Strasburg, Draft Picks Signed Before Deadline

At 12:00 midnight, the deadline ended to sign 2009 draft picks. Although his agent is Scott Boras, many believed it would not happen. However, the Washington Nationals signed first overall pick, Stephen Strasburg.

Strasburg and the Nationals agreed to a four year, $15.67 million contract. Strasburg hasn't thrown a pitch in the majors, and he is already making big bucks. Strasburg went 13-1 with a 1.32 ERA at San Diego State this year.

Many believed he would make an impact on the Nationals this year, but Boras said he wants the Nationals to take their time and develop him. 2011 may be a reasonable target.

Among others signed, Dustin Ackley signed a $9.5, five year contract. The second overall pick by the Mariners batted .417 with 22 homers with the University of North Carolina. His teammate, Alex White, signed a $2.25 million contract with the Cleveland Indians. White was drafted 15th overall and had a 8-4 with a 3.87 ERA this season.

The Phillies signed all of their first 10 draft picks. They signed Brody Colvin, their 7th round draft pick.

In other MLB News, Ivan Rodriguez was traded to the Texas Rangers. The Astros acquire Jose Vallejo and Matt Nevarez. Also, the Dodgers may be interested in Vicente Padilla. The Cardinals may be interested in John Smoltz.

Zambrano's Almost Done

On Friday night, Carlos Zambrano won his 100th career game. In the same night, he hit his 18th home run of his career.

"After this contract, I'm done. I'm serious. I don't want to play. I want to
help [the Chicago Cubs], I want to do everything possible to win with this team,
but after five years or four years, or whatever I have left on my contract, I
just don't want to play."

Despite his 100-63 record, 3.49 career ERA and .249 batting average, Zambrano doesn't think he'll play in the majors once his contract is done. Zambrano, 28, is in his second year of a five year, $91.5 million contract that ends in 2012 with an option for 2013.

"I want to stay home and see my daughters grow up and hang out with my family
more," he said. "Do you know how many Mother's Days I spend with my mother? Do
you know how many things I've lost in my life?"

"It's good to be here,
it's good to play baseball -- don't get me wrong," Zambrano said. "But five
years, four years, whatever I have left in my contract, I will retire. That's
it."

Wanting to be with his family in understandable, but his emotions on the mound and his competitive nature do not indicate he is losing interest in the game. Perhaps he isn't satisfied with his contract, or the Cubs.

QUOTE SOURCE: MLB Trade Rumors

Call of the Day: It's rare Abraham Nunez and Sal Fasano hit a home run in a game. For both of them hitting a homer in the same game is rare. But hitting them back to back? Sounds impossible, right? Well, it believe it or not, it happened.

"Line drive to deep left! And this ball is outta here!"

"This one might
go back to back, its way outta here! Off the basing of the upper deck, Sal
Fasano. And the Phillies go back to back on young Scott Kazmir. It is now a tie
game at two."

Orioles Sign Eaton

The Baltimore Orioles signed Adam Eaton to a minor league contract. He was also invited to spring training.

If Eaton makes the team, it will only cost the Orioles $400,000 since he cleared waivers. The Phillies will pay the remaining $8.5 million on his contract, plus his $500,000 buyout for next season.

Eaton has a chance at making the team because the Orioles do not have much depth in their starting rotation.

Poor Orioles. My condolences.

Howard Gets Big Money

The Phillies cleared their arbitration eligible list, signing their last player, Ryan Howard.

It looked as if there would be an arbitration case. The Phillies were willing to give Howard $14 million, but Howard wanted $18 million. Instead, Howard and the Phillies agreed to a 3 year, $54 million deal, buying out the remaining arbitration years. Howard will be making his $18 million a year.

Leading the league in HR and RBI, Howard finished second in the MVP voting in 2008. He also won the MVP in 2006 and the Rookie of the Year Award in 2005.

Despite his high strike out totals, if Howard continues to produce his power numbers, this is essentially a good deal for the Phillies. Last season, Howard made a record $10 million in arbitration. With his big power numbers, his salary will continue to rise in arbitration. The Phillies could be potentially saving money in the near future.

7 Down, 1 To Go; Other Updates

The Phillies avoided arbitration with reliever Chad Durbin on Wednesday, signing him to a one year, $1.635 deal.

For Durbin, a little over $1.5 million is reasonable. Durbin made just $900,000 in 2008, but his due to his performance, he deserved a raise. Giving Durbin too much money would not make much sense since 2008 was a career year for Durbin. He still has a high career ERA over 5. In 87.2 IP, Durbin was 5-4 with a 2.87 ERA during the 2008 season. The deal was just right. Not to high, not to low.

