Rumors for February, 2011
Durbin could return to Philadelphia on a Minor League deal
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According to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Enquirer, right handed pitcher Chad Durbin could be returning to the Phillies on a Minor League deal. The team pulled their Major League offer off the table weeks ago, but according to baseball sources close to Gelb the door is still not closed on a possible return for him.
Durbin’s agent, Dan Horwits, is still talking with a couple of teams about a possible Major League deal for his client, but if all those fail the right hander could return to the Phillies camp. Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated adds on February 23, that the right-hander is still deciding between the Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners.
Earlier today, we learned that Durbin was intrigued by the Red Sox’s offer to be a starter, and earlier this month he said that he would prefer to pitch for a contender.
Durbin was 4-1 with a 3.80 ERA in 68.2 innings throughout 64 games with the Phillies in 2010.
Royals sign 17-year old Igor Feliz
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The Kansas City Royals have signed right-handed pitcher Igor Feliz according to the Dominican Prospect League (via Minor League Baseball’s official Twitter account). The Royals gave the 17-year old $225,000. He has been clocked at 95mph.
Jayson Werth thinks Phillies could have kept him and Cliff Lee
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Washington Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth may be wearing a “W” on his hat, but he thinks that it easily could have been “P” – for the Philadephia Phillies. According to Paul Hagen of the Daily News, Werth believes that he and Cliff Lee could have both signed with the Phillies.
“I think if they would have played it right they would have had us both. I mean, they traded Cliff away for prospects [after the 2009 season] and then realized that was probably not what they should have done,” Werth said. “They ended up paying him a lot more [5 years, $120 million] than they would have if they’d signed him the year before. Then we would have had him. Chances are if they had signed him before they traded him, it probably would have made it a little easier to sign me.”
Luckily for Werth, he wasn’t banking on the Phillies. He quickly signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with the Nationals, but in doing so he went from a first place to last place team.
“At that point, I kind of felt it was going to be one or the other. When it wasn’t me, and what they were talking to me about in terms of years, it kind of made it seem like they were playing us against each other a little bit,” he said. “That’s the name of the game. That’s the business of it. You miss on one, you get on the other. That’s how they played it. Unfortunately, I think if they’d played it right, they probably could have had us both.”
The Phillies eventually signed Lee to a five-year, $120 million contract, but that was after trading him to the Mariners after the 2009 season. The team then acquired Roy Halladay and signed him to a friendly three-year, $60 million extension.
“That’s the name of the game,” Werth said. “That’s the business of it. You miss on one, you get on the other. That’s how they played it. Unfortunately, I think if they’d played it right, they probably could have had us both.”
“When you make it to free agency, you can look at it one of two ways,” he said. “You can look at it as you’re a member of the MLB Players’ Association or you can look at it as you play for a specific team. I was trying to maximize things.”
Astros sign three players to one-year contracts
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According to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, the Houston Astros have signed three players to one-year contracts. Right-handed pitcher Cesar Carrillo ($414,000), infielder Matt Downs ($421,000) and right- handed pitcher Lance Pendleton ($414,000). These were technical signings since all the players have less than the required service time to be eligible for salary arbitration.
Carrillo has played one Major League season with the Padres in 2009. He played only in three games. Downs hit .216/.294/.320 with 1 HR and 7 RBI’s in 97 AB’s with the Giants and Astros combined in 2010.
Brewers sign Chris Narveson and Mitch Stetter
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The Milwaukee Brewers have signed left-handed pitchers Chris Narveson and Mitch Stetter to one-year contracts according to Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel. While salary was not avaialble, it is likely that both players will earn in the $400,000. Narveson and Stetter have not acquired enough service time to be eligible for arbitration yet.
Narveson was 12-9 with a 4.99 ERA and 137 SO in 167.2 innings throughout 37 games, 28 starts with the Brewers in 2010. Stetter had a 14.73 ERA in 3.2 innings with the Brewers in 2010.
Angels sign Cole Armstrong to a Minor League deal
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According to Matt Eddy of Baseball America, the Angels have agreed to a Minor League deal with catcher Cole Armstrong. Eddy adds that Armstrong could occupy Ryan Budde’s former place on 40-man roster as a catch & throw specialist.
Armstrong played in 2010 with the White Sox’s Double-A team. In 315 AB’s last year he hit .276/.370/.403 with 8 HR’s and 43 RBI’s.
Vicente Padilla to undergo elbow surgery
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Right handed pitcher Vicente Padilla will undergo elbow surgery tomorrow to free up a nerve that is entrapped in his forearm according to the team’s official Twitter account. How long will be out of action will be determined after the surgery.
The Dodgers signed Padilla to a one-year deal this winter. The deal includes a $2 million base salary plus incentives. The 33-year old made $5.025 million in 2010 while going 6-5 with a 4.07 ERA in 16 starts in 2010.
Cardinals could go after Kevin Millwood
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Earlier today, we learned that Cardinals’ right-handed Adam Wainwright may need Tommy John surgery according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Club officials said nothing will be definitive until today’s appointment.
With a possible season-ending injury, rival executives of the Cardinals say that St. Louis could go after Kevin Millwood as a replacement for Wainwright (via ESPN’s Buster Olney).
While interest has floated around all winter, Millwood has remained unemployed. Last week, Millwood rejected a Minor League offer from the Yankees. The deal was apparently structured similar to the one the team gave Freddy Garcia.
The Cleveland Indians have also 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 made 31 starts and ate up 190 2/3 innings with Baltimore last season, but was a dismal 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA.
Orlando Cabrera was misunderstood regarding retirement comments
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Cleveland Indians infielder, Orlando Cabrera, denied a report that he was going to retire after the 2011 season, the Detroit Free Press reports. Apparently, the infielder was misunderstood in an interview that he gave to a radio reporter in his native Colombia and the report was then picked up by a Colombian newspaper.
When asked about retiring, “No, no, no,” Cabrera said.
“Especially if we win the World Series this year. I’ll have to come back.”
The Indians agreed to terms with the short stop on February 10 for a $3.02 million, one-year deal. He had a down year in 2010 with a .263 batting average with 4 home runs and 42 RBIs in 123 games. He missed 27 games that season with a strained left oblique muscle.
Mark Grudzielanek retires
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Second baseman Mark Grudzielanek told FOXSports.com today that he has decided to retire (via Jon paul Morosi of FOXSports). The 40-year old only played in 30 games in 2010 with the Indians.
“It’s the little things that win ballgames,” he said, “and that’s how I kept my job all those years.”
Grudzielanek played a total of 15 Major league seasons with the Montreal Expos (Washington Nationals), Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, St Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians. He’s a lifetime .289/.332/.393 hitter with 90 HR’s and 640 RBI’s.
