MLB news roundup: Giants, Tim Hudson nearing deal; Phillies re-sign Carlos Ruiz
Several aging veterans are off the market after reportedly coming to terms on contracts Monday.
The San Francisco Giants and free-agent starting pitcher Tim Hudson are nearing a two-year, $23 million deal, according to Bay Area Sports Guy's Steve Berman. Hudson posted a 3.97 ERA in 21 starts for the Atlanta Braves in 2013 before suffering a season-ending ankle fracture in July.
Hudson, 38, has 205 wins and a 3.44 ERA in 15 big-league seasons. Hudson last missed significant time due to injury in 2009 and rebounded to go 17-9 with a 2.83 ERA for the Braves the next year, netting an All-Star selection and a fourth-place finish in the Cy Young Award voting in addition to winning the NL Comeback Player of the Year.
The Philadelphia Phillies and catcher Carlos Ruiz agreed on a three-year, $26 million contract on Monday, per Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Ruiz also had an offer on the table from the Colorado Rockies in addition to drawing interest from the Boston Red Sox.
The 34-year-old backstop hit .268/.320/.368 in 341 plate appearances for the Phillies in 2013 but is only a season removed from posting a .325/.394/.540 line.
The Colorado Rockies will sign 41-year-old reliever LaTroy Hawkins to a one-year, $2.5 million deal pending the results of a physical, reports USA Today's Bob Nightengale. The Rockies plan to use Hawkins as their closer, notes Nightengale, despite the emergence of Rex Brothers as a fairly reliable option last season.
Hawkins posted the best walk rate of his 19-year career en route to a 2.93 ERA in 70⅔ innings with the New York Mets in 2013.
The Cincinnati Reds and free-agent utility player Skip Schumaker agreed on a two-year deal on Monday, per Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal. The deal is pending a physical.
Schumaker hit .263/.332/.332 in 356 plate appearances with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He saw time at all three outfield positions as well as second base, and threw in two innings of scoreless relief for good measure.
The Detroit Tigers and new manager Brad Ausmus have filled three coaching vacancies. The team reportedly lured Wally Joyner away from the Phillies to be their new hitting coach on Sunday and hired Omar Vizquel as their new first base coach on Monday.
Detroit also created a “defensive coordinator” position and hired longtime minor-league coach Matt Martin to fill it.
