• The Pirates released right-hander Seth McClung, Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports.  McClung pitched in Mexico in 2013 and has also spent time in the Cubs, Rangers and Brewers farm systems since last pitching in the Major Leagues in 2009.  The 33-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Bucs in November and now hopes to catch on with another club, though McClung tells Smith that he accepts that his career could be over.
• The Giants have released veteran corner infielder/outfielder Mark Teahen, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets.  Teahen signed a minor league deal with the Giants last month.  The 32-year-old last played in the majors with the Blue Jays in 2011, and has since played at the Triple-A level for the Nationals, Diamondbacks and Rangers, as well as with the York Revolution of the independent Atlantic League.  Teahen posted a career .264/.327/.409 career slash line in 3171 PA with the Royals, White Sox and Blue Jays from 2005-11.
• According to MLBTR's DFA Tracker, Dodgers right-hander Javy Guerra is the only player currently in DFA limbo.  As reported earlier today, several teams are interested in trading for Guerra.

• The Yankees announced that they traded right-hander Ben Paullus to the Padres for utility man Dean Anna.  Anna, who recently celebrated his 26th birthday, posted an .892 OPS in Triple-A last season.  Paullus, 24, worked his way up to Advanced-A Tampa last season.
• Right-hander B.J. Hermsen has been outrighted from the Twins' 40-man roster, the team announced. The 23-year-old posted a 4.81 ERA In 86 Double-A innings this season, but his strikeout rate fell to just 3.7 per nine innings. The low whiff rate was likely to blame for the whopping 117 hits he allowed in those 86 frames.
• Minnesota also announced that it has signed outfielder Chris Rahl to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training. The 30-year-old spent 2013 with the Nats' Triple-A affiliate. Rahl is a .292/.325/.443 hitter in 700 Triple-A plate appearances and can play all three outfield spots.
• The Pirates announced the signing of five players to minor league deals, three of whom have big league experience. Right-handers Seth McClung, Josh Kinney and Collin Balester are all veterans of multiple seasons. The others — right-handers Jay Jackson and Jake Brigham — each split last season between Double-A and Triple-A.
• The Rangers announced that left-hander Edwar Cabrera has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A. Texas claimed the 26-year-old from the Rockies back in October. A shoulder injury cost him the entire 2013 season, but Cabrera has an impressive minor league resume: a 3.13 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 501 innings.
• The Astros have released right-hander John Ely, according to the team's transactions page. Ely underwent Tommy John surgery after just four innings of work at the Triple-A level in April. The 27-year-old has a 5.70 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 115 1/3 career big league innings, though he was excellent for the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in 2012. Ely pitched to a 3.20 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 168 2/3 innings that season.
• The Nationals have signed right-hander Gabriel Alfaro to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, tweets Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com. The 30-year-old has spent the past two seasons pitching for the Guerreros de Oaxaca in the Mexican League, compiling an impressive 2.58 ERA with 11.4 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and 52 saves in 129 innings as the team's closer.

Here's the latest from around the majors…

• The 133 players who filed for arbitration last month received an average salary increase of 119%, according to a report by The Associated Press.  Buster Posey had the biggest raise, going from $615K in 2012 to $8MM in 2013.  The AP also examines why no arb cases went to hearings this winter, the first time this has ever happened.  You can check out the results of every arbitration case on MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker.
• The Denver Post's Patrick Saunders looks at a number of Rockies-related topics in a reader mailbag, including how the Rockies largely stood pat with their pitching staff over the winter, instead hoping that improved health from incumbent starters upgrades the rotation.  Saunders also doesn't see Kyle Lohse as a fit with Colorado, as Lohse likely has no interest in pitching at Coors Field and the Rockies aren't keen to spend big money on a free agent starter.
• Theo Epstein talks to CSN Chicago's David Kaplan about his first 16 months as Cubs president, the progress that the franchise has made and what still has to be done to make the team successful.
• Right-hander Seth McClung has been throwing for teams, CBS Sports' Danny Knobler reports (Twitter link).  McClung, 32, last pitched in the Majors in 2009 as a reliever and spot starter for the Brewers and has since pitched in the minors for the Brewers, Rangers and Cubs. 
• Freddy Sanchez is looking to keep playing and has turned down minor league offers in hopes of finding a Major League job as a utility infielder, Sanchez's agent Paul Cobbe tells Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area.  Sanchez, 35, hasn't played in a game since June 2011 due to shoulder and back injuries but around 20 teams reportedly asked to see his medical records this offseason.  Cobbe says Sanchez would love to re-sign with the Giants but they don't want to sign him to a guaranteed contract.

