Results tagged ‘ Phillies ’

Roundup: Arbitration decision deadline looms

There are an abundance of dates and deadlines in MLB’s offseason, but Tuesday night’s deadline for free agents to accept or decline arbitration offers could affect Hot Stove action heading into next week. 
Big name free agents, like Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth and Adrian Beltre all were offered and expected to decline.   
With the decisions made one way or the other, teams are better able to gain a sense of which players will be back with the club or conversely where funds might be available. That coupled with the impending Winter Meetings next week could finally get things moving on the free agent and trade markets.
The trade market did see some action on Tuesday afternoon as the Dodgers sent infielder Ryan Theriot to St. Louis in exchange for pitcher Blake Hawksworth. Los Angeles was expected to non-tender Theriot after signing Uribe, so the deal wasn’t altogether surprising. 
Theriot struggled after arriving in L.A. at the Trade Deadline, but owns a strong career batting average of .284. He will also bring some of his speed on the basepaths to the Cards lineup.
In a seperate move on Tuesday, the Cardinals added some pitching depth by inking veteran pitcher Brian Tallet. The 33-year-old left-hander had an off year with the Blue Jays in 2010, but could provide some valuable innings for the Cards.  
 
As we await the midnight arbitration deadline, here’s a look around the league on Tuesday:  
- The Rangers added a veteran pitcher off the International market on Tuesday, signing Japanese right-hander Yoshinori Tateyama. Tateyama, who will be 35 when Spring Training opens, signed a one year deal with two club options. Primarily a reliever in his career, Tateyama sported a career-best 1.80 ERA for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2010. 
-The Yankees have temporarily paused their talks with free agent shortstop Derek Jeter, but negotiations are expected to pick back up shortly. While the talks have stalled a bit, Jeter is still widely expected to been in pinstripes next season. One place he won’t be is Boston, according to SI.com’s Jon Heyman. The Red Sox reportedly have no plans to pursue Jeter with a long wish list of their own. If for some reason Jeter doesn’t return to the Bronx in 2011, the Yankees do have a backup plan, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, who tweeted that the team’s Plan B is Eduardo Nunez. 
- Veteran pitcher Jamie Moyer isn’t ready to call it quits, yet. The 48-year-old will undergo Tommy John surgery on his left elbow with hopes of making a comeback in time for the 2012 season. A free agent, Moyer originally injured the elbow  in July but had rehabbed with the goal of proving he was healthy in Winter Ball. In his first start this Winter, though, Moyer re-injured the elbow.  ”We are cautiously optimistic superman will make a comeback!” he and his wife wrote on the page.
- The Dodgers have had an active winter, so far, but they might not be done yet. Free agent Johnny Damon is on the club’s radar, FoxSports.com reported Tuesday. Damon isn’t the only player the Dodgers have their eyes on. The club is looking at nearly every free agent catcher, including Jason Varitek and Rod Barajas, with catcher Russell Martin’s status up in the air.  
- The Royals have been pretty clear that they aren’t overly inclined to trade away Zack Greinke. In fact, one source with the club told Heyman that it’d take a blockbuster type deal to move the 2009 Cy Young pitcher. Greinke, though, could have other ideas. An acquaintance of Greinke’s also told Heyman that the 26-year old is “ready to go.” 
- With a particularly ripe market for free agent relievers, multiple teams have reportedly expressed interest in Jesse Crain. There is a mutual interest, between one of those clubs, the Blue Jays, and Crain, Fox Sports.com reported on Tuesday.
–Bailey Stephens

Roundup: Tigers snatch V-Mart from Red Sox

The arbitration deadline was expected to rule the day, but
it wound up being the Tigers that made the big splash. In a rather surprising
turn of events in this offseason, coveted free-agent catcher Victor Martinez
said no to the Red Sox and wound up agreeing to a four-year,
$50 million contract with the Tigers.

The agreement, which a baseball source confirmed to MLB.com, is probably still pending a
physical and should be completed shortly.
At that point, the Tigers would officially be able to add Martinez to a middle
of the lineup that includes fellow Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera.

Here’s more from around the league Tuesday …

* After a bounce-back year that saw him make $3 million, Aubrey Huff inked
a two-year contract reportedly worth $22 million with the Giants. The
deal also includes a club option for 2013.

* Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers told MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert that
of all the clubs expressing interest in outfielder Justin Upton, only
“two or three” teams have the players to make a deal work. Towers
says he seeks Major League-ready players in return, not just prospects.

* The Yankees prefer to give standout free-agent closer Mariano Rivera
just a one-year deal worth upwards of $18 million, according to Yahoo! Sports.
But Rivera, 41 next week, seeks two guaranteed years at that rate.  

