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Matt Thornton, White Sox Agree To Extension

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The White Sox and Matt Thornton have agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension with an option for a third year, according to a team release. The deal will pay Thornton $5.5MM annually in 2012 and 2013, while the club option for 2014 is worth $6MM ($1MM buyout). The contract will not affect Thornton's 2011 salary, as the Sox exercised their $3MM option in the fall.

Thornton, who is represented by Diamond Sports Management, has spent the last five seasons in Chicago, emerging as one of the top left-handed relievers in the game. The 34-year-old has recorded a 3.19 ERA and 10.1 K/9 in 336 appearances with the White Sox, and earned his first All-Star berth in 2010. Thornton is viewed as a front-runner to replace Bobby Jenks as the team's closer this season, with Chris Sale, Sergio Santos, and Jesse Crain also potentially in the mix.

The $12MM price tag for Thornton seems about right, considering how much American League teams have paid for southpaws in recent years. A year ago, the Orioles signed Mike Gonzalez to a two-year, $12MM contract, while this winter Brian Fuentes received a two-year, $10.5MM guarantee from the Athletics and the Angels locked up Scott Downs for three years and $15MM. Of course, those three lefties head into 2011 as setup men, so if Thornton ends up in closing in Chicago, his contract has the potential to be a bargain.

Twins Willing To Talk Slowey Trade

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With few options remaining on the free agent market, teams in need of starting pitching help may have to put Minnesota GM Bill Smith on speed dial. ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider-only link) hears that the Twins are "very much willing" to discuss trading Kevin Slowey these days.

This isn't the first time we've heard reports about Slowey's potential availability. Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote during the Winter Meetings that the Twins would consider moving the right-hander, particularly if Carl Pavano re-signed with the club – which, of course, he eventually did. More recently, Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune said that the Twins were more likely to deal Slowey than Francisco Liriano.

Sporting a career high of 160.1 IP in the bigs, Slowey isn't the sort of innings-eating workhorse a free agent like Kevin Millwood would be. However, the righty is just 26 years old, remains under team control through 2013, and has displayed impeccable control (1.5 BB/9) throughout his career. If the Twins are open to fielding offers, I'd expect the Yankees and Cardinals to be among the handful of clubs to kick the tires.

Cafardo On Rays, Cameron, Gonzalez, Hale

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Jim Hickey has one of the most important roles in the American League this year, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Rays pitching coach is responsible for rebuilding a Rays bullpen that was depleted by free agency. Hickey says he expects at least one of the team's unheralded arms to break out unexpectedly, adding that if there's going to be a 2011 version of Joaquin Benoit, he'd put his money on Juan Cruz. Here are some of Cafardo's other Sunday notes:

  • Domonic Brown has struggled this spring and is now set to undergo surgery on a broken hand. As such, Mike Cameron remains a potential fit for the Phillies. Cafardo argues that "the only problem with a Cameron-Phillies hookup is that he may be a very valuable member of the Red Sox now that he’s completely recovered from abdominal surgery."
  • Alex Gonzalez doesn't like changing teams as much as he has in the last two seasons, and would have liked to stay in Toronto. Now that he's playing in Atlanta, the shortstop tells Cafardo that he'd "love to stay here for a long time." Gonzalez will be a free agent at season's end.
  • DeMarlo Hale was interviewed for two managerial openings this past offseason, and Cafardo wonders if he'll be hired away from the Red Sox next winter. "Right now," Cafardo says, "there doesn’t appear to be an obvious place for a managerial change next season."

New York Notes: Mets, Piazza, Yankees, Aceves

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Eight years ago today, the Yankees signed Ramon Ramirez to a minor league contract after winning his rights via the posting system with a $350K bid. Ramirez, then 21, had been with the Hiroshima Carp, appearing in just two games with them from 2002-2003.

