Pitcher Danny Graves travels a long way to find his roots. Just a baby when he left Vietnam in 1974, the Cleveland Indians reliever returns for the first time to glean a sense of the country and teach baseball to kids.
The Cubs and Mark Prior (11-7, 3.67) come to an agreement on a one-year $3.65 million contract, making his salary $900,000 more than the right-hander would have earned under the $3.3 million contract offer he voided in November. The fireballer’s previous contract gave him the right to terminate the deal once he became eligible for salary arbitration.
Team USA unveils an All-Star line-up for the 2006 World Baseball Classic, with a roster that includes slugger Barry Bonds and pitcher Roger Clemens. The team will not win the tournament despite the high hopes.
After witnessing an exodus of leading players, the Florida Marlins secure the services of ace starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis on a one-year deal worth a reported $4.35 million.
Dontrelle Willis (22-10, 2.63), signing a record-setting one-year deal with the Marlins, avoids arbitration by agreeing to a $4.35 million one-year deal which could be worth $4.55 million if certain performance-based incentives are reached. The All-Star southpaw’s deal surpasses those for Roy Halladay and Andy Pettitte, who both inked $3.8 million contracts, for the highest amount ever given to a starting pitcher in his first year of arbitration eligibility.
The Los Angeles Angels agree to multiyear contracts with IF/OF Chone Figgins and OF Juan Rivera. The versatile Figgins gets a $10.5 million, three-year deal, and Rivera agrees to a $3,275,000, two-year contract.
The Dodgers acquire All-Star relievers Danys Baez and Lance Carter from Tampa Bay for two pitching prospects.
Jason Bay, Justin Morneau, Erik Bedard, Jeff Francis, Rhéal Cormier, Paul Quantrill, Matt Stairs and Corey Koskie are among 23 players named to Canada’s 30-man roster for the inaugural World Baseball Classic.
The Dodgers, in an attempt to buy time as closer Eric Gagne recovers from elbow surgery, trade right-hander Edwin Jackson and prospect lefty Chuck Tiffany to the Devil Rays to obtain All-Star penmen Danys Baez and Lance Carter, as well as a minor league player to be named. Baez, who saved 41 games for Tampa Bay last season, will be the team’s closer until Gagne is ready to return.
Relief pitcher Luis Vizcaino and the Arizona Diamondbacks avoid arbitration by agreeing to a $1,775,000, one-year contract.
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