MLK III: Talk of Mets interest premature
January 31, 2011
NEW YORK (AP)—Martin Luther King Jr.’s oldest son says any discussion ofhis potential interest in becoming a minority owner of the New York Mets ispremature.
Martin Luther King III said he was contacted Saturday by televisionexecutive Larry Meli, who is interested in putting together a group that wouldinclude former Mets first baseman Ed Kranepool and Donn Clendenon Jr., whosefather was MVP of the Mets’ 1969 World Series victory.
King said he encouraged Meli because it would increase diversity. But Kingalso said he was not actively putting together a group.
“This was blown up way out of proportion,” King said Monday in a telephoneinterview with The Associated Press. “While I’m not leading a group and I’m nothaving direct conversations with the Wilpons, I think it is very important topromote diversity in ownership.”
“I believe in the merit and American value of creating an example, and, ifI personally, or as part of a collective, can advance the vision of a morediverse ownership group in professional sports, domestically or internationally,then, like my father, I am prepared to act in that spirit,” he said.
King runs the King Center in Atlanta.
Mets owner Fred Wilpon and his son, chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon,said Friday that they were considering selling a 20 percent to 25 percentinterest in the team. The announcement came after they were named in a lawsuitfrom the trustee trying to reclaim money for the victims of the Bernard Madoffswindle.
RHP Dickey, OF Pagan agree with Mets
January 31, 2011
NEW YORK (AP)—Pitcher R.A. Dickey(notes) has agreed to a $7.8 million, two-yearcontract with the New York Mets and outfielder Angel Pagan(notes) has agreed to a $3.5million, one-year deal.
Dickey, a 36-year-old knuckleballer who revived his career last season, getsa $1 million signing bonus, $2.25 million this year and $4.25 million in 2012under Monday’s agreement. The Mets have a $5 million option for 2013 with a$300,000 buyout.
Brought up from the minor leagues in mid-May, Dickey went 11-9 with a 2.84ERA last year.
Pagan, 29, hit .290 with 11 homers and 69 RBIs, becoming the starting centerfielder while Carlos Beltran(notes) was sidelined.
They were the last Mets in arbitration.
Mets give RHP Dickey $7.8M, 2-year deal
January 31, 2011
NEW YORK (AP)—Pitcher R.A. Dickey(notes) and the New York Mets have agreed to a$7.8 million, two-year contract that avoided salary arbitration.
The 36-year-old knuckleballer, who revived his career last season, gets a $1million signing bonus, $2.25 million this year and $4.25 million in 2012 underMonday’s agreement. The Mets have a $5 million option for 2013 with a $300,000buyout.
Brought up from the minor leagues in mid-May, Dickey went 11-9 with a 2.84ERA last year.
Outfielder Angel Pagan(notes) is the last Mets player in arbitration.
Reds, RHP Volquez agree at $1,625,000
January 31, 2011
CINCINNATI (AP)—Right-hander Edinson Volquez(notes) and the Cincinnati Reds haveagreed to a one-year contract worth $1,625,000.
The deal, which avoided salary arbitration, includes $50,000 in performancebonuses: $25,000 each for 24 and 28 starts.
Cincinnati offered a multiyear deal to Volquez, who returned fromreconstructive elbow surgery last season.
The 27-year-old returned from elbow surgery last August and went 4-3 with a4.31 ERA in 12 starts, getting better as he went along. He made $445,000.
Volquez was the last Reds player in arbitration.
INF Dobbs, RHP Hill agree with Marlins
January 31, 2011
MIAMI (AP)—Infielder Greg Dobbs(notes) and right-hander Shawn Hill(notes) have signedminor-league contracts with the Florida Marlins and received invitations tospring training.
Dobbs batted .196 in 88 games with Philadelphia last year. He is a career.260 hitter with 31 homers and 64 pinch-hits in seven big league seasons.
Hill underwent elbow ligament replacement surgery for the second time inJune 2009. He returned last September and went 1-2 with a 2.61 ERA in fourlate-season starts for Toronto.
Hill has a 9-18 record in 44 career starts with four teams.
Rockies sign RHP Betancourt through 2012
January 31, 2011
DENVER (AP)—Reliever Rafael Betancourt(notes) has become the fifth non-free agentto get a multiyear contract from the Colorado Rockies this offseason.
The right-hander, already was slated to make $3,775,000 this year, will earn$4 million in 2012 under a new contract agreed to with the Rockies. The dealincludes a $4.25 mutual option in 2013 with a $250,000 buyout.
The agreement was first reported by ESPN Deportes and is contingent onBetancourt passing a physical when he reports to spring training.
Betancourt, who turns 36 in April, went 5-1 with a 3.61 ERA last season.
He is the latest non-free agent to receive a multiyear contract from theRockies this offseason, joining star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki(notes), slugger CarlosGonzalez(notes), reliever Matt Lindstrom(notes) and starting pitcher Jason Hammel(notes).
RHP Duchscherer, O’s agree to 1-yr. deal
January 31, 2011
BALTIMORE (AP)—A person with knowledge of the deal tells The AssociatedPress the Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Justin Duchscherer(notes) have reachedagreement on a one-year contract.
The deal is pending the completion of a physical, the person said Monday,speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement is not yet final.
The 33-year-old Duchscherer is 33-25 with a 3.13 ERA over eight seasons withTexas and Oakland. he pitched in only five games in April last year beforesurgery on his left hip.
Duchscherer missed the entire 2009 season because of an elbow injury andclinical depression.
The two-time All-Star is expected to provide a veteran presence in arotation that includes three players with fewer than 50 career starts: BrianMatusz(notes), Brad Bergesen(notes) and Jake Arrieta(notes).
