Archives for March 2010

Yankees Return Hoffmann To Dodgers

By Tim Dierkes | March 22, 2010 at 12:43pm CDT

The Yankees Rule 5 pick Jamie Hoffmann cleared waivers and was returned to the Dodgers, reports Chad Jennings of The Journal News. New York essentially acquired Hoffmann for Brian Bruney back in December, and he was was battling with Marcus Thames for the chance to serve as the Yanks' right-handed bench bat. Neither player has done much in Spring Training so far.

Hoffmann, 25, hit .284/.360/.455 for the Dodgers' Triple A club last year while playing center and right field.

10 Best Free Agent Signings Of The Offseason

By Tim Dierkes | March 22, 2010 at 12:01pm CDT

It's time to present MLBTR's ten best free agent signings of the offseason. Note that only Major League deals are included. The players are listed in order of contract amount.

Joel Pineiro, Angels: two years, $18MM. At the advice of Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan, Pineiro tried a sinker in Spring Training and went on to lead all of baseball in walk and groundball rate. There are concerns over Pineiro's ability to reach 200 innings and succeed without Duncan, but the Angels signed a potential #2-3 starter and didn't take on a lot of risk.
Adrian Beltre, Red Sox: one year, $10MM. Beltre was confident enough in his abilities this year to turn down a pair of three-year, $24MM offers from other clubs. He's arguably the best defensive third baseman in the game, and he may return to his 25 home run ways in Boston.
Noel Arguelles, Royals: five years, $7MM. The 20-year-old Cuban lefty is the equivalent of an extra first-round pick for the Royals. True, he's no match for Aroldis Chapman, but he cost a quarter of what the Reds paid.
Adam LaRoche, Diamondbacks: one year, $6MM. LaRoche should provide Arizona a .350 OBP and .490 SLG at a fair price.
Orlando Hudson, Twins: one year, $5MM. Even if his defense is slipping, it appears the Twins added a couple of wins here.
Colby Lewis, Rangers: two years, $5MM. The Rangers weren't the only team to notice Lewis' two years of dominance in Japan, as the A's and Twins also made two-year offers. This was a low-risk, high-reward signing by the Rangers.
Kelly Johnson, Diamondbacks: one year, $2.35MM. Johnson was supplanted by Martin Prado as the Braves' starting second baseman last season and signed with Arizona after being non-tendered. His arbitration-eligibility for 2011 is nearly as good as a club option. If Johnson approaches his .273/.351/.443 CHONE projection, he'll be well worth the D'Backs' investment.
Gregg Zaun, Brewers: one year, $2.15MM. In a world where Jason Kendall, Ivan Rodriguez, and Brian Schneider snagged two-year deals, the Brewers got Zaun for one year at a lesser salary, plus a club option. Unlike those catchers, Zaun is able to muster up a .340 OBP.
Chien-Ming Wang, Nationals: one year, $2MM. Though he may not be ready until May or later, Wang represents the right kind of risk for the Nationals. If he rediscovers a 60% groundball rate, the Nats won't be non-tendering him after the season.
Felipe Lopez, Cardinals: one year, $1MM. Scott Boras got Lopez $3.5MM coming off a decent '08 season, so he seemed in line for more after a fine '09. However, Lopez tired of waiting around and switched to Beverly Hills Sports Council before signing with the Cards at a steep discount. Utility players and half-season pitchers received larger guarantees.

Offseason In Review: Pittsburgh Pirates

By Tim Dierkes | March 22, 2010 at 10:13am CDT

Next in our Offseason In Review series, the Pirates.

Major League Signings

Octavio Dotel, RP: one year, $3.5MM. Includes $4.5MM club option for 2011 with a $500K buyout.
Ryan Church, OF: one year, $1.5MM. Arbitration-eligible for 2011.
Brendan Donnelly, RP: one year, $1.35MM.
Bobby Crosby, SS: one year, $1MM.
Javier Lopez, RP: one year, $775K.
Total spend: $8.125MM.

