FEB. 24, 7:34pm: Uribe’s base salary with the Indians is $4MM, Olney tweets. He can earn more via incentives.

5:31pm: Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets that the Indians are working through some visa issues with Uribe, and his contract is still pending a physical.

FEB. 19: The Indians have reached agreement on a deal with free agent third baseman Juan Uribe, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. Uribe will earn just under $5MM in the deal, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports on Twitter.

This match-up has long been rumored, so the reports don’t come as much of a surprise. But there still may be a few days to wait for official word, as several reports suggest that Uribe will need some time to obtain visa clearance. He still needs to complete a physical to make the deal official.

Uribe will turn 37 in March, but he’s shown no signs of slowing down in recent years. Coming off of a pair of rough campaigns in 2011-12, Uribe has run off three consecutive stellar efforts. Over 1,227 plate appearances since, he owns a .281/.329/.432 slash with 35 home runs.

Of course, Uribe is known more for his glove — and dynamic clubhouse presence — than for his bat. Once a high-quality middle infielder, Uribe has settled in as a top-shelf third baseman in recent seasons. Both UZR and DRS saw a dip in his glovework last year, but he was still a firmly average option and may well have some big contributions left.

It remains to be seen just how heavily Cleveland will rely on the veteran, but odds are he’ll see plenty of action. The club still has 24-year-old Giovanny Urshela on hand, of course, and he showed a quality glove at the hot corner last year. He wasn’t much use at the plate, but did have a strong 2014 campaign at Triple-A and could certainly have some growth ahead of him.

A strict platoon between Uribe and Urshela doesn’t make immediate sense given that both hit from the right side. It could be, then, that the younger player heads off for more seasoning to start the year. Jose Ramirez, a switch-hitter who’s generally been better against right-handed pitching, could be the more promising part-time tandem piece for the Indians — particularly since he doesn’t figure to spend much time filling in up the middle with Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis locked into everyday roles.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

• Indians skipper Terry Francona tells reporters (including MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian) that he’s comfortable with his team’s roster and that he “won’t be pushing [president of baseball ops Chris Antonetti] to do something” about adding a free agent outfielder.  Cleveland has question marks in the outfield all winter, even before yesterday’s news about Abraham Almonte’s 80-game PED suspension.  The Tribe has several veteran and minor league outfielders in camp, though few solid options, especially with Almonte suspended and star Michael Brantley on the DL to begin the season.
• The Tigers will have scouts on hand at Tim Lincecum’s yet-to-be-scheduled showcase, ESPN.com’s Katie Strang reports.  Detroit will be one of many teams on hand to see the former Cy Young winner throw, as at least 20 teams have reportedly already looked at Lincecum’s medicals.  The Tigers have a projected rotation of Justin Verlander, Jordan Zimmermann, Sanchez and Mike Pelfrey with Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd and Shane Greene in contention for the fifth spot.  While there are certainly some question marks here, it could be tough for Lincecum to find the MLB deal he’s seeking in the Motor City.
• An MRI revealed that Anibal Sanchez has mild inflammation in his right triceps, the Tigers told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jason Beck).  The righty hasn’t thrown since Monday and his first spring start could be delayed, though the club is hoping to have him throwing again within a few days.  ” I guess you’re always cringing when it involves one of your starting pitchers,” manager Brad Ausmus said, though the problem is considered to be fairly minor.
• A chance airport meeting between Twins GM Terry Ryan and Ryan Sweeney’s agent may have led to Sweeney’s minor league deal with the club, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes.  The veteran outfielder was cut by the Cubs last spring and, despite interest from at least a couple of teams, Sweeney decided to sit out the 2015 season in order to let some nagging injuries heal.  (Sweeney also had the benefit of still receiving the $2MM owed to him by the Cubs.)  “After a while, it was tough, but I trusted that I could get back in the game,” Sweeney said. “I don’t know if your pride gets hurt, but I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. I was ready to get back.”
• Fernando Abad blamed his disappointing 2015 season on not playing winter ball last offseason, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger writes.  Abad returned to the Dominican Winter League this year and is looking to rebound after signing a minor league deal with the Twins.

Indeed, Jeff Todd and I have noted multiple times on the MLBTR Podcast that there’s significant risk for the Royals, who control Perez through 2019 at a total of $16.75MM via those club options. Perez is one of the largest catchers in baseball, and considering his enormous workload behind the plate (137 games caught, on average, per season from 2013-15), locking in Perez’s 2020 salary four years in advance is a tremendous risk, as there’s no way of definitively knowing how his body will hold up.