Here's some links from the Big Apple…

  • Bud Selig briefly spoke to SI.com's Jon Heyman (Twitter link) about the Mets' ownership and dire financial situation. "We're in unchartered waters. I talk to Fred (a lot), we just have to hope it works out," said the commissioner. The team is said to be seeking another loan on top of the $100MM it's already been granted by the league.
  • Mike Piazza is helping coach Team Italy this spring, and he told ESPN New York's Adam Rubin and Newsday's David Lennon that he would like to own a team someday, but not necessarily the Mets (Twitter links). When asked if he's been contacted by anyone about owning a club, Piazza replied "I can't confirm or deny."
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe that he doesn't believe he'll be able to acquire a starter before the Opening Day, and perhaps not until June. "Normally anything of quality doesn't become available until after the June draft," said Cashman. "That's why you try and get as much as you can get accomplished in the winter. I know New York doesn't handle patience very well. But I'm from Kentucky, so it's a little easier for me to deal with."
  • Cashman also spoke to Abraham about why the Yankees non-tendered Alfredo Aceves, who eventually signed with the Red Sox. "I offered him a minor league contract, that was it. I wasn't going to do anything more than that," said the GM. "Because of the back issue, we could not give him [a Major League contract]. He was throwing off the mound for us and he always hit a wall. So we ultimately continued to fail throughout the entire process to get him off the DL and active. He had a lot of success for a period of time, but then ultimately we'd had to take steps back and we'd have to shut him down and re-do the treatment."

Is James Shields The Next Rays’ Starter To Go?

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Quality starting pitching is the best currency in the game, and no team has traded more of it in recent years than the Rays. They've traded what amounts to an above-average rotation within the last 27 months alone: Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson, Jason Hammel, Mitch Talbot, and Scott Kazmir. There are a number of teams out there that would trade their starting staff for that fivesome right now. 

Tampa was able to trade away all those arms because their farm system continues to pump out top flight pitching prospects. If you dig through Baseball America's all-time top 100 prospects lists, you'll see that the franchise hasn't had a top pitching prospect bust since Dewon Brazelton, the third overall pick in the 2001 draft. That's the result of tremendous scouting and player development, as well as incredible luck. 

357100813012_Orioles_at_Rays If it wasn't for B.J. Upton's brief cameo in 2004, the longest tenured player on the team would be 29-year-old righty James Shields. He's given the Rays four straight seasons of 200+ innings with a 4.17 ERA overall, though he slipped to a 5.18 ERA with a league leading 34 homers allowed last summer. The 2011 season is the last guaranteed year on Shields' contract ($4.25MM), though he would still be under control as an arbitration-eligible player in 2012. The club also holds very affordable options for 2012 ($7MM), 2013 ($9MM), and 2014 ($12MM).

With David Price, Wade Davis, Jeremy Hellickson, and Jeff Niemann still years away from huge paydays, Shields is the obvious candidate to be the next piece of trade bait. That contract is definitely team friendly, and guys that you can pencil in for 200 innings a year don't exactly grow on trees. As an added bonus, his fastball velocity has actually increased over the last few years, quite uncommon for pitchers that have logged so many innings. Throw in AL East and playoff experience, and you've got a hot commodity. Just look at the demand for Garza. 

Alex Torres (acquired in the Kazmir trade) and Alex Cobb will begin the 2011 season just a phone call away in Triple-A, and they represent the next wave of pitching help. Behind them will be Nick Barnese, Alex Colome, and Matt Moore in Double-A, and soon enough we'll be talking about Enny Romero and Jake Thompson in the same way. All seven of those guys were ranked among the team's 16 best prospects in the latest edition of Baseball America's Prospect Handbook.

Both the Rangers and Rockies had their eye on Shields this offseason, but the market for his services certainly wouldn't be limited to those two clubs. The Yankees and Nationals are known to be seeking pitching at the moment, and the Cardinals could also join the mix in the wake of Adam Wainwright's injury. More than likely, Tampa will hold onto Shields at least for the first half of the season before deciding to move him. They also have the option of waiting until next offseason, when they could take advantage of a thin free agent pitching market.

The Rays have been very successful in recent years thanks to their never-ending cycle of pitching. They get what they can out of a pitcher, then trade him once his contract becomes prohibitive and simply replace him with another high-end, young (and cheap) arm. Shields has started the last three Opening Days for Tampa, but 2011 could be his last with the team.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Julio Lugo Hoping For A Chance

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It's hard to believe that just four offseasons ago, Julio Lugo was the recipient of a contract that guaranteed him $36MM. Now he finds himself unemployed, telling Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (link in Spanish) that he still hopes a team will take a chance on him this season…

"I want to play, I'm healthy," said Lugo. "The last thing you lose is hope … I keep working every day to be ready when someone remembers my name and believes I can help … I can help in many ways, while playing in different positions in the infield and outfield, run, pinch hit."

