• Last year was a quiet Thanksgiving day, but there was plenty to talk about. If you recall, we were just one day removed from the four-player Brewers/Padres swap that saw Trent Grisham and Zach Davies land in San Diego. MLBTR readers weighed in on Thanksgiving with more people preferring the Brewers’ side of the deal. The Brew Crew landed promising infielder Luis Urías and potential rotation arm Eric Lauer. A year removed, my guess is the public sentiment may have changed. This one might need more time to gestate, however, before a final determination can be made.
• On this same date and day in history, the Cleveland Indians signed an amateur free agent that changed the fortunes of their franchise. Jose Ramirez – a 17-year-old amateur free agent out of Dominican Republic – signed on Thursday, November 26, 2009. He would debut in the Majors just four years later as a 20-year-old.
• On the same day, the Toronto Blue Jays struck in free agency signing shortstop Álex González to a free agent contract. Of course, this isn’t the Alex Gonzalez most Blue Jays fans will remember best. This A-Gon spent just a few months north of the border. He was traded to the Braves on July 14th of the following season as part of a four-player deal that sent Yunel Escobar and Jo-Jo Reyes to Toronto. Escobar would net 8.6 bWAR across 2 1/2 seasons with the Jays, while Reyes would be claimed off waivers by the Orioles later that season.
• In 2007, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim invested heavily in a free agent centerfielder who had spent the entirety of his career to that point in the Twin Cities. Torii Hunter signed for $89.5MM over five years to roam the grass in Anaheim. He’d win two Gold Gloves and make two All-Star teams while racking up 20.7 bWAR as an Angel. They got their money’s worth as Hunter would post the best two seasons of his career by bWAR while with the Angels (2009, 2012).
• The Cincinnati Reds signed Miguel Rojas as an amateur free agent on November 24, 2005. Rojas would stay in the Reds’ minor league system for a full six seasons before being granted free agency and joining the Dodgers in 2012.
• That same season, the Marlins did some work with two significant trades on Thanksgiving. The first sent Carlos Delgado and cash to the Mets for Grant Psomas, Mike Jacobs and Yusmeiro Petit. Delgado spent just one season in Florida, but he did grab a 6th-place MVP finish that year for slashing .301/.399/.582 with 33 bombs.
• Their other deal helped bring the second title of the century to the Red Sox. The Fish traded Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota to Boston for Jesus Delgado, Harvey Garcia, Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez. Sanchez would have a number of solid years with the Fish, while Hanley Ramirez developed into a cornerstone shortstop and the face of the franchise.

[Related: Updated Marlins Depth Chart]

Reyes, 31, has made just two major league appearances since the end of the 2011 campaign, including a single showing this year for Miami. After working as a starter for the vast majority of his career, he has spent most of the 2016 season throwing from the pen at Triple-A. On the year, he owns a 4.17 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9.

The 24-year-old Nicolino will get another shot at holding down a big league job after posting a disappointing 5.17 ERA in his first ten starts this year. Nicolino struck out just 4.4 batters per nine, though that was an improvement on his meager output in that department in 2015. He has been effective at Triple-A, though, with a 2.82 ERA and 5.2 K/9 against 1.6 K/9 over 38 1/3 frames.

• The Rays have signed outfielder Jaff Decker to a minor league deal, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. The 25-year-old Decker has spent the last two seasons in the Pirates organization, mostly playing with Triple-A Indianapolis. Last season, he batted .266/.370/.362 at that level, hitting, as usual, for limited power but a strong on-base percentage. He has generally played the corner outfield spots in the past two seasons, although he’s capable of playing center in a pinch. The Bucs non-tendered him last month, even though he was not yet eligible for arbitration.
• The Royals have agreed to terms with righty Peter Moylan on a minor league deal, ESPN’s Jim Bowden tweets. The 37-year-old sidearmer made 22 appearances with the Braves in 2015, functioning in a ROOGY-type role — he pitched a total of just 10 1/3 innings in that span and only faced lefties four times. (They had three hits off him, although he was, as usual, tough on righties, holding them to a .475 OPS.) Moylan missed the entire 2014 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He had originally signed a two-year minor-league free agent deal with the Braves that covered 2016 and allowed him to work as a player-coach while he recovered, although he elected free agency at the end of the season after returning to pitching form and getting back to the big leagues more quickly than anticipated.
• Bowden also tweets that the Marlins have agreed to terms on a minor league deal with veteran lefty Jo-Jo Reyes. Reyes pitched one inning with the Angels in 2015, making his first big-league appearance since 2011. He’d spent most of the intervening years pitching in the minors and in Korea. He pitched most of last season with Triple-A Salt Lake, posting a 4.76 ERA, 6.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 while being used mostly in a starting role.