* As for the Yankees’ other aging pitcher, Andy Pettitte is leaning towards a return to the Bronx, according to the Twitter account of Newsday’s Kevin Davidoff.

* And as for the free-agent pitcher the Yankees hope to land, an industry source told Yahoo! Sports on Monday that New York offered Cliff Lee a six-year contract worth nearly $140 million. But Lee seeks a seventh year.

* Jarrod Washburn, the 36-year-old left-hander who sat out all of last season, “continues to generate interest as a free agent,” according to Yahoo! Sports. The Brewers are believed to be one of the teams that have contacted his agent.

* Arbitration Day is in full swing. So far, Jayson Werth, Adam Dunn, Adrian Beltre and Paul Konerko have been among the ranked free agents being offered arbitration, while Derek Jeter, Mike Lowell, Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon have been among those who have not. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET.

– Alden Gonzalez 

Roundup: Marlins’ Rodriguez met with Vazquez

In the early going of the Hot Stove season, the Marlins and free agent pitcher Javier Vazquez had been talked about as a potential fit. On Saturday, the Marlins confirmed their interest in Vazquez publicly when manager Edwin Rodriguez said on the Marlins Insider Radio Show that he had met with Vazquez in Puerto Rico prior to the show. Rodriguez is said to be very familiar with Vazquez, having known the right-hander since he was a teenager. Vazquez earned $11.5 million with the Yankees in 2010 and it isn’t known how much of a bargain he might be for next season. Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post reported that Vazquez is said to be seeking a three-year, $33 million deal. That’d seem to indicate that the veteran isn’t expecting much of a pay cut. 

Beyond Vazquez, let’s take a look at some other talk around the league:
- The Orioles enjoyed a productive trip to the GM meetings, MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli reported on Saturday. The club continues to have talks with Koji Uehara, Ty Wigginton and Cesar Izturis. The O’s remain focused on their goal of bringing in a power bat for one of the corner infield spots, a player like Adrian Beltre or a Paul Konerko. Who they acquire to fill this role will likely determine the status of Wigginton and Izturis, according to Ghiroli. 
- Don’t be surprised if the Phillies bring in a veteran pitcher to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation against Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer suggested on Saturday. Kendrick was mostly inconsistent in the role in 2010. Gelb suggests Zach Duke, who was left off the Pirates 40-man roster on Friday, could be the type of established pitcher the Phils are looking for. 
- Stay tuned to MLB.com for all the Hot Stove action. 
– Bailey Stephens

Roundup: On the eve of GM Meetings

As the league’s general managers slowly descend upon their annual meeting in Orlando early this week, expect the Hot Stove to start to sizzle. Many have said that this year’s market, with the earlier window to exclusively negotiate with a team’s own free agents, has speed up the process a bit. That being said, let’s kick off what promises to be an exciting week with a look at comings and goings around the league. 
- The Phillies were able to reach a deal to re-sign Jose Contreras, the club officially announced on Tuesday. Contreras and the Phils agreed to a two-year, $5.5 million deal, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reported. The contract is also said to include performance incentives and an option for the 2013 season. 
- Reliever Taylor Buchholz was claimed by the Red Sox off waivers from the Blue Jays on Monday, both clubs announced. Buchholz, who will be arbitration eligible this season, was designated by the Rockies in September before landing in Toronto. Here’s more details from MLB.com’s Ian Browne.
- Cliff Lee’s agent Darek Braunecker tells MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez that he still hadn’t decided if he was attending the  general manager’s meetings this week. Braunecker suggested that the purpose of the meeting is usually to help establish the market for a free agent and it’s been fairly well defined for Lee.
- The D-backs signed Geoff Blum to a two-year deal, the club announced on Monday. Blum, who hit .267 with limited at-bats in 2010, is expected bolster Arizona’s bench. GM Kevin Towers has expressed repeatedly his preference for veteran hitters in the bench role. 
Check back for more Hot Stove news later on MLB.com. 
–Bailey Stephens

Cliff Lee will take his time

The drop-off between Cliff Lee and the rest of the free agent starting pitching market is sizable, and that allows the left-hander a certain amount of comfort as his representatives approach the task of securing a large contract this winter.

