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Rangers, David Murphy Avoid Arbitration

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The Rangers and David Murphy have avoided arbitration with a one-year contract, the team announced. It's a one-year, $5.775MM contract, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (on Twitter). Moye Sports Associates represents the 31-year-old outfielder.

Murphy had filed for $6.5MM and the Rangers had countered at $5.05MM, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows. The sides settled at the midpoint, avoiding a potential hearing. This is Murphy's final time through the arbitration process; he's eligible for free agency following the 2013 season. All arbitration eligible Rangers now have contracts for 2013, the team confirmed.

Quick Hits: Gonzalez, Fowler, Harrison, Nationals

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Several teams have shown interest in the Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler, but the club hasn't had trade discussions on either player in recent days, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).  Colorado heard from a number of parties interested in Gonzalez during the Winter Meetings but they reportedly told teams that he wasn't available.  Meanwhile, Fowler's name has popped up quite a bit in trade rumors in recent months with the Braves, Reds, and Phillies all showing interest earlier this offseason.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • Nationals manager Davey Johnson said at last night's BBWAA dinner that he was caught off guard by the club's signing of Rafael Soriano, writes James Wagner of the Washington Post.  "That kind of surprised me,” Johnson said. “I didn’t know we were needing a closer. I thought we were done” this offseason."
  • The Rangers are basically paying Matt Harrison as just a slightly above-average starting pitcher in his new deal and even if his results fall back to his peripherals, he'll still outpitch his contract, writes Jack Moore of Fangraphs.  Texas agreed to a five-year, $55MM extension with the 27-year-old last week.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider sub. req'd) writes that there are interested teams champing at the bit to get involved in the Justin Upton conversations with the Diamondbacks.  The D'Backs spent the early part of the month talking with the Mariners and Cubs, who are both on his no-trade list. 

Arbitration Filing Numbers

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Many players will avoid arbitration today, and dozens of others exchanged figures with their teams in anticipation of hearings. Most cases won't go to arbitration hearings, but teams such as the Rays, Marlins, Blue Jays and Braves are known for their 'file and trial' policies. For players on those teams this marks the last chance at negotiations before a hearing.

MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker will keep you up to date on every one of the filing numbers from around the game, but here are the highlights — players who filed for $4MM or more. Now for the details…

Rangers Avoid Arbitration With Neftali Feliz

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The Rangers announced that they have avoided arbitration with Neftali Feliz on a one-year deal.  The pact is worth $2.9MM, a source told Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest (on Twitter).  He can earn an additional $50K based on appearances, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned.  Feliz is a client of California Sports Management.

The 24-year-old was brought into the rotation in 2012 but wound up missing most of the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery.  In the fall, GM Jon Daniels told reporters that he would likely bring Feliz back in 2013 as a reliever.

MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows that Texas' lone remaining open case is with outfielder David Murphy.

Four Teams Interested In Ryan Theriot

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THURSDAY: The Rangers and Indians also have some interest in Theriot, Heyman reports (on Twitter).

WEDNESDAY: The Phillies and Giants are among the teams interested in free agent Ryan Theriot, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The shortstop/second baseman hit .270/.316/.321 in 384 plate appearances for San Francisco last season.

Theriot, a client of Beverly Hills Sports Council, owns a career .281/.341/.350 slash line across eight seasons with four teams.  The veteran has had the good fortune of capturing World Series rings in his last two stops – San Francisco and St. Louis (2011).

The Giants reportedly shopped Theriot last March, with possible interest from teams including the Phillies, but wound up holding on to him.

Rangers, Matt Harrison Agree To Extension

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THURSDAY: The Rangers announced they've agreed to sign Harrison to a five-year extension that includes an option for 2018. The club will hold a press conference at Rangers Ballpark today to announce the deal.

WEDNESDAY: The Rangers have agreed to a five-year, $55MM extension with Matt Harrison after the left-hander passed a physical, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (Twitter links).  The contract contains an team option for a sixth year in 2018 that can become a vesting option if Harrison reaches certain innings plateaus, Wilson adds.  Harrison, 27, is represented by the ACES agency.

Harrison will receive a $1MM signing bonus and the rest of his contract breaks down as follows, according to Wilson.  The southpaw will earn $5MM in 2013, $8MM in 2014 and then $13MM in each of the following three seasons.  The 2018 option is worth $13.25MM (with a $2MM buyout) but could be worth as much as $15.75MM.  That option will vest if Harrison pitches at least 200 innings in each of the 2015-17 seasons.

The two sides were known to be exploring a multiyear deal earlier this offseason.  The deal covers Harrison's final two years of arbitration eligibility and his first three free agent years.  I noted back in November that Chad Billingsley's three-year, $35MM extension with the Dodgers was a decent comparable for a possible Harrison extension and in fact this new contract will pay Harrison an average annual value of just under Billingsley's AAV. 

