Cardinals sign Adam Kennedy and Kip Wells

The Cardinals announced that they have signed Adam Kennedy, reuniting him with shortstop David Eckstein. The double-play combo played together for the Angels for several years. Kennedy is a very solid second baseman, but not much of a threat at the plate, a weak contact hitter.

Kip Wells will slot into the rotation, as the Cardinals try to rebuild their rotation with the departures of Jason Marquis, Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver. He could be quite decent for the Cards this season, so keep an eye on him.

The Yankees, not to be outdone in the Japanese posting phenomenon, bid $26 million for the right to negotiate with pitcher Kei Igawa. A 27 year-old lefty, Igawa had 3 years left on his contract with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan. He holds three strikeout titles in Japan and has pitched very well, going 14-9 with a 2.97 ERA last season. He is nowhere near the legend that Daisuke Matsuzaka is in Japan, but he may perform quite well in the majors. Expect the Yanks to sign him and get 12-15 wins out of him.

Manny deal in the works

The Boston Red Sox are said to be aggressively shopping Manny Ramirez as trade fodder. With the recent big money deals of Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Lee, Ramirez’ contract is looking quite attractive to teams needing more firepower. ESPN thinks that he may be dealt by Saturday to either the Giants, Padres or Dodgers. All of these teams have big holes to fill in their lineups, and have relief pitchers, shortstops and prospects to offer (the Giants will have to procure them another way). Ramirez is a Hall of Fame caliber hitter, and could really lift an offense. He wants to play in California.

Along with this move, the Sox are looking to sign outfielder J.D. Drew to fill their void in right field. Negotiations are ongoing, and it is thought that they are already close to a deal. The tag? About $15 million a year.

The Phillies finally made some noise in the free agent market, signing pitcher Adam Eaton to a three-year, $24 million contract. The right-hander should be healthy for this season, but there has been some skepticism about if he can replicate his 2004 performance in San Diego. It’s probably better for him to go back to the NL.

The Cleveland Indians signed outfielder David Dellucci to a three-year contract worth $11.5 million. Dellucci will replace Jason Michaels in left field, their weakest position last season. You gotta hand it to Mark Shapiro, he has some of the best bargains in baseball on that team. This young nucleus will try to give it another run this season. They need a couple of veteran leaders to round off this team, IMO.

The Baltimore Orioles signed relief pitchers Chad Bradford and Scott Williamson, finishing their complete rebuilding of their bullpen for 2007. They will definitely be better than last year, but I think they may have the most expensive pen in baseball. They won’t be worth all that money. My opinion is that bullpens are best built with a couple of veterans and the rest being young, live arms.

Mike Mussina. 2 years, $23 million from Steinbrenner. No surprises here.

The Blue Jays failed to sign Rod Barajas, so re-signed veteran Gregg Zaun to a two-year deal. Hope they have some insurance for those old knees.

Astros spring for Lee, Williams

Carlos Lee is now a $100 million man. The Astros spent some serious cabbage on the power-hitting outfielder, the last impact bat available this off-season in free agency. Good for the Astros, who are desperately in need of some run production. However, unless they can get their starting rotation fixed, it won’t really matter. Toward that end, Houston also signed pitcher Woody Williams to a two-year deal worth $12.5 million. Williams enjoyed success with the Astros a few years ago, but he is getting up there in age. Even last year, he wasn’t better than a decent #3, and he doesn’t figure to improve on that. Still, for a team that could be losing its top 3 starters from last season to retirement and injury, it’s a start.

OTHER NEWS

Arizona has acquired lefty Doug Davis from the Milwaukee Brewers, along with promising prospects Dana Eveland and Dave Krynzel in a trade. The Diamondbacks sent catcher Johnny Estrada, and pitchers Claudio Vargas and Greg Aquino to the Brewers. If you’ll remember, Arizona had trouble filling out their starting rotation with pitchers who could go more than five or six innings. Davis is a veteran lefty who has reached 200 IP for three consecutive seasons. Josh Byrnes was expected to dangle catcher Johnny Estrada this off-season, as he is a catcher who can hit, a fairly rare commodity. Milwaukee took the bait, and padded their bullpen depth in the process. Arizona continues to stock their very talented farm system with the additions of Eveland and Krynzel, and my feeling is that they are the clear winners in this trade.

