The Nationals had offered Sosa a non-guaranteed contract that would have included performance bonus opportunities. Team spokesman John Dever said Wednesday that Sosa had rejected the deal.
The Nationals were the only team that showed interest in the aging slugger whose performances have dropped drastically since steriod testing became a hot issue in baseball. Hopefully Sosa will just retire.
Free-agent outfielder Jeff DaVanon agreed Tuesday to a $525,000, one-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks
The 32-year-old appeared in 108 games for the Los Angeles Angels last year and saw action at all three outfield positions. A switch-hitter, had a .231 batting average with two home runs and 15 RBI.
According to a report in Tuesday’s Boston Herald, the Red Sox are getting ready to present a serious offer to Clemens, who turns 44 in August. Included in their offer is a DVD video for Clemens in which Red Sox fans plead for the right-hander to return to Boston.
The seven-time Cy Young Award winner got his start in Boston in 1984. He won 24 games in 1986, the year the Red Sox lost to the Mets in the World Series. He also had two 20-strikeout games during his 13 years in Boston.
Catcher Bengie Molina’s free-agent odyssey is nearing a conclusion. The Blue Jays are close to signing Molina to a one-year, $5 million contract with a $7.5 million option for 2007.
The addition of Molina, 31, will further solidify the Jays’ position as a likely contender in the AL East. He will be the team’s fifth major off-season addition, joining third baseman Troy Glaus, first baseman Lyle Overbay and two other free agents, right-handed starter A.J. Burnett and closer B.J. Ryan.
Bengie Molina’s arrival in Toronto will relegate Gregg Zaun to backup duty, giving the Jays one of the game’s strongest catching tandems.
Molina, a right-handed hitter, reached career highs last season in batting average (.295), on-base percentage (.336), slugging percentage (.446) and home runs (15). Zaun, a switch-hitter, had career highs in home runs (11) and RBIs (61).
Outfielder Kevin Mench agreed to a $2.8 million contract Friday with the Texas Rangers who again will avoid having any arbitration hearings. Mench can also earn an additional $50,000 in performance bonuses. The Rangers haven’t had an arbitration case go to a hearing since 2000. Mench’s deal came a week after former All-Star pitcher Vicente Padilla ($4.41 million) and outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. ($2,387,500) agreed to one-year deals.
In four seasons for Texas, Mench has a .277 average with 68 home runs and 215 RBIs in 423 games. He became a starter as a rookie in 2002, then was hitting .320 after 38 games the following year when a broken left wrist ended his season.