Nationals Sign Chien-Ming Wang
The Nationals officially signed Chien-Ming Wang to a one-year $2MM deal that includes up to $3MM in performance bonuses.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported the agreement and Ronald Blum of the AP added the terms of the deal. Last week Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe tweeted that Wang had picked the Nationals and Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweeted that Wang would earn $2MM with the chance to more than double that amount in incentives. Wang's agent insisted that no deal was in place after those initial reports emerged.
Shoulder and hip injuries limited Wang to 12 appearances last year, and the Yankees non-tendered him. Wang, 30 next month, could be a major contributor for the Nationals if he can return to form. The two-time 19 game winner has a long way to go, as last year's 9.64 ERA indicates.
Once healthy, he will join new addition Jason Marquis in the team's rotation. Wang has less than five years' service time, so he won't be a free agent until after the 2011 season unless the Nationals non-tender him, too.
Nationals Win Arbitration Case Against Sean Burnett
The Nationals won their arbitration case against lefty reliever Sean Burnett, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. He'll earn $775K as opposed to $925K in his first arbitration year. By beating Burnett and Brian Bruney this week, the Nats saved $500K.
Talking to Ladson, Burnett had this to say about the hearing: "It was interesting. I learned a lesson. I don't want to deal with it again."
Odds & Ends: Gonzalez, Benson, Giants, Mariners
A quick rundown of some of the day's items…
- In an appearance on WEEI's Dale & Holley Show, ESPN's Keith Law said that the Red Sox are the clear front-runners if and when Adrian Gonzalez hits the trade market. "I really think that Boston could top anybody if Adrian Gonzalez becomes available, and he will," Law said. The transcript of Law's appearance is available here.
- It looks like Washington might still be the only team interested in Kris Benson. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets that the Indians have no interest in the right-hander.
- ESPN.com's Jayson Stark polled "20 baseball wise men" to get their take on the offseason moves. The panel picked Seattle and Arizona as the most improved teams in their respective leagues, while Cleveland and the Dodgers were the least improved. John Lackey was named the winter's best free agent signing, while Brandon Lyon's deal with Houston was considered the worst.
- Giants infielder Freddy Sanchez underwent shoulder surgery on December 23, but the news of the procedure didn't come out until almost a month later. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News believes the club wanted to keep Sanchez's condition a secret in order to help them sign Juan Uribe to a more team-friendly contract. Uribe signed a one-year, $3.25MM deal on January 5.
- MLB.com's Jim Street answers some Mariner-related questions in a fan mailbag. Some topics of note include the possibility that the M's could deal one of their surplus outfielders, and Chad Cordero could also be trade bait if he doesn't make the Seattle bullpen but otherwise appears recovered from shoulder surgery.
- Matt Klaassen of Fangraphs thinks "Arizona overpaid a bit" in the arbitration settlement between the Diamondbacks and Edwin Jackson, but also notes that "there is reason to believe this deal is fair to both sides."
- Miguel Olivo took less money to play in Colorado because he wanted to be on a contending team, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
- "It's decision time" for teams to negotiate with players entering the last year of their contracts, says USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
- Wandy Rodriguez and the Astros had their arbitration hearing today, and The Associated Press reports that a decision should be reached by tomorrow. Rodriguez wants $7MM, while Houston has countered with an offer of $5MM.
- Jane Lee of MLB.com breaks down the dollars and reasoning behind Oakland's quick flip of Willy Taveras earlier this month.
- There are no new developments between Jonny Gomes and the Reds, but John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the two sides are still talking. GM Walt Jocketty is hopeful the team and player "can get something done this weekend."
- Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks at some of the issues facing the Pirates this spring, and notes that the club's young players could be helped without the pressure to win starting jobs.
Nationals Re-Sign Ron Villone
The Nationals re-signed lefty reliever Ron Villone to a minor league deal, tweets NatsTown News. Villone, 40, posted a 4.25 ERA, 6.1 K/9, and 5.4 BB/9 in 48.6 innings for the Nationals last year. The veteran was unable to shut down lefties in '09, but he did a decent job against them the two previous years.
Other non-roster pitching invites by the Nats include Miguel Batista, Eddie Guardado, Joel Peralta, and Ryan Speier.
Nationals Win Arbitration Hearing Against Bruney
WEDNESDAY, 12:12pm: The Nationals won their hearing against Bruney, reports the AP. He'll be paid $1.5MM, saving the team $350K over his request.
TUESDAY, 5:13pm: The Nationals and reliever Brian Bruney were unable to come to an agreement on a contract for 2010, so the two sides went to an arbitration hearing today according to the AP (via The Miami Herald). Bruney filed for $1.85MM, the team $1.5MM.
Bruney, who turns 28 tomorrow, was acquired from the Yankees in December for the rights to the first overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft. He posted a 3.92 ERA with an 8.3 K/9 in 39 innings last year, battling elbow trouble in the first half. Bruney's fastball routinely sits in the mid-90's, but he often doesn't know where it's going (6.2 BB/9) and has trouble staying on the field (three DL trips since 2008).
The Nationals only other remaining arbitration case is lefty Sean Burnett, who filed for $925K. The team countered with $775K.
Odds & Ends: Lincecum, Cashman, Orioles, Wang
Links for Tuesday…
- Tim Lincecum passed his physical according to Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Presumably his two-year, $23MM deal is official now.
