Marlins Sign Dewayne Wise, Three Others
Dewayne Wise is one of four players the Marlins signed to minor league deals, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (Twitter links). The team also added infielder Joe Thurston, catcher Clint Sammons and corner infielder Jamie D'Antona.
Wise, 33 next month, spent the 2010 campaign with the Blue Jays after two seasons with the White Sox. He hit .250/.282/.393 in 118 plate appearances last year and backed up at all three outfield positions. The eight-year veteran will provide insurance for the Marlins in case Chris Coghlan struggles in center field.
Thurston last appeared in the majors on the 2009 Cardinals. He has a .225/.306/.324 line in 280 big league plate appearances spread over six seasons. The infielder can play second or third base and has some experience in the outfield.
Sammons, 27, picked up some playing time with the Braves from 2007-09. The catcher hit .162/.253/.244 at Triple-A last year, but threw out 36% of would-be base stealers.
D'Antona, back in North America after two seasons in Japan, hit .263 with 36 homers for the Yakult Swallows last year, according to Eddy. The D'Backs selected D'Antona in the second round of the 2003 draft and he made it all the way to the majors in 2008.
Six Clubs Offer Jose Veras Minor League Deals
The Giants, Rockies, Twins, Marlins, Rays and Pirates have all offered Jose Veras minor league deals and invited him to Spring Training, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes (on Twitter). The 30-year-old right-hander will likely decide on a team soon.
Veras posted a 3.85 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 48 innings for the Marlins last year, before they non-tendered him. Veras has been tough to hit throughout his five-year MLB career, but he has always allowed plenty of walks (5.0 BB/9 in his career). His mid-90s fastball (94.4 mph last year) has helped him strike out 8.7 batters per nine in his career.
Unfinished Business: NL East
The new year is typically when free agent bargains begin, for teams that set a few million bucks aside. Let's examine the unfinished business for each of the NL East clubs today.
- Braves: Backup outfielder who can handle center field. Someone like Dewayne Wise, Scott Hairston, or even Andruw Jones could work within the Braves' limited payroll flexibility. The Braves will also be seeking a taker for Kenshin Kawakami.
- Marlins: Left-handed hitting bench bat. Catcher John Baker is one candidate. Free agency offers plenty of options – Laynce Nix, Jason Giambi, Joe Inglett, Mark Kotsay, Hank Blalock, Jeremy Hermida, Ryan Church, Casey Kotchman, Gabe Gross, and Jody Gerut, for example.
- Mets: Starting pitcher, lefty reliever, fourth outfielder. The Mets will undoubtedly be bargain shopping, and it's not clear whether they'll manage to add Chris Young or Jeff Francis to the rotation. The market for lefty relievers still features useful, affordable names like Mark Hendrickson and Tim Byrdak.
- Phillies: Taker for Joe Blanton. It seems the Phillies' main remaining goal is to unload Blanton's contract. They could add to the right field mix, but may stick with internal options.
- Nationals: Starting pitcher, first baseman, reliever. The Nats remain in the mix for Carl Pavano and Derrek Lee. Failing those two, they could go in significantly cheaper directions. Casey Kotchman's name has been mentioned. Hard to say whether the Nationals are content with Chad Gaudin and Henry Rodriguez as the bullpen additions.
Odds & Ends: Brewers, Nolasco, Thames, Astros
Happy Holidays to all of MLBTR's readers. Here is today's batch of links…
- Yovani Gallardo was delighted to learn of the deal that brought Zack Greinke to Milwaukee, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- The Ricky Nolasco deal leaves the Marlins with $41.5MM in contractual committments for nine players this season, writes Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post. The right-hander made his three-year extension worth $26.5MM official early this morning.
- In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney says the Yankees are unlikely to bring Marcus Thames back for the 2011 season since they need reserve players capable of providing flexibility on defense.
- Astros GM Ed Wade told Joseph Duarte of The Houston Chronicle that he believes he had enough "protection on the back end of the bullpen" to trade Matt Lindstrom. "With the ability to go out and add two more young arms to create more depth in the system and balance the payroll, this was a sensible deal for us to make."
- MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling muses about some players who have taken their time finding a new team this offseason.
Marlins Extend Ricky Nolasco
The Marlins officially signed Ricky Nolasco to a three-year contract extension worth $26.5MM today according to a team press release. He can earn another $1.5MM based on innings pitched. The deal buys out the right-hander's two remaining years of arbitration eligibility as well as one year of free agency.
Nolasco becomes the second Marlins' starter to agree to a contract extension in as many offseasons. Last year the team signed staff ace Josh Johnson to a four-year contract worth $39MM, buying out two years of arbitration eligibility and two years of free agency. Both Nolasco and Johnson are represented by Matt Sosnick, who also landed a six-year, $51MM contract extension for Jay Bruce this offseason.
Earlier this month we heard that the two sides had hit a bit of a snag in their negotiations, but Sosnick told us that they remained optimistic about getting a deal done. Clearly, his optimism was warranted. Nolasco had been mentioned as a trade candidate if the two sides were unable to work out a new contract.
The 28-year-old posted a 4.51 ERA in 157.2 innings this past season, though he once again put up stunning peripheral stats. Nolasco struck out 8.4 batters per nine innings pitched and walked just 1.8 per nine unintentionally. For his career, he owns an 8.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 (again removing intentional walks), though he is a bit homer prone (1.2 HR/9).
MLB.com's Joe Frisaro originally reported that the two sides were on the verge of a deal while Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel reported the agreement.
