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Archives for January 2013

Quick Hits: Atchison, Garcia, Vazquez, Dodgers

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Free agent right-hander Javier Vazquez is getting his right meniscus repaired by one of the Marlins’ team doctors this Wednesday, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (Twitter links). The right-hander is expected to be throwing at full strength within two to three weeks. Though seven teams have expressed serious interest in Vazquez, he has not made a decision about playing in 2013 as of now. Here are some more links from around MLB…

  • Right-hander Scott Atchison expects to sign a minor league deal with a team other than the Red Sox this week, writes MLB.com's Evan Drellich. Atchison told Drellich it the team he's closing in on will give him a good chance to make the Major League bullpen. Atchison was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear last August but has had "great results" in letting it heal with rest and rehab.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Pirates expressed interest in Freddy Garcia, but the 36-year-old hurler elected to sign a minor league deal with the Padres instead.
  • Time Warner Cable and the Dodgers have officially agreed to a 25-year, $7 billion TV deal, John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal reports. The agreement will lead to the creation of a new regional sports network for the Los Angeles area; SportsNet L.A will launch in 2014.
  • The Rays signed free agent infielder Kelly Johnson today, but that won’t stop Ben Zobrist from playing “a lot” of second base for Tampa Bay, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Johnson, who played 79 games in left field as a rookie in 2005, will bounce around.
  • Michael Bourn still wants a five-year deal, yet the Mets aren't willing to go there, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports (on Twitter). Here’s an explanation of how the Mets wanted to sign Bourn while keeping their first round draft pick this coming season.

West Notes: Fowler, Wells, Dodgers

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Earlier today, the Padres signed Freddy Garcia to a minor league deal and announced that they've avoided arbitration with Luke Gregerson by agreeing to a one-year deal. Here's some more news out of baseball's West divisions…

  • The Rockies are open to a multi-year deal with Dexter Fowler if Fowler and his agents at Excel Sports Management come up with a proposal to the club's liking, writes MLB.com's Thomas Harding. Colorado recently signed Jhoulys Chacin to a two-year deal despite previously saying they preferred one-year deals.
  • Vernon Wells would prefer to remain with the Angels and prove to fans what he's capable of rather than be traded elsewhere with a chance to start (Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times reports on Twitter). Wells says he knows he has to earn a spot to play and that he has to work hard in order to do so.
  • Major League Baseball isn't happy with the Dodgers' reported new TV deal, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Nightengale reports that the previous fair-market value for a new deal called for an $84MM annual value. The Dodgers agreed to a deal with Time Warner Cable earlier today that would provide the team with roughly $280MM annually. That number has created significant revenue-sharing concerns among MLB officials.

Angels Nearing Two-Year Deal With Alberto Callaspo

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January 28: Callapso's deal is worth $8.975MM, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times (on Twitter). There haven't been any hang-ups in the deal, despite the fact that it has yet to be completed. Callaspo simply hasn't been cleared to travel from Venezuela in order to complete his physical yet.

January 17, 8:45pm: The two sides will formally exchange figures tomorrow, Gonzalez tweets.  The veteran still has to travel from Venezuela to take his physical.

8:41pm: Callaspo's deal is essentially done, pending a physical, an industry source tells Gonzalez (via Twitter).  The third baseman's two-year deal pay him nearly $9MM.

8:34pm: Alberto Callaspo has a two-year proposal on the table from the Angels, an industry source told MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez.  Callaspo is in his final year of arbitration and is set to hit the open market after the 2013 season.

Signing the third baseman to a multi-year deal will give them a stopgap until top prospect Kaleb Cowart is ready to take over.  The 29-year-old is represented by Eric Goldschmidt.

Oscar Taveras Switches Agents

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One of the best prospects in baseball has new representation.  Cardinals outfield prospect Oscar Taveras has dropped agent Melvin Roman for Rob Plummer, MLBTR has learned.  It's a coup for Plummer, who now represents several of the game's best Dominican prospects, such as Miguel Sano of the Twins and Carlos Martinez, also of the Cardinals.

Taveras, 20, ascended to Double-A last year with great success.  Most prospect gurus rank him in their top three, and he's got a good shot at making his Major League debut in 2013.

For agency info on over 1,700 players, check out MLBTR's oft-updated agency database.  Agents: if you've got a 40-man roster player or top prospect whose representation is not correctly noted, we welcome corrections at mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

Softbank Hawks Release Hideki Okajima

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The Softbank Hawks have released Hideki Okajima so that he can pursue a return to Major League Baseball, according to Nikkan Sports (Japanese link translated by NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman on Twitter).

