Baseball Capsules: Astros RHP Lyon recovering from shoulder surgery
HOUSTON — Astros reliever Brandon Lyon had surgery to drain a small cyst in his pitching shoulder but is expected to be ready for spring training.
The team said in a statement Tuesday that Lyon had the cyst drained two weeks ago and has been throwing without discomfort since. The right-hander is expected to begin workouts with his new club Feb. 20, when pitchers and catchers report for spring training in Kissimmee, Fla.
He might be about 10 days behind in his throwing program, the Astros said.
Houston signed Lyon as a free agent in December to a $15 million, three-year contract.
"Brandon was experiencing some weakness and discomfort in his shoulder, and we brought him in a couple of weeks ago to be seen," general manager Ed Wade said. "At the time of his pre-signing physical, his right shoulder MRI showed a very small cyst, and when the MRI was repeated recently, it showed that the cyst had enlarged and was pressing on some nerves.
"Since having it drained, Brandon reports no problems, but he will be making up for a little bit of lost time when he gets to Kissimmee."
Lyon was 6-5 with a 2.86 ERA and three saves in 65 relief appearances for Detroit last year.
In other news, minor league second baseman Jose Vallejo will undergo right hand surgery Wednesday and miss most of the 2010 season.
The 23-year-old Vallejo cut tendons in two fingers while preparing a meal at his home in the Dominican Republic during the Christmas holidays. His hand slid over the blade of a knife that he was using to cut meat, the team said.
Houston acquired Vallejo last August from Texas as part of the Ivan Rodriguez trade.
Hernandez giving Mets’ Murphy lessons at first
NEW YORK — Keith Hernandez has a new task for the New York Mets, moving down from the broadcast booth to give Daniel Murphy lessons at first base.
Murphy started last season in left field and had never played first in the major leagues before May 20, when the Mets made the abrupt shift following Carlos Delgado’s hip injury. The 25-year-old made 10 errors in 101 games and didn’t appear comfortable around the bag.
Hernandez, an 11-time Gold Glove first baseman, spent two hours Monday and Tuesday instructing Murphy and Nick Evans at the Mets’ training complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. General manager Omar Minaya had called Hernandez last week asking for his teaching skills.
"I have one of the best first basemen of all time that have played the position there. It’s my job to get as much information out of him as I can," Murphy said. "I want to be as athletic over there as Keith was. I want to be the guy that, you know, gets the lead runner, that makes an aggressive play and puts his body in a good spot."
Hernandez, who previously worked with Todd Zeile and John Olerud, thought Murphy did as well as he could when making the shift with little practice last year. Hernandez intends to speak with manager Jerry Manuel and probably will work with Murphy at times during spring training.
Murphy said he was unsure at times last year when to go after balls hit between himself and second baseman Luis Castillo.
"I think he needs to work on the footwork, getting comfortable around the bag when he’s playing back," Hernandez said. "The bag becomes a part of you. It’s like an appendage. Everything is just you move, and it’s there. There’s a comfort zone with the bag, and that’s what he needs to get. And the only way he’s going to do it is to take advantage of all this time in spring training doing the drills ‘til he gets better at it."
NOTES: The Mets are having a line drawn across the center-field fence near the Home Run Apple at Citi Field, cutting the height for a home run in that area from 16 feet to about 10 feet, a Mets official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no decision was announced. Elements of the change were first reported by the Daily News. ... The Mets also are opening a McFadden’s restaurant in Citi Field for this season, the official said. There also is one in Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Previously, the Mets announced they were constructing a team Hall of Fame near the Jackie Robinson Rotunda behind home plate. ... OF Angel Pagan agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract, settling the Mets’ last arbitration case. He had asked for a raise from $625,000 to $1.8 million and had been offered $1,275,000. Pagan can earn $187,500 in performance bonuses: $12,500 for 300 plate appearances, and $25,000 each for 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600 and 650. ... The Mets claimed OF Jason Pridie off waivers from Minnesota and designated RHP Jack Egbert for assignment. The 26-year-old Pridie hit .265 with nine homers and 53 RBIs last year at Triple-A Rochester and appeared in one major league game, as a pinch runner.
