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Rangers In “Serious Talks” With Guerrero

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3:46pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets that the Rangers are in "serious talks" with Vlad about a deal that would be worth about $5MM plus incentives.

1:52pm: MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that the Rangers have offered Guerrero a contract. However, Sullivan's sources indicate that it wasn't close to $7MM. Interestingly, Sullivan hears from executives who haven't heard Guerrero's name connected with any other team.

The Rangers have expressed interest in Jim Thome, according to Sullivan.

11:20am: Richard Durrett of ESPN.com hears that though the Rangers have been in regular contact with Vlad's representatives, the two sides haven't made progress towards a deal. Guerrero still wants a two-year contract.

10:50am: Yahoo's Tim Brown hears that the Rangers haven't made any official offers to DH candidates.

9:30am: Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets that the Rangers offered about $5MM.

FRIDAY, 9:10am: Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram hears from a team source that the Rangers did not offer Vlad $7MM.

THURSDAY, 4:01pm: A source tells ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that the Rangers aren't likely to commit more than $5MM to Vlad.

3:00pm: Sullivan hears that Vlad isn't particularly happy with the Rangers' offer, though he hasn't seen a better one from any other team.

1:47pm: The Rangers have offered Vladimir Guerrero a one-year deal worth $7MM, according to this tweet from Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (Hat Tip: Jorge Arangure Jr.'s Twitter). We've heard about the Rangers' potential interest in Vlad for months now and T.R. Sullivan reported yesterday that the Rangers are very much interested in the 2004 AL MVP.

Vlad hit .295/.334/.460 last year for the Angels and made $15MM. He's in line for a pay-cut this offseason because of his fading power (32 extra base hits last year) and questionable defense (consistently weak, according to UZR/150). Vlad is one of the best hitters of his generation, but the surplus of DH-types probably means he won't see offers much better than this.

A’s Sign Lenny DiNardo

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The A's signed lefty Lenny DiNardo to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. DiNardo, a "popular guy" in the clubhouse, returns to the A's after spending last year in Kansas City. 

The 30-year-old pitched for the A's in 2007-08 and had his most successful major league stint in Oakland. He managed a 4.61 ERA in 154.1 innings over the course of his two seasons by the Bay. The A's will be able to retain DiNardo as an arbitration-eligible player after next season if they so choose, since he won't have enough service time to file for free agency.

Not only did the A's sign DiNardo today, they lost Jay Marshall to the Mets on waivers and designated Tommy Everidge for assignment. Click here for more on which infielders the A's are pursuing.

Mets Claim Jay Marshall From A’s

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The Mets claimed lefty Jay Marshall off waivers from the A's today, according to Lisa Winston of MLB.com. The reliever, who turns 27 next month, has allowed 63 hits and 22 walks in 49.1 big league innings, striking out 19 for a 7.66 ERA. He appeared in ten games for the A's in 2009, allowing 12 runs in 7.1 innings.

Marshall's numbers were markedly better in Triple A last year, where he posted a 3.20 ERA in 50 appearances.

Infield Options For The A’s

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2:04pm: Tejada told a Spanish-speaking AP reporter that he's willing to play any infield position, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com. Arangure Jr. cites Tejada's road numbers (.283/.313/.395) and fading defense and suggests that the infielder will have to accept a one-year deal with a low annual salary.

12:50pm: Slusser now says Tejada's representatives contacted the A's, not the other way around. The chances of a reunion don't sound great.

She says the A's inquired on Andy LaRoche a while ago, only to hear that the Pirates wanted Ryan Sweeney and Gio Gonzalez in return. Slusser suggests the A's would like to acquire a high-quality young infielder to play third or short. Failing that, the team could turn to a bargain free agent.

11:42am: The A's would consider adding an infielder who can play third base, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Two of the options they're considering are former A's Miguel Tejada and Adam Kennedy. The A's have contacted Tejada's agent and the sides could work a deal out if Tejada lowers his asking price.

After hitting .315/.340/.455, Tejada may be reluctant to sign at a discount and is apparently looking for a two-year $16MM offer. The Twins and Orioles are possible fits for the former AL MVP.

The A's also like Kennedy, but would prefer to add a player with experience at short. The infielder, who turns 34 this weekend, hit .289/.348/.410 in nearly 600 plate appearances last year. His defense was below average at second and third, according to UZR/150. We heard earlier in the week that Kennedy was Plan D or E for the A's.

A’s DFA Tommy Everidge

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The A's designated first baseman Tommy Everidge for assignment today, according to beat reporter Mychael Urban (via Twitter). The 26-year-old hit .224/.302/.365 in 97 major league plate appearances last year. He has a more impressive minor league line, however. In parts of six seasons, Everidge hit .280/.355/.471. He lit the upper minors up last year (.958 OPS), so he does have some offensive potential.

