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Nationals Sign Sean Burnett To Two-Year Extension

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The Nationals have officially signed Sean Burnett to a two-year extension. The $3.95MM contract, which was first reported by Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, covers Burnett's final two seasons of arbitration eligibility and includes a mutual option for 2013. Agent Jim Munsey represents the left-hander. 

The 28-year-old became a key reliever for Nationals manager Jim Riggleman in 2010, his first full season in Washington. Burnett, a product of the deal that sent Joel Hanrahan and Lastings Milledge to Pittsburgh, posted a 2.14 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 63 innings last year. The former first rounder limited hits and homers and induced lots of ground balls (54.3% ground ball rate) as usual.

Burnett will earn $1.4MM, including a $100K bonus, in 2011 and $2.3MM in 2012. The mutual option covers Burnett's first free agent year and would pay him $3.5MM or a $250K buyout. The Nationals won their arbitration case with Burnett last offseason (775K vs. 925K), which presumably saved them money on this extension.

Matt Chico Clears Waivers

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WEDNESDAY: Chico was outrighted to Triple-A, the Nationals announced on Twitter.  He'll be in spring training camp as a non-roster invitee.

TUESDAY: The Nationals have designated Matt Chico for assignment, according to the team (on Twitter). The 27-year-old left-hander started one game for Washington in 2010 after missing the 2009 season because of Tommy John surgery.

Back in May, the club designated Chico for assignment in a purely procedural move designed to send him to the minor leagues. The 2003 third rounder posted a 3.62 ERA in 141 2/3 innings as a starter at Double-A and Triple-A this year. His strikeout (5.5 K/9) and walk (2.6 BB/9) were both low, but he seems to be healthy.

Jeff Francis Suitors

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The Mets, Nationals, Pirates, Rangers, and Yankees have varying degrees of interest in free agent lefty Jeff Francis, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  Crasnick named five interested clubs a month ago: the Pirates, Mariners, Brewers, Astros, and Rockies.  It appears that a few teams dropped out and others jumped in; this is the first we've seen of the Yankees' interest.  MLB.com's Thomas Harding learned from Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd today that the team will continue to monitor Francis.

Francis, 30 in January, posted a 5.00 ERA, 5.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, and 47% groundball rate in 104 1/3 innings this year for the Rockies.  His peripheral stats suggest Francis' work was more deserving of an ERA around 4.00.  The southpaw missed all of last season after having shoulder surgery in February of '09, and had some lingering issues this year.  The Rockies declined his $7MM club option in November.  He figures to sign a one-year, incentive-laden deal.

Nationals To Sign Rick Ankiel

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The Nationals officially agreed to terms with outfielder Rick Ankiel on a one-year, $1.5MM deal.  He can earn another $1.25MM in performance bonuses.

Ankiel, a Scott Boras client, signed a one-year deal with the Royals a year ago but failed to deliver.  The 31-year-old former pitcher still provides pop against righties and can play all three outfield positions, but has had difficulty hitting lefties, getting on base, and staying healthy.

Earlier this month, Boras and the Nationals hammered out an agreement worth 84 times as much for right fielder Jayson Werth.  The Nats shipped out Josh Willingham, but still have Nyjer Morgan, Roger Bernadina, and Michael Morse in the outfield mix.  Bernadina and Ankiel will compete for the left field job, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

SI's Jon Heyman broke the news of Ankiel's agreement.

Minor Deals: Stokes, Diaz, Barton, Brewers

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Rounding up today's minor signings:

  • The Blue Jays signed Brian Stokes, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 31-year-old struggled through 16 2/3 innigns for the Angels last year, but was useful for the Mets from 2008-09 before they sent him to L.A. for Gary Matthews Jr..
  • The A's signed right-hander Jonathan Ortiz, who combined a sinker and an above-average changeup to post 11.8 K/9 in the Yankees system this year, according to Eddy (all links go to Twitter).
  • The Tigers signed shortstop Argenis Diaz, who was non-tendered by the Pirates despite his strong glovework.
  • The Angels signed Ryan Braun – not the Brewers slugger, but the 30-year-old right-hander who posted a 2.20 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in 57 1/3 innings at Triple-A Charlotte last year. He last pitched in the majors for the 2007 Royals.
  • The Twins signed Matt Brown, a former Angel who should provide corner infield depth.
  • The Pirates re-signed Tyler Yates, who missed last season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
  • Brian Barton, who hit 19 homers and stole 18 bases in the Atlantic League this year, signed with the Reds, according to Eddy (on Twitter).
  • The Cubs signed lefty Polin Trinidad, who posted a 4.81 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 149 2/3 innings in the upper minor for the Astros last year (Twitter link).
  • The Brewers signed Edwin Maysonet and Shawn Riggans to minor league deals and invited them to Spring Training, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). Maysonet, 29, appeared in 46 games as a backup infielder for the Astros in 2008-09 and hit .248/.308/.329 in 356 minor league plate apperances last year. Riggans, who spent parts of four seasons with the Rays, barely played in 2010.
  • The Twins inked lefty Chuck James, tweets Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.  The 29-year-old former Brave had rotator cuff surgery in September of 2008.
  • The Nationals announced seven signings, including previously unreported contracts for Ryan Mattheus, Michael Aubrey, and Brian Bixler.  Mattheus, a 27-year-old right-handed reliever, was acquired by the Nats at the '09 trade deadline in the Joe Beimel deal, the same month he had Tommy John surgery.  His is a Major League deal.  Aubrey, drafted 11th overall by the Indians in 2003, hit .235/.310/.495 at Triple-A this year.  Bixler, a defensive-minded utility infielder, was acquired by Washington from the Pirates in August.

