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Royals Agree To Terms With Betemit, Pena

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The Royals have agreed to terms on one-year contracts with infielder Wilson Betemit and catcher Brayan Pena, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  Betemit will make $1MM next season, while Pena will earn $660K.  The Royals avoid going to arbitration with both players.

Betemit signed a minor league deal with Kansas City last winter and ended up delivering a career-best season in 2010.   He hit .297/.378/.511 in 315 plate appearances with the Royals and received regular playing time at third base following Alberto Callaspo's trade to the Angels.  Betemit just turned 29 last month and is a nice bargain at that price for K.C. given his versatile infield glove and his switch-hitting bat.

Pena is expected to take on at least a platoon role behind the plate next season.  He has a .703 OPS in 357 plate appearances over his two years in Kansas City.

Dodgers Re-Sign Rod Barajas

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The Dodgers have re-signed catcher Rod Barajas to a one-year contract, according to a team press release.  Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter) reports that the deal is worth $3.25MM. That's some nice work from agent Dan Lozano given that the catcher had to settle for a $500K minor league contract from the Mets last February.

Barajas, 35, excelled in 72 plate appearances after the Dodgers acquired him for the stretch run. He had three hits, including a homer, in his first game as a Dodger and batted .297/.361/.578 overall. He doesn't reach base often, as his career .284 on base percentage shows, but he has some power.

Barajas, who drew interest from the Red Sox earlier in the offseason, is one of many catchers Los Angeles considered, particularly given yesterday's non-tender of Russell Martin, The Dodgers would not have obtained compensation for losing Barajas (a Type B free agent) to another team, since they did not offer arbitration.

Hernandez was the first to report that the Dodgers were close to a deal with Barajas, and also had the information about the contract's length (Twitter links).

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk contributed to this post

Vlad Willing To Give Rangers A One-Year Discount

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Vladimir Guerrero wants a three-year contract from other clubs, but is willing to accept a two-year deal to return to Texas, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  "Length of contract appears to be more important to Guerrero than the financial terms," Sullian writes, and he also says that the Rangers would prefer bringing Guerrero back on just a one-year pact.

The Rangers declined their $9MM option on Guerrero for 2011 and didn't offer him salary arbitration, so he can be signed by any team without the loss of a draft pick.  We've heard that Guerrero has been talking to at least four teams, including the Rangers, but his desire for a multi-year contract may be a hurdle given his age (36) and the fact he's limited to just a DH role.

Given Guerrero's popularity in the Rangers clubhouse and his big role in their march to the AL pennant, the club could give Guerrero the two-year deal he wants if it comes with a very modest raise on the $5.5MM he made in 2010.  It's hard to see any team giving Guerrero a three-year contract, however, so he may be forced to lower his demands to two years for everyone, or perhaps sign a one-year deal with a vesting option.

Minor Deals: Red Sox, Bale, Perdomo

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Today's minor league signings feature the pitcher who has the second most strikeouts in Washington Nationals history. Here are the details:

  • The Red Sox announced they have signed Nate Spears, Santo Luis and Jason Bergmann and confirmed they have signed Brandon Duckworth and Drew Sutton.
  • Bergmann, 29, has a 5.04 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in parts of six seasons with the Nationals. He posted a 2.84 ERA with 9.9 K/9 in 43 relief appearances for Washington's Triple-A affiliate in 2010.
  • The Tigers signed lefty John Bale to a minor league deal according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Daniel Schlereth and Brad Thomas are the only two lefties on Detroit's roster, so the Tigers are looking to add depth. Bale, 36, has a 4.66 ERA in parts of seven big league seasons, but didn't play pro ball in 2010.
  • The Padres agreed to terms with right-hander Luis Perdomo on a minor league deal, the team announced. They non-tendered Perdomo yesterday, but he wasn't a free agent for long.

Athletics Avoid Arbitration With Ryan Sweeney

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The Athletics have signed outfielder Ryan Sweeney to a one-year contract, reports MLB.com's Evan Drellich.  The deal will pay Sweeney $1.4MM in 2011, according to the Associated Press.  Sweeney was one of seven players tendered contracts by Oakland yesterday, and the signing means the club avoids arbitration with the 25-year-old.  Sweeney is represented by agent Larry Reynolds.

