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Royals Sign Endy Chavez

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The Royals have announced the signing of outfielder Endy Chavez to a minor league contract.  Chavez is represented by Peter E. Greenberg & Associates and is the third veteran outfielder the Royals have signed this month, following their minor league contracts with Xavier Nady and Willy Taveras. 

Chavez (who turns 35 in February) signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Orioles last offseason and hit .203/.236/.278 in 169 plate appearances for Baltimore in 2012.  Chavez spent most his 64 games as a defensive replacement in left and right field and it's likely he'll fill a similar backup role in Kansas City.  On paper he fits as a left-handed hitting complement to Jeff Francoeur in right field, but Chavez's career .676 OPS against right-handed pitching is even less than Francoeur's much-maligned career numbers (.702 OPS) against righties.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports was the first to report the signing, with ESPN's Jerry Crasnick adding that it was a minor league deal and that the Giants also had interest in Chavez's services (both links are to Twitter).

Minor Moves: Figueroa, McPherson, Bocock, Bush

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Tonight’s minor moves, courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (all links go to Twitter)..

Giants Claim Sandy Rosario

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Sandy Rosario's offseason journey continued today, as the Giants claimed the right-hander off of waivers from the Cubs, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reports (on Twitter).

Rosario’s offseason began when the Red Sox claimed him from the Marlins on October 17th. Boston then traded him to Oakland for a player to be named later or cash considerations on November 28th. The A's then designated Rosario for assignment at which point the Red Sox claimed him a second time. His stay in Boston didn’t last long, however; the Cubs claimed him on December 12th.

Rosario, 27, pitched in four games for this year's Marlins team, but spent most of the season in the minor leagues. He posted a 1.99 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 31 2/3 total innings for three of Miami's affiliates.

Quick Hits: Saunders, Cubs, Soriano, Gonzalez

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The Orioles would like to re-sign Joe Saunders and have continued talks with him, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (on Twitter).  They'll have plenty of competition for the left-hander, however, as he is drawing high interest from three other clubs.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • On today’s edition of the Rosters & Rumblings podcast, MLBTR’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and Jason Martinez of MLB Depth Charts discussed the Mariners–Angels trade, the Cubs’ new-look rotation, and some recent trade rumors.
  • The Dodgers are still kicking the tires on Joel Hanrahan of the Pirates and free agent Brian Wilson as they look to deepen their bullpen, but they aren't in the mix for Rafael Soriano, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Nationals continue to talk to Mike Gonzalez about returning and the Reds are also in pursuit, Bowden tweets.
  • Sources tell Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter) that the Rangers were never serious bidders for Edwin Jackson.  The right-hander signed a four-year, $52MM contract with the Cubs earlier today.
  • Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik has landed a bigger bat for the middle of his lineup, but that doesn't mean Seattle is done with its roster maneuverings, writes Greg Johns of MLB.com.  The Mariners still have financial flexibility since they should several million dollars in the difference between what Kendrys Morales ($4.8MM) will earn compared to Jason Vargas ($7.4MM) in their final year of arbitration eligibility.  
  • Dexter Fowler told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (on Twitter) that Rockies General Manager Bill Geivett told him that it would take a lot in return for them to deal him to the Braves.  Atlanta is targeting Fowler along with Emilio Bonifacio and other outfield options.

Yankees Re-Sign Ichiro Suzuki

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The Yankees have officially re-signed Ichiro Suzuki, the team announced. It's a two-year contract worth $13MM.  Agent Tony Attanasio represents Ichiro.

Ichiro - Yankees (PW)

The Yankees have pursued a strategy of signing veterans (such as Kevin Youkilis, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera) to one-year deals this winter, but were forced to make a two-year commitment to the 39-year-old Ichiro due to competing multiyear offers. The Phillies pushed hard for Ichiro and offered him a two-year, $14MM deal, while the Giants were believed to have offered the outfielder a two-year, $15MM contract. While the other offers were larger, Ichiro took the Yankees' contract after telling the team he wanted to remain in New York.  

Ichiro will join two other left-handed hitters in New York’s outfield: Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner. The team is exploring the idea of adding a right-handed complement to the group, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this offseason.

