Quick Hits: Wagner, Andruw, Chavez, Upton
One year ago today, the Angels signed Joel Pineiro to a two-year, $16MM deal. Yesterday, the Twins agreed to a similar deal with a similar pitcher: Carl Pavano. Here are today's links…
- Billy Wagner is on the Braves' 40-man roster, but the lefty is going to retire as planned, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains.
- Agent Scott Boras and Yankees GM Brian Cashman had a long meeting about Andruw Jones yesterday, but the sides are still apart on money, Jack Curry of the YES Network reports (on Twitter). Jones appeared to be nearing a deal with the Yankees earlier in the week.
- Eric Chavez worked out for the Dodgers today, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. The Mariners and Blue Jays have also been linked to the six-time Gold Glover and Gurnick says the White Sox and Yankees are potential suitors for Chavez.
- B.J. Upton told Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times that he would consider signing a long-term deal in Tampa Bay if the Rays approached him about one. The center fielder signed a one-year deal earlier in the week, avoiding arbitration.
Yankees Notes: Cashman, Pettitte, Damon
Brian Cashman's admission that he wasn't in favor of the Rafael Soriano signing has generated almost as much buzz as the signing itself. Here's the latest on that controversy and some other Yankee-related items…
- The Soriano negotiations were handled by Hal Steinbrenner and Randy Levine, reports MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. In spite of this split of opinion over the reliever, Levine still called Cashman "the best general manager in the game."
- Cashman's decision to go public with his disagreements "were a sign of larger disputes within the Yankee front office," says CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler. Sources in the Yankee organization tell Knobler that ownership wasn't pleased with recent Cashman acquisitions like Randy Winn, Javier Vazquez and Nick Johnson.
- Cashman deserves respect for sticking to his principles, writes ESPNNewYork.com's Wallace Matthews, but the general manager was wrong in his belief that signing Soriano wasn't worthwhile.
- New York's negotiations with Andruw Jones are being led by Cashman and his baseball operations team, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney, so the Soriano signing could just be an "isolated case" of ownership getting involved.
- In another Bryan Hoch piece, Joe Girardi revealed that Andy Pettitte is training to "get into baseball shape" in case the southpaw decides to pitch in 2011. Cashman said the decision is solely up to Pettitte and the club won't try to woo him into a return.
- Johnny Damon is still drawing some interest from the Yankees, in part because the team thinks Damon could help getting A.J. Burnett back in form, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. Heyman notes that the Yankees can't offer Damon the playing time that he could find with the Angels and Rays.
Yankees, Carl Pavano Considered Deal
2:39pm: ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Yankees would have signed Pavano only if they were able to work out a sign-and-trade that would have saved their first round draft pick. Pavano is a Type A free agent and would have required such compensation.
11:58am: Pavano seriously considered returning to the Yankees, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Yankees explored a one-year, high-salary deal with Pavano before the Twins offered a second year.
10:43am: The Yankees paid Carl Pavano $39.95MM from 2005-08 and got 26 total appearances from the right-hander, who made annual trips to the 60-day DL. But Pavano's first stint in New York didn't stop the team from considering him this offseason. GM Brian Cashman told reporters, including Peter Botte of the New York Daily News, that the club had "several discussions" with agent Tom O'Connell, who represents the 35-year-old (Twitter link).
Pavano, who is 'very close' to a deal with the Twins, has rebounded from his four seasons in the Bronx. He has a 4.39 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 420 1/3 innings since the beginning of the 2009 campaign.
Quick Hits: Bradley, Reds, Perez, Yankees
On this date in 2010, Bengie Molina signed a one-year deal with San Francisco. The Giants sent the backstop to their eventual World Series opponents once Buster Posey forced his way into an everyday role. Now, Molina is the lone noteworthy free agent catcher remaining and he's without an obvious suitor. Here's the latest from around the major leagues…
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told MLB.com's Greg Johns that he is aware that Milton Bradley was arrested and is monitoring the situation as he awaits more information.
- A baseball insider tells John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that the Reds can't afford a $20MM player. That could make it difficult for the club to retain Joey Votto and Jay Bruce when their current extensions expire.
- Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com hears that Odalis Perez is nearing a $300K deal with a Korean team (Twitter link). The 32-year-old left-hander last appeared in the majors for the 2008 Nationals, when he posted a 4.34 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 159 2/3 innings.
- The Yankees appear to be focused on Andruw Jones, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggests it's too early to rule them out on another Scott Boras client, Johnny Damon (Twitter link).
Yankees, Andruw Jones Nearing Deal
TUESDAY, 9:08pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the two sides are not far apart, and it's possible that they'll be able to close the deal tomorrow. Scott Boras will be at Yankee Stadium for Rafael Soriano's introductory press conference in the morning.
MONDAY, 12:18pm: The Yankees are nearing a one-year deal with Andruw Jones, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported earlier today that the Yankees were balking at Jones' current asking price and maintained interest in Johnny Damon. Scott Boras represents Damon and Jones.
The Yankees were looking for an outfielder who can hit lefties and can handle left and center field. Outfielders Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner both bat from the left side, so Jones, a right-handed hitter, could spell them against tough southpaws. He has an .863 OPS against lefties in his career, including a .931 mark in 2010. The 33-year-old hit 19 homers for the White Sox last year, playing all three outfield positions.
The Rays had interest in Jones, but ranked him behind other free agents, according to Rosenthal. The Braves and Rockies also showed some interest in Jones this offseason.
