Tigers Sign Jhonny Peralta
The Tigers officially signed Jhonny Peralta to a two-year, $11.25MM contract today. MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that the contract will include a third-year option worth $6MM with a $500K buyout. ESPNDeportes' Enrique Rojas first reported that the two sides were close to finalizing a deal, while Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports and the AP also contributed.
Although the Tigers turned down Peralta's $7.25MM option less than a week ago, the team was always optimistic about bringing Peralta back at a lesser cost. In October, Detroit signed Brandon Inge to a two-year extension worth $11.5MM, so the Tigers have now made nearly identical commitments to both players on the left side of their infield.
As usual, the free agent market for shortstops is weak, so the Tigers had to pay full sticker price on Peralta.
Tigers, Peralta Close To Completing New Deal
SUNDAY, 5:01pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports confirms that Peralta and the Tigers are on the verge of finalizing a deal worth approximately $11MM. A major league source expects the team to announce the signing within the next week.
SATURDAY, 3:12pm: The Tigers and infielder Jhonny Peralta are close to completing a two-year deal worth $11.25MM, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes. Rojas' source says the two sides are just finishing up some minor details.
Detroit acquired the 28-year-old Peralta from the Indians at this year's trade deadline. He performed admirably with his new team, hitting .253/.314/.396 with eight homers in 242 plate appearances while moving back to shortstop. Rojas says the Tigers intend to use Peralta at short, unsurprising given Brandon Inge's new deal.
The Tigers declined their $7.25MM option on Peralta earlier this week, though both sides expressed a desire to keep the relationship going.
Odds & Ends: Crawford, Thome, Rowand, Greinke
On this date in 1974, the Braves traded Hank Aaron to the Brewers for Dave May. Today, the Braves made some less memorable moves. Here are the day's links…
- The Giants will at least entertain the idea of signing Carl Crawford, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.
- Twins GM Bill Smith confirmed to ESPN Radio 1500 that he'd like to bring Jim Thome back to Minnesota in 2011. The slugger hit 25 homers in 2010.
- Jhonny Peralta told the Detroit Free Press that he'd like to return to the Tigers for more than one year. GM Dave Dombrowski was also optimistic about reaching a deal when he turned down the infielder's 2011 option earlier today.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the Phillies might consider bringing Aaron Rowand back to Philadelphia if the Giants took on most of his salary (Twitter link).
- People close to Zack Greinke tell Heyman that there's no chance the pitcher would accept a trade to New York (Twitter link). For more on Greinke's no-trade clause, click here.
- The Pirates obtained permission to interview former Rockies manager and current Rangers hitting coach Clint Hurdle, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- The Rockies got a fourth minor league option for Greg Reynolds because the pitcher was injured in 2009, according to Jack Etkin of Inside the Rockies.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post draws a parallel between Alex Rodriguez and Tom Hicks and Cliff Lee and Chuck Greenberg.
Tigers Decline Option On Jhonny Peralta
The Tigers declined their $7.25MM option on shortstop Jhonny Peralta, according to the team's Twitter feed. They'll pay a $250K buyout instead. Via that same feed comes a quote from Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski: "We remain optimistic that a deal can be worked out between Jhonny and the club." MLB.com's Jason Beck exchanged emails with Peralta's agent Seth Levinson, who shares Dombrowski's optimism.
Peralta, 28, is eligible for free agency for the first time in his career. This year he hit .249/.311/.392 with 15 home runs in 615 plate appearances for the Indians and Tigers, coming to Detroit in a July 28th trade. He played third base exclusively this year for the Indians, but spent most of his time with the Tigers at shortstop. With Brandon Inge already locked in, the Tigers would continue to use Peralta at short. On October 26th, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote that the team is "expected to reach an agreement" with Peralta on a two-year deal, perhaps a touch less than Inge's $11.5MM. It seems unlikely that the Tigers would offer Peralta arbitration on the November 23rd deadline, but he is a Type B free agent.
