| Olmedo Saenz, 1B, Washington Nationals | Tuesday 2/12, 7:20 PM CT |
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| The New York Mets announced today they have signed infielder Olmedo Saenz as a six-year minor league free agent and invited him to Major League spring training. According to Newsday.com, Saenz, one of the most productive pinch hitters in the big leagues over the last four years, is a career .256 hitter (72-281) off the bench with 12 home runs and 58 RBI.
Olmedo, a 37-year-old righthanded hitter, was with the Los Angeles Dodgers the last four years. In 2007, he tied for fourth in the majors with 14 pinch hits (14-63, .222) and also had two home runs and 12 RBI. |
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| The San Diego Padres evidently have finally reached an agreement with shortstop Khalil Greene on a new contract, according to the Sports Ticker.
The Padres agreed to terms with Greene on a two-year contract worth $11 million, according to a report Tuesday on the San Diego Union-Tribune's web site.
According to the newspaper, Greene will receive $4.5 million this year and $6.5 million in 2009.
The Padres reportedly had reached a tentative agreement to avoid salary arbitration with Greene last week. But the two sides had not reached an agreement on terms of Greene's new contract.
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| Rich Aurilia, 1B, San Francisco Giants | Tuesday 2/12, 3:21 PM CT |
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| If the season began today, Rich Aurilia would likely be the starter at third base for the Giants, according to MLB.com. However, Aurila could also end up playing first, and Kevin Frandsen could play third if he doesn't win the second base job. Aurilia hit .252 with five homers in 329 at-bats last year. |
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| Dan Ortmeier, 1B, San Francisco Giants | Tuesday 2/12, 3:17 PM CT |
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| The first base job is Dan Ortmeier's to lose heading into spring training, according to MLB.com. A converted outfielder, Ortmeier hit .287 with six homers in 157 at-bats for the Giants last year. He'll likely have to fend off veteran Rich Aurilia for the job, though Aurilia would probably start at third if the season began today. |
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| The Astros are interested in signing free agent Shawn Chacon, but a deal has not been reached yet. "I'm talking to his agent but we haven't reached any agreement yet," GM Ed Wade told MLB.com. Chacon could compete for a spot in the Astros rotation. The Pirates have also expressed an interest in bringing Chacon back. |
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| Kris Benson, P, Philadelphia Phillies | Tuesday 2/12, 2:13 PM CT |
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| The Phillies aren't any closer to signing free agent Kris Benson, though there is a much better chance of them signing him than bringing back Kyle Lohse, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Other teams have watched Benson throw, but the Phillies have been linked to the right-hander more than anyone else. Benson missed all of the 2007 season while recovering from shoulder surgery. |
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| Greg Maddux, P, San Diego Padres | Tuesday 2/12, 12:58 PM CT |
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| Greg Maddux dropped a bombshell on the Daily Herald Monday telling the paper this could be his last season in baseball. He will consider retirement during the offseason.
When asked how long he planned to pitch, rather than the usual answer, the 41-year-old Maddux paused, "My son, Chase, is gonna be 11 here pretty soon and I want to start watching him play a little bit more. I think it's about time for me to watch him instead of him coming to the park to watch me,'' said Maddux. "I'm set to play this year, and we'll see what happens after that.'' Maddux's Hall of Fame career includes more than 350 wins, 3,300 strikeouts, 5,000 innings, 700 starts, 20,000 batters faced, 17 Gold Gloves, four Cy Youngs, eight all-star selections, 12 postseason appearances and four ERA titles.
He's going to wind up seventh or eighth all time in victories, at somewhere around 360, which is staggering if you actually stop and think about more than 130 years of baseball history. |
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| Mark Sweeney, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers | Tuesday 2/12, 12:22 PM CT |
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| The Dodgers agreed on a one-year, $600,000 contract with Mark Sweeney Tuesday. Sweeney, who spent the last month and a half with the Dodgers last year, can earn a $125,000 roster bonus if he makes the opening day roster, and the deal includes performance-based incentives that can push his total earnings to $900,000, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. |
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| Mark Mulder, P, St. Louis Cardinals | Tuesday 2/12, 9:24 AM CT |
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| Mark Mulder threw off a mound Monday for the first time since having shoulder surgery last September, tossing 10 pitches at something close to half-speed in a light bullpen session. At home "in Arizona, I'd have good days, I'd have bad days," Mulder said in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "The past two weeks here (in Florida), every time I have definitely been better each time, throwing a little bit harder, throwing a little bit better. This was another example, without a doubt." The lefty is working through a throwing program that could put him in the rotation by early May. |
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| Brad Lidge, P, Philadelphia Phillies | Tuesday 2/12, 9:10 AM CT |
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| Brad Lidge said he's been throwing off a mound since January and that his surgically repaired knee is ready to go. The reliever said if the season started today, he'd healthy enough to pitch, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Lidge had surgery on the knee last October. |
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| The Orioles had been interested in bringing free agent Corey Patterson back. However, that proposition is unlikely now that the team has acquired Adam Jones, according to the Baltimore Sun. Patterson may have to end up settling for a backup job somewhere. |
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