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Quick Hits: Astros, Angels, Cespedes

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We wouldn’t want the biggest news of the day — that the Rangers won the bidding for Yu Darvish — to completely overshadow some secondary notes from around MLB. Here are some quick hits from around the league, starting in Texas:

  • Astros GM Jeff Luhnow told fans at MLB.com that Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers and Carlos Lee are “very good players” who could help the Astros going forward. “We will look for any opportunity to improve our team in the medium and long term,” Luhnow explained, “so if there were a trade that made sense, we would consider it.”
  • Brian Bixler cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to Oklahoma City, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The Astros designated the infielder for assignment last week to create roster space for Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland.
  • The Cubs and Red Sox have agreed that former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein won't be able to hire anyone from the Red Sox for three years, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter).
  • Angels GM Jerry Dipoto likes the depth in his team's starting rotation, but doesn't yet know whether his bullpen is a strength or a weakness, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. Ideally, the Angels would like to add a late-inning reliever and make the lineup a little more left-handed, Dipoto says.
  • There's a consensus among international MLB people that the Yankees are "BIG" on Yoenis Cespedes, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter).
  • Cespedes is close to establishing residency in the Dominican Republic, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes. The Cuban outfielder still needs to secure a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control since his residency is not permanent. The process could take two weeks, but he should be cleared to sign sometime in January.

Diamondbacks Sign Jason Kubel

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The Diamondbacks have signed outfielder Jason Kubel, tweets Tom Krasovic.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, who confirmed the agreement earlier today, now tweets that it's official and that Kubel has passed his physical.  Jon Heyman of CBS Sports says the deal is worth $15MM.  The Wasserman Media Group client obtained a two-year deal with a mutual option for 2014.

Kubel

Kubel, 29, will play left field for the Diamondbacks according to Rosenthal.  The surprising acquisition likely pushes Gerardo Parra to a fourth outfielder role, meaning Arizona is sacrificing defense and hoping for more offense.  Perhaps Parra, a 2011 Gold Glove winner, will become a trade target for other clubs.  Kubel hit .273/.332/.434 in 401 plate appearances for the Twins this year, missing nearly two months with a left foot sprain.

Kubel spent his entire career with the Twins after being drafted in the 12th round in 2000.  His best season came in 2009, when he hit .300/.369/.539 with 28 home runs.  The Twins signed him to a two-year, $7.2MM extension in January of '09 and later exercised a $5.25MM option for 2011.  The Twins had interest in re-signing him, especially after Michael Cuddyer inked a deal with Colorado.  The Indians and Phillies also inquired on Kubel this offseason.  The Twins will receive a supplemental draft pick for their loss.

Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has committed $36.75MM this offseason to free agents Kubel, Aaron Hill, Willie Bloomquist, John McDonald, Takashi Saito, Henry Blanco, and Lyle Overbay, as our free agent tracker shows.  He also acquired Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow in a trade with the Athletics.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Rangers Win Bidding For Yu Darvish

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If Yu Darvish plays for a Major League team in 2012, he'll be wearing a Rangers uniform. Texas won the rights to the Japanese right-hander via the posting system with a record $51.7MM bid, Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports. MLB has confirmed that the Rangers submitted the highest bid and that it was accepted.

The bid, which exceeds the $51.1MM Boston paid for the rights to speak with Daisuke Matsuzaka five years ago, provides the Rangers with a 30-day negotiating window. If the sides don't agree to a deal within the next 30 days, Darvish will stay in Japan and the Nippon Ham Fighters won't obtain any cash from the Rangers.

Darvish posted a 1.44 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 232 innings this past season and he hasn't posted an ERA above 2.00 since 2007. MLB agents suggested to MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes that it will cost at least $100MM to lock Darvish up, including the posting fee and contract.

If Rangers GM Jon Daniels reaches a deal with Darvish, Texas' rotation will look considerably different in 2012. C.J. Wilson signed with the Angels as a free agent and Neftali Feliz will move to the rotation. Alexi Ogando, Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Matt Harrison and Scott Feldman provide manager Ron Washington with an abundance of alternatives for the rest of the rotation.

Agent Arn Tellem issued a statement explaining that he was pleased to learn the Rangers were the high bidders, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

"The Rangers are an extraordinary franchise in an exceptional city with equally exceptional fans," Tellem said. '"Yu is honored to be prized so highly and recognized as a once-in-a-generation pitcher. We look forward to getting negotiations underway."

The Rangers are on the clock and now have until January 18th to reach a deal with Darvish. The Blue Jays, Yankees and Cubs also placed bids on Darvish before last week's deadline. Conversely, the Giants, Athletics, Marlins, Mets, Rays, Angels, Twins, Red Sox and Orioles did not bid, according to recent reports. The Blue Jays had been favored to win the bidding for Darvish ever since the process wrapped up.

Top Bidder For Darvish To Be Announced Tonight

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10:04pm: A Darvish announcement of some sort appears to be coming in about ten minutes, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (on Twitter)

8:42pm: MLB won't announce which team won the bidding until Nippon announces that it accepted the bid (assuming the team accepts), Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News clarifies (on Twitter).  The Fighters do not know the identity of the team that won the bid.

6:15pm: The Fighters have "definitely" decided to accept the winning bid, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets.

4:04pm: No firm time is set for the announcement, according to Morosi (Twitter links).  He notes that MLB officials are still waiting for word from Darvish's team and adds that it's just 7am in Japan.