Notable Minor League Signings

Brian Bass, Brian Burres, D.J. Carrasco, Vinnie Chulk, Neal Cotts, Wilfredo Ledezma, Jack Taschner, Tyler Yates, Luke Carlin, Brian Myrow, Jonathan Van Every

Trades and Claims

Claimed P Justin Thomas off waivers from Mariners
Acquired 2B Akinori Iwamura from Rays for RP Jesse Chavez
Claimed P Chris Jakubauskas off waivers from Mariners
Acquired Rule 5 pick OF John Raynor from Marlins
Acquired 3B Jesus Brito from Indians for SS Brian Bixler
Claimed OF Brandon Jones off waivers from Braves

Notable Losses

Jesse Chavez, Matt Capps, Chris Bootcheck, Denny Bautista, Phil Dumatrait, Luis Cruz, Robinzon Diaz, Brian Bixler, Jeff Salazar

Summary

Between Iwamura and their free agent signings, the Pirates added about $13MM in guaranteed money this winter. They also non-tendered Capps, who earned $2.425MM last year.

In Dotel, the Pirates may well get a performance similar to that of Capps. And the club option on Dotel gives the Pirates a possible second year at a defined price rather than a potential arbitration disagreement with Capps for 2011. That said, GM Neal Huntington has to be questioned for getting nothing at all for Capps. Huntington blamed his front office's leak of a potential non-tender for the disappearance of Capps' trade value, but the reliever could've been dealt during the '09 season, during Spring Training 2010, or during the '10 season.

They aren't big names, but I like the Pirates' free agent signings. The relievers could have midseason trade value, and getting Carrasco on a minor league deal was a win. Church and Crosby will challenge the incumbents and even offer a little bit of upside for $2.5MM.

Surrendering five years of Chavez for one of Iwamura, and paying Iwamura $4.85MM, diverges from Huntington's plan. Reading Huntington's comments to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the GM seems to be going for respectability with this move. Why not keep Chavez and sign Kelly Johnson at half the price, while also potentially retaining Johnson for 2011? Maybe Iwamura puts the Pirates on the radar of other Japanese players, but this move raises an eyebrow.

Despite concerns about Capps and Iwamura, I liked the Pirates' offseason. The Orioles and Nationals, in a similar rebuilding-for-2010 position, threw down $30MM each. The Pirates spent only $13MM, and most likely will be open to trading any of their new acquisitions if it improves the club in the long-term.

Joe Mauer Extension Reactions

By Tim Dierkes | March 22, 2010 at 8:43am CDT

Joe Mauer's eight-year, $184MM extension with the Twins will be officially announced later today. Reactions from around the web:

Aaron Gleeman says "the decision was a no-brainer for the Twins despite the incredible amount of risk involved." Gleeman notes that a payroll in the $100MM range will still leave the Twins with "more money to spend than they had in any previous season" despite Mauer's percentage.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests Twins catching prospect Wilson Ramos could "enable the Twins to better preserve Mauer." Or maybe Ramos becomes one of the game's better trade chips?
How much did Mauer leave on the table? ESPN's Jayson Stark believes he could've gotten $30MM per year and more than eight years on the open market. Stark's colleague Buster Olney says Mauer "might've walked away from the promise of another $60 million to $70 million in free agency."
ESPN's Rob Neyer discusses the opportunity costs of being locked into a Mauer megadeal, as well as the short-term credibility cost of not signing him.
Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez told WEEI's Alex Speier that Mauer "deserves every penny he got." Regarding his own extension, Martinez is leaving the ball in Boston's court and hasn't heard anything thus far.

Dodgers Release Eric Gagne

By Zachary Links | March 21, 2010 at 10:49pm CDT

Eric Gagne has been granted his release by the Dodgers, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. Gagne's contract included an out-clause, though he initially accepted his demotion to the minors last week.

The Dodgers signed the 34-year-old to a minor league deal in mid-February. Gagne was set to earn $500K if he managed to break camp with the team and up to $500K in incentives. The Rockies also offered Gagne a minor league contract around the same time.

Gagne's last stint in the majors was with Milwaukee in 2008, where he posted a 5.44 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 46.1 innings.

