Week In Review

It's time to take a look back at the week that was..

• The Cards got a bad break this week when they learned that pitcher Adam Wainwright will miss the 2011 season after undergong Tommy John surgery.  St. Louis will try to find a solution from within for now, but could start looking for an answer via trade or signing soon.  Recently, Chris Carpenter said he wouldn't get in the way of a trade if the club wanted to move him, but its unlikely that they would part with another pitcher under the circumstances.
• If the Cardinals decide to use reliever Kyle McClellan to fill Wainwright's spot, they could use some extra bullpen depth to offset the move.  This week they took a look at Kiko Calero.
• White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle said he would be willing to approve a trade if the White Sox were looking to deal him, provided that it is the right fit.
• BoSox president Larry Lucchino assured fans that the Red Sox will extend Adrian Gonzalez before he hits free agency after the season.
• Agent Casey Close will leave CAA Sports when his his five-year contract expires at the end of the month.  The high-profile agent represents Derek Jeter, Ryan Howard, Michael Cuddyer, and Derrek Lee, among others.
• The Braves signed GM Frank Wren to a two-year contract extension through 2013.
• The Mets received a $25MM loan from Major League Baseball to help ease their financial troubles.
• Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is downplaying the trade talk surrounding Joe Blanton.
• Former Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth said that he believes the team could have had him and Cliff Lee if they had planned things out better.
• The Indians have reached agreement on a deal with Chad Durbin.  The right-hander hoped to join a contender, but couldn't pass up the Major League contract.
• Soon after bringing Nick Swisher aboard agent Dan Lozano added Manny Machado, Yonder Alonso, and Danny Valencia to his stable of clients.
• Veteran infielder Mark Grudzielanek decided to retire this week.  The 40-year-old appeared in 30 games with Cleveland last season before being released in June.
• Jose Guillen will consider retirement if he doesn't have a deal soon.
• The Pirates are "in a great position" financially and are willing to spend money, owner Robert Nutting says.
• The Mets signed three players to minor league deals on Sunday.

We saw some big news this week, most notably that Albert Pujols and the Cardinals did not reach an extension prior to his Feb. 16 deadline. Let's take a look at the rest of the highlights:

• The Cardinals' reported offer to Pujols was incredibly low (relatively speaking of course) — in the range of $19MM-$21MM per season. Despite not reaching an agreement, Pujols wants to play in St. Louis for his entire career. Here's some more reactions to Albertageddon.
• Jose Bautista mashed 54 homers last season, and the Blue Jays are believers. They locked the right fielder/third baseman up for the next five years with a $64MM contract. The Jays hold a $14MM option on a sixth year for Bautista.
• The Brewers signed Rickie Weeks to a four-year extension that guarantees the former #2 overall pick $38.5MM. Milwaukee also holds an option on Weeks that could bring the deal to $50MM.
• Elsewhere in the NL Central, the Cubs locked up their closer when they signed Carlos Marmol to a three-year deal worth $20MM. On a similar note, the Padres will discuss an extension with their own closer, Heath Bell, this Spring.
• The Rockies and Matt Belisle agreed to a two-year deal that will guarantee the setup man $6.125MM. Colorado also inked John Maine to a minor league deal that will pay him $3MM if he makes the club.
• The Rangers will discuss extending C.J. Wilson and other unnamed players. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports speculated that Neftali Feliz and Elvis Andrus are candidates.
• In arbitration news, we saw Hunter Pence win his case against the Astros, while both Delmon Young and Kelly Johnson avoided hearings by agreeing to one-year deals. Young will make $5.375MM, while Johnson will be paid $5.85MM after a brilliant rebound season.
• C.C. Sabathia is expected to opt out of his contract following the 2011 season. It'd be a weak free agent class, and Sabathia would clearly be the top available arm. Another AL lefty, Mark Buehrle, said he's leaning toward playing after 2011 even though he's discussed retirement before.
• Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels both discussed their futures, with Oswalt undecided about pitching after 2011 and Hamels saying he wants to stay in Philadelphia long-term.
• Kosuke Fukudome wants to remain in Major League Baseball after his contract expires this season, preferably with the Cubs. The results on Fukudome have underwhelmed, but he does have a career .368 OBP in MLB.
• Scott Boras will serve as an adviser to potential #1 overall pick Anthony Rendon in 2011. Boras represented the past two number one picks — Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper.
• Ronald Belisario may miss the 2011 season as a result of visa issues.
• Notable minor league signings in addition to Maine's deal include Russell Branyan with the D'Backs and Scott Podsednik with the Blue Jays. Check our transactions section for more minor moves.
• Two of the game's elite sluggers for the better part of a decade officially retired this week. Jim Edmonds hung up the spikes, and Gary Sheffield officially filed his papers as well. Best of luck to both players.