This extension could end up being very team-friendly if Harrison continues his development as a front-of-the-rotation starter.  Harrison has a 3.34 ERA with a 2.28 K/BB ratio and 5.8 K/9 rate over 399 innings in 2011-12 and showed a talent for keeping the ball on the ground at Rangers Ballpark, with a 49% groundball rate in 2012 and a 47.5% GBR in 2011.

Texas GM Jon Daniels has been quick to lock up key members of his roster, as Harrison joining Derek Holland, Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz as Rangers who have signed extensions within the last 12 months.  As Wilson points out, the Rangers now have four young starting pitchers (Harrison, Holland, Yu Darvish and Alexi Ogando, the oldest of the group at age 29) who are controlled through at least the 2016 season.

Justin Upton Rumors: Wednesday

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We heard yesterday that the Mets won’t trade Zack Wheeler to acquire Justin Upton from Arizona, and that there's not much momentum in talks between the Mets and Diamondbacks. Here are today’s Upton-related rumors, with the most recent updates up top…

  • Some MLB people say teams such as the Rangers may prefer to keep their prospects for now in order to make stronger offers if and when David Price and Giancarlo Stanton become available in trades, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (Twitter links). Price, the defending AL Cy Young winner, will earn $10.11MM in 2013 and won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2015 season. It won't be surprising if the Rays consider trades for him next winter. Stanton could also be available a year from now, when he becomes arbitration eligible for the first time and his salary increases substantially.
  • Olney believes the Braves “could and would” part with a strong package of prospects for Upton and could be the best match for the 25-year-old right fielder.

Rangers Sign Kyle McClellan

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The Rangers announced that they signed right-hander Kyle McClellan to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training. Agent Steve Comte represents McClellan.

McClellan didn't pitch after the Cardinals placed him on the disabled list last May 18th. The 28-year-old had right elbow and shoulder surgery on July 10th, but has already begun throwing again. The Rangers expect he'll be ready for the beginning of Spring Training.

The Cardinals released McClellan in November instead of going to arbitration and facing an expected $2.4MM salary. In the four seasons leading up to the 2012 campaign, McClellan posted a 3.61 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 359 1/3 innings for St. Louis, mostly as a member of the Cardinals' bullpen.

The Rangers also announced that they signed left-hander Ryan Feierabend and right-hander Kevin Pucetas to minor league contracts. Feierabend has MLB experience, though he last pitched in the big leagues in 2008.

West Notes: Upton, Bourn, Hairston, Clemens

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The Giants expect to begin discussing a "blockbuster extension" with Buster Posey this spring, but that's not the only news coming out of baseball's Western divisions…

  • Grantland's Jonah Keri wonders if the Diamondbacks lost leverage in Justin Upton trade negotiations after their deal with the Mariners fell through. Keri also examines several trades from the past 30 years in which a well-regarded player who had fallen out of favor with the franchise was traded.
  • The Rangers are "keeping the lines of communication open" when it comes to free agent Michael Bourn and trade candidate Justin Upton, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. If either's price comes down to the liking of GM Jon Daniels, Texas is prepared to take action.
  • Jerry Hairston Jr. is in the final year of a two-year, $6MM contract, and he told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times that he'll retire if the Dodgers win the World Series this season. Hairston already has one World Series ring, having been a part of the 2009 Yankees and says "you can't get any better" than retiring after a World Series win.
  • Roger Clemens sat down with CSN Houston's Steve Bunin to discuss his 2013 role with the Astros and confirmed again that he will not pitch next season. Clemens said he would've had to start training in November to make a serious run at a comeback. Instead, he'll help Houston by mentoring their young arms in Spring Training. For the time being, he's not interested in a full-time role with the organization, however.
  • Wendy Thurm of Fangraphs takes a look at a potential Posey extension and notes the risk involved in doling out a massive contract for a player whose career only includes 1255 plate appearances to date.

Padres, Pirates, Rangers Interested In Shaun Marcum

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Shaun Marcum is drawing interest from the Padres, Pirates and Rangers, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports. Turner Gary Sports represents the free agent right-hander.

Marcum pitched for the Brewers this past season, posting a 3.70 ERA with 7.9 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 35.4% ground ball rate in 124 innings over the course of 21 starts. The 31-year-old missed approximately two months due to elbow tightness in 2012 and his average fastball velocity remained well below 90 mph at 86.5 mph. Marcum, who joined the Brewers in a trade with Toronto following the 2010 season, has a career ERA of 3.76 with 7.3 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 38.7% ground ball rate in seven MLB seasons.

Marcum ranked 19th on MLBTR’s list of top 50 free agents entering the offseason. He has also been linked to the Indians, Mets, Twins and Royals at various points this winter. Marcum, who’s not linked to draft pick compensation, probably won’t re-sign with the Brewers.

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