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Quick Hits: Johnson, Boras, Givens, Reds, Lowe

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The newest member of the Rays organization, Kelly Johnson, spoke with reporters on a conference call earlier today about his signing with Tampa Bay. The veteran second baseman/outfielder said he respected the Rays way of playing baseball under manager Joe Maddon, which made joining the franchise an easy decision. "I wasn't surprised they were interested. I knew if I wanted to go to Tampa I had to be willing to move around. They called and I was happy hear from them."

Here is what's happening around the league…

  • Scott Boras denied his involvement with the planting of a rumor about his client Jose Valverde and an imminent deal with the Marlins, reports Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. 
  • Mychal Givens will no longer play shortstop in the minors for the Orioles, but rather try his hand at pitching, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com. 
  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty has yet to hear any updates from Scott Rolen while he remains at a stalemate with his four remaining arbitration-eligible players, says Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
  • Francisco Liriano's deal with the Pirates remains on track to become official, but will not do so until his non-throwing arm heals so the veteran can take a physical, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
  • Derek Lowe will wait to see what other offers come his way after passing on a minor league deal from the Rockies, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). 

Pirates Nearing Deal With Jonathan Sanchez

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8:54pm: Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review confirms that the deal is close and adds that it would be a minor league contract (Twitter link).

5:13pm: The Pirates are close to a deal with Jonathan Sanchez, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter).

Sanchez, 30, was traded from the Giants to the Royals for Melky Cabrera last offseason, but the trade wound up being a lopsided one. Sanchez pitched to a 7.76 ERA and walked 44 batters in 53 1/3 innings for the Royals before being designated for assignment. The Royals flipped him to the Rockies for Jeremy Guthrie, who had endured similar struggles in Colorado. He didn't fare much better there, however, as he allowed 12 earned runs and walked nine in just 11 1/3 innings.

Sanchez makes sense as a low-risk investment, however, given his success from 2009-11. The southpaw compiled a 3.75 ERA, 9.5 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in 458 innings during that time. Sanchez isn't entirely dissimilar from Francisco Liriano, with whom the Pirates are still attempting to finalize a deal. Both lefties have swing-and-miss stuff but struggle due to erratic command.

Quick Hits: Pirates, Liriano, Indians, Aviles, Rockies

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Links from around baseball as Friday turns into Saturday..

  • Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington is non-committal about the likelihood of finalizing a deal with Francisco Liriano before the start of spring training, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  “The process continues,” Huntington said. “We have ongoing conversations. I'm not an oddsmaker, so I don't know if it is likely or unlikely that we will add another pitcher.”
  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti says that it's hard to quantify the odds of the team working out a deal with Mike Aviles to avoid arbitration, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.  As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, Aviles filed for a $3.4MM contract while Cleveland is offering $2.4MM.
  • The Rockies' biggest offseason addition has been the acquisition of reliever Wilton Lopez from the Astros, but they shouldn't be overlooked in 2013, writes Tracy Ringolsby of MLB.com. 

Pirates Avoid Arbitration With McDonald, Walker

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8:38pm: McDonald will earn $3.025MM while Walker's deal is worth $3.3MM, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (Twitter link).

5:58pm: The Pirates have agreed to new contracts with right-hander James McDonald and second baseman Neil Walker, avoiding arbitration with the two players, MLB.com's Tom Singer reports (Twitter link).  Both players were arb-eligible for the first time and are both are represented by Hendricks Sports. 

McDonald, 28, held a 2.37 ERA through his first 17 starts in 2012 but a 7.52 ERA in his 13 outings and was even sent to the bullpen by season's end.  Since coming to the Pirates from the Dodgers in July 2010, McDonald has a 4.10 ERA, 2.07 K/BB ratio and a 7.8 K/9 rate in 72 games, all but one a start.  McDonald was looking for a $3.4MM salary while the Bucs countered with a $2.65MM offer.

