Baseball Capsules: Rangers hire Hasleman to manage in minors
ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers have hired former big league catcher Bill Haselman to manage in its minor league system.
The Rangers also Thursday signed free agent infielder Matt Brown to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.
Haselman will manage Bakersfield, the Rangers’ High-A team in the California League.
Haselman was drafted by Texas and played five seasons with the Rangers. He retired as a player after the 2003 season with Boston. He remained in the Red Sox organization for three years as a major league scout and instructor, bullpen coach and first base coach before a three-year hiatus from baseball to spend time with his family in the Seattle area.
Haselman is one of only four players to have three separate stints with the Rangers. He was drafted 23rd overall in 1987, made his major league debut in 1990, then played again with the Rangers in 1998 and from 2000-02.
Brown, primarily a third baseman, appeared in 15 games over 2007 and 2008 for the Los Angeles Angels for his only major league appearance in his nine professional seasons. A member of Team USA at the 2008 Olympics with Rangers catcher Taylor Teagarden, Brown spent most of last season at Triple-A Salt Lake, where he hit .245 with 13 home runs and 69 RBIs in 107 games.
Brown became a free agent when he wasn’t tendered a contract offer by the Angels last month.
Rangers sign Brown to minor league deal
ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers have signed free agent infielder Matt Brown to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.
Brown, primarily a third baseman, appeared in 15 games over 2007 and 2008 for the Los Angeles Angels, his only major league appearance in his nine professional seasons. Brown spent most of last season at Triple-A Salt Lake, where he hit .245 with 13 home runs and 69 RBIs in 107 games.
The Rangers also said Thursday that they have hired former big league catcher Bill Haselman to manage in Bakersfield, an affiliate in the California League.
Haselman was drafted by Texas and played five seasons with the Rangers. He retired after playing the 2003 season with Boston.
Hall of Fame
Dawson’s knees almost ruined career
NEW YORK — Andre Dawson’s first order of business after donning his new Hall of Fame jersey and cap was to make a confession.
"As I stand here, I’m literally shaking," Dawson said Thursday. "I had a knee replacement on one leg that I thought was dead but it’s shaking."
Dawson’s journey to the Hall was a painful one — and not because he had to endure a nine-year wait to be elected.
Rather, it took 12 knee operations — sounds like a record — for Dawson to complete a 21-year career (1976-96) that finally landed him the coveted title of Hall of Famer on Wednesday, when was the only player for 2010 to receive at least 75 percent of the vote.
And get this, he still stole more than 300 bases to go with his 438 home runs. Along with Willie Mays and Barry Bonds, he’s one of three major leaguers to accomplish the feat.
"The Hawk" played his first 11 seasons on the artificial turf of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, which he said was as hard as the carpeted floor he was standing on at his news conference. He extended his career with 10 more years on grass, including six with the Chicago Cubs, where he won the 1987 NL MVP.
The Hall of Fame still hasn’t decided whether the eight-time All-Star will have an Expos or Cubs hat — Dawson also played two years each for Boston and Florida — on his bronze plaque.
Despite the near life-sized poster of Dawson in an Expos uniform next to the dais, Hall president Jeff Idelson said no decision has been made.
"At the end of the day you want the logo to represent where this guy made his greatest impact," Idelson said. "He was impactful in Montreal. He was impactful in Chicago, and to a much lesser extent Boston and Florida, but it’s more of a case sitting down and collectively make a decision."
Dawson might have never made it to Chicago, where he said he rejuvenated his career, were it not for the encouragement of his wife, Vanessa. Playing with a high school football injury he never properly rehabilitated, Dawson was in so much pain in his fourth big league season because of a "fractured knee" that he told her he didn’t know if he could play any longer. Powerful pain killers were barely getting him through games.
"The third (Darvocet) took the pain away but it came back at night. That’s why I didn’t want to do it anymore," Dawson said. "And she looked at me and said, ‘You know you’re hurting now, but just see what the problem is because a year, two years from now you are going to regret walking away."’
