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Marlins Sign Javier Vazquez

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After a second disappointing stint with the Yankees, Javier Vazquez is returning to the National League. Vazquez has officially signed a one-year contract worth $7MM with the Marlins. He also receives a full no-trade clause, and the team has agreed not to offer the righty arbitration next offseason.

Since the season ended, the Marlins have appeared to be one of the favorites to sign the 34-year-old; Florida had a little cash to spend on pitching after trading Dan Uggla to the Braves, and Vazquez expressed interest in joining the team, which plays its home games near his native Puerto Rico. The Nationals, Cubs, and Rockies also had varying levels of interest in Vazquez, who passed on two-year offers for the chance to pitch close to home.

Vazquez agreed to turn down an arbitration offer from the Yankees, which means New York will receive a supplementary pick in next year's draft. Because Vazquez is a Type B free agent, the Marlins will not have to surrender a pick in the deal.

Although he struggled to a 5.32 ERA and was eventually removed from the Yankees' rotation in 2010, Vazquez was extremely effective the last time he played in the NL East. In 2009, he finished fourth in Cy Young voting, pitching to a 2.87 ERA and striking out more than a batter per inning for the Braves. I named him as a pitcher who could benefit from a move to the NL this winter, so joining the Marlins makes him a decent bet to bounce back in 2011.

Bill Ladson of MLB.com first wrote that the two sides were closing in on a deal, while Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) reported that an agreement had been reached. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports later tweeted the contract details.

Rockies Aggressively Pursuing Berkman

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THURSDAY, 7:51am: The Rockies' initial offer to Berkman was low, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  It appears Berkman is looking for $8-10MM, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  Rosenthal notes that if Berkman were to sign with Oakland, he would spend some time in the field.

WEDNESDAY, 6:50pm: The Rockies are aggressively pursuing free agent outfielder Lance Berkman, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post.  Renck writes that the slugger will likely get offered more money elsewhere but his preference to return to the National League helps Colorado's chances.  Berkman recently said that there are eight teams interested in him this winter.

While the 34-year-old slugger won't rule out being a DH, he says that he is still capable of playing either first base or corner outfield.  Berkman has not played the outfield since 2007 but claims to have made a full recovery from the arthroscopic knee surgery he underwent in March.

In 122 games for the Astros and Yankees last season, the five-time All-Star hit .248/.368/.413 with 14 homers in 481 plate appearances.

Red Sox Met With Crawford, Werth

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THURSDAY, 12:10am: Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona met with Scott Boras and Jayson Werth in Chicago on Wednesday, reports ESPN's Gordon Edes.

WEDNESDAY, 1:58pm: The Red Sox are serious about Crawford and have met with him and his representatives in Houston, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (on Twitter).  The Angels have also met face-to-face with Crawford, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

8:28am: The Red Sox have been relatively quiet this offseason, making a waiver claim and a couple minor trades, but generally staying out of the spotlight. They’ve been busy behind the scenes, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald who reports the team is working hard to sign Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth.

Silverman suggests Crawford is asking for an eight-year deal and Werth is asking for a six-year deal.  Since teams such as the Angels, Rangers and Tigers could use outfielders and have money, the asking price in terms of dollars and years figures to remain high for both players.

As Silverman points out, a new deal could surpass the J.D. Drew and John Lackey contracts to become the largest free agent deal under Boston's current ownership group.

Yankees Re-Sign Sergio Mitre

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The Yankees have re-signed Sergio Mitre to a one-year, $900K deal, reports Jerry Crasnick of ESPN (via Twitter).  The right-hander could earn up to $200K more through incentives.  Mitre was entering his third year of arbitration eligibility.

Mitre appeared in 27 games for the Yanks in 2010, registering a 3.33 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9.  While the 29-year-old didn't start many games for the Bombers last season, he does have 64 career starts to his credit, giving the Yankees an option as a spot starter.

Twins Notes: Pavano, Thome, Capps

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Let's take a look at some Twins-related items courtesy of MLB.com's Kelly Thesier..