Walker's contract will pay him in the neighborhood of $3.25MM in 2013, as Singer reports (Twitter link) that Walker will get around $300K more than what other arb-eligible second baseman like Daniel Murphy, Gordon Beckham and Ryan Roberts received from their teams.  Walker wanted a $3.6MM deal while the Pirates offered him a $3MM contract, so he should end up with around the midpoint between the two figures.

Like McDonald, Walker also had a roller-coaster of a season, posting a .648 OPS through May, then a .933 OPS over his next 52 games that included a whopping 1.097 OPS in July.  The Pittsburgh native fell off again down the stretch, due in part to a herniated disc in his back.  The Pirates discussed a long-term extension with Walker last offseason and could revisit the subject during Spring Training.  Walker, 27, has three more arb-eligible years left as a Super Two player. 

As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, the Pirates have now come to terms with all of their arbitration-eligible players.

Minor Moves: Lopez, Waldrop, Zagurski, Dickerson

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We'll track the day's minor moves here…

  • The Padres have signed left-hander Arturo Lopez to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, MLB.com's Corey Brock reports (Twitter link).  Lopez made four relief appearances for the Padres in 2009 and has also pitched in the Mets' and Dodgers' farm systems.  The 29-year-old southpaw has spent the last two seasons pitching in the Mexican League.
  • The Pirates signed right-hander Kyle Waldrop to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (via Twitter).  Waldrop appeared in 24 games as a reliever for the Twins over the last two seasons and posted a 3.62 ERA over 32 1/3 career innings.  Waldrop was outrighted off Minnesota's 40-man roster in October.
  • The Pirates also signed left-hander Mike Zagurski to a minor league deal that contains an invite to Spring Training.  The deal was announced by the team in December.  Zagurski made 45 appearances out of the bullpen for the Diamondbacks in 2012, posting a 5.54 ERA, an 8.2 K/9 and a 1.79 K/BB over 37 1/3 innings.
  • The Orioles announced that they signed outfielder Chris Dickerson to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training (Twitter link). The 30-year-old appeared in 25 games for the Yankees in 2012, playing all three outfield positions. He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .316/.417/.515 batting line in 321 plate appearances.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

Quick Hits: Atchison, Garcia, Vazquez, Dodgers

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Free agent right-hander Javier Vazquez is getting his right meniscus repaired by one of the Marlins’ team doctors this Wednesday, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (Twitter links). The right-hander is expected to be throwing at full strength within two to three weeks. Though seven teams have expressed serious interest in Vazquez, he has not made a decision about playing in 2013 as of now. Here are some more links from around MLB…

  • Right-hander Scott Atchison expects to sign a minor league deal with a team other than the Red Sox this week, writes MLB.com's Evan Drellich. Atchison told Drellich it the team he's closing in on will give him a good chance to make the Major League bullpen. Atchison was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear last August but has had "great results" in letting it heal with rest and rehab.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Pirates expressed interest in Freddy Garcia, but the 36-year-old hurler elected to sign a minor league deal with the Padres instead.
  • Time Warner Cable and the Dodgers have officially agreed to a 25-year, $7 billion TV deal, John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal reports. The agreement will lead to the creation of a new regional sports network for the Los Angeles area; SportsNet L.A will launch in 2014.
  • The Rays signed free agent infielder Kelly Johnson today, but that won’t stop Ben Zobrist from playing “a lot” of second base for Tampa Bay, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Johnson, who played 79 games in left field as a rookie in 2005, will bounce around.
  • Michael Bourn still wants a five-year deal, yet the Mets aren't willing to go there, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports (on Twitter). Here’s an explanation of how the Mets wanted to sign Bourn while keeping their first round draft pick this coming season.

White Sox Claim Zach Stewart

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The White Sox claimed Zach Stewart off of waivers, MLBTR has learned. The Pirates had designated Stewart for assignment one week ago to create 40-man roster space for Jeff Karstens.

