Uncategorized News & Rumors

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Let's take a look at the moves made by AL East teams so far this offseason.

Orioles

• Acquired/Re-signed: Chad Moeller, Michel Hernandez, Armando Gabino, Craig Tatum, Kevin Millwood, Mike Gonzalez, Garrett Atkins, Chris Lamb, Frank Mata, Alfredo Simon, Mike Hinckley, Ross Wolf, Chris George, Scott Moore, Josh Perrault
• Lost: Sean Henn, Jeff Fiorentino, Danys Baez, Radhames Liz, Chris Ray, Steven Johnson, Bob McCrory, Chris Waters 

Red Sox

• Acquired/Re-signed: Tim Wakefield, Jeremy Hermida, Robert Manuel, Tug Hulett, Marco Scutaro, Scott Atchison, Fabio Castro, Ramon A. Ramirez, Boof Bonser, John Lackey, Mike Cameron, Stephen Fox, Nate Spears, Fernando Cabrera, Bob McCrory, Edwin Moreno, Angel Sanchez, Darnell McDonald, Michael Lennox, Wang-Yi Lin, Juan Bonifacio, Roberto Feliz, Gil Velazquez, Jose Iglesias, Jason Varitek, Victor Martinez 
• Lost: Chris Carter, Takashi Saito, George Kottaras, Billy Wagner, Jason Bay, Hunter Jones, Jose Alvarez, Joey Gathright, Alex Gonzalez, Brian Anderson, Chris Province, Jorge Jimenez, Armando Zerpa, Jeff Bailey, Javier Lopez

Yankees

• Acquired/Re-signed: Andy Pettitte, Jamie Hoffmann, Curtis Granderson, Mike Rivera, Boone Logan, Javier Vazquez, Nick Johnson, Javier Herrera, Jon Weber, Trent Lockwood
• Lost: Josh Towers, Hideki Matsui, Brian Bruney, Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson, Phil Coke, Arodys Vizcaino, Melky Cabrera, Michael Dunn, Kanekoa Texeira, Cody Ransom 

Rays

• Acquired/Re-signed: Kelly Shoppach, Rafael Soriano, Richard De Los Santos, Jason Cromer, Jeff Bennett, Joe Bateman, Winston Abreu, Carlos Hernandez, Chris Richard, R.J. Swindle, Ryan Shealy, Joe Dillon, Jairo De La Rosa, Gabe Kapler 
• Lost: Mitch Talbot, Akinori Iwamura, Gregg Zaun, Jesse Chavez, Michel Hernandez 

Blue Jays

• Acquired/Re-signed: Sean Henn, Jarrett Hoffpauir, John McDonald, Mike McCoy, Alex Gonzalez, Zech Zinicola, Raul Chavez, John Buck, Joey Gathright, Lance Broadway, Kyle Drabek, Brett Wallace, Travis D'Arnaud, Brandon Morrow

• Lost: Marco Scutaro, Joe Inglett, Roy Halladay, Michael Taylor, Johermyn Chavez, Brandon League, Wilfredo Ledezma, Bill Murphy

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Yesterday we took a look at the multi-year deals already given out this offseason, so let's change gears and take a look at the trades that were completed. Here's a list of the deals that have already gone down:

