A’s, Duchscherer agree on 1-year deal
December 24, 2009
Right-hander Justin Duchscherer(notes) has reached a preliminary agreement on aone-year contract that would keep him with the Oakland Athletics, a person withknowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement has notbeen finalized. Duchscherer’s deal is pending a physical, so an announcement bythe team might not come until after Christmas.
A two-time All-Star, the 32-year-old missed all of the 2009 season becauseof an elbow injury and was treated for clinical depression. He has spent thelast six of his seven major league seasons with Oakland, becoming a full-timestarter for the first time in his career during 2008. He went 10-8 that yearwith a 2.54 ERA while pitching a career-high 141 2-3 innings.
Duchscherer earned his second All-Star selection in 2008 and certainly ishoping for a successful return to baseball come 2010.
Having Duchscherer back will add a key veteran presence to a young rotationthat featured mostly rookies this past season, including highly touted BrettAnderson(notes) and Trevor Cahill(notes).
The A’s finished with 75 wins for the second straight season and in lastplace in the AL West, losing their final seven games.
General manager Billy Beane has been busy this winter. The A’s signedoutfielder Coco Crisp(notes) on Wednesday and Beane acquired third baseman Jake Fox(notes),second baseman Aaron Miles(notes) and cash considerations from the Chicago Cubs forthree players.
Oakland also was included in the big four-team, nine-player swap last weekfeaturing Cliff Lee(notes) and Roy Halladay(notes) that brought outfielder Michael Taylor tothe A’s. Oakland sent third baseman Brett Wallace(notes) to Toronto.
Angels sign RHP Rodney for 2 yrs, $11M
December 24, 2009
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)—Reliever Fernando Rodney(notes) has signed a two-year, $11million deal with the Los Angeles Angels.
The 32-year-old right-hander spent his first seven major league seasons withthe Detroit Tigers, including the last two years as their closer. He converted37 of 38 save opportunities last season, pitching a career-best 75 2-3 innings.
Angels general manager Tony Reagins praises Rodney’s competitiveness, sayinghe’ll add depth to the team’s bullpen. Reagins didn’t specify Rodney’s role, buthe could compete with closer Brian Fuentes(notes), who led the majors in saves lastseason.
The Angels lost free-agent reliever Darren Oliver(notes) to the Texas Rangers onWednesday.
Ex-Pirates closer Capps to join Nats
December 24, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP)—Reliever Matt Capps(notes) reached a preliminary agreement earlyThursday on a $3.5 million, one-year contract with the Washington Nationals.
Capps can earn an additional $425,000 in performance bonuses for gamesfinished under the deal, which was reached about 12:30 a.m. The pitcher’s agent,Paul Kinzer, said the agreement is subject to a physical that will take place inthe first week of January.
“This was the opportunity for him to be a closer and he decided the wantedto stay in that role,” Kinzer said.
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The 26-year-old Capps became a free agent this month when the Piratesdecided not to offer him a contract for 2010. The right-hander earned 27 saveslast season, while going 4-8 with a 5.80 ERA. He struck out 46 batters in 54 1-3innings.
Kinzer said the bidding lasted through Wednesday night and that Capps turneddown a two-year offer from the Nationals, believing he will have a good seasonand put himself in position for a higher 2011 salary. While Washington was thefavorite, other teams also tried to sign Capps.
“There also was the Cubs,” Kinzer said. “The Mets expressed someinterest, but it was very late. We very down the road with it, and it would havebeen a setup role, too.”
Capps made his major league debut in 2005 and has career totals of 67 saves,a 19-19 record and 3.61 ERA, all with the Pirates. He would start earning hisbonuses with 40 games finished and would get the full amount with 65.
He gives the Nationals an experienced closer as they work to rebuild abullpen that was among the team’s biggest problems in 2009, when Washingtonfinished 59-103, the worst record in the majors. It was the second consecutiveyear that the Nationals lost more than 100 games.
Mike MacDougal(notes) was signed in May and finished the season as Washington’scloser, getting 20 saves and going 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA. But the Nationals didnot offer him a contract for next season.
Instead, general manager Mike Rizzo has set out to rebuild the bullpen,trading for New York Yankees relief pitcher Brian Bruney(notes) and now bringing aboardCapps.
Those are part of a busy offseason that also has included this week’ssigning of free-agent starting pitcher Jason Marquis(notes) to a $15 million, two-yearcontract, and the earlier $6 million, two-year deal given to free-agent catcherIvan Rodriguez(notes).
The Nationals also have an agreement on a minor league contract withreliever Eddie Guardado(notes), who would get a chance to make the team in springtraining.
The 39-year-old left-hander known as “Everyday Eddie” appeared in 48 gamesfor the Texas Rangers last season, going 1-2 with a 4.46 ERA. Guardado has 187saves in a career that began in 1993.
AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.
A’s finalize 1-year deal with OF Crisp
December 23, 2009
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)—The Athletics have finalized a $5.25 million, one-yearcontract with free agent outfielder Coco Crisp(notes).
The deal announced Wednesday pays Crisp $4.75 million next year and includesa $5.75 million club option for 2011 with a $500,000 buyout.
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The 30-year-old Crisp can play all three outfield positions but primarily isa center fielder. While the A’s have been happy with Rajai Davis(notes), he might windup playing one of the corner spots to clear room for Crisp in center.
Crisp had season-ending shoulder surgery in June and batted .228 with threehome runs and 14 RBIs in only 49 games last season for the Kansas City Royals.
Royals, OF Anderson agree to 1-year deal
December 23, 2009
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—Outfielder Brian Anderson(notes) and the Kansas City Royalshave agreed to a $700,000, one-year contract.
The 27-year old can make an additional $100,000 in performance bonuses underWednesday’s deal.
