The Mariners signed 17-year-old Dominican shortstop Angel Yente for $225K, reports Justin Olsen of The Outfield Grass. The Dominican Prospect League has since confirmed the move. According to the DPL, Yente has "an extra-large frame with an athletic, strong body," and his bat will play at a corner position if he grows out of shortstop.
Mariners Rumors
Quick Hits: Mariners, Rockies, Indians, Rangers
Two years ago, the White Sox acquired Juan Pierre from the Dodgers in what was only the second-most memorable trade of the day. The day's other deal saw the Mariners and Cubs swap bad contracts, with Carlos Silva heading to Chicago in exchange for Milton Bradley. We can only hope this year's December 18th will be as eventful. For now, here are a few links from around the league…
- In an Insider-only piece at ESPN.com, Jim Bowden breaks down the five most undervalued free agents left on the market, with Carlos Beltran and Hiroki Kuroda topping his list.
- Two court-ordered appraisals suggest the value of the Mariners' franchise is much higher than what Forbes reported earlier this year, as Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times writes.
- Noting that Michael Cuddyer is a "heck of a stocking stuffer," Troy Renck of the Denver Post details the rest of the Rockies' Christmas wish list.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer fields Indians-related questions in a mailbag. Among the topics discussed: Kendrys Morales, Manny Ramirez, and the so-called "surprising" trade GM Chris Antonetti discussed at the Winter Meetings.
- Jamey Newberg of the Newberg Report examines what a Rangers package for Mat Latos might have looked like.
Mariners Close To Signing George Sherrill
The Mariners are close to signing left-hander George Sherrill to a one-year deal, reports Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. Jason Churchill of Prospect Insider first reported that the two sides were close to a deal (on Twitter), saying it's worth $1.1MM plus incentives. The contract is pending a physical, and an announcement could come early next week.
Sherrill, 34, originally broke into the big leagues with the Mariners in 2004 after spending time with four different independent league teams. He was part of the trade that sent Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, and others to Baltimore for Erik Bedard before the 2008 season, but he spent last season with the Braves. Sherrill held left-handed batters to a .256/.275/.333 batting line with 32 strikeouts and just one walk in 81 plate appearances in 2011.
This post was originally published on December 17th.
Prince Fielder Rumors: Friday
The Cubs are the early front-runners to sign Prince Fielder, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. But in the words of one executive, agent Scott Boras can usually “pull a rabbit out of his hat” for his top free agent clients, so other teams are very much in the mix for the 27-year-old free agent. Here’s the latest:
- Cubs manager Dale Sveum says the team hasn't had conversations with Fielder, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). Sveum says the Cubs "haven't initiated any contact at all," according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter).
- It looks like the Cubs and Mariners are Fielder’s most serious suitors, Rosenthal reports.
- The Cubs don’t want to give Fielder a ten-year deal and would be more comfortable with a six or seven-year term, according to Rosenthal.
- The Rangers and Marlins won’t bid on Fielder, according to Rosenthal’s sources. The Orioles may only be a viable suitor for Fielder if he lacks other options.
- Boras wants an opt-out clause for Fielder, Rosenthal reports.
The Latest On Gio Gonzalez
The Gio Gonzalez trade rumors have been vast and varied so far this offseason. Here's the latest on the A's left-hander from Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com:
The Mets and Mariners are now among the teams in on Gonzalez, a source tells Rosenthal (Twitter link), while the Marlins, Reds, Red Sox and Rangers remain in the mix.
As well, the Nationals are interested in Gonzalez, according to Rosenthal (via Twitter), who adds that Washington considers White Sox lefty John Danks an alternative. The Nats' focus remains acquiring a left-handed starter after missing out on Mark Buehrle, who signed with the Marlins.
The Mets are an odd addition to the growing list of Gonzalez suitors, as they have been rumored to be open to trading one of their young pitchers, Jonathon Niese. The Mariners, meanwhile, are thought to be seeking offense – including, perhaps, Prince Fielder – although Gonzalez would make for a nice No. 2 or 3, along with Michael Pineda, behind ace Felix Hernandez.
Michael Cuddyer Rumors: Thursday
The Rockies, Twins, Mariners and Reds have some interest in Michael Cuddyer, according to yesterday's reports. Here's the latest on Cuddyer with the most recent updates up top:
- The Rockies are "growing increasingly confident" that they will sign Cuddyer, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, who adds that Colorado is now the favorite to ink the veteran.
- The Rockies are leaning toward Cuddyer over Carlos Beltran, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter).
- The Phillies remain in the mix for Cuddyer, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding.
- Some executives believe the Orioles may be bidding for Cuddyer, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. However, FOX reports that Cuddyer is not a leading concern of GM Dan Duquette's.
