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Prince Fielder Rumors: Thursday

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At least one MLB general manager believes Prince Fielder and agent Scott Boras are looking for a ten-year deal that approaches the value of Albert Pujols' $254MM contract, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman lists the Rangers as the favorite to sign Fielder, but suggests it's too early to rule out the Blue Jays, Mariners and Cubs, among others. Here are the latest rumors on Fielder:

  • The Marlins are denying interest in Prince Fielder, but some rival execs aren't convinced, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
  • The Cubs are not major players for Fielder, as they are "not ready to spend big," tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. 
  • There are indications that the Cubs are ramping up their pursuit of Fielder, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. It's not clear where the Cubs stand with the first baseman now, but they're gathering information and may make a push for him soon.
  • Here's a recap of yesterday's Fielder rumors.

Quick Hits: Dobbs, Indians, Zumaya, Mariners

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MLB announced that baseball’s 30 owners unanimously approved the five-year collective bargaining agreement with the MLB Players Association today. Here are some other notes from around MLB…

  • The Marlins remain in the mix to sign Greg Dobbs, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. The Nationals are also interested in the free agent utility player.
  • The Mets remain in regular contact with free agent shortstop Jack Wilson, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
  • Though the Indians never made Josh Willingham a former proposal, they indicated that they were willing to offer a two-year deal in the $15MM range, according to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (Twitter links). Willingham has agreed to terms with the Twins, but GM Chris Antonetti says the Indians are still considering external options.
  • A scout tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that just about every team in baseball saw free agent right-hander Joel Zumaya throw in Houston yesterday (Twitter link).
  • Japanese shortstop Munenori Kawasaki is in Seattle and may sign a minor league deal with the Mariners in the relatively near future, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (Twitter links). The deal may not be finalized until after the holidays, but he will sign with Seattle, Stone reports.

Cardinals Sign J.C. Romero

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The Cardinals announced that they signed J.C. Romero to a one-year deal in a move that will add left-handed depth to their bullpen. MDR Sports Management represents the 35-year-old reliever, who signed for $750K plus incentives, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). 

Romero spent the 2011 season with the Phillies and Rockies. He posted a 4.01 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 5.5 BB/9 and a characteristically high 54.4% ground ball rate in 24 2/3 innings. With Arthur Rhodes on the free agent market, Marc Rzepczynski was the Cardinals' lone established left-handed reliever until GM John Mozeliak added Romero. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the sides were nearing a deal.

Twins Sign Steve Pearce, J.R. Towles

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The Twins announced a major signing today, and GM Terry Ryan also stayed busy on the minor league front. The Twins signed Steve Pearce and J.R. Towles to minor league deals, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter links). Scott McCauley first reported the Towles deal.

Towles, 27, posted a .184/.256/.293 line in 165 plate appearances with the Astros this past season. His career line is .187/.267/.315, though he picked up just 484 plate appearances over the course of five seasons in Houston. Like Rene Rivera, another recent minor league signing, Towles provides depth behind the plate. Pearce, 28, has MLB experience at all four corner positions. He posted a .202/.260/.255 line in 105 plate appearances for the Pirates in 2011.

AL East Notes: Darvish, Varitek, Orioles

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The AL East will look considerably different if Yu Darvish joins the Yankees or Blue Jays this offseason. Those two clubs had some level of interest in the right-hander, but we don’t yet know whether they won the bidding for him. Here are some AL East links as we await news on Darvish…

  • Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star suggests the Blue Jays would have done well to "go big or go home" in this week's bidding for Darvish. The Blue Jays haven't confirmed how much they bid or even that they placed a bid, but rumors about the team's aggressiveness continue to swirl.
  • The Red Sox will continue talking with Jason Varitek about the possibility of a reunion, GM Ben Cherington said, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. "Our hope is that Tek will always be a part of the Red Sox in some way," Cherington said.
  • Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun suggests the Orioles are looking for more starting pitching and considering upgrades at third base, where Chris Davis and Matt Antonelli are tentatively set to play.

Minor Moves: Rangers, Lindsay, Texeira, James

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Here's where we'll track today's minor moves, most of which were reported by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus on Twitter…

Phillies Sign Dontrelle Willis

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The Phillies announced that they have signed left-hander Dontrelle Willis to pitch out of the bullpen. The contract is worth approximately $1MM and includes performance bonuses for the Sosnick Cobbe client, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports. 

“Dontrelle, I believe, is at a point in his career where he is ready to make the transition to being an effective reliever,” GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said in a statement.

Willis pitched 75 2/3 innings as a starter for the Reds in 2011 — his highest total since 2007. The left-hander posted a 5.00 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 4.4 BB/9 and a 54.5% ground ball rate in 13 second half starts with Cincinnati this past season. However, stats such as xFIP (4.08) and SIERA (4.29) suggest Willis' ERA may have been inflated. Willis, who turns 30 next month, signed a minor league contract last offseason.

Crasnick first reported that the sides were nearing a deal and Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly first reported that they had reached an agreement (Twitter link). The Mariners, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Reds also had interest in Willis as a reliever, Crasnick reports.

Diamondbacks Continue Eyeing Kuroda, Not Saunders

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THURSDAY: The D'Backs have moved on from Saunders, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

WEDNESDAY: The Diamondbacks continue eyeing Joe Saunders and Hiroki Kuroda as they look to fill out their starting rotation. They want to re-sign the left-handed Saunders, but are wary of his asking price, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. They also maintain interest in the right-handed Kuroda, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

The team currently has four starters in its projected 2012 rotation: Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, Trevor Cahill and Josh Collmenter. Though Saunders has his strengths, he had a projected salary of $8.7MM as an arbitration eligible player, so Arizona GM Kevin Towers non-tendered him. Kuroda has drawn lots of interest this offseason after posting a 3.07 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 for the Dodgers in 2011. Los Angeles has filled out its rotation and no longer appears to be a possible destination for the 36-year-old.

Heyman On Fielder, Moreland, Kuroda

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Agent Scott Boras hasn’t explicitly stated Prince Fielder’s asking price, but one GM with some interest in the free agent first baseman says he knows the target figure. "Isn't it obvious?," the GM asked Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, implying that Fielder will look to approach Albert Pujols’ $254MM deal. Here’s the latest on Fielder, plus other notes from Heyman:

  • Though Rangers people have suggested they're focused on pitching and trades, Heyman says the team talked about deals involving Mitch Moreland. Barring an addition at first base, the Rangers will be relying on Moreland in 2012.
  • The Blue Jays “are said to be thinking long and hard about Fielder.”
  • There’s “no way” Adam Jones is going to Atlanta for Jair Jurrjens, an Orioles person says. The Braves and Orioles discussed a deal involving Jurrjens and Martin Prado, according to FOX Sports. It should be noted that FOX didn’t say Jones was available in trade talks with the Braves.
  • The Yankees seem to like Hiroki Kuroda more than the other free agent pitchers, according to Heyman.

Padres Rumors: Latos, Headley, Bartlett, Hudson

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Last week we heard that the Padres aren't shopping right-hander Mat Latos, but today Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reminds us that the team isn't in the position to rule anything out. Here are Rosenthal's rumors out of San Diego…

  • Byrnes is "willing to talk about every player on his roster" and other clubs are inquiring about Latos, but Rosenthal reiterates that the 24-year-old isn't being shopped.
  • Third baseman Chase Headley is the player most in demand and most likely to be traded. The Tigers have interest in him, but the Padres are said to be asking for "the moon."
  • Jason Bartlett and Orlando Hudson are very available, but they're also drawing very little interest.
  • Rosenthal expects the Padres to be active at some point in soon.

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