The Mariners signed a top Dominican prospect to a deal that includes the highest international amatuer signing bonus of the year, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Esteilon Peguero, a 17-year-old shortstop who is one of the most advanced hitting prospects in Latin America, signed for $2.9MM. The right-handed hitter has good bat speed, but may eventually move to second or third base.
Mariners Rumors
Blue Jays, Yankees, Mariners Interested In Diaz
4:17pm: The Blue Jays also have some interest in Diaz, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
3:15pm: The Yankees and Mariners are interested in Matt Diaz as a possible platoon player. New York would mix Diaz in with Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. The Mariners are interested in platooning Diaz with Michael Saunders in left field, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Like Marcus Thames, who excelled for the Yankees in a part-time role last year, Diaz handles lefties well. He has a .335/.373/.533 line against them in his career, though he bats just .269/.327/.382 against right-handers. The Braves non-tendered the 32-year-old last week, making him a free agent.
Diaz has experience in right field, but he has spent most of his big league career in left. The Dodgers and Phillies are other potential suitors for Diaz.
Nightengale On Gonzalez, Beckham, Mariners
The Red Sox have a preliminary agreement to sign Adrian Gonzalez to a seven-year extension worth $154MM, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. The possible deal, which Ken Rosenthal anticipated earlier today, probably won't be announced until April because of MLB's luxury tax.
The White Sox, a runner-up in the Gonzalez sweepstakes, offered Gordon Beckham and prospects to the Padres, according to Nightengale (Twitter links). Nightengale reports that the Mariners were the other finalist for the slugging first baseman.
Six Teams Interested In Koji Uehara
The Orioles, Mariners, Twins, Red Sox, Brewers, and Cardinals are interested in free agent reliever Koji Uehara, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun learned from an unnamed Japanese reporter. Uehara would like to return to the Orioles, but they're unlikely to give him a multiyear deal. If he finds such an offer, he'll sign elsewhere.
Uehara, 36 in April, was dominant out of the Orioles' pen this year in 44 innings but has had an injury-plagued couple of seasons in the U.S.
Pat Gillick Elected To Hall Of Fame
The 16-member Expansion Era committee announced they've elected Pat Gillick to baseball's Hall of Fame. From their website:
Pat Gillick spent 27 years as the general manager for the Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners and Phillies, winning at every stop along the way, with his teams earning 11 post-season berths and three World Series championships. In his 27 years as GM, his teams finished with a winning record 20 times.
Eleven other men were on the ballot, including George Steinbrenner, Marvin Miller, and Billy Martin.
Blue Jays Still Showing Interest In Zack Greinke
The Blue Jays are still showing interest in Royals ace Zack Greinke, reports Bob Elliott of The Toronto Sun. They inquired about the right-hander last month, and Elliott hears that the Jays believe the need "one more big piece" to make a run at the AL East title next season.
The Twins, Rangers, Braves, Reds, Mariners, and Nationals have all inquired about Greinke according to Elliott. The Royals have said they won't trade the former Cy Young Award winner within their division, limiting their options somewhat. The market for Greinke could heat up once Cliff Lee signs, since both the Rangers and Yankees could turn their attention towards him since he's the only other ace-caliber starter that we know is available.
Odds & Ends: Hardy, Punto, Dunn, Marlins, Lee
Some items to wrap up the week…
- The Pirates were close to a trade for J.J. Hardy on Thursday night, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Pittsburgh is known to have an interest in Hardy and could still work out a deal given that the Twins tendered Hardy a contract.
- There is "mutual interest" between Nick Punto and the Indians, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. (Twitter link) The two sides will continue their talks during the winter meetings.
- Yahoo Sports' Big League Stew blog collects some of the Washington media's reaction to Adam Dunn leaving town, and it isn't very positive.
- It's looking increasingly unlikely that Arizona will trade Justin Upton, but if Upton is moved, it won't be to Florida, writes Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Rodriguez says the Marlins are looking for a left-handed bench bat and possibly a left-handed reliever, though the club is unlikely to re-sign Will Ohman.
- Phillies assistant GM Scott Proefrock tells Fox Sports Radio's Jim Bowden (Twitter link) that his club isn't interested in bringing back Cliff Lee. "That ship has sailed," Proefrock said.
- Erik Bedard tells Larry Larue of the Tacoma News Tribune that he was offered a guaranteed deal from another club but turned it down to sign a non-guaranteed contract with Seattle.
- The Mariners "are becoming a West Coast version of the Orioles, a place top-tier free agents avoid because the stench of losing is overwhelming," writes Yahoo's Steve Henson in his winter meetings preview.
Rockies Acquire Jose Lopez
FRIDAY, 12:25pm: Lopez already signed a $3.6MM deal for 2011, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). That's a $1.3MM raise from the $2.3MM salary he earned in 2010.
THURSDAY, 9:35pm: The Rockies acquired Jose Lopez from the Mariners for right-hander Chaz Roe, according to Shannon Drayer of ESPN 710 in Seattle (on Twitter). The Mariners have confirmed the move.
"Chaz is a former first-round pick with a nice arm, a 24-year-old sinker ball pitcher," GM Jack Zduriencik said in a press release. "We look forward to seeing him in a Mariners uniform."
It appeared that the Mariners were going to non-tender Lopez, so they did well to get something for the 27-year-old infielder. He batted .239/.270/.339 in 622 plate appearances last year and saw his homer total drop from 25 to 10. Lopez has always had trouble reaching base, as his career .297 OBP shows. He has experience at second and short, two positions the Rockies could use depth at.
Roe, 24, posted a 5.98 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 158 innings at Triple-A last year. It was his first season at Triple-A and the highest ERA of his pro career.
American League Non-Tenders
This post will list all the American League players non-tendered today, but the best place to track all 200+ arbitration eligible players is our new non-tender tracker.
- Blue Jays: Fred Lewis, Jeremy Accardo
- Red Sox: Hideki Okajima, Andrew Miller, Taylor Buchholz
- Mariners: Ryan Rowland-Smith
- Rays: Lance Cormier, Willy Aybar, Dioner Navarro, J.P. Howell
- Royals: Josh Fields
- Rangers: Dustin Nippert
- Angels: Kevin Frandsen
- Athletics: Jack Cust, Travis Buck, Edwin Encarnacion
- Yankees: Alfredo Aceves, Dustin Moseley
- Orioles: Matt Albers
- White Sox: Bobby Jenks, Erick Threets
- Tigers: Zach Miner
Mariners Re-Sign Erik Bedard
The Mariners re-signed Erik Bedard to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, the team announced. The 31-year-old left-hander did not pitch in the Majors in 2010 and has had season-ending shoulder surgery in each of the last two seasons.
The Mariners parted with Adam Jones to acquire Bedard and, when the lefty's healthy it's not hard to see why it cost so much to acquire him from the Orioles. He has posted a 3.24 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in parts of two seasons in Seattle, but he has yet to make more than 15 starts in a season for the Mariners. The team declined an $8MM option for Bedard's services earlier in the offseason.
