The Marlins claimed first baseman/outfielder Joe Mahoney off of waivers from the Orioles, Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post reports (on Twitter). The Orioles designated Mahoney for assignment two days ago to create roster space for Danny Valencia. The Marlins now have 38 players on their 40-man roster.
Mahoney debuted with the Orioles this past season, appearing in two games. In 536 plate appearances at Triple-A, the 25-year-old posted a .265/.319/.389 batting line.
The Braves claimed right-hander David Carpenter off of waivers from the Red Sox, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). The Red Sox had designated Carpenter for assignment ten days ago.
In 32 1/3 innings for the Astros and Blue Jays this past season, Carpenter posted a 8.07 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9. The 27-year-old was tougher to hit in 2011, when he posted a 2.93 ERA in 27 2/3 innings for Houston.
The Nationals’ trade for Denard Span will impact the entire Washington roster, not only in the outfield, but on the infield. The Nationals are “definitely shopping” first baseman/outfielder Michael Morse a little bit, an American League executive told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (Twitter link). If the Nationals trade Morse, they could re-sign free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche and rely more on Tyler Moore.
The Nationals have considerable leverage, as ESPN.com’s Buster Olney explains (on Twitter). Speaking of the Span trade, some executives believe the Twins didn’t get enough in the deal, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Though pitching prospect Alex Meyer is highly regarded, Span had three years of team control remaining.
The Angels claimed outfielder Scott Cousins off waivers from the Mariners, MLBTR has learned. The Ms had designated Cousins for assignment ten days ago. The 27-year-old had already bounced around this offseason from the Marlins to the Blue Jays to the Mariners.
Cousins has seen limited Major League action. At Triple-A this year, he hit .296/.364/.459 in 262 plate appearances, playing all three outfield positions.
Dodgers executives met with Zack Greinke in Los Angeles yesterday, Yahoo's Tim Brown reported last night. Here’s the latest on Greinke, who is also drawing interest from the Angels, Nationals and Rangers, according to the most recent rumors…
The Angels have acquired Tommy Hanson from the Braves, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Atlanta will receive Jordan Walden in the one-for-one trade, MLBTR has learned. The teams have confirmed the trade.
Hanson, 26, pitched to a 4.48 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 174 2/3 innings this year. The right-hander missed time with shoulder tendinitis last season, and his fastball velocity has been trending in the wrong direction as well. Hanson is arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, and Matt Swartz projects a $4MM salary. He will remain under team control through 2015.
Walden, 25, pitched to 3.46 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 39 innings this year while missing time with a biceps strain. He was an All-Star as a rookie just last season, when he posted a 2.98 ERA with 34 saves in 60 1/3 innings. Walden is under team control through 2016. Earlier this week we heard he was "very available" after the Angels signed Ryan Madson.
The Angels are in the market for starting pitching this offseason after trading Ervin Santana and declining Dan Haren's option. Zack Greinke is a free agent as well, though he is in very high demand. Hanson gives the club a young arm to fill out the rotation behind Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson. Walden, meanwhile, gives the Braves bullpen depth and a power right-handed setup man in front of closer Craig Kimbrel.
Photo courtesy of US Presswire.
Only three relievers posted a higher strikeout rate than Jason Grilli this season, so it's no surprise the veteran right-hander is a popular man on the free agent market. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) that the Pirates are trying to retain Grilli, but a number of teams have interest in him as a closer.
Grilli, 36, pitched to a 2.91 ERA with 13.08 K/8 and 3.4 BB/9 in 58 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh this year. He's revived his career with the Pirates these last two seasons, posting a 2.76 ERA with 12.5 K/9 in 91 1/3 innings since the start of 2011. Tim Dierkes ranked the right-hander 33rd on his Top 50 Free Agents List, predicting he would sign with the Brewers. Grilli is represented by former big leaguer Gary Sheffield.
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Free agent right-hander Brad Bergesen is nearing a one-year deal with the Chunichi Dragons, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The Diamondbacks released Bergesen to allow him to pursue this opportunity in Japan.
Bergesen, a client of Paragon Sports International, pitched 29 2/3 innings for the Diamondbacks this past season, posting a 3.64 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. The 27-year-old would have been arbitration eligible for the second time, but had been a non-tender candidate with a projected salary of $1MM.
Later today, the free agent class will expand to accommodate this year’s non-tenders. Dozens of players will join the free agent market at the 10:59pm CDT deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration eligible players. It can be a confusing kind of transaction, so here’s an explanation of what exactly a non-tender is.
To tender a player a contract is to offer a contract, but non-tenders refer to a specific kind of offer: offers of arbitration. Rules and precedent shape the kind of salary a player can expect through arbitration, and players under team control usually get raises through the process.
For example, Mark Reynolds isn’t eligible for free agency yet, but he and agent Beverly Hills Sports Council have some say in his future earnings. Reynolds projects to earn $8.9MM through the arbitration process, and if the Orioles believe that’s too much, they can let Reynolds leave instead. Arbitration can be expensive for teams, since a player’s salary depends in part on his previous earnings and comparable players. Players like Reynolds who have accumulated considerable service time and playing time have substantial leverage.
Players usually remain relatively affordable for their first time or two as an arbitration eligible player. Once players enter their second, third or (for super twos) fourth arbitration seasons, the stakes increase (a few players do see their salaries drop or stay the same).
If an arbitration eligible player hasn’t performed well, but projects to earn a considerable amount, his team will likely consider a non-tender. That means the club has turned down the option to negotiate a contract with that player through arbitration, though it doesn’t mean the player’s going to sign elsewhere. After a player is non-tendered he hits free agency and can sign anywhere, including with his former team.
Sometimes it’s not about the money. Teams might choose to non-tender a player if they don’t have 40-man roster spots to spare or they view players as injury risks.
Every year some non-tendered players exceed expectations on the field, often with new teams. Joe Saunders, Jeff Keppinger and Jose Mijares were all non-tendered last offseason before producing in 2012.
It’s complicated, but here’s what you need to know: teams non-tender players when they would rather risk losing the players to another team than go through the potentially expensive arbitration process.
MLBTR has you covered with a Non-Tender Tracker, a list of non-tender candidates and specific pieces on certain players who could be cut loose. Plus MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker has up to date information on the players who are tendered contracts.