Dawson stayed in baseball, hoping that in the best-case he could go 2½, three years between operations. He said a strict, prolonged pre- and postgame routine and the switch to playing on grass lengthened his career. In 2006, he had two knee replacement operations on his left knee.
The payoff will come July 25, when he will be inducted at Cooperstown along with manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey, elected last month by the Veterans Committee.
One thing Dawson wasn’t keen on doing to extend his career was act as the designated hitter. In his two seasons with the Red Sox he played 171 games at DH and he felt there was an "element of the game missing."
Dawson, who won eight Gold Gloves, thinks there’s room for a designated hitter in the Hall, though.
"If he put up phenomenal numbers. If he teared the cover off the ball, I can envision that happening," Dawson said. "You know the game is not solely based on offense but if a guy puts up out-of-the-roof numbers I think that it could happen."
Edgar Martinez, who received 36.2 percent in his first time on the Hall ballot, played just 33 games in the field during the final 10 years of his 18-year career.
Next year, Martinez will be joined on the ballot by more a controversial candidate. Rafael Palmeiro, who tested positive for steroids after telling Congress he never used performance-enhancing drugs, will be a first-timer.
Palmeiro can look to Mark McGwire for an indication of how the vote will go. McGwire received 128 votes (23.7 percent) in his fourth appearance of the ballot. Eighth on the career list with 583 homers, he has been stigmatized since evading questions from Congress in 2005 about steroids use.
Joining them will be Bert Blyleven, who fell five votes short, and Roberto Alomar, who finished eight shy in his first season of eligibility. Other top newcomers include Juan Gonzalez, Larry Walker, Jeff Bagwell, John Franco and Kevin Brown.
-- Howie Rumberg
Wainwright: McGwire deserves Hall of Fame
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright is excited about Matt Holliday’s huge new contract and disappointed that Mark McGwire hasn’t made the Hall of Fame.
Wainwright was the keynote speaker Thursday at the Missouri governor’s annual prayer breakfast in Jefferson City. He spoke primarily about his Christian faith, but noted that Holliday’s $120 million contract could keep him with the Cardinals for seven years.
McGwire, the team’s new hitting coach, has been stigmatized since evading questions from Congress in 2005 about steroids use. But Wainwright thinks McGwire deserves recognition partly because of his famous home run race with Sammy Sosa in 1998, when McGwire set a single-season home run record.
"They did more than just hit home runs, they brought fans back, they brought baseball back," Wainwright said. "There’s people in the Hall of Fame who have done much worse things than what allegedly Mark McGwire has done."
McGwire again fell far short of being elected to the Hall of Fame this year, his fourth time on the ballot.
Leaguewide news
MLB Network makes investment in big names
SECAUCUS, N.J. — Willie Mays visited the MLB Network studios earlier this week, sitting down for a long interview to air at a yet to be determined date.
Network president Tony Petitti figures there’s no way they could have landed Mays if not for the presence of the person interviewing him, Bob Costas.
Costas and MLB Network’s newest big-name hire, Peter Gammons, certainly aren’t in charge of coming up with programming ideas to fill out the schedule. But Petitti views their roles as generating content as much as providing credibility to viewers.
"Because it’s Bob, guys come to the table," Petitti said after Gammons made his MLB Network debut Wednesday, sharing a desk with Costas during the Hall of Fame announcement show. "They’re more on their game; they’re more engaged. I don’t think I can overstate it. We needed that. ... Peter will be in the same category."
As the network heads into its second year, Petitti still describes it as a "secondary tool" for fans, who might flip over after watching their favorite team on a local channel. That modest-sounding goal may seem contradictory to what he calls the critical development of the network’s first year.
"We invested a lot of resources into our on-air talent," Petitti said.
"At the end, what the audience really relates to is who’s giving you the information," he said. "That’s the key thing — who they hear from, what the ability is."
Within the first few minutes of Wednesday’s broadcast, Gammons and Costas were each comfortably playing their parts as they shared the desk with Harold Reynolds and Matt Vasgersian. Gammons told a story about the camaraderie among Hall of Famers, how so many of them called Robin Roberts after his wife died; Costas emphatically opined on whether the institution had become the "Hall of the very, very good" and not its original intention.