Toward the end of the season, Durbin faced a "dead arm" period and started to struggle. He managed to pitch through it.
The Phillies signed all their arbitration eligible players but one: Ryan Howard, who is still pushing for $18 million.

Prince Fielder is a similar player to Howard. Both have extreme power. The Milwaukee Brewers are close to signing the arbitration eligible Fielder to a 2 year deal that would be worth at least $18 million. Hear that Howard? Fielder is getting two years out of $18M.

Cole Hamels threw 3,914 pitches in 2008, leading the Majors. CC Sabathia, who was the 2007 leader (3,892), threw 3,912 pitches, finishing second. Brett Myers (3,718) was third. Joe Blanton (3,547) was 11th. The number of pitches includes the postseason, and for Myers, Minor Leagues.

Throwing as many pitches as these guys, it increases risk of injury. 10 out of 18 pitchers who reached the 3,400 pitch mark in 2007 had a serious injury in 2008.

Remember Freddy Garcia? Remember the hype around him when the Phillies got him?Remember how he made just 7 starts with the Phillies in 2007? Remember his ERA was over 5 in those starts? Remember how the Phillies gave him $10 million for one year?

Well, both New York teams are interested in him. The Mets and Yankees are the top front runners for him.

The Texas Rangers are close to signing Omar Vizquel. He agreed to a Minor League contract with a base salary of $1 million. The 41 year old is an 11 time Gold Glove Winner, and has played the most games at shortstop than anybody in MLB history.

Jeff Kent officially announced his retirement today. In 17 Major League seasons, Kent batted .290 with 377 homeruns. He had a career OPS of .856.

More Deals and No Deals

A few hours after the Phillies avoided arbitration with Shane Victorino, the Phillies did the same with starter Joe Blanton, signing him to a one year, $5.475 contract. Blanton made $3.7 million in 2008.

Blanton was acquired by the Oakland A's prior to the trade deadline. In 13 starts with the Phillies, Blanton was 4-0 with a 4.20 ERA. In the postseason, Blanton was 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA. Blanton even smacked a home run in the World Series.

In 2008, Ryan Howard tied an all time record for most money won in arbitration, $10 million. This year, Howard wants to nearly double that, going for $18 million. However, the Phillies offered him $14 million.

Although the amount of money requested by Howard is outrageous, he'll likely get it. Despite the strikeout totals and fielding miscues, Howard's side has the argument of leading the league in favorite categories, RBI and home runs.

Jayson Werth wants $4 million, however the Phillies offered him $3 million. Durbin is seeking $1.95, and the Phillies are offering him $1.35.

Phillies Avoid Arbitration with Victorino

The Philadelphia Phillies avoided arbitration with one of their key players once again. The Phillies signed Shane Victorino to a 1 year, $3.125 million contract. "The Flyin' Hawaiian" made just $480,000 in 2008.

So far, the Phillies were able to sign their arbitration eligable players for a fair and cheap amount. Victorino is no different.

Victorino led the team with a .293 AVG. He hit 14 homeruns and stole 36 bases. In the postseason, Victorino drove in 13 RBI. Victorino also won a Gold Glove Award in 2008.

The arbitration list for the Phillies shrinks to four players: Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Joe Blanton and Chad Durbin.

Phillies Sign Madson; Other Updates

The Philadelphia Phillies signed Ryan Madson to the same contract he turned down just days before. The only difference is this contract includes incentives.

The contract is worth $12 million over 3 years. This buys out Madson's last year of arbitration and 2 years of free agency.

Madson was 4-2 with a 3.05 ERA in 2008. He had his ups and downs throughout the year, but for the most part, Madson got the job done, especially in the playoffs, where he went 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA. Madson earned just $1.4 million in 2008.

Nick Markakis agreed to an extension with the Baltimore Orioles. The deal, the third largest in Orioles history, is 6 years worth $66 million.

In 3 Major Leagues years, the 25 year old is a career .299 hitter with a .851 OPS.

The Mariners avoided arbitration with Felix Hernandez, agreeing to a one year $3.8 million deal. Hernandez, 22, was 9-11 with a 3.45 ERA and 175 strikeouts in 2008.

Other notable players avoiding arbitration: Huston Street, Jorge De La Rosa (Rockies), Bobby Jenks, (1 year, $5.6 million, White Sox), Kevin Gregg (Cubs), Mike Gonzalez (Braves), Duaner Sanchez, Jeremy Reed (Mets), Jorge Cantu, Jeremy Hermida (Marlins), Mike Napoli (Angels).

Note: Former Phillie Tadahito Iguchi will return to Japan for the rest of his career.

