Olney On Upton, Pettitte, Wright
The center field market will be shaped in part by B.J. Upton’s deal with Atlanta, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney wrote today. Here are more notes from Olney’s column, starting with Upton…
- The Braves signed Upton to a franchise record five-year, $75.25MM contract despite some warning signs that other organizations had identified, Olney writes. Upton has a declining on-base percentage and a bat that can be inconsistent. However, one of Olney's sources praised the deal. "He is the most talented player in the free agent market and somebody I think will age well," the person said.
- The conversations about a 2013 contract between the Yankees and Andy Pettitte started at the GM Meetings earlier this month, agent Jim Murray told Olney. “We worked on it between then and now, talking fairly frequently," Murray said. Pettitte signed a one-year, $12MM contract yesterday.
- Agents and executives agree that David Wright will take the Mets’ extension offer, Olney reports. It would be difficult to decline such a proposal, since there’s no guarantee he’d have similar long-term offers a year from now. MLBTR rounded up the latest on Wright earlier today. It appears the Mets have offered him $124MM for seven seasons starting in 2014.
Pirates, Yankees Pursuing Russell Martin
9:14pm: The Pirates originally offered Martin a two-year contract according to George A. King III of The New York Post, but they've since increased the offer to three years and upwards of $22MM. Meanwhile, Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports the Pirates never made an offer as high as $25MM.
3:08pm: Martin sees potential in the Pirates and has a favorable opinion of manager Clint Hurdle, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (all Twitter links). One executive believes the dynamic between the Pirates and Yankees would get interesting if the Pirates offered Martin a three-year, $24MM contract. Other teams remain in the mix on Martin.
8:15am: The Pirates appear to be making a serious attempt to sign free agent catcher Russell Martin, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Though the Rangers and Mariners are also suitors for Martin, he will likely choose between the Yankees and Pirates. The decision could occur before next week’s Winter Meetings, as Martin is expected to choose within several days.
The Pirates might out-bid the Yankees for Martin, Heyman reports. Pittsburgh could offer $25MM over three years, but the Yankees don’t appear to be in that range. It appears that the Yankees are offering a two-year deal, though if they sweeten their offer in terms of years or salary, that could be enough to bring Martin back to New York.
Andrew Marchand reported yesterday that Martin seeks a four-year deal worth $9-10MM per season.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Yankees Designate Eli Whiteside For Assignment
The Yankees announced that they designated catcher Eli Whiteside for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for Andy Pettitte.
The Yankees avoided arbitration with Whiteside just two days ago, agreeing to terms on a $625K contract for 2013. The Yankees guaranteed Whiteside $200K of that sum, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).
Whiteside appeared in 12 games with the Giants this past season and played another 60 contests with San Francisco's Triple-A affiliate. In parts of five seasons at the MLB level, the 33-year-old has a .215/.273/.335 batting line. He had been a non-tender candidate with a projected salary of $600K. Be sure to check out MLBTR's Non-Tender Tracker for the status of arbitration eligible players.
Yankees To Sign Andy Pettitte
The Yankees announced that they have signed Andy Pettitte to a one-year, Major League contract. Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, who first reported the deal, adds that it's worth $12MM (on Twitter). The contract also includes $2.5MM in awards bonuses according to Mark Feinsand of The New York Daily News (on Twitter). Excel Sports Management now represents the 40-year-old left-hander.
Pettitte pitched well in 12 regular season starts this past season before making two quality starts in the postseason. He posted a 2.87 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 56.3% ground ball rate in 75 1/3 regular season innings in 2012, while earning $2.5MM.
The Yankees' rotation now looks considerably stronger than it did earlier in the month. They recently signed Hiroki Kuroda, who joins C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova in the team's rotation. David Phelps and even Michael Pineda could also contribute as starters.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney first reported the sides were nearing a deal. Mike Axisa contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of US Presswire.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Mauer, Reynolds
A look at the latest out of the American League East..
- We learned earlier today that the Yankees have not had serious talks with Ichiro Suzuki yet about a possible return and Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News adds that the club has yet to make an offer to any position player.
- The Red Sox inquired on Joe Mauer in September, October, and November and were repeatedly told by the Twins that he would not be traded, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB.com. If the Twins did have a change of heart, they would still have to work around the catcher’s full no-trade clause.
