Archives for January 2011

Armando Galarraga Rumors: Saturday

By Mike Axisa | January 22, 2011 at 5:20pm CDT

5:20pm: Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports that the Diamondbacks are making a strong push for Galarraga and the two sides are exchanging names. He says that Single-A right-hander Kevin Eichhorn has been discussed, and it appears as though the D'Backs could take on Galarraga's salary in full.

Eichhorn, 21 next month, was Arizona's third round pick in 2008. Baseball America rated him as the team's 18th-best prospect in the 2010 edition of their Prospect Handbook, noting that he sits 87-91 with his fastball and already has a "solid three-pitch mix." In 86 1/3 innings last season, Eichhorn posted a 5.00 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9.

3:18pm: MLB.com's Bill Ladson says that the Nationals are not interested in Galarraga because they do not consider him an upgrade over what they currently have in their rotation (Twitter link).

2:48pm: Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says that the Pirates have some interest in Galarraga, however a trusted source tells him that they don't see it happening (Twitter links).

2:21pm: Beck has some more from Dombrowski: "We're making some progress on some trade talks at this point," said the GM. "Not quite sufficient to make any announcements, but I would think by the middle of next week we would be in a position where we would make a deal."

Meanwhile, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer says not to expect the Indians to get involved (Twitter link). Galarraga's $2.3MM salary is too rich for the Tribe.

11:43am: Talks with clubs about a trade involving Armando Galarraga are progressing, tweets MLB.com's Jason Beck. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski is quoted as saying a deal "is likely."

Galarraga was designated for assignment earlier this week after the team's one-year contract with Brad Penny was made official. Dombrowski said he was "confident" that a market would develop for the right-hander, who posted a 4.49 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 144 1/3 innings last season. He, of course, is most famous for his near perfect game last summer.

The 29-year-old Galarraga avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $2.3MM just a day before being DFA'd. A number of clubs are still looking for rotation help, including the Yankees, Orioles, Indians, and Nationals, though their levels of interest in Galarraga is unknown.

Mike Sweeney Wants To Play In 2011

By Mike Axisa | January 22, 2011 at 4:46pm CDT

Mike Sweeney has been telling former teammates that he would like to play in 2011, but only if he can find a contending team willing to give him a Major League contract according to ESPN's Jayson Stark (Insider req'd). The Phillies told Sweeney that they would have interest in bringing him back on a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.

The 37-year-old Sweeney hit .231/.310/.385 in a reserve role for the Phillies after coming over from the Mariners in a midseason trade. He finally got his first taste of postseason play in 2010, the 15th full season of a career that features a .297/.366/.486 batting line.

Stark speculates that the Padres could have interest in Sweeney as a bat off the bench and possible platoon partner for Brad Hawpe at first.

Rangers Still Seek A Veteran Hitter

By Mike Axisa | January 22, 2011 at 4:04pm CDT

The Rangers pursued both Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez before they signed with the Twins and Rays, respectively, but that doesn't mean Texas has stopped looking for a bat. GM Jon Daniels told Anthony Andro of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he's still trying to add a veteran hitter to his lineup.

"If we can still look to improve we will," said Daniels. "One of the things we have looked at recently — it's no secret we were in on Thome — would be a veteran hitter to complement the rest of the lineup. How does that guy fit exactly? It's one of those things you might not be able to perfectly define in January."

Daniels declined to go into specifics about whether the team preferred a full-time player or a bench piece, though he did say that he doesn't believe Vladimir Guerrero is a fit because he still views himself as an everyday player. Playing time could be tough to come by since Michael Young will get most of the at-bat as DH, and Daniels said he has confidence in Mitch Moreland as the team's everyday first baseman.

Our Free Agent Tracker shows that players like Russell Branyan, Nick Johnson, Andy LaRoche, and Lastings Milledge remain unsigned.

Rockies, Jason Hammel Agree To Two-Year Deal

By Mike Axisa | January 22, 2011 at 3:51pm CDT

3:51pm: Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports that Hammel will earn $3MM in 2011 and $4.75MM in 2012.

