An 11th-round draft pick of the Expos in 1991, Grudzielanek collected 2040 hits and posted a .289/.332/.393 line in 15 seasons with the Expos, Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals, Royals and Indians.  He had a reputation as a solid defender, particularly at second base; Fangraphs shows Grudzielanek with a career +7.2 UZR/150 rating at second since 2002 and Grudzielanek won a Gold Glove at the position in 2006.

Grudzielanek was an NL All-Star in 1996 and, while he never reached the World Series, made it to the NLCS with the Cubs in 2003 and with the Cards in 2005.  According to Baseball Reference, Grudzielanek earned roughly $36.8MM in his career.

Grudzielanek, 40 this month, signed a minor league deal over the winter. The second baseman was hitting .314/.368/.314 on May 16th, but has since slowed posted just a .456 OPS. At this point in his career, Grudzielanek has no power; none of his 30 hits this year have gone for extra bases.

Wright has a 5.48 ERA in 21.1 innings this year. The 35-year-old has allowed 25 hits and as many walks (nine) as strikeouts so far in 2010. Wright and Grudzielanek now appear on our list of 2010 free agents.

The Indians signed Grudzielanek to a minor league deal in mid-January; he'd struggled to find work in '09.  He joins players such as Adam Everett and Mike Lamb in DFA limbo.

"We are not actively engaged in talks about anyone right now," said Shapiro. "The season's natural cycle will dictate when we consider some alternatives. We're not mandated to make any trades for monetary reasons.

"We'll look at each trade (possibility) as an opportunity to acquire talent and it's budgetary impact. But the acquisition of talent will be the primary driver."

Shapiro indicated that he could explore trades involving "anyone in the last year of their contracts," so that includes Russell Branyan, Austin Kearns, Mark Grudzielanek, Jhonny Peralta, Mike Redmond, Jake Westbrook, and Jamey Wright. Even if they move Westbrook, the Indians feel they may have a chance to re-sign him after the season as a free agent.

Top prospect Carlos Santana is expected to be up at some point this season, but Shapiro did make sure to mention that his defense needs to improve, particularly his throwing. They plan on taking advantage of every day possible in the minors to help him develop, which shows that the team is looking for production on both sides of the ball, not just at the plate.

The Indians figure to be a prominent player at the trade deadline this year given their inventory, with Westbrook representing to be their most desirable chip. Even though he's still owed about $7.6MM this season, his 4.36 ERA in 11 starts might be a big enough upgrade to justify the cost for some teams. 

Among the goodness:

• Castrovince notes that it will be unlikely the Indians call up Michael Brantley for the majority of the season. The less that Brantley plays in 2010, the less likely he is to qualify for arbitration after the 2012 season. Less time in 2010 should stretch non-arb years to 2013.
• Mark Grudzielanek has really impressed Castrovince, and he believes the 39-year-old has a very good chance of making the roster.
• Though he's often mentioned as a trade candidate, Castrovince isn't at all certain Jhonny Peralta will be traded this summer. Also uncertain: if Cleveland will pick up Peralta's $7MM option after the season.

The whole piece is worth a read.

• In his latest mailbag, MLB.com's Jim Street writes that he could see Chad Cordero hooking on with a major league club if he continues to stay healthy and perform well in Spring Training.  Cordero is in camp with the Mariners and competing for a job, but is unlikely to make the team as the bullpen is already stocked with quality right-handers.
• Mark Grudzielanek is eager to hook on with the Indians, writes Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com.  The 39-year-old second baseman, who was absent from the majors in 2009, says he has his eye on the starting job.
• MLB.com's Dick Kaegel reports that Royals shortstop prospect Jeff Bianchi will miss the 2010 season with elbow surgery. Danny Duffy, a left-handed pitcher and the organization's #8 prospect according to Baseball America, will be shut down as well for the time being due to elbow stiffness.
• Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talks to Brewers GM Doug Melvin about Prince Fielder's future. Melvin reiterates that the team hopes to keep Fielder around for many years, and revisits an instance during his stint as the Rangers' GM when he had to trade a heavy hitter.
• Questions about Kiko Calero's health might have kept him on the market longer than expected this winter, but Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News says that the righty has been throwing off a mound and looks okay for now. "Conditioning-wise he's pretty good," pitching coach Dan Warthen said. "He just hasn't seen hitters."
• Newly-acquired Melvin Mora could end up playing nearly every position on the diamond for the Rockies this year, writes Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post.
• WEEI's Alex Speier reports that Brian Shouse's minor league contract will earn him $800K if he makes the Red Sox' major league roster.

