Brewers Avoid Arbitration With Carlos Gomez
9:50pm: Gomez's will earn $1.5MM in 2011, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
8:08pm: The Brewers have signed Carlos Gomez to a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration, according to a team press release. The center fielder earned $1.1MM last season as a second-year arbitration-eligible Super Two.
Gomez, who celebrated his 25th birthday on December 4th, hit .247/.298/.357 in 97 games for the Brewers this season. Just last week, the Brewers flirted with the idea of sending Gomez to the Braves in exchange for a young pitcher.
With Gomez back in the fold, Milwaukee now has five players that remain eligible for arbitration: Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Kameron Loe, Manny Parra, and the recently-acquired Shaun Marcum.
Odds & Ends: Counsell, Ibanez, Johnson, Sheffield
Exactly one year ago, the Angels signed Hideki Matsui. Today, the slugger finalized his one-year agreement with the A's. Here are today's links…
- The Brewers are having ongoing discussions with the representatives for Craig Counsell, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
- If you've heard about agent Darek Braunecker, but don't know much about him, you're not alone. David Waldstein of the New York Times introduces us to Cliff Lee's agent.
- The Phillies do not intend to trade Raul Ibanez, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Joe Blanton, on the other hand, is available.
- Rosenthal also notes that the Rangers and Rockies have not discussed Michael Young since the Winter Meetings (Twitter link).
- The Orioles are still talking to the representatives for Adam LaRoche, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
- Indians manager Manny Acta is watching Bartolo Colon's start in the Dominican Republic tonight, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes (on Twitter).
- Kerry Wood told Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan of the Chicago Tribune that he could see himself playing for the Cubs, but probably not for the White Sox.
- In case you were wondering, the Marlins don't intend to trade Josh Johnson, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter).
- Gary Sheffield told Mike Ferrin and Tom Gordon of MLB Network Radio that he has discussed a potential deal with the Rays. However, manager Joe Maddon told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that the Rays have limited interest in Sheffield, though they wanted to get to know him better.
Carl Pavano Rumors: Tuesday
With Cliff Lee off the market, Carl Pavano is the best available free agent starter – putting aside Andy Pettitte and those trying to bounce back from injury. The Yankees won't be entertaining a reunion, but we can't rule out the Rangers for Pavano now. The latest on the righty:
- The Brewers are definitely in the hunt for Pavano, a source tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin spoke with O'Connell yesterday but has yet to make an offer, tweets MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
- The Nationals and Pavano's other suitors are still in, agent Tom O'Connell told MASN's Ben Goessling.
- Pavano is still exploring his options, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, but other suitors think he's going back to the Twins.
Zack Greinke Rumors: Monday
10:30pm: The Yankees are reluctant to pursue Greinke if Cliff Lee signs elsewhere, according to Heyman (on Twitter). Jack Curry of the YES Network reports that the Yankees won't make Greinke their Plan B, though they have discussed him (Twitter link). Heyman suggests the Yankees will spend aggressively on relievers if they don't sign Lee.
12:09pm: Royals GM Dayton Moore is "actively gauging" the trade market for Zack Greinke, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Moore "has focused on adding up-the-middle position players who are close to major league ready," and the Yankees, Rangers, and Brewers are not considered among the best matches.
The Blue Jays and Nationals have been actively pursuing Greinke, and the Jays theoretically do have the players to pull off a deal if the righty's no-trade clause can be addressed. However, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted on Saturday that the Blue Jays "have no intention of giving up Kyle Drabek and Travis Snider" for Greinke.
Brett Gardner's name has come up in talks between the Royals and Yankees, according to Crasnick.
SI's Jon Heyman covers Greinke today as well, adding that the Dodgers have been linked to him and the Angels could make sense. Heyman feels that the Yankees do have the players "to form a respectable deal."
Odds & Ends: Pavano, Red Sox, McCarthy, Lawrie
More links for Monday night, as we wonder when and where Cliff Lee will sign…
- Lee's not the only player nearing a decision. Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com hears that Edgar Renteria is close to a decision and leaning toward retuning to the Giants (Twitter link). The World Series MVP has a $1MM offer to return to San Francisco.
- The Brewers have not offered Carl Pavano a formal contract yet, GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Bill James told the Red Sox he expects Carl Crawford to age well, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. James found that players like Crawford, who can play the outfield, get on base and hit for some power, often produce late in their careers.
- Brandon McCarthy, who agreed to a deal with the A's today, says the Mariners expressed interest in him until they signed Erik Bedard, according to MLB.com's Greg Johns (on Twitter).