Gammons announced Dec. 8 he was leaving ESPN after two decades to join MLB Network. He expects to put together long-form pieces about topics such as the practice routines of certain players.
"I call it attention span television," he said. "That’s no criticism of anybody — I understand the whole world of clickers. People who are watching Major League Baseball Network are not sitting there with a clicker in their hands. It’s a very different mindset."
It’s a mindset he believes works particularly well with baseball, a sport that he likes to say is "very appealing to people who are mathematics majors at MIT."
Asked what he brings to the network, Gammons said, "I guess just some perspective."
"I’ve done it for a long time. ... Just adding to the love of the game," he said. "People being passionate about things, it’s really important."
He’ll be talking to an audience tuned in specifically to hear about baseball, day after day, game after game.
"As popular as football is, 90 percent of football programming is speculation," Costas said. "Should Brad Childress have yanked Brett Favre? Why is Brett Favre angry? What’s the effect in the locker room? What do you think will happen on Sunday? But it’s only Tuesday, and we already asked this question Monday, but we’ll ask it again on Wednesday."
-- Rachel Cohen
Mariners get Kotchman from Red Sox for Hall
SEATTLE — Casey Kotchman spent summers from age 7 through 10 on long rides with dozens of older guys all over Washington. He was traveling from Boise, Idaho, tagging along with the low-level minor league team managed by his father, Tom.
"I enjoyed all the bus rides. I spent a lot of time growing up here in the Northwest," Kotchman said Thursday.
He’s all grown up now upon his return to the region. And, no, he doesn’t have to take the bus anymore.
The Mariners finalized their trade with the Boston Red Sox on Thursday that brings the 26-year-old defensive whiz first baseman to Seattle for outfielder Bill Hall, a player to be named and cash.
Kotchman, who stands to get a raise soon from his $2,885,000 salary from last year, passed his physical to complete the deal which had been agreed to on Tuesday.
The trade means Seattle won’t bring back slugging first baseman Russell Branyan. The Mariners feared the free agent might not be completely healed from a disk issue in his back from late last season and may not be worthy of the multiyear contract he wants.
"We did our due diligence on a lot of fronts. We left no stone unturned," is all Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said when asked why Branyan isn’t being retained.
Kotchman fits Zduriencik’s plan to rebuild the rising Mariners through defense, pitching and youth. He’s less of a power hitter but is eight years younger and a better defender than Branyan. Zduriencik also likes that Kotchman doesn’t strike out much — 43 is his career high.
"Talking to Theo (Epstein, the GM of the Red Sox), he told me, ‘I love Casey up to the plate against anybody, because he grinds out at-bats,"’ Zduriencik said.
The Red Sox have an excess of veteran corner infielders following the signing of former Seattle third baseman Adrian Beltre. They tried to trade third baseman Mike Lowell to Texas for catcher Max Ramirez last month, but that deal fell through when Lowell needed thumb surgery. Boston would still like to deal Lowell.
Kotchman is a .269 career hitter who has never hit more than 14 home runs in a season and is known for defense. He joined Boston on July 31 in a trade with Atlanta and played 39 games with the Red Sox.
The 30-year-old Hall hit .200 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 34 games with Seattle last season after a trade with Milwaukee on Aug. 19.
The player to be named is expected to be a minor leaguer.
Epstein did not immediately respond to an e-mail from The Associated Press on Thursday night.
Kotchman has not made an error over his last 185 games and last year became just the third first baseman in major league history with a perfect fielding percentage while playing at least 108 games at the position. He’ll fit in with fellow fielding standouts Jack Wilson at shortstop, Ichiro Suzuki in right field and Franklin Gutierrez in center on what looks to be one of baseball’s best defenses.
With co-ace Cliff Lee arriving in a blockbuster trade from Philadelphia to join AL Cy Young Award runner-up Felix Hernandez, Zduriencik thinks his pitching and defense will compensate for the power Seattle won’t have with Branyan and his 31 home runs from ‘09 gone.