Odds & Ends: Royals, Dodgers, Mauer, Reyes

By Zachary Links | March 21, 2010 at 10:36pm CDT

Sunday night linkage..

Rookie left-hander and Rule 5 draftee Edgar Osuna has impressed in Kansas City and will likely stick with the club, writes Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
Joe Torre has suspended contract extension talks with the Dodgers to avoid becoming a distraction during the season, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner (via Twitter) believes that the Twins are paying Joe Mauer what he's worth. Meanwhile, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that Minnesota's payroll will likely top $100MM in 2011.
Social media can be a real headache for GMs, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
The Hanshin Tigers are looking at three major league pitchers to bolster their rotation, according to a report from Sports Hochi passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. The report lists Jo-Jo Reyes, Eric Stults, and Seth McClung as possibilities. You may recall that another Japanese club, the Chiba Lotte Marines, has previously shown interest in Stults.
Bobby Jenks will be on a short leash this season, writes Barry Rozner of the Daily Herald. Jenks, who turned 29 on March 14th, is set to earn $7.5MM in 2010 after avoiding arbitration with the White Sox.
The Padres' Adrian Gonzalez is ignoring all of the trade talk that surrounds him, writes Peter Gammons in a column for MLB.com.

Week In Review: 3/14/10-3/20/10

By Zachary Links | March 21, 2010 at 9:50pm CDT

It's Sunday night, and that means it's time to take a look back at the week that was..

Arizona signed third baseman Mark Reynolds to a three-year, $14.5MM deal. The 26-year-old, who narrowly missed Super Two status, belted 44 homers in 2009.
Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechevarria agreed to a four-year, $10MM contract with the Blue Jays. Hechevarria allegedly chose Toronto over the Yankees because he wanted the opportunity to play his natural position.
While Adam Dunn has not set a deadline for extension talks with the Nats, he says that he doesn't want discussions to drag on for too long. Meanwhile, GM Mike Rizzo is optimistic that the two parties will reach agreement.
The Marlins had scouts on hand Monday night to watch Mike Lowell play first base. It's currently unknown how interested Florida is in a reunion with the now 36-year-old.
Adrian Gonzalez would reportedly accept deferred money from San Diego, provided that the offer was at market value.
In a surprising move, the Nationals released Elijah Dukes. The move reportedly had nothing to do with off-the-field issues. Dukes was expected to start in right field for the Nats and still had an option remaining.
Washington also released 40-year-old reliever Ron Villone.
The Minnesota Twins are reportedly scouting Padres closer Heath Bell. Ben gave us his thoughts on the veteran's trade value.
At least two teams are interested in Boston pitcher Boof Bonser. The 28-year-old, who is out of options, is reportedly being looked at by the Cubs and D'Backs.
The Rockies and Mets have both expressed interest in free agent lefty reliever Joe Beimel. Colorado is also said to be interested in Royals reliever Juan Cruz.
On Thursday night, Dmitri Young announced his retirement from baseball. The two-time former All-Star last played in the majors in 2008 as a member of the Nationals.
This also might be the end of the line for Derrick Turnbow, as he was released by the Marlins following a shoulder injury. Turnbow was attempting to get back to the big leagues for the first time since 2008.
The Diamondbacks reached agreement with Kris Benson on a minor league deal. The 35-year-old will earn at least $650K if he makes the big league squad.
It appears that Toronto lefty David Purcey is drawing attention from clubs.
Tim surveyed MLB executives to get their thoughts on the best and worst moves of this offseason.
There's no crying in baseball, but there are backsies following the Rule 5 draft. The Cardinals returned Ben Jukich to the Reds. Washington welcomed back Zech Zinicola after he was returned by Toronto. Steve Johnson was shipped back to Baltimore by the Giants. Armando Zerpa was sent back to Boston after a cup of coffee with the Dodgers. The A's sent Bobby Cassevah southward, back to the Angels.
Casey Fien had to pack his bags once more, as he was released by the Blue Jays and subsequently reunited with the Tigers. Detroit DFA'd Fien in late February.
Boston acquired minor league righty Miguel Celestino to complete the January Bill Hall–Casey Kotchman trade with Seattle.
The White Sox said au revoir to Daniel Cabrera and Jason Botts.
Tim's Offseason In Review series rolled on with looks at the Cubs, Reds, Astros, and Brewers.
Attention fantasy baseballers: If you're not following @closernews on Twitter, then you're missing out.
Finally, we all learned some fun facts about MLBTR's staff.