Lee’s agent, Darek Braunecker, told The Associated Press Monday that his camp is only “gathering information” at this point, and that no deal is expected to be reached quickly.
“This one certainly is a little bit unique in that he’s clearly the best player on the free-agent market and not a lot of other things are going to impact our position on Cliff,” Braunecker said.
Braunecker may not even attend next week’s General Manager’s meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., not needing to drum up interest in Lee. There is also no need to take Lee on a tour of the cities where he could pitch next year. 
The Yankees and Rangers are thought to be among his most interested suitors, while the Phillies, Brewers, Cubs, Nationals and Angels could also jump in. 
“We’re going to take it on of kind of a team-by-team, case-by-case basis. I don’t expect Cliff to be flying all over the country,” Braunecker said. “We’re really in just the infancy stages of it all. We don’t really ever handicap the timing of any of this stuff. We believe that when the right deal presents itself, we’ll be prepared to act. And when that might be, that’s anybody’s guess at this point.”
– Bryan Hoch

Red Sox reach out to Boras regarding OF Werth

The Red Sox, to the
surprise of almost no one, have reached out to agent Scott Boras to express
their interest in free-agent outfielder Jayson Werth, ESPNBoston.com reported
on Monday, attributing an unnamed baseball source.

Boras did not
immediately return a phone call from MLB.com.

The exclusive window
for free agents to negotiate with the clubs they finished the previous season
with ended on Sunday, so clubs can now reach out to any free agent.
Negotiations for Werth are expected to be a drawn-out process, considering the
money he’ll land and the track record of the agent representing him.

Werth hit .296 with 27
homers and 85 RBIs in 156 games last season. From 2008-10, he’s hit .279 with
29 homers and 84 RBIs.

Last year, free-agent
outfielder Matt Holliday – a Boras client – inked a seven-year, $120 million
contract with the Cardinals, while Jason Bay signed for four years and $66
million with the Mets. Werth’s price range is predicted to be somewhere in that
range.

– Alden Gonzalez

Roundup: Lefty power-hitting 1B, anyone?

He isn’t Adam Dunn or Prince Fielder — don’t give up hope on those guys, either, though — but Carlos Delgado is still out there, without a team, and wants to play. Contending teams are reportedly interested. 

According to FOXSports.com, Delgado — he of 473 career home runs and two hip surgeries since May of 2009 — is drawing interest from the White Sox, while the Mariners, Rockies and Red Sox are possible fits. Of those, Seattle would appear to be a longshot, since the 38-year-old would like to sign with a contending team. 
Delgado’s agent, David Sloane, told FOXSports.com his client has received two Minor League offers and would need a couple of weeks in the Minors to get ready. Delgado wants to play for a team in contention and one that will give him regular playing time, the Web site added. 
Here’s more from around the league … 
* Pedro Martinez, who recently relayed his intention to sit out the 2010 season through his agent, was asked on ESPN’s First Take what it would take for him to come back and pitch this season. This is what he said … 
Right now, it’s going to be hard to do, because I’m really enjoying what I’m doing with my family, and I’m really enjoying helping out the community with my foundation. … The time with my family, I think, is priceless. I’m really enjoying it, and so it’s going to take a lot to bring me out of my house, out of my comfort zone, right now. 
In order for the idle Martinez to be on a postseason roster, he must be picked up before Aug. 31. 
* The Royals designated outfielder Jose Guillen for assignment on Thursday. Guillen was in the last year of a three-year, $36 million contract. Now, Kansas City will have 10 days to trade, release or outright Guillen. Teams like the Giants, Rays, White Sox or Red Sox could be interested. 
* An unknown team has claimed Adam Dunn off waivers from the Nationals, which makes it less likely that the first baseman will be traded, according to FOXSports.com. Washington could now either engage in one-on-one negotiations with that club, or can pull him back. 
* The Mets are open to negotiating a contract extension with shortstop Jose Reyes, according to The New York Daily News. Reyes has a club option for 2011 worth $11 million, but New York is reportedly willing to scrap that for a long-term contract. Negotiations likely won’t be finalized until the end of the season, however. 
* Buck Showalter, the Orioles’ new manager, will earn $1.5 million a year each season through 2013, according to the Twitter account of ESPN’s Buster Olney. 
* Now that the non-waiver Trade Deadline has passed, teams have to first put a player on waivers before trading them. Under that, the Phillies acquired a veteran first baseman in Mike Sweeney from the Mariners — for a player to be named later or cash considerations — the Marlins signed infielder Chad Tracy, and the Pirates claimed a couple of righties in Chris Resop and Chan Ho Park. 
– Alden Gonzalez