Sweeney hit .294/.342/.383 in 331 plate appearances with the A's in 2010, though he didn't play after July 11 due to a right knee injury that eventually required surgery.  Since coming to Oakland as part of the Nick Swisher trade in January 2008, Sweeney has a .740 OPS in 1298 plate appearances and has played all three outfield positions, though he mostly stuck to right field last year.  Sweeney made $420K with the A's last season and this would've been his first year of arbitration eligibility.

Mets Rumors: Young, Francis, Perez

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Here's the latest on the Mets as their first offseason under new GM Sandy Alderson continues:

  • Alderson guaranteed that the Mets will come back from the Winter Meetings "with some new players," according to Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). Alderson cautioned, however, that he doesn't have much financial flexibility.
  • The Mets have not offered contracts to free-agent pitchers Chris Young and Jeff Francis, contrary to reports, notes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (via Twitter). Young and Francis are thought to be good fits for the Mets as low-cost, potentially high-reward hurlers who have enjoyed success in the past and could benefit from Citi Field's spacious dimensions.
  • Alderson said that he expects Oliver Perez to report to Spring Training, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork (via Twitter). The embattled Perez is currently in the Mexican Winter League after pitching in just 17 games last season due to injury and ineffectiveness. He's entering the final year of a three-year pact he signed prior to the 2009 season.
  • Alderson said that the Mets probably won't be engaged in talks of contract extensions with any of their players prior to Spring Training, according to Rubin (via Twitter). Of note, shortstop Jose Reyes is in the final year of his contract after having his 2011 team option picked up earlier this offseason.

Angels Sign Hisanori Takahashi

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FRIDAY, 4:40pm: Takahashi received a two-year deal worth $8MM, according to David Lennon of Newsday (via Twitter).

THURSDAY: The Angels got started with what will likely be a busy offseason, signing versatile left-hander Hisanori Takahashi to a two-year deal. The terms of the deal are unknown.

Takahashi, 36 in April, posted a 3.61 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 1.0 HR/9, and 38.4% groundball rate in 122 innings this year for the Mets.  Takahashi was especially strong as a reliever in his MLB debut season, posting a 2.04 ERA, 9.4 K/9, and 3.5 BB/9 in 57 1/3 innings out of the pen.  He even picked up eight saves in as many tries.  Takahashi is tough on lefties and should take on a late-inning role for the Halos.    

The Mets had until October 31st to re-sign Takahashi per the terms of his contract, which was later extended until November 5th.  The Mets were unwilling to offer multiple years.

Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times reported that the Angels announced the deal after David Waldstein of the New York Times reported that the sides were close to a multiyear contract.

Rangers Close To Bringing Back Treanor

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The Rangers are close to announcing that they are re-signing catcher Matt Treanor, who will likely serve as backup to the recently acquired Yorvit Torrealba, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Rangers GM Jon Daniels told Sullivan that he's "pretty confident that Matt is coming back."

Treanor, acquired by the Rangers in a trade with the Tigers on March 22nd, ascended to a platoon role with Bengie Molina during the Rangers' run to the World Series following a rash of injuries and ineffectiveness at the catcher position for Texas at the big league level. Treanor played in 82 games, batting .211/.287/.388.

Reds To Extend Bronson Arroyo

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The Reds agreed to a three-year, $35MM extension with Bronson Arroyo, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The deal will cover the 2011-13 seasons, though Arroyo was already under contract for $13MM in 2011, since the Reds picked up their club option.  Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports that the contract doesn't include a no-trade clause, but Arroyo will gain 10-and-5 rights in April 2012 and the pitcher was "given enough assurance" by owner Bob Castellini to ensure that he will stay in Cincinnati.

A great deal of Arroyo's salary will be deferred, Rosenthal reports.  The hurler will receive $6.5MM in 2011 and $7MM in 2012, but will see $15MM of the $18MM that he is owed in 2013 deferred.  It is interesting to note that the deferral is voided if Arroyo is traded.  This essentially grants Arroyo a no-trade clause as it is extremely unlikely that any club will want to pay him $18MM in '13.

Arroyo, 34 in Febraury, logged 215 2/3 innings in 2010, reaching 200 innings for the sixth consecutive season. The 11-year-veteran posted a 3.88 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.

Ted Lilly, who turns 35 in January, signed a three-year, $33MM contract that may have been a point of reference in the negotiations. Another lefty, Jorge de la Rosa, recently agreed to a three-year, $32MM deal with the Rockies.

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