Tigers lure Baez as money flies before lockout hits
NEW YORK — Javier Baez agreed to bring his high motor to the Motor City, while other teams around the majors raced to finish up business before Tuesday’s deadline to tender contracts and a likely roster freeze coming when baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expires Wednesday.
Clubs agreed to more than 30 one-year contracts with players, many to avoid salary arbitration, while 41 players were not tendered contracts and became free agents, including fan-favorite Brewers slugger Dan Vogelbach and Mets pitcher Robert Gsellman. The deadline for teams to offer contracts to players with less than six years of major league service was 7 p.m. Tuesday.
The biggest deal of the day went to Baez, a free agent infielder who agreed to a $140 million, six-year contract with Detroit, giving the Tigers a dynamic bat for the middle of their order.
The flurry pushed spending in recent days to more than $1.6 billion before what likely will be Major League Baseball’s first work stoppage since 1995. The five-year collective bargaining agreement expires at 10:59 p.m. Wednesday, and owners are expected to lock out the players if the sides can’t reach a new labor deal in time.
Baez, who turns 29 on Wednesday, hit .265 with 31 homers and 87 RBIs in 138 games with the Cubs and Mets this season.
Marlins land Wendle in trade with Rays
The Miami Marlins added an All-Star infielder to their roster in their latest efforts to bolster their offense.
The club acquired Joey Wendle from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfield prospect Kameron Misner.
Wendle, 31, is coming off an All-Star season in which he hit .265 with a .319 on-base percentage, 11 home runs and 54 RBIs.
Giants add Cobb on two-year deal
The San Francisco Giants and righthander Alex Cobb agreed to a $20 million, two-year contract with a club option for 2024.
The 34-year-old was 8-3 with a 3.76 ERA in 18 starts for the Los Angeles Angels last season. The 10-year veteran is 63-60 with a 3.87 ERA in his career.
Odds and ends
The Chicago Cubs added another catcher, agreeing to a $13 million, two-year contract with Yan Gomes. The Cubs have Willson Contreras behind the plate, but he is eligible for free agency after next season and the team could decide to trade him if they can’t reach a long-term deal this winter. The 34-year-old Gomes played for Washington and Oakland this year, batting .252 with 14 homers and 52 RBIs in 103 games.
The Cubs also reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with outfielder Clint Frazier, who once was a much-ballyhooed prospect of the Yankees who never panned out and was recently released. …
Infielder Gio Urshela avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $6.55 million, one-year contract with the Yankees, while pitcher Domingo German agreed to $1.75 million and pitcher Lucas Luetge to $905,000. …
Righthander Michael Lorenzen agreed to a $6.75 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels. The Anaheim native spent his first seven major league seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, making 295 appearances mostly as a reliever. …
A person with knowledge of the decision said the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a one-year deal worth $5 million with former Cleveland catcher Roberto Perez. Perez, 32, won Gold Gloves in 2019 and 2020 but has struggled at the plate throughout his career. Perez takes over for Jacob Stallings, a Gold Glover who was traded to Miami on Monday. …
The Baltimore Orioles reached a one-year agreement with second baseman Rougned Odor, who was released by the Yankees after hitting .202 in 2021. He has a $12 million salary for 2022, and the Rangers, who traded him to the Yankees, are responsible for all but next year’s minimum.