1:32pm: Penny's contract is worth $4MM plus $3.5MM in performance bonuses, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  A source tells Rosenthal (via Twitter) that Penny's deal is the largest ever given to an American pitcher in his first year with a Japanese team.

10:34am: Brad Penny has signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball, according to the team's website (Japanese link).  Penny's deal is for one year and $3MM, plus performance bonuses, according to a report from the Yomiuri Shimbun passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker.

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick recently reported that Penny was weighing an opportunity with the Hawks.  The 33-year-old posted a 5.30 ERA with 3.7 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 31 starts for the Tigers last season.

The Chunichi Dragons have also picked up a former Major Leaguer in reliever Jorge Sosa, according to Sanspo (Japanese link).  Newman writes that Sosa received a $100K signing bonus in addition to his $300K salary.

• If Miguel Olivo's option is declined by Colorado, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro thinks Olivo could be a good fit behind the plate for the Marlins.  We know the Fish are looking for a catcher this winter, and Olivo is a known quantity who played for the club in 2006 and 2007.
• Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com thinks that by extending Edwin Rodriguez's contract just through 2011, the team is "only treading water until they move into their new ballpark in 2012."
• The Marlins are focusing on an extension for Dan Uggla before they return to negotiations with Ricky Nolasco on a long-term deal, reports Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
• Larry Beinfest tells Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post that relief pitching will be a priority for Florida in the offseason.  “In terms of addressing the bullpen, we’ve kind of opened up ourselves to every avenue, whether it be free agency, keeping one of our own free agents or looking elsewhere. We are cultivating trades,” Beinfest said.
• Beinfest also tells Capozzi that it's "possible" the Marlins will look into bringing back free agents Will Ohman, Jorge Sosa and Chad Tracy.

The 32-year-old right-hander has a 5.87 ERA with 4.1 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 15.1 major league innings this year. Sosa relies on a low-90s fastball and a hard slider that he uses about 40% of the time. He has a 45% ground ball rate this year, but that's higher than usual for him and the sample size is small.

It seems unlikely that any club will claim Sosa given his struggles at the major league level. In 46 innings at Triple A New Orleans, he does have a 4.11 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.

SUNDAY: The Marlins will designate veteran reliever Jorge Sosa for assignment on Tuesday, tweets Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.

Sosa, 32, has appeared in eight games for the Marlins this season, totaling 9.1 innings pitched. Over that time he's allowed eight runs for a 7.71 ERA and walked six hitters as opposed to just five strikeouts. He signed a minor league deal with Florida earlier this Spring after being released by the Red Sox in Spring Training.

Sosa's fastball sits at 92mph these days, as opposed to 2004 when he averaged 94.6mph with the Rays and posted a strong 8.52 K/9. His control has always been a weakness, with a career 4.13 BB/9. That lack of control culminated in a four-walk outing yesterday in which he recorded just two outs and allowed four earned runs, despite surrendering only one hit.

FRIDAY: The Marlins will designate Dan Meyer for assignment to make room for Jorge Sosa, according to the team. Meyer, a former first rounder who was part of the Tim Hudson trade, allowed 15 hits and 11 walks in 8.1 innings, striking out four. The 28-year-old left-hander was much more effective last year, when he posted a 3.09 ERA with nearly a strikeout per inning in 71 appearances.

Sosa, a 32-year-old right-hander, has yet to appear in the majors this year. He has been starting at Triple A New Orleans since the Marlins signed him last month. Sosa has a 3.78 ERA in 33.1 innings with 7.0 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in the minors.

Sosa, 31, had been signed by the Red Sox on a minor league contract earlier this winter. After a few mediocre spring innings, he was reassigned to minor league camp and ultimately released by Boston.

The right-hander appeared in 18 games for the Nationals last season, posting a 6.45 ERA over 22.1 innings. He last demonstrated big-league effectiveness in 2007, compiling a 4.47 ERA in 112.2 IP for the Mets.

Ladson also cites acting general manager Mike Rizzo in saying that Jorge Sosa will soon be ready to join the Syracuse club on May 22, as his 50-game suspension wraps up. Sosa was suspended last year after testing positive for an amphetamine.

Beimel signed with Washington, a one-year $2 million deal in the last week. He showed no interest in the Rockies' overtures. He was seeking more than $3 million, and I have seen some reports that he was actually asking for a two-year deal at $4 million a year, but I have not had anyone confirm that.

Does Beimel make sense for the Nationals?  Unless they can flip him for something good in July, it seems to be $2MM better spent on the draft.

We have a few other Nationals notes from MLB.com's Bill Ladson.  Ladson talked to an opposing scout who says the Nats are trying to trade Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns but does not expect them to find a match.  Additionally, minor league signee Jorge Sosa hasn't been able to get a work visa in the U.S.

Chacin, 28, won 13 games as a rookie in ’05.  After that he dealt with elbow and shoulder injuries but at least got his own cologne.  Castillo, 28 in March, hit .246/.292/.376 in 455 plate appearances for the Giants and Astros this year.

2:54pm: According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Nationals signed Corey Patterson and Jorge Sosa to minor league deals.  Patterson gets $800K, while Sosa gets $850K.

Patterson, 29, was awful this year with a .205/.238/.344 line in 392 plate appearances.  He was above average defensively though.  The Nationals were an odd choice for him given their crowded outfield.

Sosa, 32 in April, pitched in the Astros, Mariners, and Mets organizations this year.  His claim to fame was his flukey 2.55 ERA in ’05 for the Braves.

• The Mariners have signed Jorge Sosa to a minor league deal. This is Sosa’s third organization this season.
• Despite reports that the Brewers would not add a relief pitcher, Milwaukee had a scout at Friday’s game and Geoff Baker believes the scout was there to watch Arthur Rhodes.
• Joe Christensen says that the Twins may prefer to promote Francisco Liriano, and move him or another starter to the bullpen, rather than trade for a relief pitcher.
• Joe Maddon says that there is only a "50-50 chance" that the Rays make a move before the deadline.
• Jim Hendry says that the Cubs are not likely to make any trades unless an injury necessitates a move. Carrie Muskat says that a move may depend on how well Kerry Wood recovers from the blister on his throwing hand.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Borkowski, 31, makes $800K this year.  His 2.67 K/BB (21 innings) this year wasn’t bad, but he allowed too many hits and home runs.

Sosa, 30, was designated for assignment and then released by the Mets earlier this year.  $2MM down the tubes for the Mets.

Since joining the Mets prior to the 2007 season, Sosa was primarily used as the longman out of the bullpen, during which time he compiled a 4.89 ERA. But a rough start to 2008 (7.06 ERA) was compounded by a logjam of relievers in the New York bullpen, and the team was unable to justify keeping him on the roster.

Paul Moro writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here.

Figueroa, a 34 year-old journeyman, provided a few decent starts but seems to have stopped fooling people.  Sosa was just terrible; the Mets will have to swallow his $2MM salary.

The Mets have hinted they’d like to remove Schoeneweis and Jorge Sosa from their payroll, but the Alou injury situation makes the departure of the two relievers even more likely.  Schoeneweis will make $7.2MM in 2008 and ’09 to complete his current three-year deal. Sosa makes an even $2MM in a one-year pact. Schoeneweis disappointed Omar Minaya last year with a 5.03 ERA in 70 games.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Mets called the Pirates to chat about Xavier Nady. New York may not have the pitching prospects the Pirates would want in return. Pittsburgh also may figure Nady’s value will increase toward the trade deadline.

By Big Mike Glab