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Archives for January 2010

Odds & Ends: Gagne, Stairs, Dotel

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Thursday night linkage..

  • Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Radio talked to M's GM Jack Zduriencik, who declined to disclose how much money the club had left to spend this offseason.  One baseball source told Drayer that the M's likely have "a little left, but not much."
  • Scott Lauber of The News Journal tweets that Phillies GM Ruben Amaro was less than impressed after watching Eric Gagne throw yesterday, saying "He was okay."  We first heard about Gagne's comeback back in December, when the 34-year-old said he would be open to pitching in the minors.
  • Matt Stairs, who is still hoping to land a job at the age of 41, has dropped 31 pounds in order to get himself in game shape, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.  In 129 plate appearances last season, Stairs posted .194/.357/.379 with 5 HRs.
  • Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette spoke to recently signed Octavio Dotel who told him that the Pirates were the only team to offer him the role of closer.  Dotel says that he's not worried about being rusty after not closing since 2007.

New York Notes: Pineiro, Smoltz, Nady

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Some New York news and notes courtesy of Newsday's Ken Davidoff..

  • Davidoff's understanding is that the Mets' offer to Joel Pineiro was very similar to the Angels' offer of two-years, $16MM.  While it would be natural to assume that the free agent hurler preferred the stability of the Halos franchise to the Metropolitans, he writes that he doesn't know that for certain.
  • The Mets would definitely like to sign John Smoltz, though it would cause a logjam of starting pitchers.  Davidoff suggests that the team could move John Maine in order to create space for him.
  • Speaking of Smoltz, Davidoff hears that the Yankees were interested in the 42-year-old prior to landing Javier Vazquez.
  • As we've heard elsewhere, the Bombers are looking for one more outfielder and are considering right-handers Xavier Nady and Rocco Baldelli.

Nationals Interested In Jacobs

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In an interview on the MLB Network, GM Mike Rizzo said that the Nationals are interested in free agent first baseman Mike Jacobs, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.  Ladson writes that he is unsure as to how Jacobs would fit in with the club, as the team already has Adam Dunn at the position with Mike Morse as the backup.

With the Royals in 2009, Jacobs posted a slash line of .228/.297/.401 with 19 HRs in 478 plate appearances.  The 29-year-old avoided arbitration with Kansas City last February, settling for $3.275MM after seeking $3.8MM.  After coming off of the worst season of his career, it seems as though Jacobs' will have to settle for less on this go-round.

Pirates Sign Octavio Dotel

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The Pirates officially signed reliever Octavio Dotel to a one-year deal with a club option for 2011.  Dotel will earn $3.25MM in 2010, plus bonuses for games finished.  The 2011 club option, which becomes mutual if the 36-year-old is traded, is for $4.5MM with a $250K buyout. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette broke the news of the agreement and added the details via Twitter.

Dotel, 36, will close for the Pirates in 2010.  Last year for the White Sox he posted a 10.8 K/9, 5.2 BB/9, and 3.32 ERA in 62.3 innings, so control may be an issue.  Dotel had joined the Sox on a two-year, $11MM deal in January of '08.

For a guaranteed payout of roughly $6MM, Pirates GM Neal Huntington has revamped his bullpen by adding Dotel, Brendan Donnelly, D.J. Carrasco, and Javier Lopez.  The Bucs subtracted '09 pen members Matt Capps, Jesse Chavez, Steven Jackson, Denny Bautista, Phil Dumatrait, and Chris Bootcheck this winter.

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

Dodgers Notes: Padilla, Garland, Sheets

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Let's check out a couple of Dodgers-related tidbits..

  • Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times tweets that even though the Dodgers signed Vicente Padilla at a bargain price, GM Ned Colletti says that the club probably could not afford another starting pitcher.  It sounds as though Jon Garland and Braden Looper just lost a suitor.
  • Unsurprisingly, Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter) hears that the Dodgers, as well as the Rangers, may not have the money needed to sign Ben Sheets.  Olney also tweets that the Mets and the A's might be in the best position to be aggressive, based on the agents' perception of which teams are still spending.

Odds & Ends: Gomes, Coffey, Nolasco, Vazquez

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Links for Thursday…

No Long-Term Offer Yet For Verlander

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Tigers righty Justin Verlander told John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press he's yet to receive a long-term contract offer from the club.  Still, interest appears mutual.

