Baseball Capsules: Pohlad reiterates Twins desire to keep Mauer
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins have been spending their way out of that small-budget image, mirroring the imminent increase in revenue from their new ballpark with a big spike in player salary commitments.
Lead owner Jim Pohlad said it's a sustainable development. So even if the Twins sign Joe Mauer to a mammoth contract extension, they're not afraid it would cost too much to keep a contending-caliber core of players around the American League MVP.
"I think Target Field puts us in better position to make sure that we have a competitive team from year to year," Pohlad said Monday. "Names will come and names will go, but overall the objective is always to have the best team on the field."
The Pohlad family has consistently followed a model of keeping the annual player payroll pegged to 50 percent of team revenue, though in rebuilding years it's fallen well below that. At the Metrodome, there wasn't as much money coming in. This year, though, the payroll will rise by roughly $30 million to a team record above $95 million.
"All new ballparks have their peaks, and I'm sure the initial years will be very good to the Twins," Pohlad said. "Then it'll be up to us to sustain it after that, but the ballpark itself I think can sustain it for a long time."
In a question-and-answer session with reporters in a conference room overlooking a snow-covered Target Field, Pohlad dismissed the notion that the team has been trying to disprove a tightfisted reputation.
"We're not trying to show people," he said. "We're trying to do what we said we're going to do."
Pohlad declined to discuss specifics about negotiations with Mauer on a new deal, citing a pledge to the catcher and his agent to keep the details private. He said he's "absolutely not active at all" in the process, but reiterated the team's desire to keep the homegrown star around for good.
Pohlad said the Twins aren't interested in the possibility of deferred compensation as a way to make a rich long-term contract like Mauer's work.
"They make you feel real good at the time, and then later on you wish you hadn't done that," Pohlad said.
He also indicated an openness to signing Mauer for nine or 10 years, if that's what it would take. First baseman Justin Morneau's six-year contract signed two years ago is the current Twins record.
"I don't think six is a magic number," Pohlad said, adding: "Total value is what drives it. We do not have a term policy."
Since last August, the Twins have added multimillion-dollar players in Orlando Hudson, Jim Thome, J.J. Hardy, Carl Pavano and Jon Rauch. Fans, though, should not expect a spree like that every year.
"We're not going to spend the money just to spend the money," Pohlad said, adding: "We're going to try to put the best team on the field in the most prudent financial way, and I think we accomplished that this year."
Asked about general manager Bill Smith's praise last year for the ownership's approval of the late-season acquisitions, Pohlad quipped: "I think it was time for his review."
Pohlad also reiterated the family's philosophy of trusting the front office to take care of the roster and not meddling or micromanaging in the day-to-day operations of the organization. The family has a small empire of business interests, and the Twins take up between 20 percent and 30 percent of Pohlad's time.
They're fired up about this year's team, though, as they always are.
"We may be characterized as a relatively disengaged ownership group, but we do care about winning and losing," Pohlad said. "There may be one or two down years, but even during those years we're going to care and we're going to want to do better. I've said this a million times and my brothers are the same. We're fans."
Mariners' Lee has minor foot surgery
SEATTLE — Cliff Lee's first spring training with the Seattle Mariners is off to a slow start already.
Lee is recovering from minor foot surgery and will be limited when pitchers and catchers report to Seattle's camp in Arizona this month.
"We decided Lee should have the surgery as soon as possible, rather than try to pitch with the discomfort during the year," general manager Jack Zduriencik said in a release Monday. "To get it out of the way and have it behind us is important."
Seattle's biggest acquisition during its splashy winter had surgery Friday in his native Arkansas to remove a bone spur that broke loose and was floating in his left foot.
Lee's foot is not in a cast, and he is continuing his upper-body exercise program. The Mariners said the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner will "gradually return to all normal baseball activities" over the next two to three weeks.
Zduriencik acquired Lee from Philadelphia in a complicated four-team deal that gave Seattle one of baseball's best pair of aces, along with 2009 AL Cy Young Award runner-up Felix Hernandez.
