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Dodgers Agree To Terms With Garret Anderson

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The Dodgers have agreed to terms with Garret Anderson on a minor-league deal that will be worth $550K if he makes the team. The 37-year-old can opt out of his contract if he doesn't find himself on the Dodgers' major league roster by a certain date. 

Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times first reported the news and tweeted details; Jon Heyman of SI.com also added contract details (via Twitter).

Anderson, 37, hit .268/.303/.401 in 534 plate appearances with the Braves last season.  UZR/150 had him at 16.5 runs below average in left field in 2009 – strictly backup material at this point in his career.  The Dodgers signed five other outfielders to minor league deals this winter: Alfredo Amezaga, Brian Barton, Brian Giles, Prentice Redman, and Michael Restovich.

Heyman On Adrian, Jeter, Hamilton

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SI's Jon Heyman leads his latest column with a discussion about Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who he feels is likely to be shopped hard at this year's trade deadline.  I've noted before that Gonzalez's market should not be limited to big-spending clubs, as he's set to earn just $10.25MM for 2010-11.  It's fitting that Heyman believes as many as 10 to 12 teams already inquired, including the Red Sox, Mets, Mariners, and Dodgers.  On to Heyman's other rumors…

  • Heyman spoke to "two executives from competing teams" who believe Derek Jeter "could ask for a six-year deal."  The idea is that a six-year extension would take Jeter to age 42, as Alex Rodriguez's contract does.
  • Heyman notes that Josh Hamilton turned down a four-year, $24MM offer from the Rangers last year.  The security might've made sense for Hamilton given his injury problems.
  • One executive Heyman spoke to believes the availability of decent free agents, perhaps continuing into the season, could reduce trading.

Minor League Signings: Van Benschoten, Bourgeois

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Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the latest minor league transactions.  A few highlights:

  • The Yankees signed pitcher John Van Benschoten, former eighth overall pick by the Pirates in '01.  JvB posted a 6.35 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, and tons of hits allowed in 78 innings for the White Sox Triple A club last year.
  • The Astros signed 28-year-old outfielder Jason Bourgeois, who they claimed off waivers from the Brewers in October but designated for assignment later to make room for Brett Myers.  Bourgeois hit .316/.354/.401 in Triple A last year while playing all three outfield positions.
  • The Rockies added a few familiar names in first baseman Brad Eldred and third baseman Travis Metcalf.  Eldred, 29, has made five stops at Triple A, last year with the Nationals' affiliate.  Metcalf, 27, has 242 big league plate appearances with the Rangers under his belt but has yet to master Triple A.
  • The Dodgers signed Robin Yount's son Dustin, formerly of the Tucson Toros.
  • The Rangers signed corner infielder Wes Bankston.  The 26-year-old hasn't done much in his four Triple A stints.

California Notes: Headley, Angels, Weaver

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Someone alert Dr. Dre and the Beach Boys, since here's a rundown of news from the Golden State…

  • The Padres are so high on Chase Headley that MLB.com's Corey Brock says the team once turned down a deal with Pittsburgh that would've brought Nate McLouth and Xavier Nady to San Diego.
  • MLB.com's Lyle Spencer reports that the Angels will pay their five regular infielders a total of $8.05MM in 2010 — or, almost $1MM less than Chone Figgins by himself will make in Seattle.
  • Tony Jackson of ESPN Los Angeles talks to Jeff Weaver, whose minor league contract with the Dodgers allows him to opt out and become a free agent if he doesn't make the club out of spring training.  Weaver said the escape clause allows him to stay out of the minors: "I am here to make this team. If it doesn't work out…then I don't really want to do the Triple-A thing again."
  • As part of a reader mailbag, Jackson said it's unlikely that Jamie McCourt's claim of half-ownership of the Dodgers will hold up in court.  But if it does, then Jackson predicts Frank McCourt "probably will be forced to sell, whether it's to Jamie and the group she allegedly has lined up to buy the club or to someone else."  One would think that if this divorce halves McCourt's fortune as many predict it will, he may have to sell the team regardless of the result of his ex-wife's claim.
  • Scout X (who may or may not be ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski) previews the 2010 season.  One of the more interesting tidbits in the piece is that Scout X would take Matt Cain over Tim Lincecum if he had to choose between the two Giants aces because "Cain pitches with such ease." 

Discussion: Worst Move Of The Offseason

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We've already talked about the best move of the offseason this evening, so now let's turn the page and discuss the worst move of the winter. Here are some candidates…

  • Dodgers sign Jamey Carroll to a two-year, $3.85MM contract.
  • Mets sign Alex Cora to a one-year, $2MM contract.
  • Adam LaRoche declines a two-year, $17MM offer from the Giants. 
  • Astros sign Brandon Lyon to a three-year, $15MM contract.
  • Giants re-sign Bengie Molina to a one-year, $4.5MM contract.

There are plenty of more bad moves out there, but which one is the biggest head scratcher? 

Heyman On Pujols, Torre, Blalock, Lopez

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Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt told Jon Heyman of SI.com that he wants to keep Albert Pujols in St. Louis for life, even though the first baseman will likely require a historic contract when he becomes a free agent, presumably after the 2011 season.

"We all have our financial limitations," DeWitt said. "It depends on how the contract is structured. We feel there's an area that could work where it would be affordable to us."