Here’s more from the AL Central…

• Royals second baseman Omar Infante could miss some time early this spring as he recovers from offseason surgery that removed bone spurs from his right elbow, writes the Star’s Blair Kerkhoff. Infante is taking batting practice but isn’t throwing to bases at this point, per manager Ned Yost. As Kerkhoff notes, Infante will be in a battle for the regular second base job this offseason — far from the outcome for which the club had hoped when signing him to a four-year, $30.25MM deal. Infante lost the second base job to Ben Zobrist this past July and will have to beat out Christian Colon for the job in 2016. In his first two years with Kansas City, Infante has batted .238/.268/.329.
• Young third baseman Giovanny Urshela could be ticketed for Triple-A in 2016 following the Indians’ agreement with Juan Uribe on a one-year deal, writes MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. However, Urshela is currently in a holding pattern as Uribe works through visa issues that have delayed his arrival in the United States and, subsequently, his physical exam with Cleveland. Urshela batted just .225/.279/.330 in 288 plate appearances with Cleveland last season, but he drew strong marks for his glovework and has batted .275/.326/.473 in 514 PAs at the Triple-A level. Manager Terry Francona says he’s already spoken with Urshela about the way in which the Uribe deal could impact him, though Francona declined to get into specifics, as Uribe’s deal hasn’t been finalized.
• Anibal Sanchez underwent an MRI this week after experiencing discomfort in his triceps during a mound session on Monday, writes MLB.com’s Jason Beck. However, the Tigers right-hander was relieved to learn that the MRI revealed only inflammation and that the injury isn’t tied to the rotator cuff issue that cost him the final seven weeks of the 2015 season. Various injuries have landed Sanchez on the DL in each of the past three seasons, Beck notes.
• In searching for comparables for White Sox lefty Carlos Rodon, Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs found that Rodon’s slider bears a striking resemblance to that of Clayton Kershaw in terms of velocity, horizontal movement and vertical movement. That, of course, doesn’t mean that Rodon is on the cusp of becoming the best pitcher in baseball, but it offers a glimpse into the upside that he carries if he can improve his fastball and changeup. Alternatively, Sullivan found that the entirety of Rodon’s arsenal looks very similar to that of Francisco Liriano when looking the pair’s arsenals through the lens of PITCHf/x values. Sullivan concludes that Liriano is a more accessible upside for Rodon if he can make improvements to his changeup in the coming season, noting that Rodon will serve as somewhat of an X-factor in what should be a tightly contested AL Central division.

Some more notes on the infield market…

• With the possibility of a Jose Reyes suspension looming, Rockies prospect Trevor Story has put himself in a position to potentially break camp with the club, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. While service time considerations are often a factor when determining the timing of a player’s promotion to the Majors, GM Jeff Bridich tells Saunders that won’t factor into the team’s decision with Story. “That’s not really a consideration,” said Bridich. “I haven’t thought about that one second. I hope he, and every player, makes all of these decisions difficult.” As Saunders notes, with Story, Daniel Descalso, Christian Adames and Rafael Ynoa all serving as options, the Rox are content with their internal options.
• MLB.com’s Thomas Harding further pumps the brakes on any Desmond/Rockies connection, tweeting that the Rockies haven’t really discussed pursuing a veteran option as an alternative to Reyes, and contact with Desmond’s camp has been minimal, despite prior reports.
• The Mariners are checking in with veteran infielders that could potentially make the club and see some time at shortstop as a backup to Ketel Marte, reports Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. Seattle briefly reached out to Jimmy Rollins prior to his deal with the White Sox, Dutton adds. While the Mariners have Luis Sardinas and Chris Taylor as backup options to Marte, neither has much Major League experience, nor does Marte himself, although Marte was somewhat quietly excellent in his rookie season last year.
• Joel Sherman of the New York Post feels that the Yankees are making a mistake by relying on Starlin Castro and Rob Refsnyder as backup options to Chase Headley at third base. Neither player has much in the way of experience at the position, he notes, and while Chase Headley played in 156 games last season, he’s played through a herniated disk in his back and would probably be better-suited to play something closer to 130 games per year, in Sherman’s opinion. Sherman lists some options that the Yankees could keep an eye on in Spring Training as teams evaluate players on the fringe of their 25-man rosters. Interestingly, he notes that New York made a minor league offer to Juan Uribe as well before Uribe took a big league offer to serve as Cleveland’s primary third baseman.
• Pedro Alvarez will seemingly wait to if any additional opportunities present themselves during Spring Training before signing, as ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote in yesterday’s blog post (Insider required). Olney texted agent Scott Boras about his client and was met with the following reply: “Waiting for the best situation. As with all valued players the demand increases as spring training begins.” Interest in the defensively challenged Alvarez has been tepid thus far, but spring injuries often do create opportunities for players seeking a home. An injury to a club’s designated hitter or first baseman could create a suitor for Alvarez that doesn’t presently exist.
• The Angels never presented David Freese with a formal offer when the two sides were discussing a potential reunion earlier this winter, reports MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez. Rather, the Angels shifted focus on picked up Yunel Escobar, whose fairly modest $7MM salary was a key to his acquisition, writes Gonzalez. Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun expressed some bewilderment that his former teammate hasn’t hooked on with a club yet, praising Freese as a positive not only on the field but in the clubhouse as well. “I don’t really know what’s going on,” Calhoun told Gonzalez. “It’s kind of crazy. … Good player, great in the clubhouse. It’s as surprising to me as it is to anyone around baseball.”