Spring Training is in the air at last… let's run down the last seven days as baseball sneaks up on us:

• The Rangers and reigning AL MVP Josh Hamilton agreed to terms on a two-year, $24MM contract buying out his final two years of arbitration eligibility. Like his NL counterpart Joey Votto, Hamilton's deal doesn't delay his free agency.
• More drama circulated around Hamilton's teammate, Michael Young, who has requested to be traded. As of Thursday, it sounds like Young isn't going anywhere though. We know the Rangers reportedly lost one trade partner when the Rockies backed out of negotiations on Tuesday.
• We saw two arbitration cases go to hearings this week: Ross Ohlendorf beat the Pirates to earn a $2.025MM contract, while Jered Weaver lost his hearing to the Angels who will pay the 2011 strikeout king $7.365MM.
• The Indians signed Orlando Cabrera to a Major League deal; he'll compete for the team's second base job where he'd pair with another Cabrera (Asdrubal) up the middle if he succeeds.
• The Orioles avoided arbitration with a couple of players, agreeing to a one-year deal with Jeremy Guthrie and also with Luke Scott. Guthrie will earn $5.75MM while Scott will get a $6.4MM payday.
• The Dodgers avoided arbitration with James Loney, agreeing to a one-year deal that will pay the first baseman $4.875MM.
• Jose Bautista set a deadline for his extension talks, stating that he wouldn't discuss a new deal after his arbitration hearing on Monday.
• Speaking of deadlines, Albert Pujols set his for the Cardinals at Feb. 16. As of Friday, word was that the chances of an extension before the season were nearly nonexistent.
• We learned this week that Edinson Volquez rejected a four-year extension from the Reds, while the Brewers re-opened their negotiations on a long-term deal for Rickie Weeks.
• Having already traded Mike Napoli, the Blue Jays are also interested in dealing the other half of their return for Vernon Wells — Juan Rivera.
• Add Michael Bourn to the ever-growing list of Scott Boras clients. The Houston center fielder switched agents on Friday.
• International signings this week saw the Nationals ink a pair of Dominican prospects and six other teams sign international free agents as well. Also, the Red Sox are nearing a minor league deal with Japanese lefty Itsuki Shoda.
• Some of this week's minor league signings included Casey Fossum with the Mets, Manny Delcarmen with the Mariners, and Luis Ayala with the Yankees, who also voided their deal with Luis Vizcaino. Vizcaino tore his Achilles Tendon in Winter ball. Check our Transactions section for all the minor moves this week.
• Bengie Molina is talking to a couple of unnamed teams about playing in 2011, but the 36-year-old World Series veteran is still undecided about whether or not he'll play.

As the NFL season comes to an end, the MLB season is fast approaching. Let's take a look at the last week's worth of late offseason action:

• Congratulations to Andy Pettitte on a terrific career. After 16 Major League seasons, the southpaw is calling it a career. The Yankees were prepared to pay him $12MM, but Pettitte will take his 3.88 ERA and spend time with his family instead. Here's some media reactions to his retirement. Good luck in life after baseball Andy.
• The Orioles made a pair of signings this week, adding Vladimir Guerrero for one year and $8MM (with $2MM deferred) and Justin Duchscherer for one year and $700K plus incentives. They won't take the division, but the O's have made some serious upgrades to their on-field product this offseason.
• There's not much time before the deadline to work out an extension with Albert Pujols, but talks between him and the Cardinals are not going well at this point. One positive note for Cards fans is that Jim Edmonds will return for his ninth season as a Cardinal with an eye on 400 career homers.
• The White Sox announced a four-year, $32.5MM extension for Alexei Ramirez this week. On the other side of town, the Cubs are nearing an extension of their own with Carlos Marmol.
• Colorado extended Rafael Betancourt's contract by one year, guaranteeing their setup man another $4MM. The deal also has a mutual option for $4.25MM.
• The Michael Young saga continues. The Rangers are once again exploring trades for him, and here's everything we learned about the situation on Saturday. Earlier today, we heard that Young wants out of Texas.
• The Indians are working to sign Kevin Millwood and Jeremy Bonderman as well. Cleveland could use some depth in the rotation beyond Fausto Carmona, though the Yankees are also talking to Millwood. The Tigers announced this week that Bonderman won't be back.
• The Giants made some personnel decisions this week, exercising the options on manager Bruce Bochy and GM Brian Sabean. They also hired Lou Piniella as a front office consultant.
• Notable arbitration news for the week included the Twins and Francisco Liriano settling on a $4.3MM salary, the Dodgers and Hong-Chih Kuo settling on a $2.725MM salary, the Reds and Edinson Volquez settling on a $1.625MM salary, and the Mets hammering out a two-year, $7.5MM deal for R.A. Dickey.
• Robinson Cano hired Scott Boras as his agent this week — that should be entertaining when the two sides discuss a new contract.
• Notable minor league deals included the Red Sox signing Dennys Reyes, the Rays signing Juan Cruz, the Yankees signing Eric Chavez plus Freddy Garcia, and the White Sox signing Lastings Milledge. For all of the week's minor moves, check our Transactions section.

Pitchers and catchers will report to Spring Training in just two short weeks, but that doesn't mean the rumors have stopped. Let's recap the last seven days of hot stove action…

• Two pitchers landed multiyear contract extensions this week. Wandy Rodriguez agreed to a three-year deal worth $34MM with the Astros while Johnny Cueto got four years and $27MM from the Reds. The Angels are trying to lock up their ace as well, having opened up talks with Jered Weaver about a long-term contract extension.
• Less than a week after acquiring him from the Angels, the Blue Jays turned around and traded Mike Napoli (and cash) to the Rangers for Frank Francisco. Both Napoli and Francisco later agreed to one-year contracts with their new teams to avoid arbitration.
• In an effort to bolster their pitching staff, the Diamondbacks acquired Armando Galarraga from the Tigers for a pair of minor leaguers. The Padres added depth by signing Jorge Cantu to a one-year deal worth $850K while the Nationals added Todd Coffey to their bullpen for $1.35MM and one year.
• Chone Figgins' name came up in trade talks with the Athletics (and Blue Jays), but he ultimately said he's going to remain a Mariner. The Red Sox pursued a trade for Jose Bautista, but nothing ever materialized.
• The Orioles made an offer to Vladimir Guerrero, but there hasn't been any progress in talks and there's no timetable for a decision. Baltimore also has interest in Justin Duchscherer, who wants to start, as do the Nationals.
• If he decides to pitch in 2011, the Yankees will offer Andy Pettitte a cool $12MM. Rodrigo Lopez has offers from the Braves, Mets, and Rockies, while the Orioles have an offer out to Mark Hendrickson. The Indians have interest in bringing back Kevin Millwood, ditto the White Sox and Freddy Garcia and the Tigers and Jeremy Bonderman. A few clubs have interest in Aaron Miles.
• Spring Training deadlines for contract extensions are the new black. Rickie Weeks set one this week, as did Shin-Soo Choo. Albert Pujols said he will veto all trades if he can't get an extension worked out with the Cardinals before the season. Rumor has it he might seek $300MM.
• The Rangers and GM Jon Daniels are discussing a contract extension. The Rockies locked up Rafael Betancourt for the next two years, as the Mets did with R.A. Dickey.
• The list of players that avoided arbitration by agreeing to one-year deals includes Edinson Volquez of the Reds, Jason Frasor of the Blue Jays, Ian Stewart of the Rockies, Miguel Montero of the Diamondbacks, Kevin Slowey of the Twins, and Craig Breslow of the Athletics.
• A number of players signed minor league contracts this week, including Dave Bush (Rangers), Shawn Hill (Marlins), Nick Green (Orioles), Mike MacDougal (Dodgers), Joe Beimel (Pirates), Jose Julio Ruiz and Ty Taubenheim (both Rangers), Nick Bierbrodt (Orioles), Braden Looper and Augie Ojeda (both Cubs), Casey Kotchman (Rays), Alfredo Amezaga (Rockies), Greg Burke (Padres), Bartolo Colon (Yankees), Chris Ray (Mariners), Clay Rapada (Orioles), Todd Wellemeyer (Cubs), Marc Kroon (Giants), Andy LaRoche (Athletics), Willy Taveras (Rockies), and Micah Owings (Diamondbacks).
• We saw three players get claimed off waivers this week. The Padres claimed Samuel Deduno, the Rays claimed Rob Delaney, and the Twins claimed Dusty Hughes. Deduno was designated for assignment after the Rockies acquired Clayton Mortenson from the A's for minor leaguer Ethan Hollingsworth.
• The Nationals designated both Justin Maxwell and Shairon Martis for assignment while the Diamondbacks did the same with Rafael Rodriguez. The Cubs signed a pair of Cuban-born players: outfielder Ruby Silva ($1.2MM) and catcher Yaniel Cabezas ($500K).
• Troy Glaus is going to sit out at least the start of the 2011 season, while both Rocco Baldelli and Russ Springer officially announced their retirements. Jim Edmonds is likely to call it a career as well.