Phillies Sign Hamels

"MLB preparing big changes MSNBC - 33 minutes ago Cincinnati, Ohio -- Upon being
alerted of Cole Hamels being promoted to the big leagues, MLB Commissioner Bud
Selig announced that the universal symbol for a strikeout will be changed from a
'K' to a 'C'. " -Cole Hamels Facts

The man known by his teammates as "Hollywood" will be star of the Philadelphia Phillies for at least the next 3 years. Colbert Michael Hamels signed a contract taking him through "again, again and again." The contract is a 3 year, $20.5 million deal including incentives and bonuses.

Somebody call the police, because this is a steal. The Phillies got Hamels extremely cheap. Adam Thomas Eaton, who may not even make the team out of Spring Training is making more money than Colbert in 2008. While they avoid arbitration with Cole, Hamels could be due for a big pay day when he reaches free agency.

In 2008, Hamels pitched 227.1 innings, a career high, good for third in MLB. He was 5th in the NL in ERA (3.09). He had a WHIP of 1.08, and struck out 196 batters. In the postseason, Hamels was 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA.

"Cole Hamels will win one Cy Young... and 11 Cole Hamels." -Cole Hamels
Facts

MLB Notes

Spring Training is less than a month away, and the free agent market is shrinking. It's all quiet on the Manny front, and other free agents like Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn are still available.

It is being reported that Ryan Madson turned down a 3 year, $12 million offer. Madson is eligible for arbitration, along with Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels and others. Madson has spent time as a starter and reliever in his career. Most of his success has been as a reliever, and in 2008 was known as "the bridge to Lidge" in his time as a setup man.

Madson was 4-2 in 2008 with a 3.05 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 67 SO in 82.2 IP.

In my opinion, the offer by the Phillies was reasonable. Any more than $4 million for a reliever who has had his struggles is ridiculous. However, with Scott Boras his agent, $4 million a year is an insult. Madson a Phillie beyond 2009 could be a question mark.

The Phillies also avoided arbitration with Greg Dobbs, signing him to a 2 year, $2.5 million deal. Last year, Dobbs set a Phillies record for most pinch hits (22) in a season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers officially cut ties with Andruw Jones, releasing him. A disappointing Jones was the franchises' highest paid player in their history. Jones batted just .158 in 75 games before having knee surgery in 2008.

The Cubs have signed former Phillie So Taguchi to a minor league deal. The Cubs also signed Ronny Cedeno to a one year, $822,000 contract.

The San Diego Padres signed David Eckstein to a one year, $850,000 contract. The hard nosed Eckstein batted .265 with 2 HR with the Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2008.

Also, MLB changed their ruling so that all postseason games will be played in its entirety. Also, one game playoffs will not be based on coin flips, but head to head matchups.

Lowe Signs with Braves

Chipper Jones wasn't a happy camper when the Braves didn't do anything about "Smoltzy", letting him sign with the Boston Red Sox. Despite the loss of John Smoltz, Chipper has cooled down a little bit now that the Braves signed Derek Lowe.

Weeks after turning down an offer from the New York Mets, Lowe signed with their division rivals, the Atlanta Braves. The deal is 4 years worth $60 million.

Lowe, 35, spent the last 4 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last season, Lowe was 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA. Lowe also spent time with the Boston Red Sox, where he won a World Series.

In his career, Lowe, a ground ball pitcher, is 126-107 with a 3.75 ERA and a.27 WHIP. In the postseason, Lowe is 5-5 with a 3.33 ERA in 21 games.

Burrell a Ray; Other Updates

Pat Burrell will be playing at Citizen's Bank Park in 2009. A Ray will have a 2008 World Series Ring.

Burrell signed a 2 year, $16 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Phillies will scrimmage the Rays during the On Deck Series prior to Opening Day. The World Series Ring ceremony isn't until April 8th, but maybe the Phils can have a mini ceremony for Pat a little early.

Burrell's contract was much less than I expected. Less money, less years. Raul Ibanez, who is the better option for left field, will have a larger contract than Burrell.

"First of all, at the end of last year, obviously, I got to know the [Rays]
pretty well," Burrell said. "And coming into free agency, the thing that was
most important to me was to go somewhere where I thought I had as good a chance
or better to repeat and go back to the World Series."

Burrell will be a good fit for the Rays, adding the bat they need. Burrell will get on base and hit 25+ HR, plus get on base. Moving him to the middle of the other, and moving the speedy guys up in the lineup will produce more runs for the Rays. Burrell will DH, so you don't have to worry about taking him out as a defensive replacement.

The Phillies did not offer Burrell arbitration, therefore will not receive a draft pick.

