• The Tigers released utility player Eric Patterson, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets. Patterson, 29, posted a .244/.365/.317 line in 267 plate appearances at Triple-A before getting released. He has experience with the A's, Cubs, Red Sox and Padres in five MLB seasons.
• The Rockies signed free agent right-hander Jason Bergmann, according to the team's website. Bergmann, 30, had been pitching for the Camden Riversharks of the independent Atlantic League before signing with the Rockies, who are in need of pitching depth. He has a career ERA of 5.04 with 6.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in six seasons with the Nationals, most recently in 2010.

• The A's recalled Scott Sizemore from Triple-A Sacramento, and demoted third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, according to the team's official Twitter page.  Oakland acquired Sizemore from the Tigers in exchange for David Purcey in late May.
• The Athletics have confirmed that Jason Bergmann signed a minor league deal with the club on June 1st.  The right-hander has been placed on the Double-A Midland roster.  The 29-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox in December but was cut loose in March due to a shoulder injury.

• The Red Sox have voided the minor league contract of Jason Bergmann, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.  The hurler came to camp with a shoulder injury and has been unable to pitch.  Boston signed the right-hander in December after he posted a 2.84 ERA with 9.9 K/9 in 43 relief appearances for Washington's Triple-A affiliate in 2010.  The 29-year-old has a 5.04 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 across parts of six seasons with the Nats.
• Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield’s age and recent results make one wonder about his role on the 2011 Red Sox, writes Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe.  The club already has five starters and the 44-year-old isn't really geared to come out of the bullpen.  Wakefield is guaranteed $1.5MM this season.

• The Red Sox announced they have signed Nate Spears, Santo Luis and Jason Bergmann and confirmed they have signed Brandon Duckworth and Drew Sutton.
  
• Bergmann, 29, has a 5.04 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in parts of six seasons with the Nationals. He posted a 2.84 ERA with 9.9 K/9 in 43 relief appearances for Washington's Triple-A affiliate in 2010.
• The Tigers signed lefty John Bale to a minor league deal according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Daniel Schlereth and Brad Thomas are the only two lefties on Detroit's roster, so the Tigers are looking to add depth. Bale, 36, has a 4.66 ERA in parts of seven big league seasons, but didn't play pro ball in 2010.
• The Padres agreed to terms with right-hander Luis Perdomo on a minor league deal, the team announced. They non-tendered Perdomo yesterday, but he wasn't a free agent for long.

• Zack Greinke has until after the World Series to notify the Royals about the 8-10 teams on his no-trade list, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
• Bo Porter is not "the front runner" to be the next Marlins manager, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  Rodriguez also notes that Florida would've kept Cody Ross had the team not fallen out of the pennant race.  Since the Marlins faded, Ross was expendable given the club's desire for Cameron Maybin to get playing time.
• Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears from Tony La Russa that Mark McGwire is "really torn" about returning as the Cardinals' hitting coach (Twitter link).
• In the wake of Jeff Wilpon's statement that the Mets might not hire their new GM for a few weeks, Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog.com wonders if the Mets are waiting for the postseason to be over so they can speak to Rangers GM Jon Daniels.
• Speaking of Daniels, he tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that he saw the Jarrod Saltalamacchia trade "as an opportunity to give [the catcher] a fresh start."
• MLB.com's Bill Ladson looks at a few hot stove items from Washington in his latest mailbag.  He has some strong words about Jason Bergmann, who was released by the Nationals last week, and doesn't think there's any chance of Adam Dunn getting an early extension completed with Washington a la Ted Lilly's deal with the Dodgers.
• Carrie Muskat has her own MLB.com mailbag concerning the Cubs.  Neither Derrek Lee nor Lance Berkman, she opines, are good fits for Chicago at first base next season.
• We heard earlier that Joey Cora will interview for the Brewers' managerial job on Tuesday, and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Pat Listach will also interview on the same day.  Listach, Washington's third base coach, won the AL Rookie Of The Year Award as a Brewer in 1992 and played for Milwaukee from 1992 to 1996.
• CSNNE.com's Sean McAdam predicts that Paul Konerko is "likely staying put" with the White Sox. (Twitter link)

• Many familiar names have been granted free agency, including Ian Snell, Cla Meredith, Micah Owings, Fernando Nieve, Dan Meyer, Ryan Garko, Mike Jacobs, and Jason Bergmann.
• The Royals released reliever Matt Herges. Herges didn't reach the majors this season, but had a solid year in 2009, recording a 3.38 ERA in 30 games between Cleveland and Colorado.
• Yordany Ramirez, a long-time minor league outfielder, was re-signed by the Astros. After struggling as a hitter in three Triple-A seasons, the 26-year-old is being converted to pitching.

