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Nationals Release Chris Snyder

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The Nationals announced that they have granted catcher Chris Snyder his unconditional release (Twitter link). The LSW Baseball client is now a free agent.

Snyder's contract included a clause that allowed him to request his release if he wasn't on the MLB roster by March 24th. A trade seemed likely as recently as yesterday, with teams such as the Angels, Pirates, Phillies and Rays seeking catching depth. Presumably some or all of those clubs will express interest in signing Snyder.

The 32-year-old appeared in 76 games for the Astros this past season. He posted a .176/.295/.308 batting line in 258 plate appearances, adding seven home runs. The Astros declined a $4MM option on Snyder after the regular season, choosing a $500K buyout instead.

Blue Jays Claim Guillermo Moscoso On Waivers

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SATURDAY, 4:16pm: The Blue Jays announced that they have claimed Moscoso off of waivers from the Royals.  With the addition, Toronto now has 40 players on the 40-man roster.

FRIDAY, 1:37pm: An unnamed MLB team claimed right-hander Guillermo Moscoso, the Royals announced (Twitter links). Moscoso, who was placed on unconditional release waivers two days ago, has until March 20th to accept the claim or terminate his Major League contract and elect free agency.

The Royals claimed Moscoso from Colorado in November after he posted a 6.12 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 50 innings for the Rockies last year. The 29-year-old started 21 games for the 2011 Athletics, posting a 3.38 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 128 innings. He also played briefly with the Rangers in 2009-10.

Yankees Sign Brennan Boesch

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SATURDAY: Yanks General Manager Brian Cashman says that Boesch is on a split contract and will earn $1.5MM in the majors and $500K if he's in the minors, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).

FRIDAY: The Yankees have officially announced the team's signing of Brennan Boesch, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.  

The Yankees agreed to terms with the free agent outfielder earlier today, as reported by Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (all Twitter links). The Scott Boras client obtained a Major League deal worth $1.5MM plus incentives, Heyman reports. Boesch will earn $600K in incentives based on plate appearances.

The Tigers released Boesch two days ago after discussing possible trades with a number of interested teams. Ultimately Boesch's $2.3MM salary proved to be an obstacle, and the Tigers released him without getting anything in return. After Boesch's release, the Mets, Red Sox and Astros appeared to have some interest in signing him.

Boesch appeared in 132 games for the Tigers last year, posting a .240/.286/.372 batting line with 12 home runs in 503 plate appearances. The left-handed hitting 27-year-old remains on track to remain under team control through 2015.

Minor Moves: Cortes, Reifer, Flacco

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We'll track the latest minor moves here…

  • Righty Dan Cortes has signed with the Diamondbacks, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports on Twitter.  The one-time top-100 prospect last pitched in 2011 for the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate, tossing 39 innings and logging a 5.08 ERA, before he sat out the 2012 season.
  • The Cardinals have released right-handed relief pitcher Adam Reifer after previously outrighting him off of the team's 40-man roster, Eddy further tweets.  Reifer, 26, spent the last two seasons at Triple-A Memphis and last year posted a 4.90 ERA over 64 1/3 innings.
  • The Red Sox acquired minor league first baseman Mike Flacco from the Orioles for cash considerations, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (on Twitter). The Orioles could get a player to be named instead of cash, Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com reports (on Twitter). Flacco, the brother of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, spent the 2012 season at Class A and Double-A. The 26-year-old posted a .214/.284/.330 batting line with eight home runs in 396 total plate appearances last year. The Orioles originally selected him in the 31st round of the 2009 draft.

International Signings: Mariners

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The latest international signings from around MLB…

  • The Mariners signed Dominican right-hander Jose Santiago for $205K, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. The 19-year-old is a converted catcher who has been pitching for less than a year. He stands 6’2” and throws a fastball in the 91-93 mph range, according to Badler. In addition to his fastball, Santiago throws a breaking ball and a developing change-up.

