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Giants Offer $1MM Contract To Edgar Renteria

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The Giants have offered Edgar Renteria a contract in the "Pat Burrell range" of one year for $1MM, reports John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.  If Renteria really does have two other options on the table, San Francisco will probably have to bump its offer up a bit, despite the mutual interest between the Giants and their 2010 World Series MVP.

As MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith pointed out in the previous linked article, the Giants already have a pretty crowded infield, though Renteria could find playing time given how none of those infielders (except Freddy Sanchez) played well enough in 2010 to have firm claims on starting jobs next year.  Renteria himself, of course, hit just .276/.332/.374 in 267 regular season plate appearances before catching fire in the World Series.  Whereas Burrell literally took a hometown discount, Renteria could accept the smaller contract to remain with the team that has already brought him one championship ring and should contend again in 2011.

Odds & Ends: Guerrier, McCutchen, Blue Jays, Punto

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As the baseball world says goodbye to Cubs great Ron Santo, here are some news tidbits heading into the weekend…

Rangers Look To Be Out Of Beltre Bidding

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The Rangers are "backing off for now" on any pursuit of Adrian Beltre, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.  Texas is "not at all optimistic" about its chances of signing the free agent third baseman, and without a chance of getting Beltre, the Rangers have similarly halted the Michael Young trade market.  This market may not have been all that sturdy, as Rosenthal notes that a Young trade was a "longshot from [the] start."

If Texas is out of the picture, that eliminates one more big-market player from the Beltre sweepstakes.  It may be down to just the Angels as the only serious bidders for Beltre's services, unless the Athletics get back in the hunt.  The pressure seemed to be on Los Angeles to get a deal done with Beltre once the club's top free agent target (Carl Crawford) signed with Boston, but the Halos may be able to sign Beltre at a relative bargain price if they're the only team in the race.  Scott Boras may have to look hard for another mystery team to join the fray unless Beltre is willing to sign with a non-contender with money to spend, like Baltimore.

Mets Notes: Reyes, Alderson, Reed Johnson

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On the 26th anniversary of the trade that sent Hall-of-Famer Gary Carter from the Expos to the Mets, it's only appropriate that we look at some Mets-related news items….

  • Carl Crawford's deal "virtually guarantees" that Jose Reyes won't pursue an extension with the Mets before hitting the free agent market, writes Newsday's David Lennon.  Reyes would have to have a big 2011 season and stay healthy first, but even then, it's hard to see a team giving a Crawford-esque contract to a player with Reyes' injury history.
  • From the same piece, Lennon thinks it's unlikely that Sandy Alderson would sign a free agent to a six- or seven-year mega-deal akin to those signed by Crawford or Jayson Werth.  "Alderson just doesn’t believe in building a team that way, and really, what’s so wrong with that?", Lennon asks.
  • Speaking of Alderson, he took part in a conference call today with several Mets bloggers.  Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog.com has the recap, with Michael Baron providing the transcription.
  • The Mets have some interest in Reed Johnson but "nothing is close" and Johnson is one of several options being considered, reports Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (both Twitter links).

D’Backs Notes: Konerko, Heisey, Parra, Lee

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Some news from the desert, courtesy of The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro…

  • The Diamondbacks' offer of a three-year, $30MM contract to Paul Konerko would have put them over their payroll threshold, but they couldn't pass up the chance to get "a star-caliber hitter at a possible hometown discount."  Arizona CEO Derrick Hall tells Piecoro that the team had a legitimate chance to sign Konerko before he eventually re-signed with Chicago.
  • The Reds were interested in Gerardo Parra and the D'Backs in Chris Heisey, but a potential deal of the two outfielders was scuttled because the Reds want to keep Heisey.
  • Derrek Lee "is said to have interest in" playing in Arizona.  We've heard that the D'Backs have had interest in Lee, but Piecoro thinks the first baseman "might be a longshot financially."
  • The D'Backs won't be going after any pitching in the short term, following the acquisition of Rule 5 draft pick Joe Paterson.

Angels Reach Agreement With Scott Downs

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The Angels have agreed to terms on a three-year, $15MM contract with Scott Downs.  Peter Gammons was the first to report the numbers of the deal, while FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal adds that the deal is pending a physical and Downs can earn up to an extra $1MM based on games finished (both Twitter links).  Downs is represented by CAA.

Downs has quietly been one of the AL's best relievers in recent years, posting a 2.36 ERA, a 7.8 K/9 rate and a 2.63 K/BB ratio over the last four seasons in Toronto. 

Since Downs is a Type A free agent, the Blue Jays will receive two draft picks for the left-hander — one a first-round compensation pick, and a second-round pick from Los Angeles since the Halos' first-rounder is protected.  If the Angels were to sign a higher-ranked Type A free agent (such as Adrian Beltre or Rafael Soriano), then the pick they send to Toronto will be bumped down a round.