• The Tigers were said to be looking around at depth arms to bring into camp, per MLB.com’s Jason Beck (Twitter links), with former big leaguer Lucas Harrell among those under consideration. But the team’s addition of righty Bobby Parnell likely rounds out the organization’s pitching moves heading into camp, per Beck. It seems that the 30-year-old Harrell will look to catch on with another club. He spent last year pitching in Korea, racking up 171 2/3 innings of 4.93 ERA pitching with 7.9 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9.
• Third base remains an area of focus for the Indians with camp opening, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports. Cleveland is still monitoring the free agent market, with both Juan Uribe and David Freese potentially under consideration. As Bastian notes, Giovanny Urshela showed the ability to man the hot corner last year, but failed to demonstrate a similar readiness at the plate.
• Meanwhile, the Indians don’t appear to be expecting either Craig Stammen or Tommy Hunter to be ready for Opening Day, manager Terry Francona told reporters including Bastian (Twitter links). It seems that Stammen may actually be slightly ahead in his timeline than Hunter. Of course, he’ll still need to earn a roster spot since he signed a minor league deal.

• The White Sox and Cubs have both contacted the Rays about their pitching and outfield surplus, CBS Chicago’s Bruce Levine reports.  The Cubs’ discussions with the Rays have been well-documented this winter, though the Sox are a new entry among the many teams to touch base with the Rays about their young arms; Levine notes that at least 11 teams have asked Tampa Bay about pitchers.  The White Sox have needs at both corner outfield positions and at the back end of their rotation.  The all-lefty trio of Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Carlos Rodon will headline the Pale Hose rotation, while John Danks, Jacob Turner and Erik Johnson are the current competitors for the fourth and fifth starters’ jobs.
• The White Sox went on a seven-game winning streak from July 23 to July 29 last season, though this hot stretch right in the leadup to the trade deadline didn’t really change the team’s plans, GM Rick Hahn tells MLB.com’s Scott Merkin.  The decision to keep Jeff Samardzija at the deadline, for instance, wasn’t made because of the win streak; “nothing materialized and nothing was done in principal” in terms of a possible Samardzija trade, though the Sox were discussing him with teams.  “Those [talks] don’t necessarily happen July 27, 28, 29 and 30th. Those are going on for several weeks,” Hahn said.
• The Indians have offered Juan Uribe around $3MM, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports as part of his latest subscription-only column.  Uribe has been linked to the Tribe and a few other teams, though salary will depend on whether or not Uribe is slated for a starting or backup role.  Cleveland seems likely to use Uribe and Giovanny Urshela in a time-share at third, so Uribe wouldn’t get the lion’s share of playing time.
• Speaking of Urshela, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer looks at the Indians’ incumbent at the hot corner, noting that it’s too soon to write off the 24-year-old as an all-glove, no-bat player.  While Urshela’s minor league numbers aren’t impressive overall, he did post an .825 OPS over 528 PA at Double-A and Triple-A in 2014.  Pluto notes that Urshela battled injuries in 2015 and was probably promoted too quickly.  Urshela’s glove is so impressive that he can be a very useful everyday player if he hits even just a little, though Pluto notes that there are enough questions surrounding Urshela that the Tribe is justified in looking for an upgrade, especially in a season when team plans to contend.
• The Indians are leaning more towards Uribe than David Freese to address their third base need, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes as part of a reader mailbag.  Freese entered the winter as the best of a fairly thin free agent third base market but there’s been very little news about him this winter, aside from some talks with the Angels before they acquired Yunel Escobar.
• Randy Rosario was something of a surprising addition to the Twins’ 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 draft, but as Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes, the Twins are impressed by the young left-hander’s promise.  Rosario, 21, missed much of 2014 recovering from Tommy John surgery before returning to pitch 53 2/3 innings in A-ball last season.  The Dominican Republic product signed an $85K contract with the Twins in 2010.

