Rumors for January, 2010
Cubs have signed INF Chad Tracy to a Minor League contract
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com, the Chicago Cubs will announce on Wednesday the signing of infielder Chad Tracy to a Minor League contract.
Tracy would earn $900,000 if he makes the big league team plus an additional $525,000 if he gets 450 plate appearances. If he wins the Comeback Player of the Year award, he will receive $100,000 as an award incentive.
Tracy, 29, hit .237 with 8 home runs and 39 RBIs with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2009. He had a salary of $7 million last year. You can see Tracy’s contract history and statistics here.
Jim Thome Rumors: Interest by Twins is real
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate 1/26 15:09: Kelsie Smith of the Pioneer Press reports that the Twins have agreed to one-year, incentive-laden deal with Jim Thome.
Update 1/26 13:00: Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports says that the Cleveland Indians are not pursuing Thome because they have a full time DH in Travis Hafner.
Morosi also says that the Twins can’t give Thome an everyday role at the moment, but he could get a few at-bats as a late-inning pinch hitter, play the outfield against right-handed pitching and play DH when Jason Kubel has a day off.
Update 1/25 17:14: Jow Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times Tweets: Oz makes it official – see ya big guy. Thome will not be brought back this year.
Update 1/25 16:58: According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, he Tweets: Source with the Twins just told me that (Minnesota) has already spoken to Thome’s reps this afternoon, so it’s official – Jim ain’t coming back (to the White Sox). Tampa Bay has interest, and the Tigers are now sniffing around. (Minnesota) could be the front-runner, however.
1/22 14:03 Yesterday Jim Thome announced to the Chicago White Sox that “My door is open. All you’ve got to do is call me.” Today, Joel Christensen of the Star Tribune reports that the Minnesota Twins have interest in the free agent designated hitter.
Christensen called a Twins official and he said the team has real interest in Thome and have not ruled out the chance of signing him. The Twins are bargain hunting and hoping to land a bench player at a reduced price.
Thome is a career .277 hitter with 564 home runs and 1565 RBIs. For the first time in his career he is without an employer. Despite the Twins already having a DH in Jason Kubel, Thome would provide the team another left-handed option off the bench. You can see Thome’s contract history and statistics here.
Brewers sign RHP Carlos Villanueva to a one-year deal
Posted by: | CommentsAdam McCalvy of MLB.com reports that the Milwaukee Brewers avoided salary arbitration by signing RHP Carlos Villanueva to a one-year deal. Financial terms are unknown.
Villanueva, 26, was 4-10 with a 5.34 ERA in 64 games with the Brewers in 2009. He had a salary of $447,000 last season. You can see Villanueva’s contract history and statistics here.
OF Corey Hart is the only arbitration-eligible player unsigned with the Brewers.
Red Sox and Jeremy Hermida agree to 1 year $3.345 million contract
Posted by: | CommentsAmalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe, reports that the Boston Red Sox have avoided salary arbitration by signing OF Jeremy Hermida to a one-year contract for $3.345 million. This agreement is below Hermida’s asking price of $3.85 million but higher than the Red Sox offer of $2.95 million.
The Red Sox acquired Hermida in November from the Florida Marlins.
Hermida, who is turning 26 this week, hit .259 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs with the Marlins in 2009. You can see Hermida’s contract history and statistics here.
St. Louis Cardinals sign LHP Rich Hill with invite to Spring Training
Posted by: | CommentsThe St. Louis Cardinals announced on Twitter that the team has signed LHP Rich Hill. Hill has been invited to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee.
The Baltimore Orioles offered Hill a Minor League contract with an invite to Spring Training earlier this month, but Hill declined. It was believed that he had a slim chance of breaking into the Orioles rotation.
Hill was 3-3 with a 7.80 ERA in 14 games (13 games started) with the Orioles last season. You can see Hill’s statistics here.
Dodgers and INF Ronnie Belliard have agreed to a 1 year contract
Posted by: | CommentsKen Gurnick of MLB.com, Tweets that the Los Angeles Dodgers have signed infielder Ronnie Belliard to a one-year, $825,000 contract.
Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times says that Belliard took a physical this morning to finalize the deal. He adds that Belliard can make $250,000 in incentives based on plate appearances.
Belliard, 34, split time with the Nationals and the Dodgers in 2009. He hit a combined .277 hit with 10 homes and 39 RBIs in 110 games last season. He’s taking more than a 50% pay cut this season. He made $1.9 million in 2009. You can see Belliard’s contract history and statistics here.
Carlos Delgado Rumors: Limited to DH?
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate 1/26 12:24pm: Jorge Arangure of ESPN says via Twitter that Mets and Delgado have mutual interest. Met’s GM Omar Minaya said, “We still have interest in him, yes.”
Update 1/25 09:42: Ken Davidoff of Newsday Tweets: Minaya says he has been in touch personally with Delgado, and that CD still wants to play 1B – despite not playing much 1B in P.R. #Mets
1/24: Jayson Stark of ESPN says that Carlos Delgado should finds employers that need a DH because it unlikely he can be a team’s everyday first baseman.
Stark quoted one scout, “He’s got no range at first — none. He actually limps out there. He can’t play first on a day-to-day basis. I think he can still DH, because he’s still got power. But to play first for a team like the Mets? Can’t see it.”
The Mets and Blue Jays have been interested in Delgado this off-season. The Mets have a first baseman in Daniel Murphy, so if Delgado comes to New York they can platoon him with Murphy. The Blue Jays have a DH in Adam Lind, so if Toronto goes with Delgado he will be expected to play first base.
Delgado played in 26 games for the Mets in 2009 before going down to a hip injury that required surgery. You can see Delgado’s statistics here.