- Yankees' GM Brian Cashman sat down for an interview with NoMaas.org. He discussed what went into some of their decision making this offseason, among other things.
- Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun projected the Orioles' Opening Day roster.
- Chien-Ming Wang has already passed his physical with the Nationals, reports Chico Harlan of The Washington Post. Given the righty's recent shoulder surgery, it was far from a formality.
- Joe Torre tells Mike Francesa of WFAN that the Dodgers are on the lookout for a fifth starter (audio here). Torre says the Dodgers could find that starter within their organization. He also says he and the Doders are talking about adding a year onto his contract, which expires after this season.
- Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Batter's Box that the Blue Jays will draft the best players available this June. Anthopoulos also said the Jays will be open to dealing from their pitching depth.
- MLB.com's Doug Miller shows that baseball's executives are getting younger as owners take a business-first approach to winning.
- Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says he'd be willing to guarantee Joe Mauer eight or ten years if that's what it takes to keep the catcher in Minnesota, despite the fact that Mauer would almost certainly be playing another position by the end of a contract that long.
- Padres GM Jed Hoyer tells MLB.com's Corey Brock that he's pleased with his first offseason as a GM and the process that the Padres used this winter.
- Giants officials believe "the day is coming when legions of talented hitters will follow" Pablo Sandoval's path to the majors, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney says Felipe Lopez would be a "great, great fit" for the Mets.
Nationals Have Interest In Kris Benson
TUESDAY, 7:33pm: Ladson reports (via Twitter) that the team and Benson's agent haven't spoken yet because both sides have been busy working on Brian Bruney's arbitration case. Bruney and Benson share an agent.
SATURDAY, 12:01pm: The Nationals have not confirmed their interest in Benson according to Ladson, however they did attend his "impressive workouts" over the last few weeks.
FRIDAY, 3:18pm: The Nationals have some interest in free agent righty Kris Benson, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson. GM Mike Rizzo and Benson's agent Gregg Clifton are hoping to meet early next week after a snow storm got in the way this week (link goes to Twitter).
Benson, 35, is apparently 100% after battling arm injuries for the better part of the last three seasons. In 22.1 innings for the Rangers last season, he allowed 23 runs with more walks (12) than strikeouts (11). It was his first big league action since 2006. As long as they don't guarantee him a roster spot, there's nothing wrong with seeing what Benson has to offer in Spring Training.
Nationals DFA Doug Slaten
The Nationals designated Doug Slaten for assignment to make room for new acquisition Adam Kennedy, according to Chico Harlan of the Washington Post (via Twitter). The Nationals picked the 30-year-old Slaten up off waivers from the D'Backs in November.
The lefty pitched just 6.1 innings in the majors last year. He pitched more in 2008, logging 32.1 innings for the D'Backs with 3.9 BB/9 allowed and 5.6 K/9. Slaten added 43.2 Triple A innings last year and his rates were better in the minors. He walked just 3.1 BB/9 with 8.1 K/9 for a 3.09 ERA.
Odds & Ends: Maya, Sheffield, Rays, Yankees
Monday night linkage..
- Jon Heyman of SI writes that the Dodgers and Rockies have watched Eric Gagne throw and both teams have shown the willingness to take a chance. A few weeks ago we learned that Colorado was thinking about extending a non-roster invite to the 34-year-old.
- The Red Sox might not be close to signing Cuban pitcher Yuniesky Maya, a source familiar with the negotiations tells Rob Bradford of WEEI. There's a good chance that Maya will instead choose a team that offers a better opportunity to immediately enter its starting rotation.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson writes that Gary Sheffield would not be a good fit for the Nationals as he wants to play every day. Ladson spoke to a major league source who believes that Sheffield will not accept a role as a backup.
- Jason Beck of MLB.com fielded a question from a reader, asking why the Tigers dealt Curtis Granderson, only to pursue Johnny Damon instead. Beck says that the Granderson trade brought Detroit financial flexibility and prospects. He also credits agent Scott Boras for helping to create an opportunity for Damon.
- Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg told 620-AM WDAE that the club's payroll will drop below $60MM in 2011, despite having a payroll north of $70MM this season. Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times points out that while the club didn't plan to make any big additions this year, they found room for Rafael Soriano after dealing Scott Kazmir and Akinori Iwamura.
- If Mike Jacobs doesn't make the Mets major league roster, Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News doesn't expect him to play for the club's Triple-A affiliate. Even though his minor league deal doesn't have an out-clause, Rubin is "virtually positive" that the Mets would accommodate him with a trade or release.
- In his latest mailbag, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch supports Yankees GM Brian Cashman's decision to wait to negotiate with upcoming free agents Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. Hoch believes that both players should be confident that they'll both be taken care of eventually.
Nationals Sign Willy Taveras
The Nationals signed center fielder Willy Taveras to a minor league deal, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Taveras had been released by the A's on Tuesday, not long after Oakland received him from the Reds to faciliate their Adam Rosales trade. The Nats will presumably pay Taveras the league-minimum $400K if he makes the team, with the A's paying his remaining $3.6MM.
Taveras, 28, hit .240/.275/.285 for the Reds in 437 plate appearances last year. The Reds signed Taveras to a two-year, $6.25MM after he was non-tendered by the Rockies. Defensively, based on UZR, Taveras graded well in 2009 and was slightly below-average the two years prior.
In addition to Taveras, the Nationals signed outfielders Chris Duncan, Kevin Mench, and Jerry Owens to minor league deals this winter.