• Angels lefty Jo-Jo Reyes has elected free agency after clearing outright waivers, the club announced today. Reyes, 30, threw just one pitch in the majors this year, though he managed to pick up a win in the process. Spending most of the year at Triple-A, he tossed an even 150 innings of 4.32 ERA ball with 6.5 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9. He had been designated for assignment recently by the club.

Green, a former first-round pick of the Athletics and Top 100 prospect, was acquired by the Angels in an intradivision trade that sent Alberto Callaspo to Oakland prior to the 2013 non-waiver trade deadline. Now 28 year of age, Green has been up and down between the Majors and Triple-A over the past three seasons with Anaheim but has failed to translate his considerable minor league success to the big leagues. The USC product has compiled a healthy .311/.354/.474 batting line in the admittedly hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League, but he’s struggled to a .263/.299/.353 line in 284 plate appearances with the Angels dating back to that trade.

Green has experience at all four infield positions, though the vast majority of his work there in the Majors has come at second base, and defensive metrics like UZR and DRS haven’t given a ringing endorsement of his work at any position. He’s also logged 127 big league innings in left field. If he goes unclaimed by another team, Green would be outrighted, and he has enough pro experience to qualify for minor league free agency at season’s end, so he could be looking at a new organization in 2016.

As for Reyes, the 30-year-old will be returning to the Majors for the first time since the 2011 season, when he tossed a combined 140 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays and Orioles. Reyes came up with the Braves as a 22-year-old in 2007 and has worked to a 6.05 ERA over the life of 334 2/3 big league frames. He had posted a 4.76 ERA in 68 innings at the Triple-A level this season after enjoying success in the Mexican League earlier in 2015.

• The Orioles have reached an agreement with 18-year-old Australian lefty Alex Wells, according to MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko (on Twitter). Wells will receive $300K, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets. Wells’ twin brother Lachlan is a prospect in the Twins’ system.
• The O’s have also signed righty Michael Zouzalik from the St. Paul Saints, CSNmidatlantic.com’s Rich Dubroff tweets. The Rangers originally signed Zouzalik in 2012 after an open tryout, and he pitched for one season in the minors before ending up in independent ball. This season, he had a solid year in St. Paul’s bullpen, posting a 2.06 ERA, 9.2 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 48 innings.
• No move is yet official, but veteran lefty Jo-Jo Reyes is working out with the Angels, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets. The 30-year-old pitched 68 innings with the Angels’ Triple-A Salt Lake affiliate this season, posting a 4.76 ERA, 6.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. He’s pitched for the Braves, Blue Jays and Orioles in the past, but hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since 2011. The Angels could be considering adding him to their roster due to the rash of injuries to their pitching staff that also recently led them to sign Mat Latos.

Reyes, 30, was previously with Campeche of the Mexican League and was named an All-Star there roughly two weeks ago.  Reyes last appeared in the big leagues in 2011 and will work towards reaching the majors once again in 2015.  In that 2011 season, Reyes pitched to a 5.57 ERA in 25 starts and four relief appearances for the Blue Jays and Orioles.  He posted a 5.6 K/9 rate versus a 3.1 BB/9.

He’s also quite familiar with the Triple-A level, having spent parts of seven seasons there.  Reyes owns a 3.68 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in Triple-A for multiple teams.