Yankees Sign Rafael Soriano
The Yankees have signed Rafael Soriano to a three-year contract, the team announced today. The deal is believed to be worth $35MM over three years, and will allow the player to opt out after either of the first two years.The Scott Boras client will make $11.5MM if he opts out after year one and $21.5MM if he opts out after year two. The contract does not include a no-trade clause.
The deal comes just days after GM Brian Cashman said that he would not surrender his first round pick to sign a free agent. The Rays will receive New York's first round pick (31st overall) as well as a supplemental first round pick as compensation for their loss.
The 31-year-old Soriano was the top closer on the market, but he's going to have to serve as Mariano Rivera's setup man with the Yankees. He pitched to a 1.73 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and just 2.0 BB/9 in 62.1 innings last year, the second straight season he's avoided the disabled list. He's battled elbow trouble in the past, including Tommy John surgery back in 2004. Over the last four seasons, Soriano has struck out 9.8 batters per nine innings while walking 2.7 per nine. Although his home run rate has improved in recent years (0.7 HR/9 since 2008), he's an extreme fly ball pitcher (just 31% ground balls in his career). That could give him some problems in hitter friendly Yankee Stadium.
At an $11.67MM average annual value, Soriano will be the fifth highest paid reliever in baseball, trailing only Rivera, Brad Lidge, Francisco Rodriguez, and Joe Nathan. Jonathan Papelbon's eventual 2011 salary could also factor into that equation soon enough. It's a healthy raise from the $7.5MM Soriano earned in 2010, which came after he accepted the Braves offer of arbitration last offseason. With Billy Wagner already on board, it pushed Atlanta to trade him to Tampa.
SI.com's Jon Heyman adds that the Yankees still have about $20MM to spend before they hit their 2011 payroll limit (Twitter link). That's plenty for a right-handed outfield bat and starting pitching, even if they wait for a salary dump situation to arise during the season.
Heyman originally reported the agreement (all Twitter links). ESPN's Buster Olney and Tyler Kepner of The New York Times added details (Twitter links).
Teams Continue To Search For Pitching
Teams are still hunting for pitching even as the free agent pool continues to shrink. The Padres, Cardinals, Pirates and Mets are looking for arms, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick notes that the Rays and Nationals have not stopped shopping, either (Twitter link).
Two AL East clubs, the Orioles and Yankees have some interest in Freddy Garcia, according to Heyman.
Over in the NL East, the Nationals and Mets have made progress on deals for pitchers today. The Nationals are set to acquire Tom Gorzelanny from the Cubs and the Mets are nearing a deal with Chris Young.
AL East Links: Pettitte, Cashman, Chavez, Red Sox
The latest on the AL East, as teams turn their attention to arbitration eligible players and possible bargains on the free agent market…
- A Yankees source told Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com that the team's optimism about Andy Pettitte's potential return has diminished in the past week. The team has been in touch with Pettitte, but they aren't counting on him to return.
- Despite the suggestion that the Yankees' deal with Rafael Soriano was ownership-driven, the Yankees have "full confidence" in GM Brian Cashman, a senior Yankees executive told Matthews. We heard over the weekend that Cashman has full backing from the Steinbrenner family.
- Blue Jays manager John Farrell confirmed to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm that the Blue Jays are interested in Eric Chavez. Farrell says he heard good things about the third baseman, who worked out for the Blue Jays recently.
- Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe suggests we'll see a flurry of signings today, since teams would prefer not to exchange figures with their arbitration eligible players. Jonathan Papelbon and Jacoby Ellsbury are Boston's unsigned arbitration eligible players.
Olney On Sizemore, Jones, Votto, Pujols
Grady Sizemore tells ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that it's "miserable" to have to sit and watch others play. The center fielder, who is on track to be ready for Opening Day after microfracture knee surgery, says he can't wait to return to the playing field. Here are Olney’s thoughts on Sizemore, plus rumors from around the league:
- Sizemore’s contract includes an $8.5MM option for 2012, so within a year the Indians will have to decide whether to exercise the option, let him hit free agency or trade him.
- The Yankees are the frontrunners for Andruw Jones, Olney reports (on Twitter).
- Joey Votto’s three-year, $38MM extension makes sense for both sides, in Olney’s opinion.
- It’s apparent that talks between the Cardinals and Albert Pujols “are not going as smoothly as the Cardinals want,” Olney writes. Click here to vote on Pujols’ future in St. Louis.
Cafardo’s Latest: Bonderman, Pettitte, Pavano, Bautista
Despite their impressive offseason, the Red Sox will still need some luck at a couple positions, says Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Cafardo leads this week's column by discussing the production the Red Sox hope to receive behind the plate and from their left-handed relievers. Here are the rest of the items of interest from the piece:
- Jeremy Bonderman is still looking to land a spot at the back of a rotation, and is drawing "minor interest" from the Rangers and Cardinals. The Yankees, whose interest in Bonderman we heard about earlier this month, have also been in touch with the right-hander's representation.
- Someone "close to" Andy Pettitte told Cafardo that he would be shocked if we've seen the last of the left-hander in the bigs. The longtime Yankee won't start the 2011 season with the club, but hasn't officially announced any plans to retire.
- There has been a "strange silence" surrounding Carl Pavano's situation over the last week, but Cafardo suggests that since Pavano definitely wants to remain a Twin, there's no urgency to act quickly.
- According to Cafardo, Jose Bautista would prefer to play right field rather than third base for the Blue Jays this season. Where Bautista ends up on the field may hinge on whether the Jays add another bat.