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Phillies, Ryan Howard Agree To Three-Year Deal

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3:53pm: Jayson Stark chimes in, stating that the Phillies can trade Howard, without penalty, after Nov. 1, 2010. If traded before that date, Howard will receive an extra $1MM. Doesn’t sound like too much of a penalty to any team seriously looking at acquiring him.

2:35pm: Joel Sherman has the numbers: Howard will earn $15MM in 2009, $19MM in 2010, and $20MM in 2011. The base salaries for 2010 and 2011 will increase by $1MM if Howard wins the MVP award in the season prior, and $500K if he finishes second in the voting. He will earn $100K for any Gold Gloves, World Series MVPs, Silver Sluggers, or All-Star Game starts he receives. He’ll get $50K if he’s selected to the All-Star game or wins the LCS MVP.

11:14am: Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports the Phillies have agreed to a 3-year, $54MM deal with Ryan Howard today.

This meets Howard’s record arbitration submission of $18MM. The Phillies had submitted $14MM but apparently are fine paying the extra $4MM for the next three years. The two parties would’ve gone before an arbitration panel sometime in the coming week.

This buys out Howard for the remainder of his arbitration-eligible period, through 2011. As of now, it’s unclear how the contract breaks down.

Marlins Interested In Ivan Rodriguez, Chris Coste

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SATURDAY, 5:45pm: Joe Frisaro of MLB.com provides an update from the Marlins’ FanFest, reporting that the team would consider signing Rodriguez, but only at the league minimum, plus incentives.

Marlins’ president of baseball operations, Larry Beinfest, said that the Marlins are likely to stand pat at catcher, and that any free agent signing would have to "make perfect sense."

FRIDAY, 9:05am: Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel confirmed the Marlins’ interest in Pudge, while also noting that the Fish discussed Philadelphia’s Chris Coste this week.  He says the Phillies want to evaluate Ronny Paulino before considering a Coste trade.

THURSDAY, 5:12pm: Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports that the Marlins have interest in free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez.

"Cost, however, is key," writes Frisaro.  The Fish don’t have much money left to work with and are only willing to guarantee about $1 million, plus a few performance-based incentives.  That might not be enough to woo Pudge, who hit .276/.319/.394 with seven homers and 35 RBI in 398 at-bats last season.

Rodriguez might also crave more playing time.  The Marlins seem to like 27-year-old John Baker a whole lot.

Giants Have Minor League Offer Out To Aurilia

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5:19 pm: Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Aurilia is thinking over the Giants’ offer.

In a phone interview, Aurilia acknowledged that many players are settling for minor league offers. "It’s something we’re mulling over," he said. "We’re trying to counter-proposal them a little bit and see what we can come up with."

Aurilia thinks he would be a valuable addition to a young infield like the Giants’ and said that he was "hoping to nail this down."

4:39 In an update to his blog, the San Jose Mercury News’ Andrew Baggarly reports that the San Francisco Giants have made an offer to Rich Aurilia.

The offer is a non-guaranteed, minor-league contract that would pay Aurilia $1MM if he were to make the major league team, with some additional incentives as well.

Baggarly says the Phillies are in on Aurilia as well, but Baggarly says Brian Sabean isn’t sure of the extent of the Phillies’ interest.

Baggarly also writes that Aurilia is interested in a return to the Giants.

Phillies Rumors: Nomar, Howard, Andruw

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Kevin Roberts of the Philadelphia Inquirer has a few Phillies rumors:

  • GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says it’s "very likely" the Phillies will not make any more additions.
  • The Phillies have inquired on "almost every righthanded bat on the market." They’ve considerd Rich Aurilia, Nomar Garciaparra, Moises Alou and Mark Grudzielanek.
  • Amaro’s targeting Nomar.
  • Roberts agrees with Jon Heyman that the Phillies gave Andruw Jones a "tepid look."
  • However, they’re in no hurry to bring in a righty bench bat and could take their time adding one.
  • The $4MM gap between the Phillies’ arbitration offer to Ryan Howard and his demand will influence how much the Phillies can spend. Amaro called Howard’s case "the elephant in the middle of the room."

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Manny, Braves Howard, Mets, Nomar, Sheets

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On this date 51 years ago, the Red Sox signed Ted Williams to a one-year deal for $135K – making him the highest paid player in Major League history. This contract came on the heels of a season in which Williams hit .388-38-87 with a .526 OBP and 233 OPS+. And all of that was at age 38. With one week to go before pitchers and catchers report, several players in the twilight of their career are still looking for contracts of their own. Let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • River Ave. Blues says a one-year deal for Manny Ramirez in L.A. would open the door to Manny being Manny in pinstripes next year.
  • Feeling Dodger Blue takes a look at options for the Dodgers other than Manny.
  • Braves Blast sees Bobby Abreu as a better fit for the Braves than Adam Dunn and a better option than trading for Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher.
  • The Phrontiersman argues for trading Ryan Howard.
  • UmpBump continues their "Hot Offseason Action" series, this time looking at the Red Sox, their offseason moves and how the roster might look on opening day.
  • Mets Geek breaks down the Mets offseason.
  • The ’Ropolitans say the Mets’ bullpen still needs work and wonders why they don’t go after one of the remaining big-name relievers on the market.
  • Detroit Tigers Thoughts notes that if Orlando Hudson wants to sign a one-year deal after the June draft, he is more likely to lose his type-A free agent status next season if he signs with an NL club this season.
  • Goat Riders of the Apocalypse feels that Nomar Garciaparra would make a nice backup shortstop for the Cubs.
  • More Hardball puts together an All-Star squad of players still available on the free agent market.
  • MLB Notebook takes a look at which teams might be interested in signing Ben Sheets for the second half.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.