The Baltimore Orioles continue to spend big money on their bullpen, and signed reliever Danys Baez to a three-year, $19 million deal. Baez is expected to set up for young closer Chris Ray, and provide closer insurance in the case of injury. This is a great signing for them except the steep price tag. Baltimore is struggling to lure good talent in recent years, and has to overpay like this to get better.

Randy Wolf is leaving the Phillies and is said to be signing with the Dodgers. The Phillies have completely struck out so far this off-season, and in desperation may make an ill-advised trade (again).

The Toronto Blue Jays are said to be ready to make Rod Barajas their starting catcher. Barajas has a poor career OBP, but he has shown surprising flashes of power, and could surprise with his bat. He could be an off-season bargain.

Mike Cameron and Jim Edmonds are staying put. Considering the current dearth of viable centerfielders, I’d say that’s a wise move by both the Padres and the Cardinals.

Angels land Matthews, Jr.

It was announced today that the Angels have signed Gary Matthews Jr. to a five-year contract worth $50 million. Payday for Matthews. Once again we see how inflated this free agent market is. Matthews is good, but not worth $10 million a year, especially near the end of his deal, when he’ll be 37. Matthews can hit in the top third of the Angels order, but he doesn’t really represent the pop that they need to really support Vladimir Guerrero. Look at the Red Sox: Manny + Papi = top 3 offense, every season. His presence makes Chone Figgins eminently tradeable.

Frank Catalanotto signed with the Texas Rangers for three years and $13.5 million. Catalanotto is an excellent contact hitter and a very solid outfielder. This is an excellent signing for Texas, who needs good options in their outfield, should they not be able to retain the services of Carlos Lee, who is a free agent in high demand right now.

Justin Speier signed a four-year deal with the Angels as well. A very good middle reliever, Speier can set up or provide a very good 7th inning bridge. It looks like he will fill the hole in the bullpen left by reliever Kevin Gregg, who was traded earlier this week.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the free agent pitchers in the next few weeks. Expect to see Zito sign somewhere (probably New York), and then Schmidt and others follow soon after.

Nomah re-ups with Dodgers

Nomar Garciaparra signed a two-year agreement with the Dodgers for $18.5 million. Garciaparra had one of the best comeback seasons in 2006, and Los Angeles desperately needed to retain his bat for their struggling offense. The departure of J.D. Drew and his $11 million requirement made this deal easier, and the Dodgers are still in the hunt to add a big bat this off-season.

LA also announced that Juan Pierre will be joining them in 2007. The details of the contract are still being worked out, but it is projected to be five years and about $45 million. Pierre needs to bounce back quite a bit to deserve that kind of money, but he should score a ton of runs for LA next year.

The Mets continue to resemble the Yankees of the early 2000s, signing Moises Alou for 1 year and $8.5 million. That’s a lot of money for a 40-year old outfielder. Alou will provide very good outfield depth for the Mets, but don’t expect him to outproduce what he did last season.

In an ill-advised move, the Orioles shelled out nearly $12 million over three years for left-handed reliever Jamie Walker. Despite a stellar season in 2006 for the Tigers, I don’t expect Walker to duplicate that at age 35. That’s a lot of money to spend on someone who’ll likely post an ERA just under 4.00.

The Cincinnati Reds signed Alex Gonzalez and Mike Stanton for three years and two years, respectively. Gonzalez will make a total of $14 million to provide Gold Glove defense at short, and Stanton will recieve about $2.8 million per season to shore up a rebuilt bullpen. Neither player is a big impact player, but they definitely represent upgrades over what the Reds had in 2006.

The Phillies have not been able to unload Pat Burrell’s hefty contract. I’m not surprised, as Burrell looked lost at the plate at times last season. He has power, but just can’t do enough at the plate or in the field to warrant big money.

Alfonso Soriano signs with the Cubs (does he ever!)

8 years, $138 million. Would you like to come work for us? Soriano signs the 5th largest baseball contraact in history. The guy has some talent, but come on… There are a lot of disappointed ballclubs out there today. The biggest winner from this signing (besides Alfonso) would be Carlos Lee, whose stock just jumped as he becomes the best bat left out there. A lot of smaller clubs will not be able to afford him now.