The Halos have now added two solid lefty arms to their bullpen in Downs and Hisanori Takahashi, who was signed last week.  GM Tony Reagins tells Dan Woike of the Orange County Register that the Angels are now satisfied with their bullpen and rotation and they won't be adding any more relievers (Twitter links), which would seem to take the club out of the Soriano sweepstakes.  If Soriano is too expensive, L.A. could be satisfied with Fernando Rodney as their closer, or perhaps they're looking at a Rodney/Downs righty-lefty closing platoon, which would explain Downs' incentive bonus for games finished. 

Orioles To Re-Sign Cesar Izturis, Not Nick Green

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6:52pm: The Orioles say that Green has not agreed to a contract, tweets Connolly.

4:35pm: The Orioles have re-signed Cesar Izturis to a one-year deal worth $1.5MM, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). The deal, which is pending a physical, includes $1.7MM in incentives based on plate appearances and games stared, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (Twitter link). Agent Peter Greenberg represents the shortstop.

The Orioles have already added Mark Reynolds, Brendan Harris and J.J. Hardy to an infield that has become crowded in a hurry. The Baltimore infield also includes Brian Roberts and Robert Andino, so it would not be surprising to see president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail make another move before the season begins. 

Izturis has been Baltimore's starting shortstop for the past two seasons, but he figures to back up Hardy in 2011. The 30-year-old switch-hitter batted .230/.277/.268 in 513 plate appearances, but posted an above-average UZR/150 (5.8) in 1250 innings on defense.

The Orioles have also signed Nick Green to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Sun (via Connolly on Twitter). The 32-year-old picked up just 23 plate appearances last year, but he has a career .237/.305/.348 line in parts of six MLB seasons. Connolly suggests Harris, Andino and Green will likely battle for one roster spot in Spring Training.

International Links: Reyes, Molina, Anderson

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Links in three very different-sounding accents of Spanish…

  • Jose Reyes has heard the rumors, and he met with Mets GM Sandy Alderson last week to discuss them, the shortstop told Juan Mercado at the Dominican paper El Dia. "[Alderson] assured me that [a trade] wouldn't happen, however, I recognize that this is a business," Reyes said. He added that the Mets picking up his $11MM option for 2011 was a "good sign," but reiterated his hopes for the future, saying, "I've repeated many times that I don't want to leave the Mets, since I feel very comfortable here."
  • Yadier Molina says the Cardinals have approached his elder brother Bengie about backing him up at catcher next season. "They want to get him, but they're waiting for his decision," Yadier told Lester Jimenez at the Puerto Rican daily Primera Hora. The younger Molina said he was confident Bengie could still handle a starting job at 36, and still might seek a contract as such, "but if he's thinking of retirement and wants to take it easy as a backup catcher, then I want him here with me."
  • The Rays' options to replace Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford could extend beyond in-house options Dan Johnson and Desmond Jennings, or free agents such as Edwin Encarnacion. The agent for Leslie Anderson told El Nuevo Herald's Jorge Ebro that the versatile Cuban prospect will be in the mix for both the Ray's outfield and first base openings this spring. After signing a four-year, $3.75MM deal last March, Anderson put up a combined .302/.359/.442 line in 422 PAs across the Rays system, including a .328/.359/.418 showing at Triple-A Durham.

Cliff Lee Rumors: Friday

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It's a good time to be Cliff Lee. The Yankees made the left-hander a number of proposals and, after meeting with him in Arkansas, the Rangers did the same. Don't count out the Angels or Nationals, who have also expressed interest this week, and don't forget about those mystery teams. Here are yesterday's Lee rumors and we'll keep track of the latest on the 2008 Cy Young Award winner right here:

  • Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg, co-owner Ray Davis and assistant general manager Thad Levine visited Lee's home in Little Rock on Thursday, and Levine talks to ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durrett about the trip.
  • Tyler Kepner of the New York Times gets the sense from people involved that Lee feels a pull toward Texas (Twitter link). However, Kepner expects Lee to take the Yankees' seven-year, $161MM offer.
  • Sabathia may be recruiting Lee for the Yankees, but Rangers starter Tommy Hunter tells Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News that he's trying to keep Lee in Texas.
  • The Yankees and Rangers don't expect a decision from Lee for a few days, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link).
  • Nothing appears to have changed overnight, reports ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • C.C. Sabathia continues to encourage his former Indians teammate to join him in New York, according to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News.

Mariners Sign Jack Cust

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The Mariners have signed Jack Cust on a one-year deal, according to a team press release.  No terms were announced, but Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets Cust's base salary is around $2.5MM.

Cust, 32 in January, hit .272/.395/.438 in 425 plate appearances for the Athletics before being non-tendered this month.  He's spent time at the outfield corners and designated hitter, and will probably stick to the latter for Seattle.  He is represented by TWC Sports.

Morosi (Twitter link) first broke the news of the agreement and the terms, with Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times adding that Cust can match last year's $2.65MM salary through incentives.  Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first tweeted a deal was close.

Mark Polishuk contributed to this post

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