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Jeff Francis Suitors

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The Mets, Nationals, Pirates, Rangers, and Yankees have varying degrees of interest in free agent lefty Jeff Francis, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  Crasnick named five interested clubs a month ago: the Pirates, Mariners, Brewers, Astros, and Rockies.  It appears that a few teams dropped out and others jumped in; this is the first we've seen of the Yankees' interest.  MLB.com's Thomas Harding learned from Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd today that the team will continue to monitor Francis.

Francis, 30 in January, posted a 5.00 ERA, 5.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, and 47% groundball rate in 104 1/3 innings this year for the Rockies.  His peripheral stats suggest Francis' work was more deserving of an ERA around 4.00.  The southpaw missed all of last season after having shoulder surgery in February of '09, and had some lingering issues this year.  The Rockies declined his $7MM club option in November.  He figures to sign a one-year, incentive-laden deal.

Contract Details: Bruce, Lee, Jenks, Pirates, Gomez

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Here are some recent updates on contracts from around the majors:

Minor Deals: Stokes, Diaz, Barton, Brewers

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Rounding up today's minor signings:

  • The Blue Jays signed Brian Stokes, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 31-year-old struggled through 16 2/3 innigns for the Angels last year, but was useful for the Mets from 2008-09 before they sent him to L.A. for Gary Matthews Jr..
  • The A's signed right-hander Jonathan Ortiz, who combined a sinker and an above-average changeup to post 11.8 K/9 in the Yankees system this year, according to Eddy (all links go to Twitter).
  • The Tigers signed shortstop Argenis Diaz, who was non-tendered by the Pirates despite his strong glovework.
  • The Angels signed Ryan Braun – not the Brewers slugger, but the 30-year-old right-hander who posted a 2.20 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in 57 1/3 innings at Triple-A Charlotte last year. He last pitched in the majors for the 2007 Royals.
  • The Twins signed Matt Brown, a former Angel who should provide corner infield depth.
  • The Pirates re-signed Tyler Yates, who missed last season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
  • Brian Barton, who hit 19 homers and stole 18 bases in the Atlantic League this year, signed with the Reds, according to Eddy (on Twitter).
  • The Cubs signed lefty Polin Trinidad, who posted a 4.81 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 149 2/3 innings in the upper minor for the Astros last year (Twitter link).
  • The Brewers signed Edwin Maysonet and Shawn Riggans to minor league deals and invited them to Spring Training, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). Maysonet, 29, appeared in 46 games as a backup infielder for the Astros in 2008-09 and hit .248/.308/.329 in 356 minor league plate apperances last year. Riggans, who spent parts of four seasons with the Rays, barely played in 2010.
  • The Twins inked lefty Chuck James, tweets Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.  The 29-year-old former Brave had rotator cuff surgery in September of 2008.
  • The Nationals announced seven signings, including previously unreported contracts for Ryan Mattheus, Michael Aubrey, and Brian Bixler.  Mattheus, a 27-year-old right-handed reliever, was acquired by the Nats at the '09 trade deadline in the Joe Beimel deal, the same month he had Tommy John surgery.  His is a Major League deal.  Aubrey, drafted 11th overall by the Indians in 2003, hit .235/.310/.495 at Triple-A this year.  Bixler, a defensive-minded utility infielder, was acquired by Washington from the Pirates in August.

Pirates Reach Agreement With Josh Fields

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The Pirates reached an agreement on a minor league deal with third baseman Josh Fields, the team announced on Twitter.  A spring training invite is included.

Fields, 28, joined Kansas City a year ago in the Mark Teahen trade.  Hip surgery took up most of his Royals career, though he had 104 interesting pro plate appearances before being non-tendered this month.  Beyond the hot corner, he's dabbled at first base and left field.

Fields was drafted 18th overall by the White Sox in 2004 and was once considered a top prospect.  He crushed 23 home runs in 418 plate appearances with the Sox in '07, nine of which came in August of that year.  Earlier this month the Pirates added another former top third base prospect in Andy Marte, cutting a third one loose in Andy LaRoche.

Pirates Sign Kevin Correia

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The Pirates officially signed Kevin Correia to a two-year, $8MM deal.  He can earn another $1MM in performance bonuses; Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the contract breakdown.  The team announced the deal, with this quote from GM Neal Huntington:

"Kevin Correia is a solid major league starting pitcher and a strong addition to our rotation.  We feel he is poised for a return to his 2009 form where he gave his club a chance to win nearly every start while carrying a significant innings pitched workload."

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick broke news of the agreement.  Correia will join Paul Maholm, James McDonald, Ross Ohlendorf and possibly Scott Olsen in the Pirates' rotation. 

Aside from Yoslan Herrera, it has been 12 years since the Pirates last gave a free agent pitcher a multiyear deal – Cam Bonifay signed Pete Schourek to a two-year, $4MM deal in '98.  Back on November 10th, two MLBTR writers predicted Correia would sign with the Pirates.

Correia posted a 5.40 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 145 innings for the Padres in 2010. The 30-year-old missed time in May after his younger brother died in a tragic accident. He lost his rotation spot to Tim Stauffer after a trio of poor starts in late August. Agents Scott Leventhal and Damon Lapa did much better than I expected them to when I looked ahead to Correia's free agency this fall.