• The biggest deal of the offseason involved three teams and two Cy Young Award winners. The Phillies acquired Roy Halladay from the Blue Jays in exchange for prospects Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, and Travis D'Arnaud while shipping Cliff Lee to the Mariners for prospects Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, and J.C. Ramirez. The Jays then turned around and flipped Taylor to Oakland for another prospect, the suddenly well-traveled Brett Wallace.
• In another three team swap, the Yankees received Curtis Granderson, the Diamondbacks received Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, and the Tigers received Max Scherzer, Phil Coke, and prospects Austin Jackson and Daniel Schlereth. 
• The Yankees acquired Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan from the Braves for Melky Cabrera, prospects Mike Dunn and Arodys Vizcaino, and cash.
• The Cubs finally unloaded Milton Bradley, sending him to the Mariners for Carlos Silva.
• The Brewers and Twins swapped J.J. Hardy and Carlos Gomez.
• The Orioles reeled in Kevin Millwood from the Rangers, sending Chris Ray and their third overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft to Texas. The Rangers used the pick to take lefty relief prospect Ben Snyder from the Giants.
• The Pirates acquired Akinori Iwamura from the Rays for Jesse Chavez, who then sent Chavez to the Braves for Rafael Soriano after he accepted arbitration.
• The White Sox acquired Mark Teahen from the Royals in exchange for prospects Chris Getz and Josh Fields, then later acquired Juan Pierre from Dodgers for prospects John Ely and Jon Link. The Dodgers will pay $10.5MM of the $18.5MM owed to Pierre over the next two years.
• The Diamondbacks acquired Aaron Heilman from the Cubs for prospects Scott Maine and Ryne White.
• The Astros picked up Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins in exchange for prospects Robert Bono and Luis Bryan, as well as Houston's eight overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft. Florida used the pick to take third base prospect Jorge Jimenez from the Red Sox.
• The Rays acquired Kelly Shoppach from the Indians for a player to be named later, who turned out to be Mitch Talbot.
• The Blue Jays acquired Brandon Morrow from the Mariners in exchange for reliever Brandon League and prospect Johermyn Chavez.
• The Athletics picked up Aaron Miles, Jake Fox and cash considerations from the Cubs for Jeff Gray and prospects Matt Spencer and Ronny Morla.
• The Nationals picked up Brian Bruney from the Yankees in exchange for the first overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft. The Yanks used the pick to take outfield prospect Jamie Hoffmann from the Dodgers. 
• The Red Sox acquired Boof Bonser from the Twins in exchange for prospect Chris Province, and Jeremy Hermida from the Marlins for prospects Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez. Boston also traded a player to be named later or cash to the Royals for Tug Hulett.
• The Rangers acquired Clay Rapada from the Tigers for a player to named later of cash considerations. 
• The Padres acquired catcher Dusty Ryan from the Tigers for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

It's been a slow day for news and rumors, but if last year is any indication, we can expect an eventful coming week. Let's take a look back at the stories that dominated the hot stove a year ago, from January 1-7, 2009:

• Hard to believe it was only a year ago that Milton Bradley and the Cubs were putting the finishing touches on a three-year, $30MM contract. At the time, Bradley's health, as opposed to his personality or his production, was the biggest concern.
• Superstars Manny Ramirez and Jake Peavy dominated the rumor mill, as Ramirez considered contract offers and the Padres mulled trading their ace.
• Pat Burrell and the Rays agreed to a two-year deal worth $16MM. Like Bradley's contract, this one looks much worse now than it did then, though a strong 2010 from Pat the Bat would salvage some value for Tampa Bay.
• Let's add a couple more signings to the list of early 2009 moves that didn't work out as planned: The Athletics signed Jason Giambi to a one-year contract, while the Red Sox agreed to terms with John Smoltz.
• Earlier tonight, we suggested that a 2010 reunion for Johnny Damon and the Yankees doesn't appear likely. A year ago, it was Andy Pettitte who didn't seem likely to return to the Bronx, after the lefty rejected a contract offer from the team.
• Trevor Hoffman hadn't signed with the Brewers yet, but Milwaukee had emerged as the closer's top suitor, with the Dodgers also in the mix.
• Two pitchers that were on the market this winter were making headlines a year ago too. Jason Marquis was traded from the Cubs to the Rockies, while Carl Pavano signed a one-year deal with Cleveland.
• The Orioles signed Japanese import Koji Uehara to a two-year pact. Uehara was fairly effective in 12 starts for Baltimore before an elbow injury cut his rookie season short.
• The Reds signed Jerry Hairston Jr., who eventually won a World Series title later in the year with the Yankees.
  

With over 200 free agents still unsigned by our count, 2010 promises to kick off with plenty of hot stove action.

Here's a look at the multi-year deals teams handed out during the 2009 portion of the offseason. We're only including guaranteed multi-year deals for free agents. That means we're not counting one-year deals with club options (e.g. Juan Uribe), multi-year deals covering arbitration years (e.g. Chris Iannetta) or international free agents (e.g. Noel Arguelles). Here's the list of multi-year contracts so far:

