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Archives for January 26, 2010

Athletics Still Talking To Johnny Damon

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4:45pm: Jeff Fletcher at AOL FanHouse says that Damon is unlikely to end up in Oakland. GM Billy Beane says a utility infielder is the priority now.

1:12pm: In a pair of tweets, ESPN's Buster Olney says that the A's and free agent Johnny Damon are still talking even after they signed Ben Sheets. Damon wouldn't get much money, but if Oakland offers anything more than the $2MM the Yankees are bidding, he might be best off taking it.

It was originally reported that Damon would be a Plan B for the A's, meaning they'd only turn to him if the Sheets well dried up. It's worth nothing that Damon benefited greatly from the New Yankee Stadium, posting a .915 OPS at home and a .795 OPS on the road in 2009. Moving to Oakland on a one-year deal might not be the best move if he's looking to boost his value for a potential payday after the 2010 season.

Padres Sign Matt Stairs

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TUESDAY, 4:06pm: MLB.com's Corey Brock tweets that the deal is now official.

SATURDAY, 4:05pm: The Padres will sign Matt Stairs, according to a tweet from ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  The soon-to-be 42-year-old has a minor league deal with a major league invite, though Crasnick says (via Twitter) that it appears he has a very good chance of making the roster.

Stairs is hoping to be San Diego's left-handed bat off of the bench.  Earlier in the week, Crasnick reported that Stairs dropped a whopping 31 pounds in order to get himself into shape for Spring Training.

Stairs hit .194/.357/.379 with 5 HRs in 129 plate appearances for the Phillies last season.

Cardinals Sign Rich Hill

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The Cardinals have signed free agent lefty Rich Hill, and invited him to Spring Training according to the team's official Twitter feed. The Orioles non-tendered Hill after he posted a 7.80 ERA in 13 starts (and one relief appearance) last season, and he missed the second half after having surgery on his pitching shoulder. 

The soon to be 30-year-old has been plagued by extreme control issues since the breakout 2007 season that saw him post a 3.92 ERA with a 8.4 K/9 in 32 starts for the Cubs. He's walked 111 batters in 141.1 innings since then, majors and minors.

Reds Have Interest In Cabrera, Amezaga

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The Reds have some interest in free agents Orlando Cabrera and Alfredo Amezaga, reports John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer. The problem is that the team doesn't have much wiggle room financially.

“We’ve kicked it around a little bit,” (GM Walt) Jocketty said (of Cabrera). “We’re not sure it’s the right fit for us. And I don’t know if financially we’re in position to do it.”

“We’ve looked it a little bit,” Jocketty said (of Amezaga). “But he’s been hurt a lot. We have not talked to his agent at this point.”

The Nationals also expressed some interest in Cabrera, but we haven't heard about much interest in Amezaga. Jocketty also added that they have not talked to either Jermaine Dye or Gary Sheffield. 

Yankees Acquire Greg Golson

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The Yankees have acquired outfielder Greg Golson from the Rangers, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Texas will receive minor league infielder Mitch Hilligoss and cash considerations.

Texas designated Golson for assignment last week to make room on the 40-man roster for Khalil Greene. The 24-year-old righty hitter is a career .263/.308/.395 hitter with 140 stolen bases in the minors, though he hasn't had much success over A-ball. Hilligoss, 24, is a .275/.324/.352 career hitter and has yet to reach Double-A.

Phillies Claim Brian Bocock Off Waivers

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The Phillies have claimed infielder Brian Bocock off waivers from the Blue Jays, tweets MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Toronto just claimed Bocock off waivers from the Giants earlier this month. 

Bocock, 25 in March, spent most of '09 in High A ball, where he hit .241/.303/.339.  The speedy shortstop is hailed for his defense, according to Baseball America's '08 Handbook.

Note: an earlier version of this post contained incorrect information about the Phillies having higher priority than the Blue Jays for NL players.  Only trade waivers are league-specific.

Two Teams Left In Edmonds Sweepstakes

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There are only two teams left competing for the services of Jim Edmonds reports Rob Rains of The St. Louis Globe-Democrat, and the Cardinals are not one of them. It's unknown what kind of salary either team is offering, or if they're even guaranteeing him a roster spot, but Rains says the Cards likely would have offered him just the league minimum.

The 39-year-old Edmonds first made waves about a possible comeback last week, and he was reportedly contacted by multiple clubs soon thereafter. The Yankees are said to be looking for an outfielder, however GM Brian Cashman said that they aren't interested in Edmonds at all.

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