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Rays Sign Edgar Gonzalez

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The Rays signed right-hander Edgar Gonzalez to a minor league deal, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter). The seven-year veteran's deal does not include an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

Gonzalez, who induces slightly more ground outs than air outs, relies on a slider and a fastball that averages just under 90 mph. He split the 2010 season between the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate, where he struck out 29 batters in 24 1/3 innings, and Monterrey of the Mexican League, starting for both clubs.

Gonzalez, 28, last appeared in the majors for the 2009 A's, when he pitched to a 5.51 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 65 1/3 innings. He has similar numbers over the course of his career, which includes six seasons with the Diamondbacks (5.88 ERA, 5.8 K/9, 3.1 BB/9). 

East Notes: Joba, Wieters, O’s, Damon, Durbin

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Some items from the AL and NL East as the eastern clubs dive into Grapefruit League action…

  • Joba Chamberlain won't be a Yankee by this time in 2012, predicts Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Matt Wieters is listed as one of "the most disappointing prospects of all time" by Steven Goldman of Baseball Prospectus.  "His glove and the dream of what might have been will keep him around for years, but stardom now seems spectacularly unlikely," Goldman writes.  Given that Wieters is entering just his third Major League season and hasn't turned 25 yet, this ranking seems awfully premature.
  • The Orioles' farm system lacks depth, especially in comparison to its AL East rivals, writes FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal.  "The team’s offseason moves…represent nothing more than a Band-Aid," Rosenthal says, noting that the O's "are practically a zero" when it comes to international scouting.  MLBTR's Tim Dierkes examined these issues in his offseason-in-review piece about Baltimore earlier today.
  • Johnny Damon tells Ken Davidoff of Newsday that his free agent discussions with the Yankees this past winter involved a scenario that would have seen Damon make three starts per week for New York.  Damon turned the deal down since the lack of playing time would have hurt his quest for 3000 hits. 
  • Damon also tells Peter Gammons (Twitter link) that had he known the Tigers weren't going to bring him back, he would have gone to the Red Sox when Boston claimed him on waivers last August.
  • The Phillies made Chad Durbin a $2MM offer in December, considerably more than the $800K deal Durbin eventually signed with Cleveland, reports MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.  Once Philadelphia signed Cliff Lee, however, the team pulled back the contract and instead offered just a minor league deal.  "When Cliff signed, it took any ability to go back there on a Major League deal off the table," Durbin told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.  Durbin doesn't have any hard feelings towards the Phillies over the move: "You know, I'd take Cliff Lee over Chad Durbin."
  • Anthony DiComo of MLB.com looks at the twists and turns of Tim Byrdak's baseball career.  The veteran left-hander is trying to make the Mets' Opening Day roster after signing a minor league deal with the team in January.

Offseason In Review: Tampa Bay Rays

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The Rays are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

Free agency hit the Rays especially hard this offseason.  Their expected losses were known well in advance, but it's still a daunting list.  The Rays saw almost their entire bullpen sign elsewhere, watched Crawford ink a megadeal with a division rival, and traded a few regulars for good measure.  The fascinating part is that Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman still put together a team that will compete in baseball's toughest division.

Just to underscore the Rays' losses: 11 members of the 2010 team signed Major League contracts elsewhere this winter, most of them as free agents.  Teams committed $238.05MM to the group over 24 contract years.  The eleven departed players will earn about $67MM in 2011, roughly $25MM more than the Rays' entire payroll.  On the plus side, the losses of Crawford, Soriano, Balfour, Benoit, Choate, Hawpe, and Qualls will result in ten extra draft picks within the top 75 in June.  You have to wonder if Hawpe and Qualls denied their arbitration offers due to handshake agreements beforehand, which MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith alluded to in January.

Damon

Despite ranking sixth in the AL in on-base percentage and eighth in slugging, the Rays' 2010 offense placed third at 4.95 runs per game due to exceptional hitting with runners in scoring position.  2011 brings offensive changes at first base, shortstop, left field, and designated hitter.  Of the four positions, only left fielder Crawford actually produced at the plate last year.  I think the dropoff from Crawford to Damon will be outweighed by improvements at the other three spots.  The Rays' timely hitting of 2010 will be tough to replicate, but the Damon/Manny tandem brings a pair of strong OBPs to the offense at the least.  Certainly there is a defensive loss in left field, but going from Bartlett to Brignac at shortstop is an improvement.

One could argue that Jeremy Hellickson is actually an upgrade over Garza in the rotation despite the former's inexperience in the Majors.  I imagine the Rays would have preferred to maintain the depth, but felt the need to reallocate Garza's money.  Friedman still made a big score in plucking five players out of the Cubs' farm system in the trade.

Even if the Rays had committed the $62.6MM required to retain Soriano, Benoit, Balfour, and Wheeler, the group obviously would not have been good for another 227 innings of 2.10 ball in 2011.  Can Friedman's new ragtag bunch manage an ERA under 4.00 this year?  It's anybody's guess, but Benoit, Balfour, and Howell were not considered relief aces when they first came to Tampa Bay.  And as manager Joe Maddon explained recently, no one was penciling the 2010 crew in as the league's best pen a year ago.  The 2011 bullpen is packed with sleepers.  As I mentioned in the Twins offseason in review, if you have to skimp on one area, let it be the bullpen.  