-- Ronald Blum
Marlins visit U.S. troops in Iraq, Kuwait
MIAMI — Aside from an encounter with a boastful Yankees fan, the Florida Marlins enjoyed their tour of Iraq and Kuwait.
The team’s goodwill group visited U.S. troops, saw the Iran border and met Kuwaiti Little Leaguers. The Marlins traveled by military helicopter and by boat in the Persian Gulf.
"It’s the real deal over there with real bullets," Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said Tuesday. "I wasn’t totally prepared for it."
Beinfest said he never felt like the group was in danger. He joked that the only unpleasant episode was the encounter with the Yankees fan.
"We’re doing a meet-and-greet. They set up a table and we’re signing," Beinfest said. "This guy comes up with a ‘27 championships’ T-shirt. He’s a nice guy, so we gave him a Marlins T-shirt. He said, ‘I’m not putting it on. Everything’s right with the world, the Yankees are on top.’
"This guy is in the middle of Iraq, and everything’s right with the world? But he was a nice guy."
Also making the trip late last month were manager Fredi Gonzalez, NL Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan, catcher John Baker and several members of the team’s Mermaids dance crew. The Marlins said the weeklong trip, sponsored by Armed Forces Entertainment, was the first of its kind for a major league club since the Iraq war began.
Beinfest said he was able to text-message Marlins officials back in Florida to keep up with offseason developments. Surprised to hear rumors the team was interested in signing reliever Kevin Gregg, Beinfest frantically contacted general manager Mike Hill.
"I’m going, ‘What’s going on? Are we doing something with Kevin Gregg? What happened? I’m on a military base and we’re doing all this stuff?"’ Beinfest said with a laugh.
Gregg instead agreed to a $2.75 million deal with Toronto.
-- Steven Wine
Webb happy with first mound stint since surgery
PHOENIX — Arizona ace Brandon Webb threw off the mound on Tuesday for the first time since undergoing right shoulder surgery.
Webb said he was pleased with how he felt after throwing between 20 and 25 pitches in the Chase Field bullpen.
Webb made one start last year, then underwent surgery on Aug. 4. The club exercised an $8.5 million option for 2010 in hopes that the former NL Cy Young Award winner would return to dominance.
"I’m right where I expected to be," Webb said in a statement. "Having not been on the mound in a year, I am pleased with how I felt."
It’s not clear when Webb, who turns 31 in May, will throw again. The club has not released a timetable for his return to the rotation.
Until last year, Webb had been a stalwart of the Arizona staff, pitching at least 200 innings every year from 2004-08. He won the 2006 NL Cy Young Award and finished second in 2007 and 2008.
Webb is 87-62 with a 3.27 ERA in seven seasons.
"It was good to get him into the next phase of his rehabilitation," manager A.J. Hinch said. "He looked comfortable. This is a positive sign as we’re getting close to spring training."
Scott Schoeneweis agrees with Brewers
MILWAUKEE — Left-hander Scott Schoeneweis has agreed to a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers and was invited to major league spring training.
Schoeneweis would get an $800,000, one-year contract if added to the 40-man roster and would have the chance to earn $700,000 in performance bonuses under Tuesday’s deal.
The 36-year-old is 46-57 with a 4.97 ERA in his 11-year major league career, making 93 starts among 562 appearances.
Schoeneweis has played for six major league teams and was 1-2 with a 7.13 ERA in 45 relief appearances with Arizona last season.
Lawmaker introduces bill to keep Cubs in Arizona
PHOENIX — An Arizona lawmaker has introduced a bill to raise money for a new spring training facility for the Chicago Cubs.
Phoenix Republican Rep. John McComish introduced the measure late Monday. It would increase car-rental taxes and levy a surcharge on all tickets for spring-training baseball games in Arizona.
