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 3B David Freese and RHP Kevin Jepsen avoided arbitration with the
Angels, agreeing to one-year deals on Jan. 31. Freese landed a $5.05
million contract. He was seeking a $6 million salary, while the club
initially offered him $4.1 million. Jepsen filed for a $1,625,000
salary, while the Angels countered with a $1.3 million offer. They
compromised at $1.46 million.
Los Angeles Angels: Jepsen, Kevin
RHP Kevin Jepsen and 3B David Freese avoided arbitration with the
Angels, agreeing to one-year deals on Jan. 31. Freese landed a $5.05
million contract. He was seeking a $6 million salary, while the club
initially offered him $4.1 million. Jepsen filed for a $1,625,000
salary, while the Angels countered with a $1.3 million offer. They
compromised at $1.46 million.
Boston Red Sox: Hill, Rich
LHP Rich Hill and the Red Sox agreed to a minor league deal Jan. 31,
and he was invited to the team's major league spring camp. If Hill
lands a spot on the Red Sox's Opening Day roster, the reliever would
make $840,000 with the potential to earn an additional $500,000 in
appearances bonuses, the New York Post reported.
The 33-year-old rejoins the Red Sox after pitching for the Indians
last year. He posted a 1-2 record with a 6.28 ERA in 63 outings
spanning 38 2/3 innings for Cleveland. In three seasons with the Red
Sox from 2010 to 2012, Hill appeared in 40 games out of the bullpen
and went 2-0 with a 1.14 ERA.
Detroit Tigers: Avila, Alex
C Alex Avila and the Tigers agreed to a one-year, $4.15 million
contract on Jan. 31, avoiding arbitration. The deal includes a
vesting option at $5.4 million for 2015 and a $200,000 buyout
clause, the New York Post reported. The contract becomes vested if
Avila makes the 2014 All-Star team, wins a Silver Slugger Award or
finishes in the top 15 in American League MVP voting, according to
the report. Avila was seeking a $5.35 million salary, while the
Tigers previously offered him $3.75 million.
An arm injury and a concussion limited Avila to 102 regular-seasons
games last season. In Game 5 of the American League Championship
Series in October, Avila was injured again, suffering a strained
patellar tendon in a knee after a teammate ran into him at home
place. Avila finished the 2013 season with a .227 batting average,
11 home runs and 47 RBIs.
Houston Astros: Appel, Mark
RHP Mark Appel, the Astros' top prospect, underwent an appendectomy
Jan. 30 but is expected to recover in time for spring training, the
team announced. Houston's pitchers and catchers report to camp on
Feb. 15.
"Mark will be fine," Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said in a statement. "He
will report to camp on time. Once he arrives in spring training,
we'll see where he is at health-wise and take it from there. We
anticipate that he will either be ready to work out at the start of
camp or very close to ready."
The 22-year-old was the No. 1 overall pick out of Stanford in the
June 2013 amateur draft. After signing a contract, Appel made two
starts for low-Class A Quad Cities and eight starts for Class A
Tri-City. He posted a combined 3-1 record with a 3.79 ERA in 38
innings.
Chicago Cubs: McDonald, James
RHP James McDonald agreed to a minor league deal with the Cubs and
was invited to spring training. McDonald, 29, started six games in
2013 for the Pirates and went 2-2 with a 5.76 ERA in 29 2/3 innings
before a strained shoulder ended his season. He was designated for
assignment in September.
In four seasons with the Pirates, McDonald posted a 27-24 record
with a 4.21 ERA in 78 games, including 77 starts. He began his
big-league career with the Dodgers in 2008 and went 5-6 with a 4.11
ERA in parts of three seasons.
Washington Nationals: Fister, Doug
RHP Doug Fister and the Nationals avoided arbitration, agreeing to a
one-year, $7.2 million deal on Feb. 1. Fister filed for an $8.5
million salary, and the Nationals originally countered with a $5.75
million offer. Fister, who was acquired from the Tigers in a
December trade, went 14-9 with a 3.67 ERA in 32 starts for Detroit
last year.
Kansas City Royals: Chen, Bruce
LHP Bruce Chen and the Royals finalized a one-year contract Feb. 1.
Chen will receive $3.25 million this season with a mutual option for
$5.5 million in 2015 or a $1 million buyout. The deal includes
additional performance bonuses.
Chen, who became a free agent after last season, spent the past five
years with Kansas City, going 45-39 with a 4.32 ERA. He has won
10-plus games in three of the last four seasons.
Chen, 37, is coming off a solid 2013 season after shifting to a
relief role. He was 9-4 in 121 innings with a 3.27 ERA, making 15
starts and 19 relief appearances.
Kansas City Royals: Bonifacio, Emilio
INF/OF Emilio Bonifacio was designated for assignment by the Royals
on Feb. 1 to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for newly re-signed
LHP Bruce Chen. Bonifacio recently avoided arbitration by agreeing
to a one-year, $3.5 million deal, but the contract was not
guaranteed. Bonifacio had a batting line of .243/.295/.331 in 461
plate appearances in 2013.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Ellis, A.J.