He hit just .238 with two homers and 13 RBIs in 185 at-bats for the ChicagoWhite Sox last season, then was traded July 28 to the Red Sox for Mark Kotsay(notes)and batted .294 with two homers and five RBIs in 17 at-bats.
Anderson would have been eligible for salary arbitration but became a freeagent when Boston failed to offer a contract by the Dec. 12 deadline.
Selected by the White Sox with the 15th overall pick in the 2003 amateurdraft, Anderson has a .227 average in five major league seasons with 22 homersand 80 RBIs.
RHP Rodney, Angels agree on 2 yrs, $11M
December 23, 2009
LOS ANGELES (AP)—A person familiar with the negotiations tells The AssociatedPress that reliever Fernando Rodney(notes) has reached a preliminary agreement with theLos Angeles Angels on a two-year deal worth $11 million.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t beenfinalized. Rodney must pass a physical for it to be completed.
Rodney spent the past seven seasons in the Detroit Tigers’ bullpen,including the past two as their closer. The hard-throwing right-hander had 37saves last season with a 4.40 ERA and just one blown save.
The agreement was first reported by ESPN.com.
Oliver rejoins Rangers for third stint
December 23, 2009
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—Darren Oliver(notes) returned to the Texas Rangers, saying hiscareer will end where it began 16 years ago.
The 39-year-old left-hander wasn’t ready to say how long his third Texasstint will last after agreeing to a $3.5 million, one-year deal that includes a2011 option.
“I don’t want to start a Brett Favre thing,” Oliver said Wednesday.“We’ll just see what happens this year.”
Oliver retired in 2005 after spending two months in the minor leagues andgetting released twice. He resurrected his career with the New York Mets a yearlater, leading to three strong seasons in the Los Angeles Angels bullpen.
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Now he’s bringing his streak of four playoff appearances to a franchise thathasn’t made the postseason since 1999. The hometown factor was important—Oliver and his family live in the area—but he said he decided on Texas becausehe thinks his playoff streak will reach five.
“When you get to the postseason year after year, you kind of get used to itand you enjoy it,” Oliver said.
Oliver first experienced the playoffs in 1996, when he was a starter andwent 14-6 on the first Texas team to reach the postseason. That Texas stintended in 1998, but he was back two years later.
Four stops over the next three years turned him into a journeyman, and hewas a full-time reliever when he came back with the Mets after his year out ofthe major leagues.
The bullpen turned out to be a good place for Oliver. His season with theMets ended in the NL championship series, and he had the lowest ERAs of hiscareer the past two seasons with the Angels. He was 15-3 in three years with LosAngeles.
“I think veteran was kind of secondary to effective,” Rangers generalmanager Jon Daniels said. “You can have a guy out there who has experience butif he’s … not getting outs, it doesn’t mean a whole lot at the end of the day.What Darren brings is a combination of the two.”
Eddie Guardado(notes) was the veteran left-hander in the Texas bullpen the past twoseasons, but Oliver’s role will be different. Generally, he’s likely to pitchearlier in games, and longer, than Guardado did.
“Jack of all trades,” Oliver said of his role, noting that he made hisfirst start in five years for the Angels last season. “That’s what I did thelast three or four years with the Mets and Angels, so I don’t see why it wouldbe any different.”
Oliver’s deal includes a $3 million salary for 2010, plus a $3.25 millionclub option for 2011 with a $500,000 buyout. The second year of the contractwould become guaranteed if Oliver makes 59 appearances. He had a career-high 63appearances for the Angels in 2009, when he was 5-1 with a 2.71 ERA.
“It kind of feels like it’s coming full circle,” Oliver said. “I’m justlooking for a chance to win here.”
Mets agree to deal with RHP Dickey
December 23, 2009
NEW YORK (AP)—A person familiar with the negotiations told The AssociatedPress that the New York Mets have agreed to a minor league contract withknuckleballer R.A. Dickey(notes).
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the deal wasnot yet complete.
Dickey would get a $600,000, one-year contract if added to the major leagueroster and have the chance to earn $150,000 more in performance bonuses.
A 35-year-old right-hander, Dickey made 14 starts for Seattle in 2008 butwas primarily a reliever for Minnesota last season, when he went 1-1 with a 4.62ERA in one start and 34 relief appearances.
Pitching his entire career without the ulnar collateral ligament in hisright elbow, Dickey is 22-28 with a 5.43 ERA in 48 starts and 96 reliefappearances in seven big league seasons. Doctors think he either was bornwithout the ligament or it dissolved after a tear.
Dickey was taken by Texas with the 18th pick of the 1996 amateur draft.
Jays get M’s RHP Morrow for RHP League
December 23, 2009
SEATTLE (AP)—The Toronto Blue Jays have finalized their trade to acquireformer No. 1 draft choice Brandon Morrow(notes) from the Seattle Mariners for fellowreliever Brandon League(notes) and minor league outfielder Johermyn Chavez.
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Morrow has shown flashes of brilliance with the Mariners but he has beenslowed as Seattle has converted him from a starter to a reliever and back. Hewas sharp as a fill-in closer in 2008.
Braves, Glaus agree on 1-year contract
December 23, 2009
ATLANTA (AP)—A person with knowledge of the negotiations tells The AssociatedPress the Braves have reached a preliminary agreement on a one-year contractwith Troy Glaus(notes), who is likely to move to first base with Atlanta.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is not final.The agreement is pending a physical planned for the first week of January.
Glaus has played third base most of his career but the Braves probably woulduse him at first base in place of Adam LaRoche(notes), who became a free agent. Glausplayed in two games at first base for St. Louis this year, when he missed mostof the season while recovering from shoulder surgery. He hit .172 in only 14games.
The deal was first reported by foxsports.com.