The bill does not specify an amount for the tax or surcharge. McComish has said those details will be worked out later. McComish says the state needs to raise $59 million of the stadium’s $84 million cost.
Owners of other baseball teams that train in Arizona last week said a ticket surcharge would be an unfair expense on their fans. Cubs supporters have said all teams benefit from the Cubs because the Chicago team increases attendance at their away games.
American League
Hendrickson agrees to $1.4 million deal with Os
BALTIMORE — Left-hander Mark Hendrickson agreed Tuesday to a one-year contract with the Orioles that guarantees him $1.4 million after pitching well out of Baltimore’s bullpen last season.
The 35-year-old Hendrickson went 6-5 with a 4.37 ERA in 53 games with Baltimore last year. He was most effective in relief, going 4-0 with a 3.44 ERA.
He will receive $1.2 million this year, and the contract includes a club option for 2011 for $1.2 million with a $200,000 buyout.
Hendrickson joined the Orioles last season after pitching for Toronto, Florida, Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is 56-68 with a 5.00 ERA in 268 career games.
Baltimore also agreed to a minor league contract with left-hander Will Ohman, who was invited to big league spring training camp. The 32-year-old was 1-0 with a save and a 5.84 ERA in 21 games with the Dodgers during an injury-shortened 2009 season.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Hendrickson, the Orioles designated right-hander Armando Gabino for assignment.
Jacque Jones gets minor league deal from Twins
MINNEAPOLIS — Jacque Jones has returned to the Minnesota Twins, agreeing to a minor league contract.
Jones began his major league career with Minnesota in 1999 before joining the Chicago Cubs in 2006. The outfielder’s best season came in 2002, when he hit .300 with 27 homers and 85 RBIs while the Twins advanced to the AL championship series.
Jones hasn’t played in a major league game since June 2008, with the Florida Marlins. He spent last season with the Newark Bears in the independent Atlantic League and told the Twins at the winter meetings he was interested in reviving his career and willing to go to Triple-A if necessary.
"He’s been a good player. We know he’s a good person. He plays the game the right way," general manager Bill Smith said. "He was a big part of the Twins’ resurgence."
Minnesota also announced Tuesday that outfielder Jason Pridie has been claimed off waivers by the New York Mets. That cleared a spot on the 40-man roster for recently signed second baseman Orlando Hudson.
Gagne elected to Twins Hall of Fame
MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minnesota Twins shortstop Greg Gagne has been elected to the team’s Hall of Fame.
Gagne spent 10 seasons with the Twins and was part of the World Series-winning teams in 1987 and 1991. He’ll become the 22nd member of the Twins Hall of Fame when he’s inducted Sept. 4.
Gagne also played for the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Dodgers.
OF Willy Taveras released by Oakland Athletics
OAKLAND, Calif. — Speedy outfielder Willy Taveras has been released by the Oakland Athletics, eight days after he was acquired from Cincinnati with infielder Adam Rosales for infielder Aaron Miles and a player to be named.
Taveras had been designated for assignment immediately following the Feb. 1 trade. The Athletics owe his $4 million salary in the final season of a $6.25 million, two-year contract that he signed with the Reds, but that would be reduced by the $400,000 minimum if he signs with another team.
Taveras hit .240 with one homer and 15 RBIs for Cincinnati last season.
Wright agrees to minor league deal with Indians
CLEVELAND — Right-hander Jamey Wright and the Cleveland Indians have agreed to a minor league contract.
The 35-year-old led the Kansas City Royals with 65 relief appearances last season, going 3-5 with a 4.33 ERA.
He is 82-115 with a 5.03 ERA in 14 seasons, also pitching for Colorado, Milwaukee, St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas. He has made 246 starts and 174 relief appearances.
If added to the 40-man roster, Wright would get a $900,000, one-year contract and the chance to make $700,000 more in performance bonuses.
