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Rays, Joel Peralta Avoid Arbitration

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1:44pm: Peralta will earn $2.175MM, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter). 

12:18pm: The Rays announced that they avoided arbitration with right-handed reliever Joel Peralta, and agreed to terms on a one-year, Major League contract for 2012. Mark Gilling represents Peralta, who had a projected $2MM salary for 2012, according to MLBTR's estimates.

Peralta, 35, posted a 2.93 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 27% ground ball rate in 67 2/3 innings of relief this past season. The Rays signed Peralta a year ago this week after the Nationals non-tendered him.

Oswalt Seeks One-Year Deal; Interest Picks Up

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Roy Oswalt was looking for a three-year deal earlier in the offseason, but he has since told teams he only wants a one-year contract, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (all Twitter links). The right-hander wants to prove that his back is healthy and re-enter the market a year from now in search of multiyear security. Six teams are now talking to Oswalt and agent Bob Garber about a possible deal, Crasnick reports.

The Red Sox, Blue Jays, Royals, Twins and Nationals are among the teams that could use rotation depth and may have interest in Oswalt. The Rockies had interest earlier in the offseason and while they could still use pitching depth, it's not clear if they still have the payroll flexibility to accommodate Oswalt or if he'd want to pitch in Denver.

Garber has said Oswalt feels “great,” even after two back-related stints on the disabled list in 2011. The 34-year-old made 23 starts and completed 139 innings this past season, posting a 3.69 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 45.1% ground ball rate. His average fastball velocity dropped to 91.4 mph, however. Oswalt was a Type A free agent, but the Phillies declined to offer him arbitration and he won't cost a draft pick.

Mets Interested In Eric Young Jr.

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The Mets have expressed interest in Eric Young Jr. of the Rockies, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Rubin's source indicated that the Mets may be able to obtain Young by sending Justin Turner to Colorado and that the teams continue discussing Jon Niese. However, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets that Turner's name hasn't come up yet.

Young, 26, has a .246/.324/.295 line with 15 extra base hits in 479 career plate appearances in three stints at the Major League level as an outfielder and second baseman. The Rockies' plans at second remain unclear, but the outfield has become crowded with the recent additions of Tyler Colvin and Michael Cuddyer.

The Rockies nearly traded Young to the Mariners during the Winter Meetings, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). All signs point to a trade involving Young before Spring Training, Renck reports.

Phillies Notes: Hamels, Galvis, Howard

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Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. expects to discuss a possible extension with left-hander Cole Hamels at some point this offseason, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Here are more notes on Hamels and the Phillies via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Daily News:

  • "I have got no indication that Cole wants to go anywhere and I think Cole knows we want to keep him," Amaro said, according to Berman. Hamels, 27, posted a 2.79 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 52.3% ground ball rate in 215 innings this past season. The John Boggs & Associates client is set to hit free agency after the 2012 season (MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $14MM salary for Hamels in his final season of arbitration eligibility).
  • Amaro re-signed Jimmy Rollins recently, but he still thinks 22-year-old shortstop prospect Freddy Galvis is a “very, very good quality prospect.”
  • Ryan Howard seems to be recovering well from his ruptured Achilles' tendon, Amaro said. The first baseman will likely go to Florida to continue his rehab at some point in the relatively near future.

Angels Interested In Dioner Navarro

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The Angels have interest in free agent catcher Dioner Navarro, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Chris Iannetta figures to get most of the playing time behind the plate in Anaheim, with former Angels catcher Jeff Mathis on the Blue Jays' roster.

Navarro, 27, signed a one-year, $1MM deal with the Dodgers a year ago. He posted a .193/.276/.324 line in 202 plate appearances for the Dodgers this past season, preventing 14 of 55 stolen base attempts against him. He hasn't posted an OPS over .600 since making the All-Star team as a member of the 2008 Rays.

The Angels' interest in Navarro indicates the team is open to options other than Hank Conger and Bobby Wilson. Both backstops appeared in 50-plus games in 2011, though the offense Conger provided as a minor leaguer has yet to translate to the Major Leagues.