Verlander would prefer to work out his 2010 salary before entering long-term discussions.  With Joe Blanton locked up, Verlander's $2.6MM gap with the Tigers is second only to Tim Lincecum's $5MM divide among those exchanging arbitration figures.  I mentioned yesterday on Twitter that I found Verlander's $9.5MM request to be high.  My comparison to Felix Hernandez's second arbitration year salary was flawed, since that wouldn't factor into an arbitration hearing.  A better match might be Andy Pettitte.  Here's how the two stack up after four seasons, keeping in mind arbitration panels focus on simple stats like wins:

  • Verlander:  840 IP, 132 GS, 65 wins, 3.92 ERA, 746 Ks
  • Pettitte: 852.6 IP, 127 GS, 67 wins, 3.75 ERA,  588 Ks

Pettitte received a 56.6% raise heading into the 1999 season.  Verlander had a better platform year, more strikeouts, and better award finishes, Pettitte the superior ERA.  Even a 70% raise would put Verlander at $6.25MM in 2010, though the Tigers would only have to convince the panel he deserves less than $8.2MM to win.

This may all be moot, as the Tigers will probably want to avoid a hearing given their desire to lock Verlander up long-term.  If they settle near the midpoint, Verlander's aggressive filing will pay off.  As for a multiyear contract, Verlander acknowledged he's "closely mirrored" to Felix, whose five-year, $78MM pact will be made official today.  Verlander does not want to negotiate during the season.

Mariners Sign Felix Hernandez To Five-Year Deal

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All the teams that had begun salivating over Felix Hernandez's upcoming free agency will have to wait a little longer than expected. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik officially locked Hernandez up to a five-year $78MM deal that delays the right-hander's entrance onto the open market by three years. 

The contract buys out Hernandez's two remaining years of arbitration plus three years of free agency at an average annual salary of $15.6MM. FanGraphs says Felix's performance was worth exactly double that in 2009, and has been worth at least as much every year since 2007. Nearly $80MM isn't bad for a 23-year-old pitcher, and the Mariners are securing one of the game's best arms.

This past season was nothing short of brilliant for Hernandez, who posted a 2.49 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 238.2 IP. That performance led to his first All-Star game selection and a second-place finish in the American League Cy Young balloting.

The incentive-laden deal includes a $3.5MM signing bonus and has a limited no-trade clause. Felix makes $1MM if he wins a Cy Young, $500K if he finishes second, and $250K if he finishes in third.

Earlier in the week we heard that Felix and the Mariners were working towards a five or six-year deal. As expected, Hernandez will earn considerably more than Josh Johnson, whose new deal calls for $13.75MM paydays in each of his first two free agent years. 

It has been a busy offseason for Seattle and GM Jack Zduriencik; the club has added stars like Cliff Lee, Milton Bradley, and Chone Figgins.

ESPN.com's Keith Law first reported the agreement and Francisco Blavia of Lider en Deportes tweeted the terms. Jon Heyman of SI.com, Coley Ward and Buster Olney of ESPN.com added details.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Dodgers Re-Sign Vicente Padilla

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Vicente Padilla officially signed a one-year, $5.025MM deal with the Dodgers today.  He can earn another $1MM in innings incentives.  MLB.com's Ken Gurnick first reported the agreement earlier today, with his colleague Jesse Sanchez as well as Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweeting the contract details.

Padilla, 32, posted a 5.9 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, and 4.46 ERA in 147.3 innings for the Rangers and Dodgers last year.  The Dodgers added him as a free agent in August after the Rangers released him, and he tossed 56.6 solid innings for L.A. between the regular season and playoffs.  Padilla's '09 injury ledger included forearm tightness, a strained shoulder, a bruised palm, swine flu, and a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Gurnick had previously named Joel Pineiro, Jon Garland, and Braden Looper as other Dodgers targets.  Pineiro is off the board, while Garland and Looper will presumably have to look elsewhere.

Phillies Sign Joe Blanton To Extension

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The Phillies signed Joe Blanton to a three-year, $24MM extension, according to a team press release.  The deal buys out Blanton's last arbitration year and two free agent seasons.  AOL FanHouse's Ed Price tweets the details: $7MM in '10 and $8.5MM in '11 and '12.  Another $500K can be earned with innings incentives.  The price is reasonable, given the recent contracts signed by Jason Marquis and Joel Pineiro.

Blanton, 29, has seen an uptick in his strikeout rate since joining the Phillies in July of '08.  Last year he posted a 7.5 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, and 4.05 ERA in 195.3 innings. 

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