Lugo, 35, spent last season with the Orioles, hitting just .249/.298/.282 in 264 plate appearances. The Red Sox designated him for assignment in July 2009, trading him to the Cardinals for Chris Duncan a few days later. Boston paid Lugo almost $13MM over the last year-and-a-half to play in St. Louis and Baltimore.

A right-handed bat with some speed, Lugo has played every position but pitcher, catcher, and first base in his career. As far as we know, no team has expressed interest in him this winter, but all it takes is one Spring Training injury for that phone to ring.

Padres Sign Jon Leicester

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The Padres have signed right-handed reliever Jon Leicester to a minor league contract according to the transactions page of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He is not in big league camp as a non-roster invitee according to the team's official site.

Leicester, 31, appeared in 48 games (six starts) with the Cubs and Orioles from 2004 through 2007, pitching to a 5.88 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 82 2/3 innings. He's spent the last two years in Japan, making 55 relief appearances for the Orix Buffaloes. In 62 2/3 innings on the other side of the pond, Leicester owns a 4.88 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.

Union Chief: Contraction Not A Likely Threat To Rays

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Contraction is not likely to be a threat to the Rays existence, according to players union chief Michael Weiner, writes Marc Topkin St. Petersburg Times.  Furthermore, if the owners do raise the idea of eliminating teams in the upcoming labor negotiations, the union is poised to fight it.

"Having been in bargaining in baseball since the late '80s, anything is fathomable, so we don't either take anything for granted or rule anything out,'' Weiner said after meeting with Rays players . "…All I would say is if that changes, if contraction becomes a goal of the owners in this negotiation, the tenor of the talks would change quickly and dramatically.''

Comissioner Bud Selig was also asked about the issue of contraction today and said that it is not an option – even for teams struggling financially such as the Rays and Athletics, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.

Weiner added that the union is less-than-thrilled with Tampa Bay's slashing of payroll and will monitor the club's spending in order to ensure its long-term health.  The team's payroll is expected to be less than $60MM, a drop-off from $72MM in 2010.

Contraction is not likely to be a threat to the Rays existence, players union chief Michael Weiner said today, and if the owners do raise the idea of eliminating teams in the upcoming labor negotiations, the union is poised to fight it.

Quick Hits: LaPorta, Pirates, Nishioka, Tigers

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Saturday afternoon linkage..

  • Once the key component in the deat that sent CC Sabathia to the Brewers, Indians slugger Matt LaPorta is eager to regain his old form in 2011, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
  • The Pirates need to increase their revenue if they hope to bring their payroll to around $70-$80MM, despite the perception of some, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Twins manager Rod Gardenhire says that Japanese import Tsuyoski Nishioka will play at second base this season, tweets Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune.
  • The Tigers' current approach to building their rotation stands out from the rest, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith in a piece for Fangraphs.

Mets Want Reyes To Improve OBP Before New Deal

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One of the key components of being a leadoff man is the ability to get on base, and people familiar with the Mets' thinking tell SI.com's Jon Heyman that the team wants Jose Reyes to improve his on-base percentage before they give him a multiyear deal (Twitter link). The 27-year-old posted a .321 OBP in 2010.

Reyes' OBP was an issue earlier in his career as well; he got on base just 30.3% of the time in his first three seasons, a span of 1,254 plate appearances. He responded by posting an OBP between .354 and .358 in the next three years before a hamstring injury shortened his 2009 campaign. Reyes' career OBP is .335, and for comparison's sake, leadoff hitters around the game got on base at a .329 clip in 2010.

Reyes will earn $11MM in 2011 after the Mets exercised the club option in his contract. He's scheduled to be a free agent after the season. Last month we heard that the team wants to see if Reyes can stay healthy this summer before offering him a new contract. That's fine with the switch-hitting shortstop; he recently said he prefers to wait until after the season to talk about a new deal anyway.

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