Correia’s walk rate jumped from 2.9 BB/9 to 4.0 BB/9 in 2010, but some of his stats reflect more favorably on his performance. Despite the righty's 5.40 ERA, defense-independent pitching stats suggest he was unlucky. Nearly 15% of fly balls hit off of Correia left the yard, so homers inflated his ERA. He induces ground balls and is just one year removed from a season in which he posted a 3.91 ERA in 33 starts, which likely contributed to GM Neal Huntington's willingness to make an $8MM guarantee.

The Padres offered Correia arbitration, so they'll obtain a supplementary first round pick in the 2011 draft for losing the Type B free agent.

Minor Deals: Yankees, Chulk, Van Every, Coats

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Let's take a look at today's notable minor league deals, with the most recent updates at the top:

  • The Yankees signed Doug Bernier, Buddy Carlyle, Neal Cotts and Gustavo Molina to minor league deals, the team announced. The club officially announced its deals with Andy Sisco and outfielder-turned-pitcher Brian Anderson.
  • The Pirates have welcomed back Donald Veal just two weeks after non-tendering him, Eddy tweets.  Veal underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this year. 
  • The Rays picked up right-handed reliever Jonah Bayliss, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter).  Bayliss turned in a 3.58 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 for Houston's Triple-A club last season.
  • The Athletics signed right-handed reliever Vinnie Chulk, tweets Eddy.  Chulk appeared in 28 games for Pittsburgh's Triple-A affiliate in 2010 and spent the other half of the year with the Hiroshima Carp.  His numbers overseas left much to be desired but the righty carries more than 250 games of big league experience.
  • First baseman Andy Tracy has hooked on with the Diamondbacks, tweets Baseball America's Matt Eddy.  The left-handed hitter, who turned 37-years-old on Saturday, has spent the last three years with the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate.  In 2010 he hit .275/.373/.492, numbers that are slightly better than his career averages.
  • The Nationals signed outfielder Jonathan Van Every, according to Eddy (via Twitter).  The 31-year-old boasts a career .471 slugging percentage in Triple-A and can play all three outfield positions.  Van Every played in 39 games for Boston's varsity squad across the last three years.
  • Washington picked up another versatile, left-handed hitting outfielder in Buck Coats, Eddy tweets.  Coats, who spent the first seven years of his career with the Cubs, has a lifetime slash line of .294/.352/.407 at the Triple-A level.
  • The Cubs invited first baseman Bryan LaHair and outfielder Brad Snyder to Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter).

Olney On Pettitte, Rendon, Blanton, Hoffman

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C.C. Sabathia can opt out of his contract with the Yankees after next season, but ESPN.com’s Buster Olney points out that the team could be proactive and ensure that the lefty stays in the Bronx. They could offer to add a couple years to his current deal in exchange for Sabathia’s right to opt out. Here’s the latest on another Yankee lefty and a few more rumblings from around the league:

  • For the first time this winter, a Yankees person spoke to Olney optimistically about the chances that Andy Pettitte returns in 2011.
  • One talent evaluator says he might take Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon ahead of Bryce Harper if both players were in the same draft. The Pirates select first overall next year and may be tempted by Rendon, the consensus top player available.
  • Multiple GMs confirmed to Olney that the Phillies will have to eat some of Joe Blanton’s salary if they decide to move him. The right-hander will earn $17MM over the course of the next two seasons.
  • Trevor Hoffman is still telling teams that he wants to be a closer. The all-time saves leader is coming off of a rough season, but he pitched better in the second half.

Pirates Sign Matt Diaz

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The Pirates have signed Matt Diaz to a two-year deal, the team announced today. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter) first reported the agreement, which is worth approximately $4.25MM, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Royals, Dodgers, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Yankees also had interest in the outfielder, according to reports earlier this week.  Agent Larry Reynolds represents Diaz. 

The 32-year-old handles lefties well and could become a complement to Garrett Jones, who handles righties well. Diaz has a .335/.373/.533 line against southpaws in his career, though he bats just .269/.327/.382 against right-handers. The Braves non-tendered Diaz earlier in the month, making him a free agent. Diaz has experience in right field, but he has spent most of his big league career in left.

Pirates Sign Lyle Overbay

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The Pirates signed first baseman Lyle Overbay to a one-year, $5MM deal, the team announced.  Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review provided the amount.  The statement from GM Neal Huntington:

"Lyle Overbay is solid major league player and we expect him to have a positive impact on our club offensively, defensively, and in the clubhouse."

The Pirates primarily used Garrett Jones at first base in 2010, but they expressed a desire to add a right-handed hitting complement.  Overbay doesn't fit that description; GM Neal Huntington told MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch the new plan is to have Jones could pair up with new acquisition Matt Diaz in right field.  Overbay will be the everyday first baseman.

Overbay, 34 in January, hit .243/.329/.433 in 607 plate appearances for the Blue Jays this year.  His performance picked up after a rough start.  Overbay is represented by Octagon.

Pirates Moving Close To Agreement With Lyle Overbay

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11:44am: The Pirates are moving close to an agreement with Overbay, tweets Morosi.

8:37am: The Pirates have been talking with free agent first baseman Lyle Overbay, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  He says it's not clear whether they're making progress on a deal.

The Pirates primarily used Garrett Jones at first base in 2010, but they've expressed a desire to add a right-handed hitting complement.  Overbay doesn't fit that description, though Jones could pair up with Matt Diaz in right field if Ryan Doumit is traded.

Overbay, 34 in January, hit .243/.329/.433 in 607 plate appearances for the Blue Jays this year.

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