After losing Kris Medlen to an injury diminishing their starting pitching depth, the Braves made a huge move on Wednesday. They have agreed to sign right-hander Ervin Santana to a one-year, $14.1 million deal, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
The deal is for exact amount that Santana refused when he declined his qualifying offer from the Royals earlier in the off season. But after months of very little rumors, Santana's asking price dropped noticeably, as he was close to signing with the Blue Jays on Saturday to a $14 million deal. Now, only Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales remain as unsigned players with draft pick compensation attached to them. The Braves will be getting a steal in Santana, even if it means losing their first round draft pick (the Royals get the 28th overall pick). In 2013, Santana was one of the better pitchers in the American League. In 2013, the now 31-year-old went 9-10 with a 3.24 ERA and a 3.16 K/BB ratio in 211 innings (127 ERA+). He posted a solid 2.9 WAR, as he led the Royals staff to their first winning season since 2003. Santana made $13 million with the Royals in 2013, and will be getting a slight raise with the Braves in 2014. Over his career, Ervin Santana has posted a 4.19 ERA and a 2.52 K/BB ratio in 1,686 2/3 innings pitched. He has had some up and down seasons, but his career 100 ERA+ shows that Santana is at least an average pitcher. Now he moves to the National League for the first time in his career. Santana has gone 13-9 with a 3.82 ERA against the National League (not always in the NL park), so that can give some sense on how well he will do in the pitcher-favored NL. "I've played my whole career in the American League, but I wanted to explore something different, to see how it goes," Santana told ESPNdeportes. "Batting doesn't scares me; I was a batter as a kid." Although it's likely worth nothing, Santana has never thrown a pitch in Turner Field professionally. He is 1-1 with a 3.92 ERA in 3 starts against the Braves. With this signing, the Braves have been able to add to their suddenly weak pitching depth. Although Medlen likely won't be back this season, they get a very good starter in Ervin Santana as a replacement. Santana was one of the best free agents this off season, and since he already turned down one $14.1 million deal, the Braves definitely stole the pitcher. Last season, the Braves had one of the best rotations in the Majors, posting a 3.51 ERA (6th in MLB). With the loss of Tim Hudson , and now Kris Medlen, one will have to see if the Braves can continue to pitch well.
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The St. Louis Cardinals and Aledmys Diaz have agreed to a four-year Major League contract, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. He will be heading to Jupiter, Florida (where the Cardinals' Spring Training hub is), to work out with the club on Monday. Diaz defected from Cuba in 2012 while playing with the Cuban national baseball team. He was declared ineligible to sign with a MLB team until Februrary 14, 2014, because Diaz had lied about his age. He held a showcase for MLB teams on February 13, 2014. From 2009-2010, Diaz was the shortstop for the Villa Clara team. He batted .282/.348/.363 and fielded .950. He tied for fifth in the Serie Nacional with 18 errors, having fixed up his defense. He does not show much power, but did do a great job of getting on base 34.8% of the time. The St. Louis Cardinals and infielder Matt Carpenter have agreed to a six-year, $52 million extension, according to media reports on Saturday. Ken Rosenthal originally reported on Thursday that Carpenter and the Cardinals were close to a six-year extension. Carpenter's contract includes a $1.5 million signing bonus and an $18.5 million club option with a $2 million buyout. He is represented by Bryan Cahill of SSG Baseball. His contract is comparable to Andrew McCutchen's extension of $51.5 million two years ago. "For a baseball junkie like myself, I can't think of a better place to play than the city of St. Louis," Carpenter said. "Busch Stadium, I still pinch myself every time I make that drive to the field. Playing in front of these fans, the city of St. Louis, Cardinal baseball as a whole, it's just so much fun. It's such a privilege to put on this jersey. It's something I don't take lightly at all." The 28-year-old Carpenter has been an anchor in the Cardinals lineup since he came into the Major Leagues in 2012. In 2013, he led the National League in runs scored, hits, and doubles, while appearing in his first career All Star Game. He hit a triple-slash line of .318/.392/.481 with 11 home runs and 78 RBI (143 OPS+). Carpenter posted an excellent oWAR of 6.7. Over his career, Carpenter has hit a triple-slash line of .306/.381/.470 with 17 home runs and 124 RBI. He's posted a 8.1 oWAR and a dWAR of -0.7 over his 278 games. Carpenter, who has made $984,000 over his career, will get a huge contract, something that his excellence has been deserving. Carpenter will be a force in the Cardinals lineup for years to come. The St. Louis Cardinals have made sure they will be keeping a good piece in their lineup through at least 2019. They've done a fantastic job by locking Carpenter up, and they should be rewarded with his great hitting. The Diamondbacks and lefty reliever Oliver Perez have agreed upon a two-year, $4.25 million deal. Perez will earn $1.75 million this season, and earn $2.5 million in 2015. The 32-year-old revamped his career as a relief pitcher with the Seattle Mariners over the past two seasons. Formerly a starter, Perez was very inconsistent, and most of the time not very good. Over the past two seasons, however, Perez finally found his craft, posting a 119 ERA+ in 82 2/3 innings. In 2013, Perez went 3-3 with a 3.74 ERA and a 1.434 WHIP in 61 appearances, in which he threw 53 innings. He struck out 12.6 hitters per nine innings, and walked 4.4 hitters per nine. He also saved his first two career games. This factored out to a 99 ERA+ for Perez, and a 0.6 WAR. Righties hit a triple-slash line of .256/.323/.463, while left-handers hit .238/.358/.288. After infamously signing a three-year, $36 million deal with the New York Mets before the 2009 season, Perez only managed to pitch 112 1/3 innings, while posted a 6.81 ERA and a 59 ERA+. He did not even appear in the Major Leagues at all in 2011, while still making $12 million. Arizona relievers posted a 3.52 ERA last season, which ranked 16th in the Major Leagues. With relievers of the likes of Brad Ziegler, J.J. Putz, newly signed Addison Reed, and now Perez, one can expect the Diamondbacks' relief corps to vastly improve. One can also predict Perez to have another good season, especially now that he moves back to the National League. 10:00am: Saunders' contract is worth $500,000 guaranteed, but he can make $1.5 million, plus incentives, if he makes the big league roster, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The Rangers have announced Saunders' contract with the club.
Free agent lefty Joe Saunders and the Texas Rangers have agreed to a non-guarenteed Major League deal, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The financial terms are not yet known for the deal. Saunders, 32, was selected with the twelfth overall pick in the 2002 draft by the Los Angeles Angels. An All Star in 2008, Saunders went 11-16 with a 5.26 ERA in 183 innings pitched with the Seattle Mariners in 2013 (70 ERA+). Over his career, Saunders has gone 89-81 with a 4.30 ERA in 1,334 1/3 innings pitched in 7 years, 13 days Major League service time (97 ERA+). The Rangers have been stockpiling pitching since Derek Holland's and Matt Harrison's injuries. Holland will miss the entire first half of the season, and Harrison is still recovering from surgery. Currently the Rangers have starters Yu Darvish, Alexi Ogando, Martin Perez, Colby Lewis, Tommy Hanson, and Nick Tepesch on their roster. Their rotation posted a 3.99 ERA, which ranked 16th in the MLB. |
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