- The Orioles have had absolutely zero talks with Mark Reynolds on a new deal for next year, tweets Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com. Meanwhile, Executive Vice President Dan Duquette says that they’ll be exploring a new deal with him between now and Friday, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter).
Yankees, Andy Pettitte Nearing Deal
7:28pm: Pettitte has committed to playing next year but no deal has been reached yet between the pitcher and the Yankees, a source told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
7:20am: Andy Pettitte is close to formally announcing he's going to pitch again in 2013, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports. Furthermore, the free agent left-hander is close to finishing a new contract with the Yankees, according to Olney. The deal is expected to be worth a bit more than $10MM, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests the deal will likely be for $10-11MM (Twitter link).
Pettitte, who is now represented by Excel Sports Management, pitched well in 12 regular season starts this past season before making two quality starts in the postseason. He posted a 2.87 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 56.3% ground ball rate in 75 1/3 regular season innings in 2012, while earning $2.5MM.
If the Yankees complete a deal with Pettitte, their rotation will look considerably stronger than it did earlier in the month. They have also signed Hiroki Kuroda, who joins C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova in the team's rotation. David Phelps and even Michael Pineda could also contribute as starters.
New York Notes: Dickey, Wright, Martin, Ichiro
It's been a busy baseball day in New York, as the Mets made David Wright a nine-figure contract offer while the Yankees moved closer to re-signing Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera. Here's the latest out of the Big Apple…
- "Negotiations are progressing, that's all I can really say about it," said R.A. Dickey when asked about contract talks with the Mets during an appearance on ESPN's Mike & Mike (audio link). The knuckleballer admitted to being loyal to the club since they gave him a chance when others passed.
- David Lennon of Newsday says (on Twitter) it appears the Mets want to sign Wright to a new contract before wrapping things up with Dickey.
- Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York hears Russell Martin is seeking a four-year contract worth $9-10MM annually (Twitter link). He doesn't believe the Yankees will go that far.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post reports (on Twitter) the Yankees are not having serious talks with Ichiro Suzuki at this time.
Yankees, Rivera Could Complete Deal This Week
The Yankees are optimistic about completing a deal for Mariano Rivera this week, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The free agent reliever would likely earn more than Andy Pettitte, who is expected to return on a one-year deal worth $10-11MM. Joel Sherman of the New York Post and Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com also say the Yankees are optimistic about signing their longtime closer this week (Twitter links).
Rivera, who turns 43 this week, appeared in just nine games before tearing his ACL in May. He considered retirement after his two-year, $30MM contract expired before deciding to return. Rivera, the all-time leader in saves, has remained effective beyond his 40th birthday. He posted a 1.87 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 from 2010-12, his age 40, 41 and 42 seasons. Rivera is an SFX client.
East Links: Pettitte, Yankees, Upton
Rosters and Rumblings, a new podcast featuring MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith and Jason Martinez of MLB Depth Charts, debuted today. Check out the inaugural episode for discussion of Evan Longoria’s new deal, Jonathan Broxton’s contract talks with the Reds and B.J. Upton’s impact on the NL East. Speaking of the baseball's eastern divisions, here are some links…
- Andy Pettitte still hasn't divulged whether or not he'll pitch in 2013, but he told Jack Curry of the YES Network via text message that a decision was coming soon (Twitter link). Curry adds that he thinks Pettitte will return to pitch for the Yankees.
- The Yankees have hired former Major League manager and Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin as a scout, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
- B.J. Upton's interest in the Braves "seemed to soar" following his meeting with GM Frank Wren, manager Fredi Gonzalez and future Hall of Famer Bobby Cox two weeks ago, writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
Pirates, Mariners Interested In Russell Martin
Free agent catcher Russell Martin is receiving significant interest from the Pirates and Mariners, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Yankees remain the favorites to sign Martin, but it appears that they'll have to duke it out with the Bucs and M's in addition to the Rangers.
Interest from the Pirates and Mariners makes sense as Pittsburgh has a glaring need at the position while the Mariners are looking for offense at a variety of spots, including catcher. The Mariners have Jesus Montero and John Jaso, but Montero is likely to see more time at DH next season.
Rosenthal writes that the Rangers in particular pose a significant threat to the cost-conscious Yankees who are looking to get under the $189MM luxury tax threshold by 2014. However, the Bombers might be willing to stretch for Martin if it requires about $2MM more than they would like to spend.