MLB notes: S.F. officially signs Morris for 3 years

In Matt Morris, the San Francisco Giants found the proven starter they've been coveting for months.
Not to mention an individual with a classy reputation who believes he can lead a young pitching staff and learn from everybody else along the way, too.
The free agent right-hander agreed to a $27 million, three-year contract with the Giants, leaving the St. Louis Cardinals after nine seasons. The deal has been in the works for weeks and became official after Morris passed a physical on Monday.
"I'm ecstatic to be here," Morris said when formally introduced at the city's waterfront ballpark. "I appreciate the organization for having the interest in me. That really showed me a lot, even though (they) didn't know this was my first choice."
He will receive a $2 million signing bonus at the end of his contract and is scheduled to make $5 million next season and $9.5 million in both 2007 and '08. The contract contains a $9 million club option for a fourth season that could go up to as much as $11 million with escalators based on performance. He would receive a $1 million buyout if the option is declined.
The 31-year-old Morris went 14-10 with a 4.11 ERA last season and won his first eight decisions for the Cardinals.
More deals: Kenny Rogers and the Detroit Tigers finalized their $16 million, two-year contract. The Tigers also reached a preliminary agreement on a $750,000, one-year contract with catcher Vance Wilson ... Free-agent utility infielder Damion Easley agreed to a $700,000, one-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. ... The St louis Cardinals reached a preliminary agreement on a $2.9 million, two-year contract with free agent pitcher Ricardo Rincon. ... The Texas Rangers acquired former All-Star right-hander Vicente Padilla from the Philadelphia Phillies for a player to be named. ... San Diego Padres leadoff hitter Dave Roberts (UCLA) agreed to a $2.25 million contract for 2006, and San Diego closed in on a $1 million deal for reliever Doug Brocail. ... Kansas City reached a preliminary agreement on a $700,000, one-year contract with backup catcher Paul Bako, who was with the Dodgers last season.
Also: The Boston Red Sox promoted two of Theo Epstein's former assistants, farm director Ben Cherington and assistant GM Jed Hoyer, to be co-general managers. ... Former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Sidney Ponson was sentenced to five days in jail after being convicted of driving while impaired. ... Tampa Bay Devil Rays assistant general manager Bart Braun was arrested early Monday for drunken driving. ... The Devil Rays obtained the right to negotiate with Japanese League All-Star reliever Shinji.

Scenery changed, Rogers rejuvenated

Kenny Rogers didn't make the snap judgment on Detroit that many free agents do. He hopes the fans in Detroit can do the same when looking at him.
The Tigers introduced their newest starting pitcher via conference call with local writers on Monday afternoon after agreeing to terms with Rogers on a two-year, $16 million contract on Thursday. He did not try to run from his past, nor would he characterize his new deal as a fresh start after his last season in Texas was marked by contract talk and a confrontation with a television cameraman. Instead, he thanked the Tigers for looking at his career as a whole rather than one incident.
"On the field, everyone knows what I'm all about," Rogers said. "That hasn't changed, nor will it ever change. I don't apologize for being the type of guy I am. I have many quirks, without a doubt. I would hope people would get to know me, see what I'm all about, see what type of person I am and make their own decisions. That's what I try to do."
What the Tigers saw was one of the better track records available on the free agent market. Rogers' 14-8 record last season earned him his 13th double-digit win season in his 17-year career. His 190 victories rank him 11th among active Major League pitchers. He's coming off the lowest ERA (3.46) in seven years and the third-lowest WHIP ratio (1.32) of his career.
The flip side of that track record, of course, is that he's 41 years old. Given Rogers' recent stats and his reputation for work ethic, the Tigers believe he has something left.
"I think what everybody is missing, the point here, is Kenny Rogers made the All-Star team in the American League," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We're getting a pretty good pitcher here. He brings a lot to the party."
The city is well aware of Rogers' All-Star appearance. The last time Rogers pitched in Comerica Park, he was booed when introduced and cheered when he gave up hits. Many fans resented him for what they saw was an All-Star spot earned over Tigers staff ace Jeremy Bonderman. The other reason, of course, was the aforementioned incident, when he shoved two cameramen while taking the field for batting practice back in June. Major League Baseball suspended him 20 games for the altercation before an arbitrator reduced the penalty to 13 games.
Rogers knows that's how many people will remember him, but he isn't going to let it define him.
"It doesn't bother me," he said. "For the most part it's not, the first mistake I've made in my life. I've made many and I don't profess to be anywhere close to perfect. So it's not something I dwell on, and I think the people who know me have no doubt what type of guy I am. I hope the fans see what type of guy I am and what I'm all about, and make their decisions from there."
Until that incident, Rogers had a pretty solid reputation as a veteran leader. The worst he was known for was a couple of postseason hiccups during his younger days.
President/general manager Dave Dombrowski liked Rogers enough to pursue him as a free agent two years ago, but Rogers wanted to stay with Texas then.
That's how the Tigers see him now, and that's part of what appealed to Rogers.
"As I spoke with [Leyland] and [scout] Dick Egan and the staff, I felt very comfortable and also very confident that their personalities meshed with mine," Rogers said. "I think they accorded me a certain amount of respect that I appreciated greatly."
Said Leyland: "I just want Kenny to be himself. I hope our young pitchers have enough common sense to ask Kenny a lot of questions. I think we got a tremendous deal here. We just don't call Kenny up and say we'd like to sign him. We did our research. I think we got an outstanding pitcher and an outstanding person."
Rogers should have the experience to give some answers. He's more than a dozen years older than any of the other three pitchers currently in Detroit's rotation -- Mike Maroth, Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson -- and has over 1,000 more career innings than the trio combined. Rogers said he knows a decent amount about them from watching them in the other dugout the past few years.
In turn, Rogers believes he can gain something from them -- at the very least, energy level.
"They all have a lot of upside," Rogers said. "I wish I had that kind of upside still. I think getting around those guys and seeing their routine could benefit me, too. I'm trying to pick their brains just as they're trying to pick mine. I never try to force what my kind of thinking is on everyone. It's valuable experience they have at the young age they're at."
If they can learn some of what Rogers knows now, all the better.
"I think for the type of pitcher I am now lends itself to being consistent, and I think that adds to my success," Rogers said. "I do know how to locate, I do know how to pitch, and I do know to change speeds. I guess it's something I learned later in my career, but it's something that has benefited me greatly. I feel like I have plenty of years left as long as I'm willing to compete."

MLB Notes: Rangers acquire pitcher Padilla

Texas — Spurned in their pursuit of pitchers Matt Morris and Josh Beckett, the Texas Rangers got former All-Star right-hander Vicente Padilla from the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday for a player to be named.
Padilla was 9-12 with a 4.71 earned-run average in 27 starts last season in Philadelphia. He was traded in July 2000 from Arizona to the Phillies along with three other players for pitcher Curt Schilling. Padilla made $3.2 million last season, and is eligible for salary arbitration.
Padilla, 28, was an All-Star in 2002, when he was 14-11 with a 3.28 ERA, and was 14-12 with a 3.62 ERA in 2003. He is 16-19 over the last two seasons, missing more than two months in 2004 because of right-elbow tendinitis.
Morris turned down a reported $25 million, three-year offer from the Rangers, and the free agent instead agreed to a three-year, $27 million deal with San Francisco. The Rangers were willing to trade All-Star third baseman Hank Blalock to get Beckett, but the Marlins last month traded Beckett to Boston.
Rangers manager Buck Showalter was the