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Eric Gagne

Cafardo’s Latest: Fielder, Pedro, Gagne, Santos

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In his latest column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe ranks baseball's managers, from first (Bobby Cox) to 30th (rookie skipper Brad Mills). He also shares a few hot stove notes:

  • Contracts like the eight-year pacts signed by Mark Teixeira and Joe Mauer may indicate what it'll take for the Brewers to lock up Prince Fielder long-term. Milwaukee "would like to seal the deal right now," avoiding the drama that will only increase as Fielder approaches free agency.
  • Cafardo wonders if Pedro Martinez could end up pitching for the Dodgers at some point this season.
  • Alex Gonzalez said "forget it" this winter when the Red Sox asked him to wait until they had dealt with Jason Bay. Gonzalez adds: "I was going to get a starting job, and in this market, I'm glad I didn't wait."
  • Eric Gagne believes he can still succeed at the big league level, but he may have trouble catching on anywhere this late in the spring.
  • Sergio Santos would have plenty of teams interested in him if he doesn't break camp with the White Sox. Santos, a former first-round pick as a shortstop, is out of options and competing for a spot in Chicago's bullpen.

Dodgers Release Eric Gagne

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Eric Gagne has been granted his release by the Dodgers, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  Gagne's contract included an out-clause, though he initially accepted his demotion to the minors last week.

The Dodgers signed the 34-year-old to a minor league deal in mid-February.  Gagne was set to earn $500K if he managed to break camp with the team and up to $500K in incentives.  The Rockies also offered Gagne a minor league contract around the same time.

Gagne's last stint in the majors was with Milwaukee in 2008, where he posted a 5.44 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 46.1 innings.

Odds & Ends: Weeks, Castro, Roberts, Piniella

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Lots of rainouts in Florida, so here are some links to get you through the day…

Dodgers Sign Eric Gagne

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The Dodgers have officially signed Eric Gagne to a minor league deal worth up to $1MM. Gagne makes $500K if he breaks camp with the Dodgers and he can earn up to $500K more in incentives based on games and games finished. 

Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times first reported the deal and noted that it was official (via Twitter). Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports added detail on the terms of the deal (via Twitter).

The Rockies offered the 34-year-old Gagne a minor league deal as well, however he apparently preferred the familiarity of the Dodgers' organization. He's returning to where he enjoyed his most big league success, saving 152 games while winning a Cy Young Award during a three year stretch from 2002-2004.

Rockies Offer Eric Gagne Minor League Deal

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Eric Gagne has an offer for a minor league deal from the Rockies, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding (via Twitter). We heard earlier in the week that the Rockies were in the mix, with the Dodgers involved, too. Gagne threw for Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd and Jim Tracy, his former manager, but he has also thrown in front of the Dodgers, who are still in the mix.

Gagne, 34, hasn't been effective in the majors since the first part of the 2007 season. He pitched in the Can-Am league last year and is looking to return to the big leagues.

Sizing Up Interest In Eric Gagne

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WEDNESDAY, 1:22pm: SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Dodgers are the most likely landing spot for Gagne, with the Rockies in the mix.  However, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says a pedestrian throwing session yesterday makes Gagne a longshot for Colorado.

TUESDAY, 4:41pm: It wasn't long ago that Eric Gagne was in the midst of one of most dominant stretches a reliever has ever had. After disappointing stints in Boston and Milwaukee and a year in the Can-Am League, one thing is clear: Gagne wants to pitch in the majors again. Here are the details on his preferences and the teams that are considering him:

Odds & Ends: Maya, Sheffield, Rays, Yankees

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Monday night linkage..

