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A’s, Joey Devine Avoid Arbitration

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The A's announced that they agreed to a one-year contract with Joey Devine, avoiding arbitration. The 27-year-old right-hander missed each of the last two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery last April.

Devine posted a 0.59 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 45 2/3 innings in 2008, when he finished sixth in AL Rookie of the Year balloting. In 65 1/3 career innings, he has a 2.48 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9. He earned $558K in 2010 and is set to earn $560K next year, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).

The A's now have five remaining arbitration eligible players: Dallas Braden, Craig Breslow, Conor Jackson, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Brad Ziegler.

Athletics Close To Deal With Brandon McCarthy

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The Athletics are close to a deal with righty Brandon McCarthy, reports ESPN's Buster Olney.  On Tuesday, Olney reported that McCarthy was considering a serious offer from Oakland.  Olney also notes that the A's are close with Hideki Matsui, which we've read previously.

McCarthy, 27, posted a 3.36 ERA, 7.0 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, and 1.3 HR/9 in 56 1/3 Triple-A innings this year.  He tossed 119 innings between the Majors and minors in 2009.  He has a history of shoulder injuries, but the A's, Astros, Diamondbacks, Brewers, Padres, Mariners, and Tigers showed interest after he became a free agent.  McCarthy was reportedly scouted heavily in the Dominican Winter League.

 

Athletics, Hideki Matsui Could Be Close To Agreement

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MONDAY, 6:54am: Slusser writes that "the deal might be finalized today, with a news conference likely to be held Tuesday if the details are finalized in time."  SI's Jon Heyman believes a deal would be for around $7MM a year.

SUNDAY, 10:46pm: Slusser says that even though Matsui has not yet visited Oakland, the A's are the front runner to sign him with no close second. She's heard about a possible one-year, $5MM contract, but believes that might be low given the two-year, $16MM offer they made to Berkman.

9:35pm: Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle says that the two sides could reach an agreement as early as this week (Twitter links). She adds that Arn Tellem, Matsui's agent, wanted to get proposals this weekend with a decision to follow.

8:10pm: The Athletics could be close to an agreement with Hideki Matsui, tweets Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group. Oakland has had trouble getting free agents to take their money this offseason, most notably getting spurned by Adrian Beltre and Lance Berkman.

Matsui has been connected to the A's pretty much all offseason. The 2009 World Series MVP hit .274/.361/.459 with 21 homers for the Angels this past season, though he was much more impressive after the calendar flipped to June (.300/.392/.498). The 36-year-old Matsui could slot right in at DH for Oakland, though he did make 18 appearances in the outfield in 2010. 

Six Teams Interested In Derrek Lee

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The Orioles, Athletics, Blue Jays, Padres, Nationals, and Diamondbacks have all expressed interest in free agent first baseman Derrek Lee according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter). We've heard that Lee wouldn't mind playing for Arizona, and the interest from the O's and A's is nothing new. Heyman reiterated the D'Backs interest in Xavier Nady as well.

Lee, 35, had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb after the season. He's expressed a desire to join a playoff club for 2011, but calling any of those six teams a contender would be generous. D'Backs GM Kevin Towers was the Padres GM when Lee broke in with the team in 1997, and the running theme of the offseason has been Towers bringing some of his former players to Arizona. Nady obviously fits the bill as well.

I examined Lee's free agent stock back in October.

Latest On Athletics Designated Hitter Search

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5:36pm: The A's are confident they can sign Matsui, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).

2:32pm: This morning, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle posted the latest on the Athletics' search for a designated hitter:

  • Vladimir Guerrero is now open to a one-year deal with any AL West team.  The Mariners are probably not a match given the Jack Cust signing, and the Angels probably aren't planning a reunion, so this news really only affects the Athletics.  Meanwhile, the Rangers still consider Vlad their best DH option and are optimistic about a deal according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
  • The A's still have Hideki Matsui atop their list, though he's drawn interest from the Orioles and possibly Rangers.
  • Nick Johnson, said to be fully recovered from wrist surgery, is also in the mix for Oakland. 