Tigers, Peralta “Expected” To Agree On Extension
The Tigers have already locked up one infielder (Brandon Inge) before the start of the free agency period, and now they may be on the verge of re-signing another. Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com reports that Detroit is "expected" to spend $0.25MM to buy out Jhonny Peralta's $7MM option for 2011 and instead work out a two-year contract with the shortstop. Morosi predicts Peralta's new deal will be worth "a little less" than the $11.5MM that Inge will earn over the two guaranteed years of his contract.
Peralta had a .703 OPS in 2010, including a .253/.314/.396 line in 242 plate appearances as a Tiger. He provides solid power from the shortstop position, which is a big plus on a Detroit team that didn't generate much pop beyond Miguel Cabrera and the possibly-departing Magglio Ordonez. Without Peralta, the Tigers would be forced to explore the very thin shortstop market for a replacement that would've very likely been a downgrade.
Morosi also mentions that Peralta's pending return to Detroit puts an end to any thought of Michigan native Derek Jeter suiting up for his home-state team if he somehow couldn't reach an agreement with the Yankees.
Odds & Ends: Beimel, Angels, Mets, Peralta, Dunn
On this date 27 years ago, the Padres signed Sandy Alomar Jr. as an amateur free agent. Now, the former catcher is one of four finalists for the Blue Jays managerial opening. Here are today's links, as the Phillies send the NLCS back to Philadelphia…
- Joe Beimel tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he'd like to return to Colorado next year: "The Rockies are my first choice. I definitely want to be back. But after the last two offseasons, it's hard to know what to expect."
- The Angels promoted Ric Wilson, making him their new scouting director, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
- Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon says the team completed its initial round of interviews and will narrow the group of candidates "by early next week," according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski says he's "optimistic" about reaching a deal with Jhonny Peralta, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. The Tigers have a $7MM option for the infielder's services in 2011.
- Now that Detroit is presumably out of the running for Adrian Beltre, Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Tigers look like real players for Adam Dunn (Twitter link).
- Remember Larry Bigbie, the former first rounder who played parts of six seasons in the major leagues? He's making a comeback and was recently named to Baseball America's 2010 All-Independent Leagues Team.
- The Marlins outrighted Jay Buente, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (on Twitter). That means the 27-year-old righty is no longer on the 40-man roster.
Tigers Will Not Pick Up Magglio Ordonez’s Option, Have Talked With Inge About Multi-Year Deal
GM Dave Dombrowski announced that the Tigers will not pick up Magglio Ordonez's $15MM club option for 2011, reports Tom Gage of The Detroit News. Dombrowski did say that the team remains open-minded about bringing Ordonez back, however.
Meanwhile, Dombrowski also said the team wants to bring third baseman Brandon Inge back, and confirmed that the two sides have discussed a multi-year deal. Jhonny Peralta is another player they'd like to bring back according to Gage. The Tigers did however inform Johnny Damon and Gerald Laird that they will not be re-signed, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (via Twitter). Dombrowski added that they "most likely" will choose not to pursue Jeremy Bonderman either.
Ordonez's option was likely to vest if not for a season ending-ankle injury in late-July. He hit .303/.378/.474 with more walks (40) than strikeouts (38) in 365 plate appearances before the injury, a nice rebound from a down 2009 campaign. Inge is in the final season of a four-year, $24MM deal, though his .247/.321/.392 batting line is the worst of any full season of his career. Thankfully his defense at the hot corner is strong, with a +10.3 UZR since 2008. A multi-year offer might be too good for Inge to pass up.
Peralta was acquired from the Indians at the trade deadline, and hit .254/.315/.399 in 238 plate appearances for Detroit. He played mostly shortstop after the trade, the most action he's gotten at the position since 2008. The Tigers hold a $7MM club option for his services next season, but they'll likely buy that out for $250K and attempt to negotiate a lower salary.