There have been no trade talks, either.  Instead, the Brewers will mix and match with internal options at second base and go back to Weeks next year.

• Crasnick talked to one American League exec who views Pedro Martinez as "strictly a National League pitcher."  Coupled with his price tag and long layoff, the market isn't big for Pedro.
• Ben Sheets is weeks away from a throwing program.  He's probably a ten-start guy this year, but interest figures to be strong.
• Jim Edmonds hopes to sign by May.  He'll need two to three weeks to get ready.  Mark Grudzielanek also wants to play, and tells friends he only needs a week.  He'll look for a contender, and the Royals will hope he signs before June so they get that supplemental draft pick.  Jacque Jones is another guy who still hopes to play.
• Geoff Jenkins is taking grounders at first base to increase his versatility.
• Jay Payton suffered a shoulder injury lifting weights last month, but once he's healthy a few months from now he still wants to play.
• Nothing appears to be cooking for Frank Thomas and Luis Gonzalez, who could be forced to retire.  Dave Roberts hasn't officially retired, but a comeback appears unlikely.
• Paul Byrd's plan remains unchanged: sign with a contender around July.
• Jon Lieber's agent says the pitcher has retired.  131 wins, including 20 in '01.  Lieber finishes with a 4.27 ERA in 2,198 innings for the Pirates, Cubs, Yankees, and Phillies.  He earned over $46MM, according to Baseball Reference.

• GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says it’s "very likely" the Phillies will not make any more additions.
• The Phillies have inquired on "almost every righthanded bat on the market." They’ve considerd Rich Aurilia, Nomar Garciaparra, Moises Alou and Mark Grudzielanek.
• Amaro’s targeting Nomar.
• Roberts agrees with Jon Heyman that the Phillies gave Andruw Jones a "tepid look."
• However, they’re in no hurry to bring in a righty bench bat and could take their time adding one.
• The $4MM gap between the Phillies’ arbitration offer to Ryan Howard and his demand will influence how much the Phillies can spend. Amaro called Howard’s case "the elephant in the middle of the room."

• The Yankees offered a minor league deal to Andruw Jones, which he turned down.  Other teams "thought to have interest": the Rangers, Phillies, Braves, and Mets.
• Heyman thinks Pedro Martinez makes a lot of sense for the Dodgers.  However, Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times learned from Ned Colletti on January 6th that the Dodgers weren’t among the teams pursuing Pedro.
• Jason Varitek’s camp (ie, Scott Boras) apparently has no regrets about rejecting arbitration since it wouldn’t have been a guaranteed contract.
• Chad Cordero’s next showcase is scheduled for February 19th.
• Heyman has the Twins as favorites over the Giants to sign Joe Crede.  More on Crede here.
• Heyman says the Yankees feel they’re more likely to find a deal for Nick Swisher than Xavier Nady.
• Add Mark Grudzielanek to the list of right-handed hitters the Phillies are considering (Nomar Garciaparra, Rich Aurilia, and Moises Alou being the others).

• Lot of people tossing around the number of unsigned free agents…I have it at about 80, at least if we draw the line at players that are remotely useful.  Here’s my list.
• Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues would like to see the Yankees sign Mark Grudzielanek.
• Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle says the A’s will attend Andy Sisco’s Friday workout.
• Scott Miller of CBSSports.com takes a stab at the All-Free Agent team.
• The Rockies did not acquire Matt Murton as a precursor to another deal, Troy Renck learned.
• The Blue Jays designated catcher Curtis Thigpen for assignment to make room for Brian Burres.
• Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star shows that MLB has done a nice job of keeping player salaries at 40-45% of the game’s revenue in recent years (as opposed to 62% in the NFL).
• RotoAuthority looks at how you can combine a Rich Harden type with a Randy Wolf type to create a top ten fantasy baseball starting pitcher.