• The Cubs have signed pitcher Seth McClung to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Iowa, tweets Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald.  The right-hander was released by the Brewers roughly two weeks ago and has not appeared in the majors since 2009.
• The Cardinals signed infielder Lance Zawadzki to a minor league contract, according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page.  The 27-year-old was previously with the Braves' Triple-A affiliate where he hit .231/.271/.340 with three homers in 157 plate appearances.

• The Astros are telling teams they're open to more trades, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Even Jed Lowrie, who has been on the disabled list with a sprained ankle for the past two weeks, is available.
• Brewers president of baseball operations Doug Melvin joined Casey Stern and Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM and explained how the Zack Greinke trade went down (audio here).
• The Brewers released Seth McClung, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). The right-hander, who last pitched in the Major Leagues in 2009, appeared in 21 games for Milwaukee's Triple-A affiliate this year, posting a 6.36 ERA in 103 1/3 innings.
• The Cardinals have never been more open to trading pitching prospect Shelby Miller, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports. However, at least one team has lost interest in Miller.
• Cubs manager Dale Sveum will be surprised if Ryan Dempster isn't traded, Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com reports (on Twitter). Click here for the latest rumors surrounding the right-hander.

• The Brewers signed Seth McClung to a minor league deal, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports. The 30-year-old right-hander hasn't appeared in the Major Leagues since 2009, but he spent three seasons with the Brewers, posting a 4.32 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in 92 appearances from 2007-09. McClung signed a minor league deal with the Rangers last offseason and they released him in July.
• The Tigers announced that they signed right-hander Chris Bootcheck to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training. Bootcheck, 33, signed a minor league deal with Tampa Bay last February and they granted him his release in July. He hasn't appeared in the Major Leagues since he suited up for the 2009 Pirates, but he owns a 6.54 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in six MLB seasons.
• The Tigers also signed Niuman Romero to a minor league deal, MLB.com's Jason Beck reports. The 26-year-old has MLB experience with the Indians and Red Sox, but spent the 2011 season playing for four minor league clubs. He posted a .231/.294/.261 line in 273 total plate appearances.

Delcarmen, 29, posted a 5.59 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9 with 52 hits allowed in 38 2/3 innings for the Rangers' and Mariners' Triple-A affiliates this year.  The Rockies non-tendered Delcarmen in December, and he signed a minor league deal with the Mariners despite a Major League offer from an NL team.  He opted out of his contract with Seattle on June 1st and signed with Texas.

McClung, 30, posted a 5.19 ERA, 5.7 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 0.7 HR/9 with 93 hits allowed in 78 Triple-A innigs this year, including 11 starts.  He'd signed a minor league deal in December.

It's highly unlikely that we'll see a pitcher of Pedro's caliber traded anytime soon, but that Zack Greinke kid is pretty good in his own right. Here are today's links…