National League Notes: Cedeno, Diamondbacks, Mets

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Three years ago this time a memorable rumor made its way onto the pages of MLBTR, as ESPN reported the possibility of a Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols swap. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. quickly dismissed the report that the Phillies had talked internally about the idea, saying "I don't know who you're talking to, but that's a lie." It’s rare for such an exciting rumor to circulate during Spring Training, so it generated lots of discussion. Ultimately the rumors quieted down and the deal never materialized. Here are some National League notes for Friday morning…

How To Use MLBTR

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An explanation of the many ways to enjoy MLB Trade Rumors:

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Texas Notes: Ryan, Red Sox, Luhnow, Crane

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Nolan Ryan doesn't seem pleased with the Rangers' re-structured front office, and there are rumblings that he could leave the organization. There's no denying Ryan's stature in the game, but he's acting "like a big baby" in the view of Yahoo's Jeff Passan. The Hall of Famer has made the mistake of picking a fight at a time that he has few alternatives and limited leverage, Passan writes. Here are more links from the state of Texas…

  • Rangers senior scout Don Welke is in Florida looking at Red Sox relievers, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.  Welke is also scouting Yankees right-hander Joba Chamberlain, as we heard yesterday.  Both Boston and New York had their own scouts watching the Rangers play today.
  • The circumstances behind the Barret Loux/Jake Brigham trade between the Rangers and Cubs are outlined by MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
  • Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported two days ago that there's sentiment within the Rangers organization that Ryan will stay with the club.
  • GM Jeff Luhnow told Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal that the Astros are looking forward to determining which young players will become part of the team’s core. That’s part of Luhnow's motivation for passing on experienced free agents and relying on younger players. “If you take away their job and give it to a veteran, you delay finding it out. It doesn't push the organization forward," Luhnow explained.
  • Though some fans would like to see the Astros spend more, owner Jim Crane pointed out that it’s not the fans’ money. “This is a private company, even though it's got a public flair to it,” Crane told Costa. “If they want to write a check for 10 million bucks, they can give me a call."

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

Phillies Notes: Manuel, Halladay, Howard

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The Phillies were a .500 team in 2012 after winning five consecutive NL East titles. They enter the 2013 season with a payroll in excess of $150MM and new additions such as Michael Young, Delmon Young, John Lannan and Mike Adams. Here's the latest on the Phillies…

  • Phillies manager Charlie Manuel told the Associated Press that he wants to continue managing the Phillies after the 2013 season (link via ESPN.com). Manuel, who's entering the final year of his contract with the team, said he has no plans to retire. "I'm not ready for somebody to tell me to go home. I'm not ready to quit managing." Ryne Sandberg looms as a possible replacement for Manuel.
  • Phillies second baseman Chase Utley has drawn positive reviews from scouts this spring, but there are some questions surrounding Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News writes. Halladay, a potential 2014 free agent, hasn’t looked good in recent outings. “I’ve got to believe he’s just working to get ready at this point,” one scout told Martino.
  • Howard "was hobbling around a little and struggled versus good stuff" in the words of a scout. This could become a long-term problem for the Phillies, who owe Howard $105MM through 2017.

Tigers Weighing Trade Options

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The Tigers have uncertainty in their bullpen, and they could use a right-handed hitting outfielder. They also have six starters capable of pitching at the MLB level, which has led to speculation that Rick Porcello could be dealt. While the team doesn’t seem close to making any trades, general manager Dave Dombrowski acknowledged that he continues to consider various options, Chris Iott of MLive.com reports.

"I'm not lacking for trade phone calls," Dombrowski said. "That's not any different. I've had a lot of those phone calls. It's more people calling us at this point."

The Tigers seem more likely to open the season with Bruce Rondon or a committee of relievers closing games, Iott writes. The team may also rely on internal options in left field, where the left-handed hitting Andy Dirks will be more than a platoon player. Other teams have interest in Porcello, but the Tigers would have limited rotation depth if they dealt Porcello and replaced him with Drew Smyly. Instead, Porcello figures to open the season at the MLB level with Smyly pitching in relief or at Triple-A. 

MLBTR reviewed the Tigers’ offseason earlier today.

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