Dodgers Sign Randy Wolf
THURSDAY, 8:50am: The Wolf signing is official. Ramona Shelburne of the L.A. Daily News talked to Wolf, who said:
"I had offers pulled, offers reduced, it was really weird. I was like, ‘Wow, I must’ve had a bad game in the offseason.’"
FRIDAY, 8:06pm: Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News has heard that the deal is worth $5MM. Wolf can also earn up to $3MM in incentives if he reaches 200 innings.
5:54pm: FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal writes that the "deal is expected to be in the $5.5MM range and also will include incentives."
5:15pm: Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Dodgers have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with left-hander Randy Wolf.
The exact financial terms are not yet available. Wolf, 32, went 12-12 for the Padres and Astros last season. He posted a 4.30 and struck out 162 batters over 190 1/3 innings. Wolf, a Type B free agent who was denied arbitration by the Astros, is joining a Dodgers rotation that already boasts Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Clayton Kershaw and Jason Schmidt. Shawn Estes, Claudio Vargas or Eric Stults could slide in if Schmidt isn’t able to work through his shoulder issues.
Ken Rosenthal published a run-down of Wolf’s offseason in late January. The Astros offered but quickly pulled a three-year, $28.5MM offer in November.
Dodgers Resume Talks With Randy Wolf
According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, the Dodgers resumed negotiations with the representatives for free agent Randy Wolf on Wednesday evening.
Ken Rosenthal said Tuesday that Wolf "should be theirs by the end of the week." The Orioles have also shown interest, but are currently engaged in talks with Braden Looper. Wolf, 32, went 12-12 with a 4.30 earned run average last year. He has a 4.26 career ERA.
Rosenthal On Peavy, Ohman, Looper
Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Jeff Moorad’s acquistion of the Padres does not affect the likelihood of a Jake Peavy trade, according to Rosenthal’s source. There have been no recent conversations with the Cubs about Peavy.
- The Phillies had been confident of signing Ty Wigginton before the Orioles offered two years. The Phils are still mulling Nomar Garciaparra and Rich Aurilia, with the Giants also in on Aurilia. The Phillies are out on Will Ohman.
- Braden Looper is receiving interest from Baltimore, but he prefers the NL. The Brewers are not optimistic about signing Looper despite a recent conversation with one of his agents (Tom Haudricourt believes the Brewers are "laying in the weeds" for when the right pitcher comes along). Looper is Plan B behind Randy Wolf for the Dodgers, and not a candidate to return to the Cardinals (who are apparently out of money). One other team known to have interest in Looper is the Pirates.
Dodgers Rumors: Manny, Dunn, Hudson, Wolf
3:11pm: Dylan Hernandez and Bill Shaikin asked Dodgers owner Frank McCourt about the Manny situation:
"We very much want this player back and we’re trying to hard to do that, which is why we came up with something that we thought was creative that gave him a lot of money, well-deserved money, in a very, very challenging economy, but also gave him flexibility. I don’t see the long-term contract happening in this particular baseball market that we’re in."
More McCourt quotes from MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick:
"The other thing is, the agent [Scott Boras] is challenging to work with and we’ve tried hard. We’ve made three efforts and we still have not received a specific number from the agent, and I don’t know what to tell you. At some point, you have to move on and start to get ready to win a championship."
SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Dodgers and Manny are "nowhere near a deal."
11:55am: Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says the team remains interested in Ramirez despite the newly rejected offer, according to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says "the Giants still maintain interest in Ramirez on a two-year deal max."
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has info on their progressing pursuit of Wolf:
It’s believed the Dodgers are offering a one-year deal with an option that could be similar to the contract free-agent starter Jon Garland just signed with Arizona.
11:39am: ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Dodgers are considering their Manny alternatives, including going after Hudson and Dunn.
8:38am: Manny Ramirez has rejected another offer from the Dodgers, this time for one year and $25MM. This offer seemed like something that could work for both sides – Manny gets a salary increase and a chance to re-enter the market quickly, the Dodgers minimize their risk and keep that free agency carrot in front of him. Manny and Scott Boras did not agree.
Ken Rosenthal suggests the Giants and perhaps the Nationals as Manny’s remaining suitors if the Dodgers drop out. There is no indication that those teams will top the Dodgers’ offers. What is Boras’ master plan here?
Rosenthal says the Dodgers are "intrigued by the possibility" of signing Randy Wolf, Orlando Hudson, and Adam Dunn instead of Ramirez. He says Wolf "should be theirs by the end of the week." It should be noted that the Dodgers would lose their #17 pick if they sign Hudson or Orlando Cabrera prior to the June draft.
Latest On Randy Wolf, Braden Looper
9:23pm: MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick confirms that the Dodgers spoke multiple times with the agents for Wolf and Looper over the weekend.
Gurnick writes that the team is "cautiously optimistic" that having Oliver Perez off the board will spur the remaining free agent pitchers to reach agreements.
The Dodgers currently have starters Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda slotted into the starting rotation with Jason Schmidt, Eric Stults, Shawn Estes and Claudio Vargas looking on from the outside. Either Wolf or Looper could easily slide into that fourth spot.
