Rumors for January, 2010
Cincinnati Reds sign INF Miguel Cairo to Minor League deal
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds have signed free agent infielder Miguel Cairo to a Minor League deal.
Cairo, 35, hit .267 with 1 home run and RBIs in 27 games with the Phillies last season. You can see Cairo’s contract history and statistics here.
Chan Ho Park Rumors: Giants may be interested
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants like right-handed pitcher Chan Ho Park, but only on a Minor League deal. Park is seeking a Major League contract. Schulman says it could be a match down the road.
The Cubs, Rays and Pirates were rumored to be going after Park this winter.
Park was 3-3 with a 4.43 ERA with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009. Of the 45 games he appeared in, he started 7 games. He made $2.5 million in 2009, so he would be an affordable player for an cost conscious team.
You can see Chan Ho Park’s statistics here.
Randy Winn and Yankees agree to $2 million deal
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News, the New York Yankees have reached a one-year deal with outfielder Randy Winn pending a physical.
Winn is a versatile outfielder who has played all three outfield positions in his career. He played 54 games in left field for the Giants in 2009, so that probably would eliminate Johnny Damon from returning to the Bronx.
Winn, 35, hit .262 with 2 home runs and 51 RBIs last season. He made $8.25 million in the last year of a three-year contract. You can see his contract history and statistics here.
Baltimore Orioles Rumors: Offer to Ohman & Negotiations with Hendrickson
Posted by: | CommentsDan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun says the the Orioles have offered a Minor League contract and Spring Training invitation to left-hander Will Ohman. Ohman 32, was 1-0 with a 5.84 ERA in 21 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009. He had a club option for 2010 worth $2.2 million, but it was not picked up by the Dodgers in November. He received a $200,000 buyout. You can see Ohman’s contract history and statistics here.
The Orioles are in negotiations with left-handed pitcher Mark Hendrickson. Hendrickson, 35, was 6-5 with a 4.37 ERA in 53 games with the Orioles in 2009. You can see Hendrickson’s contract history and statistics here.
LHP Sean Marshall and Chicago Cubs agree to 1 year $950K deal
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times, the Chicago Cubs and left-handed pitcher Sean Marshall have avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract for $950,000. Marshall submitted a request for $1.175 million and the Cubs submitted $800,000. The two parties met just below the mid-way point.
Marshall, 27, was 37 with a 4.32 ERA in 55 appearances for the Cubs in 2009. You can see Marshall’s contract history and statistics here.
Jermaine Dye Rumors: Cubs are out, so he may go to Reds or Padres?
Posted by: | CommentsJon Heyman of Sports Illustrated said (via Twitter): jermaine dye was talking to #cubs for similar $ when nady signed for $3.3 mil plus $2 mil in extras. how about padres or reds for dye?
Heyman suggests that Cincinnati and San Diego are possible destinations for the free agent outfielder. However, ESPN Insider is wondering where he would play in San Diego. They will have a tough time squeezing him in there with Jerry Hairston Jr., Scott Hairston, Tony Gwynn, Aaron Cunningham and Will Venable all fighting for playing time and roster spots.
Dye, 35, had a great 2009 campaign for the White Sox. He hit 27 home runs drove in 81 RBIs. The White Sox declined the $12 million team option on Dye in November and paid him a $950,000 buyout. He has drawn interest from the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals this Winter.
You can see Jeramine Dye’s statistics and contract history here.
Johnny Damon Rumors: Should the Yankees reconsider?
Posted by: | CommentsYesterday, GM Brian Cashman said that the Yankees have all but closed the door on Johnny Damon. Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Yankees should reconsider.
The Yankees front office does not want to exceed a $200 million payroll right now. Sherman feels that Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner should make a one-time, one-year bid in the rage of $6 million to Damon. The Yankees plan to have Brett Gardner in the outfield, and if he does not pan out offensively or if the Yankees get an injury to two, the team will be looking for a Damon-like player come June or July. If they find one it will conceivably take the team above the $200 million threshold .
The Yankees probably will not get Damon at the $2 million that Cashman insists is their outfield budget. However, both sides need and want each other, so they need to compromise in order to make this work.
Orlando Hudson Rumors: Tampa Bay Rays in talks with Hudson
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate 1/27 04:45am: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports says that Hudson has a few choices: take a strong financial offer from the Nationals, take a lesser valued contract from the Rays or take a deal from another club that will put him near the Nationals financially and the Rays competitively – if such an opportunity exisits.
In addition to the Nats and Rays, an unidentified team might be in the mix – FOXSports suggests the Twins. The big question for Minnesota will be the price. Rather than invest the money into Hudson, the Twins may be better off with a starting pitcher (Jarrod Washburn?)
Other contenders could be the Rockies (only at a bargain price), the Mariners (only if they trade Jose Lopez) or the Cubs (if they do not prioritize another reliever over a second baseman).
1/26 23:50 Buster Olney of ESPN Tweets: Heard this: Rays in on Orlando Hudson talks; Ben Zobrist could play right field. All depends on the price on whether TB gets him.
The Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners have shown interest in Hudson this off season.
Hudson, 33, hit 9 home runs, drove in 62 RBIs and had a .283 batting average with Los Angeles last season while making the All Star team and taking home a gold glove.
Zobrist was expected to platoon with Sean Rodriguez at second base, but Zobrist is very versatile having played all positions in the field except pitcher and catcher.
You can see Hudson’s contract history and statistics here.
Johnny Damon Rumors: The Oakland Athletics are not done shopping
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate 1/26 18:05: Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports that the Yankees have all but closed the door on Johnny Damon. “I’m not having any discussions on him,” Brian Cashman said in a telephone interview. “His abilities exceed the money that I have.” The Yankees main priority now is a right-handed bat to help their outfield mix.
Update 1/26 15:14: Jane Lee of MLB.com reports that an Oakland and Damon reunion is unlikely. Beane says his priority is on a utility infielder.
1/26 11:16: According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Oakland Athletics are continuing to speak with free agent outfielder Johnny Damon. Olney says that Damon would not get a lot of money from Oakland (maybe $4-5 million for one-year), but it may be his best offer now. The Yankees may be in play for Damon, but they have repeatedly said their budget is $2 million for next season for a left fielder.
Damon’s agent, Scott Boras, has insisted on a multi-year deal for his client earlier this off-season, and his insistence may be backfired on him. Boras had been requesting at least a two-year, $20 million deal. The Yankees supposedly offered a two-year, $14 million contract in December, but that was rejected by Damon and Boras.
You can see Damon’s contract history and statistics here.
Rangers and Frank Francisco agree to a 1 year $3.265 million deal
Posted by: | CommentsT.R. Sullivan of MLB.com Tweets that the Texas Rangers and pitcher Frank Francisco have avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year $3.265 million contract.
Francisco may be best remembered for throwing a folding chair into a crowd during a game with the Oakland Athletics on September 13, 2004. He was arrested and suspended for the remainder of the 2004 season.
Francisco, 30, was 2-3 with a 3.83 ERA in 51 games for the Rangers in 2009. He made $1.615 million last season. You can see Francisco’s contract history and statistics here.
