It's been a busy seven days since last Sunday. Let's look back at the top stories from last week:
- Doubters of a Cliff Lee mystery team were silenced when the Phillies swooped in and signed the market's top free agent to a five-year deal worth $120MM with a vesting option. Here's some reactions to Lee's signing and his decision to leave tens of millions of dollars on the table.
- Lee wasn't the only big name pitcher to change teams this week. The Brewers jumped in and acquired Zack Greinke (along with Yuniesky Betancourt and cash) for Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Jeremy Jeffress, and Jake Odorizzi. The move came not long after Greinke requested a trade. Here are some reactions.
- The Padres overhauled their middle infield with a pair of moves. The long awaited Jason Bartlett trade was finalized, with four players (Brandon Gomes, Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos, and Cole Figueroa) going to Tampa. San Diego also received a player to be named later. The Padres also agreed to terms with Orlando Hudson on a two-year deal worth $11.5MM, and received Eric Patterson from the Red Sox as the player to be named later in the Adrian Gonzalez trade.
- Minnesota strengthened its middle infield as well, signing Tsuyoshi Nishioka to a three-year deal worth $9MM. There is also an option for a fourth year.
- The A's bolstered their offense with two moves this week. First, they signed Hideki Matsui to a one-year deal worth $4.25MM. Secondly, they acquired Josh Willingham from the Nationals in exchange for Henry Rodriguez and minor leaguer Corey Brown. Oakland also brought back Rich Harden on a one-year, $1.5MM deal and signed Brandon McCarthy for one year and $1MM.
- The Tigers brought back Magglio Ordonez to deepen their lineup, signing him for one year and $10MM. They are now looking at Brad Penny and a few other free agent starters.
- Lee wasn't the only one who turned down more money to go where he wanted. Despite a larger offer from the White Sox, Kerry Wood signed for just one year and $1.5MM to return to the Cubs, where it all began.
- Wood certainly wasn't the only reliever to sign this week, in fact a whole bunch came off the board. The Red Sox signed Bobby Jenks (two-years, $12MM), Dan Wheeler (one year, $3MM with a vesting option), Andrew Miller (minor league contract), and Matt Albers (unknown terms). The Yankees agreed to sign Pedro Feliciano (two years, $8MM with an option) and Mark Prior (minor league deal). The Orioles brought in Jeremy Accardo (one year, $1.08MM) and re-signed Koji Uehara (one-year, $3MM with a vesting option). The Marlins signed Randy Choate (two-years, $2.5MM)and the Dodgers signed Matt Guerrier (three-years, $12MM). The White Sox agreed to deals with Jesse Crain (three-years, $13MM) and Brian Bruney (minor league deal). The Rays signed Joel Peralta (one year, $900K) and J.P. Howell (one year, $1.1MM). The Nationals brought in Chad Gaudin on a minor league deal.
- The Red Sox are still looking at some lefties for their bullpen, and the Phillies will as well after their deal with Dennys Reyes fell apart. Joe Beimel has a few offers, and David Aardsma is available.
- Adrian Beltre received a "significant" offer from the Angels and the Rangers may be pursuing him aggressively. The Nationals are one of several teams interested in Derrek Lee while the O's are on Adam LaRoche. The Braves are optimistic about signing Dan Uggla long-term.
- The quartet of backup catchers landed with new teams. Henry Blanco signed with the Diamondbacks for one-year and $1MM, while Gerald Laird and Dioner Navarro got the same exact contract from the Cardinals and Dodgers, respectively. Matt Treanor took one-year and $850K from the Rangers. The Yankees signed Russell Martin for one-year and $4MM (with incentives), though he'll be a starter.
- Arizona imported Xavier Nady on a one-year deal worth $1.75MM while the Pirates brought in Matt Diaz for two-years and $4.25MM. Lyle Overbay also went to Pittsburgh for one-year and $5MM and Bill Hall joined the Astros for one-year and $3.25MM. The Nats added Matt Stairs on a minor league deal and the Blue Jays brought Edwin Encarnacion back a few weeks after waiving him.
- There's a bit of a hiccup in talks between the Marlins and Ricky Nolasco about a long-term extension. Despite strong interest in Matt Garza, the Rays aren't looking to trade a starting pitcher. Fausto Carmona is a popular target, however. Brandon Webb is likely to decide on a new club soon, but another injury rehab pitcher landed in Washington: Chien-Ming Wang re-upped with the Nats for one-year and $1MM with incentives.
- The Brewers avoided arbitration with Carlos Gomez as did the A's and Joey Devine.
- The Rangers took a flier on Seth McClung, and the Pirates finalized their contract with Kevin Correia. Pedro Martinez is "most likely" finished.