  • The Twins would still like to retain Carl Pavano after the hurler turned down arbitration from the club.  However, the big question is whether Minnesota is willing to meet Pavano's asking price.  It has been said that Pavano is after something similar to the three-year, $33MM deal Ted Lilly signed with the Dodgers.  The right-hander could be in line for a big payday as the events of this offseason have left him as the second best starter on the open market.
  • There's still no word on whether Jim Thome wants to return to baseball in 2011 for his 21st season in the majors.  However, the Twins continue to be interested in bringing the veteran slugger back.  In October, Thome said that he was leaning towards playing in 2011.
  • One reader asks Thesier if the club might non-tender Matt Capps in order to spend on a different reliever.  That won't be the case though as GM Bill Smith will definitely extend Capps an arbitration offer.  The 27-year-old gives the club insurance as a closing option in case Joe Nathan is not healthy at the start of the season.

Odds & Ends: Tejeda, Tigers, Lee, Pena

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Wednesday night linkage..

Reliever Brian Shouse Retires

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Longtime relief pitcher Brian Shouse is retiring after 21 seasons in professional baseball, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. 

“It has been a long and fun career,” the 42-year-old said. “It lasted much longer than I anticipated.”

By age 33, Shouse had just 13 major league games to his credit.  After spending some time with Kansas City in 2002, the reliever hooked on with Texas and established himself as a major-league caliber pitcher.  He arguably enjoyed his best season in 2008 when at age 39 he registered a 2.81 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 69 games for the Brewers.

Shouse signed a minor-league deal with Boston in January but was cut before the start of the season. He then secured a minor-league contract with Tampa Bay in July but couldn't find his way back to the majors.

Rangers Have Some Interest In Mark Prior

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Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels has some interest in bringing Mark Prior back for 2011, writes Richard Durrett of ESPN.com.  Prior inked a minor league deal with the club just before the end of the 2010 season and pitched just one inning for their Triple-A affiliate.

"He's a free agent now and we have discussed him coming back," the GM said. "There’s a level of interest."

Texas could possibly bring the right-hander into spring training to find out what he can do as a reliever.  Recently, Prior's agent John Boggs told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that his client has offers from three teams.

Prior hasn't pitched at the major league level since 2006 due to injuries.  In his sophomore campaign in 2003, Prior posted a 2.43 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9.

 

 

Blue Jays Interested In Matt Guerrier

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The Blue Jays are showing interest in reliever Matt Guerrier, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  The right-hander was not offered arbitration by Minnesota and therefore will not cost a top draft pick.  Had he received an arbitration offer from the Twins, he would have been a Type A free agent.

Guerrier posted a 3.17 ERA in 2010 with 5.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 74 appearances.  The 32-year-old earned $3.15MM this season and our own Ben Nicholson-Smith doesn't see him making more than $4-5MM in 2011.

Earlier this week we learned that Toronto is also reportedly interested in another reliever familiar to the Twins organization, Jesse Crain. 

 

Rangers To Make Lee An Official Offer

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4:23pm: The Rangers met with Lee in Arkansas yesterday, GM Jon Daniels confirmed to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Daniels declined to say whether the team has made Lee a formal offer.

10:39am: The Yankees haven’t made Lee an offer, a source tells Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com. In fact, agent Darek Braunecker isn’t looking for proposals just yet.

“He really doesn't want any offers until next week,” Matthews’ source said. “He wants to be the ringmaster at the winter meetings. I don't expect anything to get done until after that."

8:50am: The Rangers are on the verge of making Cliff Lee an official offer, according to George A. King III of the New York Post. A source tells King that the Rangers are prepared to offer a five-year deal and believe the Yankees have already offered a five or six-year deal. Though Lee’s agent wouldn’t confirm specifics, he did acknowledge that talks are progressing.

"We are starting to move stuff along," Darek Braunecker told the Post.

If the Rangers lose Lee to the Yankees, they will likely consider trading for Zack Greinke. The Royals like Rangers prospects Martin Perez and Tanner Scheppers, according to King. 

Though Yahoo’s Jeff Passan reported that Greinke would not necessarily mind pitching in the Bronx, the Yankees aren’t so sure. They don’t believe that the right-hander wants to pitch for them, according to King.

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