7:40am: The Nippon Ham Fighters will announce their acceptance of the high bidder and the winning team for Yu Darvish tonight, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, referencing agent Don Nomura.  Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports notes that the announcement will be around 7-8pm central time.  Rumors so far suggest the Blue Jays or Rangers won the bid at an amount exceeding $51MM.

NL East Notes: DeRosa, Hamels, Martinez, Prado

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Ed Wade is heading back to the NL East after four years in Houston. Here are more links from the division, starting with Wade’s longtime team…

  • Mark DeRosa says he's interested in playing for the Nationals, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (Twitter links). However, other teams are interested and DeRosa is not close to making a decision.
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says he's comfortable heading into Spring Training with the team he has, according to Paul Hagen of MLB.com. The Phillies have already made major free agent signings, added complementary players such as Laynce Nix, Jim Thome and Dontrelle Willis and signed players to minor league deals, as our Free Agent Tracker shows.
  • Those who know Cole Hamels doubt he would give the Phillies much of a discount on a potential extension, according to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. The 27-year-old John Boggs & Associates client 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. He's 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).
  • Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com shows that the Mets already have a projected payroll in the $90MM range. GM Sandy Alderson has suggested the team's payroll could be less than $100MM, so the Mets may not have much offseason shopping remaining.
  • The Mets are interested in catcher Luis Martinez, who was designated for assignment by the Padres on Sunday, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post (on Twitter). The 26-year-old hit .203/.309/.305 in 68 plate appearances with the Padres this past season.
  • The Braves and Rockies have continued discussing a possible deal that would send Seth Smith to Atlanta for Martin Prado, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The Braves appear to be seeing what they can get for Jair Jurrjens first, however. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports examined possible suitors for Smith earlier today, including the Braves despite their preference for a right-handed hitter. 

Reds Notes: Cordero, Ross, Kubel

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The Reds acquired Mat Latos over the weekend, but they continue to search for a closer and a left fielder, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. GM Walt Jocketty explained that he expects to add an arm before he adds a bat.

"First, we'll address the bullpen a little bit," he said. "Once I get pitching done and know what we have left to spend, we'll know more about left field."

The Reds have resumed talks with free agent closer Francisco Cordero, though Jocketty says nothing is close. Free agent outfielder Cody Ross is still "part of the mix" and the Reds were in touch with his agent last week. The Reds had some interest in Jason Kubel before he agreed to a two-year, $15MM deal with the Diamondbacks. "The level money-wise, we weren't going to get to that level," Jocketty said.

Garza, Marshall Continue Drawing Trade Interest

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The Rangers and Blue Jays like Matt Garza and he’s not the only Cubs pitcher about whom other teams are inquiring, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Left-hander Sean Marshall is also drawing heavy interest.

The Rangers prefer Gio Gonzalez (four remaining years of team control) to Garza (two remaining years of team control), according to Rosenthal. Garza appeals to the Blue Jays, since they’ve seen the right-hander succeed in the AL East as a starter for the Rays. If the Cubs choose to rebuild, they’d be more likely to trade for Anthony Rizzo than sign Prince Fielder.

Lack of minor league depth and restrictions on draft spending could motivate the Cubs to make a deal, Rosenthal writes. MLB executives say the Cubs are frustrated by limitations on amateur spending, according to Yahoo's Jeff Passan.

The Cubs were said to be 'open for business' on Garza last month, but president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said he'd like to build around the 28-year-old. Padres GM Josh Byrnes has interest in Garza.

Giants Sign Emmanuel Burriss

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The Giants announced that they signed arbitration eligible infielder Emmanuel Burriss to a one-year Major League contract. The team also confirmed the signing of catcher Eli Whiteside to a one-year, Major League deal. 

Nez Balelo of CAA Sports represents Burriss, one of San Francisco's many arbitration eligible players. The 26-year-old appeared at every infield position and in left field in 2011 while posting a .204/.253/.212 line in 152 plate appearances. He has appeared in parts of four Major League seasons and had a projected salary of $600K heading into the offseason.

Seeking Part-Time Writers For New NBA Rumors Website

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I'm making my first foray into another sport, as we're launching a new NBA rumors website early in 2012, in the mold of MLBTR.  Luke Adams will be the site's full-time writer and editor, and we're looking to build a team of part-time contributors who will be paid hourly.  The criteria:

  • Knowledge of all 30 NBA teams, no discernible bias. Knowledge of transaction-related concepts.
  • Writing experience is necessary and online writing experience is preferred.
  • Attention to detail – absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.  Ability to follow the site's style and tone.
  • Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs.  We need the best of both worlds: quick writing with thoughtful analysis.  You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers, or links to other relevant articles.
  • Ability to use an RSS feed reader such as Google Reader.  Ability to use Twitter.  Both of these are crucial.
  • Strong evening availability – typically 5-11pm central time shifts.  Writers covering Monday through Friday evenings will change week to week, but we'd also like people to regularly take specific weekend daytime shifts.
  • At least some college education is required.
  • If you're interested, email basketballapplications@gmail.com and take a couple paragraphs to explain how you qualify and stand out. Many will likely apply, so unfortunately we cannot respond to most applications.

Giants Sign Brian Burres

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The Giants signed left-hander Brian Burres to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, MLBTR has learned. San Francisco drafted Burres in the 31st round of the 2000 draft, but the 30-year-old has never played for the Giants at the MLB level.

In six seasons with the Orioles, Pirates and Blue Jays, Burres has a 5.75 ERA with 6.4 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 38.3% ground ball rate. He posted a 3.86 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 14 innings with the Pirates this past season and spent most of the year as a starter at Triple-A, where he posted a 4.66 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 129 1/3 innings.

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