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Brewers Could Be Done Dealing

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Adam McCalvy of MLB.com passes along some telling quotes from Brewers GM Doug Melvin.  It sounds like the club is done dealing, at least with major free agents.

"We’re pretty far down the road of building our ballclub," Melvin said. "But it’s still going to be competitive, and you can never predict whether you’ll have injuries or whether you’ll make waiver claims... There’s probably players we don’t know of yet that [will be acquired] by waiver claims or trades before the season starts. But as far as going to Spring Training, yeah, I don’t think there’s going to be that much more activity."

Oliver Perez Rumors: Tuesday

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4:57pm: Just to hammer the point home, Brewers GM Doug Melvin responded "absolutely not" when asked if he’s in on Perez.

4:02pm: Anthony Rieber’s source says the Mets are "a little bit closer" to signing Perez, but they’re maintaining dialogue with Ben Sheets, Randy Wolf, and Jon Garland.  Rieber says the Mets have shown a willingness to go to four years for Perez.

1:34pm: Heyman says the Mets remain the favorite for Perez, even though talks slowed in the last day or two.  The Mets’ offer exceeds three years and $30MM.

9:02am: Tom Haudricourt finds the Brewers-Perez connection to be Scott Boras propaganda – the Brewers don’t like his price and don’t want to give up a draft pick.

8:14am: Matthew Cerrone passes along a Jon Heyman MLB Network report of rumblings that the Rangers and Brewers may be in on Oliver Perez.  The Mets remain the favorite.

At 27, Perez is the youngest free agent starter this year.  However, I imagine a four-year deal would still be a tough sell for the Rangers or Brewers.

Ben Sheets Rumors: Monday

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6:38pm: T.R. Sullivan believes that now the New York Yankees have signed Andy Pettitte, Ben Sheets’ options are closing up.

“Anytime somebody signs another starting pitcher, that obviously lessens the competition,” Rangers president Nolan Ryan told Sullivan. “Obviously, Andy and Ben are at two different points in their careers, but I don’t think Andy signing hurts anything.”

Sullivan notes that the Rangers are the only team that has publicly stated interest in Sheets, but the process continues to move slowly. The Rangers are reluctant to offer a multiyear contract. Sheets wants at least a two-year deal while the Rangers are looking one year with a possible club option.

11:26am: The latest on the Rangers and Ben Sheets comes via a T.R. Sullivan report from yesterday afternoon.  Sullivan wrote:

The Rangers remain deeply concerned about the medical reports. Sheets’ agent, Casey Close, is looking for a multi-year contract. The Rangers would prefer just a one-year deal, possibly with an option. The two sides have discussed financial parameters, but there hasn’t been an official offer from either side. Close would like to get other teams involved, most notably the two in New York.

If there’s another team infatuated with Sheets, it hasn’t leaked to the media yet.  As Sullivan wrote, the Mets are focused on Oliver Perez.  The Yankees are in serious talks with Andy Pettitte.  The Dodgers are looking elsewhere, and the Orioles "just don’t seem interested."  Doug Melvin won’t rule Sheets out for the Brewers but does not expect to re-sign him.

Who else needs pitching and can afford Sheets?  We can’t rule out the A’s or Cardinals.  The Pirates and D’Backs seem to be budgeting less than Sheets wants. 

Counsell, Brewers Complete Deal

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Veteran infielder Craig Counsell and the Milwaukee Brewers completed a one-year, $1MM contract after the the 38-year-old passed a physical, MLB.com reports.

Counsell spent the past two seasons with the Brewers, but the club declined its $3.4MM option on his contract earlier this offseason. He hit .226 with one home run and 14 RBI in 110 games last season.

Brewers Rumors: Hart, Weeks, Gallardo

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Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has the latest on the Brewers…

  • Corey Hart hopes to avoid an arbitration hearing; he and the Brewers are $1.1MM apart on his ’09 salary.  It’s a decent gap, but many players are fighting over a similar difference.  Hart turned down a long-term extension last year but remains open to the idea.  Assistant GM Gord Ash recently said, "We’re not on the same page with regard to his value.  And that goes back to last year."
  • The Brewers face an $800K gap with Rickie Weeks.  Weeks also hopes to get a deal done.  The Brewers are open to a multiyear deal with Weeks.  Doug Melvin has never gone to an arbitration hearing as Brewers GM.
  • Owner Mark Attanasio mentioned that the team will revisit all young players in Spring Training and consider extensions.  Attanasio mentioned Yovani Gallardo by name.  Gallardo, 23 in February, isn’t arb-eligible until after the 2010 season.