Another Sunday closer to Spring Training and Opening Day 2011. Let's recap the last week:

• In an astonishing move, Toronto was able to unload Vernon Wells and his entire contract in a trade with the Angels. Toronto will receive Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera in return for the 32-year-old Wells, who many had deemed one of the most untradeable players in the game. Here's some reactions and details on the trade.
• The Yankees may have missed Cliff Lee, but they managed to land a top free agent when they signed Rafael Soriano for three years and $35MM. Soriano's deal has two opt-out clauses, giving him tremendous leverage. New York also signed Andruw Jones for one year and $2MM.
• The reigning NL MVP agreed to a three-year extension with the Reds. Joey Votto will earn $38MM for his arbitration years, in a move that's drawn some criticism as it doesn't seem to save the Reds much money.
• The Reds also extended Johnny Cueto on a four-year, $27MM deal and are talking about a long-term deal for Edinson Volquez.
• Billy Butler signed an extension of his own with the Royals — for four years and $30MM.
• It's not often you see an injured player leave millions on the table, but Gil Meche walked away from $12MM when he retired a year before his contract ended. A classy move in my opinion. Best of luck in life after baseball, Gil.
• The Twins finally came to terms with Carl Pavano after weeks of being close. The veteran right-hander will earn $16.5MM over the next two seasons in Minneapolis.
• Busy week out in our nation's capital — the Nats acquired Tom Gorzelanny from the Cubs, signed Jerry Hairston Jr. for $2MM on a one-year deal, and inked Todd Coffey as well.
• The Athletics made some big moves to fortify their bullpen, hammering out a two-year deal worth $8.1MM for Grant Balfour and a two-year, $10MM deal with Brian Fuentes.
• Another significant bullpen signing saw Jon Rauch sign with the Blue Jays for one year and $3.5MM, with a $3.75MM club option ($250K buyout).
• The Rays signed both Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon to one-year deals, with Damon earning $5.25MM and Manny signing for a $2MM base.
• The Mets signed Chris Young to a one-year deal that guarantees the righty just $1.1MM, a nice bargain. Some more low-cost signings included Chad Qualls in San Diego ($2.55MM guaranteed), Marcus Thames with the Dodgers ($1MM), Nick Punto in St. Louis ($700K), and Aaron Heilman in Arizona ($2MM).
• Several two-year deals were ironed out to avoid arbitration: Jason Hammel with the Rockies, Stephen Drew in Arizona, Rajai Davis with the Jays, Sean Marshall with the Cubs, and Matt Lindstrom with the Rockies as well.
• Some more notable arbitration figures included Jonathan Papelbon signing for $12MM, Prince Fielder for $15.5MM, and Heath Bell for $7.5MM. For more arbitration news, be sure to keep up to date with our arb tracker.
• Some of the many minor league signings this week included Jeff Suppan with the Giants, Jody Gerut and Nate Robertson with the Mariners, and Joe Crede with the Rockies. Be sure to check out our Transactions section for all of the week's minor moves.

It's time to take a look back at the week that was..

