Odds & Ends: Jackson, Norman, Dye, Lester, Manny
Some links for Friday night…
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert tweets that the Diamondbacks and Edwin Jackson have made no progress towards reaching an agreement to avoid arbitration. A hearing is set for February 17th.
- Chuck Finder of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette passes along a report from the independent St. Paul Saints that says that the Pirates have signed 25-year-old outfielder Anthony Norman to a minor league deal.
- Several executives told Morosi that they expect Jermaine Dye to sign with an AL club, though no one's sure which one.
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier says that Jon Lester's contract is one of the biggest bargains in baseball when you look at the deals Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander just received. Lester signed a five-year deal last March that guaranteed him at least $30MM.
- Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times wonders if 2010 could be the final year of Manny Ramirez's career. If so, he has a chance to be just the eighth player in history to retire with a career OPS over 1.000.
- ESPN's Keith Law says that the Orlando Hudson signing is a major upgrade for the Twins, likely enough to make them preseason favorites in the AL Central.
- Meanwhile, Law thinks it's too risky for the Diamondbacks to give Mark Reynolds a multi-year contract right now. The two-sides have been discussing such a deal recently.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com says the Mets are more likely to sign a pitcher rather than another catcher this month.
- Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle has some quotes from Travis Buck regarding his standing with the A's following all of their outfield additions, and adds that the team has found some interest in Dana Eveland and Gregorio Petit, both of whom were recently designated for assignment.
Odds & Ends: Nationals, Hudson, Brewers, Guzman
Thursday night linkage..
- With Hudson having agreed to a deal with the Twins, Jon Heyman of SI tweets that he anticipates the Nationals considering Adam Kennedy.
- Jarrod Washburn is only considering two teams at present – the Twins and the Mariners. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes that if he doesn't receive an offer from either club or expand his list, the 35-year-old hurler may retire.
- Orlando Hudson would be a great fit for the Twins, writes Rob Neyer of ESPN. Neyer writes that the extra one or two wins that Hudson's addition represents are worth at least $3MM. However, according to Buster Olney, Hudson has been offered a one-year pact worth $5MM.
- Despite Travis Buck's reported dissatisfaction with the organization, A's GM Billy Beane is not looking to move the outfielder writes Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.
- Spurred by the recent pickups of Joe Inglett and Marco Estrada, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com takes a look back at the Brewers' best waiver wire moves in recent years. One of the best hidden gems was one of GM Doug Melvin's earliest acquisitions, Scott Podsednik.
- The Orioles have signed Joel Guzman to a minor league deal, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The 25-year-old, once one of baseball's top prospects, will not receive an invite to Spring Training. In 108 games with the Nationals' Double-A affiliate last season, Guzman hit .281/.352/.447 with 12 HRs.
Odds & Ends: Garciaparra, Jackson, Barajas, Branyan
Links for Thursday…
- Nomar Garciaparra told Lou Merloni of WEEI.com that he would like to play in 2010, if the right situation presents itself. Garciaparra played in 65 games for the A's last season, hitting .281/.314/.388 with 3 homers.
- RotoAuthority discusses the fantasy prospects of Rangers starter Colby Lewis.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says that while an arbitration hearing is likely for Edwin Jackson and the Diamondbacks, "the team has broached the idea of a two-year deal."
- Piecoro also says the D'Backs are considering bringing recently-designated lefty Dana Eveland back.
- Talking to agents who dealt with the Mets this winter, Murray Chass believes the team was incapable of multitasking. On a related note, MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone believes the team remains interested in free agent catcher Rod Barajas.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says Russell Branyan was seeking a three-year deal in the $20-30MM range earlier this offseason. At this point I'd say he's looking at a one-year deal at maybe $3MM.
- Unlike CEO Jeff Moorad, Padres GM Jed Hoyer said all the right things regarding Adrian Gonzalez (Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reporting).
- Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins are in a position of strength in that they don't need Orlando Hudson or Jarrod Washburn. He doesn't feel they'd still be willing to offer $5MM to Washburn. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports notes that if the Mariners re-sign Erik Bedard, as has been rumored, they probably wouldn't sign Washburn.
- Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times says the grievance has been settled regarding the Ramirez Provision, involving forced charity donations as part of contracts.
