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Archives for January 2012

NL East Notes: Lidge, Cabrera, Nationals, Wright

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It's been a busy offseason in the NL East and Yoenis Cespedes and Prince Fielder could join the division before the winter's up. Here are the latest links…

  • The Phillies have stayed in touch with Brad Lidge this offseason, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
  • The Braves have not offered Roy Oswalt a contract, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets.
  • The Braves offered Orlando Cabrera a one-year deal this winter, Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets. Cabrera, who announced his retirement yesterday, presumably obtained the offer before the Braves re-signed Jack Wilson six days ago.
  • The Nationals could hope to double or triple the $29MM they obtained from MASN last year when they reset their regional TV deal, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post confirms. The team hired an outside expert to re-negotiate the deal in the hopes of boosting revenues substantially, Kilgore adds. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported earlier this month that the Nationals' TV revenues could “double, triple or more” when they reset the deal.
  • Any team that acquires David Wright from the Mets this summer wouldn't get a draft pick if he opts out of his contract after the season and leaves as a free agent, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork confirms on Twitter. Wright can void a $16MM club option for 2013 if he's traded, so Rubin suggests the third baseman's trade value may be highest next offseason.

AL West Notes: Fielder, Angels, Darvish, Perez

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The Athletics signed Brian Fuentes to a two-year, $10.5MM contract on this date last year. The veteran left-hander posted a 3.70 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 36.7% ground ball rate in 58 1/3 innings for the A's and is set to earn $5MM this coming season. Here are the latest links from the AL West…

Rays, Carlos Pena “Deep” In Talks

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The Rays are "in pretty deep" on Carlos Pena, their first baseman from 2007-10, Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets. The Boras Corporation represents the first baseman, who's one of the top free agents remaining.

Pena, 33, posted a .225/.357/.462 line with 28 home runs in 606 plate appearances for the Cubs in 2011. Just 9.36% of 15,700 people who participated in MLBTR's December poll expected Pena to return to Tampa Bay. He earned $10MM in 2011, when the Rays spent $42MM on their entire Major League payroll.

The Rays, who recently signed Luke Scott, still have an opening at first base. Casey Kotchman played the position in 2011 and would sign elsewhere — possibly in Cleveland — if the Rays complete a deal with Pena. Pena averaged 36 home runs and a .238/.368/.516 line in his four seasons in Tampa Bay.

This post was first published January 20th, 2012.

Blue Jays To Sign Nelson Figueroa

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The Blue Jays agreed to sign 37-year-old right-hander Nelson Figueroa to a minor league contract, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes tweets. The ACES client would earn $650K on the big league roster.

Figueroa started the 2011 season in Houston's rotation, but the Astros released him in August after he posted an 8.69 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in 29 innings. He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a 6.05 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 99 2/3 innings. The Pirates picked him up in August, only to grant him free agency after the season. This is clearly a depth move for the Blue Jays.

Beeston Talks Blue Jays, Fielder, Rogers

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Blue Jays president Paul Beeston joined Jeff Blair on Sportsnet Radio FAN 590 in Toronto and said the Blue Jays can compete with the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays in the American League East in 2012. He acknowledged the frustration that some Blue Jays fans have expressed over the team's modest payroll, but said money won't solve everything. "It's not just a matter of spending, it's a matter of spending it wisely," he explained. Here are some more highlights from Blair's conversation with Beeston:

  • Beeston said the Blue Jays ask certain questions of themselves before spending big on any free agent. "Is that going to put you over the top? Is that going to give you an opportunity to get to the point where you have that contending team, that competitive team? Does that one piece do it for you?" Darren Oliver's $4.5MM contract represents the Blue Jays' most substantial free agent expenditure to date under GM Alex Anthopoulos.
  • The Blue Jays might regret it if they sign Prince Fielder to a ten-year deal, Beeston said. "We all love Prince Fielder," he said. "Prince Fielder is a terrific ballplayer and there's no question about that." Despite the praise for the 27-year-old free agent, it definitely doesn't sound as though he'll be signing in Toronto.
  • Rogers communications, which owns the Blue Jays, has never denied a request to increase payroll or spend on player development, Beeston said.
  • Beeston said the Blue Jays could have managed fan expectations better this offseason.

Rays Sign Will Rhymes

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The Rays signed second baseman Will Rhymes, outfielder Jesus Feliciano and right-handed reliever Romulo Sanchez to minor league deals, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweets. Rhymes, 28, spent parts of the past two seasons with the Tigers, who non-tendered him in December. The team confirmed the moves and reports the signing of right-hander Matt Torra.

Rhymes, who's listed at 5'9" and 155 pounds, owns a .283/.341/.370 line in 312 MLB plate appearances. He was far more impressive at the plate in 2010 than in 2011, when his batting average on balls in play dropped by 50 points.

Feliciano made his MLB debut with the Mets in 2010, soon after his 31st birthday. He posted a .563 OPS in 119 plate appearances and spent the 2011 campaign in the minors. Sanchez, 27, spent last year in Japan and has MLB experience with the Pirates and Yankees.

Minor Moves: Petit, Loux

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Here's where we'll track the day's minor moves…

  • The Indians signed infielder Gregorio Petit to a minor league deal, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets. The 27-year-old appeared in the Majors with the Athletics in 2008-09, but didn't play affiliated baseball last year. He spent the 2010 campaign with the Rangers' top affiliate, where he posted a .658 OPS in 525 plate appearances as the Oklahoma City shortstop.
  • The Giants announced 25 non-roster invitees, including right-hander Shane Loux. The 32-year-old last appeared in the Majors in 2009 and spent the 2011 season as a starter for the Giants' top affiliate.

Indians Sign Fred Lewis

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The Indians announced that they signed outfielder Fred Lewis to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training. The club also confirmed that it has signed Jeremy Accardo to a minor league deal. 

Lewis posted a .230/.321/.317 line in 210 plate appearances last year, but he spent time on the disabled list with a strained right oblique muscle. The 31-year-old played both corner outfield positions for the Reds, who signed him for $900K. Lewis elected free agency in the fall after the Reds outrighted him off of their roster. Lewis has a track record of success against right-handed pitching (.780 career OPS), though Cleveland's lineup already features a number of left-handed bats.

Indians To Sign Jeremy Accardo

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The Indians have agreed to sign right-handed reliever Jeremy Accardo to a minor league deal, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick tweets. The Phillies also expressed interest in the Lapa/Leventhal client.

Accardo, who turned 30 last month, posted a 5.73 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 and a 37.4% ground ball rate in 37 2/3 innings for the Orioles in 2011. The seven-year veteran also logged 33 1/3 innings at Triple-A, where he posted a 2.16 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. Baltimore outrighted Accardo off of the 40-man roster in October and he elected free agency.

Athletics Shopping Brandon Allen

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Faced with an abundance of first base candidates and just one job, the Athletics are shopping first baseman Brandon Allen, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. The 25-year-old has excelled throughout the minor leagues, but has yet to produce at the plate in three Major League stints with the Diamondbacks and A's.

Allen posted a .200/.277/.377 line with six home runs in 195 MLB plate appearances last year to go along with a .991 OPS in 419 minor league plate appearances. The A's, who obtained Allen for Brad Ziegler last summer, also have Daric Barton, Chris Carter and Kila Ka'aihue in the mix at first base.

If the A's haven't already called the Rays, Indians, Pirates and Brewers about Allen, I doubt they're too far down the list of clubs that GM Billy Beane and assistant GM David Forst will get in touch with. The White Sox selected the left-handed hitter in the fifth round of the 2004 draft and traded him to Arizona for Tony Pena in 2009.

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