• Two days ago we heard that the Rockies had interest in David Aardsma, Grant Balfour, and Todd Coffey, and now Troy Renck of The Denver post throws Jon Rauch's name into the mix.
• Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times has some quotes from Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg, who called the size of free agent contracts being handed out this winter "discouraging." He also commented (briefly) on the team's 2011 payroll.
• Bobby Jenks will take his physical on Monday, tweets Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. It was originally scheduled for today but was pushed back, and it's necessary to finalize his contract with the Red Sox.
• Renck also has the goods (Twitter links) on two recent Rockies signings.  Ty Wigginton took less money to sign in Colorado, earning $3.5MM in 2011, $4MM in '12, and a club option for $4MM in '13 ($500k buyout).  Meanwhile, pitcher Eric Stults has an out in his $435k minor league deal that will allow him to sign with the Hiroshima Carp if he does not make the big league roster.
• Richard Durrett of ESPN.com applauds the Rangers' efforts to bolster their starting depth.
• Dan Wheeler is happy to be a member of Boston's improved bullpen, writes MLB.com's Ian Browne.
• ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that Seth McClung's deal with the Rangers will pay him $700K if he makes the team. There are another $700K available in bonuses tied to the number of starts he makes.
• Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report (via Twitter) indicating that Hideki Matsui's contract with the A's has a limited no-trade clause preventing trades to the Mariners, Orioles, Twins, Blue Jays, Indians, and Royals.
• Mariano Rivera told Erik Boland of Newsday that he plans to give long-time teammate Andy Pettitte a call to try to convince the lefty to come back for another season.
• Finding a left-handed bat off the bench is one of the last remaining items on the Marlins offseason agenda, but MLB.com's Joe Frisaro says they might already have that guy on their roster. Catcher John Baker, who is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery, said he would be up for the job until he's cleared to catch again.
• Former Mets GM Omar Minaya told Ian Begley of ESPN New York that he plans to sit down with new GM Sandy Alderson after the holidays to discuss a potential new role with the team. Minaya said he has several offers on the table, including interest from the Diamondbacks.
• Hey iPhone users, do you have the MLBTR app yet? Jason Bartlett does, and that's how he found out his trade to the Padres was in the works.

McClung, who turns 30-years-old in February, hooked on with the Marlins last winter but was cut loose just prior to Opening Day.  He last appeared in the majors in 2009 with the Brewers, registering a 4.94 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9.

The veteran pitcher recently switched his representation from the Boras Corporation to Sosnick Cobbe Sports. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that he'll earn $700K if he makes the team, with another $700K available in bonuses tied to the number of starts he makes.

The Marlins signed the 29-year-old McClung to a minor league deal in February.  He'd been non-tendered by the Brewers after posting a 4.94 ERA, 5.8 K/9, and 5.7 BB/9 in 62 innings.  McClung's chief asset remains his fastball, which typically sits around 93.

Tim Wood and Rick VandenHurk are competing for the Marlins' last bullpen job.  MLB.com's Joe Frisaro speculated yesterday that Leo Nunez, Brian Sanches, Jose Veras, Burke Badenhop, Renyel Pinto, and Dan Meyer would take the other spots.

• Rookie left-hander and Rule 5 draftee Edgar Osuna has impressed in Kansas City and will likely stick with the club, writes Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
• Joe Torre has suspended contract extension talks with the Dodgers to avoid becoming a distraction during the season, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
• Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner (via Twitter) believes that the Twins are paying Joe Mauer what he's worth.  Meanwhile, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that Minnesota's payroll will likely top $100MM in 2011.
• Social media can be a real headache for GMs, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
• The Hanshin Tigers are looking at three major league pitchers to bolster their rotation, according to a report from Sports Hochi passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker.  The report lists Jo-Jo Reyes, Eric Stults, and Seth McClung as possibilities.  You may recall that another Japanese club, the Chiba Lotte Marines, has previously shown interest in Stults.
• Bobby Jenks will be on a short leash this season, writes Barry Rozner of the Daily Herald.  Jenks, who turned 29 on March 14th, is set to earn $7.5MM in 2010 after avoiding arbitration with the White Sox.
• The Padres' Adrian Gonzalez is ignoring all of the trade talk that surrounds him, writes Peter Gammons in a column for MLB.com.

• Former big leaguer Tony Clark has been named the MLBPA's director of player relations, reports MLB.com's Bailey Stephens. Clark hasn't played since being released by the Diamondbacks last July, and his duties with the union are "expected to play a large part in future collective bargaining discussions."
• FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says one of the Marlins' many non-roster relievers could become a low-priced option for the Twins if Joe Nathan ends up needing surgery. That group includes Jose Veras, Mike MacDougal, Derrick Turnbow, and Seth McClung.
• In an interview with John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press, Curtis Granderson said he never wondered why the Tigers traded him only to sign Johnny Damon less than three months later.
• Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com writes that even though the Indians are in full rebuilding mode, the front office is adamant Grady Sizemore isn't going anywhere. Sizemore is under contract for the next two years, and Cleveland holds a $9MM option for 2012.
• Baseball America's Ben Badler goes back five years to look at how successful each team has been at developing players from outside the United States.
• In response to Milton Bradley's interview with ESPN's Colleen Dominguez about his time in Chicago, GM Jim Hendry and former teammates basically said that Bradley had to look in the mirror, according to The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan and  ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine.