Zduriencik, entering his second season as the Mariners’ GM, has known Kotchman since he was in junior high in Florida, through his dad, who went on to work as a scout and in player development for the Angels. Mariners scouting director Tom McNamara was an area scout around Seminole, Fla., when Kotchman was a high school star there.
And Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu and bench coach Ty Van Burkleo were minor league instructors with the Angels when Kotchman began his professional career with that organization.
Plus, the busy Mariners — who last season became the 13th team since 1901 to have a winning record immediately after a 100-loss season — recently signed free agent Chone Figgins. The All-Star third baseman was a teammate of Kotchman’s in Los Angeles until midway through the 2008 season, when the Angels sent Kotchman to Atlanta in the Mark Teixeira trade.
"I’m excited to be here. That’s an understatement," Kotchman said, wearing a navy blue suit to match the team colors of his fourth major league club in three years. "It helps to have familiar faces around. Certainly, there’s a comfort level here."
Kotchman is the fifth Mariners player eligible for arbitration, joining closer David Aardsma, Gutierrez, reliever Mark Lowe, and Hernandez — with whom Seattle is also negotiating a long-term deal. The Mariners also are close to announcing a $20.5 million, four-year contract for Gutierrez.
-- Gregg Bell
National League
Holliday, Cards finalize $120 million, 7-year deal
ST. LOUIS — Matt Holliday hopes to be teammates with Albert Pujols for a long time.
"I think he’s going to be here at least two more years and hopefully forever," Holliday said Thursday after finalizing his $120 million, seven-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. "Hopefully, he’ll be here for the rest of his career and we can do some damage."
Coming off his third NL MVP award, Pujols is entering the final guaranteed season of a $100 million, seven-year contract that includes a $16 million team option for 2011.
Chairman Bill DeWitt said there have been no negotiations on an extension for Pujols, who told the team recently to take care of more pressing matters.
"We haven’t started those discussions yet, other than informally to let him know we’re interested," DeWitt said. "We’ve got time, with two years and spring training a bit away."
Holliday, who held up his new No. 7 jersey (he wore No. 15 with the Cardinals last season), said he hadn’t had much contact with Pujols aside from exchanging text messages of encouragement.
Holliday is looking forward to working with batting instructor Mark McGwire and manager Tony La Russa.
Holliday and McGwire hit together last offseason when both were living in California and said the two were "good friends."
"I’m excited to see how he does as a hitting coach," Holliday said. "I think he’ll do great. He’s a very good communicator and I think people are very interested to see what he has to say."
McGwire, hired in October to be the Cardinals hitting coach, still hasn’t held his introductory news conference.
"We’re working towards something," said general manager John Mozeliak, who didn’t anticipate it would happen soon.
Holliday has no worries that the 65-year-old La Russa, who signed a one-year extension in October, is close to retirement.
"I trust if we’re playing well, Tony is going to manage," Holliday said. "I don’t see him quitting anytime soon, but I could be wrong. If we win a World Series, I think he’ll be back."
Holliday, Pujols and pitcher Chris Carpenter will combine to make $47.5 million next season, including $7 million in salary that will be deferred without interest. DeWitt expects the Cardinals payroll, which was $102.7 million last year, will remain about the same.
"You don’t want all young players because you want to be competitive and you don’t want all mature players because you can’t really afford them," DeWitt said. "It’s the blend that makes it work, and I think we have that blend."
Pitcher Adam Wainwright, who won 19 games last season, said he hopes the combined salaries of Holliday and Pujols do not make it financially difficult for the Cardinals to keep him in a few years.
"I fully intend to pitch at a level that requires my pay to go up," Wainwright said. "I hope the Cardinals can keep me as long as they can."
It’s unclear whether the Cardinals will try to sign free-agent third baseman Miguel Tejada, who might be too expensive. Mozeliak wouldn’t discuss Tejada after Holliday’s news conference.
Holliday’s deal was finalized two days after the two sides reached a preliminary agreement that was subject to a physical.
