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Talks complicated by Lowell deal snafu
By Gordon Edes
December 29, 2009
The Boston Red Sox remain quietly engaged in discussions for free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre, according to an industry source.
The Beltre talks, expected to resume after the new year, have been complicated by the voiding of the Mike Lowell trade to Texas.
The Sox remain engaged in discussions on Beltre, who is represented by agent Scott Boras, even though his signing could put them over the luxury tax threshold.
Beltre, who is widely regarded as one of the best defensive third basemen in the majors, hit .265 with eight homers and 44 RBIs for the Seattle Mariners last season.
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Bay agrees with Mets
By Jerry Crasnick
December 29, 2009
Free-agent outfielder Jason Bay has reached agreement on a four-year, guaranteed $66 million contract with the New York Mets, a baseball source confirmed to ESPN.com Tuesday.
The agreement will become official once Bay passes a physical exam sometime next week, the source said. The deal includes a vesting option year that could increase Bay's overall payout to slightly more than $80 million over five years.
WFAN was the first to report the agreement had been reached.
Bay, a three-time All-Star, hit .267 with 36 home runs and 119 RBIs for the Boston Red Sox in 2009.
Bay and outfielder Matt Holliday were the most hotly pursued position players on the free-agent market this winter.
It's believed that Bay's vesting option provision includes readily attainable targets based on plate appearances. Bay has averaged 154 games a season since 2005 with Pittsburgh and the Red Sox, so he should have a good chance of making the option vest if he stays healthy.
Mets general manager Omar Minaya, chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon and several other principals in the deal are traveling or in the middle of holiday plans, so Bay's physical exam isn't expected to take place until early next week.
The Mets expect Bay to add thump to an offense that ranked last in the major leagues with 95 home runs in 2009. New York's lineup was decimated by injuries to center fielder Carlos Beltran, shortstop Jose Reyes and first baseman Carlos Delgado, and manager Jerry Manuel's team ranked 25th in the big leagues with 671 runs scored.
Bay has been maligned in some quarters for his subpar defense, but the Mets analyzed the metrics and found that he suffered in Boston from the "Fenway Park factor.'' They think his perceived lack of range in left field was accentuated by the minimal area of ground he had to cover in Fenway.
The Mets also expect that Bay's ability to pull the ball will help him in pitcher-friendly Citi Field, which is spacious in the gaps but plays fairer to hitters down the lines.
At the beginning of the free-agent process, many observers believed that Bay was destined to return to Boston. But after the Red Sox spent $82.5 million on free-agent starter John Lackey and $15.5 million on outfielder Mike Cameron, it became clear that Bay's tenure in Boston had reached an end.
Bay underwent shoulder surgery in 2003 and arthroscopic knee surgery in 2006, and the Red Sox reportedly had enough concerns about his long-term health to hold firm at a four-year contract offer rather than the five-year deal that Bay was seeking.
Bay's agent, Joe Urbon, recently spoke to the Red Sox about a possible reunion. But with Cameron, Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew in the outfield mix, a Red Sox official said it was a "long shot" for Bay to return to Boston.
Bay, 31, broke into professional ball as a 22nd-round draft pick with the Montreal Expos in 2000. The Mets acquired him in a trade in March 2002, but sent him to San Diego four months later as part of a five-player deal with the Padres.
In his next stop, with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bay made two All-Star teams and posted back-to-back, 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons in 2005 and 2006.
The Mets have had a relatively slow winter, but the Bay signing gives the team the impact bat Minaya had been seeking. New York is now expected to turn its attention to adding a catcher -- with Bengie Molina a prime target -- and acquiring an innings-eating starter for the back end of the rotation. Free agents Jon Garland and Doug Davis are among the possibilities.
Bay's .676 slugging percentage with runners in scoring position last year ranked second in baseball behind Albert Pujols' .697. Since 2005, Bay is tied for fourth among big league outfielders with 155 home runs, and ranks fifth with 514 RBIs.
Bay, a native of Trail, British Columbia, is the first native Canadian to play for the Mets since shortstop Brian Ostrosser, an Ontario product, went hitless in five at-bats in 1973.
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Cards optimistic about talks
ESPN.com news
December 29, 2009
There is increased optimism within the St. Louis Cardinals organization that the team is going to reach a deal with free-agent outfielder Matt Holliday, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney on Tuesday.
Earlier in the offseason, the Cardinals offered Holliday a five-year deal worth approximately $80 million, but it was rejected, according to rival executives. The Red Sox then offered Holliday a five-year, $82.5 million contract, but sources say Boston's offer also was rejected. The Red Sox then used that money to sign veteran right-handed starter John Lackey.