Odds & Ends: Everidge, Lincecum, Lewis, Manny
Links for Wednesday…
- Tommy Everidge cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. The Mariners designated Everidge for assignment last week to make room on the roster for Eric Byrnes.
- Various agents think the Giants and Tim Lincecum will somehow avoid an arbitration hearing regardless of how poorly talks are going, reports MLB.com's Chris Haft.
- The Astros signed 18-year-old Nicaraguan first baseman Mesac Laguna yesterday, reports Roger Olivas of El Nuevo Diaro.
- Free agent journeyman Nelson Figueroa hopes to return to the Mets but wants to avoid the minors, reports Angel Pinto Vaamonde of the blog BeisbolVenezolano.net. Thanks to Nick Collias for translations on these two bullets.
- Colby Lewis heard from 12 or 13 teams before signing with the Rangers, reports ESPN's Tim Kurkjian. The A's and Twins also offered two-year deals.
- Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball explains how an arbitration hearing works. Hearings are scheduled through February 21st, with Tim Lincecum's case drawing the most attention.
- Manny Ramirez "seriously considered opting out of his contract to return to the American League for a designated-hitter role," reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. The idea seems silly now, but in November it wasn't ridiculous to think Manny might've preferred to chase, say, a two-year, $32MM deal elsewhere.
- Bill Shanks of Scout.com talked to Braves assistant GM Bruce Manno, who replied "Never say never" when asked about Johnny Damon. Still, Manno likes the club as it stands. And MLB.com's Mark Bowman believes the Braves are not actively pursuing Damon.
- Rany Jazayerli examines a "delusional" quote from an anonymous Royals official regarding the team's 2008-09 offseason.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says the Blue Jays should have significant payroll flexibility after the 2010 season.
- MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince doesn't see Orlando Hudson as a fit for the Indians.
Slusser On Tomko, Kennedy, Nomar
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle addresses free agents Brett Tomko, Adam Kennedy, and Nomar Garciaparra in a new blog post.
- Tomko suffered a nerve injury on September 14th that caused his biceps to atrophy to the point of resembling lumpy gravy. The biceps is better now, but Tomko trying to pitch through forearm numbness. He hopes to be game-ready by the start of the season and spoke of a preference for the A's or Giants.
- Kennedy is talking to the Nationals and Indians, but continues to wait on Orlando Hudson's decision.
- Nomar is "widely expected" to retire. If he does, he'd bow out at age 36 with a career line of .313/.361/.521.
Odds & Ends: Mauer, Hairston, Buck, Benson
Links for Tuesday…
- We shouldn't expect a Joe Mauer extension soon, according to this tweet from USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
- The Padres avoided arbitration with Scott Hairston, signing the outfielder to a one-year deal worth $2.45MM, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports believes that the Tigers have moved into the non-denial stage regarding Johnny Damon (via Twitter).
- A's outfielder Travis Buck has a chip on his shoulder after watching the A's acquire multiple outfielders, reports CSNBayArea's Mychael Urban. But as ESPN's Rob Neyer points out, Buck hasn't done much recently with the bat.
- Free agent outfielder Darin Erstad told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick he'd love to play in 2010, but "there is nowhere to find at-bats."
- Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweets that the Dodgers "remain interested in Jeff Weaver, but their roster situation could prevent them from offering him a major-league deal."
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports names the D'Backs, Cubs, Reds, and Nationals as teams monitoring free agent starter Kris Benson. Benson didn't pitch much in the last three seasons due to rotator cuff surgery.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. further explained his rationale behind the Cliff Lee trade, reports Scott Lauber of The News Journal. Amaro's reasoning didn't sway my opinion; none of the three prospects he received are in Keith Law's top 100 (though Ramirez is #101). The long-term value of Phillippe Aumont, J.C. Ramirez, and Tyson Gillies should not outweigh the extra 4-5 wins Lee would've provided in 2010. And did Amaro even shop Lee around for the best package?
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star is pessimistic on the Royals, who he says don't offer much beyond Zack Greinke, Billy Butler, and Joakim Soria.
- RotoAuthority looks at Boston's closer situation from a fantasy baseball point of view.
Athletics Designate Eveland, Taveras, Petit For Assignment
4:59pm: Via Twitter, Lee adds that the A's designated infielder Gregorio Petit for assignment as well. The 25-year-old hit .244/.292/.336 in Triple A last year, playing second base, shortstop, and third base.
