By Mike Axisa | at
The Athletics have acquired Chris Resop from the Pirates in exchange for Zach Thornton, the team announced.
Resop, 30, pitched to a 3.91 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 73 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh this year. He is arbitration-eligible for the second time and is projected to earn $1.3MM next season. Thornton, 24, posted a 4.53 ERA in 53 2/3 innings for Oakland's High Class-A affiliate in 2012.
By Mike Axisa | at
The Orioles have acquired Yamaico Navarro from the Pirates for Jhondaniel Medina, the team announced. To make room on the 40-man roster, Stuart Pomeranz was designated for assignment.
Navarro, 25, hit .160/.232/.220 in 56 plate appearances for Pittsburgh and .279/.366/.491 in 257 plate appearances in Triple-A this year. Medina, 19, posted a 4.14 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 50 innings down in Single-A this season. Pomeranz, 27, allowed two runs in six innings for Baltimore this year while pitching to a shiny 0.00 ERA in 23 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.
By Mark Polishuk | at
The Pirates announced that they have signed free agent catcher Russell Martin to a two-year contract. It is a two-year, $17MM contract, according to David Waldstein of the New York Times (Twitter link). Martin obtains a $2MM signing bonus, a $6.5MM salary in 2013 and an $8.5MM salary in 2014, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Martin, 30, is represented by agent Matt Colleran.
Martin returns to the NL after spending his last two years in New York, hitting .224/.317/.405 with 39 homers during his two years as a Yankee. Those numbers represent an upgrade over the numbers posted by Pirates catchers last season — Rod Barajas has already had his option declined by the Bucs and Michael McKenry now becomes Martin's backup.
The deal represents the most expensive free agent signing of Neal Huntington's tenure as Pittsbugh's general manager, easily topping Clint Barmes' two-year, $10.5MM deal from last winter. It's not often that the Pirates make a big move on the free agent market, let alone outbid the Yankees on a notable player. Heyman tweets that the Yankees' last known offer for Martin was for two years and between $12-$14MM. Heyman reported yesterday that the Bucs and Bronx Bombers were the final two suitors for Martin, with the Mariners and Rangers also showing interest in Martin earlier this winter.
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal first reported the agreement (via Twitter). Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
By Mike Axisa | at
Only three relievers posted a higher strikeout rate than Jason Grilli this season, so it's no surprise the veteran right-hander is a popular man on the free agent market. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) that the Pirates are trying to retain Grilli, but a number of teams have interest in him as a closer.
Grilli, 36, pitched to a 2.91 ERA with 13.08 K/8 and 3.4 BB/9 in 58 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh this year. He's revived his career with the Pirates these last two seasons, posting a 2.76 ERA with 12.5 K/9 in 91 1/3 innings since the start of 2011. Tim Dierkes ranked the right-hander 33rd on his Top 50 Free Agents List, predicting he would sign with the Brewers. Grilli is represented by former big leaguer Gary Sheffield.
By Mark Polishuk | at
Several player agents tell Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that the Mariners' chances of attracting free agent hitters have improved now that Safeco Field's fences are being moved in. That said, while the shorter fences will help, "players look at all of those factors, but in the end, it still comes down to where they can get the best contract. And it always will," one agent says.
Here are some items from a very busy day in baseball….
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
9:14pm: The Pirates originally offered Martin a two-year contract according to George A. King III of The New York Post, but they've since increased the offer to three years and upwards of $22MM. Meanwhile, Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports the Pirates never made an offer as high as $25MM.
3:08pm: Martin sees potential in the Pirates and has a favorable opinion of manager Clint Hurdle, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (all Twitter links). One executive believes the dynamic between the Pirates and Yankees would get interesting if the Pirates offered Martin a three-year, $24MM contract. Other teams remain in the mix on Martin.
8:15am: The Pirates appear to be making a serious attempt to sign free agent catcher Russell Martin, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Though the Rangers and Mariners are also suitors for Martin, he will likely choose between the Yankees and Pirates. The decision could occur before next week’s Winter Meetings, as Martin is expected to choose within several days.
The Pirates might out-bid the Yankees for Martin, Heyman reports. Pittsburgh could offer $25MM over three years, but the Yankees don’t appear to be in that range. It appears that the Yankees are offering a two-year deal, though if they sweeten their offer in terms of years or salary, that could be enough to bring Martin back to New York.
Andrew Marchand reported yesterday that Martin seeks a four-year deal worth $9-10MM per season.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Pirates announced that they acquired right-hander Vin Mazzaro and first baseman Clint Robinson from the Royals for minor league pitchers Luis Rico and Luis Santos. The Pirates designated Yamaico Navarro and Matt Hague for assignment in a related move.
Mazzaro and Robinson had been designated for assignment on November 20th. Mazzaro, 26, posted a 5.73 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 44 innings with the Royals this past season. Robinson made his MLB debut in 2012, but spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he posted a .292/.393/.452 batting line in 570 plate appearances.
Rico, a 19-year-old left-hander, has a 5.29 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 5.8 BB/9 in 20 appearances as a professional. Santos, a 21-year-old right-hander, has a 2.51 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 24 minor league appearances.
Navarro, 25, appeared in 29 games for the Pirates this past season, posting a .160/.232/.220 batting line as a utility player. Hague, 27, appeared in 30 games for the Pirates, posting a .229/.270/.257 batting line in 74 plate appearances and playing first base.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Pirates acquired right-hander Zach Stewart from the Red Sox for a player to be named later, the teams announced. The Red Sox had designated Stewart for assignment on November 20th.
Stewart, 26, has pitched at the MLB level in both of the past two seasons. This is already the fourth time he has been traded since the Reds selected him in the third round of the 2008 draft. The Blue Jays acquired him in the deal that sent Scott Rolen to Cincinnati; Toronto traded him to the White Sox in the three-team trade that sent Colby Rasmus to the Blue Jays; the Red Sox acquired him in the deal that sent Kevin Youkilis to Chicago. In 103 innings at the MLB level, Stewart has a 6.82 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9.
By Zachary Links | at
Free agent catcher Russell Martin is receiving significant interest from the Pirates and Mariners, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Yankees remain the favorites to sign Martin, but it appears that they'll have to duke it out with the Bucs and M's in addition to the Rangers.
Interest from the Pirates and Mariners makes sense as Pittsburgh has a glaring need at the position while the Mariners are looking for offense at a variety of spots, including catcher. The Mariners have Jesus Montero and John Jaso, but Montero is likely to see more time at DH next season.
Rosenthal writes that the Rangers in particular pose a significant threat to the cost-conscious Yankees who are looking to get under the $189MM luxury tax threshold by 2014. However, the Bombers might be willing to stretch for Martin if it requires about $2MM more than they would like to spend.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
We’ll keep track of the day’s minor moves here…
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