Ichiro ranked 40th on MLBTR’s list of top 50 free agents this offseason. The 39-year-old posted a .283/.307/.390 batting line in 663 plate appearances for the Mariners and Yankees this past season. However, his performance improved considerably after the Yankees acquired him in a midseason trade (he hit .322/.340/.454 with New York). Ichiro has 2,606 hits, two batting titles, ten All-Star Game selections and a career .322/.365/.419 in 12 MLB seasons.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com and WFAN's Craig Carton first reporting the deal was done (on Twitter). Rosenthal, ESPN's Buster Olney, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, Joel Sherman of the New York Post, and the New York Times' David Waldstein all added information about the various aspects of the signing.

Mark Polishuk and Mike Axisa also contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Quick Hits: Mickelson, Jackson, Hamilton, Tigers

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As the newly-signed Hiroyuki Nakajima becomes a comic hit during his introductory press conference with the A's, here's the latest from around baseball…

  • Phil Mickelson will not be part of the Padres' ownership group, reports Tod Leonard of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  The golf star said he isn't "able to make that kind of long-term commitment to the city and to the team."
  • It doesn't seem logical for the Rangers to give Edwin Jackson (what would have to be) a four-year, $50MM contract, opines MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  We heard earlier tonight that the Rangers and Cubs were the final two contenders for Jackson's services.
  • Major League Baseball has ruled that the $2MM the Angels will donate to Josh Hamilton's charitable foundation will count towards the team's luxury tax payments and be counted as "noncash compensation," reports The Associated Press.  FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal noted the charitable portion of Hamilton's contract earlier today.
  • It can be difficult for players to mentally adjust to the "baseball limbo" that is the offseason rumor mill, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick writes.
  • Money has been no object for Tigers owner Mike Ilitch as he pursues a World Series title, but ESPN's Buster Olney wonders if the Tigers' next owner will be able to keep the club's payroll in the $150MM range given the limitations of Detroit's market.  (An ESPN Insider subscription is required to read Olney's column.)
  • Nick Swisher will not be visiting the Giants during his tour of potential destinations, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  With the Giants not having enough payroll space left to pursue Swisher, I think we can finally put this rumor to bed.
  • The Twins and Carl Pavano don't appear to be a fit, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger writes.  The two sides met during the Winter Meetings and though Pavano has pitched well in Minnesota, he turns 37 in January and missed most of last season with an injured shoulder.  I agree with Bollinger that the Twins would probably want a more reliable option than Pavano given that several other projected members of the Twins rotation are also coming back from injuries.
  • Baseball people suggest Trevor Bauer has a better chance of becoming an impact player than Didi Gregorius, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. The Diamondbacks sent Bauer to the Indians last week in the three-team deal that brought Gregorius to Arizona.  As Piecoro explains in detail, however, there were some questions about Bauer's personality and his ability to be a team player.

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post

Giants Agree To Sign Santiago Casilla

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The Giants and right-hander Santiago Casilla have agreed to a three-year, $15MM contract with a vesting option for a fourth season.  The deal will pay Casilla $4.5MM in 2013 and 2014 and $5MM in 2015, plus a $1MM buyout for 2016 if his option doesn't vest.  Casilla is represtented by ACES.  Santiago_Casilla

The 32-year-old right-hander pitched to a 2.84 ERA with a 7.8 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and 55 percent ground-ball rate in 63 1/3 innings for the World Champion Giants in 2012. In three seasons with the team, Casilla has a 2.22 ERA over the course of 170 1/3 innings.

Casilla took over as the team's closer when Brian Wilson went down with Tommy John surgery early in the season and led the Giants with 25 saves on the year. As a result, MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected that Casilla would earn $5.4MM in his third year of arbitration eligibility. The contract buys out that final year of arbitration and gives the Giants control over two of Casilla's free agent seasons, with an option for a third.

As MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows, Giants general manager Brian Sabean has done his best to keep his World Series winning roster together this offseason. He's brought back Jeremy Affeldt and Marco Scutaro on three-year deals and re-signed Angel Pagan to a four-year deal. Sabean also signed Andres Torres to a one-year deal, who was a part of San Francisco's 2010 World Series team.

Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle was the first to break the news of the signing, plus the contract length and payment breakdown (all links to Twitter).  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area Twitter also added details about the move (both Twitter links).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Moves: Marlins, Albaladejo, Giants

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We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves in this post..

