Pirates Rumors

Olney On Rodriguez, Ibanez, Lee, Yankees

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 24, 2011 at 11:30am CDT

Last night’s arbitration decisions included some particularly interesting cases, and ESPN.com’s Buster Olney offers insight into a few of them:

At times “winks and nods” are involved when it comes to Type B free agents. The free agents have been known to agree in advance to decline arbitration offers, since doing so doesn’t hurt their free agent value.
However, GM Doug Melvin says the Brewers did not ask agent Scott Boras to decline the team’s offer to Francisco Rodriguez. "We felt that with us trading some players the last few years that this was a chance to recover with some high picks,” Melvin told Olney. The GM explained that he’s not expecting to obtain many compensation picks in the next couple of years.
As Olney points out, Rodriguez faces a similar decision to the one another Boras client, Rafael Soriano, faced last offseason: “take more money to be a setup man, or less to be a closer.”
Olney notes that Raul Ibanez’s agents have a good relationship with the Phillies and suggests it’s likely Ibanez has agreed to turn down the team’s offer.
There's no understanding that Derrek Lee will reject the Pirates' offer, according to Olney (on Twitter).
Olney suggests gentlemen's agreements are likely in place with Aaron Harang, Jose Molina and David DeJesus and that the three players will decline arbitration(Twitter link).
The Yankees are quietly confident that Phil Hughes will start Spring Training in improved physical condition and have a bounce-back season in 2012. They will continue to discuss available starting pitchers, even after agreeing to terms with Freddy Garcia.

National League Free Agent Arbitration Offers

By Tim Dierkes | November 23, 2011 at 10:48pm CDT

10 National League teams have free agent arbitration offer decisions to make today, and we'll update them in this post in advance of the 11pm central time deadline. For a fantastic customizable chart with all 57 Type A/B free agents and their teams' decisions in real-time, click here.

Updated team decisions:

The Giants won't offer arbitration to Pat Burrell (B) or Cody Ross (B) according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Carlos Beltran (A) contractually cannot be offered arbitration.
The Dodgers declined to offer Hiroki Kuroda (B) arbitration, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter). Rod Barajas (B) already signed with the Pirates.
The Pirates offered arbitration to Derrek Lee (B) while declining to offer Ryan Ludwick (B) and Chris Snyder (B) arbitration. Ryan Doumit (B) already signed with the Twins.
The Phillies did not offer Roy Oswalt (A) or Brad Lidge (B) arbitration, according to the AP (via ESPN). The team announced that it offered arbitration to Raul Ibanez (B), Ryan Madson (A, will not cost signing team a draft pick), and Jimmy Rollins (A), according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com (via Twitter).
The Cubs offered arbitration to Carlos Pena (B) and Aramis Ramirez (B) but not to Kerry Wood (B), according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter).
The Cardinals offered Edwin Jackson (B) and Albert Pujols (A) arbitration, but declined to make offers to Rafael Furcal (B) and Arthur Rhodes (B), according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). That leaves Octavio Dotel (modified B, no arbitration offer necessary).
The Mets offered Jose Reyes (A) arbitration, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff (on Twitter).
The Padres will offer arbitration to Heath Bell (A, will not cost signing team a draft pick) and Aaron Harang (B), tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com.
The Brewers offered Prince Fielder (A) and Francisco Rodriguez (A, will not cost signing team a draft pick) arbitration. They declined to offer Yuniesky Betancourt (B) arbitration. Takashi Saito (A), contractually cannot be offered arbitration.
The Braves did not offer arbitration to Alex Gonzalez (B), according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Teams with automatic decisions only:

Reds: Francisco Cordero (modified B, no arbitration offer necessary), Ramon Hernandez (modified B, no arbitration offer necessary)
Astros: Clint Barmes (B, already signed with Pirates)
Rockies: Mark Ellis (B, already signed with Dodgers)

Minor Moves: Eric Fryer, Mariners

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 23, 2011 at 3:40pm CDT

Here are today's minor moves…

Pirates catcher Eric Fryer cleared waivers, according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. The 26-year-old had been designated for assignment last week. Fryer appeared in ten games for the 2011 Pirates, but has spent the vast majority of his five professional seasons in the minor leagues, where he has a .799 OPS.
The Mariners signed infielder Luis Rodriguez to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com's Greg Johns. Seattle also signed right-handers Jarrett Grube and Jeff Marquez and left-hander Sean Henn to minor league deals. Rodriguez had been a non-tender candidate until the Mariners outrighted him off of their roster earlier this month.