  • Jon Heyman of SI writes that the Dodgers and Rockies have watched Eric Gagne throw and both teams have shown the willingness to take a chance.  A few weeks ago we learned that Colorado was thinking about extending a non-roster invite to the 34-year-old.
  • The Red Sox might not be close to signing Cuban pitcher Yuniesky Maya, a source familiar with the negotiations tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.  There's a good chance that Maya will instead choose a team that offers a better opportunity to immediately enter its starting rotation.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson writes that Gary Sheffield would not be a good fit for the Nationals as he wants to play every day.  Ladson spoke to a major league source who believes that Sheffield will not accept a role as a backup.
  • Jason Beck of MLB.com fielded a question from a reader, asking why the Tigers dealt Curtis Granderson, only to pursue Johnny Damon instead.  Beck says that the Granderson trade brought Detroit financial flexibility and prospects.  He also credits agent Scott Boras for helping to create an opportunity for Damon.
  • Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg told 620-AM WDAE that the club's payroll will drop below $60MM in 2011, despite having a payroll north of $70MM this season.  Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times points out that while the club didn't plan to make any big additions this year, they found room for Rafael Soriano after dealing Scott Kazmir and Akinori Iwamura.
  • If Mike Jacobs doesn't make the Mets major league roster, Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News doesn't expect him to play for the club's Triple-A affiliate.  Even though his minor league deal doesn't have an out-clause, Rubin is "virtually positive" that the Mets would accommodate him with a trade or release.
  • In his latest mailbag, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch supports Yankees GM Brian Cashman's decision to wait to negotiate with upcoming free agents Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.  Hoch believes that both players should be confident that they'll both be taken care of eventually.

Rockies Notes: Mora, Giambi, Speier

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Troy Renck of the Denver Post looks at a number of Rockies-related items in his latest blog entry….

  • Eric Goldschmidt, agent of veteran infielder Melvin Mora, says his free-agent client is "definitely interested" in playing for Colorado.  Renck points out that Mora's versatility would make him a logical signing for the Rockies, given that their other recent bench signing (Jason Giambi) can only play first base.  Mora could decide on his future by the end of the week as he picks from between "roughly" five interested teams.
  • Speaking of Giambi, Renck said that his clubhouse presence was a big factor in his re-signing with the Rockies.  Troy Tulowitzki credited Giambi with "helping…with the mental side" of baseball.
  • Renck says the Rockies are "expected to sign" reliever Justin Speier to a minor-league contract.  Released by the Angels in August, Speier pitched for Colorado from 2001 to 2003 and has a 2.55 K/BB ratio in 12 major league seasons.
  • Eric Gagne is "becoming a more likely non-roster invite than Derrick Turnbow."  We heard yesterday from ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter) that Arizona is also interested in Turnbow, so perhaps Colorado doesn't want to get into a bidding war with its divisional rival.
  • Colorado GM Dan O'Dowd told Renck he was "surprised" when Jose Contreras signed with Philadelphia.  O'Dowd said the Rockies wanted to use Contreras out of the bullpen while the Phillies offered him a chance to start.  Interestingly, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said today (as reported by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com) that Contreras will only start during spring training and will be a reliever by Opening Day.

Odds & Ends: Gagne, Stairs, Dotel

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Thursday night linkage..

  • Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Radio talked to M's GM Jack Zduriencik, who declined to disclose how much money the club had left to spend this offseason.  One baseball source told Drayer that the M's likely have "a little left, but not much."
  • Scott Lauber of The News Journal tweets that Phillies GM Ruben Amaro was less than impressed after watching Eric Gagne throw yesterday, saying "He was okay."  We first heard about Gagne's comeback back in December, when the 34-year-old said he would be open to pitching in the minors.
  • Matt Stairs, who is still hoping to land a job at the age of 41, has dropped 31 pounds in order to get himself in game shape, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.  In 129 plate appearances last season, Stairs posted .194/.357/.379 with 5 HRs.
  • Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette spoke to recently signed Octavio Dotel who told him that the Pirates were the only team to offer him the role of closer.  Dotel says that he's not worried about being rusty after not closing since 2007.

Gagne To Work Out For Teams

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THURSDAY, 8:23am: Via Twitter, Yahoo's Tim Brown adds the Rockies, Dodgers, and Blue Jays as other clubs that will watch Gagne throw.

WEDNESDAY, 2:43pm: ESPN's Jayson Stark talked to Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr., who downplayed the Gagne tryout: "We don't have any expectations, at all."

8:19am: After being released by the Brewers in March of last year, Eric Gagne hooked on with a Can-Am League team as a starter.  He tallied 102.6 mediocre innings, and now hopes to find his way back to the bigs.

Today David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News passes along a segment from Montreal radio station CKAC in which Gagne indicated he has a throwing session scheduled with the Phillies today.  The 34-year-old hasn't done much since his 33.3-inning stint with Texas in '07.

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