Dealt to the Cardinals from Oakland in July, Holliday hit .353 with 13 homers and 55 RBIs in 63 games for St. Louis. Holliday, who turns 30 on Jan. 15, helped propel the team to the NL Central title while batting cleanup behind Pujols.
Holliday’s new uniform number matches the length of his contract. He had worn No. 5 with Oakland, and he joked that he offered Pujols a watch for the number. He had wanted to get away from 15.
"I know Jim Edmonds was a big deal and he wore No. 15," Holliday said.
Holliday and agent Scott Boras said other teams were competitive in the bidding, although they wouldn’t specify who else was involved.
"I appreciate the interest I got from other teams," Holliday said. "I wanted to come back, but I had options."
Holliday’s time with the Cardinals wasn’t all positive, of course. He dropped a routine fly ball that would have been the final out of a St. Louis victory in Game 2 of the playoffs, allowing the Los Angeles Dodgers to rally en route to a three-game sweep.
"I think if I’d just missed the ball, if I hadn’t lost it in the lights which happens to a lot of outfielders, it probably would bother me," Holliday said. "It really hasn’t bothered me that much. Obviously, the timing of it was bad, but sometimes those things happen."
-- R.B. Fallstrom
AP source: Braves reach agreement with Hinske
ATLANTA — Eric Hinske and the Atlanta Braves have reached a preliminary agreement on a $1 million, one-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
The person spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was not final, pending a physical examination.
The 32-year-old Hinske, who can earn an additional $500,000 in performance bonuses, is expected to play behind newly signed first baseman Troy Glaus and third baseman Chipper Jones. He also can play the corner outfield spots and is expected to be the team’s top left-handed pinch-hitter.
Hinske hit .242 with eight homers and 25 RBIs for Pittsburgh and the New York Yankees last season. He hit 20 homers for Tampa Bay in 2008 and had career-best totals of 24 homers and 84 RBIs as a rookie with Toronto in 2002.
-- Charles Odum
American League
A’s bring back Cust on $2.65M, 1-year deal
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics added some much-needed power to their lineup with someone they already know swings a reliable bat: free agent Jack Cust.
The A’s agreed to a $2.65 million, one-year contract Thursday to bring back Cust, giving the team the pop in the middle of the order it was seeking this offseason.
Cust is likely to be the club’s primary designated hitter. General manager Billy Beane has been committed to upgrading Oakland’s offense.
"I’m happy he’s back," manager Bob Geren said in a telephone interview. "He led the team in homers the last three years and walks. He’s been a big part of our offense. One thing we’ve lacked is home runs, which he can provide. It’s a great match and everything’s worked out perfectly on both ends."
Cust can earn an additional $350,000 in performance bonuses and would get the full amount if he has 600 plate appearances.
He became a free agent last month when the A’s declined to offer a 2010 contract. Cust hit .240 with 25 homers and 70 RBIs last season. But he also struck out 195 times, becoming the first player to lead the AL in three straight seasons since Minnesota’s Bobby Darwin from 1972-74. Cust struck out 164 times in 2007 and 197 times in 2008.
He had 26 homers in 2007 and 33 the following year, and has topped Oakland for three consecutive seasons in homers, strikeouts and walks (93 last season).
Cust made $2.8 million last season and had been eligible for salary arbitration.
While Cust played 51 games in right field in 2009 and 96 as DH, he is more likely to focus on hitting only with the other offseason acquisitions made by Oakland. Defense is not his strong suit, though Geren said Cust has improved his outfield play and still could be an option there.
"What’s exciting about Jack is he’s becoming more of an all-around player," Geren said.
The A’s signed outfielder Coco Crisp last month to be their center fielder, meaning Rajai Davis is expected to move to a corner spot.
Oakland also was included in the big four-team, nine-player swap featuring Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay that brought outfielder Michael Taylor to the A’s. Oakland sent third baseman Brett Wallace to Toronto.
In addition, Beane acquired third baseman Jake Fox, second baseman Aaron Miles and cash from the Chicago Cubs for three players.
