Knuckle Curve - Baseball News

Official Baseball Free Agent Signings

Although other deals have been struck — such as Mark Teixeira signing with the New York Yankees — here are the baseball free agent signings that have become official to date.

CC Sabathia, SP - NY Yankees - 7 years, $161,000,000
A.J. Burnett, SP - NY Yankees - 5 years, $82,500,000
Ryan Dempster, SP - Chicago Cubs - 4 years, $52,000,000
Francisco Rodriguez, RP - NY Mets - 3 years, $37,000,000
Raul Ibanez, LF - Philadelphia - 3 years, $31,500,000
Rafael Furcal, SS - LA Dodgers - 3 years, $30,000,000
Kerry Wood, RP - Cleveland - 2 years, $20,500,000
Edgar Renteria, SS - San Francisco - 2 years, $18,500,000
Casey Blake, 3B - LA Dodgers - 3 years, $17,500,000
Brian Fuentes, RP - LA Angels - 2 years, $17,500,000
Jamie Moyer, SP - Philadelphia - 2 years, $13,000,000
Juan Rivera, RF - LA Angels - 3 years, $12,750,000
Kyle Farnsworth, RP - Kansas City - 2 years, $9,250,000
Nick Punto, SS - Minnesota - 2 years, $8,500,000
Jeremy Affeldt, RP - San Francisco - 2 years, $8,000,000
Randy Johnson, SP - San Francisco - 1 years, $8,000,000
Willy Taveras, CF - Cincinnati - 2 years, $6,250,000
Cesar Izturis, SS - Baltimore - 2 years, $5,000,000
Mike Lincoln, RP - Cincinnati - 2 years, $4,000,000
Arthur Rhodes, RP - Cincinnati - 2 years, $4,000,000
Ramon Vazquez, 3B - Pittsburgh - 2 years, $4,000,000
Felipe Lopez, SS - Arizona - 1 years, $3,500,000
David Ross, C - Atlanta - 2 years, $3,000,000
Doug Brocail, RP - Houston - 1 years, $2,750,000
Bob Howry, RP - San Francisco - 1 years, $2,750,000
Daniel Cabrera, SP - Washington - 1 years, $2,600,000
Chan Ho Park, RP - Philadelphia - 1 years, $2,500,000
Alan Embree, RP - Colorado - 1 years, $2,250,000
Mike Hampton, SP - Houston - 1 years, $2,000,000
Horacio Ramirez, SP - Kansas City - 1 years, $1,800,000
Russell Branyan, 3B - Seattle - 1 years, $1,400,000
Joe Nelson, RP - Tampa Bay - 1 years, $1,300,000
Mark Loretta, 2B - LA Dodgers - 1 years, $1,250,000
John Bale, SP - Kansas City - 1 years, $1,200,000
Adam Everett, SS - Detroit - 1 years, $1,000,000
Jorge Julio, RP - Milwaukee - 1 years, $950,000
Tony Clark, 1B - Arizona - 1 years, $800,000
Joey Gathright, CF - Chicago Cubs - 1 years, $800,000
Greg Norton, LF - Atlanta - 1 years, $800,000
Aaron Boone, 3B - Houston - 1 years, $750,000
Jason Michaels, OF - Houston - 1 years, $750,000
Trever Miller, RP - St. Louis - 1 years, $500,000
Mike Lamb, 3B - Milwaukee - 1 years, $400,000

Which players are the best of the remaining free agents? Here are the best of the baseball free agents still available.

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By Stephen Kersey -- 0 comments

Sleepers - Baseball Free Agent Sleepers 2009

Jerry Hairston Jr.
Although he hasn’t had too impressive of a career, Jerry Hairston, Jr. was surprisingly good in 2008. With the Cincinnati Reds, Hairston hit over .320 and also swiped 15 bases in 80 games. At 32, he’s still young enough to be productive. A team may get lucky and get another big year from him after signing him for cheap.

Rocco Baldelli
Once upon a time, Rocco Baldelli was a big time MLB prospect. Now that he’s a free agent, some team is going to take a gamble on him that may just pay off. He should be available to the highest bidder since the Tampa Bay Rays no longer appear interested in keeping him.