Pujols says he wants to finish his career as a Cardinal and the executives who watch him believe he's in line for big money. Some suggested Pujols could command a contract worth as much as the $275MM deal Alex Rodriguez signed with the Yankees. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:
  • The Dodgers continue to work on a one-year extension with Joe Torre. Don Mattingly appears "likely" to take over as Dodgers manager after 2011.
  • The Marlins have Hank Blalock on their radar and the Rays are also in the mix. 
  • The Cardinals haven't ruled out making an addition and Felipe Lopez seems like a fit. Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says (via Twitter) that the Cardinals are interested in Lopez, but not 'in' on him.

Dodgers Notes: Ramirez, Belliard, Belisario

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Some quick hits about L.A.'s blue team…

  • Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reported that Manny Ramirez said he would play three more years in the majors and then two years in Japan.  This came just a day after Ramirez hinted that 2010 would probably be his last year with the Dodgers and possibly his last year in baseball altogether.  At this point, Ramirez could announce that he wants to play for Mr. Burns' softball team and nobody would bat an eye.  
  • Hernandez also reported that infielder Ronnie Belliard estimated his weight at "210 or 211 pounds" upon his arrival at the Dodgers' spring camp.  If Belliard weighs in at 209 pounds or less at any point during the spring, the $825K contract he signed last month will become guaranteed.
  • MLB.com's Ken Gurnick says that reliever Ronald Belisario hasn't arrived to spring training yet due to a visa problem in his native Venezuela.  It shouldn't be a major issue (Hernandez tweeted earlier today that the pitcher is expected this week), but Gurnick noted that if Belisario is held up for too long past L.A.'s March 5 preseason opener, the Dodgers couldn't send him down to the minors without risking losing him to a waiver claim since Belisario is out of options. 
  • In a separate piece, Gurnick talks to Brian Giles, who is looking at his minor-league deal with the Dodgers as his "last shot" to see if he's healthy enough to continue playing.

Cuban Links: Ruiz, Anderson, Serrano

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Get out the Spanish-English dictionary and put on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…

  • Morgan Campbell at the Toronto Star posits that Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos' recent scouting trip to the Dominican Republic could mean the team is "closing in" on Jose Julio Ruiz. Yesterday, Ruiz's trainer told the Nuevo Herald that the first baseman's most recent tryout, his "last before signing," was against Blue Jays players. The blog cubanballplayers.com also reported on Tuesday that Ruiz had a private tryout with the Jays. Both the team and Prestige Sports Agency, which represents Ruiz, remain mum on any communication.
  • Cuban first baseman/outfielder Leslie Anderson tells Angel Mazariego of the Mexican newspaper Sipse that he is willing to play in Mexico this season if nothing materializes for him in the majors. Anderson lists the Red Sox, Yankees, Mariners, Dodgers, Giants and Brewers as the teams he knows to have scouted him recently. Mazariego adds the Dodgers and Tigers to the list.
  • Amaury Perez Torres at the Cuban baseball blog Las Avispas cites a "source close to" pitching prospect Juan Yasser Serrano saying that the right-hander has worked out for 10 major league teams this winter. Most recently, the source says, Serrano struck out four in a two-inning simulation for the Cubs on February 19, with a fastball that touched 93.
  • If it seems like there is more chatter about Cuban defectors than ever before, that's no coincidence, writes Campbell in the Toronto Star. In a lengthy article, he outlines how more Cuban players are now aiming at the major leagues thanks to the success of Kendry Morales and Yunel Escobar, neither of whom was a starter in Cuba. Equally significant was the contract that third base prospect Dayan Viciedo signed with the White Sox in 2008. A Cuban baseball expert in Canada tells Campbell that Viciedo made players on the island think, "If he can get $10 million, then what am I worth?"
  • Speaking of Morales, Jorge Arangure Jr. adds a new dimension to the first baseman's recent switch from Hendricks Sports Management to Scott Boras in an article in ESPN the Magazine. Rodney Fernandez, who recruited both Morales and Aroldis Chapman for Kendricks, is being investigated by the MLBPA and Florida police in regard to $300K that disappeared from Morales' bank account.

Odds & Ends: Tigers, White Sox, Lannan, Looper

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Monday night linkage..

  • The Tigers went from sellers to buyers this offseason, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck.
  • Hank Blalock's former teammates are surprised to see him still without a job, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.  Earlier today we heard that the Rays and Marlins are thought to have interest in the 29-year-old.
  • Pitcher Cha Seung Baek tried out for the Mariners today, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com.  Baek last pitched in the majors in 2008 and was released by San Diego in October of 2009.
  • Chuck Garfien of CSNChicago.com spoke to White Sox GM Ken Williams, who said that he nearly pulled off a deal that would have possibly given the club the best rotation in the history of the game.  Williams wouldn't name names, but Garfien believes that he was referring to Roy Halladay.
  • Nats pitcher John Lannan has decided to part ways with agent Andrew Mongelluzzi and latch on with Brodie Van Wagenen of Creative Artists Agency, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com.  Lannan will be arbitration-eligible after the 2010 season and become a free agent after the 2013 campaign.
  • While the Dodgers remain in contact with Braden Looper's representation, the chances for a deal are slim as they cannot offer him a spot in the rotation or the salary he wants, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.

Odds & Ends: Floyd, Looper, El Duque, Manny

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Links for Monday…

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