Blue Jays Claim Brian Jeroloman

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 23, 2011 at 2:55pm CDT

Less than a week after losing Brian Jeroloman on waivers, the Blue Jays have re-claimed him. The team announced that it has claimed the 26-year-old catcher from the Pirates. Toronto's 40-man roster now has one open spot.

The Pirates claimed Jeroloman off of waivers from Toronto on Friday but designated the catcher for assignment on Monday to make room for the newly-acquired Clint Barmes. In 318 Triple-A plate appearances this year, Jeroloman hit .240/.335/.295.

Twins Sign Ryan Doumit

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 23, 2011 at 10:02am CDT

The Twins agreed to sign Ryan Doumit to a one-year deal, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick and Doumit's agency, Sosnick/Cobbe Sports (Twitter link). The deal is worth $3MM and includes performance bonuses, according to Crasnick. The Twins officially announced the agreement today.

The 30-year-old posted a .303/.353/.477 line in 236 plate appearances for the Pirates in 2011. His role with the Twins figures to depend on the health of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. He can catch, play first base or, if both Mauer and Morneau are healthy, contribute as a DH or right fielder. GM Terry Ryan said during today's press conference, "First and foremost, we consider Ryan a catcher." Doumit's versatility is an added bonus.

Doumit, a Type B free agent, will lead to a compensatory draft pick for the Pirates in 2012. The Pirates benefit by Doumit signing early, as they probably would not have offered arbitration. Doumit received multiple contract offers this offseason, but was intrigued by the American League.

Twins GM Terry Ryan has been busy since assuming leadership of the baseball operations department earlier this month. Minnesota signed infielder Jamey Carroll to a two-year, $6.75MM deal last week.

Pirates Sign Jake Fox, Five Others

By Tim Dierkes | November 23, 2011 at 9:48am CDT

The Pirates announced six minor league free agent signings: Jake Fox, Brandon Boggs, Kyle Cofield, Jose Diaz, Shairon Martis, and Stefan Welch. Fox, Boggs, and Martis received non-roster invites to spring training. The signings of Fox and Martis were first reported yesterday by Baseball America's Matt Eddy.

Fox, 29, has a line of .237/.288/.425 in 534 plate appearances across parts of four big league seasons with the Cubs, Athletics, and Orioles. He's spent time at catcher and the infield and outfield corners. Fox has some powerful minor league performances on his resume.

Boggs, 28, hit .241/.381/.419 for the Brewers' Triple-A team this year, playing the outfield corners. Most of his big league experience came with the Rangers in 2008. Martis, 24, had 106 1/3 Major League innings in the Nationals' rotation from 2008-09. He spent 2011 with the team's Double-A affiliate, posting a 3.05 ERA, 9.9 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 133 innings.

Cofield, a 24-year-old minor league reliever, was acquired by the White Sox from the Braves for Scott Linebrink and cash a year ago. Diaz, a 27-year-old minor league reliever, posted a 1.41 ERA and 10.7 K/9 with 22 saves for the Orioles' Double-A club this year. Welch, a 23-year-old first baseman, hit 16 home runs in 514 plate appearances for the Mets' High-A team this year.

