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Free Agency and Trades
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Free Agency, Trades, and Signings
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Written by Joe Tetreault
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Wednesday, 03 March 2010 22:51 |
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Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times tweets that the Dodgers have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with free agent outfielder Garret Anderson. If he makes the club, this will mark somewhat of a homecoming, because Anderson spent the first fifteen of his career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
According to SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter), Anderson can opt out of the contract if not on the major league roster by Opening Day.
Playing for the Braves in 2009, Anderson hit an underwhelming .268/.303/.401 in 534 plate appearances. It was his first and only year with Atlanta. Due to the decline in his hitting skills his value evaporated this offseason, leaving him searching for a job after spring training games began yesterday.
Joe Tetreault is a member of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey.
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Free Agency, Trades, and Signings
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Written by Joe Tetreault
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Tuesday, 02 March 2010 18:15 |
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The Associated Press reports that Kansas City has agreed on a new contract with starting pitcher Luke Hochevar that will pay him $1.76 million this year. The contract also includes a clause that should Hochevar be sent to the minors, he would only receive $772,500.
Hochevar however is out of options and would need to be designated for assignment to be removed from the 40-man roster and then pass through waivers before he could be assigned to AAA Omaha. Even with Hochevar's middling major league results, the chance that he would go unclaimed is infinitesimally small.
The contract actually represents a fairly steep pay cut for Hochevar. In 2009, he made $1.325 million in the final season of a four-year $5.3 million major league contract that he signed in 2006 after the Royals made him the first overall pick in the rule 4 player draft. Included in that contract was a $3.5 million signing bonus. Major League Baseball limits all paycuts to a maximum 20% from one year to the next. Hochevar's 2009 compensation for the purposes of his 2010 contract renewal was his $1.325 million 2009 salary plus $875,000, which was determined by pro-rating his signing bonus for the length of the contract. The $1.76 million is exactly a 20% cut from the combined $2.2 million salary plus bonus from last season.
Hochevar has failed to live up to the hype of his first overall selection in the draft. He's spent parts of three seasons with the Royals, and posted his worst numbers in 2009. A 7-13 record and an ERA of 6.55 accompanied mediocre rate stats. Hochevar was also a first round draft choice of the LA Dodgers in 2005, but he held out at the direction of his adviser, Scott Boras, and pitched in for Fort Worth of the independent American Association.
Hochevar may be eligible for salary arbitration following the 2010 season at which time he will have accumulated two and a half years of major league service time if he spends the entire season in Kansas City.
Joe Tetreault is a member of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey.
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Free Agency, Trades, and Signings
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Written by Joe Tetreault
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Tuesday, 02 March 2010 17:33 |
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USA Today's Bob Nightengale has a pair of tweets that outline Arizona's six-year $50.35 million contract extension with rightfielder Justin Upton that will buy out the entirety of his arbitration eligibility as well as two years of free agency. The deal will be officially announced tomorrow.
Called up for good in 2008, he took over in right for the Diamondbacks at age 20. His batting line in 2009 was a superb .300/.366/.532 in 588 plate appearances. Under the deal, Upton will become a free agent following the 2015 season when he will be 28 years old, and able to command another significant contract on the open market.
The new deal will ensure that Upton will never have to deal with the salary arbitration process. Earlier this offseason, BJ Upton, Justin's elder brother, lost his arbitration hearing with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Upton, who made $412,000 in 2009, was not arbitration eligible this offseason, though he would have qualified after the 2010 season. The deal is comparable to, though more lucrative than, the six year deal Dustin Pedroia signed with Boston following the 2008 season. Like Pedroia, Upton had just over two years of Major League Service time when the deal was agreed upon.
Multi-year deals were very popular this year among arbitration eligible players like Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander, Josh Johnson and Franklin Gutierrez. The contracts provide teams with cost certainty and allow them to forgo the potentially contentious arbitration process. Players gain the security of a guaranteed salary and the stability of a settled contract. The trend began with the Cleveland Indians in the early 1990s as a means of maintaining their core of young players without budget busting increases via salary arbitration
The Biz of Baseball maintains detailed information about baseball's salary arbitration process. Our arbitration scorecard has a recap of cases since 2005 as well as links to more detailed data. For a historical perspective on salary arbitration, please click here. Our archive of articles on the process, including player signings and filings can be found here.
Joe Tetreault is a member of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey.
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Free Agency, Trades, and Signings
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Written by Joe Tetreault
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Friday, 26 February 2010 22:19 |
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ESPN reports that St. Louis and free agent infielder Felipe Lopez have agreed on a one-year, $2 million contract pending a physical. Lopez had found himself still looking for a team after most camps opened this week, prompting a rush to sign. He had changed agents, switching from Scott Boras to the Beverly Hills Sports Council two weeks ago.
