Mariners Sign Chad Cordero
FRIDAY, 7:04pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post has Cordero’s contract deals. He gets a base salary of $750K if he reaches the Majors, plus incentives. He can also request his release if he’s not in the bigs by June 15th.
THURSDAY, 9:33pm: According to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, the Mariners signed reliever Chad Cordero to a minor league deal. He picked the right team, as the Ms have perhaps the least-settled closing situation in baseball. In fact, Cordero’s agent Larry Reynolds told Ken Rosenthal that the pitcher turned down more money elsewhere for the chance to close in Seattle.
Cordero, 26, had surgery in July to repair a torn labrum and biceps tendon. Reynolds told Rosenthal that the typical recovery time would put Cordero on track to pitch in April or May, barring setbacks. Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins believe Cordero still has a ways to go.
Odds & Ends: Pedro, Boras, Bonds, Fielding
Links for Friday…
- Which players have the biggest differences in fantasy draft position, comparing Yahoo and ESPN?
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram does not find it likely that the Rangers will release Frank Catalanotto and eat the $6MM owed to him.
- Gil LeBreton of the Star-Telegram suggests Rangers GM Jon Daniels will have some tough trade decisions to make as the team inches closer to contention.
- Amy Martinez of the Seattle Times examines the economic impact of Ken Griffey Jr.
- Jose Reyes says Pedro Martinez would like to pitch for the Mets, talking to MLB.com’s Marty Noble.
- Amusing article about Scott Boras by Matt Taibbi in Men’s Journal.
- The Twins again made it clear they’ll pass on Barry Bonds. Three other teams have also publicly rejected his agent’s advances.
- Fielding Bible guru John Dewan says defense is worth roughly half as much as offense.
- Hat tip to Baseball Think Factory’s excellent Baseball Newsstand for several of today’s links.
- Sorry about the three double-posts on the site. I am still waiting for TypePad to fix the issue.
Manny History: Almost A Twin Or Mariner?
I’ve been enjoying the new book Becoming Manny by Jean Rhodes and Shawn Boburg. The book is surprisingly objective for an authorized Manny Ramirez biography.
As you know, Manny was drafted 13th overall in 1991 by the Indians. The Yankees, Braves, Twins, Cardinals, Brewers, Astros, Royals, Padres, Orioles, Phillies, Mariners, and Cubs passed on him. Many teams did not view Manny as a first-round pick, partially because he didn’t speak English well and had not graduated high school. The book also suggests that scouts simply did not enjoy driving out to areas like Washington Heights to watch prospects.
Old school Twins scout Herb Stein recommended Manny, though. From the book:
Stein pushed the Twins to take Manny with their third overall pick. But he was rebuffed by his bosses – a source of bitterness even today. The Twins chose Stanford first baseman David McCarty, who wound up hitting 36 career home runs and batting .242 in eleven major league seasons of part-time duty.
The Mariners also made a run:
Manny was playing a Youth Service League doubleheader. In a late show of interest, the Seattle Mariners’ top scout and assistant to the general manager attended. DeLuca [the scout who signed Manny for Cleveland] felt a wave of panic. After the game, Seattle’s reps talked to [Manny’s coach Mel] Zitter for ten minutes on the right-field line. They passed DeLuca on their way to the parking lot, exchanged greetings and said, "Good luck"- shorthand, DeLuca believed, for, "We’re going to pass on Manny. He’s all yours."
Manny wasn’t even a lock for the Indians. They wanted a pitcher:
Indians general manager Hank Peters and director of player development Dan O’Dowd had been pressuring [scouting director Mickey] White all winter to pursue college pitcher Aaron Sele, a six-three right-hander from Washington State.
Eventually, DeLuca and White were able to convince Indians director of baseball operations John Hart to recommend Ramirez. Sele would go to the Red Sox at #23.
Twins Still Eyeing Chad Cordero
According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins offered $3MM guaranteed to Eric Gagne before signing Luis Ayala. That would’ve been a mess, given the damage found in Gagne’s shoulder. But perhaps the Twins would’ve balked after giving Gagne a physical.
Christensen adds that the Twins continue to monitor free agent reliever Chad Cordero, who is coming back from shoulder surgery.
Odds & Ends: Bowden, Stanton, Baker
Sunday night linkage…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Dodgers "will not restructure Juan Pierre's contract to make him go away."
- Murray Chass likes Jim Bowden, while Hal McCoy has a negative recollection.
- ESPN's Peter Gammons wrote about teams clamoring for Marlins prospect Michael Stanton last July.
- Jesse Spector of the New York Daily News talked to Baseball-Reference mastermind Sean Forman.
- Aaron Gleeman analyzes Scott Baker's new extension with the Twins.
- RotoAuthority recently looked at catcher tiers for fantasy baseball drafts.
Twins Sign 27 Players To 1-Year Deals
According to Joe Christensen, the Twins have announced they’ve signed the remaining 27 players on their roster to one-year deals. Writes Christensen,
"All 27 of those players, including Francisco Liriano, Glen Perkins, Nick Blackburn and Kevin Slowey, have between zero and three years of major league experience, so their salaries are likely less than $500,000."
Cafardo’s Latest: Mauer, Red Sox, Glavine
With every Sunday come rumors from the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo:
- Cafardo asks Tom Glavine whether he’d consider another year if 2009 is a success. Glavine didn’t say no: "I’m not prepared right now to say. It would take a lot of good things to happen this year to consider playing next year. Last year, I didn’t think I’d be sitting here this year, so I guess you never know."
- Nomar Garciaparra had placed a call to the Red Sox front office inquiring about their potential interest.
- If he hits free agency, Joe Mauer is expected to receive offers in the $20-25MM range and "The Sox are expected to be front and center." Mauer is signed with the Twins through 2010. He’ll make $10.5MM this year and $12.5MM in 2010.
- Dusty Baker thinks Barry Bonds would still be a top hitter in the league. Says Baker, "He’s one of those guys that will be able to pick up a bat when he’s an old man and still get a hit."
- Andruw Jones is 4 for 18 with 10 strikeouts to start spring training.
- Scouts agree: George Kottaras would clear waivers if designated for assignment, meaning the Red Sox may not have to deal the catching prospect.
- Cafardo would make the Clay Buchholz-Jarrod Saltalamacchia trade right now.
Twins Sign Scott Baker To Extension
3:48pm: Christensen adds the annual details: Baker will earn $750K this year, $3MM in ’10, $5MM in ’11, and $6.5MM in ’12. So, $14.5MM for the three arb years.
1:07pm: According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins signed pitcher Scott Baker to a four-year deal with an option for 2013. The deal is worth $15.25MM and the ’13 option is for $9.25MM. The contract includes this year and his three arb years and gives the team an option on one free agent season. Baker’s extension is very similar to Paul Maholm‘s deal, which was signed on January 30th.
The 27 year-old righty posted a fine 3.45 ERA in 28 starts last year. He has the impeccable control many Twins pitchers have displayed over the years.
Mauer Extension Talks Soon?
According to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, representatives for catcher Joe Mauer are expected to meet with Twins GM Bill Smith at some point this week.
Walters suspects that a long-term contract will be the primary issue discussed. Mauer, 25, can become a free agent after the 2010 season. This early in the game, though, perhaps the two sides are just feeling each other out and setting initial parameters.
Mauer has a .317/.399/.457 career line over five MLB seasons.
Barry Bonds Rejections
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.