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Diamondbacks Release Brad Bergesen

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The Diamondbacks released right-hander Brad Bergesen, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. Bergesen, a client of Paragon Sports International, is now a free agent.

The 27-year-old pitched 29 2/3 innings for the Diamondbacks this past season, posting a 3.64 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. He would have been arbitration eligible for the second time, but had been a non-tender candidate with a projected salary of $1MM.

As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, the Diamondbacks now have seven remaining arbitration eligible players.

NL East Notes: Wright, Upton, Raburn, Lannan

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Zack Greinke turned down a potential trade to the Nationals two years ago when he was a member of the Royals, but now that the Nats are the defending NL East champs and have added Denard Span as their latest upgrade, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal thinks that Greinke (or any free agent) would see Washington as a prime destination.  The Nationals have been mentioned as one of Greinke's top suitors this winter, along with the Dodgers, Angels and Rangers, so there's a possibility the right-hander could yet end up in D.C. two years later.

Here are some items from around the division…

  • David Wright may wait under after the Winter Meetings to decide on the Mets' seven-year, $124MM extension offer, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post.  A Mets source speculates that Wright and his representatives may wait due to their unhappiness that negotiations were made public.  Wright and agent Seth Levinson told MLBTR earlier this week that rumors about the contract talks were inaccurate.
  • The Phillies' best offer to B.J. Upton was a five-year, $55MM contract, tweets MLB.com's Mark Bowman.  Upton agreed to a five-year, $75.25MM pact with the Braves yesterday.
  • The Braves and Marlins are two of a half-dozen teams interested in free agent utilityman Ryan Raburn, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark (Twitter link).  The Rays and Rangers are two of the other known teams.
  • The Nationals still have a minor league option remaining on left-hander John Lannan, reports Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider.  Washington could keep Lannan at Triple-A as rotation insurance again, though MLBTR's Tim Dierkes thinks Lannan will be non-tendered rather than earn a projected $5MM in his third year of arbitration eligibility.
  • Shane Victorino "might actually represent the best value on the market," writes David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News, though Murphy doesn't think the Phillies will look for a reunion with their former outfielder.  The Phils haven't been linked to Victorino this offseason, though at least seven teams are known to be interested in the Hawaiian.

Quick Hits: Greinke, Twins, Martin, Napoli, Royals

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Several player agents tell Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that the Mariners' chances of attracting free agent hitters have improved now that Safeco Field's fences are being moved in.  That said, while the shorter fences will help, "players look at all of those factors, but in the end, it still comes down to where they can get the best contract. And it always will," one agent says.

Here are some items from a very busy day in baseball….

Rockies Unlikely To Trade Dexter Fowler

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"Signs point to Dexter Fowler staying in Colorado," writes ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, citing both the Rockies' large asking price for the outfielder and potential trade partners' concerns about Fowler's ability to hit outside of Coors Field (Twitter links).  Fowler has a career .882 OPS at home and just a .698 OPS on the road over his five-year career, and he put up an even larger set of splits (.984 OPS home/.720 OPS road) in 2012 when he posted a career-best .300/.389/.474 slash line for the Rockies.

A rival executive tells Crasnick that the Rockies are asking for a "sky high" return for Fowler, who is projected to get a raise to $4MM in his second year of arbitration eligibility by MLBTR's Matt Swartz. The Braves were interested in Fowler but balked at giving up two top prospects, according to CBS Sports' Danny Knobler.  Fowler would have been Atlanta's leadoff hitter, as the Braves are still looking for a table-setter since they intend to use the newly-signed B.J. Upton in the middle of the lineup.

The Rockies want a similarly large trade package in exchange for Michael Cuddyer, Knobler reports.  Cuddyer is seven years older than Fowler but comes with cost-certainty (two years and $21MM remaining on his contract) and is more proven as a hitter outside of Colorado.

Hahn On Pierzynski, Youkilis, Beckham, Payroll

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White Sox GM Rick Hahn covered a number of topics during a conference call with reporters today.  Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune has the highlights…

  • Hahn has been talking to the representatives for A.J. Pierzynski and Kevin Youkilis, and believes the markets for both players will come into focus once other catchers and third basemen sign contracts.  The free agent catching market lost a notable name today when Russell Martin agreed to a two-year/$17MM deal with the Pirates.
  • The White Sox are prepared to address their hole at third base if Youkilis leaves, though they could do that via an internal option.  "While figuring out what we're going to do at third base is a priority, it’s not necessarily one that’s going to mandate an acquisition from outside the organization," Hahn said. 
  • Gordon Beckham told Gonzales last week that the club hadn't approached him about becoming a third baseman, and Hahn didn't seem overly enthusiastic about the idea though he didn't rule it out.
  • In regards to the White Sox payroll, "There is a little bit of room as we sit here today to maneuver, but to do anything described as major, we’d have to make another move elsewhere to free up some cash," Hahn said.
  • Most teams contacting Chicago about trades have asked about their pitchers, so if the team did make a deal, Hahn said the Sox would likely move one of their arms.  FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported earlier tonight that Gavin Floyd the biggest trade candidate if the White Sox can find a cheaper pitcher to replace him in the rotation.

