Odds & Ends: Rivera, Pirates, Beltre, A’s
Links for Sunday, with winter meetings right around the corner….
- Mariano Rivera hinted that he may retire when his two-year pact with the Yankees is up, though he left some wiggle room. Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News has the details.
- The Pirates will focus on pitching at this week's winter meetings, writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Biertempfel names Aaron Heilman, Jeff Francis, Brandon Webb, Justin Duchscherer, and Chris Young as potential targets for Pittsburgh.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider required) wonders if the Orioles could be a match for Adrian Beltre.
- The Athletics will be focused on free agents, rather than trades, at the winter meetings, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Red Sox Notes: Bell, Beltre, Martin, Wakefield
The increase in Adrian Gonzalez trade chatter is the biggest news out of Fenway Park today. Here's a bit of extra news about those rumors plus some other Boston notes…
- Josh Byrnes tells WEEI.com's Alex Speier that the familiarity between the Red Sox and Padres front offices may actually be a hindrance in making a deal happen.
- Heath Bell's name has been mentioned in some of the Padres/Red Sox trade talks, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Top Boston prospects Casey Kelly and Anthony Rizzo are two of the names discussed in a potential package to San Diego, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- Olney also tweets that if Adrian Beltre's first preference is really to return to Boston, then admitting so probably cost him some leverage with the Athletics.
- Boston is Gonzalez's preferred trade destination, tweets Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman, possibly due to the fact that the Sox are contenders and they can afford "to give him [a Mark] Teixeira deal."
- Are the Red Sox one of the teams interested in Russell Martin? Heyman tweets that Boston has "always liked" the former Dodger catcher. With Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek behind the plate, Heyman speculates that Martin could fill a utility role for Boston.
- Tim Wakefield talked to the Boston Globe's Peter Abraham about how 2011 will "probably" be his last season and how he's now more comfortable about losing his rotation spot.
- If the Red Sox had been successful in signing Mariano Rivera away from the Yankees, Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reports that the Sox would've non-tendered Jonathan Papelbon before last night's deadline. Given the Bell-from-San Diego rumor noted earlier, you wonder if a Papelbon move is yet to come for the Red Sox this winter.
Derek Jeter Rumors: Saturday
The Yankees and long-time captain Derek Jeter appeared to be closing in on a deal late last night, but there are still some hurdles that need to be cleared. Let's keep track of latest surrounded the game's active career hits leader throughout the day, with the most recent news up top…
- Jack Curry of the YES Network tweets that both Jeter and Mariano Rivera have agreed to defer money, concessions that help pushed talks along. Rivera is close to re-signing as well.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says a contract could be finalized today. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says that the deal will be for three years at $15-17MM annually, and that the fourth year option will be a "creative hybrid solution" that is not guaranteed and can't vest. (Twitter links)
- Sweeny Murti of WFAN.com tweets that the Yankees worked deep into the night to get a deal done, and they're talking about a three-year contract worth $51MM that includes a fourth year vesting option at $10MM. The two sides are reportedly "very close."
This post was originally published on November 4th, 2010.
Talks Progressing For Yankees, Rivera
8:08pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com reports on Twitter that no deal appears imminent.
7:53pm: The Yankees are "quietly closing in on a contract" with Mariano Rivera, according to Ken Fidlin of the Toronto Sun. Rivera is seeking a two-year deal, but the Yankees haven’t yet agreed to sign him for more than one season, according to Fidlin.
Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal reports that the team will talk to agent Fern Cuza this week, and could very well have an agreement in place by the end of next week's winter meetings.
Yankees Rumors: Jeter, Rivera
The latest Yankees talk…
- Talks between the Yankees and Derek Jeter are "at a standstill until Jeter and his agent, Casey Close, 'drink the reality potion,'" a source close to the negotiations tells ESPN's Wallace Matthews. The Yankees are stuck on three years and $45MM, while Jeter wants more years and $23-25MM annually. Matthews says the Yankees are not budging from their offer, though SI's Jon Heyman expects them to up the money but not the years this week.
- The Yankees and Mariano Rivera, on the other hand, are progressing smoothly in their negotiations according to ESPN's Andrew Marchand. Rivera could be bumped to $16-17MM per year, but it's unknown whether the Yankees will guarantee two years.
- Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues estimates Phil Hughes' first-year arbitration reward in the $3.2-3.5MM range.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Mariano Rivera
It's not often that a free agent class offers not just one, but two first-ballot Hall of Fame relievers, yet that's exactly the situation we're in this offseason. Let's review the stock of the great Mariano Rivera…
The Good
- Rivera remains the master at limiting base runners, holding opponents to a .181/.211/.266 batting line with just 25 unintentional walks over the last three seasons. His WHIP during that time is a microscopic 0.797.
- His postseason track record is unmatched in terms of both quantity and quality. His 139.2 playoff innings feature a 0.71 ERA and 0.766 WHIP, and it's been ten years since someone took him deep in the postseason.
- Although he's a Type-A free agent, the Yankees did not offer Rivera arbitration, so it would not cost a draft pick to sign him.
The Bad
- Rivera will turn 41 years old on Monday, and just three men in baseball history (Dennis Eckersley, Hoyt Wilhelm, and Trevor Hoffman) have recorded a 20-save season at that age or older.
- He's two years removed from offseason shoulder surgery and has dealt with a nagging side injury since the 2009 playoffs.
