Right-handed pitcher Ricky Nolasco has agreed to a contract with the Minnesota Twins, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (via Twitter). Nolasco "confirmed" the contract himself, by changing his profile picture on Twitter to the Minnesota Twins logo. The deal is for four-years, $49 million and includes an club option for the 2018 season. The option can vest and become a player option if Nolasco reaches 175 innings in 2017.
Nolasco has been a very reliable pitcher over the past few years. Ricky Nolasco, 31 in December, went 15-13 with a 3.70 ERA in the 2013 campaign. Upon being traded to the Dodgers, Nolasco went 8-3 with a 3.52 ERA with them. He was able to be a quality starter with Los Angeles, which definitely showed up in his contract with the Twins. Over his career, Nolasco delivers a quality start 55% of the time, being an effective pitcher and pitching very well. Teams have gone 110-102 when Nolasco has started. The Twins were in dying need of a starter to go into the 2014 campaign. They finished dead last in starter's ERA in 2013, with an ugly mark of 5.26. The signing of Nolasco should, at the very least, give them a guy that they have confidence in putting on the hill. That's what Nolasco provides. He'll join a Twins pitching staff that had the average age of 28 in 2013. He'll be the veteran pitcher to provide innings and leadership.
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Manny Parra and the Cincinnati Reds have re-signed Manny Parra to a two-year, $5.5 million contract, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Parra, 30, originally signed with the Reds on a one-year, $1 million contract before the 2013 season.
The hard-throwing left-hander began his career as a starting pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, but no success led him to his current job as a reliever. In 2013, Parra posted career bests across the boards, pitching to a 2-3 record with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Those numbers came in 57 appearances from the bullpen (46 IP). Only 17% of Parra's inherited runners (base runners on base when pitcher first appeared in the game) scored in 2013 (5-of-30). This shows his success as a reliever in 2013. Parra looks to continue to be a good asset to the Cincinnati Red bullpen which posted the 7th best ERA in the MLB of all bullpens (3.29 ERA). He pitched well last year, and got a contract that reflected upon his good performance. The Baltimore Orioles are listening to offers on closing pitcher Jim Johnson, according to reports. Johnson is owed $10 million in arbitration in 2014, which is probably the reason that the Orioles are willing to part with the pitcher.
Johnson, 30, was drafted by the Orioles in 2001. He has led the American League in saves in 2012 and 2013 with 51 and 50 saves, respectively. He became the full-time closer in 2012. Today, the Baseball Writers Association of America announced the 2014 Hall of Fame ballot. The packed ballot is definitely one to be watched for; 36 players were nominated, including 18 newcomers to the ballot. I'll explain how the voting works, who is on it, how many years they've been on it, and the percentage of votes they received in 2013 (if applicable).
The voting is pretty simple. Qualified BBWAA members around the country get a ballot in which they can choose from zero to ten names to vote for. Players who are named on 75% or more of the ballots are the next class of Hall of Famers. Each player remains on the Hall of Fame ballot for 15 years, unless they are inducted in, or receive less than 5% of the vote in any given year. In that case, the player is removed from the ballot. The Candidates: Moises Alou - 1st year on ballot Jeff Bagwell - 4th year on ballot, 59.6% of votes in 2013 Armando Benitez - 1st year Craig Biggio - 2nd year, 68.2% votes in 2013 Barry Bonds - 2nd year, 36.2% votes in 2013 Sean Casey - 1st year Roger Clemens - 2nd year, 37.6% votes in 2013 Ray Durham - 1st year Eric Gagne - 1st year Tom Glavine - 1st year Luis Gonzalez - 1st year Jacque Jones - 1st year Todd Jones - 1st year Jeff Kent - 1st year Paul Lo Duca - 1st year Greg Maddux - 1st year Edgar Martinez - 5th year, 35.9% votes in 2013 Don Mattingly - 14th year, 13.2% votes in 2013 Fred McGriff - 5th year, 20.7% votes in 2013 Mark McGuire - 8th year, 16.9% votes in 2013 Jack Morris* - 15th year, 67.7% votes in 2013 Mike Mussina - 1st year Hideo Nomo - 1st year Rafael Palmeiro - 4th year, 8.8% votes in 2013 Mike Piazza - 2nd year, 57.8% votes in 2013 Tim Raines - 7th year, 52.2% votes in 2013 Kenny Rogers - 1st year Curt Schilling - 2nd year, 38.8% votes in 2013 Richie Sexton - 1st year Lee Smith - 12th year, 47.8% votes in 2013 J.T. Snow - 1st year Sammy Sosa - 2nd year, 12.5% votes in 2013 Frank Thomas - 1st year Mike Timlin - 1st year Alan Trammell - 13th year, 33.6% votes in 2013 Larry Walker - 4th year, 21.6% votes in 2013 *denotes last year on ballot My (mock) Ballot: Tom Glavine Greg Maddux Frank Thomas Craig Biggio Mike Mussina Curt Schilling Jeff Bagwell Jeff Kent The voting results will be announced on January 8, 2014. The induction ceremony weekend is July 25-28, 2014 in Cooperstown, New York. Former Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz is seeking a four-year, $75 million deal, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Cruz looks to make $18.75 million per year for his next team. That is an extravagant amount of money. Is he worth it and who is interested?
Before the offseason, I predicted Cruz to head to the Kansas City Royals. Now knowing that he expects $75 million, I do not think they'll make a run for a 33-year-old, formerly PED suspended outfielder. I don't think many teams will be in the running for a $75 million deal with Cruz. Jon Heyman speculates that many teams could be in on the righty, including the Athletics, Mets, and Mariners. The Rangers haven't ruled out re-signing Cruz, but after trading for Prince Fielder, I wouldn't expect them to go after another expensive bat. Cruz, in 2013, hit .266/.327/.506 with 27 home runs and 76 RBI and a .295 BABIP (not lucky or unlucky). He also was tagged with a 50-game suspension in the Biogenesis scandal for PEDs. Cruz could be a nice option in the outfield, but could come with some risks in 2014. |
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