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Giants Links: Beltran, Ross, Lincecum, Cain

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The Giants extended the contracts of GM Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy through 2013 earlier today. Here's the latest from San Fran…

  • Sabean told John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle that he will speak to Carlos Beltran's camp today (Twitter link). "It's a fluid situation as well as other conversations we're in," said the GM.
  • "There won't be any big splashes," said Sabean to Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News (on Twitter). He added that there would be no "sticker shock" acquisitions.
  • Sabean is "not sure" if the team will be able to re-sign Cody Ross, according to Baggarly (on Twitter).
  • Bobby Evans, the Giants vice president of baseball operations, said the team has exchanged "broad numbers and ideas" with Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain about contract extensions, reports Baggarly (on Twitter). Lincecum is reportedly seeking a one or two-year deal.

Blue Jays, Others Interested In Greg Holland

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The Blue Jays are in the market for a closer, and they have interest in Greg Holland of the Royals according to Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star (Twitter links). They don't have interest in Joakim Soria, and yesterday we heard that Kansas City has some interest in Colby Rasmus.

Dutton says that other clubs are interested in Holland as well, but the Royals are not inclined to move him unless they're overwhelmed with an offer. The 26-year-old right-hander broke out as Soria's setup man last season, pitching to a 1.80 ERA in 60 IP. He struck out 11.10 batters per nine innings and walked just 2.85 per nine, getting a ground ball 44.9% of the time. Holland is under team control through 2016.

Tigers Interested In Maicer Izturis

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The Tigers have interest in trading for Maicer Izturis of the Angels, reports Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Izturis is believed to be next on their wishlist after Martin Prado of the Braves.

The Tigers are looking for upgrades at second base, third base, and in the leadoff spot, three roles Izturis has filled at different times in his career. The 31-year-old hit .276/.334/.388 with five homers and nine steals in 494 plate appearances this past season, playing second, third, and shortstop. He is owed $3.8MM in 2012 and can become a free agent after the season.

Angels, Rockies Have Talked About Chris Iannetta

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The Angels have been aggressively looking for a catcher according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (Twitter links), and Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports that they've spoken to the Rockies about Chris Iannetta. Colorado asked about the availability of pitcher Tyler Chatwood.

Just yesterday we heard that the Rockies are interested in free agent backstop Ramon Hernandez, and Renck says (on Twitter) that they'd want him signed before going forward with any Iannetta trade. The Angels are also said to have interest in Ryan Hanigan of the Reds. The 21-year-old Chatwood pitched to a 4.74 ERA with nearly as many walks (71) as strikeouts (74) in 142 IP this past season.

Red Sox To Hire Bobby Valentine

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Bobby Valentine will become the next manager of the Red Sox, reports Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston (on Twitter). He is expected in town on Wednesday. Mike Lynch of WCVB-TV in Boston was the first to report that the two sides had reached a verbal agreement (Twitter link).

The job was offered to Valentine while he was in Japan for personal business over the last few days, adds Edes (on Twitter). He immediately accepted. ESPN's Karl Ravech reported earlier tonight that Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont was out of the running for the job.

Valentine, 61, will be the 45th manager in team history. He has previous managed the Rangers (1985-1992) and Mets (1996-2002), as well as the Chiba Lotte Marines (1995, and 2004-2009). He led the Mets to the 2000 World Series and the Marines to the 2005 Japan Series. The Rangers and Mets went a combined 1117-1072 under his watch.

Minor Moves: Podsednik, Evans, Pena, Astros, Ray

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

  • The Phillies have signed outfielder Scott Podsednik to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 35-year-old did not appear in the big leagues last year, instead hitting .254/.340/.396 in the Phillies' and Blue Jays' farm systems.
  • The Pirates have signed Nick Evans to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, reports Andy Martino of The New York Daily News. The 25-year-old hit .256/.314/.403 line in 194 plate appearances with the Mets last season, playing all four corner positions
  • The Red Sox re-signed Tony Pena to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to Stark. The converted shortstop would earn $625K if he makes the big league team.
  • The Astros signed catcher Carlos Corporan to a minor league deal and invited him to Major League Spring Training, according to Alyson Footer of the Astros (on Twitter).
  • The White Sox signed Brian Bruney to a minor league deal, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The right-hander would earn $600K for making the big league team.
  • Robert Ray signed a minor league deal with the Marlins, according to Crasnick.
  • The Phillies signed left-hander Pat Misch and infielder Kevin Frandsen to minor league contracts, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (Twitter links). Misch, 30, appeared in six games for the Mets this past season, spending most of the year with Triple-A Buffalo. He posted a 4.00 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 141 2/3 innings as a starter for the Bisons. Frandsen, who last appeared in the Major Leagues in 2010, spent the 2011 season in the Phillies' minor league system and posted a .309/.361/.430 line in 338 plate appearances.
  • The Diamondbacks signed right-handed reliever Jensen Lewis to a minor league deal, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned (Stark originally reported the Rangers signed him). Lewis, 27, would earn $675K in the Major Leagues, according to Stark. Lewis spent the 2011 season at Triple-A, but has a career ERA of 3.68 with 8.0 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in parts of four MLB seasons.

Zduriencik On Mariners Offseason

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Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik says the Mariners are looking to acquire starting pitching depth, relief help, a backup shortstop and offense this offseason. Here are more of Zduriencik's updates on the Mariners from an afternoon conference call with reporters:

  • Zduriencik declined to comment on negotiations with specific free agents, including Prince Fielder (the Mariners are interested). The GM said the Mariners may turn to the free agent market for offense if they can match up with available players in terms of years and dollars.
  • "We will explore several options, even trades," he said. "But there aren't any promises on these things. You don't know where you're going to end up at."
  • The Mariners are looking forward to bounce-back years from Franklin Gutierrez and others who struggled with injuries in 2011.
  • Zduriencik will explore ways of adding starting pitching, but feels that arms such as Taijuan Walker, James Paxton and Danny Hultzen give the Mariners pitching that may contribute soon.
  • "When you look at some arms that are pretty close and you look at some arms we have in the Major Leagues, we have some pretty strong assets here," he said.
  • The Mariners will again be a young team in 2012, but the front office will likely add some veterans to complement the existing group.
  • Zduriencik expects restrictions on spending in Latin America to have more of an effect after this year. He likes the options on the international free agent market, but isn't promising to sign any of them.
  • "There are some nice pieces out there," he said. "But they're not going to come inexpensively."

C.J. Wilson Rumors: Tuesday

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C.J. Wilson visited the Marlins in Miami yesterday and appears to have a visit with another team scheduled this week. Here's the latest on the free agent left-hander:

  • Wilson asked the Angels for $100MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links).
  • Though agent Bob Garber requested a meeting with the Yankees, the sides haven't scheduled a visit at this point, according to Heyman.
  • 16.44% of MLBTR readers expect Wilson to be the next big name free agent to sign. He appears to be looking to complete a deal by next week.

Marlins Interested In Carlos Guillen

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The Marlins have shown interest in free agent Carlos Guillen, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The versatile Guillen could pinch hit and provide the Marlins with an extra option at first, second, third and left field if he has recovered from the assortment of injuries that sidelined him in 2011.

The 36-year-old missed much of the 2011 season with knee, wrist and calf injuries. However, he hit a combined .257/.333/.419 with 17 homers in 597 plate appearances from 2009-10. As Morosi points out, Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen knows Guillen, a fellow Venezuelan, from their time in the AL Central.

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