FRIDAY, 10:28am: The Nationals had a few teams interested in trading for Bergmann, but couldn't find an offer they liked, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Resolution on the right-hander should come later today.

THURSDAY, 7:12pm: Ladson tweets that Bergmann has been placed on waivers, meaning he could be outrighted, become a free agent, or be claimed by another team by tomorrow.

MONDAY, 7:20pm: Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com reports that Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo acknowledged fielding calls for Bergmann. 

"We've taken a few calls. We're still in the inquiry stage," said Rizzo. "We still have a few days to do something. Nothing to announce."

The Nats have until Thursday to waive Bergmann, and until Saturday to trade or release him.   

SUNDAY, 11:37am:The Blue Jays have expressed interest in Jason Bergmann, who was designated for assignment by the Nationals on Thursday, tweets Bill Ladson of MLB.com. In a second tweet, Ladson adds that if they acquired Bergmann, the Jays probably wouldn't need him until mid-season.

At the time of Bergmann's DFA, MLBTR speculated that the Jays could take a look at the right-hander, given former Nats' scouting director Dana Brown's familiarity with the 28-year-old. Brown now works on Alex Anthopoulos's staff in Toronto.

The Nationals have a ten-day window, as of Thursday's roster move, to attempt to finalize a trade involving Bergmann.

Bergmann, 28, posted a 4.50 ERA, 7.5 K/9, and 4.7 BB/9 in 48 relief innings last year, allowing seven home runs.  He posted a 1.16 ERA in 23.3 minor league frames, though his peripherals were unimpressive.  Bergmann's flyball tendencies have proven problematic, and he's also bounced between starting and relieving a few times.  In their '05 Handbook, Baseball America noted then-Nationals scouting director Dana Brown's familiarity with Bergmann.  Brown now works under Alex Anthopoulos in Toronto, so maybe the Blue Jays will take a look.

The team will have to clear a spot on the 25-man roster to call Livan up, but they do have an open spot on the 40-man roster, so that's not that problem. However, as MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling notes, relievers Tyler Walker and Jason Bergmann could be candidates for demotion, and both are out of options. They would have to clear waivers to head to the minors. 

Walker, 33, signed a one year deal worth $650K this offseason, but he's allowed three runs in 3.1 innings on the young season. The 28-year-old Bergmann has appeared in two games so far, allowing a pair of runs in one inning of work. If the team choose to ignore the obviously small sample sizes, they could option 25-year-old Jesse English to Triple-A, who has allowed two runs in 1.2 innings of work on the season. Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post adds Miguel Batista's name to the mix, who's given up six runs in 4.1 innings so far. 

We'll keep track of the players who avoid arbitration today by agreeing to deals here. Make sure you check back in for updates, and be sure to click the "Continue Reading" link to see today's full list of settlements.  Yesterday's list can be found here.

• Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Angels avoided arbitration with Mike Napoli and Reggie Willits by signing the duo to one-year deals.  Napoli will earn $3.6MM in 2010 with a $100K bonus if he makes 120 starts.  Willits' contract is worth $625K. 
• Zach Duke's one-year contract with Pittsburgh is worth $4.3MM with no performance bonuses, tweets Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• The Padres and reliever Mike Adams have agreed to a contract, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (via Twitter).  Brock's follow-up tweet says Adams' deal is worth $1MM, virtually splitting the difference between San Diego's $875K offer and Adams' $1.2MM demands.
• Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets that the Twins have agreements in place with all eight of their arbitration eligible players.  In a follow-up tweet, Christensen reports that Francisco Liriano agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.6MM and Jesse Crain agreed to a one-year contract worth $2MM.
• Marc Carig of the New Jersey Star-Ledger reports that the Mets avoided arbitration with reliever Sean Green (via Twitter).  The one-year deal was worth $975K, according to the New York Daily News' Anthony McCarron.
• The Tigers avoided arb with Gerald Laird and Zach Miner as well according to James Jahnke of The Detroit Free Press.  MLB.com's Jason Beck tweets the details on the one-year contracts: Laird will earn $3.95MM, Miner will earn $950K.
• Christensen tweets that the Twins avoided arb with Brendan Harris, signing him to a two year deal worth $3.2MM with another $650K in possible incentives.
• The Tigers and Bobby Seay avoided arbitration according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (via Twitter), agreeing to a one year deal worth $2.475MM.
• Thesier tweets that Matt Guerrier agreed to a one year deal worth $3.15MM with the Twins, avoiding arb.
• Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe tweets that the Red Sox have avoided arbitration with Ramon Ramirez and Manny Delcarmen, with Delcarmen getting $905K plus incentives according to Joe McDonald of The Providence Journal. Boston avoided arb with Jonathan Papelbon as well.