As a result, sources say Holliday's agent, Scott Boras, is doubling back to teams that had previously expressed interest in Holliday. One of those teams is now out of the mix, with the New York Mets reaching agreement with former Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay on a four-year, $66 million deal, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
There had been talk earlier in the offseason that Holliday was seeking a deal in excess of $100 million over five years, but his price has been coming down markedly. The Bay-Mets agreement averages $16.5 million per season, and sources say Holliday's representatives are now asking teams for about $18 million a year.
Holliday is a three-time All-Star who batted .313 with 24 home runs and 109 RBIs splitting the 2009 season between the Cardinals and Oakland Athletics. He is a career .318 hitter in six seasons.
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DeRosa signs $12M deal with Giants
The Associated Press
December 29, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — For several years, Mark DeRosa daydreamed of eventually playing in San Francisco. He enjoys the city's vibe and atmosphere, from walking to the ballpark to trying out top restaurants.
"I felt like it would be a cool place to play and an interesting place to bring my family," he said.
For several years, the Giants pictured DeRosa's powerful bat contributing in the middle of their lineup.
There was mutual interest three years ago when DeRosa first became a free agent. Now, both sides are finally getting their wish. DeRosa signed a $12 million, two-year contract with the club after passing a physical Monday.
In DeRosa, the Giants have found a versatile veteran who can hit for power and give the offense some much-needed punch.
One of general manager Brian Sabean's top priorities this winter was to add a big hitter to drive in runs in the middle of the batting order, and DeRosa brings that ability. He can play several infield spots and the outfield, and it's unclear whether he will work primarily at third base or bounce around.
"The position I'd prefer to play is shortstop because that's the position I played as a kid. But that doesn't matter anymore," DeRosa said. "I don't really care where I am on the field as long as I'm in the lineup. ... I've never really fought to play one position."
That attitude sure is helpful for manager Bruce Bochy, who might continue to count on DeRosa as a utilityman.
Free-swinging slugger Pablo Sandoval is likely to bat cleanup, so DeRosa could easily fit into the No. 5 hole. DeRosa could play first or third.
"He can play anywhere, he's comfortable playing anywhere and seems to thrive moving around," Bochy said.
The 34-year-old DeRosa underwent left wrist surgery after the season, when he batted .250 with a career-best 23 homers to go along with 78 RBIs for Cleveland and St. Louis. He said the Giants' training staff was "pleasantly surprised" by his progress during Monday's physical and he expects to start swinging off a tee in a couple of weeks. The aim is to be full strength by the start of spring training in February.
"He's a winning player and any organization wants as many players like Mark on the ballclub, especially ours that has a chance to turn the corner and get to the playoffs next year," Sabean said. "To get him in here, he spoke of his willingness to show guys around a little bit. We need that. We need to get to the next level with guys like him."
DeRosa was traded from the Indians to the Cardinals on June 27 but was in the St. Louis lineup for three games before hurting his wrist against San Francisco. He spent a stint on the disabled list for an injury that was later diagnosed as a partially torn tendon sheath.
DeRosa was hindered by the wrist, but felt he had to play through it after the Cardinals brought him aboard to help get to the playoffs.
"Looking back on it now, don't know if I would have done the same thing," he said of waiting to have surgery until after the season. "It affected everything I did."
The Giants are eager to see him healthy and ready for a new start come spring. DeRosa said he chose San Francisco over about a half-dozen other teams -- including going back to the Cardinals.
He led St. Louis with five hits (5 for 13) when it was swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL division series.
DeRosa acknowledged being "very close" to returning to St. Louis.
"They're obviously full go on Matt Holliday. I wasn't prepared to wait until he made a decision," DeRosa said. "I was just tired of being a lot of teams' Plan Bs. From a certain standpoint, I wanted to go to a place where I felt comfortable and the team wanted and needed me to be productive. I just felt like this was a good spot."
DeRosa is a career .275 hitter with Atlanta, Texas, the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland and St. Louis. With DeRosa and new hitting coach Hensley Meulens, San Francisco is looking for a more patient approach at the plate focused on on-base percentage rather than just stepping in and swinging away.
"You have to find an identity early on and we didn't do that last year and it came back and bit us," Sabean said.
The Giants also are working on a deal to bring back infielder Juan Uribe. The 30-year-old Uribe played in 122 games at third, shortstop and second in his first season with San Francisco. He batted .289 with 16 homers and 55 RBIs.
San Francisco was in the NL wild-card chase well into September but missed the postseason for the sixth straight year. At 88-74, they won 16 more games than in 2008. Sabean has been committed to boosting the offense for a team that boasts one of the top pitching staffs in baseball, led by two-time reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.
"That was one of the big overriding factors when I decided where wanted to play, the pitching factor," DeRosa said. "Pitching wins games."
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