Baseball notebook: Ramirez, other Mariners could be gone by today
Horacio Ramirez didn’t win a game in September and lost his job in the Seattle Mariners’ starting rotation. Today, he may lose his place on the team altogether.
Today is the deadline for teams to offer contracts to unsigned players, and the Mariners have four – Ramirez, first baseman/outfielder Ben Broussard and relief pitchers George Sherrill and John Parrish.
The Mariners control Sherrill’s contract for 2008 and, barring trade, he’ll return. The others must be offered contracts by 10 p.m. today or the Mariners will lose them. Parrish, who had a 6.97 earned run average in eight appearances after coming in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles, isn’t likely to return.
The key decisions involve the fate of Ramirez and Broussard, two players who the Mariners had hoped would make a greater impact than they have.
Things have remained quiet in the Mariners’ quest for right-handed pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, the Japanese veteran who has received three-year offers from the M’s, Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Mariners say they haven’t heard anything about a visit to Seattle by Kuroda, even though his agent said last week that the right-hander would come to the U.S. and meet with the three teams.
Clearing the bases
Japanese slugging outfielder Kosuke Fukudome and the Chicago Cubs reached a preliminary agreement on a four-year contract. … Outfielder Craig Monroe and the Minnesota Twins agreed to a $3.82 million, one-year contract. … Pitcher Aaron Cook finalized a new contract with Colorado that guarantees him an additional $30 million over three seasons. … Catcher Paul Lo Duca joined Washington with a $5 million, one-year deal after he passed his physical. … The New York Yankees asked Carl Pavano, who signed for $39.95 million before the 2005 season, to accept a minor league contract and come off their big league roster. … Cy Young winner Jake Peavy of San Diego took a physical and the two sides anticipated finalizing a $52 million, three-year contract extension by today. … MLB has begun to review a draft of George Mitchell‘s report on drug use in the sport, one of the final steps before the results of his 20-month investigation are released, which is expected to be on Thursday.