The Athletics are said to be interested in Okajima, who pitched to a 0.94 ERA, 6.8 K/9 and 1.1 BB/9 in 47 2/3 innings for the Hawks last season. The 37-year-old southpaw returned to Nippon Professional Baseball last season after an injury to his left shoulder caused his minor league deal with the Yankees to fall through.

Okajima has a 3.11 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 over the course of 246 1/3 Major League innings — all coming with the Red Sox from 2007-11. He finished sixth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting as a 31-year-old in 2007 and also represented the AL in the All-Star Game that season.

Minor Moves: Coello, Mather, Bass

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We'll keep track of tonight's minor transactions right here…

  • The Angels have signed right-hander Robert Coello to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. The 28-year-old has allowed 12 runs in 12 big league innings, but he has a 4.05 ERA, 9.7 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 202 1/3 Triple-A innings. He's spent time in the Red Sox, Cubs and Blue Jays organizations.
  • The Phillies have signed both Joe Mather and Brian Bass to a minor league contracts, according to the CBS Sports Transactions page. The 30-year-old Mather hit just .209/.256/.324 for the Cubs last season but still appeared in 103 games. He's a career .219/.271/.357 hitter. Bass, 31, has a 5.16 ERA over 183 Major League innings between the Twins, Orioles and Pirates. The right-hander spent last season with the Astros' Triple-A affiliate and posted a 5.56 ERA in 77 2/3 innings. Bass hasn't appeared in the Majors since 2010.

Nick Johnson Retires

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Oft-injured first baseman Nick Johnson has elected to retire, according to WFAN's Sweeny Murti (Twitter link). The 34-year-old Johnson appeared in 38 games for the Orioles in 2012, posting a .207/.324/.391 batting line with four home runs.

Johnson will be remembered as an on-base machine thanks to a keen eye at the plate that helped him produce a .268/.399/.441 career batting line. His 15.7% walk rate is the 29th-highest mark of any player in baseball history with at least 3,000 plate appearances.

He appeared in 832 Major League games between the Yankees, Expos/Nationals, Marlins and Orioles. His production was limited by a host of injuries, most notably a broken femur and a torn tendon sheath in his wrist. The former third-round pick earned just over $29MM over parts of 10 Major League seasons, according to Baseball Reference.

Cardinals To Sign Ronny Cedeno

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3:53pm: The deal guarantees Cedeno $1.15MM and includes $850K in performance bonuses, Rosenthal reports (on Twitter).

2:55pm: The Cardinals have agreed to sign Ronny Cedeno to a one-year, Major League contract, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).

Cedeno played for the Mets last year, appearing in 78 games, mostly as a middle infielder. The 29-year-old posted a .259/.332/.410 batting line in 186 plate appearances with New York. He earned $1.2MM, and has earned between $1-2MM in each of the last three seasons. Multiple teams expressed interest in Cedeno, but the identity of other interested teams remains unknown.

Rafael Furcal projects as St. Louis' starting shortstop, but he could miss the start of the season due to an elbow injury. Pete Kozma provides St. Louis with an internal alternative at the position.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported the Cardinals' interest and that the sides were nearing a deal.

Cardinals Designate Browning For Assignment

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The Cardinals designated left-hander Barret Browning for assignment, MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports (on Twitter). The move creates roster space for Ronny Cedeno, who agreed to sign a one-year deal with St. Louis.

Browning made his MLB debut in 2012, appearing in 22 games out of the bullpen for the Cardinals and posting a 5.12 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. The 28-year-old spent much of the season at Triple-A, posting a 1.73 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 41 2/3 innings.

Free Agent Rumors: Brewers, Lowe, Athletics

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The all-unemployed team would feature Michael Bourn, Kyle Lohse, Joe Saunders, Brian Wilson and others, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark points out (all Twitter links). The free agent market also includes many designated hitter candidates, which is usual for this time of year. Here are some notes on free agents from around MLB… 

  • The Brewers are bound to be talking to some of the free agents on Stark’s list, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel suggests (on Twitter). The Brewers are known to be seeking infield depth, including a backup at first base.
  • Free agent pitchers Mark Lowe and Ryan Rowland-Smith will be throwing for teams at the Peoria Sports Complex in Arizona Wednesday, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (all Twitter links). Agents Jeff Frye and Mike McCann want Lowe to show teams he's healthy, Crasnick adds. Lowe posted a 3.43 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings for the Rangers last year but missed time with a strained intercostal.
  • Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes provided A’s officials with a scouting report on Cuban defector Aledmys Diaz, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Cespedes, who’s also Cuban, told the A’s that the free agent Diaz is a great shortstop who “could help this team," according to Slusser. Major League Baseball is investigating Diaz's age, Baseball America reported last week.

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