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Gregg Drawing Interest, Will Turn Down Arbitration

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Kevin Gregg is drawing interest from the Angels, Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays and will turn down Toronto's offer of arbitration, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). All four of those teams could be in the market for a closer, but they aren't the only ones interested in Gregg.

Since the right-hander is a Type B free agent, teams won't have to surrender a draft choice to sign him. The Blue Jays will obtain a supplementary first rounder if Gregg signs a big league deal elsewhere. If you're wondering which ranked free agents have accepted or turned down arbitration, check out MLBTR's free agent arbitration offer tracker.

When Mike Axisa broke down Gregg's free agent stock yesterday, he explained that closing experience, a history of health and high strikeout rates should play in Gregg's favor. The 32-year-old walks lots of hitters, but he may very well get another chance to close.

Giants Contact Jeter’s Agent

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The Giants have contacted Casey Close, the agent for Derek Jeter, according to Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal. However, the Giants are not seriously pursuing Jeter and there’s no evidence that a team other than the Yankees is bidding on the shortstop.

A rival executive tells Costa that he fully expects Jeter to re-sign in New York, even though his representatives are in contact with other teams. The Giants, who recently lost Juan Uribe to the rival Dodgers, are focusing on finding a shortstop. Though it's highly unlikely that the Giants sign Jeter, they do have a connection to him. When the Yankees drafted Jeter in 1992, current Giants GM Brian Sabean was their vice president of player development.

Jeter and the Yankees are far apart, though the team has made multiple proposals. GM Brian Cashman encouraged Close to talk to other clubs and it appears that the agent has acted accordingly.

Rangers, Torrealba Agree To Two-Year Deal

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The Rangers agreed to sign Yorvit Torrealba to a two-year, $6.25MM deal that will pay the catcher $3MM in 2011 and $3.25MM in 2012. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram first reported the deal (on Twitter) and Anthony Andro of the Star-Telegram reported the terms of the contract (on Twitter).

Torrealba and his representatives at MDR Sports moved on from the Padres, who offered him arbitration, but not a multi-year deal. San Diego will rely on Nick Hundley to take on a bigger role and obtain a supplementary first round draft pick for losing Torrealba, a Type B free agent.

Torrealba hit .271/.343/.378 in 363 plate appearances last year. He batted more in 2010 than in any year except 2007, the lone season of his career in which he caught 100-plus games. The former Giant and Rockie has a .708 OPS in parts of ten big league seasons.  Tip of the cap to MLBTR's Mark Polishuk, who correctly predicted on November 10th that Torrealba would land with the Rangers.

It seems likely that free agent Bengie Molina will sign elsewhere and that Max Ramirez and Taylor Teagarden will be candidates to back Torrealba up. Rod Barajas, Gerald Laird, Miguel Olivo, A.J. Pierzynski and Jason Varitek are among the catchers still available on the free agent market.

Boras & Angels Have Met Multiple Times

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Scott Boras says he has met with Angels officials to discuss his free agent clients more than once this offseason, according to Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The agent represents Adrian Beltre, Jayson Werth and Rafael Soriano, the Boras client the Angels appear to be targeting most pointedly. Though Carl Crawford remains the Angels’ top free agent target, it appears that they can afford both Crawford and Soriano.

Though Boras has presumably been in contact with most or all of baseball's 30 teams since the World Series, the Angels figure to be of particular interest. They have multiple offseason needs and the resources to address them with free agent additions. Boras, meanwhile, has a suite at Angel Stadium, which is relatively near his agency's Newport Beach headquarters.

Astros Talk Extension With Wandy, Not Bourn, Pence

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Astros GM Ed Wade told Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle that the team has discussed a multi-year deal with Wandy Rodriguez, but not with Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence, who are further away from free agency. Rodriguez hits free agency after the 2011 season, Bourn after the 2012 season and Pence after the 2013 season.

Rodriguez’s representatives approached Wade about a deal during the season, but the sides postponed serious talks until the winter. A year ago, the Astros won their arbitration case against the left-hander, limiting him to a $5MM salary in 2010. 

An extension would likely pay Rodriguez $7-8MM in 2011 and $10MM or more for each season of free agency the Astros buy out. Tim Dierkes suggested this summer that Joe Blanton’s three-year $24MM contract could become a model for the Astros and Rodriguez.

The 31-year-old posted a 3.60 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 195 innings last year. It was the third consecutive season he has had an ERA of 3.60 or better and a strikeout rate of 8.0 per nine or better.

Theriot Will Draw Interest If Non-Tendered

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The Dodgers may not tender Ryan Theriot a contract, but the infielder should draw interest from other clubs if he's non-tendered. MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli suggests (on Twitter) that he'll be "very, very attractive to the Orioles" if non-tendered and Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes (on Twitter) that he expects the Rockies to have interest if the Dodgers don't offer Theriot a contract.

The Dodgers agreed to terms with Juan Uribe today, so they're set at second. Rafael Furcal will play short, so there's likely no everyday role for Theriot on the team. He was a non-tender candidate before Uribe agreed to play in L.A., so it wouldn't be surprising to see the Dodgers cut him loose.

Theriot, who turns 31 next week, can play second or short. He batted .270/.321/.312 in 640 plate appearances with the Cubs and Dodgers last year, swiping 20 bases in 29 attempts. Though Theriot has never hit for power, he has some speed and a career .348 on base percentage.

The Giants, Padres, Cardinals, Nationals, Mariners and Twins could also show interest in Theriot if he hits the open market. He earned $2.6MM in 2010 and would likely see his salary jump past $3MM through the arbitration process.

Andy LaRoche, Delwyn Young Elect Free Agency

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Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young elected free agency today after clearing outright waivers, MLBTR has learned.  LaRoche, Young, and Zach Duke were designated for assignment by the Pirates ten days ago, with Duke being traded to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

MLBTR pegged all three as non-tender candidates on November 2nd, so infielders LaRoche and Young are just reaching free agency a few days early.  Both former Dodgers prospects struggled to hit at the Major League level, but they're on the right side of 30 and can play multiple positions.

Yankees Rumors: Jeter, Rivera

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The latest Yankees talk…

  • Talks between the Yankees and Derek Jeter are "at a standstill until Jeter and his agent, Casey Close, 'drink the reality potion,'" a source close to the negotiations tells ESPN's Wallace Matthews.  The Yankees are stuck on three years and $45MM, while Jeter wants more years and $23-25MM annually.  Matthews says the Yankees are not budging from their offer, though SI's Jon Heyman expects them to up the money but not the years this week.
  • The Yankees and Mariano Rivera, on the other hand, are progressing smoothly in their negotiations according to ESPN's Andrew Marchand.  Rivera could be bumped to $16-17MM per year, but it's unknown whether the Yankees will guarantee two years.
  • Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues estimates Phil Hughes' first-year arbitration reward in the $3.2-3.5MM range.

Odds & Ends: Alexei Ramirez, Crawford, Hall

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Five years ago today, the Blue Jays signed closer B.J. Ryan to a five-year, $47MM deal, the largest ever for a reliever (the contract was later matched in total by Joe Nathan).  Ryan gave the Jays two solid seasons, earning his release in '09.  Today's links:

Tigers Designate Zach Miner For Assignment

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The Tigers designated righty Zach Miner for assignment to clear a spot for Victor Martinez, according to a team press release.  Miner had Tommy John surgery on May 28th, so a non-tender was expected on Thursday anyway.

Miner, 29 in March, posted a 4.24 ERA, 5.5 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9 in his four seasons with the Tigers.  He had a strong 56.1% groundball rate in '07, but it dropped off in the two following campaigns.

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