The A's made the move to clear a roster spot for Jack Cust, according to Lisa Winston of MLB.com.

Orioles Rumors: Delgado, Tejada, Uggla

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The Orioles have added Garrett Atkins, but they're still interested in various corner infielders. Which ones? Roch Kubatko of MASN.com has the details:

  • The O's will scout Carlos Delgado in Puerto Rico next week; they would consider him as a first baseman.
  • They also have interest in first basemen Hank Blalock, Adam LaRoche, Russell Branyan and Chad Tracy, but don't want to offer multi-year deals to any of them. LaRoche is probably the only one of those players with much of a chance at a multi-year contract.
  • Miguel Tejada remains a long shot for the Orioles. Unlike Dan Uggla, Tejada's open to playing third, so he's ahead of Uggla on Baltimore's wish list.

Mariners Sign Gutierrez To Four-Year Deal

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The Mariners finalized the signing of center fielder Franklin Gutierrez to a four-year, $20.5MM deal with a fifth-year club option today. The contract reflects a growing commitment to run-prevention around the league and specifically in Seattle. GM Jack Zduriencik, who signed defensive wizard Chone Figgins earlier in the offseason, said Gutierrez was "a huge part" of the Mariners' league-leading ERA last year.

Venezuelan reporter Francisco Blavia first tweeted that the deal was "very, very close" and FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal confirmed as much before the Mariners announced the deal this morning. 

Gutierrez is arbitration-eligible for the first time, so the deal buys out all three arb years and at least one free agent year. Though it was signed in March of '06, it seems that Grady Sizemore's contract might have been a comparable. Sizemore received $20.7MM for the same four-year slice of his career. On a deal signed in February of '08, Curtis Granderson will earn $27.25MM for that portion of his career.

Gutierrez, 27 in February, hit .283/.339/.425 in 629 plate appearances for the Ms after coming over from Cleveland in a December '08 trade.  The real story is his defense, as the Mariners employed him as a full-time center fielder and were rewarded with a 27.1 UZR/150. (the best mark in baseball for any position among those with 1,000 innings).

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Olney On Holliday, Valverde, Cust, Branyan

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney argues that baseball writers shouldn't decide who makes it into the Hall of Fame. After explaining why he'd prefer to see the Hall of Fame appoint its own panel, Olney turns up some rumors from around the league. Here they are:

  • One MLB official says the Matt Holliday deal may end up as "one of the worst deals in major league history" because the Cardinals were apparently bidding against themselves.
  • Olney hears from negotiators who believe the Cards should have lowered their offer considerably once the Mets signed Jason Bay.
  • Jose Valverde is asking for $8MM per season and wants to be a closer. As Olney points out, the Pirates and Marlins are not likely to match Valverde's asking price unless he lowers it. The Tigers have been cost-conscious this offseason, but they could use an accomplished reliever.
  • Olney says it's clear that Billy Beane and the A's value Jack Cust "in a way that many other teams do not."
  • Executives around the league are concerned about Russell Branyan's back. The 34-year-old slugged 31 homers last year, though he didn't play after August.

Pirates Rumors: Dotel, Ankiel, Iwamura

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The Pirates won't spend as much on free agents as their division rivals, the Brewers and Cardinals, but they're still being aggressive. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates are gaining momentum with Octavio Dotel, though talks with Rick Ankiel aren't progressing as well.

The Pirates, who made initial inquiries on Jose Valverde and Kevin Gregg before talks with the two relievers slowed, have offers out to Dotel and other relievers. As Ed Price reported yesterday, the Pirates are interested in Dotel's former teammate, D.J. Carrasco.

The Pirates aren't willing to promise any free agent – including Rick Ankiel – a starting job. The outfielder's agent, Scott Boras, hopes to find a full-time role for his client, so talks aren't developing, though the Pirates are open to signing the one-time pitcher.

Kovacevic also updates us on a couple former Rays. In this article, we hear that Akinori Iwamura has a release clause in his contract that allows him to become a free agent before he has six years of service time. He'll hit the open market after this year year if the Pirates don't lock him up. Also, the Pirates aren't interested in Jonny Gomes.

Jose Valverde Has Four Offers

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FRIDAY, 8:12am: MLB.com's Jason Beck hears (via Twitter) from another source who agrees: Valverde has four offers and the Tigers are interested.

THURSDAY, 3:17pm: The market for Jose Valverde finally appears to be picking up. It's been relatively quiet for a few months, but the reliever now has four offers, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (via Twitter). All of the offers are for closing jobs and two of them are multi-year proposals. Brown says the Tigers and D'Backs "are in," so they've presumably made two of the offers.

The incumbent closers for the Blue Jays, Marlins, A's and Pirates don't have much seniority, but it's hard to imagine these teams spending big on Valverde.

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