Stark On Andruw, Swisher, Hudson, Pedro

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The latest from ESPN’s Jayson Stark…

  • Stark looks at all the factors influencing this year’s slow-moving free agent market, talking to all sorts of anonymous execs.  It’s a good read.
  • Among all the teams, the Phillies have added the most to their payroll this winter ($30MM+).  Only ten teams raised payroll this year.  The Phils are still looking at the same cast of righthanded bench bats, and are also looking to sign a reliever for one year.  Names of interest: Joe Borowski, Rudy Seanez, Will Ohman, Joe Beimel, Dennys Reyes, and Randy Flores.  Stark notes that Flores is out until June due to shoulder surgery.
  • Andruw Jones is looking for a team that will give him playing time.  One of Stark’s sources says Braves manager Bobby Cox is "lobbying harder for Jones than the rest of the baseball operation."
  • The Braves are the top suitor for Nick Swisher, but their suggestion that the Yankees eat some of Swisher’s contract was shot down.
  • Stark has heard that Angels owner Arte Moreno is ticked at Scott Boras and Mark Teixeira for the way they handled negotiations.
  • Stark received conflicting answers on whether the Elias formulas "can be changed without a special negotiation."  It figures that the players union would push to eliminate the Jason Varitek/Juan Cruz/Orlando Cabrera situations we saw this winter.  The D’Backs may have interest in re-signing Cruz, but don’t look for a Cabrera-White Sox reunion.
  • The Yankees and Mets have not pursued Orlando Hudson, despite Hudson’s statements of their interest.  Stark sees a one-year deal with the Nationals or Dodgers in his future. 
  • One assistant GM doesn’t think the WBC will be a good gauge for Pedro Martinez’s abilities, since he’ll be doing short stints.
  • Stark has details on Eddie Guardado’s contract, which has interesting provisions if he is to be traded.

Phillies Still Eyeing Nomar Garciaparra

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Scott Lauber of the Wilmington News Journal spoke with Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. Thursday afternoon.  Amaro reaffirmed the club’s interest in Nomar Garciaparra, but said he doesn’t expect an answer from the free agent infielder until spring training begins. 

Garciaparra is supposedly considering retirement due to health issues.  "Nomar has been great through the whole process, but he doesn’t want to put our team in a position to bring on a player who may not be prepared to perform at his accustomed level," Amaro said.  "But if we can bring Nomar in and give him an opportunity to be in camp, if he feels like he’s healthy enough to do that, it gives us more depth." 

Amaro said he’s "not sure" if Nomar would be willing to accept a minor league contract if he does decide to play this year.

Heyman On Andruw, Pedro, Crede, Grudz

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The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman…

  • The Yankees offered a minor league deal to Andruw Jones, which he turned down.  Other teams "thought to have interest": the Rangers, Phillies, Braves, and Mets.
  • Heyman thinks Pedro Martinez makes a lot of sense for the Dodgers.  However, Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times learned from Ned Colletti on January 6th that the Dodgers weren’t among the teams pursuing Pedro.
  • Jason Varitek’s camp (ie, Scott Boras) apparently has no regrets about rejecting arbitration since it wouldn’t have been a guaranteed contract.
  • Chad Cordero’s next showcase is scheduled for February 19th.
  • Heyman has the Twins as favorites over the Giants to sign Joe Crede.  More on Crede here.
  • Heyman says the Yankees feel they’re more likely to find a deal for Nick Swisher than Xavier Nady.
  • Add Mark Grudzielanek to the list of right-handed hitters the Phillies are considering (Nomar Garciaparra, Rich Aurilia, and Moises Alou being the others).

Mets, Phillies Interested In Will Ohman

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According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, Mets GM Omar Minaya contacted Will Ohman’s agent Page Odle for the first time this winter.  Crasnick says the Mets hope to jump in and get a bargain on the lefty reliever. 

Additionally, Crasnick counters the Ken Rosenthal report that the Phillies decided not to pursue Ohman.  The Phillies are still talking to Odle about Ohman, but don’t have much more than $1MM to spend unless they move a contract.

Phillies Bullpen Update

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MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki notes that the Phillies still have a few holes in their bullpen.  The club has expressed interest in Joe Beimel, Will Ohman, and Randy Flores this offseason, but those guys are still seeking relatively expensive (and lengthy) contracts. 

"They’re looking for the multiyear deals," GM Ruben Amaro said Wednesday. "It’s more an issue of length than dollars, I think."

Zolecki believes that the Phillies may ultimately decide to solve their bullpen issues from within.  Chan Ho Park could make for a useful long reliever if he’s unable to crack the starting rotation.  Kyle Kendrick and J.A. Happ might also have to settle for bullpen roles and should provide the Phillies with a couple of serviceable middle relievers until left-hander J.C. Romero returns from suspension.

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