• The biggest surprise of the week was arguably the Yankees' signing of Rafael Soriano.  The 31-year-old will make $35MM over three years and can opt out after either of the first two years.  The agreement came just days after GM Brian Cashman said that he wouldn't surrender a first-round pick to sign a free agent.  Despite some speculation to the contrary, Cashman reportedly still has the full backing of the Steinbrenners.
• All-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman announced that he's retiring after 18 big league seasons.  The seven-time All-Star Hoffman walks away with 601 career saves, a 2.87 ERA and 1133 strikeouts in 1089 1/3 innings for the Marlins, Padres and Brewers.
• Dan Lozano, the agent for Albert Pujols, told Cardinals GM John Mozeliak that Spring Training is now the deadline for a new deal to be struck.  and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said that he was "hopeful" that the club can extend Pujols by the start of the 2011 season.
• On Friday the Twins announced a deal with veteran Jim Thome.  The left-handed slugger will earn $3MM guaranteed and could earn more through incentives.  Thome is 11 homers away from reaching 600 and 20 away from matching Sammy Sosa for seventh place all-time.
• The Athletics agreed to a two-year, $8.1MM contract with Grant Balfour.  The deal includes a club option for 2013 and the team has agreed to not offer the reliver arbitration at the end of the deal. The Rays will obtain the A's second-round selection as their first-round pick is protected. The A's may not be done adding to the 'pen as they look to sign Brian Fuentes.
• The Rays will bring Kyle Farnsworth aboard on a one-year deal worth $3.25MM.  The total deal could be worth $6MM if his option for '12 is picked up.
• The Yankees would consider moving Joba Chamberlain if it netted them a "viable starter."
• The Royals landed starter Jeff Francis for a guaranteed $2MM in 2011.  The left-hander can earn another $2MM in incentives.  Francis had interest from at least seven teams before accepting Kansas City's offer.
• The Tigers officially agreed to sign Brad Penny to a one-year, $3MM deal this week.  The deal also includes up to $3MM in incentives.
• The Reds signed Fred Lewis to a one-year major league deal.
• This week several players avoided going to arbitration with their teams.  We'll highlight the most noteworthy deals of the week in this post but as always, you can keep tabs on all arbitration cases using our Arb Tracker.
• The Padres avoided arbitration with Jason Bartlett and agreed to sign him to a two-year deal worth $11MM.  The deal buys out Bartlett's final season as an arbitration eligible player and one free agent year.
• The D'Backs agreed to sign Willie Bloomquist to a one-year, $1.05MM deal.  The contract includes a mutual option for 2012.
• Fireballer Joel Zumaya was arbitration eligible final time but instead agreed to a one-year, $1.4MM deal.  Ryan Raburn was arb eligible for the first time but instead agreed to a two-year, $3.4MM deal.
• Halos catcher Jeff Mathis won't have to go in front of an arbitrator after agreeing to terms on a one-year, $1.7MM deal.  The Angels avoided arbitration with Alberto Callaspo.
• Kansas City avoided arbitration with Alex Gordon, the second overall pick in the 2005 draft.  The Royals also avoided arbitration with the top pick in the 2006 draft, Luke Hochevar.  Hochevar will reportedly make $1.76MM in 2011.
• The Athletics and Brad Ziegler avoided arbitration when they agreed to a one-year deal. 
• The Blue Jays and Carlos Villanueva won't need to sit in front of an arbitrator.  They two sides came to terms on a one-year, $1.415MM pact. 
  
• Ben Francisco, who was eligible for arbitration for the first time, will remain with the Phillies on a one-year agreement. 
• The Cardinals announced a one-year deal with Kyle McClellan, meaning that they have no more arbitration-eligible players for 2011.
• Geovany Soto got an early 28th birthday present when he avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3MM deal with the Cubs.
• Colorado avoided salary arbitration with Matt Belisle when they agreed to a one-year, $2.35MM deal.
• At least five teams are showing interest in Manny Ramirez.
• Pitcher Kris Benson decided to hang 'em up after 12 years in the majors.  Benson was the first overall pick in the 1996 draft.
• The Marlins signed a quartet of players to minor league deals: Joe Thurston, Dewayne Wise, Clint Sammons, and Jamie D'Antona.
• Catcher Max Ramirez was claimed on waivers for the second time in six days when the Cubs claimed him from the Red Sox.
• On Saturday, the Royals and Bruce Chen agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.5MM.  Chen can earn another $1.5MM through incentives.
• The Cards agreed to minor league contracts with Miguel Batista and Ian Snell.  St. Louis also signed veteran infielder Ramon Vazquez to a minor league deal.
• After a strong winter in Venezuela, reliever Jorge Julio signed a minor league contract with the Pirates.
• Catcher Raul Chavez agreed to a minor league deal with the Mets.  The club also agreed to sign Willie Harris to a minor league contract.
• The Phillies picked up former top pick Matt Anderson on a minor league deal.
• The Cubs signed Reed Johnson to a minor league deal.