Cafardo’s Latest: Crede, Gagne, Rangers, Brewers

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Some quick notes from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:

  • The Twins and Giants will be monitoring Joe Crede’s workouts in Arizona next week. Both teams have had ongoing interest this month.
  • The Twins and Rangers are continuing to seriously consider Eric Gagne.
  • Cafardo notes the growing sentiment among middle-market teams that patience could land an all star caliber player for a "low-risk one-year deal."
  • Milwaukee would prefer to save and make a "Sabathia-like" deadline deal rather than spend now.
  • Adam Melhuse signing with Texas could be a signal that Taylor Teagarden or Jarrod Saltalamacchia are en route to the Red Sox. Cafardo cautions that’s probably not the case since the Rangers have not come down on their asking price of Clay Buchholz.
  • Watch for the Cubs to reengage the Padres and Jake Peavy now that they have found an owner in billionaire Tom Ricketts.

Brewers Agree To Two-Year Deal With Fielder

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2:06pm: The official report came out last night, but for the sake of being thorough, we’ll post it now: the Brewers’ announcement of the deal is official. Haudricourt was close; it’ll be $6.5MM in 2009, and $11.5MM in 2010 for Fielder. There’s also a $1MM signing bonus included.

FRIDAY, 8:47am: Jon Heyman has the Fielder contract details.  Look for an announcement later today.

THURSDAY, 8:51pm: According to Haudricourt Fielder passed his physical so the deal is now official. Exact figures are expected tomorrow, but Haudricourt guesses Fielder will earn $7MM this year and $11MM in 2010.

2:50pm: Tom Haudricourt says the Brewers have a deal in place with Fielder for two years and $18MM, pending a physical.  Fielder will have his last arbitration year in 2011, after which he’ll be eligible for free agency.  It looks like the deal may be announced tomorrow.

THURSDAY, 9:20am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says Fielder and the Brewers are closing in on a two-year contract.  Tom Haudricourt expects an announcement today or tomorrow on a deal for at least $18MM.

WEDNESDAY, 9:44pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin has confirmed Verducci’s report.  "We’ve got some positive things going on," said Melvin. "There’s a possibility of doing it."

6:52pm: As reported by Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, SI.com’s Tom Verducci said Wednesday on the MLB Network that the Brewers are working on a two-year deal with Prince Fielder.

Fielder asked for a very affordable $8MM in arbitration on Tuesday.  That low bid may have spurred the extensions talks.  Haudricourt has an idea of what the numbers might look like if a two-year deal is hammered out:

"If the sides do agree on a two-year deal, it would probably be for $18 million to $20 million.  When you figure that Fielder filed for $8 million this year and would be expecting a raise next year with another big season, those numbers make sense."

New Medical Report Reassures Sheets’ Suitors?

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman has heard from MLB executives that a new record of Ben Sheets’ medical history "may have sparked some renewed interest in the talented pitcher."

Sheets provided teams with updated information about his health. Heyman learned that previous health reports were not "debilitating," but they had issues. The Rangers, Mets and Brewers are presumably among the teams currently looking over the new information.

Counsell, Brewers Agree To Deal

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Free agent infielder Craig Counsell has reached preliminary agreement with the Milwaukee Brewers for a one-year, $1MM contract, a source told Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.

After spending the past two seasons with the Brewers, Counsell became a free agent when the team declined his $3.4MM club option at the start of the offseason, Rosenthal notes.

Counsell, 38, appeared in 110 games for Milwaukee last season, batting .226 with a .355 on-base percentage, one home run and 14 RBI. He is a .255/.343/.344 career hitter.

The Seattle Mariners and St. Louis Cardinals also had interest in Counsell’s services.

Olney On Mulder, Benson, Peavy, David Wells

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A few notes from Buster Olney’s latest blog post…

  • Free agent starter Mark Mulder is likely to throw for scouts during the first week of February. Olney says he figures to be popular if the audition goes well.
  • We already knew the Dodgers, Rangers, Padres, D’Backs, Rockies, Indians, and Cardinals will watch Kris Benson throw this weekend; Olney adds the Brewers and A’s.
  • Olney says "there have been no recent conversations between the Padres and Cubs about Jake Peavy," but he believes talks could be restarted quickly given the Cubs’ selection yesterday of the Thomas Ricketts group as the potential new owner.
  • David Wells never filed retirement papers and would be open to a minor league deal if one was offered.
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