Rumors for January, 2011
Twins and Carl Pavano are close to finalizing deal
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It appears that free agent Carl Pavano and the Minnesota Twins are putting the finishing touches on the pitcher’s next contract, according to the Star Tribune’s Joe Christensen.
General manager Bill Smith said, “I think we’re in the home stretch here.”
Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated reported on Monday that the sides could get a two-year deal one by the middle of the week. The contract was delayed because the Twins had been focused on the arbitration deadline.
Last week, it was reported that the Twins and Pavano were close to a two-year deal. The Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds were other teams believed to be possibilities for the 34-year-old pitcher.
Milton Bradley arrested by LAPD for making ‘criminal threats’
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According to the Seattle Times Geoff Baker, Milton Bradley has been arrested for violating California penal code section 422 – making a “criminal threat.”
PRO Rumors researched public jail log records from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and we found the following (it can also be viewed at http://blog.prorumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Screen-shot-2011-01-18-at-7.46.52-PM1.png):
Bradley was arrested at 1040 hours by LAPD’s West Valley Division for a felony criminal threat.
For Bradley to be arrested for making criminal threats, the victim (confirmed by a source as an unidentified female) had to believe that Bradley was going to carry out the threat. There also needed to be some type of evidence proving that Bradley had the means to carry out the threat out and that he actually did make those threats.
Seattle Mariners’ general manager, Jack Zduriencik, confirmed that Bradley had been arrested, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com.
“After reaching Milton Bradley’s representatives tonight, I was able to confirm that Milton had been arrested, and subsequently released, in Los Angeles,” Zduriencik said in a statement. “While we do not yet have full details on what occurred, we are aware of the situation and take it very seriously. We are in the process of determining the full circumstances of what occurred today. Until we have more information, we will not be able to comment further.”
Bradley’s court date of February 8 will be just 10 days before he is supposed to report to camp.
Blue Jays interested in Scott Podsednik and Johnny Damon
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The Toronto Blue Jays are continuing to look at leadoff solutions and they have free agents Scott Podsednik and Johnny Damon on their radar, according to a source close to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports. Rosenthal speculates that likely leadoff candidate, Rajai Davis, may be more productive if he plays less regularly and hits lower in the order. Davis signed a two-year deal with the Jays on January 18 to avoid the arbitration process.
Damon has recently been linked to the Los Angeles Angels and the Tampa Bay Rays. Damon is looking for an opportunity to play everyday as he continues to solidify his Hall of Fame credentials.
Podesednik has drawn interest from the Angels and he could fill the team’s leadoff role. The team is in need of a speedy outfielder. The 34-year-old hit .297/.342/.382 with 6 HR and 51 RBI’s in 2010, he also stole 35 bases in 50 attempts.
Cubs and Carlos Marmol working on a possible multi-year deal
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The Chicago Cubs have right-handed pitcher Carlos Marmol as an arbitration-eligible player, and according to Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Chicago Sun-times, the team is working on a possible multi-year deal. Wittenmeyer’s report is consistent with what we heard last week about a possible multi-year deal between the two parties.
Last week, we learned that Marmol was expected to get a multi-year deal from the Cubs.
The 28-year-old right-hander made $2.13 million in 2010 and is eligible for arbitration in 2011 and 2012. Should he get a deal from the Cubs, it’s likely that the team will buyout his remaining two years of arbitration and likely get at least one or more of his free agent years, if not more.
Marmol was 2-3 with a 2.55 ERA in 77.2 innings throughout 77 appearances. He had 138 strikeouts while walking 52 batters.
Dodgers deal with Marcus Thames becomes official
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The Los Angeles Dodgers have officially signed outfielder Marcus Thames to a one-year deal according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angles Times.
Hernandez says that Thames can earn an additional $800,000 in incentives.
Yesterday, both parties agreed to a deal. MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick said that they were looking at Thames because he is a right-handed hitter with power. He is viewed as a possible platoon-mate with left-handed-hitting Jay Gibbons in left field.
Thames, 33, hit .288/.350/.491 in 82 games with the Yankees in 2010. New York signed Thames to a Minor League contract in February 2009 prior to the team’s Spring Training.
Cubs agree to a one-year deal with Matt Szczur
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According to Jim Callis of Baseball America, the Cubs have agreed verbally on a one-year, $1.5 million deal with Matt Szczur.
2011 MLB Arbitration Tracker
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Want to get the latest arbitration news in an easy-to-read format? Check out PRO Rumors 2011 MLB Arbitration Tracker. We’ll provide salary and contract length details as soon as the news breaks. We also included 2009 and 2010 salary figures for you to check out. Bookmark this page:
http://www.prorumors.com/arbitrations-2011
Rickie Weeks and Brewers focused on one-year deal and not multi-year contract
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According to sources close to Ken Rosenthal and FOXSports, infielder Rickie Weeks and the team have exchanged figures. The sides will likely go through the arbitration process since Rosenthal indicates that they are not close on agreeing to a long-term deal at this time.
Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel adds that the sides have decided to put the talks on hold and focus on a one-year deal.
“[Weeks] He called me and thought the gap was too significant in our multiyear negotiations,” said assistant GM Gord Ash. “We agreed to focus on a one-year deal for now. Our respective positions in multiyear talks are substantially different at present.”
“That doesn’t mean the multiyear talks disappear. We’ll use this as a place-holder and can come back to multiyear talks some time down the road.”
In regards to the figures that were exchanged, Weeks filed for $7.2 million while the Brewers were offering $4.85 million.
Diamondbacks officially sign Heilman and Bloomquist
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The Arizona Diamondbacks have officially announce Aaron Heilman and Willie Bloomquist’s deals according to a team’s press release.
The team have dessignated for assigment right handed pitchers Brian Sweeney and Daniel Stange to make room for Bloomquist and Heilman in the 40-man roster.
Bloomquist agreed to a one-year, $1.05 million guaranteed deal last week with Arizona. The 33-year-old Bloomquist hit .267/.299/.380 with the Kansas City Royals and the Cincinnati Reds. He was traded on August 13 from Kansas City to Cincinnati for a player to be named later.
Heilman agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal with the D’backs earlier today. The right handed pitcher will have the opportunity to start with the Diamondbacks.
The 31-year old finished the 2010 season with a 5-8 record and a 4.50 ERA in 72 innings throughout 70 appearances.
Mets could release Luis Castillo
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The New York Mets have many several unsuccessful attempts to trade second baseman Luis Castillo. The switch hitter posted a .604 OPS in 2011, which ranked 291st among 305 players with at least 250 plate appearances in the majors last year and he’s owed $6 million in the last year of his four-year $24 million contract.
Today, NewYorkBaseballDigest is hearing that there is a possibility the Mets release Castillo to make room for Chris Young.
ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that among the possible moves that the Mets have discussed internally, one of them is simply releasing Castillo. Olney says that it would not be a surprise to anyone either if the Mets dumped Oliver Perez sometime before Opening Day.
