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Archives for February 2011

Red Sox Sign Alfredo Aceves

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The Red Sox signed Alfredo Aceves to a Major League deal, the team announced. Aceves will earn $650K and could earn $100K more in incentives, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Agent Tom O'Connell represents Aceves. 

Boston takes on limited risk, since Aceves has two options remaining, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). The Red Sox see Aceves as a starter, rather than a reliever, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Speier notes that the deal is a split contract that would pay Aceves $200K in the minors. The Mets also offered Aceves a Major League contract, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com, but Aceves preferred to play for Boston.

A lower-back injury limited Aceves to just ten games last year. He was a workhorse in 2009, when he logged 84 innings in 43 appearances for the eventual World Champions. The 28-year-old right-hander has a 3.21 ERA with 6.2 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 38.6% ground ball rate in 126 career innings.

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein has added high-profile relievers (Bobby Jenks, Dan Wheeler) and others (Dennys Reyes, Matt Fox, Hideki Okajima, Rich Hill, Lenny DiNardo, Matt Albers, Jason Bergmann, Brandon Duckworth and Andrew Miller) in his offseason-long effort to improve the team's bullpen. Check out our Transaction Tracker for the details.

Peter Abraham and Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe first reported the deal.

Red Sox Sign Dennys Reyes

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The Red Sox signed Dennys Reyes to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, the team announced. Reyes will earn $900K if he makes the major league team with incentives that could push the value of the deal to $1.4MM, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.

Reyes, 34 in April, had agreed to a one-year Major League contract worth $1.1MM with the Phillies earlier this offseason, but the deal was called off after the two sides "hit a snag." In 59 appearances with the Cardinals last year, the southpaw posted a 3.55 ERA with nearly as many walks (21) as strikeouts (25) in 38 innings. Left-handed batters gave him trouble, tagging him for a .307/.409/.453 batting line, but over the last three years it's a much more respectable .234/.312/.314.

Reyes will join a rebuilt Boston bullpen that now features Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler, assuming he makes the team. The Red Sox will be his 11th team.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported the agreement.

Red Sox Designate Robert Coello For Assignment

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The Red Sox announced that they designated right-hander Robert Coello for assignment to create roster space for Alfredo Aceves. Coello pitched in both the Dominican Winter League and the Mexican Pacific League this winter after leading Red Sox minor leaguers with 130 strikeouts in 2010.

Coello, a Cincinnati Reds draft choice who signed with Boston as a free agent in 2008, appeared in six games for the Red Sox last year. The 26-year-old spent most of the season pitching for Boston's top affiliates, where he posted a 3.86 ERA with 10.9 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 107 1/3 innings as a swingman.

Quick Hits: AL West Grades, O-Cab, Scott, Hernandez

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Offseason grades were revealed for the NL Central on Tuesday by ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, and his colleague Jerry Crasnick has marks for the AL West today. Here's more on that and a couple other tidbits of note …

  • The A's had the best offseason of the AL West clubs, writes Crasnick, after adding some pop to their lineup relatively cheaply and solidifying their bullpen behind their strong, young starting rotation. They missed out on a couple bigger-ticket players and added some guys with injury questions, Crasnick notes, but they improved overall. The Rangers fared OK this offseason, writes Crasnick. The loss of Cliff Lee hurts Texas, as does its mishandling of a good asset in Michael Young, although Adrian Beltre was a nice if pricey add. The Angels and Mariners had a rough go of it, according to Crasnick, with the Halos committing too much money to Vernon Wells in the wake of losing out on Carl Crawford, and the M's pulling off some "uninspiring" signings, like Miguel Olivo.
  • Free-agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera is talking to a couple teams and is "too good not to get a job," writes Jon Heyman of SI.com. The Twins, Brewers and Pirates all could make sense as a landing spot for Cabrera, Heyman explains.
  • The Mets have signed outfielder Lorenzo Scott to a minor league deal, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Scott, 28, spent 2010 in the Marlins organization, primarly with the Double-A Jacksonville Suns of the Southern League. There he hit .265/.369/.412 in 324 plate appearances.
  • The Mariners have signed Moises Hernandez, the older brother of Seattle ace Felix Hernandez, to a minor league deal, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Hernandez, 26, was last with a Major League organizaiton in 2009, when he pitched for three Braves affiliates. For his minor league career, Hernandez has a 4.37 ERA in 116 appearances (57 starts).
  • MLBTR founder and owner Tim Dierkes was interviewed by the folks over at BaseballNation.net recently, so be sure to give that a read for more information on the innerworkings of MLBTR.

