Odds & Ends: McCrory, Gregg, Hill

A year ago today, the Giants signed Mark DeRosa to a two-year, $12MM deal.  Due to a wrist injury, DeRosa wasn't a factor in the team's World Championship.  Today's links:

• The Chiba Lotte Marines announced the signing of Bob McCrory, writes NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman.  McCrory, 29 in May, had labrum surgery in October of 2009, became a minor league free agent, failed a physical for the Red Sox, and ended up making 19 appearances for Baltimore's Double-A affiliate this year.
• Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun is surprised by the lack of a resolution in the Orioles' month-long pursuit of reliever Kevin Gregg.  Zrebiec notes that the O's have "some interest" in Jon Rauch, and there are plenty of other available free agents as well.
• Free agent designated hitters lack leverage in contract negotiations, writes Dave Cameron of FanGraphs.  We explored this situation yesterday in trying to find possible fits for Manny Ramirez.
• Red Sox lefty Rich Hill explains the origin of his signature curveball, talking to WEEI's Alex Speier.
• A reminder: in addition to our list of remaining available free agents, MLBTR has a free agent tracker that allows you to filter signed players by team, position,  years, and amount.