Roundup: Berkman close to joining Yanks

The Yankees now look poised to land Lance Berkman from the Astros, a source told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. 
Berkman has the right to reject any trade as a 10-and-5 player (10 years in the league, five with one team), but he was approached by general manager Ed Wade a couple of days ago with a list of eight teams be to and approved four, including the Yankees. 
According to The New York Post, the deal is done, though it won’t be official until another 24 hours. 
The 34-year-old Berkman is making $14.5 million this season and has a $15 million club option for the 2011 season, with a $2 million buyout. With the Yankees, he’d likely serve as a designated hitter — a revolving door for the club all year — but he can also fill in at first base and in the outfield corners if needed. 
With Saturday’s 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline looming overhead, here’s more from around the league … 
* The White Sox acquired some depth for their starting rotation on Friday afternoon, when they swung a deal with the Diamondbacks to bring right-hander Edwin Jackson to the South Side. In the trade, Chicago parted ways with one of its top pitching prospects, righty Daniel Hudson, and Minor League lefty David Holmberg. 
* The Rangers, in need of second-base help with Ian Kinsler on the disabled list, acquired veteran middle infielder Cristian Guzman for prospects. Guzman is making $8 million in the final year of his contract this season. 
* Baseball sources told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick that the Dodgers and Cubs have been discussing a deal that would send left-handed starter Ted Lilly back to Los Angeles. The Dodgers would also like to include infielder Ryan Theriot in the deal and would want Chicago to eat up some of Lilly’s remaining contract, according to FOXSports.com. Lilly, the best starting pitcher remaining in the market, has $4.3 million left in his expiring contract. 
* The Blue Jays acquired Mets Triple-A first baseman Mike Jacobs for a player to be named later. Jacobs will report to the Blue Jays’ Minor League affiliate. 

* While looking at what happened today and what could happen before 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, we’ll also look back. Roy Oswalt to the Phillies, Jorge Cantu to the Rangers, Miguel Tejada to the Padres and Matt Capps to the Twins were the biggest moves made prior to Friday, in what has still been a rather slow-moving Trade Deadline. 

– Alden Gonzalez

Jays involved in Phils, Astros swap?

According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, the Blue Jays are also involved in the trade that sent Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt to the Phillies on Thursday. As part of the deal, Houston received outfield prospect Anthony Gose from Philadelphia and the Astros planned on flipping him to Toronto, sources told Stark.

UPDATE: MLB.com has confirmed that the Blue Jays will receive Gose from the Astros. It was not immediately known who Houston would receive in return. FOXSports.com reported that first base prospect Brett Wallace was the player heading to the Astros.

UPDATE: It’s official, the Blue Jays have completed a one-for-one trade with the Astros, sending first base prospect Brett Wallace to Houston in exchange for outfield prospect Anthony Gose.

–Jordan Bastian

Oswalt OKs deal to Phillies

Roy Oswalt, one of the greatest pitchers to wear an Astros uniform, is headed to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Oswalt told the Astros on Thursday afternoon he would waive his no-trade clause in order to approve a trade to the two-time defending National League champions, a person close to the negotiations told MLB.com. The two sides were working the final details of the deal, which is expected to be announced today.

The Astros and Phillies reached a deal on Wednesday night to send Oswalt to the Phillies if the pitcher agreed to waive his no-trade clause. Left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ and a pair of Minor Leaguers are expected to come to the Astros, who are also expected to pay a portion of Oswalt’s contract. When reached by MLB.com earlier Thursday afternoon, Oswalt said he hadn’t made a decision.

“No news yet,” he said.

Oswalt is owed about $5 million more this year and is due to make $16 million next season in the last year of his contract, but there’s a club option for 2012 that would pay him another $16 million.

The Astros have scouted Happ’s most recent starts.

Astros general manger Ed Wade also personally scouted Philadelphia’s Class A Lakewood affiliate earlier this month. First baseman Jonathan Singleton, an eighth-round pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, could be part of the deal. Singleton, 18, is hitting .319 with 12 home runs, 57 RBIs and a .962 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 248 at-bats.

The Astros have been fielding calls about Oswalt since he informed the team in May he wanted to be traded to a contender. Oswalt said Wednesday he would like to have some time to decide prior to Saturday’s 3 p.m. CT non-waiver Trade Deadline if he’d be willing to waive his no-trade clause to accommodate any deals the Astros put on the table.

Oswalt is 6-12 with a 3.42 ERA, but he has received some of the worst run support in the league. He has 143 wins and needed just one more victory to tie Joe Niekro for first place on the club’s all-time list..

The two-time defending National League champion Phillies are 54-46 and trail the Braves by 3 1/2 games in the NL East. By adding Oswalt, they bolstered a pitching staff, which boasts Roy Halladay, that’s ranked seventh in the NL with a 3.99 ERA.

– Brian McTaggart

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