Odds and Ends: Bonds, Boras, Snell
Links for Thursday…
- MLBTR had over 3,500 posts in 2008. Thanks for reading! In ’08 we added a Facebook page, a mobile site, and weekly chats while also redesigning the main site. It was my first year working full-time on MLBTR.
- Barry Bonds had hip surgery with the intent of playing in 2009, according to John Shea.
- The Rays re-signed catcher Michel Hernandez to a minor league deal.
- Darren Rovell interviewed Scott Boras.
- Ian Snell agrees with Jack Wilson – the Pirates need more players.
- A discussion of power/speed players over at RotoAuthority.
- The River Avenue Blues writers break down the Johnny Damon contract in a post on Peter Abraham’s blog. They argue that he’s been worth 13MM per year so far.
- Mike Berardino expects the Marlins to remain quiet for now, but predicts that they’ll find a bargain or two before Spring Training.
- The Toronto Star looks ahead towards a potentially tough year for Toronto sports fans, no thanks to the Blue Jays.
- The recent merger of Aaron Miles and the Cubs isn’t well-received at FanGraphs.
Rangers Seeking Turnbow and Others
T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com fills us in on the Rangers’ ongoing search for bullpen help:
- Derrick Turnbow is at the top of the list with pitching coach Mike Maddux leading the charge. The two worked together a few years ago in Milwaukee. The Marlins and Pirates are also thought to have interest.
- The Rangers are also investigating closers Chad Cordero and Jason Isringhausen, both free agents. As Sullivan points out, the Rangers like to target low-cost, high-reward relievers. Some would call them reclamation projects.
- Right-hander Guillermo Mota is also on the team’s list. The 35-year-old had a 4.11 ERA for the Brewers last year.
Three Finalists For Turnbow
TUESDAY, 8:31am: The Marlins are one of the three finalists, according to Juan C. Rodriguez. Turnbow may sign this week.
MONDAY, 2:02pm: According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the field of suitors for free agent reliever Derrick Turnbow has narrowed from five to three teams. The Pirates are one of the three; the Rockies are not.
Other teams linked to Turnbow: the Tigers, Marlins, Rays, Rangers, Phillies, and Giants.
Marlins Still Shopping Andino
You may recall one of the many rumors from December 10th – the Marlins discussed trading shortstop Robert Andino to the Pirates, perhaps for Brian Bixler. Andino is out of options.
According to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro, the Marlins continue to discuss trading Andino. He says the Pirates remain the most viable match, even with Jack Wilson seemingly staying put.
Pirates Pursuing Rocco Baldelli
Pirates rumors from the tireless Dejan Kovacevic…
- Kovacevic says the Pirates are in pursuit of free agent outfielder Rocco Baldelli. The Bucs are serious about him, having spoken to his agents several times. The Reds, Phillies, Red Sox, and Yankees are considered other suitors.
- The team’s interest in Ty Wigginton has dropped off.
- Doug Mientkiewicz remains on the radar, but no offer has been made.
- Nothing cooking on the Jack Wilson front; he’s likely to remain the Pirates’ shortstop.
- The Pirates offered slightly more than the $2.6MM Daniel Cabrera signed for with the Nationals. D-Cab wanted to remain in the area. The Pirates may choose not to pursue any other free agent starters.
- We knew extension talks with Nate McLouth had fizzled; turns out nothing is close with Paul Maholm either. Pirates president Frank Coonelly described the disconnect at Ryan Doumit‘s press conference.
Pirates Sign Bootcheck, Bautista
According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
The Pirates today agreed to terms with six players on minor league contracts and an invitation to spring training: relievers Chris Bootcheck, Denny Bautista and Juan Mateo; infielders Garrett Jones and Andy Phillips; and outfielder Jeff Salazar.
I’m curious to see if Bootcheck is still represented by Scott Boras. You may recall that the Pirates non-tendered Bautista earlier this month.
Doumit Signs Three-Year Extension
MONDAY, 1:12pm: Kovacevic says Doumit is guaranteed $11.5MM with a maximum value of about $27MM. His three arb years were bought out for $10.7MM. He has further details at his blog.
