Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Abreu, Mets, Edmonds

A few assorted links, as the trading finally picks up...

• After missing out on Roy Oswalt, the Cardinals are looking elsewhere for pitching, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Mid-level starters like Jake Westbrook or Aaron Cook could be fits for the Cards.  The asking price for Cook, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, is a bullpen piece and a prospect. 
• The Angels don't appear to have made Bobby Abreu available, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter).
• The Mets finalized their over-slot deal with Erik Goeddel, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). They agreed to give the 21-year-old righty a $350K bonus.  MLBTR first reported an agreement had been reached on July 4th. 
• The Dodgers designated Jack Taschner for assignment according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (via Twitter).
• The Astros released Tommy Everidge to make room for Brett Wallace, according to the Round Rock Express website.
• Teams have asked the Brewers about Jim Edmonds, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports.
• GM Doug Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that things are quiet for the Brewers right now.
• The Rangers pursued Roy Oswalt and Prince Fielder aggressively, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter).
• The Mets asked the Cubs about Tom Gorzelanny, according to Heyman (Twitter link).
• The White Sox signed former major leaguer Jon Adkins to a minor league deal, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
• The Twins, Phillies and Giants are losing interest in Ty Wigginton, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
• Jason Frasor tells Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star that he hears the latest from MLB Trade Rumors whether he wants to or not, since his friends tell him about the latest rumors.
• I talked trades with Rob Shaw and Michelle Steele of Bloomberg Sports. You can check out the video clip at USA Today.

Minor League Transactions: Johnson, Mastny, Botts

Tom Mastny and Jason Botts were among the former major leaguers to sign deals with big league clubs from June 8th-14th. Baseball America's Matt Eddy has the details:

• Ben Johnson, one of the players the Padres sent the Mets for Heath Bell, has signed a deal with the Tigers. The outfielder, who has a .230/.313/.414 line in parts of three major league seasons, had been playing in the Golden League.
• Scott Patterson, who played briefly with the Yankees and Padres in 2008, signed with the Mariners after posting an 18K/3BB ratio in the Atlantic League.
• The Marlins turned to Tom Mastny in their search for relievers, signing the former Indian out of the Atlantic League. Mastny, 29, posted a 6.13 ERA in 94 innings with Cleveland from 2006-08.
• The Royals released Jason Taylor four years after drafting him in the second round and signing him to a $763K deal.
• The Nationals signed Jason Botts out of the Atlantic League. Botts, who has a minor league OPS of .875, spent parts of the 2005-08 seasons with the Rangers.
• The Orioles and Royals, two of the organizations that have seven domestic minor league clubs, have pursued and signed non-drafted free agents aggressively.
• Mike Curto reports (via Twitter) that the Astros acquired Tommy Everidge from the Mariners. Everidge appeared in 24 games for the A's last year.

Odds & Ends: Everidge, Lincecum, Lewis, Manny

Links for Wednesday...

• Tommy Everidge cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. The Mariners designated Everidge for assignment last week to make room on the roster for Eric Byrnes.
• Various agents think the Giants and Tim Lincecum will somehow avoid an arbitration hearing regardless of how poorly talks are going, reports MLB.com's Chris Haft.
• The Astros signed 18-year-old Nicaraguan first baseman Mesac Laguna yesterday, reports Roger Olivas of El Nuevo Diaro.
• Free agent journeyman Nelson Figueroa hopes to return to the Mets but wants to avoid the minors, reports Angel Pinto Vaamonde of the blog BeisbolVenezolano.net.  Thanks to Nick Collias for translations on these two bullets.
• Colby Lewis heard from 12 or 13 teams before signing with the Rangers, reports ESPN's Tim Kurkjian.  The A's and Twins also offered two-year deals.
• Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball explains how an arbitration hearing works.  Hearings are scheduled through February 21st, with Tim Lincecum's case drawing the most attention.
• Manny Ramirez "seriously considered opting out of his contract to return to the American League for a designated-hitter role," reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.  The idea seems silly now, but in November it wasn't ridiculous to think Manny might've preferred to chase, say, a two-year, $32MM deal elsewhere.
• Bill Shanks of Scout.com talked to Braves assistant GM Bruce Manno, who replied "Never say never" when asked about Johnny Damon.  Still, Manno likes the club as it stands.  And MLB.com's Mark Bowman believes the Braves are not actively pursuing Damon.
• Rany Jazayerli examines a "delusional" quote from an anonymous Royals official regarding the team's 2008-09 offseason.
• Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says the Blue Jays should have significant payroll flexibility after the 2010 season.
• MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince doesn't see Orlando Hudson as a fit for the Indians.

Mariners Sign Eric Byrnes

The Mariners have signed outfielder Eric Byrnes to a one-year deal, according to a team press release.

Arizona released the 33-year-old earlier this month after he hit just .218/.271/.382 in 482 plate appearances during the first two seasons of the three-year, $30MM extension he signed prior to the 2008 season. The Diamondbacks are still on the hook for Byrnes' $11MM salary in 2010, less whatever the Mariners are paying him (likely the league minimum).

To make room for Byrnes on the roster, Seattle designated first baseman Tommy Everidge for assignment, reports Ryan Divish of The Tacoma News Tribune (via Twitter). They had just claimed Everidge off waivers from the Athletics two weeks ago.