Ken Griffey Jr. can make up to $3.9 million in 2010 through his incentive-laden one-year deal with the Mariners.
Griffey, 40, will be given a base salary of $2.35 million and can trigger over $1.5 million in incentives if he tops 400 plate appearances. Junior had no problem reaching that goal this past season (454 plate appearances) and hit .214/.324/.411 with 19 dingers and 57 RBI along the way.
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti indicated Monday that speculation about a deal that would send Chad Billingsley to Toronto for Roy Halladay is unfounded.
The Dodgers still believe in Billingsley's talent, despite a 5.20 post All-Star break ERA in '09. "We would like to improve our pitching, especially starting pitching," said Colletti. "I don't believe we can subtract from it in order to improve it." It's clear who the better pitcher is now, but Billingsley, 25, is seven years younger than Halladay and boasts a similar lifetime ERA. Plus, the Dodgers would have to include a group of prospects in the trade.
According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, the Mets have "called" on free agent first baseman Russell Branyan.
Branyan, who turns 34 in December, posted a batting line of .251/.347/.520, a career-high 31 home runs and 76 RBI in 2009. He's a nice fit for the Mets, who are seeking a left-handed power hitter and could stick Branyan at first base. That would leave Daniel Murphy in the outfield, unless the Mets decide to upgrade at multiple positions this offseason. For what it's worth, he rejected a one-year offer from the Mariners two weeks ago.
According to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, free agent first baseman Nick Johnson is "drawing lots of interest" this winter.
Johnson, 31, had the highest 2009 on-base percentage of any hitter on the market this winter and an overall batting line of .291/.426/.405. His agent, Rex Gary, told Stark on Monday that more than six teams have expressed interest. The Mets, Giants and Mariners are likely among those clubs.
The Brewers are interested in free agent starting pitcher Carl Pavano, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"He's definitely on their radar," said Pavano's agent Tom O'Connell. Pavano went 14-12 with a 5.10 ERA in 33 starts this past season with the Indians and Twins. "It's a solid market (for Pavano) but teams always take the 'wait and see' approach," O'Connell continued. "Certain guys (on the market) are going to dictate how the other guys go."
Joe Mauer was named the American League's Most Valuable Player.
This was a no-brainer. Mauer easily beat Yankee teammates Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter, who finished second and third, respectively. The Twins star was a near-unanimous winner, receiving 27 of 28 first-place votes. The lone dissenter gave his first-place vote to fourth-place finisher Miguel Cabrera. Mauer led the league in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444), and slugging percentage (.587); a feat never before accomplished by a catcher. He also led the league by a substantial margin in Value over Replacement Player (VORP). Oh, and he played Gold Glove defense at a premium position.
White Sox signed SS Omar Vizquel to a one-year, $1.375 million contract.
The deal makes sense for both parties. The White Sox ink a veteran who offers the club a stellar defensive option off the bench at shortstop, second base or third base. The 42-year-old Vizquel hit only .266/.316/.345 in 177 at-bats last season, but his defense and mentorship of youngsters Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham should make the contract worthwhile for the South Siders.
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