In other news, the Chicago Cubs signed outfielder Milton Bradley. Bradley and the Cubs agreed to a 3 year, $30 million deal.

In 126 games last season, Bradley hit .321 with 22 HR. He also led the American League in OBP, .436. Bradley had a .999 OPS.

QUOTE AND PHOTO SOURCE: MLB.com

Angels Sign Fuentes; Other Updates

The Los Angeles Angels agreed to a 2 year, $17.5 million deal with reliever Brian Fuentes. In 67 games, the lefty had an ERA of 2.73.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, the Chicago Cubs traded infielder Mark DeRosa to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for 3 Minor Leaguers. The Cubs also acquired infielder Aaron Miles. DeRosa batted .285 with the Cubs in 2008.

The Cubs could also deal Jason Marquis in exchange for reliever Luis Vizcaino. The Cubs could also be close to getting Milton Bradley.

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed right hander Claudio Vargas to a one year deal. Manny Ramirez agent has contacted the Dodgers

The New York Mets have extended their offer to 3 years with Derek Lowe worth a total of $36 million. In his career, Lowe has a career ERA of 3.75.

Giants Sign Randy Johnson

The San Francisco Giants signed future Hall of Famer, Randy Johnson, to a one year contract worth $8 million. The deal could included a $2.5 bonus if Johnson is effective.

Randy Johnson is only 5 wins away from 300. He has a career 3.26 ERA in 21 seasons in the Major Leagues. Johnson has 4,789 strikeouts, good for second on the all time list, behind only Nolan Ryan.

Johnson, the 45 year old, has missed a significant amount of time over the past 2 seasons due to injuries. When healthy, and even at 45 years of age, Johnson can still be effective.

Yankees Sign Teixeira

The New York Yankees certainly are not afraid to spend money. After spending big bucks on CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, the Yankees added first baseman Mark Teixeira.

Teixeira was expected to decide on a team today, receiving offers from multiple teams. The Yankees and Teixeira agreed to an 8 year $180 million deal.

The Yankees will have a very large payroll in 2009. Sabathia is set to make millions before he throws out the first pitch. Burnett received a very large contract. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are among Yankees players who are have contracts worth over $100 million.

Teixeira spent most of his career with the Texas Rangers before being traded to the Atlanta Braves. Tex was traded before the trade deadline in 2008 to the Los Angeles Angels.

Teixeira, a switch hitter, is a career .290 hitter in 6 seasons in the Major Leagues. He also provides power from both sides of the plate. With 203 career homeruns, Tex has a career .541 SLG. Tex has a career .378 OBP and .919 OPS. To go along with his bat, Tex provides Gold Glove defense at first base.

This offseason alone the Yankees stacked up big time by adding Teixeira and Sabathia alone. With Chien Ming-Wang returning, and even the addition of Burnett, the Yankees improved their rotation. Their lineup is also much stronger with the addition of Teixeira. It's still to early to judge, but the Yankees have made themselves early World Series favorites.

Furcal Signs with Dodgers

The Atlanta Braves were close to agreeing on a deal with A.J Burnett before he signed with the New York Yankees. The Atlanta Braves thought they were close on agreeing on a deal wtih Rafeal Furcal. However, Furcal re-signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers and Furcal agreed to a 3 year, $33 million deal.

Furcal missed 150 games over the last 2 seasons due to injuries. In his career, Furcal is a .286 hitter with 83 homeruns and .764 OPS over 9 seasons.

Yankees Add Another Starter; Other Updates

Not even a week after signing CC Sabathia, the New York Yankees agreed to terms with pitcher A.J. Burnett. The deal is reportedly worth $82.5 million over 5 years.

The soon to be 32 year old right hander is 87-76 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 10 Major League seasons. Batters hit .235 off Burnett, and he strikes out 8.36 per 9.

Burnett spent 7 seasons with the Florida Marlins and 3 with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The report that Boston Red Sox are looking to add another Japanese player is not accurate. The rumor stated that Red Sox made a 3 year, $21 million offer to Kenshin Kawakimi.

The New York Mets have traded Scott Schoeneweis to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Connor Robertson and cash considerations. The Mets will pay $1.6 million of Schoeneweis' 2009 contract.

The Cincinatti Reds signed relief pitcher Arthur Rhodes. The Chicago White Sox sign the Cuban 19 year old Danyan Viciedo to a 4 year, $10 million contract.

Phillies Sign Ibanez

The Pat Burrell era is over. The Phillies agreed to a 3 year, $30 million contract with outfielder Raul Ibanez.

