National League Free Agent Arbitration Offers
10 National League teams have free agent arbitration offer decisions to make today, and we'll update them in this post in advance of the 11pm central time deadline. For a fantastic customizable chart with all 57 Type A/B free agents and their teams' decisions in real-time, click here.
Updated team decisions:
- The Giants won't offer arbitration to Pat Burrell (B) or Cody Ross (B) according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Carlos Beltran (A) contractually cannot be offered arbitration.
- The Dodgers declined to offer Hiroki Kuroda (B) arbitration, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter). Rod Barajas (B) already signed with the Pirates.
- The Pirates offered arbitration to Derrek Lee (B) while declining to offer Ryan Ludwick (B) and Chris Snyder (B) arbitration. Ryan Doumit (B) already signed with the Twins.
- The Phillies did not offer Roy Oswalt (A) or Brad Lidge (B) arbitration, according to the AP (via ESPN). The team announced that it offered arbitration to Raul Ibanez (B), Ryan Madson (A, will not cost signing team a draft pick), and Jimmy Rollins (A), according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com (via Twitter).
- The Cubs offered arbitration to Carlos Pena (B) and Aramis Ramirez (B) but not to Kerry Wood (B), according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter).
- The Cardinals offered Edwin Jackson (B) and Albert Pujols (A) arbitration, but declined to make offers to Rafael Furcal (B) and Arthur Rhodes (B), according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). That leaves Octavio Dotel (modified B, no arbitration offer necessary).
- The Mets offered Jose Reyes (A) arbitration, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff (on Twitter).
- The Padres will offer arbitration to Heath Bell (A, will not cost signing team a draft pick) and Aaron Harang (B), tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com.
- The Brewers offered Prince Fielder (A) and Francisco Rodriguez (A, will not cost signing team a draft pick) arbitration. They declined to offer Yuniesky Betancourt (B) arbitration. Takashi Saito (A), contractually cannot be offered arbitration.
- The Braves did not offer arbitration to Alex Gonzalez (B), according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Teams with automatic decisions only:
- Reds: Francisco Cordero (modified B, no arbitration offer necessary), Ramon Hernandez (modified B, no arbitration offer necessary)
- Astros: Clint Barmes (B, already signed with Pirates)
- Rockies: Mark Ellis (B, already signed with Dodgers)
Minor Moves: Braves, Loewen, Garrison
The latest minor moves from around MLB via Matt Eddy of Baseball America…
- The Braves have signed 14 players to minor league contracts according to a press release, including righty reliever Adam Russell, utility man Drew Sutton, lefty reliever Dusty Hughes, and infielder Josh Wilson. The full list can be found here.
- The Mets signed outfielder Adam Loewen, according to Eddy. Loewen, the fourth overall selection in the 2002 draft, successfully completed the transition from left-handed pitcher to outfielder in 2011. He posted a .306/.377/.508 line with 46 doubles at Triple-A before appearing in 14 games with the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays removed the Surrey, British Columbia native from their roster after the regular season, but maintained some interest in him.
- The Mariners signed left-hander Steve Garrison, according to Eddy. Garrison, 25, appeared in one game for the Yankees this past season and posted a 5.58 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 as a starter in the minors.
- The Red Sox signed right-hander Will Inman and left-hander Justin Thomas for bullpen depth, according to Eddy.
- The Twins re-signed left-hander Phil Dumatrait, according to Eddy.
Six Teams Interested In Huston Street
TUESDAY: The Marlins, Red Sox, Reds and Mets are also interested in Street, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
MONDAY: The Orioles and Blue Jays are among the teams to have expressed trade interest in Rockies reliever Huston Street, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Jim Johnson replaced Kevin Gregg as the Orioles' closer late last season, but Rosenthal says the O's prefer Johnson in next year's rotation. There's no harm in inquiring on Street, but in my opinion an $8MM closer is a luxury the Orioles don't need. We'll see whether the Rockies are willing to cover a decent chunk of his contract. Rosenthal suggests Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie as a possible fit for Colorado, though I think Baltimore could trade Guthrie for better long-term assets than Street.
With Rafael Betancourt penciled in to close for the Rockies next year, Street seems widely available. Rosenthal and colleague Jon Paul Morosi first made the Blue Jays connection last week.