11:42am: The Rockies and Jason Hammel have agreed to a two-year deal according to the team (on Twitter). The deal buys out Hammel's next two years of arbitration-eligibility, though he will still be eligible for arbitration in 2013 as a Super Two. He is represented by Octagon.

MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows that Hammel filed for $3.7MM in arbitration earlier this week while the team countered with $3.1MM. He earned $1.9MM in 2010. Colorado has already signed Matt Lindstrom, Carlos Gonzalez, and Troy Tulowitzki to multiyear contract extensions this offseason.

Hammel, 28, was acquired from the Rays for minor leaguer Aneury Rodriguez before the 2009 season. In his two years with the Rockies, he's pitched to a 4.57 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 354 1/3 innings, though he battled a groin strain and arm fatigue in 2010. His 46.4% ground ball rate over the last two years ranks 35th among the 78 pitchers with at least 350 innings.

Rays, Jays & Angels Links: Manny, Damon, Wells

By Mike Axisa | January 22, 2011 at 12:55pm CDT

Unsurprisingly, there is still plenty of chatter going on about yesterday's Vernon Wells trade as well as the Rays' agreement of terms with both Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. Let's round up the latest…

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears from his sources that the Rays would not have taken one player without the other. It was either both Manny and Damon, or neither.
Rosenthal wonders if Ramirez will be happy making just $2MM, and if the Blue Jays would have caved and sent even $20MM to the Angels in the Wells trade had they been asked to do so (Twitter link).
The acquisition pushes the Angels' 2011 payroll up to about $145MM according to Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times. He also notes that the team has about $29MM coming off the books after the season in the form of Fernando Rodney, Scott Kazmir, and Gary Matthews Jr.
One long-time talent evaluator told ESPN's Buster Olney that the Blue Jays would have had to eat "at least $30 million" for the trade to make sense for the Angels (Insider req'd).

Giants Sign Andres Torres

By Mark Polishuk | January 22, 2011 at 11:28am CDT

The Giants have officially signed Andres Torres to a one-year deal "in the $2.1MM range." This is the first time Torres has been eligible for arbitration.

Torres submitted a $2.6MM figure to the club last Tuesday, and the Giants countered with a $1.8MM offer. A $2.1MM settlement would represent a minor win for the Giants in what's been a successful arbitration season for the World Series champs. San Francisco has avoided arbitration with their other six arb-eligible players, as you can follow on the MLBTR ArbTracker.

Torres, who turns 33 on Wednesday, was one of the several unsung players who contributed to San Francisco's World Series title last year. He hit .268/.343/.479 and started 73 games in center field for the Giants, and also contributed a .984 OPS in the Series. Torres earned $426K in 2010.

Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com first reported the agreement while Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News tweeted that it had become official.

Mark Buehrle Discusses His Future

By Mike Axisa | January 22, 2011 at 9:22am CDT

About two years ago we heard that Mark Buehrle may consider retirement when his current contract expires after the 2011 season, something he reiterated that yesterday's SoxFest '11 according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin. The White Sox ace did leave the door open for a return though; allow me to quote…

"If I have a good year, and something happens and there's an opportunity out there to sign, I'm open for it," said Buehrle. "I talked with the wife about playing for a couple more years possibly, so we'll see. It's a long year, so if I decide to retire at the end, I'll retire. If not, I'll sign somewhere."

"If a deal gets done and talks are going on, it's between me and the team. That's where it ends at, and people don't need to know what's going on or the battling back and forth or the numbers involved. I just want to concentrate on playing baseball."

Buehrle will turn 32 towards the end of Spring Training and is still a highly effective starter. He's thrown no fewer than 201 innings in a single season since 2000, and he's pitched to a 3.84 ERA during that ten-year stretch. He'll earn $14MM in 2011 and looks to be the best free agent starter on the market next winter, barring some unexpected option decisions involving other players.