Pirates Sign Jeff Clement

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Here's where we'll keep track of today's minor moves…

  • The Pirates announced that they have signed first baseman Jeff Clement to a minor league contract. Clement, 28, posted a .201/.237/.368 line for the 2010 Pirates, but didn't appear in the Major Leagues in 2011. The former third overall pick spent this past season in Pittsburgh's minor league system, where he posted a .733 OPS in 106 plate appearances.
  • The Giants have signed right-hander Eric Hacker to a minor league deal, according to the player's agency, Sosnick Cobbe Sports (Twitter link). Hacker spent 2011 in the Twins organization, starting 25 games with Triple-A Rochester and making two relief appearances with Minnesota.
  • The Nationals announced nine minor league signings today.

Pirates Sign Ryota Igarashi

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The Pirates announced that they signed right-handed reliever Ryota Igarashi to a minor league deal. Igarashi, who spent the past two seasons with the Mets, is a Wasserman Media Group client. 

Igarashi posted a 4.66 ERA with 9.8 K/9, 6.5 BB/9 and a 45.6% ground ball rate in 38 2/3 innings for the Mets in 2011. New York released the 32-year-old after the season to allow him to pursue other MLB jobs. He signed a two-year, $3MM with the Mets before the 2010 season, but owns just a 5.74 ERA in 79 career appearances. Jiji Press first reported the agreement.

Ed Wade Re-Joins Phillies

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TUESDAY: The Phillies have announced that Wade will be a special consultant in the club's baseball operations department.

MONDAY: Longtime MLB GM Ed Wade has returned to the Phillies in a scouting position, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports (on Twitter). Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle first reported that Wade would end up scouting for his former team (Twitter link).

The Astros dismissed Wade this fall after four years in Houston and a 56-106 showing in 2011. Wade became Philadelphia's GM in 1997 after spending years in the team's baseball operations department. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. was Wade's assistant GM from 1999 until Wade's dismissal in 2005. The Phillies drafted Ryan Howard and Chase Utley while Wade was GM and selected Jimmy Rollins when he was the team's player personnel administrator.

Nationals To Sign Tracy, Carroll, Paul

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The Nationals announced that they agreed to sign Chad Tracy, Brett Carroll and Xavier Paul to minor league contracts with invitations to Spring Training. The team also confirmed minor league deals for Jeff Fulchino, Waldis Joaquin, Carlos Maldonado, Andres Blanco, Jarrett Hoffpauir and Jason Michaels. The Nationals will also invite right-hander Rafael Martin, catcher Sandy Leon and outfielder Corey Brown to Spring Training.

Tracy, 31, owns a .278/.337/.445 line in seven big league seasons, but hasn't produced much at the plate since 2007. The corner infielder spent the 2011 season with the Hiroshima Carp, posting a .235/.293/.336 line in 164 plate appearances. Carroll, 29, has big league experience in each of the past five seasons and can play all three outfield positions. In 322 career plate appearances, he has a .203/.281/.322 line. Paul spent the 2011 season with the Pirates and Dodgers, posting a .255/.292/.346 line in 262 plate appearances.

Yu Darvish Bidding Reactions

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The Rangers won the bidding for Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish last night and while the $51.7MM bid doesn't assure Texas of Darvish himself, it does mean we're in for 30 days of negotiations between the team and agent Arn Tellem. Here are some reactions to the news from around MLB:

  • Darvish celebrated the announcement that the Rangers had made a record bid for the right to discuss a contract with him by working out, Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes.
  • GM Jon Daniels acknowledged last night that the deal will have an impact on other moves the team makes, but says the Angels’ aggressive moves did not affect Texas’ approach to Darvish (Twitter links via Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com).
  • Rangers ownership made an exception and decided to spend despite the financial issues that threatened to limit their offseason extravagance a week ago, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker expects Darvish to sign with the Rangers, but wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't.
  • Darvish offers the highest possible reward, but carries the highest possible risk, Jim Bowden writes at ESPN.com. Bowden says Darvish has the stuff to be a top-of-the-rotation starter and argues that he is worth taking a risk on.
  • There's every indication that the sides can work out a deal within 30 days, according to Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com.
  • Darvish could be good enough that the Rangers can sustain the loss of C.J. Wilson without slowing down, Richard Justice writes at MLB.com.
  • Blue Jays fans got their hopes up for Darvish and now face staggering disappointment, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca writes. However, Davidi hears the Blue Jays "have a number of balls in the air" beyond Darvish.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports looks ahead to what hot stove fans can expect now that the Darvish bidding is over. Scott Boras clients Prince Fielder and Edwin Jackson will draw lots of interest as free agents and Gio Gonzalez figures to be traded. The Blue Jays must obtain a No. 2 starter, Morosi writes.

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