Mariners Decline 2013 Option For Olivo
The Mariners announced that they have declined their 2013 option for Miguel Olivo. Olivo's contract included a $3MM club option for 2013, but the Mariners preferred the $750K buyout. The catcher will hit free agency once the World Series ends.
Olivo, 34, appeared in 87 games last year, posting a .222/.239/.381 batting line in 323 plate appearances. He hit 12 home runs in total, doing more damage against left-handers (seven homers, .657 OPS) than right-handers (five homers, .590 OPS) as usual. Olivo prevented 31% of stolen base attempts against him this past season.
Mets Interested In Ramon Hernandez
1:35pm: The Mets see the Rockies' desire to trade Hernandez as a salary dump and are unwilling to offer much of a prospect in return, writes Sherman.
1:10pm: Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets the asking price for Hernandez is still high, so it's doubtful anything will happen in the next two weeks.
11:20am: Nothing is imminent between the Mets and Rockies but talks could accelerate when Hernandez comes off of the disabled list this week, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
10:22am: The Mets are very interested in Rockies catcher Ramon Hernandez, a source tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Other backstops that interest GM Sandy Alderson & Co. include Kelly Shoppach of the Red Sox and the Mariners' Miguel Olivo.
One source told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that the discussions are serious enough that he believes that Hernandez will wind up as a Met, though he stopped short of offering a guarantee. The source added that Alderson was trying to expand the deal to include left-handed reliever Matt Reynolds.
Rubin notes that Rockies like Mets infielder Justin Turner and tried to acquire him last offseason before obtaining Marco Scutaro. He suggests that the Mets could get a deal done without losing key minor leaguers and instead draw from the likes of shortstop Wilfredo Tovar, right-hander Domingo Tapia, outfielder Matt Den Dekker, and left-hander Josh Edgin.
Hernandez is nearly ready to return to action after suffering a hand injury, but Wilin Rosario has since taken over as Colorado's starting catcher. The 36-year-old is in the first season of a two-year, $6.4MM pact.
Stark On Rollins, Fielder, Pujols, Olivo, Tigers
A number of iconic players are in contract years, so ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark looks ahead to their free agent stock and provides other rumors from around the league. Here are the details:
- No one Stark spoke with predicts David Ortiz will leave the Red Sox for another team.
- Jose Reyes will be the number two free agent on the market this winter behind only Albert Pujols, according to one executive.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. acknowledges that it wouldn't be easy to replace Jimmy Rollins, even though the shortstop is no longer an MVP-caliber player. The Phillies ‘poked around’ for possible alternatives at short last offseason, according to Stark, who predicts a two-year deal for Rollins and the Phils this winter.
- Prince Fielder will no doubt sign a lucrative free agent deal, but one executive says the first baseman’s body will be an issue: "It has been since high school, and it always will be." Fielder is 27 now, so an eight-year deal would expire after his age-35 season.
- Pujols will test the market, but Stark and his sources find it hard to believe that he’d leave St. Louis for any old team. One executive predicts that the Cubs are the Cardinals’ main threat.
- The Cubs aren’t ready to start selling and haven’t started shopping Carlos Zambrano, despite his recent outburst.
- The Red Sox offered Miguel Olivo a one-year deal before re-signing Jason Varitek last offseason. Olivo eventually signed a two-year deal with the Mariners.
- The Rangers are ‘stepping up’ their search for a right-handed setup man and maintain interest in Nationals reliever Todd Coffey.
- Rival teams say the Tigers are looking for a left-handed reliever. Southpaws Daniel Schlereth, David Purcey, Charlie Furbush and Adam Wilk are currently in Detroit’s bullpen.
Quick Hits: Chavez, Vlad, Pierzynski, Royals
Happy 51st birthday to Steve Sax! Sax was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1982, played on two World Series champions, made five All-Star teams, and holds a special bit of pop culture history as one of Mr. Burns' softball ringers on The Simpsons.
Today's news tidbits…
- As part of a Dodgers-related mailbag, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick cites the Blue Jays, Marlins and Indians as teams that could offer Eric Chavez more playing time than the Dodgers could. Toronto's interest in Chavez is well-known, but Florida and Cleveland are new to the mix. Other teams known to be looking are Chavez include the Yankees, White Sox and Mariners.
- The Angels are looking for a leadoff man and bench help, and don't seem to be interested in Vladimir Guerrero, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com. The Orioles look like they're Guerrero's most ardent suitors at this point.
- A.J. Pierzynski tells Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that he was all but officially signed by the Dodgers before the White Sox swooped in with an offer to bring the catcher back to Chicago. "It all came together in a 15-minute span," Pierzynski said. "I was pretty much resigned to the fact I wasn't coming back." Had Pierzynski not returned, the White Sox would have focused on Miguel Olivo as a replacement behind the plate.
- The Chone Figgins-to-Oakland rumor looks to be dead, which Joe Pawlikowski of Fangraphs thinks may be a good thing for the A's.
- The Royals are converting prospect Wil Myers from catcher to outfielder, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
Mariners Notes: Olivo, Kennedy, Bard
Here are the contract details on three of the newest Mariners, courtesy of MLB.com's Greg Johns..