3:21pm: Ken Rosenthal has the latest on free agent lefty Randy Wolf:
The Dodgers have maintained almost daily contact with the agents for left-hander Wolf, and the two sides made "a little" progress over the weekend, one source said.
It seems that Wolf has one less suitor now that the Mets are set to re-sign Oliver Perez. Braden Looper is said to be the Dodgers’ backup plan after Wolf, but the market for Wolf appears quiet. The Cubs, Cardinals, and Brewers might be looking to add one starter, but those three clubs have not been connected to Wolf in recent days.
Wolf, Dodgers Resume Talks
According to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, the Dodgers resumed contract talks with Randy Wolf. He’s thought to be asking for a deal similar to Jon Garland‘s ($7-9MM). While Wolf is the Dodgers’ first choice, he’s expected to wait until the Mets reach a resolution with Oliver Perez. So once again, we’re waiting on the notoriously patient Scott Boras.
Gurnick says the Dodgers also spoke to Braden Looper‘s agent today; he’s their backup plan.
D’Backs Sign Jon Garland
THURSDAY: The D’Backs’ signing of Garland is official; he was introduced today.
WEDNESDAY, 2:52pm: More details from ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick: Garland gets $6.25MM in ’09 and the 2010 option for $10MM has a $2.5MM buyout if the D’Backs reject it. If Garland rejects it it’s a $1MM buyout. Bottom line: if he doesn’t return in 2010, he’ll have made either $7.25MM or $8.75MM for ’09.
1:49pm: Different take from Ken Rosenthal; he says Garland is guaranteed more than $8.5MM in total. Heyman figures Arizona’s Garland signing makes the Dodgers the "heavy favorite" for Randy Wolf.
1:11pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman has contract details. Garland will earn $6.25MM in ’09, with his ’10 buyout pushing the guaranteed money to about $7MM. The 2010 mutual option is for about $10MM.
10:41am: According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the Diamondbacks agreed to terms with starter Jon Garland on a one-year deal with an option (likely mutual) for 2010. Garland’s guaranteed money is believed to be in the $6-8MM range. The Diamondbacks probably could’ve re-signed Randy Johnson for a similar amount; did they make the right decision?
Garland’s early December choice to decline the Angels’ offer of arbitration turned out to be a mistake. The Angels will receive a supplemental draft pick for their loss.
The move uses up the D’Backs’ remaining payroll room, presumably taking them out of the mix for free agents such as Pedro Martinez and Braden Looper.
Randy Wolf Rumors: Wednesday
11:36pm: MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick believes the Dodgers and Wolf "will remain apart until the Mets sign a pitcher," perhaps because the Mets have more money to spend than the Dodgers. Braden Looper is the Dodgers’ fallback plan.
4:42pm: Ken Rosenthal addresses Randy Wolf‘s situation now that Jon Garland is no longer an option for the Mets and Dodgers.
Wolf’s agents are still talking to both teams; the Mets are currently focused on Oliver Perez though. The Mets are also talking to Ben Sheets‘ agent. One Rosenthal source said the Mets "could sign Wolf quickly if they made him a pre-emptive offer." That won’t happen unless Perez is ruled out.
Rosenthal says the Dodgers "reassessed their positions with Wolf and Garland after the Yankees re-signed free-agent lefty Andy Pettitte for $5.5 million with the chance to earn $6.5 million in incentives." We’re left to read between the lines; does it mean the Dodgers are now offering less to Wolf?
Cubs Rumors: Bako, Looper, Wolf, Uribe
Fresh off scooping the Cubs’ acquisition of Aaron Heilman, ESPN Radio’s Bruce Levine has more info about the team’s plans.
- Levine says the Cubs will sign backup catcher Paul Bako to a one-year, $750K deal once they clear a spot on the 40-man roster. The 2-for-1 Heilman trade takes care of that.
- The Cubs are still looking at Braden Looper and Randy Wolf if they aren’t able to reignite the Jake Peavy talks.
- The Cubs have Juan Uribe on the radar as a bench bat and backup infielder.
Oliver Perez Rumors: Tuesday
4:57pm: Just to hammer the point home, Brewers GM Doug Melvin responded "absolutely not" when asked if he’s in on Perez.
4:02pm: Anthony Rieber’s source says the Mets are "a little bit closer" to signing Perez, but they’re maintaining dialogue with Ben Sheets, Randy Wolf, and Jon Garland. Rieber says the Mets have shown a willingness to go to four years for Perez.
1:34pm: Heyman says the Mets remain the favorite for Perez, even though talks slowed in the last day or two. The Mets’ offer exceeds three years and $30MM.
9:02am: Tom Haudricourt finds the Brewers-Perez connection to be Scott Boras propaganda – the Brewers don’t like his price and don’t want to give up a draft pick.
8:14am: Matthew Cerrone passes along a Jon Heyman MLB Network report of rumblings that the Rangers and Brewers may be in on Oliver Perez. The Mets remain the favorite.
At 27, Perez is the youngest free agent starter this year. However, I imagine a four-year deal would still be a tough sell for the Rangers or Brewers.