Yankees Sign Eric Chavez To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees have signed Eric Chavez to a minor league deal, according to WFAN's Sweeny Murti. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports that the deal is done and that Chavez will earn $1.5MM if he makes the big league team (Twitter links). The third baseman, who is represented by Lapa/Leventhal, can earn up to $4MM more in bonuses.

Until now, the 33-year-old Chavez has been a career Oakland Athletic.  Unfortunately for the veteran, he has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, seeing time in just 64 games across the last three seasons.  In 13 big league seasons, Chavez owns a slash line of .267/.343/.478.

Chavez worked out for the Dodgers a few weeks ago and has also been linked to the Mariners and Blue Jays in recent months.

Ohlendorf Beats Pirates In Arbitration Hearing

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Ross Ohlendorf won just one game last year, but it didn't take him long to pick up his first victory of 2011. The right-hander beat the Pirates in arbitration, MLBTR has learned. Ohlendorf will earn $2.025MM instead of the $1.4MM salary the Pirates had offered.

Ohlendorf, a super two player, posted a 4.07 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 to go along with his 1-11 record last year. The 28-year-old has a 4.40 ERA in 354 big league innings with the Pirates and Yankees. He set himself up for higher future salaries by beating the Pirates, who have now come to terms with all of their arbitration eligible players.

As MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows, 12 arbitration eligible players, including Josh Hamilton and Jose Bautista, remain unsigned. Jered Weaver's hearing with the Angels is today.

Yankees To Sign Luis Ayala

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The Yankees agreed to sign reliever Luis Ayala to a minor league deal, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The right-hander a career ERA of 3.67 with 5.9 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in parts of six major league seasons.

Ayala last appeared in the majors in 2009, but he has been pitching recently. The 33-year-old closed for Mexico in the Caribbean Series, according to Morosi. Another Mexican right-hander, former Yankee Alfredo Aceves, signed with the Red Sox yesterday.

Ayala will presumably compete for a spot at the back of the Yankees' bullpen with the likes of Buddy Carlyle, Neal Cotts and Mark Prior. There doesn't appear to be much room for competition in the Yankees' restocked 'pen, but spots could open up because of injuries or ineffectiveness.

MLBTR Seeks Translators

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MLBTR seeks bilingual baseball fans with experience translating material from English to Spanish. We are looking for the following for the position, which is paid:

  • Translation experience required.
  • Native Spanish speakers preferred.
  • Familiarity with blogging and Twitter preferred.
  • Experience writing about baseball is a bonus.

If you are fluent in Spanish and English, love baseball and are interested in translating from English to Spanish on projects with the MLBTR team, send a few paragraphs in English to rumoresdebeisbol@gmail.com and explain your qualifications. We usually receive hundreds of applications and will not be able to reply to most inquiries.

 

Mets To Sign Casey Fossum

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The Mets agreed to sign Casey Fossum, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Fossum gets a minor league deal and an invitation to minor league Spring Training, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (Twitter links).

The former Met will provide the team with left-handed depth in the bullpen, and compete with Taylor Tankersley, Tim Byrdak and Mike O'Connor for playing time.

Fossum, 33, spent last season in Japan after spending nine seasons in the Major Leagues. He has a 5.45 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 786 innings for the Rays, Red Sox, D'Backs, Mets and Tigers. He started regularly early on in his career, but has been working exclusively out of the 'pen since 2008.

Fossum's rate stats are slightly better against left-handed hitters (7.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 41.2% ground ball rate), but he hasn't shown a pronounced platoon split over the course of his career.

Giants Sign Elmer Dessens

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11:40pm: Dessens will earn $600K if he spends the entire season in the Major Leagues, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.

9:46pm: The Giants signed reliever Elmer Dessens to a minor-league contract, Dessens' agent told Fernando Ballesteros at Puro Beísbol (link in Spanish).

Last season, Dessens was a middle-to-late-inning fixture for the Mets, pitching to a 2.30 ERA in 53 appearances despite posting the lowest strikeout rate of his 14-season career. His resurgence reportedly brought offers from teams in both leagues after the Mets cut ties with him, and Ballesteros named the Mariners and Orioles among Dessens' most recent suitors.

In Dessens and recent minor league signing Jeff Suppan, the Giants now have a pair of seasoned sinkerballers in the mix for relief innings alongside high-strikeout righties like Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla. The two elder statesman could also provide a few restaurant tips along the way, as they have played for a combined 15 teams across 30 seasons. Also of note, Dessens is trying to become the first Mexican pitcher to pitch into his 40s, a line which he crossed in January.

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