• The Red Sox signed John Lackey to a five-year $82.5MM deal.
• The Mets agreed to sign Jason Bay to a four-year $66MM deal with a vesting option that could bring the value of the contract to $80MM. 
• The Mariners signed Chone Figgins to a four-year $36MM deal. 
• The Brewers signed Randy Wolf to a three-year $29.75MM deal with a club option for a fourth season.
• The Braves signed Tim Hudson to a three-year $28MM deal. 
• The Angels signed Bobby Abreu to a two-year $19MM deal. 
• The Phillies signed Placido Polanco to a three-year $18MM deal. 
• The Red Sox signed Mike Cameron to a two-year $15.5MM deal. 
• The Nationals signed Jason Marquis to a two-year $15MM deal. 
• The Cubs signed Marlon Byrd to a three-year, $15MM deal.
• The Astros signed Brandon Lyon to a three-year $15MM deal. 
• The Red Sox signed Marco Scutaro to a two-year $12.5MM deal. 
• The Giants signed Mark DeRosa to a two-year $12MM deal. 
• The Orioles signed Mike Gonzalez to a two-year $12MM deal.
• The Giants re-signed Freddy Sanchez to a two-year $12MM deal. 
• The Angels signed Fernando Rodney to a two-year $11MM deal. 
• The Mariners signed Jack Wilson to a two-year $10MM deal. 
• The Cubs signed John Grabow to a two-year $7.5MM deal. 
• The Brewers signed LaTroy Hawkins to a two-year $7.5MM deal.   
• The Royals signed Jason Kendall to a two-year $6MM deal. 
• The Nationals signed Ivan Rodriguez to a two-year $6MM deal. 
• The Red Sox signed Tim Wakefield to a two-year $5MM deal. 
• The Dodgers signed Jamey Carroll to a two-year $3.85MM deal. 
• The Blue Jays signed John McDonald to a two-year $3MM deal. 
• The Phillies signed Brian Schneider to a two-year $2.75MM deal. 
• The Phillies signed Ross Gload to a two-year $2.6MM deal. 
• The Phillies agreed to sign Danys Baez to a two-year deal worth an undisclosed amount.  

So half of the teams in baseball have signed players to multi-year deals so far (for a total of 26 moves), but the Red Sox, Mets, Mariners, Brewers and Braves are the only teams to guarantee $20MM or more to a free agent so far this offseason. There's still lots of time, but the Yankees are noticeably absent from this list.

Lots of unsigned players are in position to command multi-year deals. Matt Holliday leads a group of free agents that also includes Adam LaRoche, Miguel Tejada, Adrian Beltre, Johnny Damon, Miguel Olivo, Bengie Molina, Rod Barajas, Yorvit Torrealba, Joel Pineiro, Jon Garland, Vicente Padilla and Jose Valverde.

Let's take a look at moves by NL West teams so far this offseason.

Diamondbacks

• Acquired/Re-signed: Tony Abreu, Aaron Heilman, Carlos Corporan, T.J. Beam, Drew Macias, Edwin Jackson, Ian Kennedy, Zach Kroenke, Bob Howry, Jeff Bailey, Brandon Webb, Rodrigo Lopez
• Lost: Doug Slaten, Yusmeiro Petit, Alex Romero, Trent Oeltjen, Ryne White, Scott Maine, Daniel Schlereth, Max Scherzer, Josh Whitesell

Rockies

• Acquired/Re-signed: Rafael Betancourt, Matt Belisle, Randy Flores, Juan Rincon, Matt Wilhite, Ryan Harvey, Paul Phillips
• Lost: Joel Peralta, Matt Murton, Jason Marquis, Mike McCoy, Garrett Atkins

Dodgers

• Acquired/Re-signed: Doug Mientkiewicz, Carlos Monasterios, Armando Zerpa, Josh Towers, Jamey Carroll, Jon Link, John Ely, Angel Berroa, Justin Miller, Luis Ayala
• Lost: Tony Abreu, Randy Wolf, Juan Castro, Juan Pierre, Mitch Jones 

Padres

• Acquired/Re-signed: Radhames Liz, Dusty Ryan, Jackson Quezeda, Chris Stewart, Chris Denorfia 
• Lost: Eulogio de la Cruz, Eliezer Alfonzo, Drew Macias, Luis Rodriguez, Henry Blanco

Giants

• Acquired/Re-signed: Steve Johnson, Mark DeRosa, Tony Pena Jr., Joe Borchard 
• Lost: Justin Miller, Bob Howry, Brad Penny, Ryan Sadowski

Next up let's take a look at the offseason moves made by NL Central clubs so far.

