Pirates Designate Pedro Ciriaco For Assignment
The Pirates designated infielder Pedro Ciriaco, announced the Pirates in a press release making the Nate McLouth signing official. Ciriaco, 26, was acquired from Arizona in a 2010 trade deadline deal for Chris Snyder. He struggled offensively this year in Triple-A, playing mostly the middle infield positions.
Angels Closer To Adding Bullpen Depth
The Angels are "getting closer to solving some of our desire to get deeper in the bullpen," if anything, GM Jerry Dipoto told reporters including MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. Dipoto noted that he wants to find someone to complement Jordan Walden, not replace him.
Pirates Designate Jason Jaramillo For Assignment
The Pirates designated catcher Jason Jaramillo for assignment today upon announcing the Erik Bedard signing, according to a press release. Jaramillo, 29, hit .276/.368/.373 in 155 Triple-A plate appearances this year.
Pirates Sign Erik Bedard
The Pirates have agreed to sign lefty Erik Bedard, MLBTR has confirmed. Canadian journalist Marc Brassard first tweeted news of an impending $4.5MM deal, and the Pirates have since announced the deal. Bedard is represented by SFX.
Bedard, 32, is coming off his healthiest season since 2007. This year for the Mariners and Red Sox he posted a 3.62 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 0.97 HR/9, and 42% groundball rate in 129 1/3 innings. He missed time with knee and lat sprains, which wasn't too bad after shoulder surgeries limited him to 164 innings for 2008-09. The signing has upside for the Pirates, who needed some depth after losing Paul Maholm to free agency. Additionally, Charlie Morton had hip surgery in October and could miss the start of the season.
White Sox, Red Sox Meeting On Danks, Floyd
The White Sox and Red Sox are meeting to discuss Chicago starters John Danks and Gavin Floyd, tweets ESPNBoston's Gordon Edes. Yesterday White Sox GM Kenny Williams called the Sergio Santos trade "the start of a rebuilding," but said that he'd probably keep his pitching intact due to insufficient offers.
Padres Designate Jeremy Hermida For Assignment
The Padres designated outfielder Jeremy Hermida for assignment, announced the team. Hermida, a 27-year-old former top prospect, hit .319/.400/.524 in 450 Triple-A plate appearances this year.
Giants Close To Re-Signing Guillermo Mota
The Giants are close to re-signing reliever Guillermo Mota, tweets John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Mota, 38, posted a 3.81 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 1.12 HR/9, and 40.8% groundball rate in 80 1/3 innings for the Giants this year, earning $925K.
Red Sox, Rangers Discussing Trades
The Rangers met with the Red Sox this morning, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The Sox have interest in Rangers relievers Koji Uehara and Mark Lowe, while the Rangers like infielder Jed Lowrie. Uehara and Lowe are both eligible for free agency after the 2012 season, while Lowrie is under team control through 2014.
The Orioles and other teams are interested in Uehara as well, but the Rangers still hold him in high regard despite his struggles late in the year for them.
Cubs, Rockies Still Discussing Ian Stewart
1:37pm: The Rockies and Cubs are discussing Stewart for Colvin, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
12:44pm: The Cubs and Rockies have continued to discuss third baseman Ian Stewart over the last week, reports ESPNChicago's Bruce Levine. Cubs players Blake DeWitt, DJ LeMahieu, and Tyler Colvin have been discussed.
The Cubs are also looking at the Padres' Chase Headley, notes Levine.
Mets Will Get Marlins’ Second-Round Pick For Reyes
WEDNESDAY: The Mets have been told they'll receive the Marlins' second-round pick for Reyes, tweets Ken Davidoff of Newsday. For losing Bell, the Padres will get an extra pick right before the Mets' second-round compensation pick (plus a supplemental round pick). I presume the Mets' pick from the Marlins can still be downgraded if the Marlins sign Pujols or Wilson.
MONDAY: The Mets will receive the Marlins' third-round pick as compensation for Jose Reyes, based on an article three days ago from ESPNNewYork's Adam Rubin. The Mets will also receive an earlier, supplemental round pick in the 2012 draft. Reyes agreed to a six-year, $106MM contract with the Marlins last night.
One might think that since the Marlins did not have to surrender a pick to the Padres to sign Heath Bell, the Mets would get the Marlins' second-rounder. However, an MLB official told Rubin that Bell's higher Elias ranking still pushes the Mets' Reyes pick to the Marlins' third-rounder. We'll have to see if Mets GM Sandy Alderson confirms, or even if MLB will make an exception given this strange situation.
At 77.249, Reyes was a lower Type A free agent, and the Mets' pick from the Marlins could be pushed back an additional round if the Marlins also add a higher-ranked Type A such as C.J. Wilson, Prince Fielder, or Albert Pujols.