SUNDAY, 11:21pm: Dejan Kovacevic says the Doumit contract has a one-time trigger for the option on his two free agency years. Talks with Paul Maholm are in progress, but talks with Nate McLouth broke down.
7:31pm: Crasnick has the financials: it could be worth $20MM over four years or $30MM over five years.
4:42pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick is reporting that the Pirates have reached an agreement on a three-year extension for Ryan Doumit, buying out his arbitration years.
Doumit, 27, hit .318/.357/.501 in 465 plate appearances in 2008. His .858 OPS ranks him alongside catchers such as Joe Mauer and Geovany Soto. Not bad company there.
The terms of the deal haven’t been released yet, but Crasnick says there is a club option for a fourth year as well. The Pirates will announce the deal in a press conference tomorrow.
Crasnick also says the Pirates are still working to sign Nate McLouth to an extension, but those efforts have reached a stalemate for now.
Brewers Not Close To Looper Deal
5:41pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin confirmed interest in Looper but denied that they’re close to a deal. Melvin would not say whether the Brewers made an offer, but suggested Looper and the Brewers’ other targets want multiyear deals.
10:28am: In the "Etc." section of his Sunday update, Nick Cafardo has some updated information on a few free agents, as well as some potential trades.
- Updating a key part of the back-of-the-rotation market, Cafardo says Braden Looper is "close to signing with the Brewers."
- The Diamondbacks and Red Sox may soon revisit the possibility of an Eric Byrnes trade. Such a deal would likely be made more enticing for the Sox if Miguel Montero were somehow included.
- The Red Sox would really rather not move Clay Buchholz for a catcher, even if that catcher were Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Taylor Teagarden of the Texas Rangers. However, Daniel Bard may be in play for a potential deal with Texas.
- The Reds, Indians, Pirates and Giants are all in the mix for Ty Wigginton. Back on Dec. 18, we had a Wigginton update in an Odds and Ends post that said the player was not interested in returning to Pittsburgh.
Other topics of note (found on page 5 of Cafardo’s article) include the Tampa Bay Rays’ plan for a DH upgrade, as well as some notes on Derek Lowe and Manny Ramirez.
Alex Walsh can be reached at alexander.walsh@gmail.com.
Nationals Sign Daniel Cabrera
10:26pm: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports the contract for Daniel Cabrera is a one-year deal worth $2.6 million, about a million less than he’d have been owed after arbitration.
1:24pm: According to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, the Nationals signed Daniel Cabrera to a one-year deal (pending a physical). One of Ladson’s sources says the Nats beat out the Mets and Pirates for him. So far this offseason the Nationals have added Cabrera and Scott Olsen to their rotation.
Cabrera, 28 in May, made 30 starts for the Orioles in 2008 with a 5.25 ERA. His walks remained high, while his strikeout rate was way down and he lost 1.7mph off his average fastball. Cabrera’s season ended in September with an elbow sprain, which did not require surgery.
Odds and Ends: Wilson, Bautista, Hairston
Linkage for Friday…
- The AP explains how C.C. Sabathia will be paid $9.5MM before throwing a pitch for the Yankees.
- The D’Backs signed lefty Travis Blackley.
- Dan Johnson is headed to Japan.
- The Cardinals signed Japanese pitcher Katsuhiko Maekawa to a minor league deal. Patrick Newman has details.
- Interesting discussion involving Raul Ibanez‘s defense.
- I did a Q&A with SportingGurus.com.
- Ken Rosenthal guesses destinations for 11 remaining free agents in this slideshow.
- MLB is undergoing a hiring/salary freeze and taking away 20% of vacation time for ’09.
- Dejan Kovacevic had a lengthy chat with Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, who wishes the team would get more players to become competitive. In his article Kovacevic also notes that the Pirates have had talks about bringing back pitcher Denny Bautista, who was non-tendered a week ago.
- Are the Mariners trying to open up a spot for Jerry Hairston Jr.? They’re looking to add a plus-plus defensive second baseman; not sure if he qualifies.
- Aubrey Huff tops the list of fantasy baseball’s biggest draft position gainers.
- Royals pitcher Kyle Davies is working a construction job this offseason.
- The Orioles settled with Sidney Ponson regarding their grievance.