  • The Marlins signed right-handers Jonathan Albaladejo and Amaury Rivas plus shortstop Ed Lucas to minor league deals, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter).  Albaladejo, 30, is best known for his time with the Yankees from 2008-10 where he posted a 4.70 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9.  Rivas, 26, has spent the last eight years in the Brewers’ system and the last two in Triple-A.
  • The Giants signed 27-year-old former Athletics prospect Javier Herrera, according to Eddy (via Twitter).

Giants Notes: Wilson, Swisher, Outfielders

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Here's the latest on the World Series champions, courtesy of The San Francisco Chronicle's Hank Schulman…

  • The Giants aren't close (Twitter link) to a deal to bring back former closer Brian Wilson.  The club assumes that Wilson will only consider a return once he's closely looked at his other choices.  Schulman reported earlier this month that Wilson had some hard feelings towards the Giants for non-tendering him and was looking to pitch elsewhere, preferably for the Red Sox or one of the Los Angeles teams.
  • Nick Swisher doesn't appear to be a target (Twitter link) for the Giants.
  • Cody Ross, Scott Hairston and Reed Johnson were all considered by the Giants as right-handed hitting outfield options, but the three players "either were not willing to take a part-timer's salary or not what the Giants wanted defensively."  San Francisco instead reached agreement with Andres Torres to a one-year, $2MM contract earlier today.
  • Giants president Larry Baer said his club feels no pressure to make any big moves to counter the Dodgers.  "Our strategy is just different, developing guys and bringing them through the system and sprinkling in free agents and trades when it makes sense," Baer said. "We've done free agents before, but we're trying to do more of a homegrown thing…You can't let what any other team does alter your strategy. That would be a mistake.  If we're going to look at the Dodgers spending all this money and say we're going to be free-agent-centric, we don't think that would be smart."
  • In news from earlier today, the Giants are believed to have offered Ichiro Suzuki a two-year, $15MM contract, but Ichiro is on his way to taking a slightly smaller contract to re-sign with the Yankees.

Minor Moves: Slaten, Manzella, Acosta, Gaudin

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Here are the latest minor transactions from around the league…

  • SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization announced the signing of left-handed reliever Doug Slaten.  Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net (Twitter link) first reported the deal earlier this week.  Slaten has a 3.52 ERA in 216 games for the Diamondbacks, Nationals and Pirates since 2006, including a 2.16 ERA in 10 games with the Bucs in 2012.
  • The Rockies have signed shortstop Tommy Manzella to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invitation, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  Manzella last appeared in the majors in 2010 with the Astros and has bounced around the minors with four different organizations over the last two seasons.
  • Right-hander Manny Acosta has signed a one-year, $1.65MM contract with the Yomiuri Giants, according to Gene Mato, Acosta's agent (Twitter link).  The deal could be worth another $500K in bonuses.  Acosta, 31, was non-tendered by the Mets following a season that saw him post a 6.46 ERA over relief appearances.
  • The Giants have agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Chad Gaudin, reports Janie McCauley of the Associated Press (via Twitter).  Gaudin posted a 4.54 ERA in 46 relief appearances for the Marlins last season.
  • The Yankees have signed catcher Bobby Wilson to a minor league deal that contains a Spring Training invite, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter link).  Wilson hit .211/.277/.292 batting line in 201 plate appearances with the Angels last season and was both claimed on waivers and non-tendered by the Blue Jays earlier this offseason.
  • The Yankees have also signed infielder Gil Velazquez to a minor league deal, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter).  The 33-year-old Velazquez received 57 PAs with the Marlins last year and also has Major League exerperience with the Angels and Red Sox.
  • The Cardinals have signed 18-year-old Dominican right-hander Alex Reyes to a contract worth $950K, reports MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter).
  • The Nationals signed 16-year-old Dominican third baseman Neivy Pilier to a $225K deal, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America.
  • The Nationals signed infielder Brian Bocock to a minor league contract, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson (Twitter link).  Bocock last played in the majors in 2010 and has spent the last two seasons playing in the Phillies, Pirates and Blue Jays organizations.
  • The Padres acquired left-hander Chris Rearick from the Rays in exchange for infielder Vince Belnome, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (via Twitter).
  • The Phillies have announced the signings of Andres Blanco, Josh Fields, Cesar Jimenez, Steven Lerud, Michael Martinez, Zach Miner, Jermaine Mitchell, Pete Orr and Humberto Quintero to minor league contracts with invitations to Spring Training.
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