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Phillies Re-Sign Jose Contreras

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The Phillies re-signed reliever Jose Contreras to a two-year, $5.5MM deal, reports MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.  The contract includes performance incentives and a club option for 2013.  Year-by-year details can be found here.  ESPN's Enrique Rojas first reported last night that a deal was close.

Contreras, 39 in December, posted a 3.34 ERA, 9.1 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 0.8 HR/9, and 44.7% groundball rate for the Phillies in 2010.  It was his first full season as a reliever, and his fastball played up to a 94.0 mph average.  He even served as the Phillies' closer for a while in May.  At just $1.5MM, Contreras was a major bargain for the Phillies in 2010.  This time around the second year is less than ideal, but it was likely necessary to secure him early.  Plus, Contreras' salary remains reasonable.

The Phillies' bullpen spending is far from finished.  They've added Contreras and Eddie Bonine, and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told ESPN's Jayson Stark he's contacted "40 free agents, predominantly bullpen guys."  The Phils are prioritizing left-handed relief and are known to be interested in Hisanori Takahashi.

Odds & Ends: Sandberg, D’Backs, Lee, Huff

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Here are today's links as we await the Rookie of the Year announcements…

  • I'll be in Orlando covering the GM Meetings this week. Follow @mlbtrorlando on Twitter for the latest news, quotes and observations from Florida.
  • The Phillies have hired Ryne Sandberg to manage their Triple-A affiliate nearly 29 years after they traded the future Hall of Famer to the Cubs. Sandberg played 15 seasons in Chicago and nearly won the Cubs managerial job this winter. 
  • MLB.com's Todd Zolecki takes us back to 1982, when the Phillies sent Sandberg to the Cubs.
  • The Orioles signed former Cubs pitcher Mitch Atkins to a minor league deal, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The 25-year-old has solid minor league numbers and a 5.25 ERA in 12 big league innings.
  • The D'Backs announced that Rico Brogna, who was appointed director of player development last month, resigned and will be replaced by Mike Bell.
  • Arizona also announced the hiring of Billy Ryan as assistant GM. He will work on arbitration cases and draft bonus recommendations.
  • Cliff Lee’s agent is one person who can skip the GM meetings altogether. “We're not going to have to go there to drum up interest," Darek Braunecker told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
  • Tyler Kepner of the New York times explains that every team is looking for the next Aubrey Huff.

Phillies, Contreras Close To Two-Year Deal

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The Phillies and reliever Jose Contreras are close to reaching an agreement on a two-year deal worth $5MM, reports ESPNDeportes.com's Enrique Rojas. The deal also includes an option for a third year plus performance based incentives.

Contreras, 39 next month, was very good for the Phillies in 2010, pitching to a 3.34 ERA in 56.2 innings. He struck out 9.1 and walked just 2.5 batters for every nine innings pitched. Earlier this week we heard that the Phillies were "working aggressively" to re-sign him.

Tim Dierkes broke down Contreras' free agent stock back in May, saying that he could be in line for a two-year deal if his strong work as a reliever held up.

Phillies Interested In Hisanori Takahashi

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The Phillies are showing interest in Hisanori Takahashi, reports ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin. Philadelphia declined J.C. Romero's option a few weeks ago, so they're in the market for a left-handed reliever.

The Mets were unable to work out a new contract with Takahashi despite numerous deadline extensions earlier this month, and they were contractually obligated to release him. The 35-year-old is reportedly seeking a three-year deal worth upwards of $15MM coming off his first season in MLB. In 122 innings with New York, he struck out 8.4 men per nine innings and walked 3.2, resulting in a 3.61 ERA. Takahashi made a dozen starts and 41 relief appearances, filling in as closer when Francisco Rodriguez was injured late in the season.

Tim Dierkes examined Takahashi's free agent stock in-depth back in September.

Poll: Are The Phillies Really Intent On Re-Signing Werth?

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For some time now, the general consensus has been that Jayson Werth would be moving on in 2011 as the Phillies are not willing to dole out the money and years necessary to retain him.  On Wednesday, a Phillies source told ESPN's Jayson Stark that there was "no chance" of the right fielder remaining in Philadelphia. 