In his career, the 36 year old veteran has hit .286 in his career. He has a career OPS of .818. In 2008, Ibanez hit .293 with 23 homeruns.

Burrell has the better numbers compared to Ibanez, but not by much. Ibanez has a career OBP of .346 compared to Burrell's .367. Also, Burrell slugged .485 in his career compared to Ibanez who slugged .472. Burrell has hit 251 homeruns in 9 seasons, while Ibanez has 182 in 13 seasons. Neither player has much speed, but Ibanez would beat Burrell in a foot race. Ibanez also has better defense, plus comes cheaper. Overall, the slight edge to Burrell, but in Citizen's Bank Park, Ibanez numbers could increase slightly.

The fact that Ibanez is a left handed hitter is a downside to the signing. That puts 3 lefties in a row, while Burrell broke up the lefties. Overall, its a decent signing.

In other MLB news, the Toronto Blue Jays signed Matt Clement to a minor league deal. Clement has missed several seasons due to injuries. The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Ramon Vazquez to a 2 year, $4 million contract. In addition, Felipe Lopez signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Sabathia Signs with Yankees; Other Updates

CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees agreed to a 7 year deal reportedly worth $161 million which includes an opt-out clause after 3 years.

Sabathia won the 2007 American League Cy Young with the Cleveland Indians. In mid-2008, he was traded to the Brewers. Overall, Sabathia pitched 241 innings with a 2.70 ERA, and 251 SO in 2008.

The Yankees may not be done adding big name pitchers, if nothing else is new. The Yankees extended their offer to A.J. Burnett to 5 years, $60 million. The Yankees must really like pitchers with an abbreviation as their first name. In a 10 year career, Burnett has posted a 3.81 lifetime ERA.

The Washington Nationals are even getting in on the big spending fun. The Nationals proposed an 8 year $160 million offer to free agent Mark Teixeira. Teixeira has a career .290 AVG, .919 OPS and provides great defense.

A small trade similar to the Greg Golson/John Mayberry Jr. trade was made. The Phillies have acquired Ronnie Paulio in exchanged for catcher Jason Jarmaillo. The Phillies would also like to trade Adam Eaton, buying out his contract if necessary.

Not only could a small trade fall through, but a big trade could as well for the Phillies. The deal would involve Jake Peavy going to the Cubs, Mark DeRosa coming to the Phillies in exchange for Carlos Carrasco, J.A. Happ or the most talked about prospect during the Winter Meetings, Jason Donald.

That is the latest from the Winter Meetings.

Mets Sign K-Rod; Other Updates

The Winter Meatings have begun and teams have already made significant moves.

The New York Mets are close to finalizing a deal with the single season all time saves leader, Francisco Rodriguez. The deal is reportedly worth $37 million over 3 seasons, much less than what K-Rod was expected to get.


K-Rod completed 62 saves in 2008, passing Bobby Thigpen's record set in 1988 at 59 saves. In his career, K-Rod has a 2.35 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 587 SO in 451.2 IP (an average of 11.70 K/9). Opponents have hit just .186 off the 26 year old.

So, what does this mean for Phillies fans? Obviously, K-Rod is a great closer, but can be overrated due to his saves. Don't fall into the saves stat too much as its more team dependent than originally thought. K-Rod will only help the Met's bullpen, but the Mets still have to get to K-Rod, as they still need to improve their bullpen. As long as the Mets opponent is winning, Franky Rodriguez won't get into the game.

Another Major League closer is close to a deal. Kerry Wood. Wood, former Cub, Rookie of the Year, and starter who once threw 20 strikeouts in one game, is close to a deal with the Cleveland Indians. Wood has been bothered his entire career with injuries, but the Indians are taking a chance with him.

Former Indian, Casey Blake signed a 3 year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 35 year old third basemen is a career .264 hitter.

The Cincinatti Reds traded Ryan Freel, minor leaguers Justin Turner and Brandon Waring for Ramon Hernandez. In 2008, Hernandez batted .257 with15 HR and 65 RBI. Freel missed a lot of time do to injury.

The Red Sox appear to be making a big push toward free agent Mark Teixeira. As for CC Sabathia, the Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants are interested. Count So Taguchi off the Astors list.. They aren't interested.

In Phillies news, the Phillies picked up Charlie Manuel's 2010 option. Manuel will manage the Phillies through 2010. The Phillies, along with the Yankees, appear to be the big suitors for Derek Lowe. Another rumor involves the Phillies getting Mark Derosa in a 3 way trade in which the Cubs would get Jake Peavy. J.A. Happ or Chris Coste would be traded for DeRosa.

That is the latest from the hot stove as it keeps heating up.