• Robinson Tejeda will earn $825K if he makes the Indians' roster and can earn $50K for pitching in 50 games, 55 games, 60 games and 65 games, Jordan Bastian tweets. Tejeda would earn a $100K bonus for pitching in 70 games.
• Aaron Laffey will earn $800K if he makes the Blue Jays, Gregor Chisholm tweets. Brian Bocock would earn $480K at the Major League level.
• Todd Zolecki has the details on the Phillies' deals with Dontrelle Willis and Luis Montanez. Willis has many incentives, including bonuses for winning the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.
• Jenifer Langosch reports what Anderson Hernandez ($500K), Logan Kensing ($675K) and Jose Morales ($650K) will earn if they make the Pirates' roster.

• The Cardinals signed utility player Eugenio Velez, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Velez appeared in 34 games for the Dodgers this past season, but didn't collect a single hit. He did post an .834 OPS in 235 Triple-A plate appearances, while playing right field, left field, second base and third base.
• The Pirates have agreed to terms with infielder Anderson Hernandez on a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, the team announced. Hernandez, 29, has played in 240 Major League games over six seaons with the Mets, Nationals, Indians and Astros. He last appeared in the bigs with Houston in 2010.
• The Phillies announced they've signed infielder Hector Luna and outfielder Luis Montanez to minor league contracts with invitations to Spring Training. Luna has seen seen Major League action with the Cardinals, Indians, Blue Jays and Marlins, getting as many as 379 plate appearances with the Redbirds in 2006. Montanez appeared in 36 games with the Cubs in 2011.

Tankersley, the Marlins' first round pick in the 2004 draft, succeeded early in his career, but has since struggled. Still just 27, Tankersley brings a career 8.8 K/9 to the free agent market and could become a lefty specialist. He missed all of 2009 with a stress fracture in his elbow, but it wouldn't be surprising to see a team like the Diamondbacks take a flier on the former prospect.

Bautista, who turns 28 this weekend, is another interesting arm. He posted a 3.74 ERA with the Giants this year and struck out (11.8 K/9) and walked (7.2 BB/9) tons of batters in 33.2 innings. The right-hander has always walked lots of hitters, but his mid-90s fastball and ability to induce strikeouts may tempt teams looking to buy low on live arms.

• The Astros removed three players from their 40-man roster, outrighting Brian Esposito, Anderson Hernandez, and Wladimir Sutil to Triple-A, according to a team release.
• Jeremy Hermida appreciates that the Athletics allowed him to reach free agency early in the offseason, says Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
• Troy Renck of the Denver Post asked Lance Berkman about the possibility of coming to Colorado for next season, and Berkman said he might be interested (Twitter links). Of course, the 34-year-old will be looking for an everyday role, and Todd Helton is still very much in the first base picture for the Rockies.
• In a separate tweet, Renck adds that even with Jarrod Saltalamacchia under contract, the Red Sox could still inquire on Chris Iannetta this winter.
• Fangraphs' Jack Moore argues that Paul Janish's play at shortstop should prompt the Reds to turn down Orlando Cabrera's 2011 option. Yesterday, over 80% of you opined that Cincinnati wouldn't exercise Cabrera's option.
• The Triple-A Portland Beavers will be sold to a group led by Padres owner Jeff Moorad, as J. Harry Jones of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. If everything proceeds as planned, the club will play in Tucson in 2011 and then move permanently to Escondido in 2012, according to Jones and Josh Leventhal of Baseball America.

The 27-year-old utility player has appeared at second, third and short this year, and he has also played a game in left field. However, Hernandez has just a .230/.260/.284 line in 77 plate appearances. That isn't far from the .617 OPS he has posted in his six-year MLB career.

Hernandez was designated for assignment by the Indians three days ago, the second time they'd done so this year.  He's struggled mightily with the bat in the Majors and minors.  Figueroa cleared waivers and accepted a Triple A assignment in June, so I'm not sure what happened there.  The 36-year-old was excellent in the minors and decent in the bigs.

Trinidad, a 25-year-old southpaw, has a 4.55 ERA, 5.5 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, and 12 home runs allowed in 97 Triple A innings this year.  Heading into the season Baseball America ranked him 26th among Astros prospects, saying he "profiles as a No. 5 starter or long reliever."  Majewski, 30, spent most of the season at Triple A where he posted a 4.04 ERA, 5.3 K/9, and 2.8 BB/9 in 35.6 relief innings.

The switch-hitting infielder struggled at the plate with Cleveland this season, hitting .246/.270/.295 in 63 plate appearances.  This marks the second time this season that Hernandez has been DFA'd by the Tribe.  Cleveland designated the 27-year-old for assignment in April, though he cleared waivers almost a week later.

Hernandez will report to Triple-A if he clears waivers, tweets Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.

SATURDAY, 7:27pm: The Indians have designated catcher Wyatt Toregas and infielder Anderson Hernandez for assignment, according to Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. The moves free up 40-man roster spots for Austin Kearns and Mark Grudzielanek.

The 27-year-old Toregas hit .176/.267/.196 in 60 plate appearances for Cleveland last year, but owns a .264/.331/.408 career batting line in the minors. Hernandez, 27, hit .252/.315/.370 in 149 plate appearances with the Mets last season, and is a .245/.303/.324 career hitter in close to 600 big league plate appearances. He doesn't grade out too well with the glove either.

• The Indians drafted Lincecum in the 42nd round of the '05 draft.  Told it'd take $1MM to sign him, the Tribe offered $700K.  MLB draft exec Frank Coonelly wasn't pleased at the over-slot offer, but it still wasn't enough to convince Lincecum to sign.  A year later he went tenth overall to the Giants.  You can play "what might have been" with any team, but Lincecum would've changed the course of Indians history.
•  The Indians are expected to work out Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo, writes Hoynes.  Mateo has already tried out for the Diamondbacks.
• Anderson Hernandez joins the mix for the Indians' utility job after yesterday's waiver claim.  Assistant GM Chris Antonetti noted that manager Manny Acta is familiar with Hernandez from managing him in Washington.

Hernandez, 27, hit .251/.312/.339 in 404 plate appearances for the Nationals and Mets last year while playing second base and shortstop.  Regarding his defense, Baseball America had this to say before the '07 season: "He has soft hands, plus range, and an above-average arm but sometimes gets lazy and doesn't charge balls aggressively enough."

Bixler, 27, was acquired by the Indians from the Pirates on January 18th.  Heading into 2009 Baseball America labeled him an "average defensive shortstop," noting his ability to play second base and predicting a utility future.

As odd as this may sound, the injury may open the door for Reyes to become a 2011 free agent. The Mets have Reyes signed through 2010, at $9MM next season, and a club option for 2011 at $11MM.

While it has long been considered a no-brainer for the Mets to pick that up, should Reyes suffer through similar injuries in 2010, the reverse conventional wisdom may quickly take hold.

And just how flexible the Mets can be at the position will largely be decided by the progress of prospect Reese Havens, who the Mets are sending to the Arizona Fall League. Havens, who turns 23 on October 20, hit .247/.361/.422 in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League this season, with 14 home runs. It is commonly assumed that Havens will move to second base at higher levels, principally because of Jose Reyes.

Now, Havens has had his own injury problems. But who is healthy in 2010 could go a long way toward determining who is the shortstop at Citi Field in 2011. Mets fans just pray that it's one of these two, and not Anderson Hernandez.