Here’s the latest:

• The Giants have had talks with Uribe’s camp, says Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Twitter link). San Francisco obviously doesn’t have a starting role available, but could conceivably use Uribe at third, second, and even first. But the asking price remains too steep for San Francisco’s liking, Olney says.
• As far as Uribe’s negotiating stance goes, Olney adds in another tweet that his reps are telling teams that they are willing to “discuss salaries at two different scales.” The ask would be higher if the team proposes to use him as a regular, as opposed to a bench piece. With the Indians said to be looking at Uribe as a fairly significant contributor, it isn’t clear exactly how this line of thinking will impact the ultimate results.
• The Yankees ought to consider making a play for Uribe to occupy the roster spot that might have gone to injured youngster Greg Bird, Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests. New York hasn’t done so as of yet, Sherman notes, but ought to pursue a deal with the versatile defender. With Alex Rodriguez functioning as a bat-only player — a point which GM Brian Cashman made abundantly clear — Sherman suggests that flexibility is a higher need than another power hitter in the infield mix.

Here are some notes from the game’s central divisions:

• Former Pirates corner infielder Pedro Alvarez is more than just a DH, his agent Scott Boras tells MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (audio link). Alvarez still has the skills and athleticism that got him to the hot corner in Pittsburgh in the first place, says Boras, who rejects the idea that he’s a bat-only player “based upon a short sample size or a moment in his career where he’s had an irregularity in throwing.”
• The Indians are still pursuing free agent third baseman Juan Uribe, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. We’ve heard consistent chatter on that connection for quite some time, but it still isn’t clear whether Cleveland will (or will need to) push up its offer to get something done. There have also been suggestions that the club may be prepared to wait to see who’s left without a seat when the music stops this winter.
• The Brewers have paid a lot of attention to center field this winter, Tom Haudricourt writes for Baseball America. In the immediate term, the organization will hold “an open competition,” per GM David Stearns, with veterans Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Eric Young Jr. looking to hold off youngsters Domingo Santana and Keon Broxton. Of course, Santana is seen more as a corner outfielder in the long run, but the club will presumably dedicate most of its playing time there to Ryan Braun and Khris Davis. As for Broxton, Stearns had praise for him as a near-term and future option. “He gives us increased depth in the outfield and has a chance to play center field,” he said. “We think Keon has a chance to be a real asset to our team, beginning this year.”

Here’s more from Cleveland:

• Members of the Indians rotation are happy to have remained in town, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. The entire unit will cost less than $15MM despite containing stalwarts like Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Danny Salazar. The team is in a position to once again possess the top rotation in the American League which could help to mitigate the aforementioned lineup weakness.
• The Indians are wary of qualifying offer players in part because they possess the 15th overall pick, writes Hoynes.  However, money is the main reason why the team hasn’t signed any of the qualifying offer players on the market. The only one to sign cheaply, Howie Kendrick, does not play a position of need for Cleveland. For what it’s worth, Dexter Fowler is still available and would be a good fit for the Indians at the right price. I also see Austin Jackson, David DeJesus, Marlon Byrd, Shane Victorino, and Alex Rios as possible bargain targets for the Tribe.
• Fans may be frustrated by the lack of offensive overhaul, writes Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. However, they should be happy with the overall state of the roster. Eleven core members are under some form of control through at least 2018. Many can be kept at potential bargain prices through 2021. The amount of club control at team friendly rates means the Indians won’t be forced into trading away much talent.

