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Nationals Re-Sign Chien-Ming Wang

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The Nationals have re-signed right-hander Chien-Ming Wang, reports the team's official Twitter feed.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the two sides were close to a one-year contract with a base salary of $1MM that could be worth as $5MM should Wang reach various incentives. (Twitter links)

Washington non-tendered Wang on December 2nd, but he continued to look for a major league deal.  Agent Alan Nero worked out a $2MM deal between Wang and the Nationals last offseason, but it took a long time for the right-hander to recover from shoulder surgery and he didn't pitch in a pro game this year. He showed some promise in the instructional league, however.

Wang picked up service time while injured last year, so assuming he picks up 13 days or more of big league service time in 2011, he will hit free agency after the season.

Yankees Rumors: Soriano, Hall, Garcia, Joba

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We found out lots about the Bronx Bombers' search for pitching yesterday: it seems likely that Andy Pettitte will return to the Yankees, they don't like Brandon Webb that much and they're looking at left-handed relievers. We've since learned that they're making progress with Pedro Feliciano and that deals for Carlos Zambrano or Felix Hernandez seem unlikely at best. Here's the latest on their pitching hunt, plus news on a position player:

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

Dodgers, Giants, Rays Finalists For Guillermo Mota

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Guillermo Mota has been offered minor league contracts from five clubs and the "finalists" for his services are the Dodgers, Giants and Rays, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (Twitter link).  Mota, 37, signed a $750K minor league deal with San Francisco last winter, but it paid off in the form of his first World Series ring.  Mota posted a 4.33 ERA in 56 relief appearances last season, including 2 1/3 scoreless innings in the Fall Classic.

The well-traveled Mota has pitched for seven teams in his 12-year career, and it would be his third stint in Dodger blue if he were to sign with Los Angeles.  The Rays have already added one veteran reliever today in Joel Peralta, but have a clear need for more bullpen help given how many of their 2010 relievers are testing the free agent waters.

Red Sox Sign Andrew Miller

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The Red Sox have signed Andrew Miller to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training, according to a team media release.  The left-hander met with a number of teams at the Winter Meetings, before the Giants and Red Sox emerged as finalists.  Frontline, the agency that represents A.J. Burnett and Cliff Lee, represents Miller.

Boston acquired Miller from the Marlins for Dustin Richardson after the season, only to non-tender him on December 2nd. The Tigers selected Miller sixth overall in the 2006 draft and sent him to Florida in the 2007 Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis trade. The 25-year-old has walked 5.3 batters per nine innings in his major league career and has a 5.84 ERA.

He is out of options, so the Red Sox will have to expose him to waivers before sending him to the minor leagues. Boston will be able to retain him after 2011 through arbitration if they so choose. 

Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link) was the first to report that a deal was close between Miller and the Sox.

Minor Transactions: Morales, Harvey, Red Sox

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On a busy day of moves around baseball, here are a few lower-profile transactions…

  • The Rockies have acquired catcher Jose Morales from the Twins in exchange for minor league left-hander Paul Bargas, according to a Minnesota team release.  Morales hit .297/.370/.354 in 181 plate appearances over parts of three seasons with the Twins, only seeing significant playing time while filling in for an injured Joe Mauer in April 2009.  Bargas, taken in the 13th round of the 2009 amateur draft, posted a 3.59 ERA in 58 relief appearances for Colorado's Single-A Asheville affiliate last season.
  • Ryan Harvey, picked sixth overall by the Cubs in the 2003 amateur draft, has signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.  Harvey is trying to convert to pitching after posting a career .749 OPS as an outfielder in eight minor league seasons in the Cubs and Rockies' systems.
  • In addition to Harvey, Boston has also signed left-handers Rich Hill and Randy Williams to minor league deals, as per a team release.  Hill signed a minor league contract with Boston last summer and made six relief appearances for the Red Sox after spending the previous five years as a starter with the Cubs and Orioles.  Williams spent the last two seasons with the White Sox, where he posted a 5.06 ERA in 52 games out of the bullpen.  The two southpaws received invitations to spring training.
  • The Rangers have signed right-hander Yhency Brazoban to a minor league contract, according to the Associated Press.  Brazoban made 116 appearances for the Dodgers between 2004 and 2008, and last year pitched in the Mexican League and for the Mets' Triple-A team.
  • Texas also signed 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Alberto Triunfel to a contract worth $300K, reports Baseball America's Ben Badler.  Trifunel, a Scott Boras client, was ranked eighth on Blake Bentley's list of top prospects heading into the opening of the international signing period.

Greinke Can’t Block Trades To Angels, Rangers, Tigers

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Zack Greinke can block trades to 15 teams and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Yankees, Red Sox and Nationals are among them. The Tigers, Angels and Rangers, however, could acquire the right-hander without his permission.