GM Ruben Amaro now says that he needs an answer from the 31-year-old quickly, a request that seems unlikely to be fulfilled by a Scott Boras client.  Amaro wouldn't confirm or deny that the club has made Werth an offer but SI's Jon Heyman (via Twitter) hears that they are making a big push to keep him aboard.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Phillies' push to re-sign Werth is nothing more than a public relations move.  The club, he says, wants to be able to say that they made the slugger a big offer and tried their best to hang on to him.  Is the "big push" to keep the right-handed bopper nothing more than a PR ploy?  We want to know your take on the situation.

Are the Phillies really intent on keeping Werth?

Click here to take the poll, and here to view the results.

Phillies Want Quick Answer From Werth

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8:48pm: The Phillies are "making [a] big push to keep Werth," tweets Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman.

7:13pm: Ruben Amaro is hoping to know soon if Jayson Werth is willing to return to the Phillies, reports Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  "I don't think it's something we're going to let go on for a while," Amaro said. "Hopefully we'll find out if he's a viable option to bring back in a short period of time. Regardless of what happens with Jayson, there are things we need to do."

ESPN's Jayson Stark heard from an unnamed Phillies source that there was "no chance" of Werth remaining a Phillie in 2011.  Amaro denied being the source himself and said that the statement wasn't true, though he didn't confirm or deny if the club had already made Werth an offer.  An early offer probably wouldn't make much difference since any high-profile Scott Boras client will thoroughly test the market before considering re-signing with his previous club. 

The general consensus is that Werth will be playing elsewhere next season.  To wit, in MLBTR's own free agency predictions list, none of our five writers believe Werth will re-sign with Philadelphia.

Phillies Sign Eddie Bonine, Erik Kratz

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The Phillies signed right-handed reliever Eddie Bonine and catcher Erik Kratz to minor league deals, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (all Twitter links). 

Bonine posted a 4.63 ERA in 68 innings for the Tigers last year with 3.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. The Tigers made a push to bring The 29-year-old back on a minor league deal before the Phillies made a better offer, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (on Twitter). Both teams expressed interest in Bonine after he became a free agent last week.

Kratz, 30, made his big league debut with the 2010 Pirates after spending nine seasons in the minor leagues. He has a .252/.325/.434 minor league line, but he hit just .118/.167/.118 in 36 big league plate appearances.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Cox, Crawford, DeJesus

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Two years ago today the Athletics acquired Matt Holliday from the Rockies in exchange for Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street, and Greg Smith. Holliday hit .286/.378/.454 in exactly 400 plate appearances with Oakland before being dealt to the Cardinals for a package led by Brett Wallace at the 2009 trade deadline.

Street has battled injuries but has been solid when on the mound for Colorado, pitching to a 3.30 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 109 innings. Smith has appeared in just eight games for the Rox (all starts), putting up a 6.23 ERA. The real get was CarGo, who will certainly be in the MVP mix after a .336/.376/.598 season with 34 doubles, 34 homers, 26 stolen bases, and a batting title.

The hot stove league will certainly bring us more blockbuster trades, but for now you'll have to settle for this long collection of links, the best the blogosphere had to offer this week…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Dye Drawing Interest, Intends To Play Again

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Jermaine Dye wants to play again and he told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Rays, Rockies and Phillies have contacted him about potential deals. The 36-year-old didn't play in 2010, but he hit 27 homers and posted a .250/.340/.453 line for the 2009 White Sox.

Dye drew interest last offseason, but told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he didn't like the offers he saw. "I'm not going to a bad team, and I'm not playing for $1.5MM," Dye said in April. Later in the year, he told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he stayed in shape and hoped to find a job in 2011.

Dye still has some power, so if he lowers his demands and teams are willing to stash him at DH or overlook his poor fielding, he could find a job this offseason. This time, Dye, who is representing himself, says money isn't important as long as he finds a major league deal. He is open to playing first or outfield and wants to sign with a contender.

Phillies Sign Pete Orr

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The Phillies signed utility man Pete Orr, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. Orr, 31, last appeared in the majors with the Nationals in 2009. In five seasons for the Braves and Nationals, he has a career .260/.287/.335 line. The Canadian has just 555 big league plate appearances, but he has played at second, third, short and in both corner outfield positions.

Orr spent the 2010 season at Triple-A Syracuse, where he batted .264/.326/.436 in 536 plate appearances. He hit 12 homers, stole 25 bases and played second, third, short and all three outfield positions.

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