Athletics Rumors

Aroldis Chapman Rumors: Friday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 8, 2010 at 7:30pm CDT

7:30pm: ESPN's Jorge Arangure says (via Twitter) that if the Yankees don't sign Chapman, he'd be willing to bet that it has more to do with makeup than money.

5:49pm: Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com tweets that the Reds are in on Chapman, however the Jays remain the favorite. In a second tweet, Rosenthal mentions that Toronto has money to spend after sending Scott Rolen, Alex Rios, and Roy Halladay packing.

4:00pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets that the Blue Jays have a "decent shot" at signing Chapman, now that they appear to have bid over $20MM. He names the Nationals, Marlins, Red Sox, A's and Angels as potential players for the prospect.

12:11pm: As the Aroldis Chapman sweepstakes continue, at least one outlet is reporting that the Blue Jays have made the left-hander a considerable offer. Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald reports that the Jays offered Chapman a $23MM deal (click here for the Miami-based paper's original Spanish story and here for some Drunk Jays Fans analysis).

Ebro reports that the Marlins raised their offer to $16MM, but have now conceded defeat. Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reported yesterday that the Marlins did not expect to sign Chapman. That leaves the Angels, Red Sox and Blue Jays in pursuit of the Cuban prospect.

A’s Sign Lenny DiNardo

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 8, 2010 at 3:25pm CDT

The A's signed lefty Lenny DiNardo to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. DiNardo, a "popular guy" in the clubhouse, returns to the A's after spending last year in Kansas City.

The 30-year-old pitched for the A's in 2007-08 and had his most successful major league stint in Oakland. He managed a 4.61 ERA in 154.1 innings over the course of his two seasons by the Bay. The A's will be able to retain DiNardo as an arbitration-eligible player after next season if they so choose, since he won't have enough service time to file for free agency.

Not only did the A's sign DiNardo today, they lost Jay Marshall to the Mets on waivers and designated Tommy Everidge for assignment. Click here for more on which infielders the A's are pursuing.

Mets Claim Jay Marshall From A’s

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 8, 2010 at 2:59pm CDT

The Mets claimed lefty Jay Marshall off waivers from the A's today, according to Lisa Winston of MLB.com. The reliever, who turns 27 next month, has allowed 63 hits and 22 walks in 49.1 big league innings, striking out 19 for a 7.66 ERA. He appeared in ten games for the A's in 2009, allowing 12 runs in 7.1 innings.

Marshall's numbers were markedly better in Triple A last year, where he posted a 3.20 ERA in 50 appearances.

Infield Options For The A’s

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 8, 2010 at 2:04pm CDT

2:04pm: Tejada told a Spanish-speaking AP reporter that he's willing to play any infield position, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com. Arangure Jr. cites Tejada's road numbers (.283/.313/.395) and fading defense and suggests that the infielder will have to accept a one-year deal with a low annual salary.

12:50pm: Slusser now says Tejada's representatives contacted the A's, not the other way around. The chances of a reunion don't sound great.

She says the A's inquired on Andy LaRoche a while ago, only to hear that the Pirates wanted Ryan Sweeney and Gio Gonzalez in return. Slusser suggests the A's would like to acquire a high-quality young infielder to play third or short. Failing that, the team could turn to a bargain free agent.

11:42am: The A's would consider adding an infielder who can play third base, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Two of the options they're considering are former A's Miguel Tejada and Adam Kennedy. The A's have contacted Tejada's agent and the sides could work a deal out if Tejada lowers his asking price.

After hitting .315/.340/.455, Tejada may be reluctant to sign at a discount and is apparently looking for a two-year $16MM offer. The Twins and Orioles are possible fits for the former AL MVP.

The A's also like Kennedy, but would prefer to add a player with experience at short. The infielder, who turns 34 this weekend, hit .289/.348/.410 in nearly 600 plate appearances last year. His defense was below average at second and third, according to UZR/150. We heard earlier in the week that Kennedy was Plan D or E for the A's.

A’s DFA Tommy Everidge

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 8, 2010 at 1:40pm CDT

The A's designated first baseman Tommy Everidge for assignment today, according to beat reporter Mychael Urban (via Twitter). The 26-year-old hit .224/.302/.365 in 97 major league plate appearances last year. He has a more impressive minor league line, however. In parts of six seasons, Everidge hit .280/.355/.471. He lit the upper minors up last year (.958 OPS), so he does have some offensive potential.

The A's made the move to clear a roster spot for Jack Cust, according to Lisa Winston of MLB.com.

Olney On Holliday, Valverde, Cust, Branyan

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 8, 2010 at 9:27am CDT

ESPN.com's Buster Olney argues that baseball writers shouldn't decide who makes it into the Hall of Fame. After explaining why he'd prefer to see the Hall of Fame appoint its own panel, Olney turns up some rumors from around the league. Here they are:

One MLB official says the Matt Holliday deal may end up as "one of the worst deals in major league history" because the Cardinals were apparently bidding against themselves.
Olney hears from negotiators who believe the Cards should have lowered their offer considerably once the Mets signed Jason Bay.
Jose Valverde is asking for $8MM per season and wants to be a closer. As Olney points out, the Pirates and Marlins are not likely to match Valverde's asking price unless he lowers it. The Tigers have been cost-conscious this offseason, but they could use an accomplished reliever.
Olney says it's clear that Billy Beane and the A's value Jack Cust "in a way that many other teams do not."
Executives around the league are concerned about Russell Branyan's back. The 34-year-old slugged 31 homers last year, though he didn't play after August.