The Yankees reportedly have limited interest in Greinke, but the Nationals have shown interest in acquiring Greinke or Matt Garza. Though the Tigers and Angels haven't been linked to Greinke much this offseason, the Rangers are often mentioned as a possible destination for the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner. They prefer him to Fausto Carmona, according to Morosi (on Twitter). Greinke has two years and $27MM remaining on his contract.

Olney On Vlad, Zambrano, Yankees, Fuentes

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The latest from ESPN.com's Buster Olney on potential contracts and trades:

  • The Rangers and Vladimir Guerrero are now "on the same page" and are discussing the parameters of a one-year deal. Vlad originally sought a multiyear contract.
  • Though there's been speculation that the Yankees could inquire on Carlos Zambrano, Olney reports that they will not attempt to acquire him.
  • Now that the Red Sox have agreed to sign Bobby Jenks, their payroll is higher than the Yankees' (Twitter link).
  • Brian Fuentes is looking for a deal that resembles the three-year $15MM contract Scott Downs signed, according to Olney (on Twitter).

Red Sox Sign Matt Albers

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The Red Sox have signed Matt Albers, the team announced. Peter Gammons first reported the deal on NESN's Red Sox Hot Stove Live. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported earlier in the week that the Red Sox had interest in Albers, who became a free agent when the Orioles non-tendered him earlier this month. Hendricks Sports represents Albers.

The 27-year-old spent three seasons in Baltimore after the Orioles acquired him in the Miguel Tejada trade. He posted a 4.52 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 75 2/3 innings last year. The right-hander has a 5.11 ERA in 317 1/3 career innings with the O's and Astros.

Albers has less than four years of service time, so the Red Sox will be able to keep him around for the 2012 and 2013 seasons if they so choose.

Dodgers To Sign Matt Guerrier

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The Dodgers signed Matt Guerrier to a three-year deal, the team announced today. The deal is for $12MM over three years, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Newsday's Erik Boland first reported the agreement (on Twitter). 

The right-hander joins Scott Downs and Joaquin Benoit as the setup relievers to agree to three-year contracts this winter. Guerrier will not cost a draft pick, since the Twins declined to offer him arbitration. 

Guerrier led the league in appearances in 2008-09 and pitched in 74 games this past season. Not only is he durable, he is a ground ball pitcher with a career 2.7 K/BB ratio against righties. That figure drops against lefties (1.5 K/BB), but he induces more ground balls against them.

However, defense independent pitching stats like FIP and xFIP suggest Guerrier's 3.17 ERA would have been higher if he had been less lucky in 2010. He posted solid ratios of 5.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 last year, but both rates were better in 2009.

The Red Sox, Orioles and Blue Jays also expressed interest in the 32-year-old this offseason. Boston offered a two-year deal with a vesting option for 2013, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The Rockies also bid on Guerrier, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).

When I examined Guerrier's free agent stock earlier in the offseason, I expected him to land a one-year deal, so agent Joe Bick deserves credit for taking advantage of a player-friendly market.

A’s Acquire Josh Willingham

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The A's have acquired Josh Willingham from the Nationals for right-hander Henry Rodriguez and minor league outfielder Corey Brown, the teams announced.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported that a deal was in place (on Twitter) after Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the sides were in serious discussions about a trade. 

The A's will now feature Willingham, Coco Crisp and David DeJesus in their outfield with Ryan Sweeney and Conor Jackson available off the bench. Willingham, DeJesus and Hideki Matsui should provide the A's offense with some extra thump. Oakland ranked 11th in the American League in runs scored and 13th in the league in home runs in 2010.

Willingham earned $4.6MM in 2010 and will go to arbitration one last time this winter before hitting free agency after the 2011 season. The 31-year-old batted .268/.389/.459 in 450 plate appearances last year before he went on the disabled list and underwent left knee surgery.

Though Willingham is less than a year away from free agency, he would be open to an extension with the A's, according to Rosenthal (on Twitter).

Rodriguez, 23, pitched 27 2/3 innings for the A's this year, posting a 4.55 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9. He has posted exceptional strikeout numbers (11.6 K/9) and an alarming walk rate (6.6 BB/9) throughout his minor league career, but started walking fewer batters in 2010. According to Baseball America's preseason report, Rodriguez can hit 100 mph and could become a major league closer.

Brown, a supplementary first round pick in 2007, batted .283/.370/.466 in the upper minors this year. The 25-year-old had 15 homers, 11 triples, 18 doubles and 22 steals. Baseball America noted before the season that Brown has five-tool potential and gap-to-gap power. Baseball America didn't rank Brown among Oakland's top ten prospects earlier in the month, but he placed 12th when BA ranked the Athletics' prospects heading into the 2010 season.

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