| Recent Player News |
| Date |
Player |
News |
| 12/31/2008 |
Mark Hendrickson, SP (Fla) |
Hendrickson signed a one-year contract with the pitching-depleted Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.
Analysis: Hendrickson pitched in 36 games for the Florida Marlins last season, including 19 starts, and could compete for a spot in Baltimore's thin starting rotation. The 34-year-old Hendrickson was 7-8 with a 5.45 ERA in 2008. In seven seasons, he's 50-63 with a 5.07 ERA over 215 games, most of them starts. |
| 12/31/2008 |
Aaron Miles, 2B (ChC) |
The Cubs and Miles have agreed to a two-year contract.
Analysis: The switch-hitting Miles batted .317 with four homers and 31 RBIs in 134 games for the St. Louis Cardinals last season. Last season Miles played mostly at second base with 85 appearances. He also played short, third and all three outfield positions. |
| 12/31/2008 |
Brian Fuentes, RP (Col) |
The Angels have reached a two-year deal with Fuentes.
Analysis: Fuentes is a three-time NL All-Star. He was 1-5 with 30 saves and a 2.73 ERA for Colorado this season. The free agent agreed to terms Wednesday on a deal that includes an option for a third year. The Angels needed a closer after Francisco Rodriguez signed with the New York Mets. |
| 12/31/2008 |
Mark DeRosa, 2B (Cle) |
DeRosa was traded from the Cubs to the Indians on Wednesday.
Analysis: The 33-year-old DeRosa may slide into Cleveland's opening at third base. He hit a career-high 21 homers and drove in 87 runs last season while playing six different positions for the NL Central champions. |
| 12/30/2008 |
Chris Snyder, C (Ari) |
Snyder and the Arizona Diamondbacks reached agreement Tuesday on a three-year contract. The deal includes a club option for the 2012 season.
Analysis: The 27-year-old Snyder hit .237 this year, setting career highs with 115 games played, 16 home runs and 64 RBIs. The homers were a record for a Diamondbacks catcher. Also, Snyder did not commit an error in 847 total chances. He has one error in 1,629 chances in the last two seasons for a .999 fielding percentage. |
| 12/30/2008 |
Randy Ruiz, 1B (Tor) |
Ruiz signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday and was invited to spring training.
Analysis: Ruiz, 31, made his major league debut with Minnesota this year, hitting .274 with one homer and seven RBIs in 22 games. At Triple-A Rochester, he hit .320 with 17 home runs and 68 RBIs. |
| 12/30/2008 |
Raul Chavez, C (Tor) |
Chavez signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday and was invited to spring training.
Analysis: Chavez, 35, hit .259 with one homer and 10 RBIs for Pittsburgh and has spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors. |
| 12/30/2008 |
Michael Barrett, C (Tor) |
Barrett signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday and was invited to spring training.
Analysis: The 32-year-old Barrett hit .202 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 30 games with San Diego. He has played 11 seasons in the majors with Montreal, the Chicago Cubs and the Padres. |
| 12/30/2008 |
Mike Maroth, SP (Tor) |
Maroth signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday and was invited to spring training.
Analysis: The 31-year-old Maroth is 50-67 with a 5.05 ERA in six seasons with Detroit and St. Louis. The left-hander pitched three games this year for Kansas City's Triple-A Omaha team in an injury-shortened season. |
| 12/30/2008 |
Joe Nelson, RP (TB) |
Nelson signed a $1.3 million, one-year contract with the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. Nelson, who agreed to terms last week, was 3-1 with one save in 59 appearances for the Florida Marlins last season.
Analysis: His 2.00 ERA was third-best among NL relievers behind Hong-Chih Kuo's 1.69 and Brad Lidge's 1.95. The 34-year-old Nelson allowed 42 hits while striking out 60 in 54 innings for the Marlins last season. |
| 12/29/2008 |
Josh Bard, C (Bos) |
The Boston Red Sox struck a tentative agreement with Bard, pending a physical, several reports on Monday said.
Analysis: Bard played seven games for Boston in 2006 but struggled to catch Tim Wakefield's knuckler and was traded to San Diego. He batted .202 with a homer and 16 RBIs in 178 at-bats for the Padres last season. The Red Sox need depth behind the plate - captain Jason Varitek is a free agent. |
| 12/29/2008 |
Brad Penny, SP (Bos) |
Penny and the Boston Red Sox reached a preliminary agreement on a $5 million, one-year contract, according to several reports Monday.
