There has been a ton of news on the diamond the past few weeks, as teams continue to rebuild their franchises in search of one thing, and one thing only… the ring. Eric Gagne will now be racking up saves in a Rangers uniform, Andy Pettitte is back in pinstripes, Oakland signed Mike Piazza to be their new DH and Jeff Bagwell officially retired from the game. If you haven’t been keeping tabs with the latest headlines in baseball the past couple weeks, we’ll get you all caught up in this edition of Inside the Numbers.
The Red Sox officially inked Daisuke Matsuzaka to a six-year, $52 million contract on Thursday last week, giving the Red Sox one of the most dominating starting rotations in baseball. The 26-year-old will join Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon, Tim Wakefield and possibly Jon Lester in the rotation. In Japan, he went 108-60 with a 2.95 ERA and 1,355 strikeouts in 204 games. The question remains though… who will be the BoSox’s closer?
The Blue Jays signed Vernon Wells to a seven-year, $126 million deal through 2014 last Friday, the sixth biggest deal in MLB history. Only Alex Rodriguez ($252 million), Derek Jeter ($189 million), Manny Ramirez ($160 million), Todd Helton ($141.5 million) and Alfonso Soriano ($136 million) have signed larger contracts. He finished last season with a .303 average, 32 homers and 106 RBI.
The Rangers signed closer Eric Gagne on Tuesday for a one-year, $6 million contract with major incentives. Despite missing almost all of the past couple seasons, Texas didn’t hesitate to go after the former Cy Young award winner. He sat out most of 2005 after surgery on a trapped nerve in his elbow, underwent surgery in April to move an elbow nerve and then had surgery in July for a herniated disk in his back. The Rangers have studied Gagne's medical records and, pending physical, desire to have him take over their closer’s duties. Incentives could take the total contract value close to $11 million. From 2002 to 2004, Gagne had a combined 1.79 ERA, won the National League Cy Young Award in 2003 and converted a record 84 consecutive saves in one stretch. Akinori Otsuka posted a 2.11 ERA and converted 32 of 36 saves as the Rangers closer last season, but could find himself on the trade block now. The Rangers are also pursuing southpaw starters Mark Mulder and Barry Zito.
Andy Pettitte and the Yankees agreed to terms to a $16 million, one-year contract, returning the southpaw to the team he helped win four World Series titles. The deal includes a $16 million player option for 2008. The Astros only offered a $12 million deal without an option for a second year, so the two-time All-Star decided to return to his roots. "It shocked me that (the Astros) would not continue to go up, when the Yankees continued to push and push and pursue and they (the Astros) really didn't do much," Pettitte said. "It was a full-court press by the Yankees. I've talked to the guys, and obviously they wanted me to come back up there." His return to the Bronx will obviously increase speculation that close friend, Roger Clemens, would join him back in New York.
Barry Bonds and the Giants reached an agreement on a $16 million, one-year deal last Thursday night. The deal includes four performance bonuses that could make it worth a total of $20 million. He’ll enter 2007 with 734 homers, only 22 from breaking Hank Aaron's career record.
Jason Schmidt and outfielder Luis Gonzalez joined the Dodgers, finalizing their contracts a day after baseball's winter meetings ended. Schmidt's deal is worth $47 million for three years and Gonzalez will get $7.35 million for one year. Schmidt spent the last 5 1/2 seasons with the San Francisco Giants, going 11-9 with a 3.59 ERA in 32 starts during 2006.
Jeff Bagwell decided to hang ‘em up last Friday after 15 great major league seasons, 449 home runs and the Astros career leader in long balls, RBI (1,529), walks (1,401) and extra-base hits (969). The 1994 NL MVP sat out the entire season last year because of a shoulder injury and will continue to work with the Astros as a batting instructor.
The Royals agreed to terms with right-hander Gil Meche on a five-year deal worth $55 million, and 55 was the key number. The former Mariner has a 55-44 career record with a 4.65 ERA in 147 games and has worn No. 55 his entire career. He went 11-8 with a 4.48 ERA and posted career-highs of 186 2/3 innings and 156 strikeouts in 32 starts for Seattle in 2006. He will receive a $2 million signing bonus along with a $7 million salary in 2007, $11 million in each of the next two years and $12 million each in 2010 and '11. Also, the Royals released Runelvys Hernandez, who went just 6-10 with a 6.48 ERA in 21 starts this year.