Given the impossible position Friedman was in, I liked the Rays' offseason.  The Rays did a lot with the $12.5MM spent on big league free agents and assembled an interesting group of minor league deals.  Even with an $80MM payroll the Rays probably would not have won the Crawford bidding, though they might still have Garza as well as more certainty in the pen.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Chad Durbin Close To Signing With Indians

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FRIDAY, 8:10pm: Durbin's agent is in Arizona, talking to the Indians and other interested teams, according to Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer (via Twitter).

FRIDAY, 10:33am: Durbin is close to signing with the Indians, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer says the team has no comment at this time (Twitter links).

THURSDAY, 5:56pm: The Phillies, Rangers, Red Sox, Rays, and Royals are also pursuing the hurler, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.

3:59pm: The Indians and free agent right-hander Chad Durbin are in talks according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter), and a deal could happen within a day or two. 

Earlier this week we heard that the Red Sox, Rays, Phillies, Rangers, and Mariners were all in pursuit of the 33-year-old, who indicated that he would accept a minor league deal from Philadelphia if his "hand is forced because there are no Major League offers on the table." A few weeks ago Durbin said that he hoped to join a contender, which doesn't really define the Indians.

Cleveland is seeking a starting pitcher, having been connected to both Kevin Millwood and Jeremy Bonderman in recent weeks. Although Durbin hasn't started a game since 2007, he has 75 career MLB starts to his credit and may wish to give it another shot. The bullpen is always a fallback.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Werth, Pavano, Jays, Rays

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Seven years ago today, the Yankees signed Eduardo Nunez as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic. Now 23, Nunez is in the mix to be New York's utility infielder in 2011 after hitting .280/.321/.360 with more walks (three) than strikeouts (two) in his brief big league debut last season (53 PA).

Here are some more notes that have to do with the Yanks and their fellow AL East clubs…

  • Joel Sherman of The New York Post reports that the Yankees "have told their scouts to bear down on several teams they think could have starters available" in a trade this summer. The teams they are targeting include the Braves, Angels, A's, White Sox, and Cardinals according to Sherman.
  • Jayson Werth told SI.com's Jon Heyman that he had a "great" meeting with the Red Sox earlier this offseason, after which he figured they would offer six years (Twitter link). They only offered five, so he ended up with the Nationals.
  • Carl Pavano spoke to Kelsie Smith of The Pioneer Press about being pursued by the Yankees this offseason. "I don't think [the past] would be a hindrance, but there would have definitely been obstacles," said Pavano. "I'm not naïve enough to think that there wouldn't have been things I would have had to overcome, especially the trust of the fans and maybe some of the guys that were there. That's reality."
  • Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star notes (on Twitter) that four of the Blue Jays' ten highest paid players are former closers: Jason Frasor, Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, and Octavio Dotel.
  • When asked about the payroll disparity between his Rays and other teams in the division, Joe Maddon told Ken Davidoff of Newsday that he's "never seen a dollar bill throw a strike, or hit a homer, or whatever." (Twitter link)

Quick Hits: Pujols, Crawford, Pavano, Rays, A’s, Mets

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Links for Wednesday, as the Cardinals hope for the best regarding Adam Wainwright's elbow…

  • In today's blog post (Insider req'd), ESPN's Buster Olney writes about the pressure both the Cardinals and Cubs will be under if Albert Pujols hits the open market. He likens Chicago's situation to what the Knicks and Cavaliers faced during last year's LeBron James madness.
  • Carl Crawford told WEEI.com's Dennis & Callahan that the Yankees never made him an offer this offseason, and that he "didn't want to be somebody's backup plan." New York met with Crawford during the winter meetings.
  • SI.com's Jon Heyman heard that the Pirates offered Carl Pavano two years and $13MM while the Yankees offered one-year and $9.75MM with incentives (Twitter link). Pavano eventually rejoined the Twins for two years and $16.5MM.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears "rumblings" that certain big market teams want to "drop" the Athletics and Rays, even though there's little chance it actually happens. Contraction doesn't appear to be on the horizon given revenue streams, and as Rosenthal notes, the player's union would consider the elimation of 50 jobs an "act of war."
  • In a separate article, Rosenthal explores the domino effect Wainwright's injury may have on the Cardinals.
  • Richard Sandomir and Ken Belson of The New York Times report that "a variety of proposals are surfacing that suggest that investors want more than the Mets are offering." The Wilpons are looking to sell about 25% of the team in the wake of the Madoff scandal, but not controlling interest. 
  • Over at RotoAuthority, Tim Dierkes ranks the top fantasy outfielders.