Trevor Hoffman
After a bitter divorce from the San Diego Padres, Trevor Hoffman is free to sign with another team. With as much as closers have made this offseason, it’s safe to say Hoffman will be offered a fair amount of money. He’s 41 years old but he was good enough last year to prove he should have at least another year of good pitching left in his arm.

Luis Ayala
Although the New York Mets found out the hard way that Luis Ayala isn’t good enough to be a closer, he actually had a good stretch for New York before bombing out at the end of the season. Ayala also never had an ERA worse than 3.20 in his first four big league seasons before 2003 and 2007. As a non-closer in the bullpen, Ayala is a solid option.

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Top Ten Baseball Free Agents Still Available

1. Manny Ramirez
Could Ramirez be heading to the Giants?

2. Derek Lowe
The Mets are after Lowe.

3. Adam Dunn
Dunn might replace Ramirez in Los Angeles.

4. Milton Bradley
The latest rumors have the Cubs most interested.

5. Oliver Perez
Expect the Mets to retain him.

6. Pat Burrell
The Phillies look to be moving on.

7. Orlando Hudson
Sleeper of the free agent market.

8. Bobby Abreu
Breaking down but still a solid player.

9. Ben Sheets
Risky signing but could reward.

10. Randy Wolf
Could quietly be steal of the offseason.

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By Stephen Kersey -- 1 comment

San Francisco Giants after Manny Ramirez?

According to a report, the San Francisco Giants are making a hard push to land Manny Ramirez. Ramirez, who spent last season with the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, is a Hall of Fame talent who many teams are considering.

The deal for Ramirez is expected to be four years in total. The first two years would be guaranteed, while the third season would become guaranteed if certain performance levels are met. The fourth year of the offer is thought to be completely a team option.

The Giants, who earlier in the offseason signed 45-year-old Randy Johnson, are quietly making moves to contend for the National League pennant in 2009. If they can land Ramirez, that would definitely help in that regard.

Last season, the Giants were very poor offensively. With Ramirez, he could step into the cleanup spot and single-handedly turn that lineup around.

Stay tuned to see if the Giants get their man.

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By Stephen Kersey -- 2 comments

Brian Fuentes Signed by Los Angeles Angels

After losing closer Francisco Rodriguez to the New York Mets in free agency, the Los Angeles Angels found their new closer when they signed Brian Fuentes. Fuentes, who spent the last seven seasons with the Colorado Rockies, signed a two-year deal.

The total value of the contract is believed to be approximately $17.5 million. There’s also a potential third year of the deal that will be enacted based on performance.

Fuentes will definitely have big shoes to fill. Last season, Rodriguez set a Major League Baseball record with 62 saves. He broke the record previously held by Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox.

The good news for the Angels is that Fuentes should be up for the challenge. Last season with Colorado, Fuentes had a 2.73 ERA to go along with 30 saves and 82 strikeouts in 62.2 innings. It was his fourth straight season with at least 20 saves.

Fuentes will join a solid group of relievers in Los Angeles that includes players such as Scot Shields, Jose Arredondo and Darren Oliver.

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Derek Lowe Offered $36M by Mets

Derek Lowe is arguably the most sought after free agent starting pitcher left on the market. When we speculated Lowe’s possible destinations, we put the New York Mets at the top of the list. On Tuesday, the Mets made a move to acquire Lowe.

According to multiple reports, the Mets have offered Lowe a contract that is worth $36 million over three years. However, Lowe’s agent reportedly wants a five-year contract for the 35-year-old hurler.

While that might be what the agent wants, it’s unlikely that a team is going to give Lowe a contract that will pay him until the age of 40. This three-year deal from New York could very well be the best deal that Lowe gets offered during the offseason.

If the Mets are able to land Lowe, they will have completed a drastic overhaul to their pitching staff. They’ve already added Francisco Rodriguez and JJ Putz to their bullpen. Adding Lowe to the starting rotation could end being equally as important.