Orioles, Vladimir Guerrero Not Close To A Deal

By Mark Polishuk | January 22, 2011 at 8:11am CDT

SATURDAY, 8:11am: Orioles' president Andy MacPhail shot down the report, telling Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com that it is simply "not accurate." Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun says that a deal could still happen, but for now it does not appear imminent.

FRIDAY, 11:01pm: The Orioles are closing in on a contract with Vladimir Guerrero, reports Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (Twitter link). Bowden says Guerrero is "close to accepting" a one-year deal worth a "humbling" amount, but Bowden also notes that it could make the future Hall-of-Famer one of the best bargains of the winter.

We heard yesterday that Baltimore had "the inside track" on signing Guerrero, who is running out of suitors this winter what with the Angels, Rangers and Rays all looking elsewhere to fill their DH spots. Adding Guerrero to the roster gives the O's something of an overload in left field (with Luke Scott, Nolan Reimold and Felix Pie all vying for playing time), though Scott could find some at-bats spelling Guerrero or Derrek Lee against right-handers.

Guerrero hit .300/.345/.496 last season in helping Texas reach its first World Series in franchise history. His signing would be the latest big move in an active offseason for the Orioles, who have already acquired Lee, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Gregg and J.J. Hardy, among others.

Quick Hits: Yankees, Bradley, Padres, Teheran

By Mark Polishuk | January 21, 2011 at 11:15pm CDT

What a day for outfielders. Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez went to the Rays, Vernon Wells went to the Angels, Vladimir Guerrero could be going to the Orioles and maybe the greatest outfielder of all time went to a New York City public school.

Some news items on a busy Friday in the majors…

Yankee fans, be warned: SI's Tom Verducci looks at how Mark Teixeira could be headed for a decline.
The Yankees could probably afford to sign Albert Pujols as a free agent next winter, but Mike Axisa of the River Avenue Blues blog points to Teixeira's presence and the albatross of Alex Rodriguez's giant contract as reasons why Pujols just doesn't fit in the Bronx.
Geoff Baker and Larry Stone of the Seattle Times agree that a split between Milton Bradley and the Mariners would be beneficial to both the player and the team.
Jed Hoyer and Bud Black predict the Padres' offense won't suffer much of a dropoff without Adrian Gonzalez, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock. "I think our offense has the potential to be as good as last year," Hoyer said. "We lost our clear best player [Gonzalez], but we have better balance. The positions we were weak last year, we're better at now."
MLB.com's Mark Bowman profiles Julio Teheran, a 19-year-old right-hander and non-roster invitee to the Braves' Spring Training camp who has drawn comparisons to Pedro Martinez.
The Reds wanted to bring back Arthur Rhodes, but the Rangers' willingness to give Rhodes a vesting option for 2012 was an offer Cincinnati just couldn't match, says MLB.com's Mark Sheldon as part of a reader mailbag.

Details Of The Vernon Wells Trade

By Mark Polishuk | January 21, 2011 at 10:26pm CDT

The major players in the Vernon Wells-for Mike Napoli/Juan Rivera trade discussed the move with reporters this evening, and Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has some notable details (all Twitter links).

Alex Anthopoulos said the Angels first asked about Wells during the Winter Meetings, and then negotiations "heated up over [the] last two weeks."
Wells didn't ask to be traded, and the outfielder said he would've only waived his no-trade clause "for probably two teams." My guess is the other team was Wells' hometown Texas Rangers.
Moreso than acquiring Napoli and Rivera, Anthopoulos said "The biggest component, it goes without saying, was financial."
Tony Reagins said the fact that Wells is only under contract through 2014 (when the outfielder is 35) "was attractive to us." To use Carl Crawford (a rumored Angels target) as an example, the Red Sox are paying Crawford $62.25MM between 2015-17, including $21MM in 2017 when Crawford turns 36 years old.
With Wells in the fold, it could mean that Bobby Abreu becomes the full-time Angels DH. This would seem to block Vladimir Guerrero from a return to Los Angeles. Reagins wouldn't say whether the Angels had "a role" for Guerrero on next year's roster.
The Angels "still have flexibility" to look for a leadoff hitter, Reagins said.

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