• The Tigers will select the contract of reliever Jim Johnson on Sunday, MLB.com’s Jason Beck tweets. To make room on the 40-man roster, they’ll option fellow reliever Melvin Mercedes to Triple-A Toledo. Johnson, of course, struggled with Oakland after two strong years as the Orioles’ closer and ultimately got released before signing a minor league deal with Detroit. He has since pitched 4 2/3 innings for Toledo, allowing three runs, two earned.
• The Yankees have outrighted pitcher Chris Leroux, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets. Earlier this week, the team designated Leroux for the third time this year, and he’s only made two appearances this season in pinstripes, the last coming in early May. He has a 4.37 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 45 1/3 innings so far this season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
• The Braves have signed infielder Donnie Murphy to a minor league contract, according to MLB.com’s transactions page. As MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets, that likely means Murphy opted out of the minor league deal he signed with the Reds last month. Murphy, 31, hit .196/.268/.330 in 128 plate appearances with the Rangers earlier this year, mostly playing second base.
• The Reds announce that they have selected the contract of righty Dylan Axelrod. They’ve also moved Homer Bailey (neck) to the 15-day DL and Joey Votto (quadriceps) to the 60-day DL. Axelrod will start tonight’s game against the Rockies. The Reds acquired Axelrod from the White Sox in a minor trade in July, and since then he’s posted a 3.06 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 in 35 1/3 innings at Triple-A Louisville.
• The Diamondbacks have released outfielder Blake Tekotte, according to MiLB.com. Arizona acquired Tekotte from the White Sox in a minor deal less than two weeks ago. This season, the 27-year-old has hit .249/.320/.439 in 340 plate appearances. From 2011 through 2013, he made brief big-league appearances with the Padres and then the White Sox.
• The Phillies have released lefty Jo-Jo Reyes, according to the International League transactions page. The 29-year-old pitched for the Braves, Blue Jays and Orioles from 2007 through 2011. He spent 2012 in the Pirates’ farm system, then headed to Korea in 2013. He made 13 starts in Korea in 2014 and struggled there, then headed to Lehigh Valley, where he pitched 20 2/3 innings, striking out nine batters and walking eight en route to a 10.45 ERA.

• Righty Jerome Williams has been released by the Astros, according to the MLB.com transactions page. The 32-year-old swingman owns a 6.04 ERA through 47 2/3 innings (all as a reliever) on the year for Houston, with 7.2 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9. Across nine MLB seasons, he has allowed 4.45 earned runs per nine while working mostly as a starter.
• The Phillies have agreed to a minor league deal with Jo-Jo Reyes, reports MLBTR’s Zach Links (via Twitter). The 29-year-old lefty has seen time in parts of five MLB seasons, the last of which came in 2011. He owns a 6.05 career ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 through 334 2/3 innings, mostly as a starter. Reyes has been playing in Korea since the start of the 2013 season.
• The Orioles have outrighted righty Ramon Ramirez to Triple-A, the club announced. Ramirez got just one inning during his time with Baltimore, though he has seen action in parts of nine MLB seasons.
• After being designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Sunday, outfielder Brad Glenn has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A, reports Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star (via Twitter). The 27-year-old notched his first MLB hit during a brief call-up.
• The DFA rolls are growing, with the following players are currently in limbo (per MLBTR’s DFA tracker): Justin Maxwell (Royals), Jeff Francis (Athletics), Rich Hill (Angels), Raul Fernandez (Rockies), Alfonso Soriano (Yankees), Brad Mills (Athletics), Donnie Murphy (Rangers), George Kottaras (Indians), John Buck (Mariners), and Mark Lowe (Indians).

WEDNESDAY, 8:49pm: Reyes and his representatives are still negotiating with SK Wyverns and the Angels are still negotiating the compensation they will receive for releasing the southpaw, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports (Twitter link).  The transaction is expected to be finalized by tomorrow.

11:33am: The Angels are giving left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes his unconditional release to allow him to sign with the SK Wyverns of the Korean League, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).  The Paragon Sports International client signed a minor league deal with a big league spring training invite in November.

This isn't the first time Reyes has drawn interest from Korea as he fielded interest from the KBO around this time last year before hooking on with the Pirates.  The 28-year-old posted a 2.67 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in nine starts and eight Triple-A relief appearances last season.  Despite strong numbers in the minors over the years, Reyes has a career 6.05 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in the majors.

• The Blue Jays have signed right-hander Neil Wagner to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, MLBTR has learned.  Wagner has a 3.77 ERA, 2.95 K:BB ratio and 10.2 K/9 rate in 312 career minor league relief appearances in the Padres, A's, and Indians' systems, plus pitched five Major League innings with Oakland in 2011.
• The Angels signed Billy Buckner, Luke Carlin, Brendan Harris, Trent Oeltjen, Jo-Jo Reyes and J.B. Shuck to minor league contracts with invites to the Major League Spring Training camp, reports MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez.
• The Nationals have signed infielder Will Rhymes to a minor league contract with a Spring Training invite, reports the Beverly Hills Sports Council's Twitter page.  (Rhymes is represented by the BHSC.)  Rhymes was designated for assignment by Tampa Bay in September and has a .266/.328/.343 line in 449 career plate appearances over three seasons with the Tigers and Rays.
• Matt Eddy of Baseball America recaps the week's minor league transactions, including news of Brandon Wood signing a minor league deal with the Royals.  Wood, the former Angels third baseman who was once considered one of the top prospects in the game, last appeared in the Majors with the Pirates in 2011 and posted a .722 OPS for the Rockies' Triple-A team in 2012.