Analysis: A two-time All-Star, the 30-year-old Penny struggled with injuries to his shoulder and side last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, going 6-9 with a 6.27 ERA in 17 starts and two relief appearances. The previous season, however, Penny went 16-4 with a 3.03 ERA in 33 starts covering 208 innings and placed third in NL Cy Young Award voting. |
| 12/29/2008 |
Daniel Cabrera, SP (Was) |
Cabrera formalized his one-year, $2.6 million contract with the Washington Nationals after passing a physical Monday.
Analysis: Cabrera and the Nationals reached a preliminary agreement one week earlier, contingent upon the right-hander proving his health. He underwent MRI exams on his throwing shoulder and elbow as part of his physical. He went on the disabled list with Baltimore in September after experiencing pain and tingling in his right elbow during a side session. He went 8-10 with a 5.25 ERA in 30 starts last season for the Orioles, who declined to offer him a contract for 2009. |
| 12/26/2008 |
Randy Johnson, SP (SF) |
Johnson and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a one-year contract Friday.
Analysis: Johnson, a 21-year big league veteran who spent the past two seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, was born in Walnut Creek, Calif., about 30 minutes from the Giants' waterfront ballpark. The five-time Cy Young Award winner has 295 victories after going 11-10 with a 3.91 ERA in 30 starts last season. |
| 12/24/2008 |
Luis Rodriguez, 2B (SD) |
The Padres agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Rodriguez on Wednesday.
Analysis: The switch-hitting Rodriguez batted .287 with 12 RBIs and 22 runs scored in 64 games in his first season with San Diego. Signed by Minnesota as an undrafted free agent in 1997, Rodriguez has a career average of .257 with six home runs and 50 RBIs over parts of four major league seasons. San Diego also reached minor league deals with pitchers Kevin Correia, Chris Britton and Oneli Perez, and catcher Eliezer Alfonzo. The four were also invited to spring training. |
| 12/24/2008 |
Kevin Cash, C (NYY) |
The Yankees have reached an agreement with Cash on a minor league contract.
Analysis: If Cash, a career .184 hitter, is added to the 40-man roster he will receive a $700,000, one-year deal. He batted .225 with three home runs and 15 RBIs in 61 games with the Boston Red Sox last season. The agreement has not been announced by the Yankees, but is expected to be in the coming weeks. |
| 12/23/2008 |
Jamie Burke, C (Sea) |
Burke has returned to the Seattle Mariners after becoming a free agent, agreeing Tuesday to a minor league contract.
Analysis: The 37-year-old backup catcher, trying to make the Mariners for a third season, was invited to major league spring training. Seattle has four catchers on its 40-man roster: Kenji Johjima, Jeff Clement, Rob Johnson and Burke. Clement or Johjima could be Seattle's designated hitter next season. |
| 12/23/2008 |
Mark Teixeira, 1B (NYY) |
The New York Yankees reeled in another prime free agent, reaching a preliminary agreement Tuesday with Teixeira for $180 million over eight years.
Analysis: A person familiar with the negotiations disclosed the agreement, which is subject to a physical. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet final. Teixeira's deal raises the Yankees' offseason spending spree to $423.5 million. Just last Thursday, the Yankees completed agreements with two pitchers, giving CC Sabathia a $161 million, seven-year contract and A.J. Burnett an $82.5 million, five-year deal. |
| 12/22/2008 |
Daniel Cabrera, SP (Was) |
Cabrera and the Washington Nationals have reached a preliminary agreement on a one-year contract, pending a physical that his agent said is slated for next week.
Analysis: Cabrera went 8-10 with a 5.25 ERA in 30 starts last season for the Baltimore Orioles, who declined to offer the right-hander a contract for 2009, making him a free agent. The 6-foot-7 Cabrera was signed as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 1999, and he went 12-8 for the Orioles as a rookie in 2004. But he's had four consecutive losing seasons since, and his career record is 48-59 with a 5.05 ERA. |
| 12/22/2008 |
Ryan Doumit, C (Pit) |
Doumit and the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed Monday to a three-year contract that includes club options for 2012 and 2013.
Analysis: Doumit reached the deal less than a year after becoming the Pirates' starting catcher. He hit .318 with 15 home runs and 69 RBIs in 431 at-bats after beating out former starter Ronny Paulino early in the season. |
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