Lee went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA for the Phillies after he was acquired from Cleveland on July 29. He was even better in the playoffs, going 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in five starts and earning both of Philadelphia's wins in the World Series against the Yankees.
The 31-year-old left-hander has one year and $9 million remaining on his contract.
Seattle's first workout for pitchers and catchers is Feb. 18 in Peoria, Ariz.
-- Gregg Bell
Yankees add Thames, finalize Winn
NEW YORK — Marcus Thames agreed Monday to a minor league contract with the New York Yankees, who also finalized a $1.1 million, one-year deal with Randy Winn to give themselves more left field options.
Thames, who turns 33 next month, began his major league career with the Yankees in 2002 and homered on his first big league pitch that June 10 off Arizona's Randy Johnson. Thames was traded to Texas in June 2003 for Ruben Sierra, then let go by the Rangers after the season.
He spent the last six seasons with Detroit and hit .252 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs last year, down from 25 homers and 56 RBIs the previous season. He would get a $900,000, one-year contract if added to the 40-man roster and have the chance to earn an additional $900,000 in performance bonuses.
The right-handed-hitting Thames could find himself alongside center fielder Curtis Granderson, his former Tigers teammate, and complement the switch-hitting Winn, who hit .292 from the left side last year and .158 from the right. Thames batted .257 against lefties and .248 vs. righties.
Speedy Brett Gardner also is in the mix for outfield playing time.
Winn's $900,000 in performance bonuses are based on plate appearances against left-handed pitchers only. He would get $100,000 each for 50, 75 and 100, and $150,000 apiece for 125, 150, 175 and 200.
Winn's deal, reached Jan. 27 subject to a physical, pretty much eliminated any chance Johnny Damon had of returning to the World Series champions.
Winn hit .262 overall with two homers and 51 RBIs for San Francisco last season. The 35-year-old was an All-Star in 2002, when he batted .298 with 14 homers and 75 RBIs for Tampa Bay.
-- Ronald Blum
Vizquel to wear Aparicio's number
CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox are taking Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio's number 11 out of retirement for newly acquired 11-time Gold Glove winner Omar Vizquel.
A Venezuelan like Aparicio, Vizquel will wear the number as a tribute to his countryman.
"For me, it's like a huge celebration, trying to keep his name alive and trying to spread the word of Venezuelan shortstops," Vizquel said Monday during a conference call. "I think every kid now — the new generation of shortstops in Venezuela — has to know about Luis Aparicio and everything that he means to us in this game."
Aparicio said if there's one player he'd like to see wear his number, it's Vizquel, the leader among shortstops in games (2,681) and a three-time AL All-Star.
"I have known Omar for a long time," the 10-time All-Star shortstop and nine-time Gold Glove winner said in a statement. "Along with being an outstanding player, he is a good and decent man."
The 1956 AL Rookie of the Year with the White Sox, Aparicio was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984 — the same year his number was retired.
This is not the first time the White Sox have taken a number out of retirement. They gave Harold Baines his old number 3 when he returned to the team in 1996 and did it again in 2000 when he came back for his third and final stint as a player. It was initially retired in 1989.
Vizquel has worn 13, but in Chicago, that number belongs to manager Ozzie Guillen. And he wasn't about to relinquish it.
"Ever since I signed with the White Sox, the first thing Ozzie Guillen said (was): 'You can forget about 13, that's going to be my number,'" Vizquel said. "He knows that's my number and I really would love to wear it. But I think what Ozzie Guillen has done for the Chicago White Sox, winning them a championship and all the years that he played there, No. 13 already has a name. ... As long as a Venezuelan is wearing it, I'm pretty happy with it."
National League
Schumaker agrees to deal with Cardinals
ST. LOUIS — Second baseman Skip Schumaker and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a $4.7 million, two-year contract, avoiding an arbitration hearing.
Schumaker will earn $2 million this season and $2.7 million in 2011. The deal also contains performance bonuses that could bring the total value to $5 million over two years.