Reyes has struggled through parts of five MLB seasons despite his success in the minors (3.51 ERA, 8.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9). He has a career ERA of 6.05 in the Majors and has never posted an ERA below the 5.57 mark he posted with the Blue Jays and Orioles in 2011. The Orioles non-tendered Reyes after the 2011 season.

Despite the high ERA, there are reasons the Paragon Sports International client drew interest this offseason. He's young, controllable (arbitration eligible through 2014), left-handed and his average fastball checks in at 90 mph. He posted respectable rates of 5.6 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and 40.6% ground balls all while pitching in the AL East. Ten of his 25 starts (40%) came against the four best offenses in MLB: the Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers and Tigers and SIERA (4.60) and xFIP (4.58) suggest Reyes' unsightly 5.57 ERA was inflated by a run or so.

The 27-year-old spent the 2011 season starting for the Blue Jays and Orioles, but he could intrigue the Pirates as a reliever. Charlie Morton, James McDonald, Erik Bedard, Jeff Karstens and Kevin Correia project to start for the Pirates and southpaws Tony Watson and Daniel Moskos figure to contribute out of the bullpen.

Here's some other news from around the NL Central….

• The Pirates are talking to southpaw Jo-Jo Reyes about a minor league contract, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link).  Reyes posted a 5.57 ERA in 29 games with the Blue Jays and Orioles in 2011 and was non-tendered by the O's earlier this week.
• The Astros will give several of their young arms a shot at the closer's job in Spring Training, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.  Houston also has Brandon Lyon returning to provide some veteran closing experience.  Stay tuned to Closer News for the latest on the Astros' late-game situation.
• Yadier Molina's contract is up after 2012 and Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wonders if Molina's friendship with Albert Pujols could make the catcher less inclined to re-sign with the Cardinals.  Molina would be one of the most-sought after members of the 2013 free agent class if he and the Cards don't agree on a new deal.  Miklasz suggests the Angels could target Molina this winter if he hits free agency, but I'd think such a move would only happen if Chris Iannetta is a big disappointment behind the plate in Anaheim.
• Tony La Russa tells Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Pujols was "conflicted' about leaving the Cardinals to sign with the Angels.  "I know it was a painful decision and it pains him now," La Russa said. "He deserves what he got. He earned it. There's no bad guy here."  La Russa also felt the situation was "unavoidable" and that Pujols "was disappointed there wasn't more enthusiasm from the Cardinals" when the Angels and Marlins made big pushes to sign the superstar at the Winter Meetings.

• The Mariners announced that they non-tendered Dan Cortes and Chris Gimenez.
• The Orioles announced that they non-tendered Willie Eyre, the right-handed reliever who was designated for assignment last week. They non-tendered Jo-Jo Reyes, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). The Orioles also non-tendered Luke Scott, tweets Connolly. Scott, who battled a shoulder injury in 2011 and underwent surgery this summer, projected to earn $6MM through arbitration. 
• The Rays non-tendered Andy Sonnanstine, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (Twitter link).
• The Rangers non-tendered right-hander Fabio Castillo, according to Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com (Twitter link).
• The Red Sox announced that they non-tendered Rich Hill.
• The Royals announced that they will non-tender left-hander Aaron Laffey.
• The Twins announced that they've non-tendered left-hander Jose Mijares (Twitter link).
• The Tigers non-tendered second baseman Will Rhymes, announced the team.  Rhymes is not yet close to being arbitration eligible, as he has less than one year of big league service time.  Rhymes, 28, hit .306/.377/.390 at Triple-A this year.

Reyes, 26, made the Blue Jays' rotation out of Spring Training and posted a 5.40 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 110 innings of work. Reyes appears to have been the victim of bad luck, based on his 4.59 xFIP. Acquired in the trade that sent Yunel Escobar to Toronto, Reyes should provide the Orioles with a swingman with experience in the tough AL East.