Lots of headlines made over the past week, so let's dive right into our recap of what the first full week of 2011 had to offer:

• In what seemed an unlikely fit, the Rangers lessened the blow of missing out on Cliff Lee by signing Adrian Beltre to a five-year, $80MM contract with a vesting $16MM option. Beltre turned down offers from the A's and Angels. Michael Young will be shifted once again, this time to a DH/utility role. Texas has made it clear to Young though that he's not getting traded. This also means Vladimir Guerrero will be looking for a new home for 2011.
• The Rangers also made an addition to their rotation, signing Brandon Webb to a one-year deal for $3MM plus incentives.
• After months of saying they wouldn't trade a pitcher, Tampa changed its tune when the Cubs offered up an enormous haul for Matt Garza. The Cubs acquired Garza, Fernando Perez, and Zach Rosscup in exchange for Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee, Brandon Guyer, Robinson Chirinos, and Sam Fuld. Andrew Friedman says he will reallocate Garza's salary (approximately $5-6MM) to other team needs. Many feel the Cubs gave up more for Garza than the Brewers did for Zack Greinke, as you can read in the trade reactions piece.
• It may not have been the three years he was looking for, but Adam LaRoche received a two-year deal from Washington that will guarantee him $16MM.
• The Rockies dished out another mammoth extension, as they've agreed to lock up Carlos Gonzalez for the next seven years and around $80MM. CarGo will take a physical this week and a press conference will follow.
• A second extension was signed this week when Dan Uggla agreed to a five-year $62MM extension in Atlanta before ever even playing a game in a Braves uniform.
• We learned of two extensions that were turned down last offseason: both John Danks and Carlos Quentin rejected offers from the White Sox.
• The Twins are closing in on a two-year deal with Carl Pavano, but nothing's been agreed upon yet. We learned this week that Kansas City and Pittsburgh are also options for the mustache-clad righty.
• Several bullpen signings this week: The Orioles added Kevin Gregg for two years and $10MM (plus a vesting option), the White Sox gave Will Ohman a two-year deal worth $4MM, and the Phillies re-signed J.C. Romero for one year and $1.35MM.
• The Reds signed Edgar Renteria to a one-year deal that guarantees him $2.1MM.
• The Mariners worked out a two-year deal with Brendan Ryan that will pay the slick fielder $2.75MM.
• The Mets signed Chris Capuano and Taylor Buchholz for $1.5MM and $600K, respectively. They also DFA'ed Ryota Igarashi.
• Even with his starting spot likely gone, Mike Cameron is happy in Boston and unlikely to be dealt anywhere. Other Red Sox news this week included their claim of Max Ramirez off waivers from Texas, and subsequent DFA of Matt Fox.
• The Cardinals officially opened extension talks with Albert Pujols last week, although don't expect anything in the near future, as that will undoubtedly be a lengthy negotiation process.
• Some conflicting reports about the Yankees and their interest in Rafael Soriano emerged this week. Soriano said he's open to setting up for Mariano Rivera, but GM Brian Cashman said the club would not surrender its first-round pick with Cliff Lee off the board. Later in the week though, we heard the Yankees are still in on Soriano.
• One more note on another potential closer: the Blue Jays emerged as a "serious suitor" for Brian Fuentes this week, despite having already signed Octavio Dotel. Fuentes is looking for multiple years and a closing gig.