Phillies, Rays May Be Front-Runners For Durbin

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12:07pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman adds the Mariners and Rangers to the mix, saying Durbin is deciding between those two plus the previously reported Rays, Red Sox, and Phillies (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 9:41am: Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says the Red Sox have not yet heard back from Durbin, and it appears that the Phillies and Rays are the front-runners at the moment (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 7:11pm: Durbin would accept a minor league contract with the Phillies, reports Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer, "if Durbin's hand is forced because there are no Major League offers on the table."  A source tells Gelb that Durbin's agent, Dan Horwits, is negotiating with two teams about Major League contracts but no offers have been made.  Gelb also hears that Durbin hopes to make his decision within the next two days.

4:39pm: The Red Sox are interested in Chad Durbin as a starter and have made him an offer, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (on Twitter). The Rays and Rangers also have some degree of interest in Durbin, according to Gammons.

One of the top remaining free agents, Durbin has drawn interest from Seattle since exchanging offers with the Phillies last month. It seems unlikely that Durbin will return to Philadelphia, but Gammons says he may head to Clearwater, where the Phillies train, Thursday. He could be intrigued by Boston's offer given his interest in playing for a contender.

The 33-year-old posted a 3.80 ERA with 8.3 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 42.4% ground ball rate in 68 2/3 innings last year. Durbin has averaged 65 appearances and 75 innings in three seasons out of the Phillies' bullpen.

Quick Hits: Darvish, Simon, Kenny Williams, Rays

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Happy birthday to Brian Duensing (28), Kelly Johnson (29), Casey Kotchman (28), Daniel Nava (28), J.J. Putz (34), Don Wakamatsu (48) and Hall-of-Fame manager Sparky Anderson, who would've turned 77 years old today.

Onto some news from around the majors…

  • ESPN's Keith Law expects the Blue Jays to be "serious bidders" for Yu Darvish. (Twitter link)  The Japanese star says he wants to pitch in the Major Leagues in 2012, and at least nine teams besides Toronto are known to have interest.
  • Prosecutor Victor Mueses tells ESPNDeportes' Enrique Rojas that there are no plans to drop pending manslaughter charges against Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon.  It was reported over the weekend that Simon was expected to be released soon, but "nothing has happened to make us change our position," Mueses says.  Rojas also reports that Simon has agreed to pay $70K to the families of the victims of the New Year's Eve shooting in order to have the charges dropped, but Mueses says that such an agreement wouldn't impact his office's case.
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams criticized baseball's financial structure yesterday and told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune today that he was even uncomfortable with his own team's $125MM payroll.  "We're out on a limb.  But that's our choice.  We made the choice in an effort to give our fans hope and give ourselves a chance to compete for a championship," Williams said.  "If things don't go our way, if we don't get the support, we'll lose money.  We're going to lose money but we've gone into this knowing how long can you do that, how much can you absorb?"
  • "The Rays’ bullpen figures to be a season-long work in progress," writes FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal.  Tampa Bay lost almost its entire bullpen to free agency, and Andrew Friedman admitted the club was "kind of freaking out about it" in January.  Rosenthal says the Rays will look at relievers cut by teams at the end of Spring Training, and they will also continue to consider possible trades.  
  • When might some of the Indians' young stars reach the majors?  Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer weighs in on when Tribe fans can see the likes of Lonnie Chisenhall at Progressive Field.

AL East Notes: A-Gon, Yankees, Rays, Pujols

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A few items from baseball's high-rent district…

  • John Boggs, agent for Adrian Gonzalez, tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that he'd be "surprised" if his client isn't signed to a long-term deal with the Red Sox once the season begins.  Boggs said he hasn't been in negotiations with Sox managment since December, but will travel to the team's Spring Training camp in March to continue talks.  There have been rumors that Gonzalez has already agreed to an extension but the deal isn't being announced until April so the club can avoid a luxury tax hit; the first baseman denied these rumors in December.
  • The Yankees, for a change, head into Spring Training with a lot of competition for jobs, writes Fanhouse's Ed Price.
  • In his profile of the Rays' "sleeper" pitching prospects, John Sickels of Minor League Ball says Tampa Bay's collection of minor league arms is so deep that "in other organizations, some of these would be Top Ten prospects and considered anchors for the future, rather than 'oh yeah, him too' pitchers."
  • Albert Pujols in a Red Sox uniform?  It's not a hint about next winter, but rather a what-if from the 1999 draft that ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes explores with Boston scout Ernie Jacobs.

Rays Sign Joe Inglett

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The Rays signed Joe Inglett to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Major League Spring Training, the team announced. The 32-year-old, who was non-tendered by Milwaukee in December, will provide the Rays with depth on the infield and in the outfield.

Inglett appeared in 102 games for the Brewers last year, hitting .254/.331/.401 and playing second base, left field and right field. He has also played shortstop, third base and center field over the course of his five-year MLB career. The left-handed hitter has a .286/.345/.397 line in the majors, so he's a potential source of OBP off of manager Joe Maddon's bench.

Elliot Johnson, Felipe Lopez and Casey Kotchman will also be battling for spots on the Rays' bench. Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times first reported the Inglett signing.

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