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Twins, Liriano Avoid Arbitration

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The Twins have agreed to terms with pitcher Francisco Liriano on a one-year, $4.3MM deal, avoiding arbitration, according to a team press release.  The left-hander is represented by Legacy Sports.

This one-year deal marks a signficant raise for Liriano, who skirted arbitration with the Twins last year for $1.6MM.  The two sides met exactly in the middle this time as the pitcher asked for $5MM and the club countered with an offer of $3.6MM.  This offseason was Liriano's second go-round as an arb-eligible player.

Liriano, 27, turned in a 3.62 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 31 starts last season.  According to MLBTR's Arb Tracker, the Twins have just one more unsettled case to tackle in outfielder Delmon Young. 

Kelvim Escobar To Attempt Comeback

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Despite having more shoulder surgeries (two) than pitching appearances (one) since 2007, Kelvim Escobar will attempt a comeback as a reliever according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The right-hander hopes to throw for teams in March.

Escobar, 35 in April, has battled major shoulder injuries over the last three seasons, missing all of 2008 and 2010 while making one subpar start with the Angels in the middle of 2009. The Mets signed him to a one-year deal worth $1.25MM last spring, but he didn't even make it out of Spring Training healthy.

When healthy, Escobar has been very effective, posting a 3.60 ERA in 653 innings from 2004 through 2007, striking out 7.7 batters per nine innings while walking just 2.8 batters per nine unintentionally. As a reliever, he's held batters to a .243/.329/.385 batting line with 9.8 K/9 in 247 1/3 career innings, but that was a long, long time ago.

Orioles Notes: Guerrero, Duchscherer, Scott

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It's been a surprisingly busy winter for the Orioles with their newest acquisition coming tonight in the form of a one-year, $8MM deal with Vladimir Guerrero.  Here's are some of the reactions to the newest Oriole plus other pieces of O's news..

  • The $8MM deal with Guerrero will bring Baltimore's payroll to roughly $93MM, up from $73MM in 2010, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun.
  • Landing Guerrero puts an exclamation point on an offseason that started poorly, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  In a separate tweet, Heyman calls the $8MM deal a "miracle" for the slugger.
  • New Orioles right-hander Justin Duchscherer was asked to undergo a more rigorous physical exam than most, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com.  The 33-year-old has been through two hip operations over the last two years.
  • The O's haven't made any progress on their arbitration case with Luke Scott, tweets Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.  Both parties are still hopeful that they can avoid a hearing.  Scott has already said that he would like to sign a long-term deal in Baltimore.  You can keep track on all arbitration cases with MLBTR's Arb Tracker.

Quick Hits: Pedro, Diamondbacks, Astros, Pettitte

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Friday Night Links..

  • Pedro Martinez isn't working out and a comeback is looking less and less likely, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  If Martinez does return in 2011, it'll be on a second-half deal again. 
  • Jeff Moorad's stake in the Diamondbacks is finally close to being sold, writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.  Moorad parted ways with the D'Backs more than two years ago to lead a group that purchased the Padres.
  • Since Astros owner Drayton McLane announced in November he was going to put the team up for sale, he has been purposely tight-lipped about the process, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.  Even though McLane has kept things quiet, McTaggart writes that there is probably plenty of negotiating going on behind the scenes.
  • WEEI.com's Alex Speier remembers Boston's pursuit of Andy Pettitte in 2003.

Yankees Notes: Pettitte, Williams, Chavez

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Earlier this week, Andy Pettitte announced his retirement, bringing an end to months of speculation.  Well, for the most part anyway.  Here's some news on the left-hander and other Yankees tidbits..

  • Pettitte isn't planning on a comeback but he won't completely rule out another go-round after a year off, tweets Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger. 
  • For Pettitte retiring was a tough decision, but ultimately the right one, says Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
  • The Yankees have shown patience as of late but Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated wonders if Pettitte's retirement will make the club antsy.  Their newfound restraint has them 0-for-2 on Heyman's scoreboard when considering their miss on Cliff Lee.
  • GM Brian Cashman insists that patience is still the name of the game, writes Carig.
  • Bernie Williams is one Yankee who is ready to shut the door on his playing days for good, writes MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.  The 42-year-old centerfielder plans to make his retirement official at some point in 2011.  Williams hit .297/.381/.477 in 16 big league seasons for the Bombers.
  • Eric Chavez told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter) that if he makes the Yankees' major league roster, he knows he'll be playing in support of two phenomenal corner infielders.  Slusser tweets that it It sounds as though the Yankees made best offer of the teams that showed interest in the veteran.  The Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Mariners were among the other clubs known to be in talks with Chavez.