Heyman On Brewers, Rangers, Wilson
Albert Pujols will sign a nine-year deal for $220MM, Prince Fielder will sign an eight-year deal for $195MM and Jose Reyes will sign a six-year deal for $120MM, according to Jon Heyman's free agent predictions at SI.com. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors…
- Some Brewers people were a little surprised that both the Red Sox and Cubs had strong interest in Dale Sveum, according to Heyman. Sveum, Milwaukee’s former hitting coach, interviewed with the Red Sox before accepting the Cubs’ offer to manage the team for the next three years.
- Rangers people are saying they aren’t expecting to sign any players to nine-figure deals this offseason, according to Heyman. In other words, Rangers fans probably won't be welcoming Fielder or Pujols to Texas in the near future.
- One offseason focus for the Rangers is an extension for Josh Hamilton, Heyman writes. They signed the outfielder to a two-year deal less than a year ago, but he’s up for free agency after the 2012 campaign.
- The Mets, Dodgers and Braves are among six teams that have shown interest in free agent infielder Jack Wilson, according to Heyman (on Twitter). Wilson, 33, hit .243/.274/.285 for the Mariners and Braves in 2011, appearing at second, short and third.
Added To 40-Man Roster: Giants, Dodgers, Pirates
Today is the deadline for teams to add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from next month's Rule 5 draft. Here's more on which players need to be protected and here are the details on which players have had their contracts selected to the 40-man roster:
- The Giants added Hector Correa, Charlie Culberson, Tyler Graham, Roger Kieschnick, Dan Otero and Angel Villalona to their 40-man roster, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (Twitter links). Baggarly suspects Villalona's inclusion may be a "procedural move," since Villalona still needs a new visa to play in the United States.
- The Dodgers have added Michael Antonini, Alex Castellanos, Stephen Fife, Josh Wall and Chris Withrow to their 40-man roster, according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times (Twitter link).
- The Pirates have announced the additions of Matt Hague, Starling Marte, Jordy Mercer, Rudy Owens, Duke Welker and Justin Wilson to their 40-man roster. Pittsburgh's 40-man roster is now full.
- The Mariners added Chih-Hsien Chang, Francisco Martinez and Carlos Triunfel to the 40-man roster, reports Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Radio Seattle (via Twitter).
- The Angels added Johnny Hellweg, Fabio Martinez, Ariel Pena and Jean Segura to their 40-man roster, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- The Red Sox announced that Drake Britton, Che-Hsuan Lin and Will Middlebrooks were added to the club's 40-man roster.
- The Rangers added pitchers Jacob Brigham, Roman Mendez, Justin Miller, Martin Perez, Neil Ramirez and Matt West to their 40-man roster, reports Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest (via Twitter).
- The Indians announced that Scott Barnes, Juan Diaz and Danny Salazar were added to the team's 40-man roster. The Tribe's roster now has a full complement of 40 players.
- The Cubs announced that Jeff Beliveau, Junior Lake, Matt Szczur and Josh Vitters have been added to the club's 40-man roster.
NL East Links: Hamels, Mets, Marlins, Hanley
A few stray items out of the NL East to share …
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said he's not looking to trade lefty Cole Hamels, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. That Hamels remains unsigned entering his final year of team control is not indicative of the Phillies' plans for him, according to Amaro: "Cole is homegrown," Amaro said. "He's a guy we would like to keep. We're not up against it right now. We have time to deal with it. Cole is a priority, but we have time to deal with it."
- The Mets have commitments from investors to buy roughly seven shares of the franchise at $20MM apiece, a source tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. That's about $140MM of the $200MM the Mets were hoping to raise, although Rubin reports the Mets will be content with what they've sold so far if no further deals come to fruition.
- Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria asserts that he is serious about bidding for high-priced free agents like Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com: "All you have to do is look at (new) ballpark and you won't even ask those questions." However, based on their bid for Pujols, Jon Heyman of SI.com continues to hear that Miami is not considered a serious player for the prize of this offseason's free agent class (via Twitter).
- Also, Loria is confident that shortstop Hanley Ramirez would move to another position if the Marlins were to acquire another shortstop, tweets Rosenthal.
Minor Moves: Wood, Burton, Gonzalez, Buchholz
Moves listed here without specific attribution come from MLB.com's transactions page…
- The Rockies have signed infielder Brandon Wood, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Wood will make $100K over the league minimum if he makes the big league roster, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). Wood, of course, was once a blue-chip prospect with the Angels.
- The Twins have signed right-handers Brendan Wise, Jared Burton, Samuel Deduno and Luis Perdomo, and outfielders Matt Carson and Wilkin Ramirez to Minor League deals, tweets Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune.
