Mariners Rumors

Quick Hits: Garza, Rays, Aardsma, Iwakuma

By Zachary Links | January 9, 2011 at 9:10pm CDT

On this day last year the Rangers agreed to sign Vladimir Guerrero to a one-year, $5MM deal. In 2011, the veteran continues to look for a home with the Orioles, Angels, and Rays said to be interested. Let's take a look at the batch of links for tonight..

Jamey Newberg of The Newberg Report is glad that the Rangers didn't overpay to land Matt Garza. The right-hander was shipped to the Cubs in an eight-player deal.
Speaking of the Garza deal, Dave Cameron writes in a piece for Fangraphs that there's a good chance that the Rays got better in the short term by making the trade.
Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times that David Aardsma's hip surgery was more extensive than first thought and the hurler might not be ready by Opening Day. The M's were shopping the 29-year-old for quite some time but now they'll wait even longer to move him.
In an interview on 1500-ESPN, Twins GM Bill Smith revealed that the club finished a distant second in the bidding for Japanese starter Hisashi Iwakuma (information passed along by Aaron Gleeman). Minnesota offered $7.7MM for the hurler while the Athletics won the bidding with $19.1MM. Ultimately, Iwakuma and the A's couldn't agree to terms.

AL West Notes: Young, Sweeney, Angels

By Mark Polishuk | January 7, 2011 at 9:48pm CDT

Some news items from the western side of the American League…

Michael Young has said he's open to being a primary DH in the wake of the Rangers' acquisition of Adrian Beltre, but ESPNDallas.com's Jeff Caplan wonders if the career infielder will get "bored" from not playing in the field. Caplan talks to Lance Berkman, who signed with St. Louis in part because he disliked being a designated hitter, about the transition away from fielding.
As part of an MLB.com mailbag, Greg Johns reports the Mariners ended up receiving cash from the Phillies in the Mike Sweeney trade last August, rather than a player to be named later. From the same piece, Johns also shoots down the idea of Seattle trading Felix Hernandez or signing Jermaine Dye.
In regards to the Angels' lack of major free agent signings, manager Mike Scioscia said "These contracts just ran away from what our team can do," during an interview on 710 ESPN Radio's Mason & Ireland Show (as reported by ESPNLosAngeles.com's Mark Saxon). Scioscia noted the club might have "some other minor things" in the works.
Eric Denton of LAAngelsInsider.com wonders if the Angels would be better served by rebuilding and putting "some long term pieces in place for the Mike Trout era."

Mariners Finalize Two-Year Deal With Brendan Ryan

By Mark Polishuk | January 7, 2011 at 5:46pm CDT

The Mariners have avoided arbitration with Brendan Ryan, finalizing a two-year contract with the infielder, tweets Kirby Arnold of the Everett Herald.

We heard earlier this week that Seattle was close to a deal with Ryan, with Stephen Hawkins of the Associated Press reporting the two-year contract was worth $2.75MM ($1MM in 2011 and $1.75MM in 2012). MLB.com's Greg Johns adds that Ryan can earn an extra $400K in 2011 if he reaches certain playing time incentives, and up to $750K in 2012.

Left-hander Jason Vargas and right-handers David Aardsma and Brandon League are the Mariners' remaining arbitration-eligible players. Keep track of their status and every other arb-eligible player this winter with the MLBTR Arb Tracker.

Relief Rumors: Ohman, Durbin, Mariners

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 7, 2011 at 3:04pm CDT

By now you've heard that the White Sox and Yankees are probably not going to pursue Rafael Soriano. But you've come to the right place if you're looking to hear the latest on all the other free agent relievers out there. Here are today's updates…

Will Ohman is deciding between three American League teams, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The Rays, Orioles, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Tigers could all use left-handed relief out of the 'pen, so I would not personally be surprised to see Ohman join any of those clubs.
Chad Durbin is still talking to the Phillies and others, according to Heyman (on Twitter). The sides exchanged offers earlier this week.
The Mariners could use some relief help, but GM Jack Zduriencik doesn't expect to have much payroll flexibility. He told Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times that he'll have to be creative if he makes any additions (Twitter link). That applies to the team in general, not just the 'pen.