Lopez enjoyed a very good season splitting time between Milwaukee and Arizona last year. He batted a combined .310/.383/.427 in 680 plate appearances played primarily at second base. St. Louis has Skip Schumaker as the incumbent second baseman, but have been looking for a third baseman, where Lopez has played 95 career games. He could see action all over the infield for the club.
Joe Tetreault is a member of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey.
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Free Agency, Trades, and Signings
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Written by Joe Tetreault
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Wednesday, 24 February 2010 13:53 |
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Bill Ladson of MLB.com tweets that the Nationals have signed veteran starter Livan Henrnadez to a minor league contract and have invited him to spring training. The contract calls for him to make $900,000 if he earns a spot with the club in spring training.
Hernandez is a veteran of 14 major league seasons, and wrapped last year with the Nationals. He made eight starts for Washington, winning two and losing four while putting up a 5.36 ERA. He began 2009 in Queens with the Mets, where he went 7-8 with an ERA of 5.47 in 23 starts before being release in late August. Hernandez was twice an all-star for the Montreal/Washington franchise, but has deteriorated with age.
Joe Tetreault is a member of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey.
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Free Agency, Trades, and Signings
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Written by Joe Tetreault
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Saturday, 20 February 2010 18:47 |
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Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that our long national nightmare is over. Johnny Damon will play in Detroit next season. The Tigers signed the veteran left fielder to a one year deal worth $8 million Saturday.
Damon, who spent the last four seasons with the Yankees, had been seeking a new team after New York acquired Curtis Granderson from Detroit in an offseason trade and signed veteran outfielder/designated hitters Randy Winn and Marcus Thames.
Damon hit .282/.365/.489 in 626 plate appearances in his final year in New York. The spacious outfield of Comerica park may diminish much of his power, as the homerun friendly dimensions of the new Yankee Stadium helped power Damon to match his career high in homeruns and post his second highest career slugging percentage.
The Tigers expect to play Damon primarily in left field, with incumbent left fielder Carlos Guillen shifting to the DH slot. He'll join former Yankee prospect Austin Jackson and Tiger mainstay Magglio Ordonez as starters in the Tiger outfield.
Joe Tetreault is a member of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey.
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Free Agency, Trades, and Signings
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Written by Joe Tetreault
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Monday, 01 February 2010 21:32 |
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Melvin Mora Finds Suitor in Colorado
Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Colorado Rockies have signed former Oriole third baseman Melvin Mora to a one-year major-league contract worth $1.3 million. He's expected to spell the Rockies young infield of Clint Barmes, Troy Tulowitzki and Ian Stewart. Mora can also sub at any of the outfield positions, making him an ideal utility player on a team giving a roster sport to a designated pinch hitter/infrequent first baseman like Jason Giambi.
Mora has played in Baltimore since 2000, playing primarily at third base. He posted a .260/.321/.358 batting line in 496 plate appearances.
Mariners Add Ryan Garko for $550K
Gregg Bell of the the AP reports that the Mariners have inked former Giant first baseman Ryan Garko to a one-year contract worth $550,000. The deal includes incentive clauses that could elevate the deal to $1,075,000 if he reaches 600 plate appearances in 2010.
Garko began 2009 in Cleveland before being dealt to the Giants on July 27th. He posted a combined line of .268/.344/.421 in 400 plate appearances. His playing time was reduced in San Francisco which was reflected in a slip in his batting line to .235/.307/.638.
Reds Welcome Orlando Cabrera to Cincinnati
MLB.com's Mark Sheldon provides the details of Cincinnati's contract to bring Orlando Cabrera to town. Cabrera will get a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $3.02 million.
The deal includes a $4 million mutual option for 2011. Cabrera's base salary will be $770,000. The deal provides a $1.25 million signing bonus. Cabrera is guaranteed a $1 million buyout if he chooses to exercise the $4 million option. Should he decline to exercise the option, the value of his buyout drops to $550,000.
Cabrera began 2009 with Oakland. The A's traded him to Minnesota at the trading deadline. His combined line of .284/.316/.389 in 706 plate appearances was slightly below his career averages.
Oakland Inks Gabe Gross
Jane Lee of MLB.com has the story of Oakland's contract agreement with outfielder Gabe Gross. It's a one-year deal worth $750,000.
Gross spent 2009 with the Rays, compiling a batting line of .226/.327/.355 in 326 plate appearances. He played primarily in right field, but has covered both center and left. He joins a very crowded Oakland outfield where he'll likely serve in a reserve capacity.