- A Twins official told Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he wouldn't rule anything out, Cuddyer included. Christensen doesn't get the sense that Minnesota has pulled its three-year, $24MM offer.
- However, one of Jon Heyman’s sources says there doesn't appear to be room in the Twins’ budget for Cuddyer now that they’ve agreed to sign Josh Willingham to a $21MM deal.
- The Red Sox did not enter the bidding for Cuddyer this week, according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune (on Twitter).
- The Rockies and Mariners remain in the mix for Cuddyer, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- Troy Tulowitzki told Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he won’t object if Colorado signs Cuddyer. "I think our lineup is one of the better ones in the National League, but it would be huge to get another bat," Tulowitzki said. "I have heard nothing but good things about Cuddyer.”
Quick Hits: Dobbs, Indians, Zumaya, Mariners
MLB announced that baseball’s 30 owners unanimously approved the five-year collective bargaining agreement with the MLB Players Association today. Here are some other notes from around MLB…
- The Marlins remain in the mix to sign Greg Dobbs, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. The Nationals are also interested in the free agent utility player.
- The Mets remain in regular contact with free agent shortstop Jack Wilson, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- Though the Indians never made Josh Willingham a former proposal, they indicated that they were willing to offer a two-year deal in the $15MM range, according to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (Twitter links). Willingham has agreed to terms with the Twins, but GM Chris Antonetti says the Indians are still considering external options.
- A scout tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that just about every team in baseball saw free agent right-hander Joel Zumaya throw in Houston yesterday (Twitter link).
- Japanese shortstop Munenori Kawasaki is in Seattle and may sign a minor league deal with the Mariners in the relatively near future, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (Twitter links). The deal may not be finalized until after the holidays, but he will sign with Seattle, Stone reports.
Minor Moves: Rangers, Lindsay, Texeira, James
Here's where we'll track today's minor moves, most of which were reported by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus on Twitter…
- The Rangers invited recent non-tender Fabio Castillo and catcher Chris Robinson to Spring Training, according to Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com (on Twitter). The Rangers signed former supplemental first round pick Zach Jackson, according to Goldstein.
- The Twins signed right-hander Daryl Thompson, Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets. They also signed lefty Aaron Thompson, according to Goldstein.
- The Dodgers signed Shane Lindsay.
- The Reds signed Kanekoa Texeira.
- The Pirates signed lefty Kris Johnson.
- The Giants signed Joaquin Arias.
- The Mariners signed catcher Guillermo Quiroz.
- The Blue Jays signed 2002 first rounder Clint Everts.
- The Rays signed right-hander Matt Torra.
- The Mets announced the signing of left-hander Chuck James, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). James appeared in eight games for the Twins this past season, and spent most of the season at Triple-A. The 30-year-old posted a 2.30 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 62 2/3 innings as a reliever for the Twins' top affiliate.
- The Padres released utility man Eric Patterson, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
- The Royals released righty Jake Rodriguez, tweets Eddy.
- The Red Sox released righty Miguel Gonzalez.
Phillies Sign Dontrelle Willis
The Phillies announced that they have signed left-hander Dontrelle Willis to pitch out of the bullpen. The contract is worth approximately $1MM and includes performance bonuses for the Sosnick Cobbe client, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports.
“Dontrelle, I believe, is at a point in his career where he is ready to make the transition to being an effective reliever,” GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said in a statement.
Willis pitched 75 2/3 innings as a starter for the Reds in 2011 — his highest total since 2007. The left-hander posted a 5.00 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 4.4 BB/9 and a 54.5% ground ball rate in 13 second half starts with Cincinnati this past season. However, stats such as xFIP (4.08) and SIERA (4.29) suggest Willis' ERA may have been inflated. Willis, who turns 30 next month, signed a minor league contract last offseason.
Crasnick first reported that the sides were nearing a deal and Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly first reported that they had reached an agreement (Twitter link). The Mariners, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Reds also had interest in Willis as a reliever, Crasnick reports.
Michael Cuddyer Rumors: Wednesday
We learned yesterday that the Rockies' offer to Michael Cuddyer is greater than the Twins' three-year proposal in the $25MM range. However, Cuddyer appears to be seeking a three-year, $30MM deal. Here's the latest on the free agent outfielder with the most recent updates up top:
- GM Terry Ryan says the Twins have not ended contract talks with Cuddyer, according to ESPN.com.
- The Mariners are in on Cuddyer and the Phillies may be involved as well, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (on Twitter).
- The Rockies continue discussing a deal with Cuddyer, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding (on Twitter). If the sides agree to terms, the Rockies will start pursuing free agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda less intensely.
- There's no official word that Cuddyer isn't returning to the Twins, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (on Twitter). Minnesota seems to be nearing a deal with Josh Willingham.
- The Reds have some interest in Cuddyer.
