Rumors for February, 2011
Tampa Bay Rays officially sign Joe Inglett
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According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Tampa Bay Rays have signed Joe Inglett to a Minor League deal. The Rays later announced the official signing of Inglett via press release.
Inglett, 32, played in 102 games for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2010. His versatility allows him to play multiple outfield and infield positions. He has a career .286/.345/.397 in four seasons with the Brewers, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays.
Michael Young rumors: Marlins not in on Young
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Here are the latest Michael Young rumors for Friday:
– A source close to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says that the Marlins are not in on Young and he expects Young to stay in Texas.
– Ron Washington said today that Mike Napoli will get AB’s at catcher, first base and possibly DH according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports. There will be some overlap between the roles of Napoli and Young.
Jim Edmonds decides to retire
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Veteran center fielder Jim Edmonds has decided to call it a career, according to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It appears that Edmonds’ recovery from a foot injury has not improved as he expected which prompted his decision to retire.
Earlier this month, Edmonds agreed to a Minor League deal with the Cardinals, and he was hoping to continue his career in the city that he had proven success in.
Despite the Minor League deal, the 40-year old was not 100% sure he would be able to compete at a high level.
Edmonds unexpectedly came out of retirement this past winter when he signed a Minor League deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in August to help the team make a post season run.
Yankess still considering Kevin Millwood
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In a Tweet by Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, he said that the New York Yankees are still considering the addition of right-handed free agent pitcher Kevin Millwood. The Yankees are in a desperate position for starting pitching especially in the wake of the semi-expected retirement of Andy Pettitte. As for yesterday, a source close to George A. King III of the New York Post decribed the Yankees’ interest in Millwood as “strong.”
The Cleveland Indians have been reported as a team making progress towards a deal with Millwood.
The free-agent could help the back-end of any team’s rotation. He had 31 starts and ate up 190 2/3 innings with Baltimore last season, but was a dismal 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA.
Orioles officially sign Vladimir Guerrero
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The Baltimore Orioles have officially signed veteran slugger Vladimir Guerrero to a one-year, $8 million deal according to a team press release. Both parts agreed to a deal earlier this month.
Guerrero will earn $5 million in 2011 with $3 million being deferred. The designated hitter was asking for a two-year, $16 million deal earlier this winter, but dropped his asking price to around one-year, $8 million deal.
He was hoping to cash in on his solid 2010 campaign where he hit .300 with 29 HR’s and 115 RBI’s last year with the Rangers.
Adrian Gonzalez set to sign seven-year, $154 million deal by Opening Day
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The St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols may not be the only ones making news this Spring in the team and first baseman relations department. According to sources close to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports, the Boston Red Sox are set to sign first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to a seven-year, $164 million contract extension. The average annual value of the deal is about $23.4 million (Rosenthal said today that the deal is for $154 million instead of $164 million). The sides will wait until after Opening Day to announce the deal in order to save on the luxury tax.
The deal doesn’t come up as a surprise, since it was likely a gentleman’s agreement that was required in order for the trade to take place in December. The Red Sox likely would not have traded a crop of future stars had they not been able to secure Gonzalez’s services for several years. There were reports back in December that an extension was signed for eight-years at $161 million, so Rosenthal’s figures aren’t that far off.
The $23.4 million won’t necessarily help Pujols. It’s a good amount since it exceeds Mark Teixeira’s eight-year, $180 million deal with the New York Yankees, but it’s still not as high as Ryan Howard’s five-year, $125 million extension ($25 million average annual value) that he signed in April with the Philadelphia Phillies. Had the deal exceeded Howard’s, then it would have created more leverage in Pujols’ favor to demand the $30 million per year that he’s reported asking.
Mets win grievance over Torrealba
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The New York Mets haven’t had much good news lately until today. According to Ronald Blum of the Associated Press, the Mets won a grievance over Yorvit Torrealba when arbitrator Shyam Das ruled the Mets had the right to not complete a $14.4 million, three-year deal with the catcher in November 2007.
The agreement was signed by both sides contingent on a physical.
“The physical turned up an issue,” Mets executive vice president and general counsel David Cohen said.
“It’s one of those situations where different people might have different views of the likely prognosis, but there was clearly an issue. And based on that issue, the team just felt it was not worth taking the medical risk.”
Torrealba ended up signing a two-year deal with the Colorado Rockies for $7.25 million.
Blue Jays officially announce Jose Bautista’s deal
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According to the team’s official Twitter account, the Toronto Blue Jays have officially announced Jose Bautista’s deal via a press conference.
On Wednesday, Bautista and the Blue Jays agreed to a five-year, $64 million deal. Bautista will make $8 million in 2011 and $14 million in each of the following four seasons (via Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com). The team holds a club option of $14 million for 2016 (via team’s official Twitter account).
The deal will include contributions to Bautista’s charities in Canada and the Dominican Republic.
The 30-year-old MLB home run leader hit 54 home runs and drove in 124 RBIs while making only $2.4 million last season. The sides previously had a scheduled appearance before an arbitrator last Monday, but the hearing was postponed because of the negotiations. A deal would have had to have been done by this Friday as Friday was the deadline for all arbitration hearings to be completed.
Miguel Cabrera arrested for DUI in Florida
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Detroit Tigers’ first baseman Miguel Cabrera has been arrested for DUI in the State of Florida according to the Associated Press (via ESPNDeportes.com).
St. Lucie’s County police reported that Cabrera’s car was smoking on the side of the road on Wednesday. Police reports say that Cabrera smelled of alcohol, his eyes were red and his speech slurred. The Venezuelan slugger resisted arrest and told the police “Do you know who I am? You don’t know anything about my problems.” He then picked up a bottle of Scotch whiskey and started drinking, the report states.
The 27-years old was charged with DUI and resisting an officer without violence. He posted a $1,350 bond and was released this morning. The Tigers have not said anything about disciplining Cabrera, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.
Joe Crede becomes free agent
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For unknown reasons, infielder Joe Crede has decided to become a free agent, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. The Colorado Rockies reported earlier today that Crede decided to not report to camp.
The 33-year-old was signed by the Rockies on January 19 to a Minor League deal by the Rockies with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. He had missed all of the 2010 season while recovering from back surgery.
In 2009, he hit .224 with 15 home runs and drove in 48 RBIs in 90 games for the Minnesota Twins.