- Catcher Miguel Olivo's two year contract includes a team option for 2013. The veteran will make $2.75 this season, $3.5MM in 2012, and will receive a $750K buyout if his option is not picked up, bringing his guaranteed total to $7MM. If the M's pick up his option in '13, Olivo will earn a base of $3MM that could rise to as much as $3.75MM based on how much he plays in '11 and '12.
- Infielder Adam Kennedy will make $750K if he makes the big league roster. The 35-year-old's contract includes playing-time bonuses that start kicking in at $50K for 350 plate appearances. He could as much as $450K if he reaches 600 plate appearances.
- Catcher Josh Bard will also earn $750K if he makes the major league squad. Bard's bonuses begin at 300 plate appearances and could reach $250K for 500 plate appearances.
- Both Bard and Kennedy can exercise an out clause if they're not on the major league roster by the end of March.
Odds & Ends: Boras, Everett, Francis, Webb, Olivo
Some links for Monday night as the deals for Pedro Feliciano and Brad Hawpe become official..
- The players' association has found that Scott Boras did not violate union rules when his company made loans to a Dominican prospect, according to the Associated Press.
- Adam Everett's minor league deal with the Indians will pay the 33-year-old $700K plus incentives if he makes the team, or $15K per month at Triple-A, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link).
- The Rockies will reach out to pitcher Jeff Francis this week, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post. There's a chance that the left-hander returns to Colorado but he might have a better opportunity elsewhere.
- Brandon Webb, who officially joined the Rangers earlier today, says that he won't rush himself back in order to start the season in the rotation, writes ESPN.com's Richard Durrett.
- Greg Johns of MLB.com likes the Mariners' signing of Miguel Olivo.
Mariners Designate Anthony Varvaro For Assignment
The Mariners have designated Anthony Varvaro for assignment, tweets Larry Stone of The Seattle Times. The reliever was DFA'd to make room for Miguel Olivo, whose deal became official this afternoon.
Varvaro, 26, was projected to be a top pick out of St. John's University in 2005 before suffering an elbow injury. The right-hander would instead be nabbed by the M's in the 12th round of the draft as he required surgery before ever throwing a pitch as a pro. He threw just four innings for Seattle after making his major league debut in 2010.
Mariners Reach Agreement With Miguel Olivo
The Mariners won't be going young at catcher anytime soon. Today they reached an agreement with backstop Miguel Olivo on a two-year, $7MM deal, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times notes, "Adam Moore's stock with this team appears to have taken a hit." As you might expect, Olivo has been told he's the No. 1 catcher.
Olivo, 32, hit .269/.315/.449 with 14 home runs in 427 plate appearances for the Rockies this year. He caught 935 innings, throwing out 42% of attempted basestealers. Olivo previously played for the Mariners in parts of the '04 and '05 seasons after coming over from the White Sox in the Freddy Garcia trade. This is a nice contract for Olivo, who is represented by Martin Arburua. He's the fifth catcher to score a multiyear deal this winter.
The Rockies shipped Olivo to the Blue Jays in November, who declined his mutual option at the price of $500K and later offered him arbitration. They'll now get a supplementary draft pick for their troubles.
Mariners Offer Olivo Multiyear Deal?
THURSDAY, 9:12am: Olivo has told people he expects to get a deal done with somebody today, tweets Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. Baker notes that Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said he's had "in-depth dialogue" on a catcher.
WEDNESDAY, 8:31pm: The Mariners have not made an official offer, according to Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune (on Twitter).
8:10pm: The Mariners have offered Miguel Olivo a multiyear deal and are discussing a potential agreement with him, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). In 427 plate appearances for the Rockies last year, the nine-year veteran batted .269/.315/.449 with 14 homers. Olivo spent part of 2004-05 in Seattle.
The catcher declined arbitration from the Blue Jays after earning a $2MM base salary in 2010, so he and agent Martin Arburua presumably believe that there's more than $3MM or so available on the open market. Otherwise, they could have accepted Toronto's offer. If the Mariners complete a major league deal with the 32-year-old, the Blue Jays will obtain a supplementary first round pick.
Mets, Rockies Talking To Ronny Paulino
4:41pm: The Mets are talking to Paulino about a one-year deal worth $1.3MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
3:51pm: The Rockies, who have been linked to a number of free agent catchers, are exchanging offers with Paulino, according to Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
11:13am: The Mets are in on a group of right-handed hitting catchers such as Paulino, Gerald Laird, Miguel Olivo, Russell Martin, and Dioner Navarro, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. They prefer a one-year deal.
10:11am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Mets are still talking to a lot of catcher possibilities, Paulino included (Twitter link).
8:45am: The Mets are closing in on catcher Ronny Paulino, reports ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. New manager Terry Collins has described Josh Thole as a "number one catcher," so presumably Paulino will serve as his backup.
Paulino, recently non-tendered by the Marlins, hit .259/.311/.354 in 316 plate appearances this year while catching 740 1/3 innings. He was hit with a 50-game PED suspension in August.