Rangers Continue To Explore Michael Young Trade

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7:31pm: The Rangers and Rockies are talking about a trade of Young again and one source says the talks have reached an advanced stage, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  However, other sources are painting a less optimistic picture of the discussions, saying the Rockies are confused by the Rangers’ “mixed messages” on Young.

3:56pm: The Rockies like Young, but are confused about the Rangers' plans and might not have the money to acquire the infielder, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. One source told Rosenthal that tallks with the Rockies are dormant. The Rockies would likely have to send Jose Lopez and another well-paid player to Texas in any deal.

3:02pm: The Rangers have not re-engaged the Rockies about a possible deal as of this afternoon, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.

11:52am: The Rangers have recently continued discussing the possibility of trading Michael Young, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Once again, the Rockies are a potential destination for the infielder.

Young, who became expendable when the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre, has three years and $48MM remaining on his contract, which includes a partial no-trade clause. Once Young gains ten and five rights this May, he will have the power to veto any trade.

The Rangers told Young he was staying put last month and president Nolan Ryan has since said he expects Young to be with the club Opening Day. Young, 34, would DH and back up around the infield, potentially spelling Chris Davis and Mitch Moreland against tough southpaws.

The Rockies showed interest in Young earlier in the offseason and were said to be looking for infielders last month, but they have since added Alfredo Amezaga.

Red Sox, Dennys Reyes Close To Deal

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The Red Sox and reliever Dennys Reyes are close to agreement on a minor league deal, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  The reliever reached agreement with the Phillies on a one-year, $1.1MM deal in December before the deal hit an undisclosed "snag".

Reyes, 33, would be the latest in a series of upgrades to the Boston bullpen.  This winter the club has already signed Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler while retaining Hideki Okajima.  Reyes would be fifth notable lefty the BoSox have inked to a minor league deal this winter after signing Rich Hill, Andrew Miller, Randy Williams and Lenny DiNardo.

In 59 games for the Cardinals last season, Reyes turned in a 3.55 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9.

Mariners Sign Gabe Gross

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The Mariners have signed outfielder Gabe Gross to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to the team's official Twitter feed.  Gross is represented by Moye Sports Associates.

Gross, 31, declared free agency after being outrighted off the Athletics' 40-man roster in October.  The former first-round pick of the Blue Jays hit .239/.290/.311 with one home run in 105 games for the A's last season.

Yankees, Ronnie Belliard Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees and Ronnie Belliard have agreed to a minor league deal, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (via Twitter).  The 35-year-old Praver Shapiro Sports Management client will earn $825K plus incentives if he makes the varsity squad.

After giving the Dodgers some major pop down the stretch in 2009, Belliard was retained on a $825K deal that only became guaranteed upon him weighing in under 210 pounds.  While the veteran may have looked more svelte in Dodger blue, he was less-than-impressive at the plate, hitting .216/.295/.327 in 82 games.  Belliard was DFA'd by the club in September.

What Doesn’t Apply In Arbitration

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Earlier today, MLBTR examined the collective bargaining agreement and surveyed agents and executives to determine what matters in arbitration cases. As the CBA explains, player performance, previous earnings and comparable players figure in to arbitration hearings, but there's a limit to what is applicable. Evidence of the following is not admissable in arbitration hearings:

  • The financial position of the player or the team.
  • Press comments or testimonials about the performance of either the player or the club. "Recognized annual Player awards for playing excellence" are the exception to this rule, so Josh Hamilton will absolutely bring up his MVP if he and the Rangers go to a hearing.
  • Offers made by either side before the hearing.
  • The cost of representatives hired by the player or team.
  • Salaries in other sports or fields.
  • Keep track of the remaining unsigned arbitration eligible players and all the players who have signed with our Arb Tracker.

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