Fox also can play the outfield and even catch.
"We have a lot of versatility which is good, especially with the way things happen over the course of the year," said Geren, whose teams have been plagued by injuries in recent seasons.
Last week, the A’s brought back right-hander Justin Duchscherer on an incentive-laden one-year contract after he missed the 2009 season. Duchscherer underwent arthroscopic right elbow surgery on March 31 and later was treated for clinical depression.
The A’s finished with 75 wins for the second straight season and in last place in the AL West, losing their final seven games.
-- Janie McCauley
Beltre finalizes $10 million deal with Red Sox
BOSTON — Adrian Beltre and the Boston Red Sox finalized a one-year contract Thursday that guarantees the third baseman $10 million.
Beltre gets $9 million this year, and the deal includes a $5 million player option for 2011 with a $1 million buyout. The option would escalate to $10 million if Beltre has 575 plate appearances this year.
The deal had been agreed to Tuesday subject to a physical.
A strong fielder, Beltre became a free agent after five seasons with the Seattle Mariners. He’ll take the third base job from 2007 World Series MVP Mike Lowell, who had thumb surgery last month but is expected to be ready for spring training.
The Red Sox had agreed to trade Lowell to the Texas Rangers for catcher Max Ramirez, but the deal was derailed by the injury; the Red Sox are expected to continue trying to trade him.
Beltre was limited by injuries to 111 games last season — the fewest since he was a rookie with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1998. His best offensive season was 2004, his last with the Dodgers, when he hit .334 with 48 homers and 121 RBIs.
In 1,681 career games, Beltre has hit .270 with 250 homers and 906 RBIs.
Beltre won Gold Gloves in 2007 and 2008. He joins new shortstop Marco Scutaro and Gold Glove outfielder Mike Cameron as free agents who give Boston a much-improved defense. With Beltre, second baseman Dustin Pedroia and first baseman Kevin Youkilis, the Red Sox have three infielders who have won Gold Gloves.
"A lot of talk has been centered on our offense last year and how to fix our offense," general manager Theo Epstein said in December after adding Cameron and pitcher John Lackey. "But lost in that mix is that our run prevention needs some improvement as well. We were one of the worst defensive clubs in baseball last year."
Yankees and Mitre agree at $850,000
NEW YORK — Pitcher Sergio Mitre and the New York Yankees have agreed to an $850,000, one-year contract that leaves the team with two players eligible for salary arbitration.
New York had declined a $1.25 million option on the right-hander, who was not on the Yankees’ postseason roster.
Mitre, who turns 29 next month, had elbow ligament replacement surgery in July 2008 and agreed to a minor league contract with the Yankees last offseason. He sat out the first 50 games while serving a suspension for testing positive for a banned substance.
Royals add Cuban lefty Noel Arguelles
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals have agreed to a $7 million, five-year contract with Cuban left-hander Noel Arguelles.
Arguelles, who turns 20 on Jan. 20, defected with Boston Red Sox shortstop Jose Iglesias at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Edmonton, Alberta. He likely will start in the lower minors to work on command of his fastball, which is in the low-90 mph range.
A solid 6-foot-4, Arguelles pitched for the La Habana Vaqueros in the Cuban National Series and was the winning pitcher in the gold medal game of the Pan American Junior Championships in 2007.
Elsewhere
Barry Bonds’ son charged in alleged fight with mom
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — San Mateo County prosecutors have charged Barry Bonds’ son with five misdemeanors after he allegedly threw a doorknob at his mother.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Thursday that 20-year-old Nikolai Bonds faces charges of battery, false imprisonment, vandalism, making threats to an officer and obstructing an officer.
Menlo Park police say Bonds threw the doorknob at his mother, Sun Bonds, and spit in her face during a Dec. 5 confrontation. Officers also said Bonds blocked his mother from leaving and destroyed property worth $400.
The 45-year-old Sun Bonds, the home run king’s ex-wife, wasn’t injured.
Wagstaffe said Bonds could face up to two years in jail. He is scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 12.