Quick Hits: Draft, Papelbon, Indians, D’Backs, Pirates

By Mike Axisa | November 22, 2011 at 11:30pm CDT

Some links as Tuesday turns into Wednesday…

The new Collective Bargaining Agreement will implement some major changes to the draft, but Baseball America's Jim Callis says the spending limitations won't be as drastic as initially thought.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reports (on Twitter) that slots for the first four picks for the draft will be $7.2MM, $6.2MM, $5.2MM, and $4.2MM. Teams are not required to spend that much, however.
In an Insider-only breakdown, ESPN's Keith Law analyzed the new CBA point-by-point. "The net result here is a big negative for the sport," he says. Click here for some more CBA reactions.
The Rangers were not in on Jonathan Papelbon before he signed with the Phillies, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford (on Twitter). Texas signed Joe Nathan to close yesterday.
MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says (on Twitter) that the Indians will give Lonnie Chisenhall every chance to win their third base job in Spring Training, so don't expect their search for offense to result in an upgrade at the hot corner.
In a second tweet, Bastian says the one-year deal between the Indians and Grady Sizemore should be announced soon, perhaps on Wednesday.
The Diamondbacks announced their minor league coaching staffs in a press release. Former D'Backs Jay Bell and Robby Hammock have joined the club's player development staff.
Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review passes along some changes the Pirates have made to their scouting department.

Pirates Sign Clint Barmes

By Tim Dierkes | November 21, 2011 at 1:33pm CDT

The Pirates found their new shortstop, as they officially signed Clint Barmes to a two-year deal today. The contract is worth $10.5MM, Barmes confirmed to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch notes that with a $5MM salary in 2012, Barmes will be the Pirates' highest-paid player.

Barmes, 32, hit .244/.312/.386 in 495 plate appearances for the Astros this year while playing above-average defense at shortstop. Barmes replaces Ronny Cedeno as the Pirates' starting shortstop and reunites with former manager Clint Hurdle. The Pirates' press release cites Barmes' UZR heavily, with GM Neal Huntington adding, "With the signing of Clint Barmes, we have added an above average defensive shortstop who will bring quality experience and reliability to the club on the playing field as well as a positive veteran presence in the clubhouse."

Middle infielders have been surprisingly well-compensated this offseason, with Aaron Hill, Mark Ellis, and Omar Infante also receiving two-year deals despite lackluster offensive years.

Since Barmes was a Type B free agent, the Astros will receive a supplemental draft pick for their loss. "We'll have to explore different options to find a front-line shortstop or someone to share time with [Angel] Sanchez," Astros GM Ed Wade told McTaggart.

McTaggart says Barmes talked to the Brewers about a possible two-year deal, but they weren't willing to make an offer until Prince Fielder's situation was resolved. Barmes said on a conference call today that he didn't receive many other concrete offers, and the Pirates' guarantee of two years was a big factor.

5,020 people entered MLBTR's free agent prediction contest earlier this month, and three contestants are batting 1.000 after four of our top 50 free agents signed.

Pirates Designate Brian Jeroloman For Assignment

By Tim Dierkes | November 21, 2011 at 1:28pm CDT

The Pirates designated catcher Brian Jeroloman for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot for Clint Barmes, according to the team. The Pirates had claimed Jeroloman off waivers from the Blue Jays on Friday.

Jeroloman, 26, hit .240/.335/.295 in 318 Triple-A plate appearances this year. Prior to the 2009 season, Baseball America praised Jeroloman for his defensive abilities.

Pirates Close To Deal With Clint Barmes

By Mike Axisa | November 19, 2011 at 8:03pm CDT

8:03pm: Heyman tweets that it will be a two-year contract worth $10.5MM. The two sides are just putting the finishing touches on the deal.

2:36pm: The deal is expected to be worth roughly $11MM over two years once completed, Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets.

1:02pm: The Pirates and Barmes are close to a deal according to Heyman (on Twitter).

12:35pm: The Pirates appear to be in the lead for Clint Barmes, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Giants and Brewers have also been involved, and the free agent shortstop is likely to get a two-year contract.

Barmes, 33 in March, hit just .244/.312/.386 with a dozen homers for the Astros last season, but his primary value comes from his defensive skills. The various advanced metrics have rated his glovework at short as well above-average in recent years. The Pirates are in the market for a new shortstop after declining Ronny Cedeno's $3MM option for next season.

Tim Dierkes looked at Barmes' free agent stock last month, saying that Omar Infante's two-year, $8MM extension with the Marlins could serve as a decent comparable. Jamey Carroll's two-year, $6.75MM deal with the Twins reinforces the comparison.

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