Damon hit .271/.355/.401 after signing a one-year, $8MM deal last offseason, while Laird mustered just a .218/.289/.313 batting line in his two seasons with Detroit. He's fantastic defensively though, having thrown out 72 of 189 potential base stealers (38.1%) during that time. The 27-year-old Bonderman stayed healthy for the first time since 2007 this year, though he posted a 5.53 ERA in 171 innings. He's just wrapping up a four-year, $38MM deal and will hit free agency for the first time.
Jhonny Peralta’s 2011 Option
Things were much different when the Tigers acquired Jhonny Peralta six weeks ago. Detroit was in contention and Peralta was hitting just .246/.308/.389. Even though his contract includes a 2011 option, the Tigers added him with 2010 in mind. Now, the Tigers' playoff hopes have unraveled, but it has been no fault of Peralta's. His play has improved since joining the Tigers, so they may even keep him.
Peralta said last month that he hopes the Tigers pick up his $7MM option and repeated as much to Steve Kornacki of MLive.com yesterday. But the Tigers are the ones who must decide whether to bring the infielder back or find another shortstop via trade or free agency.
After playing third for the Indians, Peralta is back at shortstop in Detroit. He doesn't distinguish himself with his defense, though (UZR has Peralta as about average from 2008-10). Peralta is hitting .275/.342/.458 in Detroit and he has already hit as many homers for the Tigers as he did in Cleveland (7). It's a major improvement and if he can keep it up and play a respectable shortstop he'd be worth a net cost of $6.75MM.
Miguel Tejada, Orlando Cabrera, Alex Gonzalez, Juan Uribe and Adam Everett signed for $6MM or less last offseason, so it's hard to imagine Peralta finding $7MM as a free agent, despite his strong finish. The Tigers would likely be able to find a serviceable free agent shortstop more cheaply, so if they pick up the option it shows that they believe Peralta can continue hitting this well.
Odds & Ends: D’Backs, Matsui, Ausmus, Peralta
Links for Thursday night, as the NFL season kicks off in New Orleans….
- The favorites for the Diamondbacks' general manager opening appear to be Kevin Towers and Jerry Dipoto, with Logan White looming as a "dark-horse." Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic breaks down the three candidates.
- Hideki Matsui wants to play somewhere in the majors next year, but he may not be in the Angels' plans, writes MLB.com's Evan Drellich.
- In a chat with Rangers fans, Nolan Ryan says the team has "every intention" of bringing manager Ron Washington back next year (Dallas Morning News link).
- Brad Ausmus tells Brian McTaggart of MLB.com that he'd be open to rejoining the Astros' organization after he retires. Ausmus said earlier this year that he expects this season to be his last.
- Steve Kornacki of MLive.com thinks Jhonny Peralta's 2011 option could be a good investment for the Tigers, given how well the 28-year-old has played lately.
- Fangraphs' Eno Sarris looks at a few contenders for the Mets' 2011 second base job.
Peralta Wants To Return To Detroit
Jhonny Peralta told John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press that he wants to return to Detroit next year. The Tigers could pick up Peralta’s $7MM option or buy him out for $250K and attempt to negotiate a cheaper deal.
"I want to be here," Peralta said. "I hope they pick up the option. But I want to be here. I like everybody here."
As Lowe points out, the Tigers “haven't gotten much production this year from their shortstops.” Adam Everett, Danny Worth, Ramon Santiago and Peralta have all spent time at short this season as the team has scrambled to find steady production. Peralta, who spent most of 2009-10 at third, posted negative UZR numbers at short every season from 2005-08.
Peralta’s .244/.310/.405 season line is unremarkable, but he’s producing at the plate in Detroit. Six of his 13 homers have come since joining the Tigers last month. He currently projects as a Type B free agent, so the Tigers could obtain a compensation pick in next year’s draft if they offer arbitration and Peralta turns it down to sign elsewhere.
Peralta’s teammate, Johnny Damon, has also expressed interest in returning to the Motor City next year. The Tigers have lots of money coming off the books and could be looking for solutions at short, third, catcher, in the outfield and in the rotation.