- The velocity of his legendary cutter is gradually declining, and his 6.8 K/9 in 2010 is his second lowest strikeout rate since 1998.
The Verdict
Rivera is a free agent in name only, as just about everyone expects him to re-sign with the Yankees at some point. Even so, he's reportedly seeking a two-year deal worth $18MM a season, a price very few teams can match. The Yanks understandably want to limit a contract to one season, but there's no reason to expect Mo to wear anything but Yankee pinstripes in 2011.
Yankees Notes: Rivera, Jeter
It's a winter of turbulence for the Yankees' core four. Here's the latest on the kind of interest two longtime Yankees might draw from other teams:
- Mariano Rivera will have many teams looking to pry him away from the Bronx if negotiations with the Yankees sour, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
- John Harper of the New York Daily News writes that Derek Jeter would look hypocritical if he left the Yankees over a financial dispute after years of saying winning matters more than anything.
- MLB executives tell George A. King III of the New York Post that they firmly believe Jeter will re-sign with the Yankees. One person pointed out that Jeter needs the Red Sox to bid on him, but cautioned that Boston won’t likely get involved. An AL official named the Orioles, Nationals, Cardinals and Giants as teams that could have interest in the shortstop.
American League Free Agent Arbitration Offers
10 American League teams have free agent arbitration offer decisions to make, and we'll group them in this post. For a fantastic customizable chart with all 65 Type A/B free agents and their decisions in real-time, click here.
- The Blue Jays offered arbitration to Scott Downs (A) Jason Frasor (A) Kevin Gregg (B) Miguel Olivo (B), according to MLB.com's Gregor Chisolm (on Twitter).
- The Twins offered arbitration to Carl Pavano (A), Jesse Crain (B) and Orlando Hudson (B) and declined to offer arbitration to Matt Guerrier (A), Brian Fuentes (B) and Jon Rauch (B), according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (on Twitter).
- The Rays offered arbitration to Grant Balfour (A), Carl Crawford (A), Rafael Soriano (A), Randy Choate (B), Brad Hawpe (B) and Chad Qualls (B), according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. They did not offer Dan Wheeler (A) or Carlos Pena (B) arbitration. It seems possible that Hawpe has agreed in advance to turn down arbitration.
- The Orioles won't offer arbitration to Koji Uehara (B) or Kevin Millwood (B), according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links).
- The Angels declined to offer Hideki Matsui (B) arbitration, the team announced.
- The Rangers offered arbitration to Cliff Lee (A) and Frank Francisco (A), but not to Vladimir Guerrero (A) and Bengie Molina (A), according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- The Yankees will offer arbitration to Javier Vazquez (B), but not to any of their other free agents, according to Ken Davidoff of Newsday on Twitter. Andy Pettitte (A), Derek Jeter (A), Mariano Rivera (A), Lance Berkman (B) and Kerry Wood (B) were the team's other ranked free agents. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported that the Yankees would offer Vazquez arbitration and noted that the right-hander has agreed to reject the offer, a common gentleman's agreement that can take place with Type B free agents. Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger first reported on Twitter that the Yankees would not offer Jeter arbitration.
- The Red Sox offered arbitration to Adrian Beltre (A), Victor Martinez (A) and Felipe Lopez (B), but not to Mike Lowell (B) or Jason Varitek (B), according to the team.
- The White Sox offered arbitration to Paul Konerko (A) and J.J. Putz (B), but not to A.J. Pierzynski (A) or Manny Ramirez (A) according to the team (on Twitter).
- As expected, the Tigers announced that they will not offer arbitration to any of their free agents, including Scott Boras clients Magglio Ordonez (A), Johnny Damon (B), and Gerald Laird (B).
Yankees Prefer To Offer Rivera One Year
The Yankees want to re-sign Mariano Rivera to a one-year deal, but the closer wants a two-year contract worth about $18MM per season, according to Yahoo's Jeff Passan (on Twitter). Jon Heyman of SI.com reported on Friday that Rivera was looking for a two-year deal and it now appears that the 40-year-old wants a raise from his 2010 salary of $15MM.
Like longtime teammate and fellow free agent Derek Jeter, Rivera will likely return to New York, but there's no guarantee that negotiations will go smoothly for either player. With 559 regular season saves, a career 2.23 ERA, strong peripherals and a history of relatively good health, Rivera has considerable bargaining power. The Yankees can point to Rivera's age – he turns 41 in a week – and suggest a one-year deal is fair, but Rivera has posted ERAs below 2.00 and been an All-Star each season from 2008-10.
Sherman’s Latest: Rivera, Jeter, Mets
Joel Sherman's latest column for the New York Post touches on some issues relevant to both New York teams. Let's take a look:
- Sherman wonders why Derek Jeter's contract situation has garnered such overwhelming amounts of attention, while Mariano Rivera's has drawn significantly less. Sherman opines that Rivera may be the most irreplaceable pitcher in baseball over the past 15 years, and that his contract situation is equally important and deserving of attention.
- The Mets know their flexibility is lacking this offseason, and may have as little as $3MM-$5MM to spend on free agency.
- The Mets' managerial search will likely be over no later than Tuesday, according to Sherman.
- Sherman expects the Mets to wait until later in the offseason (after January 1 perhaps) for free agent prices to drop. He says the Mets will try to sign a reliever, possibly two, and possibly an affordable second baseman and reclamation project starter.