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Adam Dunn Rumors and News - Possible Destinations

Adam Dunn has hit exactly 40 home runs in each of the last four seasons. The 29-year-old outfielder is a free agent and has interested quite a number of teams. Here are the top destinations based on Adam Dunn rumors.

Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers may have given up in their hope of re-signing Manny Ramirez. If that is the case, Dunn is the next logical option for Los Angeles. He’s not quite as talented but he can replace most of the bop in the middle of the lineup that Ramirez provided.

Baltimore Orioles
After striking out in the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes, the Orioles may throw big money at Dunn in hopes that they land a franchise level player. The Orioles are desperate for a big bat and a positive personality if they hope to keep fans around in 2009.

Washington Nationals
Like the Orioles, the Nationals are looking to rebound after missing out on Teixeira. While the team still has a lot of holes, a big bat in the middle of the lineup is arguably their most glaring need. Dunn could fit right in and be the cleanup hitter for the foreseeable future.

Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have a lot of talent and always seem to be right on the edge of actually making a postseason run. With a lot of their bats going quiet at the end of the 2008 season, adding Dunn’s bat may be just the thing to help the Cubs make noise in the playoffs.

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Brad Penny Signs with Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox decided to spend some of the money they saved when Mark Teixeira signed with the New York Yankees by agreeing to a deal with free agent pitcher Brad Penny. Penny, who spent the last four and a half season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, will vie for a spot in the Red Sox rotation.

The deal with Penny is believed to be worth $5 million, however he could end up making $8 million if he’s able to pitch more than 160 innings. While that amount of innings is doable for many starting pitchers, Penny is coming off of an injury ravaged season with Los Angeles.

In 2008, Penny had an ERA of 6.28 to go along with a 6-9 record. For the season, he pitched only 94.2 innings in 17 starts and two relief appearances.

However, it wasn’t that long ago that Penny was a very good pitcher. In 2006, he had a record of 16-9 with an ERA of 4.33. In 2007, Penny was even better — finishing with a 3.03 ERA and a record of 16-4.

If he can regain his top form, the 30-year-old right-hander could go down as one of the biggest steals of the baseball offseason.

Photo credit: Newscom

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Derek Lowe Rumors and News - Possible Destinations

Derek Lowe, who spent last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is one of the hottest names still available in the baseball free agent market. Where will the right-handed starting pitcher end up? Here are the top Derek Lowe destinations based on the latest rumors.

New York Mets
After shoring up their bullpen by signing Francisco Rodriguez and trading for JJ Putz, the Mets now are looking to bolster their starting pitcher. Their main target at the moment appears to be Lowe — and they are willing to pay top dollar.

Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox still have a lot of money to spend in free agency and acquiring Lowe appears to be one of their options. The Red Sox have a good group of starting pitching but Lowe could step in and add even more veteran leadership and a clutch arm. It can’t hurt that Lowe pitched seven and a half years for Boston earlier in his career.

Philadelphia Phillies
Last season, the Phillies won the World Series despite not having great depth in their starting rotation. Adding Lowe would be huge for Philadelphia, especially considering that one of the pitchers they depend on is Jamie Moyer — who is 46 years old.

Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are still hoping they will be able to hang onto Lowe. Although it will be difficult due to all the interested teams with deep pockets, the Dodgers will undoubtedly make Lowe a good offer before he inks a contract elsewhere.

Photo credit: Newscom

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Roger Clemens - Hospital Removes Name

Since throwing his last pitch in the major leagues, Roger Clemens has had a lot of issues surface. He’s had a sex scandel with Mindy McCready. He has steroid rumors swirling around him. He even has been accused of abusing Viagra.

Now Clemens can add another strike to his resume. This time a hospital in Houston has decided to drop his name. The Roger Clemens Institute for Sports Medicine will now be known as the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute. While the hospital didn’t specifically point to any transgressions as a reason for the name change, it’s not exactly rocket science to figure out why the hospital had the change of heart.

In Clemens’ career, he had 354 wins, 4672 strikeouts and a lifetime ERA of 3.13. Although he’s eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2013, there is some question on when — or even if — he’ll get in. His inclusion in the Hall of Fame could very well rely on the fallout of all the allegations that have haunted Clemens as of late.

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