Red Sox Sign Adrian Beltre

By Tim Dierkes | January 7, 2010 at 4:46pm CDT

Adrian Beltre left one defense-oriented team for another today and signed with the Red Sox. When he signed a five-year $64MM deal with the Mariners in 2004, Beltre was coming off a 48 homer season. Last year, he hit just eight homers, but his well-deserved reputation as one of the game's elite defenders earned him $9MM for the upcoming season and the chance to make even more in 2011.

Beltre, 31 in April, will earn a $7MM salary in 2010, in addition to a $2MM signing bonus. He has a player option for 2011 that's worth at least $5MM and will reach $10MM if Beltre makes 640 plate appearances this season. There's also a $1MM buy-out for 2011. It's not a lot of guaranteed money, but Beltre and agent Scott Boras could lobby for a long-term deal if Beltre re-establishes his offensive value in Fenway Park this year.

Jon Heyman tweeted that Beltre was close to a deal with the Red Sox and Buster Onley tweeted some details of the agreement before Tim Brown of Yahoo tweeted that Beltre had "reached an agreement" with the Red Sox. Peter Gammons, Peter Abraham, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, WEEI's Rob Bradford and Alex Speier followed up with the details.

According to the Boston Herald's John Tomase, Beltre turned down both a three-year and four-year deal in order to sign with the Red Sox. Rosenthal says Beltre turned down a pair of three-year, $24MM offers this offseason, apparently from the Phillies and A's. We'll see if he ultimately beats that amount over 2010-12.

The Mariners obtain a supplementary rounder in next year's draft for losing Beltre, who turned down their offer of arbitration.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

A’s Agree To Sign Jack Cust

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 7, 2010 at 2:19pm CDT

The A's will re-sign Jack Cust to a one-year deal worth 2.65MM plus $350K in incentives based on plate appearances. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported the agreement and Jon Heyman of SI.com and Slusser added the specifics. The A's non-tendered Cust last month, and after Cust attracted some interest from teams such as the Giants, the A's brought him back.

Though he did play 51 games in the outfield last year, Cust has been consistently bad on defense in his career, according to UZR. But the A's aren't signing him for his defense. Cust, who turns 31 this month, has hit at least 25 homers each of the last three seasons for the A's. He has slugged .462 over the course of that three-year period, though his isolated power – the difference between his slugging and batting averages – dropped to .177 last year.

The A's, who added Jake Fox earlier in the offseason, seemed ready to move on without Cust when they non-tendered him. Cust made $2.8MM last year, so their new deal will keep him around for less guaranteed money than he was making in 2009 and, presumably, less than he would have made had the club offered arbitration. The A's will be able to retain Cust in 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player, since he won't have enough service time to file for free agency.

Odds & Ends: Epstein, Cards, Contracts, Greene

By Tim Dierkes | January 7, 2010 at 10:25am CDT

Links for a snowy Thursday…

MLB.com's Lyle Spencer tweets of the Dodgers' interest in Robb Quinlan for a fourth outfielder role. The Rockies and Twins are other known suitors.
Red Sox GM Theo Epstein appeared on the Toucher and Rich show this morning. He spoke about the team's offense, Adrian Gonzalez, Mike Lowell, and the "bridge period" comment; MLB.com's Ian Browne provides the transcript.
MASN's Steve Melewski says the Red Sox rescinded the contract given to reliever Bob McCrory after he failed his physical.
Tommy Rancel of DRays Bay looks at the team-friendly deals signed by Paul Cohen clients.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told Cam Inman of The Contra Costa Times there's a non-zero chance the team adds Mark McGwire to the player roster on August 31st.
There is currently no timetable for the Cardinals to sit down with Albert Pujols' agents, GM John Mozeliak told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cards are ready to talk when Pujols is.
Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball is beta-testing an MLB salary database. Also of note: Cot's Baseball Contracts has joined the Baseball Prospectus family.
ESPN's Buster Olney wrote yesterday that Khalil Greene is working hard and seeks a big league deal. Greene can play shortstop or third base, and Olney sees Oakland as a potential match.
The Pirates aren't far apart with Zach Duke on his 2010 salary, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Kovacevic believes Duke's $2.2MM salary could double in his second arbitration year. A multiyear deal is not in the works.
Murray Chass chronicles the blank contract Andre Dawson gave to the Cubs in the spring of '87.
Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues looks at Nick Johnson's injury history in detail.
A December 30th tweet from SI's Melissa Segura notes that Dominican lefty Victor Payano signed with the Rangers. Payano had a deal with the Red Sox in July for $900K that was voided due to shoulder concerns. Here's a video of the 16-year-old courtesy of Kiley McDaniel.

Urban On Athletics, Giants

By Tim Dierkes | January 6, 2010 at 4:45pm CDT

CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban checks in with the latest on the A's and Giants.

After failing to sign Adrian Beltre, the A's continue to seek a third baseman. The team has considered attempting to trade for the Pirates' Andy LaRoche or the Padres' Kevin Kouzmanoff. Neither player hit for much power in 2009, however (Kouz hit 18 home runs, but slugged only .420). Adam Kennedy is said to be Plan D or E.
The A's are still talking to Jack Cust's agent, though they've yet to make an offer. Regarding the idea of returning to the A's after being non-tendered, Cust told Urban, "Stranger things have happened." Urban senses Cust would give the A's the opportunity to match any offer.
Urban finds Cust a less-than-ideal fit for the Giants. He likes Adam LaRoche, or perhaps Miguel Tejada if LaRoche's demands remain high.

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