A's, Reds Swing Deal
The busy days in Cincinnati and Oakland leading up to spring training continued according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney who reports on the deal struck between the two teams that sends Aaron Miles to Cincinnati in exchange for Adam Rosales and Willy Tavares. Oakland subsequently designated Tavares for assignment to make room on their 40-man roster for Gross. The Reds will receive either a player to be named later or cash to complete the deal.
Miles joined the A's earlier in the offseason in a deal that brought he and Jake Fox to Oakland. Miles was positively awful in 2009 with the Cubs. He hit .185/.224/.242 in 170 plate appearances.
Rosales bounced around the infield for the Reds in 2009. He hit .213/.303/.317 in 266 plate appearances for Cincinnati. Oakland has 10 days to place Tavares on waivers, work another trade for the speedy outfielder or give him his unconditional release. Tavares hit .240/.275/.285 in 102 games for the Reds.
Cubs Agree with Kevin Millar on a Minor League Deal
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Cubs will sign Kevin Millar to a minor league contract and extend him an invitation to spring training.
Millar spent 2009 in Toronto slipping into a part time role with the Blue Jays. He appeared in 78 games hitting seven homeruns and posting a batting line of .223/.311/.363.
Byung-Hyun Kim Signs with Giants
Jerry Crasnick also has a story on the comeback attempt of former Arizona Diamondbacks closer Byung-Hyun Kim. The inconsistent righty had retired after the 2007 season, but has agreed to a minor league with an invitation to spring training and an opportunity to win a job in San Francisco's pen.
Kim's last season in major league baseball was 2007 where he made 22 starts for three separate teams. He was 10-8 with an ERA of 6.08 in 118.3 innings pitched.
Joe Nelson Joins Red Sox
Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Red Sox have signed veteran reliever Joe Nelson to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training.
Nelson pitched for Tampa Bay in 2009. He factored in three decisions, all wins and saved three games for the Rays, posting an ERA of 4.02 in 40.3 innings pitched. He kept runners off base and recorded good strikeout numbers, but had trouble with control walking six batters per 9 IP.
Joe Tetreault is a member of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey.
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Free Agency, Trades, and Signings
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Written by Maury Brown
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Monday, 01 February 2010 01:02 |
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 UPDATE (2/1 -11:30pm ET) With Reed Johnson reaching a one-year, $800,000 deal with the Dodgers, the data below has been updated.
In our continuing look at projected roster salaries for the 30 clubs in Major League Baseball (see Yankees, Braves, Red Sox, and Rangers), we continue with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers had 9 players that were salary arbitration eligible reach deals ahead of hearing, with all but two (Chad Billingsley and Jason Repko) filing for arbitration. Of those 7 players (Jonathan Broxton, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Hong-Chih Kuo, James Loney, Russell Martin, and George Sherrill), all but Kemp signed deals on Jan. 19th.
With the divorce of Frank and Jamie McCourt hanging over the Dodgers’ head, many have wondered how they would approach the off-season in terms of free spending. On that front, they have kept spending down (for the most part), while losing at least one major albatross contract off the books (Jason Schmidt, who garnered a whopping $ 15,217,401 last season, but as noted below, still impacts the Dodgers), while losing key pieces in Randy Wolf ($4,956,237), and second baseman Orlando Hudson to free agency ($3,364,877).
The biggest drag on salary this coming season for the Dodgers comes from Manny Ramirez who exercised his $20 million player option in his contract. To place that in perspective, Ramirez’ salary is double the next highest salary for the Dodgers this year (Hiroki Kuroda at $10 million).
Below are salaries for 17 players that the Dodgers have already set salaries for in 2010:
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Dodgers
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Manny Ramirez
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$20,000,000
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Hiroki Kuroda
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$10,000,000
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Rafael Furcal
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$8,500,000
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Andre Ethier
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$6,000,000
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Casey Blake
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$6,000,000
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Russell Martin
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$5,050,000
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George Sherrill
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$4,500,000
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Vicente Padilla
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$4,025,000
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Jonathan Broxton
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$4,000,000
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Matt Kemp
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$4,000,000
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Chad Billingsley
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$3,850,000
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James Loney
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$3,100,000
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Jamey Carroll
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$1,350,000
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Hong-Chih Kuo
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$950,000
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| Reed Johnson |
$800,000 |
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Brad Ausmus
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$850,000
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Ronnie Belliard
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$850,000
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Jason Repko
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$500,000
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TOTAL
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$84,325,000
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There are also these players that have under 3 years of service time, and are on year-to-year renewals. These players (with their 2009 salaries) represent players that had at least 1 year, but less than 3 years, of ML service time:
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Player
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2009 Salary
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Blake DeWitt
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$405,000
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Clayton Kershaw
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$404,000
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Cory Wade
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$402,500
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Eric Stults
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$402,000
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Chin-Lung Hu
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$401,000
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Ramon Troncoso
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$401,000
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James McDonald
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$400,750
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If these players were renewed at their exact salaries they earned in 2009, it would add $2,816,250 to the total for 2010, or a total of $87,141,250 (without deferments, bonuses, dead money). If, let’s say, all the pre-arb players received a 6.5 percent pay increase (possible, but Dodgers not under obligation to do so), the total would be $87,324,306.