I never figured the 30-year old Soriano would end up with a National League club again, but there are just not that many 40 HR guys out there, let alone someone coming off a 40/40 season. The Cubs have tried to win it all with pitching, and now they figure they have to try to beat a championship out of other teams. With a core of Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Soriano, the Cubs’ order is suddenly kind of scary. Look for them to produce a lot more runs next season, and invest in these guys and their leadoff hitter, whoever that turns out to be.

The Stove is heating up

It’s all over the news that the Toronto Blue Jays are close to signing Frank Thomas to a two-year, $20 million contract. If Troy Glaus can still play a little third base, their lineup jumps to the next level with this signing, much like Detroit’s trade for Gary Sheffield.

If the A’s lose Thomas, they will need a DH to carry the team. I know that they will reach across the Bay and pluck Barry Bonds, who is ripe to become a DH in the American League. Not many GMs want anything to do with Barry and his problems, which is exactly why Billy Beane will bring him to Oakland at a bargain basement price.

The Astros are said to be serious about signing one big bat in the outfield. Right now their sights are set on Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano. They are also looking at Woody Williams for their rotation, all of which adds up to no Roger Clemens for them next season.

If the Red Sox can sign Daisuke Matsuzaka, it will be a great (though costly) trump for them. They will get the best arm in this year’s free agent class, one that should have a place in their rotation for years to come. They are also said to be close to signing J.D. Drew, another Scott Boras client. They are said to be interested in Brad Lidge, or one of Houston’s other setup men as closer candidates. If Houston can offer enough back, what about a deal for Manny Ramirez?

Cubs protect their own

The Chicago Cubs took a couple of pretty big names off the market this weekend, re-signing 3B Aramis Ramirez and P Kerry Wood. Ramirez signed a new 5-year, $73 million contract, and Wood took a 1-year, $1.75 million deal. After his best season to date, Aramis Ramirez negotiated this hefty contract, while Kerry Wood signed a lowball deal with incentives. Wood is thought to be going to the bullpen because of problems with his throwing arm. He will be limited to one inning of work per outing in 2007.

OTHER NEWS

The New York Yankees have been busy early. Instead of buying out Jaret Wright’s contract and making him a free agent, Brian Cashman dealt Wright to the Orioles in return for 24-year old pitching prospect Chris Britton. The Yankees continue to pile up young arms, giving them dangerous pitching depth that they have not had in the past. Wright pitched very well late last season, but showed a concerning lack of durability for a starting pitcher, being unable to go more than five or six innings in the majority of his starts.

The bidding has also closed for the services of Japanese third baseman Akinori Iwamura. His current team will have several days to consider the high bid and decide whether to release him to the major leagues or not. Iwamura is a bit of a free swinger, but is talented, both at the plate and at third base. Even though he may cost much less than his countryman Daisuke Matsuzaka, he may make a big impact where he lands as well.

Sheffield traded to the Tigers

Gary Sheffield got what he wanted, a two-year contract extension for $28 million, and he gets to go back to his native Detroit. Brian Cashman got what he wanted, young pitching prospects for a Yankee club desperately in need of pitching depth.

The addition of Sheffield’s bat to the Detroit lineup instantly takes them from being an above-average offense (Detroit ranked 8th in the majors in runs last season with 822) to one of the league’s elite offenses.  Of course, this is needed insurance for them, in case some of their breakout players in 2006 don’t post the same type of numbers next season. If Sheffield stays healthy for a full year, you can definitely count on seeing these Tigers in the playoffs again next season. What an upgrade from Dimitri Young!

In return, the Yankees acquired three pitching prospects, most notably 23-year old Humberto Sanchez. Considered to have a very high ceiling, Sanchez  went 5-3 with a 1.76 ERA in 11 AA starts, and 5-3 with a 3.86 ERA at the AAA level. Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett are two young closer prospects with live arms. This is a great deal for New York, considering they still boast an outfield of Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu. Not bad. Look to see Sanchez and possibly Whelan called up some time in 2007.

J.D. Drew is available

In a surprise move, outfielder J.D. Drew has opted out of the last three years of his five year, $55 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is an excellent hitter and a very good outfielder when healthy, but has managed only two full seasons with over 500 ABs in his career (2004 and 2006). Drew and his agent, Scott Boras are definitely interested in cash, so it won’t be easy to sign him. This bears some watching, because if he joins a team with a good lineup, he could repeat his 2004 breakout. I’m sure the Texas Rangers are very interested.