ChiSox Looking For “Lower-End” SP To Replace Floyd

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The White Sox are looking at adding a "lower-end type" starting pitcher "at the right price," reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).  If the club is able to acquire such a pitcher, it would give the Sox freedom to trade Gavin Floyd.

Chicago's rotation currently lines up as Jake Peavy, Chris Sale, John Danks, Jose Quintana and Floyd, who had his $9.5MM option for 2013 picked up by the Sox last month.  Floyd battled elbow injuries last season but still posted solid numbers (4.29 ERA, 2.29 K/BB ratio, 7.7 K/9) and averaged 195 innings pitched per year from 2008-2011. 

The 29-year-old right-hander is a free agent next winter and has been the subject of trade rumors for over a year.  Even with just one year of control left, Floyd could draw a decent return for the Sox and, perhaps as importantly, his departure could open a bit of payroll room to make further moves during the season.  One possible obstacle facing the Sox in their search for a cheaper pitcher, however, is that a starter looking to rebuild value may not want to go to hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field.

Athletics, Neshek Avoid Arbitration

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THURSDAY: Neshek's contract is worth $975K, reports MLB.com's Jane Lee (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY: The A's announced that they avoided arbitration with right-hander Pat Neshek. The sides agreed to a one-year contract. The terms of Neshek's deal aren't yet known, be he had a projected salary of $900K according to MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

The A's have six remaining arbitration eligible players: Daric Barton, Jerry Blevins, George Kottaras, Brandon Moss, Adam Rosales and Seth Smith.

Rangers Links: Hamilton, Greinke, Outfielders, Martin

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Happy birthday to Rangers outfielder Craig Gentry, who celebrates his 29th birthday today.  Gentry is a threat against left-handed pitching (an .859 OPS against southpaws in 2012) and has emerged as one of baseball's best defensive outfielders, posting a 27.5 UZR/150 over his four-year career.  Here's the latest from Arlington…

  • Not much has changed between the Rangers and Josh Hamilton, GM Jon Daniels told reporters (including MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan) during a conference call.  Daniels says that he has stayed in touch with Michael Moye, Hamilton's agent, and they will talk again once Moye and Hamilton have fully tested the free agent market.
  • If Hamilton left, finding a new outfielder is "not necessarily our first priority," Daniels said, noting that he is happy with Texas' internal outfield options.
  • Daniels didn't comment on Zack Greinke, but noted that while he's happy with his rotation, "you're always looking out for starting pitching…always looking to upgrade  Do we have to? Not necessarily. It's something we're looking at."  We've heard that the Rangers, Angels, Dodgers and Nationals seem to be Greinke's most fervent suitors.
  • Two rival executives tell CBS Sports' Scott Miller that they think Hamilton will re-sign with Texas.  “As long as Hamilton is willing to take a shorter contract, and I think he’s going to be forced into that," said one NL executive.  Miller also looks back at the original trade that brought Hamilton to the Rangers from the Reds, discussing the deal with then-Cincinnati GM Wayne Krivsky.
  • The Rangers made Russell Martin a two-year contract offer, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  Martin agreed to a two-year, $17MM deal with the Pirates earlier today.

Dodgers Could Have Interest In A.J. Pierzynski

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The Dodgers could potentially make a play for free agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  L.A. general manager Ned Colletti almost signed Pierzynski as a free agent two years ago before the catcher re-signed with the White Sox, though the chances of Pierzynski signing with the Dodgers now is seen as "a remote possibility, at best" by some Dodgers people.

Pierzynski had new career highs in homers (27) and OPS (.827) in 2012, putting the veteran in good shape for a multiyear contract even though he turns 36 in December.  While Pierzynski and the White Sox share some mutual interest in a new contract, it seems as if the two sides are ready to move on as Chicago has young catcher Tyler Flowers ready to take over behind the plate.  That said, Pierzynski's departure also seemed imminent after the 2010 season before he re-upped with the White Sox.

If the Dodgers were to sign Pierzynski, it could make a trade candidate of current Los Angeles catcher A.J. Ellis, who had an impressive .270/.373/.414 slash line in 505 plate appearances last season.  Ellis could become Pierzynski's backup, relegating incumbent backup Tim Federowicz back to the minors, but Ellis could also bring back a nice return in a trade given the thin catching market.

Indians Avoid Arbitration With Blake Wood

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The Indians have avoided arbitration with Blake Wood, signing the right-hander to a one-year, $560K contract, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  Wood was arbitration-eligible for the first time.

Wood was claimed off waivers from the Royals earlier this month.  The 27-year-old posted a 4.30 ERA, a 1.72 K/BB ratio and a 7.0 K/9 rate in 106 relief appearances for Kansas City in 2010-11, and he underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2012.  Wood's new $560K contract was slightly less than the $600K that MLBTR's Matt Swartz projected he would receive through the arb process.

With Wood's deal out of the way, the Tribe still has nine other arb-eligible players to settle contracts with for the 2013 season.  You can follow all the offseason arbitration dealings for the Indians and every team via MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker.

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