Cubs, Rangers Ahead Of Nats For Brandon Webb

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The Cubs and Rangers have jumped ahead of the Nationals in the Brandon Webb sweepstakes, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson.  Webb is already throwing and preparing like usual for spring, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  On Friday, we learned that Webb is likely to decide on a team soon.

About a month ago, Webb's agent Jonathan Maurer told MLBTR, "Brandon is hungry, excited, and ready to start 30 plus times in 2011."  Webb is two years removed from the Majors due to shoulder issues.

Zack Greinke Trade Reactions

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After what's sure to be one of the biggest trades of the offseason, let's take a look at some reactions to the Zack Greinke trade from around the baseball world:

  • MLB.com's Adam McCalvy passes on some quotes from Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun, who's reportedly "fired up" about his team's offseason. "…I don't think we could have possibly accomplished more than we did…" said Braun.
  • McCalvy also has a quote from Brewers' GM Doug Melvin, who told Greinke it feels like they're getting C.C. Sabathia all over again, but for two years, and maybe longer (Twitter link).
  • Tom Haudricourt from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has more from Melvin, who calls the move a "now trade." Haudricourt says Milwaukee was originally on Greinke's no-trade list, but that changed after he switched agents. His new representation at CAA have a good relationship with Braun and Corey Hart.
  • After adding the haul from the Greinke trade, Kevin Goldstein from Baseball Prospectus calls Kansas City's farm system the best that he's ever seen (Twitter link).
  • MASN.com's Ben Goessling says the Nats are lucky they didn't get Greinke. He speculates, based on what the Brewers paid, that the Nats would have had to include Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Desmond, Michael Burgess, and possibly Drew Storen in a deal, and that such a trade would've created more holes for Washington than Greinke could've filled.

Greinke Links: Nationals, Yankees, Pavano, Reactions

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It's not often that the Brewers and Royals are the two teams dominating discussion around baseball, but that's exactly what's happening today, after the clubs agreed to a blockbuster deal. Let's check out some reactions and a few more details on the trade that will send Zack Greinke to Milwaukee….

  • According to Yahoo's Tim Brown (via Twitter), the Dodgers were discussing Greinke and even brought a third team into the mix in an attempt to meet Kansas City's needs. Ultimately, they ran out of time.
  • SI.com's Jon Heyman reports that the Royals were close to a deal that would've sent Greinke to Washington, if not for the right-hander's no-trade clause. MLB.com's Bill Ladson confirms that Greinke turned down a potential trade to the Nationals (Twitter links). Heyman adds that Drew Storen and Danny Espinosa likely would've been involved in the hypothetical deal (Twitter link).
  • Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post hears that the Royals coveted Jordan Zimmermann, who the Nats were reluctant to give up.
  • Heyman tweets that Greinke approved the Brewers and not the Nats because he believes Milwaukee is closer to serious contention. He's also apparently fond of the city.
  • According to Heyman (via Twitter), Greinke told the Royals that he wouldn't mind playing for the Yankees, but New York never got close to making a trade for the Kansas City ace.
  • The Brewers had some interest in Carl Pavano, who they presumably won't pursue now. As such, the Twins' leverage with Pavano should improve, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets that the $2MM going to Milwaukee will cover the buyout for Yuniesky Betancourt's 2012 option, if the Brewers choose to buy him out.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports praises Brewers GM Doug Melvin for choosing an established player over prospects. Rosenthal also examines the trade from the Royals' perspective.
  • With Prince Fielder a year from free agency, Melvin saw the team's window for playoff contention closing and moved aggressively to improve the 2011 roster, writes Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
  • Fangraphs' Marc Hulet breaks down the package acquired by Kansas City, noting that their haul is "certainly quantity over quality." In an Insider-only article, ESPN.com's Keith Law makes a similar point, calling the Royals' return "bulk, and fit, but not impact."
  • Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus and two front office people he spoke to "really like" the move for the Royals (Twitter link).

Olney’s Latest: Greinke, Cabrera, Astros

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In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney says that the first day of Spring Training acts as an artificial deadline for the Royals to trade Zack Greinke. At that point he will show up to the clubhouse and dominate the team's storyline. Olney likens it to the Johan Santana situation from a few years ago, when the Twins felt pressure to move him before pitchers and catchers reported. He adds that Greinke's performance would then be under intense scrutiny, even during Spring Training, and if he pitches poorly his trade value will plummet.

Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

Minor Deals: Antonelli, Parraz

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We'll keep track of all of today's minor deals in this one handy post.  The most recent updates are up top:

  • Matt Antonelli announced that he has signed with the Nationals on his personal blog.  The Padres' first-round selection in the 2006 draft carries a reputation as a second baseman with a solid glove and bat but doesn't possess a great deal of power, writes Pete Kerzel of MASNSports.com.
  • The Yankees have claimed outfielder Jordan Parraz off of waivers from the Red Sox, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The 26-year-old's time in the Boston organization was rather brief as the club claimed him off of waivers from the Royals just three weeks ago.
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