Rumors for December, 2010
Cubs officially sign Kerry Wood
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According to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com, the Chicago Cubs have officially announced the signing of right handed pitcher Kerry Wood. They have scheduled a press conference for 2 pm CT at Wrigley Field today.
David Kaplan of the Chicago Tribune was the first to report that the sides were moving towards finalizing a deal.
Wood told Kaplan in an article that whatever decision he made about pitching in 2011 would have to be good for his family. The right-hander makes Chicago his permanent home, and being close to home and his longtime relationship with Cubs GM Jim Hendry were factors in the Cubs’ favor.
Yankees and Feliciano agree on a two-year deal
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The New York Yankees are closing in on left handed pitcher Pedro Feliciano, according to Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman. The deal will be finalized today says Heyman.
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports adds that the deal is pending physical and will be for two-years with, $8 million, with a club option for a third year.
Yesterday, we learned that New York was close to signing Feliciano. The Yankees first expressed interest in the pitcher in mid-November.
Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated added that the Yankees were reluctant to go two-years on a contract with Kerry Wood, so they’re looking at Feliciano and free agent Brian Fuentes. It’s believed that Fuentes wants to close, and he won’t have that opportunity with the Yankees.
In 2010, Feliciano was 3-6 in 92 relief appearances over 62 2/3 innings pitched. He made $2.9 million with the New York Mets last season.
Baltimore Orioles officially sign RHP Jeremy Accardo
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Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun says via Twitter that the Baltimore Orioles have signed right-handed reliever Jeremy Accardo to a one-year, $1.08 million deal.
Accardo was non-tendered by the Toronto Blue Jays at the end of November. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox had shown interest in the pitcher.
Accardo, 29 later this month, has spent the last five seasons with the Blue Jays. He has a career 7-17 record with a 3.95 ERA in 95 relief appearances.
Boston Red Sox in discussions with RHP Dan Wheeler
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In an article by Alex Speier of WEEI, sources tell him the Boston Red Sox are in ongoing discussions with right-handed pitcher Dan Wheeler about the possibility of coming to Boston. No deal is done at the time, but one source says that there is optimism about the direction of the negotiations.
Sean McAdam of Comcast Sportsnet New England adds that the Red Sox are continuing to talk with Wheeler as of Thursday, but the team won’t likely go beyond one-year. Wheeler could get two-years elsewhere, but he may prefer pitching in Boston, his home.
Wheeler said in October he wanted to return to the Tampa Bay Rays. He had a 2011 team option for $4 million, but it was declined by the team. The Rays also opted against offering the right-hander salary arbitration. He made $3.5 million in the final year of a three-year, $10.5 million contract.
“I was a little surprised, but at the same time I wasn’t because I understand where they’re [Rays] coming from since they’re going to cut salary,” Wheeler said in November.
New York Yankees interested in Freddy Garcia?
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The New York Yankees are still looking for an arm after they failed to land Cliff Lee, and Freddy Garcia may be the team’s answer. Earlier today Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com said that the Yankees have asked for Garcia’s medicals. In early December, we learned that at least three teams were interested in Garcia, including the Chicago White Sox.
Previous reports indicate that the Yankees have expressed interest in Carlos Zambrano and Felix Hernandez as other starting rotation options.
Zambrano won’t be easy for the Yankees to acquire. The right-hander has a no-trade clause in his contract, and a Cub’s official close to Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune said that Zambrano is unwilling to waive the clause. Hernandez seems unlikely giving the fact that the Yankees called Seattle about him and they said “absolutely not” (via Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated).
Garcia played for the White Sox in 2010, and it was his first complete season since 2007, when he underwent shoulder surgery. He posted a 12-6 record with 4.64 ERA in 157 innings for Chicago this season.
Nationals officialy re-sign Chien-Ming Wang
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According to the team’s official Twitter account the Nationals have officially re-signed right handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang.
Earlier today we learned that Wang was close to return to Washington for $1 million guaranteed and up to $5 million including the incentives.
Wang signed a one-year, $2 million deal in 2010 with Washington with $3 million in incentives last year, but recovery from shoulder surgery prevented him from facing hitters until the end of the year in the Fall Instructional League.
Wang is certainly a gamble. He’ll be almost two years removed from facing Major League hitters should he return to the bigs next April.
In five seasons with the Yankees, he compiled a 55-26 record with a 4.16 ERA, but he was 1-6 with a 9.64 ERA in 12 appearances (9 starts) in 2009 before he had shoulder surgery that cut short his season.
Rockies interested in Todd Coffey, Grant Balfour and David Aardsma
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The Colorado Rockies have had trade talks with Seattle Mariners regarding closer David Aardsma, according to Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post. Colorado wants to add another right-handed pitcher to their bullpen and it’s believed that the Mariners are trying to move their closer.
FOXSports reported last night that the Mariners want to move the right-hander. Aardsma made $2.75 million in 2010, and stands to make a significant raise in 2010 from arbitration. The right-hander will also be eligible for salary arbitration next winter before in becomes a free agent after the 2012 season.
Renck adds that that the Rockies are also interested in right-handed pitchers Todd Coffey and Grant Balfour, though the latter would likely have to be a sign and trade since he’s Type-A free agent. Should the Rockies sign Balfour, the team would have to give up a draft pick to the Tampa Bay Rays because of his free agent status.
Aardsma, 29 later this month, was 0-6 with a 3.44 ERA and 31 saves in 2010 with the M’s. He achieved a career high of 38 saves with Seattle with a 2.52 ERA in 2009.
Giants, Dodgers and Rays finalists to land Guillermo Mota
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According to ESPNDeportes.com’s Enrique Rojas veteran reliever Guillermo Mota has five Minor League offers, all of which will give him the chance to make a Major League team. Rojas says the Giants, Dodgers and Rays are the finalists to land Mota.
Mota, 36, is a 11-year veteran pitcher. He played with the Giants in the 2010 season, he was 1-3 with 4.33 ERA in 54 innings in 56 relief appearances. The right-hander was signed to a Minor League deal by the Giants in February 2010. His contract was purchased just before the season began, and he made $750,000 during his one-year with San Francisco.
Chien-Ming Wang close to returning to Nationals on one-year deal
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to a source close to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports, free-agent right-handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang close to returning to Nationals on one-year deal.
Rosenthal adds that Wang will recieve a base salary of $1 million, and a chance to make $5 million, including incentives.
Wang signed a one-year, $2 million deal in 2010 with the Nats with $3 million in incentives last year, but recovery from shoulder surgery prevented him from facing hitters until the end of the year in the Fall Instructional League.
Wang is certainly a gamble. He’ll be almost two years removed from facing Major League hitters should he return to the bigs next April.
In five seasons with the Yankees, he compiled a 55-26 record with a 4.16 ERA, but he was 1-6 with a 9.64 ERA in 12 appearances (9 starts) in 2009 before he had shoulder surgery that cut short his season.
Red Sox sign Rich Hill to a Minor League deal
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The Boston Red Sox have signed left-handed pitcher Rich Hill to a Minor League deal according to Peter Abrahams of the Boston Globe.
Hill, 30, played in 2010 with the Red Sox, he was 1-0 with 0.00 ERA in 4 innings throughout 6 games.