Cubs

• Acquired/Re-signed: John Grabow, Ryne White, Scott Maine, Jeff Gray, Matthew Spencer, Ronny Morla, Mike Parisi, Carlos Silva
• Lost: Rich Harden, Aaron Heilman, Aaron Miles, Jake Fox, Milton Bradley

Reds

• Acquired/Re-signed: Justin Lehr, Wilkin Castillo, Laynce Nix, Ramon Hernandez 
• Lost: Danny Richar, Ramon Ramirez, Craig Tatum, Ben Jukich

Astros

• Acquired/Re-signed: Jason Bourgeois, Chris Shelton, Alex Romero, Drew Meyer, Oswaldo Navarro, Gary Majewski, Casey Daigle, Roy Corcoran, Matt Lindstrom, Pedro Feliz, Brandon Lyon, Jason Michaels, Gustavo Chacin, Edgar Ferreira, Geoff Blum
• Lost: Chris Coste, LaTroy Hawkins, Luis Bryan, Robert Bono, Jorge Jimenez, Geoff Geary

Brewers

• Acquired/Re-signed: Adam Stern, Carlos Gomez, Mark DiFelice, Craig Counsell, Trevor Hoffman, Claudio Vargas, George Kottaras, Chris Capuano, John Halama, Gregg Zaun, Trent Oeltjen, Luis Cruz, Chuck Lofgren, Randy Wolf, A.J. Murray, LaTroy Hawkins, Kameron Loe, Matt Treanor
• Lost: Jason Bourgeois, Corey Patterson, Mike Cameron, Jason Kendall, J.J. Hardy, Mike Rivera

Pirates

• Acquired/Re-signed: Justin Thomas, Akinori Iwamura, Chris Jakubauskas, Wilfredo Ledezma, Vinnie Chulk, Bobby Crosby, John Raynor, Javier Lopez
• Lost: Luis Cruz, Chris Bootcheck, Jesse Chavez, Eric Hacker, Robinzon Diaz, Phil Dumatrait, Matt Capps

Cardinals

• Acquired/Re-signed: Jason LaRue, Ruben Gotay, Brad Penny, Ben Jukich
• Lost: Jarrett Hoffpauir, Brad Thompson, Joe Thurston, Mark DeRosa, Troy Glaus, Mike Parisi, Brian Barden

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Today let's take a look at moves made so far this offseason by NL East teams.  Unsigned free agents are not yet considered losses for this post.  Also, Rule 5 losses might end up returning.

Braves

• Acquired/Re-signed: Tim Hudson, Juan Abreu, Mitch Jones, Scott Proctor, Melky Cabrera, Arodys Vizcaino, Michael Dunn, Brent Clevlen, Joe Thurston, Jesse Chavez, Takashi Saito, Billy Wagner, Troy Glaus
• Lost: Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano, Boone Logan, Javier Vazquez, Buddy Carlyle, Edgar Osuna, Jorge Campillo

Marlins

• Acquired/Re-signed:  Hunter Jones, Jose Alvarez, Luis Bryan, Robert Bono, Jorge Jimenez, Clay Hensley, Brian Barden, Donnie Murphy
• Lost: Alejandro de Aza, Scott Proctor, Ross Gload, Jeremy Hermida, Nick Johnson, Matt Lindstrom, John Raynor

Mets

• Acquired/Re-signed: Chris Carter, Alex Cora, Elmer Dessens, Chris Coste, Mike Hessman, Henry Blanco, Clint Everts, Ryota Igarashi, Kelvim Escobar
• Lost: Wilson Valdez, J.J. Putz, Lance Broadway, Brian Schneider 

Phillies

• Acquired/Re-signed:  Andy Tracy, DeWayne Wise, Wilson Valdez, Paul Hoover, Brian Schneider, Juan Castro, Placido Polanco, David Herndon, Cody Ransom, Chris Duffy, Ross Gload, J.C. Ramirez, Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, Roy Halladay
• Lost: Jack Taschner, Eric Bruntlett, Cliff Lee, Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, Travis d'Arnaud, Pedro Feliz, Rodrigo Lopez, Carlos Monasterios

Nationals

• Acquired/Re-signed: Jamie Burke, Doug Slaten, Scott Olsen, Brian Bruney, Jerry Owens, Ryan Speier, Ivan Rodriguez, Logan Kensing, Joel Peralta, Pete Orr, Jason Marquis, Eddie Guardado, Josh Whitesell, Eric Bruntlett, Matt Capps
• Lost: Josh Bard, Jamie Hoffmann, Zech Zinicola