- The Padres released second baseman Alberto Gonzalez. San Diego appears to be clearing 40-man roster space in anticipation of next month's Rule 5 draft.
- Right-hander Taylor Buchholz elected free agency. The Mets removed Buchholz from their 40-man roster earlier in the week. He would have earned roughly $1.2MM in 2012 had the Mets retained him through arbitration. Earlier in the week GM Sandy Alderson was unsure if anxiety and depression would prevent Buchholz from pitching in 2012.
- The Angels released right-hander Anthony Ortega.
Murphy Available; Mets Considered Street & Chavez
Mets GM Sandy Alderson says the team isn’t close to completing any deals, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Here are updates on some potential moves for the team…
- Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com hears the Mets informed other teams that Daniel Murphy is available. While many players are available in the right move at this time of year, this indicates that the Mets are willing to listen on the versatile 26-year-old.
- The Mets and Rockies briefly discussed a deal involving Huston Street and Mike Pelfrey, but the Mets don’t seem too excited about the possibility of acquiring Street, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). Street and current Mets bench coach Bob Geren had trouble getting along when they were both with the Athletics.
- The Mets are open to bringing Endy Chavez back to New York and they have had preliminary discussions about a deal with agent Peter Greenberg, according to Martino.
NL East Notes: Marlins, Mets, Francisco, Nats, Braves
Manager Ozzie Guillen says the Marlins are "dead serious" about making a splash in free agency this offseason, and he's not alone. According to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (Twitter link), Marlins president David Samson said that, this winter, "the poachee is becoming the poacher." I think we've found our tagline for the hypothetical Miami Marlins movie. Here are a few more notes on the Marlins' division rivals:
- The Mets and Frank Francisco's representatives met today, tweets Newsday's Ken Davidoff. GM Sandy Alderson also said that bringing back Jason Isringhausen is possible, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
- The Nationals don't expect to be in on Ryan Madson or any of the other big-name closers on the market, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. "We have a big closer already," said GM Mike Rizzo, referring to Drew Storen. "Anything can happen. But we like where our bullpen is at. Can we improve the bullpen? Certainly, we could improve the bullpen. But we're really satisfied that we have three guys who are very young, very controllable, very talented."
- Rizzo also told Kilgore (Twitter link) that there's more trade interest in his players this year than at most previous GM meetings.
- The Braves have added three minor league pitchers to their 40-man roster, protecting them from the upcoming Rule 5 draft, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
Minor Moves: Kimball, Corporan, Rottino, Pascucci
Today's minor moves…
- The Twins re-signed left-hander Phil Dumatrait, according to the Sosnick Cobbe Twitter page. Dumatrait appeared in 45 games for the Twins last season, posting a 3.92 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9.
- The Blue Jays claimed right-hander Cole Kimball off of waivers from Washington, according to the Nationals' official Twitter feed. Meanwhile, the Nats outrighted outfielder Corey Brown to Triple-A Syracuse.
- Astros catcher Carlos Corporan cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City, tweets Alyson Footer of the Astros. Corporan has the right to elect free agency due to previously being outrighted.
- The Mets signed catcher/left fielder/first baseman Vinny Rottino and first baseman/DH Val Pascucci to minor league deals, reports ESPN's Adam Rubin. Both players saw their first big league action in several years in 2011.
- Eric Duncan, drafted in the first round by the Yankees in 2003, has signed with the Royals, tweets Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus. The 26-year-old played mostly first base, second base, and left field this year for the Cardinals' Double-A affiliate, hitting .274/.322/.527 in 385 plate appearances.
- The White Sox re-signed Leyson Septimo, tweets Goldstein. The Sox claimed the hard-throwing 26-year-old southpaw off waivers from Arizona in June but removed him from their 40-man roster in October.
- The Giants signed center fielder Gregor Blanco, according to his agency (via Matt Eddy of Baseball America on Twitter). The 27-year-old spent the year with the Triple-A affiliates of the Nationals and Royals, hitting .201/.350/.327 in 252 plate appearances.
- The Phillies acquired righty Adam Worthington from the Diamondbacks to complete the September Mike Zagurski trade, tweets Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Worthington, 24, posted a 4.48 ERA, 10.0 K/9, 4.6 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 62 1/3 High-A relief innings this year.
- The Yankees signed lefty reliever Mike O'Connor, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. The 31-year-old appeared briefly in the Majors for the Mets this year, also posting a 5.22 ERA, 9.8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, and 1.0 HR/9 in 60 1/3 Triple-A innings.