12:39pm: The A's designated lefty Dana Eveland for assignment, tweets MLB.com's Jane Lee. Newly-acquired Willy Taveras was designated too, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. Joe Stiglich of the Oakland Tribune adds that the A's deal for Gabe Gross is official, and they've claimed versatile minor leaguer Steve Tolleson off waivers from the Twins. Let's break down the A's busy morning…
- Eveland, 26, is headed elsewhere unless he clears waivers. In 2009 he was terrible in the Majors and lousy at Triple A as well. He joined the A's in December of '07 as part of the huge Dan Haren swap with the D'Backs. Eveland did give the A's 29 starts of 4.34 ball in '08, despite a 1.53 K/BB ratio.
- Taveras and Aaron Miles were just passing through, acquired temporarily to facilitate deals for Adam Rosales and Jake Fox.
- Tolleson, 26, hit .266/.340/.380 between Double A and Triple A in the Twins organization in '09. He played both middle infield positions, left field, and a little bit at the outfield corners. Before the season, Baseball America suggested Tolleson's best possible outcome would be Ryan Freel's career. The loss should clear a roster spot for Jim Thome, notes MLB.com's Kelly Thesier.
Athletics Sign Gabe Gross
The Athletics officially signed outfielder Gabe Gross to a one-year, $750K deal. He can earn another $250K in incentives. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported serious discussions Saturday night, with Jane Lee of MLB.com reporting the agreement and contract details.
Gross, 30, hit .227/.326/.355 in 326 plate appearances for the Rays last year, logging 638.6 innings in right field. He has experience at the other two outfield positions, and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle feels he's the favorite for Oakland's fourth outfielder job. Gross has struggled mightily against lefties in his career; he's hit 242/.338/.409 against righties the last three years.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
Reds, A’s Swap Taveras & Rosales For Miles & More
The Reds traded outfielder Willy Taveras and infielder Adam Rosales to the Athletics today for infielder Aaron Miles and a player to be named later or cash, reports ESPN's Buster Olney. Let's break down this bad contract swap.
Taveras will earn $4MM in 2010. The speedy 28-year-old was a bust for the Reds in '09, hitting .240/.275/.285 in 437 plate appearances. Rosales did not hit well in the bigs either, but he did crush Triple A pitching in 125 plate appearances. Before the season Baseball America said he profiles as a "good utiltyman." He's played all around the infield in the minors. Rosales' inclusion might even out the salary gap between Taveras and Miles.
Miles will earn $2.7MM in 2010, though the Cubs sent $1MM to the A's as part of a December '09 trade. Like Taveras, he was signed to a two-year deal despite being non-tendered by his former club and proceeded to have a terrible season. AOL FanHouse's Ed Price tweets that there's "zero chance" this trade opens a spot for Johnny Damon on the Reds.
Olney posits that the Reds' $1.3MM savings may go toward Orlando Cabrera. The A's were looking to add a cheap utlityman in Rosales. The A's have taken a $3MM hit on Taveras and given up Jeff Gray, Ronny Morla, Matt Spencer, and a PTBNL or cash to get Jake Fox and Rosales. They're not done, though, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Oakland is "not expected to hang on to Taveras for long."
Still, we don't have all the details on this trade yet. What else will be sent to Cincinnati? What will the A's do with so many outfielders?
Minor League Transactions: Clark, Hammock, Loux
Baseball America's Matt Eddy has the minor league transactions for the period of January 19-24. A few notables from him, after the Knoedler and Giese bullets:
- The Dodgers signed catcher Justin Knoedler, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
- According to MiLB.com, the A's re-signed pitcher Dan Giese on January 27th. Giese, 33 in May, tossed 22 innings for the big league club last year but learned in June he'd need Tommy John surgery.
- The Braves signed reliever Chris Resop, who spent '09 with the Hanshin Tigers.
- The White Sox added Brady Clark, who once scored 94 runs as a member of the '05 Brewers. It was the Brewers' December '04 Scott Podsednik–Carlos Lee trade with the Sox that gave Clark a starting opportunity in '05.
- The Rockies signed catcher Robby Hammock, who spent last season with Baltimore's Triple A club.
- Pitcher Shane Loux signed with the Astros. The 30-year-old posted a 5.86 ERA, 19 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 58.3 innings for the Angels last year.