C A.J. Ellis and the Dodgers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a
one-year, $3.55 million contract on Feb. 1. Ellis asked for $4.6
million, and the Dodgers countered with $3 million when arbitration
figures were exchanged in January. Ellis, 32, remains under team
control though 2016. He had a batting line of .255/.347/.390
combined over the past two seasons. He also threw out 37 percent of
potential base stealers in that span.
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Chicago Cubs: Hammel, Jason
RHP Jason Hammel and the Cubs agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal,
multiple media outlets reported Jan. 31. Hammel, 31, went 7-8 with a
4.97 ERA in 23 starts last season with the Orioles. He battled a
forearm injury, and came back from a knee injury that shut him down
for part of 2012. That season, he was 8-6 with a 3.43 ERA in 20
starts before the injury.
Miami
Marlins: Johnson, Reed
OF Reed Johnson signed a minor league deal with the Marlins and
received an invitation to spring training. Johnson, 37, batted
.244/.311/.341 with one homer and 11 RBIs in 74 games with Atlanta
last season, his 11th in the major leagues. The Braves declined
Johnson's $1.6 million option last fall.
Baltimore Orioles: Gonzalez, Alex
INF Alex Gonzalez signed a minor league contract with the Orioles on
Feb. 3 and was invited to spring training. Gonzalez is expected to
compete for a spot on the Orioles' bench. He was released by the
Brewers after hitting just .177 last season. Traditionally a
shortstop, Gonzalez mostly played at first base in 2013. Gonzalez, a
lifetime .246 hitter, turns 37 in February.
Baltimore Orioles: Davis, Chris
1B Chris Davis expressed surprise when told that Orioles executive
vice president Dan Duquette said the team offered Davis a long-term
contract this offseason. "Really?" Davis said Feb. 1 at the team's
fan fest. "Did he say anything else? Dang it. Keep me up to speed on
that."
Davis led the major leagues with 53 home runs and 138 RBIs in 2013.
The two sides avoided salary arbitration in January by agreeing to a
one-year, $10.35 million contract. Davis, 27, made $3.3 million last
year and is set to be a free agent after the 2015 season.
Tampa Bay Rays: Hellickson, Jeremy
RHP Jeremy Hellickson will miss the first six to eight weeks of the
season after having arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow in late
January. Hellickson, who settled his arbitration case for $3.67
million on Jan. 17, went 12-10 with a 5.17 ERA last year.
Colorado Rockies: Corpas, Manny
RHPs Manny Corpas signed a minor league contract with the Rockies on
Feb. 3. Corpas, 31, went 1-2 with a 4.54 ERA with 30 strikeouts and
16 walks with Colorado last season. He was the Rockies' closer when
the team went to the World Series in 2007. He missed all of 2011
with a right elbow injury and pitched for the Cubs in 2012.
Colorado Rockies: Masset, Nick
RHP Nick Masset signed a minor league contract with the Rockies on
Feb. 3. Masset, 31, missed the last two seasons after having right
shoulder surgery. He is 16-14 with a 3.78 ERA in 308 major league
appearances with the Rangers, White Sox and Reds from 2006-11.
Houston Astros: Williams, Jerome
RHP Jerome Williams agreed to a one-year contract with the Astros on
Feb. 3. The contract, which wasn't finalized pending a physical,
reportedly includes performance bonuses. Williams, 32, was 9-10 with
a 4.57 ERA in 37 games (25 starts) over a career-high 169 1/3
innings for the Angels in 2013. Williams has a 4.35 career ERA in
155 games (117 starts) in eight seasons with the Angels, Nationals,
Cubs and Giants.
New York Yankees: Jeter, Derek
SS Derek Jeter took on-field batting practice Feb. 3 for the first
time since he was shut down last year because of injuries. Jeter was
previously hitting in an indoor batting cage and fielded grounders
on infield grass the last two weeks.
The Yankees' captain played just 17 games last year after breaking
his left ankle in the 2012 American League Championship Series. He
batted .190 in only 63 at-bats with eight runs, one double, one home
run and seven RBIs.
Oakland Athletics: Brown, Corey
OF Corey Brown, acquired by the A's from the Nationals on Dec. 19 in
a cash transaction, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A
Sacramento on Jan. 29. Brown, 28, went 2-for-12 (.167) with one
homer and one RBI in 14 games with Washington last year. Over parts
of three seasons with the Nationals, he appeared in 36 games and
batted .175 with two homers and four RBIs.
Texas Rangers: Roe, Chaz
RHP Chaz Roe, designated for assignment by the Rangers on Jan. 29,
cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Round Rock on Jan.
31. Roe, 27, went 1-0 with a 4.03 ERA in 21 major league appearances
for Arizona last season. The Rangers claimed him off waivers from
the Diamondbacks on Nov. 1.
Boston Red Sox: Villarreal, Brayan
RHP Brayan Villarreal cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A
Pawtucket on Feb. 3. Villarreal, 26, was acquired from the Tigers in
late July as part of the three-way deal that brought Jake Peavy to
Boston. Villarreal made one appearance for the Red Sox, walking the
only batter he faced with the bases loaded in the bottom of the
ninth, dooming Boston to a loss on Aug. 20 at San Francisco. He went
0-2 with a 20.77 ERA in seven relief outings for Detroit in 2013.
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