• According to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, Seth McClung's deal with the Marlins would be worth $800K if he makes the team, not $600K as originally reported (link goes to Twitter). 
• MLB.com's Tom Singer wrote about the hazards of signing pitchers to five-year deals.
• Baggarly tweets that even though he isn't retired, Rich Aurilia has a broadcasting deal in place that is contingent on him not finding a job on the field.
• Tim Lincecum and the Giants are still no closer to a deal, reports Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News. Their arbitration hearing is now less than two days away.
• MLB.com's Adam McCalvy takes a look back at the Brewers' arbitration history. The team is scheduled to go to a hearing with Corey Hart tomorrow, which would be their first in 12 years.
• Mariners' GM Jack Zduriencik did not rule out the possibility of adding a catcher, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com (via Twitter).
• RotoAuthority analyzes the Blue Jays' closer situation from a fantasy baseball angle.
• SI's Jon Heyman names his free agent winners and losers.  It's a well-done piece; my only gripe is Jason Marquis being in the loser bracket after signing a two-year, $15MM deal.
• ESPN's Buster Olney reports that before signing with the Padres, catcher Yorvit Torrealba "offered himself to the Mets for $1.4MM."  The Mets "indicated they had no money to spend."
• Aaron Schafer of Viva El Birdos grades the Cardinals' offseason moves and non-moves.

• 2011 free agent Brandon Webb threw for the first time since his August shoulder surgery today and told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert that he feels good.
• Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says (via Twitter) that he's not under the impression that the Reds are in on Johnny Damon.
• The Cubs haven't spoken with Ryan Theriot's representatives recently and expect to go to an arbitration hearing with the infielder, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
• Jim Reeves of ESPNDallas.com explains how Rangers GM Jon Daniels now reports to Nolan Ryan. Within the piece, Daniels says the Rangers obtained virtually every player they targeted this offseason. 
• Carlos Delgado's agent tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that his client's conditioning is progressing well (Twitter link). 
• Morosi tweets that the Brewers signed Chase Wright to a minor league deal. 
• Corey Hart's arbitration hearing is scheduled for Thursday, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.  If the hearing does occur, Hart will either be paid $4.8MM or $4.15MM in 2010.  It'll be Doug Melvin's first hearing as Brewers GM. 
• Johnny Damon is a big fan of Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings, agent Scott Boras told John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.  Boras says Damon received "four or five offers right away" after it became clear the Yankees wouldn't re-sign him.
• Yankees GM Brian Cashman explained to George King of the New York Post that he groups Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Joe Girardi together in terms of not negotiating extensions.
• WEEI's Rob Bradford explains why Josh Beckett's shoulder will be a critical factor in whether the Red Sox re-sign the righty.
• Comparing 2008 to 2009, FanGraphs' Matthew Carruth lists the pitchers with the biggest gains and losses on their fastballs.
• The Brewers agreed to sign Dominican righties Eduard Reyes, Carlos Sosa, and Elvis Mora, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
• McCalvy points us to this entertaining interview the blog Right Field Bleachers did with Marlins reliever Seth McClung.
• The blog Monozygotic compiled a list of non-roster Spring Training invitees for all 30 teams.

McClung, 29 in February, posted a 4.94 ERA, 5.8 K/9, and 5.7 BB/9 in 62 innings for the Brewers last year.  He was non-tendered after the season.  Silver lining: McClung averaged 93.2 mph on his fastball last year.  Between him, Derrick Turnbow, and Jose Veras, the Marlins will find something for next to nothing.

Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald first reported the deal. MLB.com's Adam McCalvy first tweeted that an agreement was close and added the terms of the deal. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro also added some salary information (via Twitter).