- The Royals had interest in infield prospect Brett Lawrie before the Blue Jays acquired him from the Brewers, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun (on Twitter).
- MLB executives told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that the Phillies could trade Joe Blanton if they agree to eat half of the $17MM remaining on his contract through 2012 (Twitter link). The Phillies are considering moving Blanton to create space for Lee.
Odds & Ends: Rivera, Mets, Bruce, Orioles, Dodgers
Links for Sunday….
- WEEI.com's Rob Bradford reports that Mariano Rivera's representatives initiated contact with the Red Sox, who eventually offered the closer a contract. Boston was never inclined to non-tender Jonathan Papelbon had they signed Rivera; they valued him at the back of their bullpen in the short-term, and the draft picks that would come their way if he signs elsewhere as a free agent in the long-term.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman has the scoop on the Mets new coaching staff (Twitter link). Dave Hudgens will be the hitting coach, Jon Debus the bullpen coach, Ken Oberkfell the bench coach, and Mookie Wilson the first base coach.
- Hal McCoy of The Dayton Daily News thinks the Jay Bruce extension is an excellent message.
- Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun speculates that the Orioles could still sign two more relievers even after Koji Uehara's deal becomes official, and he wouldn't be against them signing a designated hitter type either.
- Seth Livingstone of USA Today looks at what Cliff Lee would mean to both the Yankees and the Rangers.
- Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter) breaks down the details of Jay Gibbons' contract with the Dodgers. $400K of Gibbons' $650K salary is guaranteed, and he could earn as much as $800K with incentives based on plate appearances (Twitter link).
- Hernandez's colleague at the L.A. Times, T.J. Simers, isn't a fan of the Dodgers' recent moves.
- Trading for Zack Greinke is still a possibility for the Brewers, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Speaking to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, Andrew Friedman said the Rays are targeting "under-the-radar type guys that we feel fit us well and have a lot of upside."
- The Pirates haven't approached Andrew McCutchen about a long-term extension, but Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review suggests Jay Bruce's deal would be a good comparable if the two sides discuss anything.
- Clint Hurdle tells Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that his preference is for the Pirates to add two left-handed relievers.
- The Rockies agreed to minor league deals with a pair of players, including former Yankee first round pick Eric Duncan, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding.
Carl Pavano Rumors: Friday
Yesterday, we heard that the Brewers don't aim to offer Carl Pavano a contract longer than two years. The Twins and Nationals are also in on the bidding for Pavano, who's arguably the top free agent starter not named Cliff Lee. Here's the latest, with more updates to follow throughout the day:
- The Nationals are reluctant to offer Pavano a multiyear deal, but they’re still talking to agent Tom O’Connell, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The right-hander will wait until after the weekend to decide on an offer, according to O’Connell.
Brewers Sign Wil Nieves
The Brewers officially added depth behind the plate today, signing catcher Wil Nieves to a non-guaranteed deal worth $775K. In addition to the base salary, Nieves can earn $45K in incentives.
The Nationals non-tendered Nieves last week, making him a free agent. Milwaukee has been looking for a backstop to pair with Jonathan Lucroy, though George Kottaras and Mike Rivera may also be in the mix.
Nieves, 33, has spent parts of seven seasons in the majors, posting a .227/.273/.297 line overall. He hit .203/.244/.310 in 172 plate appearances for the Nationals last year and threw out 24% of would-be base stealers, matching his career mark. If the Brewers are thrilled with his performance, they can control Nieves for 2012 as an arbitration eligible player.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first tweeted the Brewers were close to a deal with Nieves, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported (on Twitter) that the sides had an agreement and MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reported the financial details (on Twitter).
Brewers To Have Extension Talks With Marcum
1:10pm: Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel clarifies: the Brewers agreed to check back in with Marcum's agent, but extension talks have not begun (Twitter link).
12:59pm: The Brewers have had preliminary extension talks with new acquisition Shaun Marcum, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The righty is clearly open to the idea, since he was also discussing the possibility with the Blue Jays. But it's interesting to hear the Brewers having talks before Marcum even throws a pitch for them.
Historically, young pitcher extensions have been signed in January, February, or March. Marcum is already under team control through 2012 as an arbitration eligible player. He shouldn't earn a ton in 2011, partially because he's only operating from an $850K salary.
Brewers Aim To Stop At Two Years For Pavano
Yesterday's Carl Pavano rumors focused mainly on the Brewers' interest. The latest:
- The Brewers do not want to go past a two-year offer for Pavano, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.