Pirates set to sign Maholm, Hinske

Top pitcher gets 3-year pact, plus option that keeps rights through 2012
Friday, January 30, 2009


By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Pirates are expected to turn a double play of signings today, with pitcher Paul Maholm on a three-year contract extension and free-agent outfielder Eric Hinske on a one-year contract, each having agreed to terms yesterday.

The bigger deal, in many ways, will be the first.

Maholm and the team early yesterday morning agreed to a term that guarantees his salary through all three of his arbitration-eligible years and comes with a club option for a fourth year, 2012, that would have been his first after becoming eligible for free agency. Salary figures were not available, but the total guaranteed money is estimated to be in the range of $13 million-$14 million.

All that was needed for completion of the contract was for Maholm to pass a physical, something of a formality considering he was examined just two weeks ago at minicamp in Bradenton, Fla. He flew to Pittsburgh yesterday.

Maholm, 26, was the Pirates' first-round draft pick in 2003 and is fresh off his finest season in the majors, going 9-9 with a 3.71 ERA in 31 starts. His 3.11 ERA from May 31 until season's end was ninth lowest in the National League.

Maholm's agent, Bo McKinnis, and the team began discussing a multiyear contract in early December, but that appeared in jeopardy later that month when Pirates president Frank Coonelly publicly stated that only catcher Ryan Doumit was likely to get such an extension this offseason. Multiyear talks never stopped, though, largely because Maholm was supportive, and they picked up momentum two weeks ago.

No one from either side would elaborate yesterday.

By reaching agreement, Maholm and the team will avoid their arbitration hearing, which had been set for Feb. 10. The sides last week exchanged salary figures toward that hearing, Maholm filing for $3.8 million, the team $2.65 million.

The Pirates' only remaining player with a hearing is outfielder Nate McLouth, set for Feb. 17. The sides continue to talk toward a one-year deal, their multiyear negotiations having fizzled in December.

Other than Maholm and Doumit, the players who have received multiyear extensions since new management took over in late 2007 are second baseman Freddy Sanchez, starter Ian Snell and closer Matt Capps. In every case but Capps, the Pirates secured the rights to at least one year of the players' free agency through club options.

All that was known about Hinske's contract yesterday was that it covered one guaranteed year. The salary is expected to be in the range of $1.5 million, which would be nearly double the $800,000 he made last season with the Tampa Bay Rays. There also could be $1 million or more in performance-based bonuses, likely for plate appearances.

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Prince Fielder; Brewers may sign him Friday.

Fielder, Brewers finalizing agreement
Slugger reportedly ready to sign for $18 million over two years
By Adam McCalvy reporting for MLB.com

Milwaukee
Brewers officials could not discuss their two-year pact with first baseman Prince Fielder during a briefing with reporters on Thursday afternoon, but the muzzle should come off within the next 24 hours.
General manager Doug Melvin confirmed that the team was putting the finishing touches on a deal with Fielder that would buy out the first two of Fielder's three arbitration seasons. Melvin could not discuss the matter publicly because Fielder had to first pass a physical to make the contract official.

"I would say there is a good possibility we could have an announcement [Friday]," Melvin said.

If that's the case, the team would probably hold its official announcement for "Bob Uecker's Winter Warm-Up," a variety show-style event at the Riverside Theater on Friday night. Brewers players, including Fielder, will attend both that event and Saturday's "On Deck" program.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel cited "someone familiar with the talks" in reporting that if the deal goes through, Fielder will be paid $18 million over the next two years.

It could be one of two signings announced on Friday. Melvin said the Brewers were on the verge of a deal with veteran utility man Craig Counsell, who lives in the Milwaukee area and could also attend Friday's event.

Counsell did not return a telephone message on Thursday for comment on a separate story. Neither did agent Scott Boras, who represents Fielder.

"We weren't going to lose [Fielder], but it's a matter if knowing what his salary is for the next two years," Melvin said. "That's the reason we are engaged in those conversations now."

Fielder, 24, is just entering arbitration-eligibility and is under Brewers control through the end of the 2011 season. But signing a two-year pact now would offer the player a bit of security and the team the benefit of payroll certainty. It would also allow both sides to avoid the sometimes uncomfortable arbitration process this year and next.

The Brewers had renewed Fielder's contract before each of the past two seasons after being unable to come to terms with Boras on the player's worth. Fielder was particularly upset in March 2008, when the Brewers, using a club formula for their pre-arbitration players, assigned him a $670,000 contract. He vowed at the time that, "my time is going to come."

With his entry into the salary arbitration process -- generally, though not always, reserved for players with more than three but fewer than six seasons of Major League service -- that time arrived. Fielder and Boras were seeking an $8 million salary in 2009, while the Brewers filed Tuesday for $6 million.


By that time, talks were already under way about a multi-year deal. Typically, teams like to lock in players through at least one of their free-agent years, but the Brewers decided two years with Fielder was better than one.
Fielder became a full-time Major Leaguer in 2006, but his breakthrough season came in 2007, when he finished third in National League MVP balloting with a 50-homer, 119-RBI campaign. He did not match those lofty numbers in 2008, but still enjoyed a solid season, batting .276 with 34 home runs and 102 RBIs.

The Brewers still face the prospect of an arbitration hearing with two players. Outfielder Corey Hart is seeking $3.8 million, and the team offered $2.7 million. Second baseman Rickie Weeks is seeking $2.8 million, and the Brewers offered $2 million.

According to assistant general manager Gord Ash, the team has not negotiated with representatives for Hart or Weeks since the sides swapped figures on Tuesday.

Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com.

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