A few more odds and ends pertaining to the remaining free agent market…

• The Indians are still open to adding a free agent at the right price, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Both Juan Uribe and David Freese are potential fits, but there’s no momentum toward a deal at this time. Cleveland could certainly use a bat at either third base or in the outfield though, as Jeff Todd and I discussed on today’s MLBTR Podcast. (Specifically, Austin Jackson strikes me as a nice speculative fit for Cleveland.)
• Regardless of what happens with Yoenis Cespedes, the Nationals do not appear to be done trying for improvements, as Heyman tweets that the club is still looking to add to the bullpen. Moving Drew Storen for Ben Revere obviously lessened the team’s relief depth, and it’s not hard to see the rationale for continuing to stockpile (if not also to add another late-inning arm).
• The Rays are among the teams with interest in righty Ryan Webb, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Webb, who’ll soon turn 30, had an odd transactional year as the Orioles and Dodgers used his contract to facilitate other moves. But he ended up putting up 50 2/3 solid frames for the Indians, working to a 3.20 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 to go with an excellent 59.2% groundball rate, and he’s generally been quite a solid reliever over his seven-year career.
• While there’s some merit to the idea of Doug Fister as a Yankees target, the club does not appear inclined to go past one year on a deal, Jack Curry of the YES Network tweets. Notably, too, owner Hal Steinbrenner told Jon Heyman yesterday (Twitter link) that he doesn’t see much room to add even this year: “I’m not comfortable with the payroll being too much higher than it is now.”
• Cuban outfielder Alexei Bell has established residency in Mexico and is applying tomorrow for free agency, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports on Twitter. It’s not yet clear what kind of market the veteran will find for his services, but he is obviously leaving his home island in hopes of making an impact at the major league level.

• “The calls have stopped since Christmas” on the Indians’ top four starters, Peter Gammons writes in his latest piece for his Gammons Daily website.  Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and (particularly) Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar have been at the center of many trade rumors all offseason long, though it appears that no team is willing to meet the Tribe’s understandably-high asking price.  It certainly seem as if the quartet will headline Cleveland’s rotation in 2016, barring a late blockbuster.
• The Indians have interest in Juan Uribe but not at his current asking price, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.  Cleveland is also looking at a few veterans, not necessarily Uribe, whose price tags may drop as we get closer to Spring Training.
• Though several teams showed interest in prospects like Clint Frazier, Bradley Zimmer, Rob Kaminsky and others, the Indians decided to keep their top minor leaguers, Baseball America’s Jim Ingraham writes (subscription required).

• Indians catcher Roberto Perez has drawn trade interest from several teams, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.  That said, the Tribe is “very reluctant” to move Perez since their organizational catching depth behind starter Yan Gomes is pretty thin, plus they like Perez’s pop and throwing arm.
• The Indians’ talks with Juan Uribe are believed to be in regards a one-year contract, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes.  That’s not a surprise given Uribe’s age (he’ll be 37 on Opening Day) and the fact that the Tribe have him slated for a part-time role, sharing time with Giovanny Urshela at third base.
• The White Sox have struggled to develop homegrown everyday players over the last several years, though front office members talk to JJ Stankevitz of CSN Chicago about some of the promising young position players currently in the Pale Hose system.
• In more prospect talk, Baseball America’s Ben Badler discusses BA’s list of the top 10 Tigers minor leaguers in a chat with fans (subscription required).  While Badler describes Detroit as a “bottom five system,” but at least “the overall inventory of young, controllable talent is better than it was a year ago.”
• Jay Sartori, the Tigers’ senior director of baseball operations and co-head of the club’s upgraded analytics division, talks to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press about his return to baseball.  Sartori, a former Blue Jays assistant GM and Nationals director of baseball ops, was hired by the Tigers in November after working for Apple since 2013.