And, when looking at this great accounting of the dead money for the Dodgers by Eric Stephen of True Blue LA, the Dodgers will see a drop in the amount allocated to the 25-man roster compared to last year’s $100,414,592 figure that ranked them the 9th highest in the league in 2009.
 Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
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Free Agency, Trades, and Signings
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 31 January 2010 23:11 |
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 As part of the continued look at projected player payroll for the upcoming 2010 season, the next club in line was the Los Angeles Dodgers. But, in looking at our data, there was a hole: Jamey Carroll.
Yes, Carroll signed a 2-year, $3.85 million free agent deal back in mid-December, but for determining how much Carroll would add to the Dodgers' 2010 payroll, the need for salary for each year was needed.
I pinged Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors, and after some digging on his part, he came up with the following:
- 2010 season: 1.050Mil plus 300K SB – Total $1.350M
- 2011 season: 1.8Mil plus 700K SB (two payments in Jan, (300K) and December, (400K) – Total $2.5M
Here are the incentives, up to 525K a year...
- $25,000 if Player achieves at least 275 Plate Appearances during the Championship Season
- $50,000 if Player achieves at least 300 Plate Appearances during the Championship Season
- $50,000 if Player achieves at least 350 Plate Appearances during the Championship Season
- $75,000 if Player achieves at least 400 Plate Appearances during the Championship Season
- $75,000 if Player achieves at least 450 Plate Appearances during the Championship Season
- $125,000 if Player achieves at least 500 Plate Appearances during the Championship Season
- $125,000 if Player achieves at least 550 Plate Appearances during the Championship Season
The maximum amount of performance bonuses that Player can earn during any Championship Season is Five Hundred and Twenty Five Thousand Dollars ($525,000).
Look for the projected player payroll information for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday.
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
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Free Agency, Trades, and Signings
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Written by Maury Brown
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Saturday, 30 January 2010 14:00 |
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 In our continuing look at projected roster salaries for the 30 clubs in Major League Baseball (see Yankees, Braves, and Red Sox), we continue with the Texas Rangers.
With the Rangers reaching a one-year, $2.245 million contract with RHP Scott Feldman late Friday night, the club has now reached agreements with all their salary arbitration eligible players (the others included Esteban German, Josh Hamilton, Chris Ray, Brandon McCarthy, Dustin Nippert, and C.J. Wilson)
Below for 15 players that the Rangers have already set salaries for.
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Texas Rangers
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Player
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2010 Salary
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Michael Young
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$16,000,000
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Rich Harden
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$6,500,000
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Vladimir Guerrero
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$6,500,000
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Ian Kinsler
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$4,000,000
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Frank Francisco
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$3,265,000
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Josh Hamilton
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$3,250,000
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C.J. Wilson
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$3,100,000
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Darren Oliver
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$3,000,000
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Scott Feldman
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$2,425,000
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Colby Lewis
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$1,750,000
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Brandon McCarthy
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$1,300,000
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Chris Ray
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$975,000
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Khalil Greene
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$750,000
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Dustin Nippert
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$650,000
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Esteban German
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$600,000
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TOTAL
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$54,065,000
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There are also these players that have under 3 years of service time, and are on year-to-year renewals. These players (with their 2009 salaries) represent players that had at least 1 year, but less than 3 years, of ML service time:
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Player
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2009 Salary
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Murphy
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$414,820
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Saltalamacchia
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$410,890
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Boggs
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$408,540
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Cruz
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$408,070
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C. Davis
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$406,620
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Mendoza
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$406,210
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TOTAL
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$2,455,150
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If we apply an approx. 6.5 percent increase to just these players, we could see an additional $2,614,735 for these players in 2010. That would give the Rangers a $56,679,735 projected payroll with 4 roster spots left to fill. It should be noted that the Rangers had a $68,178,798 opening day payroll for 2009.
Adam Morris of Lone Star Ball adds in the following:
[Brown's numbers] doesn't include the $3 million the Rangers are kicking in on Kevin Millwood's salary, the $2 million they owe Frank Catalanotto for 2010 for the buyout of his option, or the $1.75 million they owe Vicente Padilla for the buyout of his 2010 option.
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
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