Quick Hits: Pettitte, Figgins, Giants, Hoffman

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 7, 2011 at 12:32pm CDT

On this date in 2002, the Diamondbacks signed Carlos Gonzalez as an amateur free agent. Two blockbuster trades and one breakout season later, CarGo has agreed to a seven-year extension with the Rockies. Here are today's links…

Andy Pettitte told Brian Costello of the New York Post at his home in Texas that he's just "chilling out, hanging" and still hasn't decided whether he'll play in 2011.
The Mariners have officially asked Chone Figgins to move back to third base, reports Kirby Arnold of the Daily Herald. Figgins has played more games at third than at any other position, but he played second base last year.
The Giants will likely rely on players already in the organization for infield depth now that Edgar Renteria has agreed to sign with the Reds, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
Trevor Hoffman is leaning toward retirement, according to Heyman (on Twitter). The reliever has drawn some interest this offseason, but he had hoped for the chance to close in 2011.
Michael Girsch will replace John Abbamondi as the Cardinals' assistant GM, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

Mariners, Brendan Ryan Working To Reach Deal

By Mike Axisa | January 5, 2011 at 8:14am CDT

WEDNESDAY, 8:14am: The Mariners and Ryan are working to reach a two-year deal, according to MLB.com's Greg Johns.

TUESDAY, 6:33pm: Jeff Evans, the team's manager of baseball information, confirms via email that the Mariners have not reached an agreement with Ryan.

5:14pm: The Mariners have signed infielder Brendan Ryan to a two-year contract worth $2.75MM according to Stephen Hawkins of the AP. Ryan was arbitration-eligible for the first time heading into 2011. He'll earn $1MM in 2011 and $1.75MM in 2012.

Ryan, 29 in March, was acquired from the Cardinals last month. He's just a .256/.314/.344 career hitter, but his value lies in his top-of-the-line defense at short. His +18.7 UZR at the position is the best in baseball since the start of the 2009 season, close to four runs better than the runner-up.

Mariners Re-Sign Josh Bard

By Mike Axisa | January 4, 2011 at 5:15pm CDT

The Mariners have re-signed catcher Josh Bard, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. MLB.com's Greg Johns says it's a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, and that Bard will compete with Adam Moore for the backup catcher job (Twitter links).

The 32-year-old hit .214/.276/.357 in 126 plate appearances with Seattle in 2010, though he did throw out six of 18 would-be base stealers. He also missed some time with a calf strain. Bard is a .256/.323/.387 career hitter, but the last three years haven't been pretty: .218/.285/.332 in 625 plate appearances split between the M's, Nationals, and Padres.

Mariners Designate Anthony Varvaro For Assignment

By Zachary Links | January 3, 2011 at 6:00pm CDT

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.

Several Teams Interested In Brian Fuentes

By Tim Dierkes | January 1, 2011 at 5:12pm CDT

SATURDAY: Having added Hideki Okajima, the Red Sox appear out of the running for Fuentes, tweets Heyman. However, the Rays, Yankees, and a handful of other teams are still showing interest.

THURSDAY: The Rays appear to be very interested in Fuentes and are pursuing him, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.

TUESDAY: SI's Jon Heyman pegs the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rays, Rockies, Mariners, Twins, Pirates, Phillies, Brewers, Yankees, and Mets as teams with some interest in free agent lefty reliever Brian Fuentes.

If Fuentes is still looking for Scott Downs money, as ESPN's Buster Olney suggested 12 days ago, many of those eleven teams will drop out. I'm skeptical the Red Sox would sign Fuentes, as he'd be a luxury and they'd be hit with a 30% added tax. The Blue Jays appear close with Octavio Dotel, the Rockies just added Matt Lindstrom, the Brewers signed Takashi Saito, the Yankees added Pedro Feliciano, the Twins have big commitments to Joe Nathan and Matt Capps, and the Phillies and Mets appear nearly tapped out on payroll.

The Blue Jays, Rays, Mariners, Twins, Pirates, Yankees, and Mets do seem destined to add relievers, though I can see a shift toward a buyer's market a few weeks from now.

Aardsma To Undergo Hip Surgery

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 30, 2010 at 4:13pm CDT

You can strike David Aardsma off of your list of winter trade candidates. The Mariners have announced that the reliever will undergo surgery this Monday to repair a torn labrum in his left hip (Twitter link). The Mariners had been seeking an impact bat for him, but they'll presumably have to delay trade talks for now. Larry Stone of the Seattle Times reports that the M's expect Aardsma to be ready by Opening Day (Twitter link).

Aardsma will earn a raise from his 2010 salary of $2.75MM when he and the Mariners determine his upcoming salary through the arbitration process. In 49 2/3 innings last year, he posted a 3.44 ERA with 8.9 K/9, 4.5 BB/9 and 31 saves. The 29-year-old is under team control through 2012.

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