2005-2006 Off-Season Signings thread

[Elster88]

BJ Bunch refers to the Benson Bunch thread which JD started to compare pitchers with questionable pitching history who had signed largish contracts in offseason 2004.

[MFS62]

(slapping forehead)
Of Course!
Thanks
Later

[Guest sharpie]

Tony Batista and his funky stance return stateside from Japan to play for Twinkies:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2260178

[Guest Edgy DC]

Tony Batista put the lance into the dying dragon that was John Franco's career.

[smg58]

The Twins couldn't do better than him?

[DocTee]

Grudzy off the market, siging with KC (as does Mientkiewicz)-- that's one helluva scrabble infield!

[MFS62]

smg58 wrote: The Twins couldn't do better than him?

T-bat should have a field day hitting in the Baggy-dome.
Heck, I would have a field day hitting there.

Later

[metirish]

] Ron Villone joined the exodus from the Marlins when Florida traded the reliever to the Yankees on Friday for minor league pitcher Ben Julianel. The 35-year-old left-hander was a combined 2-3 with a 2.45 ERA in 79 games last season for the Seattle Mariners and the Marlins, who acquired him at the July 31 trade deadline. Villone, a native of Edgewater, N.J., is joining his 10th major league team following stints with Seattle, San Diego, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Colorado. Houston, Pittsburgh and Florida. He is owed $2 million next season in the second year of a $4.2 million, two-year contract.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spyanks1217,0,4776383.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines

[Centerfield]

Garciaparra to the Dodgers.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2264252

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Octavio Dotel?

[Guest sharpie]

Seen no confirmation but if true we would have re-acquired both of the players we traded for Bell and Hampton.

[Willets Point]

Happily we un-reacquired Cedeno.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Octavio Dotel?

I clicked that link again just now to see if there was any additional info about Dotel signing with the Mets, and I see that the user who posted it has now been banned from that forum.

Those guys at ESPN.com are much more strict than we are here.

[Guest Edgy DC]

A.J. Pierzynski returns to the White Sox to the tune of three years, and fifteen million, making him the second A.J. whose ship has come in this offseason.

It would've been fun if he joined Doug Mientkiewicz and Mark Grudzielanek in Kansas City.

[metirish]

Busy day for the Mets...sorry if this has been reported here, I've been busy..

] December 19, 2005, 10:17 PM EST Kazuhisa Ishii was released Monday by the Mets, who signed three other pitchers to minor league contracts. The Mets agreed to terms with left-handers Darren Oliver and Pedro Feliciano, and right-hander Jose Parra. All three were invited to spring training. After starting pitcher Steve Trachsel went down with a back injury in March, Ishii was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for catcher Jason Phillips. The left-hander went 3-9 with a 5.14 ERA in 19 games, including 16 starts, during his only season in New York. Ishii is 39-34 with a 4.44 ERA in four major league seasons. The 35-year-old Oliver pitched in the minors last season. He is 87-79 with a 5.07 ERA in 12 big league seasons. He split the 2004 season between the Florida Marlins and Houston Astros. Feliciano and Parra pitched in Japan this year. Both relievers were with the Mets in 2004.

[metirish]

] SEATTLE -- The Seattle Mariners have reached an agreement on a four-year contract with Los Angeles Angels free-agent left-handed pitcher Jarrod Washburn. After spending his first seven years with the Los Angeles Angels, Washburn became a free agent on Dec. 7 after the Angels declined arbitration for the 31-year-old left-hander. General manager Bill Stoneman had previously said the team was not going to try and re-sign Washburn. Washburn's agent, Scott Boras, had been pursuing a five-year deal for Washburn. Last year, Washburn went 8-8 and made 29 starts. He had a brief stint on the disabled list with inflammation in his pitching elbow. It was just the sixth time in his career he was on the disabled list. His best season came in 2002, when he helped the Angels to their only World Series title. Washburn was 18-6 with a 3.15 ERA in the regular season. He has a career record of 75-57 and a 3.93 ERA, but has won more than 11 games only once.

[smg58]

Parra and Feliciano give the Mets some options in the back of the pen. They may not help, but they won't hurt.

Washburn is similar to Millwood, if not as good. His ERA is very inconsistent from year to year, and it's hard to tell which pitcher you're going to get.

[Guest sharpie]

4 years is a lot to pay for Washburn.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Darren Oliver smells to me a lot like James Baldwin. Remember that fiasco?

[seawolf17]

Danny Graves and Steve Karsay signed minor-league deals with Cleveland.

[Frayed Knot]

The Dodgers continue to add to their collection of oddballs and spare parts by inking Kenny Lofton to a 1-year deal.

[Guest Edgy DC]

]Darren Oliver smells to me a lot like James Baldwin. Remember that fiasco?

Darren Oliver smells a lot like coconut hair oil.

[DocTee]

Jacque Jones: 3 years with Cubbies.

Alou, Pierre and Jones sounds better (alot) than Alou, Patterson, and Burnitz.

[Elster88]

Kenny Lofton is so old....he's only a little younger than Julio Franco.

[Guest sharpie]

]Alou, Pierre and Jones sounds better (alot) than Alou, Patterson, and Burnitz.

Alou has been a Giant since last season.

[DocTee]

Quote:
Alou, Pierre and Jones sounds better (alot) than Alou, Patterson, and Burnitz.



Alou has been a Giant since last season.

D'OH! Too much (or not enough) egg nog.

[Frayed Knot]

Rudy Seanez to the BoSox.
He was one of the relievers that Omar was obsessed with to the point where the pitcher considered getting a restraining order ...
or maybe the two were merely linked by writer speculation, it's tough to keep track sometimes.

[smg58]

I like the Dodgers strategy, grabbing vets for short terms while preserving the best farm system in the league right now. They're already more than competitive enough in the NL West.

[smg58]

I could see why one of the teams in the market for a centerfielder might want Jacque Jones, but he just doesn't hit well enough to play the corners.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Norihiro Nakamura, who really looks like the bullet we dodged after going .128 / .171 / .179 // .350 in a mere 17 games for LA, is returning to Japan to play for the Orix Buffaloes.

In fairness to the guy, he did get it together to the tune of .249 / .331 / .487 // .818 at AAA, but never got another chance.