Marlins, Nolasco On Verge Of Contract Extension
The Marlins and Ricky Nolasco are "putting the finishing touches" on a three-year contract extension worth $27MM, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. The deal is not yet finalized, but the two sides came close to agreeing to terms according to Frisaro's source. Nolasco needs to take and pass a physical as well.
A three-year deal would buy out Nolasco's two remaining years of arbitration-eligibility as well as one year of free agency. He earned $3.8MM in 2010. Just yesterday we heard that the two sides had hit a bit of a snag in their negotiations, but Nolasco's agent Matt Sosnick told us that they remained optimistic about getting a deal done. Clearly, his optimism was warranted.
The 28-year-old Nolasco posted a 4.51 ERA in 157.2 innings this past season, though he once again put up stunning peripheral stats. He struck out 8.4 batters per nine innings pitched and walked just 1.8 per nine unintentionally. For his career, he owns an 8.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 (again removing intentional walks), though he is a bit homer prone (1.2 HR/9).
Nolasco had been mentioned as a trade candidate if the two sides were unable to work out a new contract.
This post was originally published on December 19th.
Nolasco Remains Optimistic About Extension
2:15pm: In a comment to MLBTR, Nolasco's agent Matt Sosnick said, "Ricky is still hopeful that a deal can be reached for him to stay in Florida. We remain optimistic that something can be worked out with the team. We don't see it as an impasse, just the normal course of discussions. Anyone who says we hit a stalemate is reading too much into it."
12:21pm: The Marlins and arbitration-eligible right-hander Ricky Nolasco have hit a stalemate in their talks about a long-term contract extension, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. We heard that "a significant gulf exists between the two sides" back in September. Morosi says they've been exchanging three-year proposals.
If the Marlins and Nolasco are unable to agree to a long-term deal, they could simply allow the arbitration process to play out, settling on a one-year contract around $6MM (he earned $3.8MM in 2010). Nolasco is arbitration-eligible for the third time as a Super Two, so the Marlins still control him through 2012.
Morosi says that several teams have called in recent days to express interest in the 28-year-old right-hander, and we know Florida is gauging interest around the league. Nolasco was involved in talks about a potential three-team trade earlier this offseason, but those talks fell apart. We know the Yankees, Rangers, Nationals, Brewers, and Twins are looking for pitching help, but there are surely others.
Renteria: Giants’ Offer Showed “A Lack Of Respect”
FRIDAY,7:49pm: Giants assistant GM Bobby Evans says that the club is still looking at all options for a backup shortstop, which means that they haven't given up on retaining Renteria, writes Shea. However, Evans says that there is a major inconsistency between what the veteran said yesterday and what his agent is saying today:
"Something doesn't add up when you read Renteria's quotes and yet the agent insists that Edgar has no problem with the Giants," the assistant GM said.
7:34pm: Edgar Renteria's agent, Barry Meister, says that his client still has interest in returning to San Francisco, tweets John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
THURSDAY, December 16th: Renteria didn't care for the Giants' recent $1MM contract offer, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes. "That offer from the Giants was a lack of respect. A total disrespect," said Renteria. "To play for a million dollars, I'd rather stay with my private business and share more time with my family. Thank God I'm well off financially and my money is well invested."
Renteria had expressed his desire to retire as a Cardinal or a Marlin but there were signs that he would probably be back with the Giants next season, though this is now in doubt given Renteria's apparent disdain for their proposal. As MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith pointed out, San Francisco already has several infield options on the roster and doesn't really need Renteria, so the Giants' $1MM contract might well be their final offer.
This rift between Renteria and the Giants could be good news for the Marlins, who may be interested in the reigning World Series MVP themselves. Renteria told Rojas he had received at least one other offer from another team, but this offer also wasn't to his liking.
Marlins Don’t Appear To Be Interested In Renteria
FRIDAY, 10:27am: The Marlins have not discussed Renteria, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (on Twitter). Mike Cameron's name hasn't surfaced either, according to Capozzi.
THURSDAY, 12:14pm: The Marlins appear to be interested in bringing Edgar Renteria back, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. The 34-year-old has an offer to return to San Francisco for about $1MM, but has said he would like to return to St. Louis or Florida to finish his career.
Renteria has said he's open to playing second base if it helps him land a desirable job. The Marlins could have him back up Omar Infante and Hanley Ramirez up the middle and provide insurance in case prospect Matt Dominguez struggles at third base.
Renteria batted .276/.332/.374 in 267 plate appearances last year, missing time with elbow, groin, hamstring and shoulder injuries before returning to form and winning the World Series MVP.
Renteria spent the first three seasons of his career with the Marlins from 1996-98. He made one All-Star team while in Florida and helped the Marlins to their first World Series championship in 1997.
Marlins Sign Randy Choate
The Marlins announced that they signed Randy Choate to a two-year deal. It's worth a total of $2.5MM plus incentives, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, who first reported the deal (all Twitter links). Choate will earn $1MM in 2011 and $1.5MM in 2012 with $150K in incentives each year, depending on the number of appearances he makes. ACES represents Choate.
The 35-year-old led the league in appearances (85), but logged just 44 2/3 innings, since he's generally a lefty specialist. Choate posted a 4.23 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 for the Rays last year. Against lefties, he had a 9.2 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, and 61.8% groundball rate. Choate had similar numbers against them the prior year.
At least two teams besides the Marlins pursued Choate. The Rays offered the Type B free agent arbitration, so they'll receive a supplementary first round pick in next year's draft.