Schumaker, who turned 30 on Wednesday, hit .303 with four homers and 35 RBIs in 153 games last year. He also switched from the outfield to second base.
Schumaker, who was arbitration eligible for the first time, had asked for $2.75 million while the Cardinals offered $1.45 million. He made $430,000 last season.
St. Louis announced the deal on Monday.
Brewers erecting a statue of Selig outside park
MILWAUKEE — The Brewers are erecting a statue of baseball commissioner Bud Selig outside Miller Park and will unveil it on Aug. 24.
Selig headed a group that bought the Seattle Pilots in bankruptcy court in 1970, moved the franchise to Milwaukee and renamed it the Brewers. He became acting commissioner in 1992 and took the job full-time six years later, turning control of the team over to his daughter, Wendy Selig-Prieb. The Selig family sold the team to a group headed by Mark Attanasio in 2005.
"The Brewers and Miller Park are in this city because of the commissioner's vision and dedicated efforts," Attanasio said Monday.
Selig's foundation donated statues of Hank Aaron and Robin Yount that were unveiled when Miller Park opened in 2001. Selig's statue, which will be more than 7 feet tall, will be built by the same designer, Brian Maughan.
Bob Melvin hired as scout by New York Mets
NEW YORK — Former major league manager Bob Melvin has been hired as a professional scout by the New York Mets, who also brought back Mookie Wilson as their minor league outfield and base running coordinator.
Melvin was the NL Manager of the Year in 2007 with Arizona. He managed the Seattle Mariners from 2003-04 and then the Diamondbacks from 2005 until he was fired last May 8 and replaced by A.J. Hinch.
Wilson, a member of the Mets' 1986 World Series championship team, was their first base coach from 1997-02 and a minor league manager for New York at Kingsport (2003-04) and Brooklyn (2005).
Guy Conti was replaced as rehabilitation pitching coordinator by Frank Fultz, and Conti becomes a senior adviser in the minor league department. Fultz was pitching coach for the Gulf Coast Mets last year.
Cubs introduce new club suite
CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs are introducing a new all-inclusive suite at Wrigley Field, where a season ticket will cost $300 per game.
Only 71 tickets will be available in the new club down the left-field line. Though the seats will be the most expensive in the old ballpark, they could be a more affordable option than the luxury suites because buyers could purchase fewer seats.
The price includes food, drinks and parking. Buyers could also purchase tickets for special events, such as concerts, and rent the facility for business meetings when there's no game.
The Cubs had announced in December they were consolidating six suites into a new club. A report in the Sports Business Journal revealed the ticket price.
Elsewhere
SABR says 'sabermetrics' to stay in public domain
CLEVELAND — A company has withdrawn its application to trademark the term "sabermetrics" following opposition from the Society for American Baseball Research.
SABR announced its opposition last month to the application by Deep Focus Inc., and the two organizations issued a joint statement Monday saying the application was withdrawn Feb. 3.
"We now understand that there was no intent to restrict free use of the word, and we are glad that they respect that free use of the word benefits everyone," SABR executive director John Zajc said.
SABR said "sabermetrics" was coined by statistician Bill James in 1980.
"The intent to use the term 'sabermetrics' was solely to describe our approach to evaluating engagement within social media, and not to own the term outright. In no way did we mean to restrict others' use of the word," Deep Focus' chief executive officer Ian Schafer said.
HOF to hold another Father's Day game
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — The Baseball Hall of Fame is staging a second Father's Day game.
Hall president Jeff Idelson says tickets for the June 20 old-timer's game at Doubleday Field will go on sale in Cooperstown on March 20, and the maximum ticket limit has been raised to eight.
The Hall began a Father's Day weekend last June with five Hall of Famers and more than 20 other former major leaguers making the trip. The game replaced the annual exhibition game between major league teams, which was canceled because it had become too difficult to fit into the regular season.
The hall said Monday that this year's contest will feature seven Hall of Famers — Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Bob Feller, Phil Niekro, Gary Carter, Harmon Killebrew, and Mike Schmidt.