Read more

• Josh Bard: Optioned to AAA-Syracuse
• Saul Rivera: Optioned to AAA-Syracuse
• Wil Ledezma: Designated for assignment
• Steven Shell: Designated for assignment

The quartet was replaced by pitchers Jordan Zimmermann, Garrett Mock, Jason Bergmann, and veteran Kip Wells.

Following today's loss to the Marlins, which completed the second three-game sweep of the Nationals this season for the Fish already in 2009, Manny Acta was not shy about the bullpen:

• Right-hander Jason Bergmann, who has an option left, is not happy that the Nationals have sent him to Triple-A, says Pete McElroy of masnsports.com. In nine games, Bergmann didn't give up a run. He had 6 K and 2 BB in 11 1/3 innings.
• Not a rumor, but a headline of importance: Unsurprisingly, the Braves are going to retire Greg Maddux's number in July.
• Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal praises the Red Sox shrewdness by improving their ballclub while reducing their payroll by $13MM, from fourth highest to sixth. Back-loaded extensions to key players could mean the Sox could add payroll if a marquee player becomes available this summer.
• Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star has a short but interesting article up noting that paying for a free agent pitcher does not usually work out. It would be interesting to actually see the numbers on this. Mellinger writes,

The team has agreed to terms with 23 of its players, including names like Elijah Dukes and John Lannan.

As for a review of the Nationals’ arbitration-eligible players, Ladson has the list: Jason Bergmann, Mike O’Connor, Alberto Gonzalez, Lastings Milledge, Josh Willingham and Ryan Zimmerman.

Word is that the Mets could send Xavier Nady, John Maine, and Jeff Keppinger to the Nationals for Alfonso Soriano, Bill Bray, and Jason Bergmann.  Let’s discuss.

Could the Mets do without Nady?  Absolutely.  Wright doesn’t need much time off, and Franco can spell Delgado.  I’m of the opinion that Victor Diaz does not need a platoon partner in right field.  Nady would be more useful for Washington.  He could handle right field for three months while Jose Guillen is out, and Matt LeCroy could spend more time backing up Brian Schneider than Nick Johnson.  Plus, Nady could take over first base in 2007 if Johnson leaves via free agency.

I’m not sure that John Maine figures into the Mets’ rotation plans.  He didn’t make their depth chart, which goes eight-deep on starting pitchers.  Maine already has Triple A experience and could probably manage a mid-4 ERA pitching half his games in RFK.  That’d be a more adequate replacement for Brian Lawrence than some sort of Drese/Rauch experiment.

Jeff Keppinger has most certainly been passed by Anderson Hernandez on the Mets’ 2B depth chart, and so the Mets wouldn’t really need him even if they let Soriano walk after 2006.  Keppinger is probably best served as a utility man anyway, and he’d get a decent opportunity backing up Jose Vidro.  Brendan Harris might already fill this role for the Nats, but he’s no sure thing.

To recap:  the Nationals would receive a borderline backup in Nady, a back-rotation starter in Maine, and a utility infielder in Keppinger.  It’s quantity over quality, but Bowden is between a rock and a hard place here with Soriano.

Speaking of which, Soriano would fit nicely into the Latino core Omar Minaya is building.  I don’t know whether the Mets would try to keep him long-term, but even a player with his flaws is a good pickup for the cost outlined here.

College product Bill Bray isn’t too far off from being a Major League setup man.  I’m not so sure Bowden would need to give him up in this deal.  It seems to tip the scales too far towards the Mets.

Likewise with Bergmann, who had a nice year last year and figured to slot into the Nats’ big league bullpen.  That’s two valuable relievers going to New York, and it seems like too much.

Admittedly the Nationals are giving up a lot of value for some questionable prospects.  On the other hand, Bowden’s trade for Soriano is Exhibit A that he is capable of making trades that do not favor the his team at all.

The Biggest Games. The Best Tickets. StubHub.com