Odds & Ends: Iwakuma, Heisey, White Sox, Feliciano

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One year ago today, the Yankees, Tigers and Diamondbacks finalized the trade that sent Curtis Granderson to New York, Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy to Arizona and Max Scherzer and Austin Jackson to Detroit. As we await this year's answer to that 2009 blockbuster, here are some links to enjoy…

  • Phil Coke, who was also in that trade, is set to move to the Tigers' rotation, but Detroit isn't desperate for left-handed relief help. Daniel Schlereth, yet another product of the trade, could be a cog in the Tigers' 'pen, so they're showing limited interest in free agents like J.C. Romero and Ron Mahay, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.
  • The agent for Hisashi Iwakuma, Don Nomura, told the Associated Press (via ESPN) that the A's showed no respect for his client in their recent negotiations. The agent is clearly frustrated by what he perceives to be a lack of sincerity from Oakland.
  • The D'Backs have some interest in outfielder Chris Heisey, but have yet to approach the Reds about him, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
  • The Phillies are still interested in a potential deal with Chad Durbin, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams tells Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that his team is "about tapped out" in terms of payroll flexibility (Twitter link).
  • The Indians officially announced their minor league deal with Paul Phillips today.
  • The Yankees met with Pedro Feliciano's representatives today, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff (on Twitter).

Phillies Close To Deal With Dennys Reyes?

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1:22pm: The Phillies have offers out to Reyes and Sherrill, tweets Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly, but it looks like Sherrill might be headed elsewhere.  The Phils are "very close" with Reyes, tweets Salisbury. 

12:46pm: The Phillies are very close to a one-year deal with a club option with Reyes, tweets Rojas.

WEDNESDAY, 11:45am: The Phillies are not close to signing Reyes and have yet to make a formal offer, reports Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News.  Word is they're not close on any reliever right now.

TUESDAY, 4:27pm: Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears that Reyes will sign with the Phillies (Twitter link).

2:34pm: Reyes could sign within the next 48 hours, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, probably deciding between the Phillies and Marlins.  The Mariners and Athletics are also in on Reyes, tweets John Hickey of AOL Fanhouse.

12:14pm: The agent for lefty Dennys Reyes, Oscar Suarez, is meeting with the Phillies today, tweets ESPN's Enrique Rojas.  Suarez says at least five to six teams are interested.

The Phillies could be a match for lefty George Sherrill; Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun says they're considered the favorite by most in the industry.

Scott Boras Holds Court

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Agent Scott Boras is holding court at the Winter Meetings; here's the latest.

Athletics Targeting Premium Relievers

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The Athletics still have money to spend after their attempts to sign Adrian Beltre and Hisashi Iwakuma fell through, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, and they're now targeting premium relievers in addition to outfield/designated hitter types.

Rosenthal feels that someone like Scott Downs could work, with Oakland's first-round pick protected.  Most top relievers remain unsigned, including Rafael Soriano, Bobby Jenks, Brian Fuentes, Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, and Koji Uehara.

Heyman’s Latest: Vlad, Thome, Molina, Mets

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SI.com's Jon Heyman brings us some updates from around the league, via Twitter:

  • Vladimir Guerrero's main suitors appear to be the Rangers, Orioles, and Athletics. Only the Orioles have a set option at designated hitter of that bunch, in Luke Scott. He can man first base, however, and his name has popped up in trade rumors from time to time.
  • Heyman lists the same suitors for another DH candidate — Jim Thome. In a separate tweet, Heyman agrees with this report that the Twins are a possible landing spot as well.
  • Bengie Molina is now "on the fence" about playing in 2011. Heyman says the veteran backstop could sit out for a year and then return in 2012.
  • The Mets prefer Chris Young to Jeff Francis, as Young is said to be willing to accept a guaranteed salary of around $2MM. Francis, according to Heyman, is looking for a guarantee between $4MM and $5MM.
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