The A's signed 15-year veteran Mike Piazza to a one-year, $8.5 million deal last week to replace Frank Thomas as their designated hitter. The former catcher has 419 home runs, ranking 39th on the all-time list. He's a 12-time All-Star with a .309 career average and will fit in nicely in the cleanup spot for the Athletics.
The Braves sent Horacio Ramirez to the Mariners for reliever Rafael Soriano last week to bolster their bullpen. Ramirez went 5-5 with a 4.48 ERA in 14 starts this year, but found himself on the disabled list three times. Soriano was dominating out Seattle’s pen last year, posting a 1-2 record with a 2.25 ERA and two saves in 53 appearances last season. He missed the final month with a concussion after he was hit on the side of his head by Vladimir Guerrero's line drive, and will likely serve as a setup man for closer Bob Wickman, who will be 38 next season.
The Astros landed Jason Jennings instead of Jon Garland to replace Andy Pettitte in their starting rotation. They also acquired pitcher Miguel Asencio from the Rockies last week in exchange for speedy outfielder Willy Taveras and pitchers Taylor Buchholz and Jason Hirsh. Jennings has spent his entire five-year career with the Rockies, and compiled a respectable 3.78 ERA in 2006. He’ll leave as the Rockies career leader in victories (58) and shutouts (three), and will likely be the Astros No. 2 starter behind Roy Oswalt.
The Phillies sent Gavin Floyd and southpaw Gio Gonzalez to the White Sox for Freddy Garcia. Then, Philadelphia signed Adam Eaton to solidify a strong rotation, that also includes Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer and Jon Lieber. Garcia was 17-9 with a 4.53 ERA for Chicago last season, but finished strong, going 4-1 with a 2.49 ERA in his final six starts.
Jay Payton agreed to a $9.5 million, two-year contract with the Orioles. He batted .296 with 10 homers and 59 RBIs in 142 games with Oakland this year and is expected to play mostly in left field. He’ll get $4.5 million next year and $5 million in 2008, joining Corey Patterson, Nick Markakis, Jay Gibbons and David Newhan in a talented outfield.
The Mets landed flame-thrower Ambiorix Burgos from the Royals in exchange for starter Brian Bannister last week. Burgos, who saved 18 games this year, went 4-5 with a 5.52 ERA in 67 relief appearances and one start. He’s been clocked consistently in the upper 90’s and finished last season with 72 strikeouts and 37 walks in 73 1/3 innings. He’ll serve as a valuable middle reliever for New York, who recently lost Chad Bradford and Roberto Hernandez. Bannister, the son of former All-Star pitcher Floyd Bannister, missed most of the season because of a right hamstring injury and finished 2-1 with a 4.26 ERA in eight games.
Marcus Giles is close to being dealt to the Padres to join his brother Brian Giles. The two grew up together in nearby El Cajon, just each of San Diego. … Mike Lieberthal agreed to a $1.25 million, one-year contract with the Dodgers. The 34-year-old Lieberthal will back up Russell Martin, who hit .282 with 10 homers and 65 RBIs in his rookie campaign. … Jason Marquis, who finished last season with a 6.02 ERA, signed a three-year deal with the Cubs. … Octavio Dotel agreed to a $5 million, one-year contract with the Royals. … The Rangers signed OF Marlon Byrd to a one-year contract. He hit just .223 in 78 games last season with Washington. …The Tigers agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Jose Mesa and finalized terms on a four-year contract extension with 3B Brandon Inge. Mesa, 40, had a 1-5 record and a 3.86 ERA with the Rockies this year, finishing ninth in the NL with 79 appearances. … Brad Radke is also expected to call it a career after racking up a 148-139 record over 12 seasons. He’s been one of the best control pitchers in the game over his career, and his departure will definitely hurt the Twins starting rotation. With Johan Santana, Minnesota will be forced to throw a few youngsters in the starting staff.
Gabe Kapler retired last week after nine major league seasons and will start a managerial career with the team's Class-A farm team in Greenville, S.C. He finished his career with a .270 batting average, 64 homers and 302 RBIs in 850 games. "I'm ecstatic," Kapler said. "I have managerial aspirations. I have aspirations to win a World Series as a manager (but) I have to focus on what my job is now."