moseley, Kevin Jepsen and Matt Brown have been signed to ’09 contracts.

9:53am: MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports that the Diamondbacks have agreed to one-year contracts with Yusmeiro Petit, Leo Rosales and Kyler Newby.  They’ll each make around $400K this year.

9:50am: According to a press release, via the Miami Herald, the Cubs have now settled with all 20 of their pre-arbitration players.  Sean Marshall, Mike Fontenot and Micah Hoffpauir are some of the bigger names on the list.

9:49am: Jose De Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros have renewed Hunter Pence’s contract.  He’ll earn $450K in ’09.

9:41am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a few more pre-arbitration signings.  2008 Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum was inked for $650K, Angels pitcher Joe Saunders settled for $475K, Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol for $575K and Cubs infielder Ryan Theriot for $500K.

These are all guys without enough MLB service time to be eligible for salary arbitration.

Angels Surviving Tough Economic Times

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Angels owner Arte Moreno told reporters Wednesday that the poor state of the economy won’t hurt his organization in its effort to remain competitive.  Mike DiGiovanna filed the story for the Los Angeles Times.

"I have a lot of money invested, and I don’t want to be in a position where every three years I have to sell off players because we’re losing too much money," Moreno said.  "A couple of these owners are moving players. We’re not in that position, and I don’t want to be. Our plan is to be successful and to manage it that way."

The Angels’ 2009 payroll currently sits at $117MM, down from the $125MM mark they set in ’08.  Moreno isn’t anticipating a serious drop in attendance this season, so the club would seem to have some room in the budget for an in-season acquisition. 

Then again, Chone Figgins and John Lackey are eligible for free agency at the end of the year and will be seeking lucrative long-term contracts.

Angels Hope To Start Lackey Extension Talks

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According to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times, the Angels plan to contact John Lackey’s agent to initiate negotiations soon on a long-term extension.  Lackey is eligible for free agency after the season. 

The pitcher would like to get something done before the season if it’s going to happen.  He’s open to re-signing but finds free agency alluring as well.  Lackey surely realizes he’d be the best available free agent starter with a strong ’09.

Brian Giles Likes Red Sox, Yankees, Angels

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Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune talked to Padres outfielder Brian Giles today.  At $9MM, Giles is the Padres’ second highest-paid player behind Jake Peavy.  He’s a trade candidate this season, though he has full no-trade rights.  He carries the baggage of a lawsuit with his former girlfriend as well as an additional $2MM in salary if traded.  The Padres exercised his ’09 option on November 7th last year, and I’m guessing they’re already regretting it.

Krasovic learned that Giles’ favored trade destinations would be the Red Sox, Yankees, and Angels.  The Yankees and Angels have surpluses in the outfield currently, though Giles would love to stay in California.  Giles vetoed a trade to Boston last year due to playing time issues and an expectation that Theo Epstein would’ve traded him after the season.

Angels, Ervin Santana Agree To Extension

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SUNDAY: Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times has details on Santana’s new deal: $3.8MM in ’09, $6MM in ’10, $8MM in ’11, and $11.2MM in ’12.  The 2013 option for $13MM carries a $1MM buyout.

The Angels will pay Santana $17.8MM for his three arb years, up from the typical $14MM paid for that period in these types of deals.  The Angels and Santana’s agent may have been looking at Scott Kazmir’s deal as the model, the main difference being that Kazmir’s first arb year salary had already been determined before he signed long-term in May of ’08.

SATURDAY: According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Angels have agreed to a $30MM, four-year extension with Ervin Santana. There is a club option for a fifth year. The contract will prevent the two sides from going to arbitration. Heyman heard from WFAN’s Sweeny Murti that the option year is worth $12MM, if exercised. In that case, the deal would cover two of Santana’s free agent years.

Odds And Ends: Griffey, Varitek, Giants

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A few links for Saturday morning…

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