Brewers Notes: Edmonds, Fielder, Schoeneweis

By Zachary Links | March 21, 2010 at 6:39pm CDT

Let's check out some Brewers tidbits courtesy of MLB.com's Adam McCalvy..

An article from Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel seemed to indicate that Jim Edmonds might not want to play in 2010. However, McCalvy writes that Edmonds reiterated his desire to make the squad in Milwaukee. He adds that it would be something of a surprise if Milwaukee didn't offer the 39-year-old their final roster spot.
In McCalvy's view, it is unlikely that Milwaukee will deal Prince Fielder mid-season. As he points out, contract negotiations would first have to fall apart before the club would even consider such a move. If they do look to move him, expect them to do so next offseason.
McCalvy also writes that three players in camp with the Brewers can elect for free agency if they are not added to the 40-man roster: the aforementioned Edmonds, catcher Matt Treanor, and lefty Scott Schoeneweis. Treanor is battling with George Kottaras for the backup catcher position and the club may not have room for Treanor in the minor leagues. Meanwhile, in the event that Schoeneweis doesn't make the cut, he has said that he is unwilling to accept a minor league assignment.

Twins, Mauer Agree To Eight-Year $184MM Deal

By Luke Adams 2 | March 21, 2010 at 4:47pm CDT

Joe Mauer isn't going anywhere. After months of anticipation, the Twins reached an agreement with Mauer on an eight-year, $184MM extension today. The contract will keep the soon-to-be 27-year-old in Minnesota from 2011 to 2018.

The agreement was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) and the Twins disclosed the contract's terms, including its full no-trade clause, via press release. Rosenthal (via Twitter) and ESPN.com's Buster Olney suggested earlier in the day that the sides were nearing a deal.

The deal, which covers Mauer's first eight free agent seasons, averages out to $23MM per year. That's the fourth largest deal in MLB history, topped only by Alex Rodriguez's $275MM contract with the Yankees, Rodriguez's $252MM contract with Texas, and Derek Jeter's $189MM deal.

The Minnesota native outdid himself in 2009, posting .365/.444/.587 with 28 homers in 606 plate appearances en route to his third batting title in four seasons and the AL MVP Award. The Twins and Mauer will make it all official at a press conference tomorrow evening.

It's the news many Twins fans have been waiting for all offseason, but it comes on the same day that Joe Nathan decided to undergo Tommy John surgery. The closer will miss the season, but Twins fans have one less player to worry about, now that the Yankees and Red Sox are not going to have the chance to bid on their star catcher.

No Recent Talk Between Washburn, M’s

By Steve Adams | March 21, 2010 at 4:34pm CDT

Jarrod Washburn told ESPN Seattle's Mike Salk, via text message, that to his knowledge there have been no recent conversations with the Mariners. Seattle's rotation has some question marks, with the most recent bump in the road being an abdominal strain to newly-acquired Cliff Lee.

Lee will be re-evaluated on Friday, and Salk speculates that if the injury proves to be more serious than initially thought, the Mariners may then reach out to replacements. As it is, Washburn would likely take about a month to get himself into decent game shape, so he wouldn't be available for immediate help anyway.

Washburn, 35, has had a peculiar offseason. He initially stated that he'd prefer to pitch close to his home in Wisconsin, but reportedly turned down a one-year, $5MM offer from the Twins and watched as the Brewers signed Randy Wolf and Doug Davis. ESPN's Buster Olney revealed that Washburn also turned down $5MM from Milwaukee. Since then, Washburn's stated that he's simply waiting for the right offer, but would also be happy to retire.

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