A few more notes on the Indians…

• Cleveland is still interested in veteran third baseman Juan Uribe, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney in his daily Insider-only blog post. The Indians currently project to use some combination of Giovanny Urshela and Jose Ramirez at third base now that Lonnie Chisenhall has transitioned to the outfield and Chris Johnson has been released. Uribe, though he’ll play next season at the age of 37, still graded out as an above-average defender at the hot corner in 2015 and posted a respectable .253/320/.417 batting line with 14 homers in 397 plate appearances between the Dodgers, Braves and Mets.
• Olney also notes that the Indians are still monitoring the free-agent market for relief pitching. Behind closer Cody Allen, the Indians will deploy some combination of right-handers Bryan Shaw, Zach McAllister, Austin Adams, Shawn Armstrong and lefties Kyle Crockett and Giovanni Soto. Cleveland also has some MLB veterans that will be in camp as non-roster invitees, including Joba Chamberlain, Joe Thatcher, Ross Detwiler, Tom Gorzelanny and Felipe Paulino; that group will be in the mix for bullpen spots as well. But, given the lack of proven names that are locks for roster spots, there does appear to be room for another veteran arm on a Major League deal.
• In a full column, Hoynes breaks down the Indians’ 2016 payroll picture, given the current roster construction. Hoynes notes that the 25-man roster figures to come in around $70MM in terms of payroll, but the significant sums owed to Johnson, Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn — none of whom are with the team anymore — will push Cleveland closer to $90MM. While that figure still rates as one of the lower team payrolls across the league, it’s also greater than the upper-$80MM marks that Cleveland has fielded on Opening Day for the past few seasons. Hoynes also notes that as the salaries of the team’s core players such as Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley and Yan Gomes escalate over the course of their guaranteed contracts, the team won’t be able to maintain payrolls in this range, unless they’re to trade players away from that core.
• Antonetti and Mike Napoli spoke to the Cleveland media today after the formal announcement of Napoli’s one-year deal, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian writes. Napoli said he’s been told he’ll receive regular playing time at first base for Cleveland this season, meaning Carlos Santana’s role will be primarily designated hitter. Antonetti explained that the club did a good deal of research on Napoli’s poor start to the 2015 campaign. “There were some adjustments Mike made with his swing,” Antonetti said, “some small tweaks mechanically that he made once he arrived in Texas that got him back to the point where he’s had success in the past.” As Bastian notes, Napoli underwent a maxillomandibular advancement surgical procedure last winter in order to re-align his jaw, chin and sinuses in order to alleviate a severe case of sleep apnea that has plagued him for years. While that cost Napoli much of his offseason training regimen, the veteran wouldn’t use that as an excuse, noting that he was able to have a productive Spring Training before struggling once the season began.
• Jon Heyman reports the breakdown of Napoli’s one-year deal with Cleveland (Twitter link). Napoli will receive a $7MM base salary plus $500K bonuses for reaching 500, 550, 600, 625 and 645 plate appearances, meaning he can max out his contract at $10MM.
• Heyman also tweets the incentive structure of Rajai Davis’ contract with Cleveland. In addition to his $5.25MM base, Davis will earn $175K for every 25 plate appearances from 400 to 550, allowing him to earn a total of $1.225MM in incentives.

Here’s more from Rosenthal:

• Cynics may find a way to criticize the Mets deadline transactions. Perhaps they didn’t add enough to the payroll or were too small minded? However, the moves for Yoenis Cespedes, Tyler Clippard, Kelly Johnson, and Juan Uribe provided essential upgrades to a roster that was showing signs of stress. GM Sandy Alderson deserves kudos for improving the club while working within tight constraints. To me, this was Rosenthal’s money quote, “Mets fans will not be satisfied –€“ and should not be satisfied –€“ until the team raises its payroll to a level more commensurate with the New York market.“
• Echoing the sentiments of many analysts, both the Phillies and Rangers did well in the Hamels trade. With the Phillies taking on Matt Harrison and chipping in cash, the Rangers will pay Hamels an average of $13MM to $14MM per season if his option vests. They also hung onto top prospects Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara. On Philadelphia’s end, acquiring three quality prospects will do much to bolster their future.
• The Blue Jays, unlike the Dodgers, are often described as a cash strapped organization. Instead of taking on payroll like L.A., the Blue Jays dealt 11 prospects and Jose Reyes to acquire Troy Tulowitzki, David Price, Ben Revere, Mark Lowe, and LaTroy Hawkins. They’re 6.5 games back in the AL East and 1.5 games behind the Twins for the second Wild Card slot.
• The Astros also spent their prospect chips for major league upgrades. They made the first deadline strike by acquiring Scott Kazmir then paid a princely sum for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers. Interestingly, mid-market teams like the Astros, Blue Jays, Mets, and Royals used prospects in their search for October baseball. The Yankees and Dodgers opted to use money or stand pat.