This marks the second time in two years that the White Sox have acquired Stewart. They traded for him and Jason Frasor in July of 2012, sending Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen to Toronto. Stewart posted an 8.58 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 1.0 BB/9 in 35 2/3 innings for the White Sox and Red Sox this past season. The Red Sox traded him to Pittsburgh in November, but he never threw a pitch for the Pirates.

NL Notes: Braves, Reds, Pirates, Duda, Chipper

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It was on this date in 1871 the Boston Red Stockings incorporated giving birth to today's Atlanta Braves. Let's take a look at the news from the 21st century Braves and the rest of the National League:

  • The Braves have enough payroll space to add one significant salary and have yet to rule out Michael Bourn or Justin Upton, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. O'Brien adds GM Frank Wren has spoken with Bourn's agent Scott Boras, but they didn't start any negotiations. O'Brien also has been told manager Fredi Gonzalez contacted Bourn within the past few weeks. In regards to Upton, O'Brien sees the Braves and Rangers as the last two teams standing, but neither seems willing to match what the Mariners offered in their failed bid to acquire the outfielder.
  • O'Brien, via Twitter, discounts the suggestion the Braves have yet to acquire Bourn or Upton to save payroll in order to sign Martin Prado to a long-term deal. 
  • It's been nearly a decade since the Reds had to go to an arbitration hearing, but this year could be different, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. "We're hopeful we can get something done," Reds GM Walt Jocketty said of the six players with whom salary figures were exchanged. "Some of the spreads were significant. We'll see how it proceeds the next week or two." The Reds' arbitration class is headlined by Mat Latos, whose case was analyzed by MLBTR's Matt Swartz last week. You can keep track of all of the Reds' arbitration cases with MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker.
  • With the Red Sox still seeking a left-handed hitting first baseman/left fielder, Tom Singer of MLB.com wonders if the Pirates will make another run at Jose Iglesias, as the starting point of a bigger deal involving Garrett Jones (Twitter links).
  • There is still no clear-cut answer as to whether Francisco Liriano will be with the Pirates in 2013, tweets Singer. The Pirates and Liriano agreed to a two-year, $12.75MM contract in December, but the deal was put on hold earlier this month when it was discovered the left-hander injured his right arm.
  • Lucas Duda told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com his surgically repaired right wrist feels great and he has started hitting off a tee. Duda is projected to man left field for the Mets.
  • Chipper Jones was honored at the New York BBWAA dinner last night and confessed to the audience he was starting to get the itch to go back to Spring Training, Rubin reports. "I was on the Braves' web site, just kind of messing around on my computer," said Jones. "I was thinking to myself, 'You know what? I think I'm going to go down and get me a workout in, see how everything feels.' I was down there for about five minutes and I figured I'd go to Hawaii instead."

Pirates, Garrett Jones Avoid Arbitration

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The Pirates and Garrett Jones have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $4.5MM, reports the AP (via ESPN). The SFX client was projected to receive $4.4MM by Matt Swartz.

Jones, 31, hit .274/.317/.516 with 27 homers in 515 plate appearances last season, most of which he spent batting cleanup behind Andrew McCutchen. The left-handed hitter posted a .289/.332/.556 line with 25 homers against right-handers in 2012 and has been targeted in trades by several teams in the last 18 months or so. Jones was arbitration-eligible for the second time as a Super Two, meaning he's still under team control for both 2014 and 2015 as well.

Pittsburgh has two remaining arbitration-eligible players: James McDonald and Neil Walker. Both submitted salary figures yesterday, as our Arbitration Tracker shows.

Arbitration Filing Numbers

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Many players will avoid arbitration today, and dozens of others exchanged figures with their teams in anticipation of hearings. Most cases won't go to arbitration hearings, but teams such as the Rays, Marlins, Blue Jays and Braves are known for their 'file and trial' policies. For players on those teams this marks the last chance at negotiations before a hearing.

MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker will keep you up to date on every one of the filing numbers from around the game, but here are the highlights — players who filed for $4MM or more. Now for the details…

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