SUNDAY: The A’s reached an agreement with Ellis, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. He’ll make about $5MM in ’09, $6MM in ’10, and has a $6MM club option for ’11. There’s also about $2MM in possible incentives. Olney believes the deal could be worth $18MM with all incentives reached. Slusser has quotes from the happy second baseman in this morning’s article.
SATURDAY: According to ESPN’s Buster Olney:
Heard this: The Oakland Athletics are moving closer to signing second baseman Mark Ellis — who would be eligible for free agency after the World Series — to a multiyear deal.
Ellis, 31, hit .233/.321/.373 in 507 plate appearances. He was stellar again defensively, making 26 more plays than the average second baseman. He missed time for a sore hamstring and a torn labrum in his shoulder (which eventually required surgery last month). Ellis would’ve been an intriguing alternative to Orlando Hudson, but it looks like he won’t reach the open market.
