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ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports that the Padres have agreed to terms on a one-year, $750K deal with catcher Henry Blanco.
The Dodgers’ signing of Brad Ausmus made this an easy decision for the Friars. Blanco, who hit .292 with three homers and 12 RBI for the Cubs last season, will back up Nick Hundley in San Diego.
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The Angels have extended 25 non-roster invitations to their spring training camp in Tempe, Arizona. Lyle Spencer of MLB.com compiled the list of invitees:
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According to MLB.com’s Kelly Thesier, the Twins are preparing to head into spring training with a third base platoon of Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris.
The Twins have made a few attempts to snag a strong third baseman this offseason, but all talks have fallen flat. They pursued Casey Blake before he signed with the Dodgers, and Mark DeRosa before he was sent off to the Indians.
Joe Crede remains a free agent, but the Twins might not want to throw money at a guy with chronic back problems. The 30-year-old played only 97 games last season, finishing with a .248 average on top of 17 home runs and 55 RBI.
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Jim Thome told Scott Merkin of MLB.com Wednesday that he plans on playing beyond 2009. His contract with the White Sox, however, runs out at the conclusion of this season.
Thome claims to be in great shape and knocked 34 balls out of the park last year. His power would be welcome in most lineups.
"If this is my last year [in Chicago], I’m truly going to enjoy every minute of it — as I am going to enjoy this last phase of my career… Playing for [manager] Ozzie [Guillen] and with guys from Konerko to Dye to A.J., they are all proven winners. I’ve been given the chance to play in a great, winning organization."
By Tim Dierkes | at
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers reached an agreement with catcher Brad Ausmus on a one-year, $1MM deal. The Padres will have to keep looking for a veteran backstop.
Ausmus, 40 in April, hit .218/.303/.296 in 250 plate appearances for the Astros last year while throwing out 17.4% of attempted thieves. His value will lie in intangibles.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Links for Wednesday…
By Tim Dierkes | at
According to MLB.com’s Corey Brock, Padres GM Kevin Towers has a veteran catcher as the final item on his offseason wish list. His good friend Brad Ausmus appears to be the target, with a resolution possible by week’s end. Brock figures he could sign for less than a million bucks.
The Padres traded for Ausmus back in ’93 and sent him to the Tigers in the blockbuster deal of ’96.
By Tim Dierkes | at
According to Todd Zolecki of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies avoided arbitration with reliever Chad Durbin by signing him at $1.635MM for ’09. The Phils signed Durbin for $900K after the Tigers non-tendered him following the ’07 season. He responded with a 2.87 ERA in 87.6 innings. Ryan Howard is now the team’s lone arbitration case.
By Tim Dierkes | at
According to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, Jeff Kent has retired after 17 seasons. Here’s a look at the career numbers. Kent finishes with a .290/.356/.500 line in 9537 plate appearances, racking up 377 home runs.
Henry Schulman’s reflection on Kent is a good read.
By Tim Dierkes | at
The Marlins are less than a million bucks apart with second baseman Dan Uggla; the full list shows that this gap is toward the low end. No matter what happens, Uggla will be the team’s second highest-paid player (Hanley Ramirez will earn $5.5MM in ’09).
Uggla’s agent, Jeff Borris, explained that the Fish are not looking to sign his client long-term:
"The Marlins are not interested in signing Daniel Uggla to a multiyear contract. We always would be open to listen to anything, but they made it very clear to us they were only going to sign Hanley and Hanley alone."
Regarding new acquisition Emilio Bonifacio, Borris noted that "his price is right for the Marlins." The author of the blog post, Mike Berardino, suspects Uggla could be traded by the July deadline if not sooner.
Uggla, 29 in March, provides a blast of right-handed power at second base. He hit .260/.360/.514 in 619 plate appearances. His defense was well below-average in ’07 but slightly above par in ’08, according to John Dewan’s plus/minus system. Uggla could be a candidate to play third base if traded. He is under team control through 2011. Teams such as the Twins, Angels, and Giants could make sense.
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