Mets name Viola Class A pitching coach
January 31, 2011
NEW YORK (AP)—Frank Viola is returning to professional baseball, agreeingto become the pitching coach for the New York Mets’ Class A Brooklyn Cyclones.
The 1988 AL Cy Young Award winner, now 50, pitched for the Mets from 1989-91and retired as a player in 1996. He has coached at Lake Highland PreparatorySchool in Orlando, Fla., and has broadcast Red Sox games for NESN.
The Mets said Monday that Rich Donnelly will take over as manager of theCyclones in place of Wally Backman, who was promoted last week to manager of theMets’ Double-A Binghamton team. Bobby Malek returns as Cyclones hittinginstructor.
Twins C Mauer aiming for healthier 2011
January 30, 2011
BLAINE, Minn. (AP)—Joe Mauer(notes) has been warning eager teammate Joe Nathan(notes) toavoid overexertion during spring training as the Minnesota Twins closercompletes his comeback from elbow surgery that kept him off the mound last year.
“I’m trying to get in his ear, saying, ‘April 1st. April 1st,”’ Mauer saidthis weekend, mentioning the date of the season opener. “It’s still January.”
That applies for a certain catcher, too, coming off a number of nagginginjuries he played through in 2010 and minor surgery he had in December toalleviate some swelling in his left knee.
“My advice to Nathan, I’m taking that to heart, too,” Mauer said, lookingahead to his own plan for February and March. “I should be ready to go when wereport. Just got to be smart about it and get ready for the season.”
After winning the American League MVP award the year before, Mauer’sproduction dropped while playing the sport’s most physically demanding positionand dealing with aches and pains. His on-base-plus-slugging percentage decreasedfrom 1.031 to .871, a mark still good for 23rd in the majors but a bitdisappointing for fans anticipating more after he signed an eight-year, $184million contract extension in March that has begun in 2011.
The problem for Mauer, as an All-Star catcher, is that there’s no way tolessen the wear and tear of the job short of switching positions. Neither he northe Twins are ready to do that, with Mauer not yet 28. His impact as adesignated hitter is limited for now, too, with at-bats wanted for Jason Kubel(notes)and Jim Thome(notes).
“It’s part of the job,” Mauer said. “Last year, I got beat up prettyearly, and when you have injuries and stuff like that early in the season youdeal with it the whole year. Playing baseball, we don’t have six days to gethealthy. We’re playing seven days a week. You start compensating, and that justleads to another thing.
“So coming into this year: Try to take care of yourself as much as you can,and I’m looking forward to getting out there,” he said.
Mauer bruised his left heel on April 30 when he lunged at first base leggingout a grounder, forcing his foot hard on the bag. It was a fluke injury, butcrouching behind the plate doesn’t help it heal. He only missed eight games, buthe said he thinks the heel problem led to the soreness in his knee, the same onehe hurt in 2004 that limited his rookie year to 35 games. Mauer was alsobothered last season by pain in his throwing shoulder.
“It just kind of snowballed and kept going,” said Mauer, who appeared in137 games and was the starting catcher 107 times. “Looking back, I was happyand proud to be out there as much as I was. That’s kind of my thing: I want tobe out on the field as much as I can, and that’s what I’m planning on doing thisyear.”
In 2009, Mauer was slowed by a lower back problem and missed all of springtraining, delaying his season debut to May 1. He wound up with career highs inhome runs (28), batting average (.365) and RBIs (96) and the aforementioned MVPhonor. Perhaps a lighter preseason load will keep Mauer fresher longer and leadto the same kind of result.
“He’s our go-to guy,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He’s going to do mostof the catching. That’s just the way it is. If it becomes an issue down the roadthen we make a move and put him somewhere else. But he wants to catch, and he’sour catcher. We need him in the lineup.”
Mauer’s teammate, right fielder Michael Cuddyer(notes), is also coming off anoffseason operation—two, actually. He played through right knee pain last yearand had arthroscopic surgery shortly after the Twins were ousted from theplayoffs. Then he felt a stomach ache less than two weeks later that led to anappendectomy.
Cuddyer, in town for the weekend with dozens of future, current and pastTwins players for the team’s annual fan festival, said his leg is back tonormal, perhaps stronger than before. While Nathan, Mauer and first basemanJustin Morneau(notes), who’s coming back from a concussion, will be brought alongslowly in spring training, that kind of approach is foreign to Cuddyer. That’sno knock on them. It’s just his nature.
“The first game starts, and I want to go 4 for 4,” said Cuddyer, thelongest-tenured player on the team. “I can’t get on a baseball field and say,‘I just want to fine-tune some things to get ready for April. Me, I can’t dothat. I want to be ready to go day one of spring training.”
The Twins are being cautious with Morneau, who has been ramping up hisworkouts and reporting progress in his recovery. Nobody is concerned about howmuch baseball activity he’ll have in February or March. Just like with Nathanand Mauer, it’s all about April 1.
“We want the best for him,” Mauer said. “He’s obviously a great teammate,a great friend. We’re more worried about his health as a person. That’ll be niceto see No. 33 back on the field.”
AP Sports Writer Jon Krawczynski contributed to this report.
Rangers invite P Bush to spring training
January 30, 2011
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—Free agent right-hander Dave Bush(notes) has agreed to aminor league deal with the AL champion Texas Rangers that includes an invitationto major league spring training.
Bush spent the last five seasons with Milwaukee. He was 8-13 with a 4.54 ERAin 32 games (31 starts) last year.
He made at least 29 starts in four of the last five seasons. He won 12 gamesin both 2006 and 2007 when Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux held the same jobwith the Brewers.
In 193 games over seven major league seasons with Toronto (2004-05) andMilwaukee (2006-10), the 31-year-old Bush is 56-68 with a 4.66 ERA.
With the addition of Bush on Sunday, the Rangers have 54 players on theirspring training roster.