Happy New Year to all of our readers! Let's take a look back at the past seven days here on MLBTR:

• The Orioles continued to revamp their infield when they added Derrek Lee on a one-year deal worth close to $8MM. Lee's deal could total $10MM with incentives, and he should add yet another improved element to a rebuilt offense in Baltimore.
• Sticking in the AL East for a few more transactions: the Blue Jays signed Octavio Dotel for one year and $3.5MM with a club option for 2012, while the Red Sox brought back Hideki Okajima on a one-year deal.
• The Brewers signed Takashi Saito to a one-year deal with a base salary under $2MM. While he carries health risks, a healthy Saito at that price is a bargain, especially given this year's relief market.
• The Rangers made a pair of signings this week. First, they brought Brandon Webb on board for one year with a $3MM base and plenty of incentives. Second, they looked long-term and signed 16-year-old Venezuelan shortstop Rougned Odor for a $450K bonus.
• The Mets and Dodgers swapped lefty Mike Antonini and former top shortstop prospect Chin-lung Hu this week. Hu has been ranked as high as 55th on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list, but that was prior to 2008.
• With Lee off the board, the Nationals have turned their focus to Adam LaRoche, and have extended him a two-year offer worth $8MM-$9MM per season. LaRoche seems to be holding out for a third year.
• Adrian Beltre is still on the market, but the A's are no longer in on the free agent third baseman. Beltre appears to be down to the Rangers and Angels as serious suitors for the time being.
• Tons of rumors regarding the relief market this week, so let's tackle them with the remainder of this post. As many as 11 teams are interested in Brian Fuentes, particularly the Rays.
• Six teams, including the A's, are in on Chad Qualls, while the Orioles have interest in adding Grant Balfour.
• David Aardsma will undergo hip surgery to repair a torn labrum, meaning he won't be traded.
• Joakim Soria said he would OK a trade to the Yankees, or any other team, if given the opportunity.
• The White Sox have definite interest in bringing Rafael Soriano to the south side of Chicago, but they don't appear to have the remaining funds to do so.

Happy Holidays to all of our readers! It's been slow the past couple of days, but there was plenty of action earlier in the week, so let's recap:

• The Marlins and Ricky Nolasco won't be parting ways any time soon. Nolasco signed a new three-year deal worth $26.5MM that buys out his last two arbitration years and his first year of free agency. That marks the second offseason in the row Florida has extended one of its young pitchers.
• A pair of NL teams signed second basemen this week: Bill Hall inked a one-year, $3.25MM deal with the Astros to man second base in Houston every day, while Orlando Hudson finally found a multiyear deal, signing with the Padres for two years and $11.5MM. Both have potential to be bargain signings.
• Those weren't the only moves for that pair of teams this week though, as Houston traded former closer Matt Lindstrom to the Rockies in exchange for a pair of minor league arms and signed Gustavo Chacin to a minor league deal, while San Diego acquired Rob Johnson from Seattle to back up Nick Hundley and reached an agreement with Brad Hawpe to play first base.
• The Rangers reached an agreement with Arthur Rhodes for one year with a vesting 2012 option. Rhodes will join Darren Oliver in forming a southpaw tandem that totals over 80 years of age.
• Cleveland signed a couple of low-cost outfielders, as they were reunited with Austin Kearns on a one-year, $1.3MM deal and signed former top prospect Travis Buck to a minor league deal.
• The Brewers made a similar pair of signings, bringing back Craig Counsell for one year and $1.4MM, while signing reliever Sean Green to a non-guaranteed $875K deal.
• The Nationals signed Sean Burnett to a two-year extension that will guarantee the lefty a total of $3.95MM and includes a mutual option for 2013. Additionally, the Nats agreed to sign Rick Ankiel to a one-year contract worth $1.5MM guaranteed and are still in the mix for Carl Pavano.
• It's been a steep decline for Garrett Atkins, who signed a minor league deal with the Pirates this week. Pittsburgh also made a minor league swap with the A's, trading right-hander Ryan Kelly for speedy utilityman Corey Wimberly.
• There were over a dozen more minor transactions that took place this week, so be sure to check out our Transactions section for all of the minor moves that took place this week!
• And now a quick look at what the future might hold: The Yankees are interested in a reunion with Johnny Damon, the Reds are interested in Scott Podsednik, the Orioles renewed contract discussions with Derrek Lee, three teams are interested in Octavio Dotel, and the Mariners want an impact bat in return for closer David Aardsma.
• Last but not least, it's worth noting that Jamie Moyer underwent successful Tommy John surgery this week and is still aiming for a return to the Majors at age 49 when he's healed. It's implausible, but it'd make for a great story. Best of luck to you, Jamie.