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Archives for January 2010

Mariners Sign Chris Woodward

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The Mariners have signed utility player Chris Woodward to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training according to a team press release. 

Woodward, 33, played in 20 games for Seattle last season before being claimed off waivers by the Red Sox in August. Overall, Woodward is a .242/.298/.369 career hitter in the big leagues, and has played every position except pitcher and catcher with varying degrees of success. 

Brewers May Not Be Able To Add Another Starter

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The Brewers may be right up against their 2010 payroll limit according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, however GM Doug Melvin is still looking to upgrade his club.

"If we can [add another starter] we'd like to," Melvin said at the conclusion of the Winter Meetings. "We might not be able to. We're always looking to improve the club.

"We're trying to keep flexibility to do things. The worst thing you can do is lose flexibility. We still want to be aggressive but we can step back and look at the landscape, see what takes place with free agents and trades."

McCalvy notes that the club's free agent signings total a $21MM commitment for 2010, plus there's another $37MM or so tied up in players already on their roster. The team has seven players eligible for salary arbitration, and there's about $18MM budgeted for them. If they fill out their roster with players making close to the minimum, it'll push Melvin's club over their $80MM or so projected payroll.

Given Randy Wolf's price tag, the team may not be able to add the second starter they crave. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com said the Brewers will "almost certainly" sign one of Jon Garland, Doug Davis, or Jarrod Washburn, though they may have to make a move to free up some cash to sign one of them.

Twins Agree To Terms With Clay Condrey

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The Twins agreed to terms with reliever Clay Condrey, according to a team press release.  The communication also notes that Bobby Keppel, whose release was reported yesterday, will join the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan.

Condrey, 34, posted a 3.00 ERA, 5.4 K/9, and 3.0 BB/9 in 42 innings for the Phillies this year, missing time with an oblique strain.  Condrey's 55.3% groundball rate was among the best for free agent relievers.  The Phillies non-tendered him on December 12th.  Since Condrey has four years of service time, the Twins will have the option of retaining him for 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player.

Urban On Athletics, Giants

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CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban checks in with the latest on the A's and Giants.

  • After failing to sign Adrian Beltre, the A's continue to seek a third baseman.  The team has considered attempting to trade for the Pirates' Andy LaRoche or the Padres' Kevin Kouzmanoff.  Neither player hit for much power in 2009, however (Kouz hit 18 home runs, but slugged only .420).  Adam Kennedy is said to be Plan D or E.
  • The A's are still talking to Jack Cust's agent, though they've yet to make an offer.  Regarding the idea of returning to the A's after being non-tendered, Cust told Urban, "Stranger things have happened."  Urban senses Cust would give the A's the opportunity to match any offer.
  • Urban finds Cust a less-than-ideal fit for the Giants.  He likes Adam LaRoche, or perhaps Miguel Tejada if LaRoche's demands remain high.

Comments From Brian Cashman

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Chad Jennings of The LoHud Journal spoke to Yankees GM Brian Cashman today.  A few notes…

  • Cashman seeks a right-handed hitting outfielder to come off the bench on occasion.  Reed Johnson is the oft-mentioned name, though free agents such as Jonny Gomes and Rocco Baldelli are also available.
  • Cashman's comment that he doesn't need a left-handed bat for the outfield makes one wonder if Johnny Damon's time with the club is up.  Click here for more on that situation.
  • As far as backup infielder/catcher roles, Cashman seemed OK with internal options.  Still, the slight hedging in the GM's quotes led Jennings to wonder if Cashman will continue to monitor the market.
  • Bullpen help is not Cashman's focus – instead it's "non-roster invites and position player bench."  The Yankees have actually agreed to several minor league deals that have yet to be announced.

Matt Holliday Signing Reactions

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Yesterday Matt Holliday and the Cardinals agreed to a seven-year, $120MM deal, possibly worth $136MM over eight years if Holliday finishes in the top ten in the MVP voting in 2016 (he'll head into that season as a 36-year-old).  $2MM deferred per year knocks down the present-day value of the deal a bit.  Let's take a look at reactions from around the web.

  • ESPN's Buster Olney spoke to one GM who thinks the Cardinals overpaid by about $30MM given the lack of competition for Holliday.  Another exec's crack: "I guess that will end the collusion talk."  Olney also wonders if the Cardinals can afford to pay Holliday and Albert Pujols $43-47MM from 2012 forward.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has the same concerns.
  • ESPN's Keith Law suggests the Cardinals are the NL Central frontrunners for 2010 and 2011.  But the downside to having both Holliday and Pujols locked up for big bucks is that the Cards would need to fill out the rest of the roster with bargains.  They might not have the farm system to do so.
  • Aaron Schafer of Viva El Birdos offers his take: "the money's fine, but the length of the deal is a killer."

Center Fielders On Royals’ Radar

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ESPN's Jerry Crasnick names three free agents on the Royals' radar for center field: Rick Ankiel, Scott Podsednik, and Randy Winn.  It should be noted that none of the three logged 500 innings in center in '09.  Crasnick's source doesn't see the Royals spending much more than $2MM on a one-year deal, so playing time could be the biggest selling point.  Coco Crisp at $5.25MM coming off two shoulder surgeries might be seen as an overpay by Oakland, if these other free agents sign for less than half that.

My guess is that Scott Boras will end up finding a reasonable one-year deal for Ankiel, much as he did for Joe Crede last year.  Beyond the Pirates, we haven't heard much from other Ankiel suitors.  Podsednik could land with the Giants or Tigers, while Winn is being courted by the Padres and D'Backs.

Yankees, Sergio Mitre Reach Agreement

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The Yankees and pitcher Sergio Mitre avoided arbitration, reaching an agreement for $850K plus incentives tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  Mitre had Tommy John surgery in July of '08, and was released by the Marlins in September of that year.  The Yankees signed him a few months later and were able to retain him for 2010 even after declining his option.

Mitre, 29 in February, served a 50-game PED suspension as he recovered from the elbow surgery.  He ended up tossing 54.3 strong minor league innings and 51.6 ugly big league frames.  He could become trade bait if the Yankees go elsewhere for their fifth starter.

Heyman On Damon, Tejada, Pineiro, Molina

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman believes the Yankees would not go beyond one year and $6MM to re-sign Johnny Damon.  On MLB Home Plate Boras said Damon "would just have to move forward," while not faulting the Yankees for sticking to a budget.  Heyman suggests four alternatives for Damon: the Giants, Mariners, Braves, and Angels.  The Angels would be a tough fit barring a Juan Rivera trade, as their outfield and DH spots are full.  The problem with the Braves is that they're approaching their payroll limit.
  • Despite a report that the Cardinals probably can't afford Miguel Tejada, Heyman sees them as the best fit.  Heyman's $8MM idea seems too pricey though.
  • The Mets debated offering Joel Pineiro a two-year, $15MM Jason Marquis special, but at this point Pineiro seems to be seeking Randy Wolf's three-year, $29.75MM deal.  MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone sees the team landing Jon Garland instead.
  • Heymans says the Mets "seem serious about sticking with an offer of one year and a vesting option" for Bengie Molina.  However, Cerrone "gets the feeling the Mets might have a two-year deal on the table."

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