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Week In Review: 11/20/11 – 11/26/11

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It's time to take a look back at the week that was with MLBTR's Week In Review..

Tigers Inquired On Aramis Ramirez

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7:29pm: The Tigers spoke with Ramirez's agent earlier this month and haven't been in touch since, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck.  The lack of communication in recent weeks shouldn't be read into too much though considering the Thanksgiving holiday.

6:41pm: The Tigers have inquired on free agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez, according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter).  The Cubs offered arbitration to Ramirez, a Type B free agent, on Wednesday.

While it's hard to pin down where Ramirez will land, we do know that he won't be back with the Cubs.  Ramirez's agent, Paul Kinzer, confirmed to reporters this month that his client plans to move on this offseason.

Earlier this week, Tim Dierkes wrote that the Tigers, Twins, and Brewers could be fits for Ramirez, if they have the money.  Tim could see the veteran getting as much as three years and as much as $42MM when all is said and done.

Mariners Acquire John Jaso From Rays

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The Mariners have acquired catcher John Jaso from the Rays in exchange for right-handed pitcher Josh Lueke and a player to be named later or cash considerations, according to a team press release.

“[Jaso] gives us a left-handed hitting catcher with some big league time who is still young,” Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said in the release.  “His left-handed bat will be a nice compliment to our right-handed hitting group. He’s a tough kid with postseason experience and should be a nice fit with us.”

Last season marked Jaso's first full campaign in the Major Leagues and the 28-year-old hit .224/.298/.354 with five homers in 273 plate appearances.  Jaso took over the Rays' catching job in 2010 as a rookie and hit .263/.378/.372 on the year.

Lueke, who turns 27 on December 5th, made 25 appearances for the Mariners last season and posted a 6.06 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9.  In 42 career Triple-A games, Lueke owns an ERA of 2.56 with 8.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.

The right-hander was part of the 2010 trade that sent Cliff Lee to the Rangers.  After the trade, it was revealed that Lueke had trouble with the law in 2008 and the M's were not aware of this when they made the deal.

MLBTR Originals

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Here's a look back at the original reporting and analysis produced by MLBTR's writing team this week..

  • MLBTR was the first to learn of Wily Mo Pena's multi-year, multi-million dollar deal with Japan's Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.  In eight major league seasons, Pena has a .250/.303/.445 slash line with 84 homers.
  • Ben Nicholson-Smith asked some of baseball's top executives what they felt was the hardest-to-obtain commodity.  Pirates GM Neal Huntington, Mets GM Sandy Alderson, and Orioles GM Dan Duquette all weighed in.
  • Looking for cliffnotes on the new collective bargaining agreement?  Don't worry, we've got you covered with a post on the CBA's details and ten highlights from the new agreement.
  • Mike Axisa asked MLBTR readers which big name free agent will sign next and Mark Buehrle received the most votes with 3,805 (21%).  David Ortiz and C.J. Wilson weren't far behind with 18% and 16% of the vote, respectively.
  • MLBTR's GM Candidate series continued as Ben Nicholson-Smith interviewed Peter Woodfork, a senior VP in MLB’s baseball operations department.
  • Kelly Johnson’s free agent stock has improved considerably in the past week and it has nothing to do with his ability to contribute on a baseball field, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith.
  • Francisco Cordero became even more attractive on the open market when his Type A status was modified into a Type B by the new collective bargaining agreement, writes Mark Polishuk.
  • Twelve months ago, Bartolo Colon was nothing more than an afterthought.  Now, however, the pitcher could get $3-4MM guaranteed on a one-year deal with incentives, Mike Axisa writes.
  • Ben Nicholson-Smith gave his take on what we learned from this week's arbitration offers.  Here's a look at some of the more interesting cases from this week.
  • On Thursday, Mark Polishuk revisited the MLBTR writing staff's preseason picks.  This season's playoff teams and award winners proved to be extremely hard to predict.  Miraculously, I had the best luck of anyone as I correctly picked six out of the 17 possible categories. 
  • This week's edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In features analysis of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, discussions on the MVP award, and an examination of the Athletics' rebuilding process.
  • I took a look at the Braves' pitching surplus and wondered if they might use it to improve in other areas.
  • If you missed Tim Dierkes' weekly chat, you can check out the transcript right here.
  • Ben Nicholson-Smith took a look at how the top AL MVP finishers and the top NL MVP finishers were acquired.
  • Thirteen years ago this week, Bernie Williams re-signed with the Yankees after nearly joining the rival Red Sox that offseason.  Williams' deal was worth $87.5MM over seven years.
  • Aramis Ramirez's free agency seemingly came at a great time, writes Tim Dierkes.  Tim writes that he can picture three years and as much as $42MM for Ramirez, but at this point it's unclear where that might come from.
  • On Thursday, more than 71% of MLBTR readers polled said that Bobby Valentine would be the next manager of the Red Sox.  We also asked where MLBTR readers believe that C.J. Wilson will land and less than 10% see him re-signing with the Rangers.
  • While the Marlins are busy trying to lure free agents to their new ballpark in Miami, they also have decisions to make about some players they currently employ. One of those players is non-tender candidate Chris Volstad, writes Mike Axisa.

Marlins To Host Wilson On Monday

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The Marlins will attempt to woo C.J. Wilson with a South Florida visit and stadium tour on Monday, writes Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel.  Rodriguez writes that the Marlins are likely to put a bid in for Wilson considering that pitching is their top priority and the winter meetings are just around the corner.

Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Albert Pujols have already visited Miami and each free agent received an offer from the club.  Prince Fielder is about the only high-end free agent that the Marlins haven't hosted and nothing is scheduled yet, which may or may not speak to their interest level.

Buehrle got to check out the Marlins' new park well before Wilson, but that doesn't mean that Buehrle is higher on the club's board.  A source who spoke with a Marlins official in the early stages of the free agency period said he believed Miami preferred Wilson.

Red Sox Notes: Manager, Bard, Sizemore, Lamont

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Boston's lengthy managerial search should be coming to an end this week, as the team is expected to hire either Bobby Valentine or Gene Lamont as its skipper within the next few days. As Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes, Valentine may not be the safe choice, but the club must determine whether or not he's the best choice.  Here's more on the Red Sox..

  • The Red Sox have yet to make an offer to Bobby Valentine, an industry source told Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com. 
  • With perception being that ownership wants Valentine while Gene Lamont is championed by GM Ben Cherington, it would take quite a bit of fortitude from Cherington to go against the owners, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post expects the Red Sox to hire Valentine.
  • Boston should convert Daniel Bard into a starter rather than a closer, argues Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Former Sox pitching coach Curt Young acknowledges that Bard "does have a starter's repertoire."
  • Within the same piece, Silverman adds that Grady Sizemore's agreement with the Indians caught the Red Sox and some other clubs by surprise, as they thought there would be more time to negotiate with the outfielder.
  • Bronson Arroyo believes that his former manager in PIttsburgh, Gene Lamont, could be a successful manager in Boston, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.  The pitcher added that Lamont has a similar managerial style to Terry Francona.

Olney On Rollins, Fielder, Red Sox

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Between his ESPN.com blog and his Twitter feed, Buster Olney has a few hot stove notes to share this morning. Let's check them out….

  • Jimmy Rollins, who turns 33 today, is seeking a five-year deal this winter, and the Phillies may have to commit that many years if they want to bring their longtime shortstop back. "I'm not sure if Rollins will get five years," said an NL evaluator. "But he's a safer bet for me than any starting pitcher on the free agent market — and some of those (or at least C.J. Wilson) will get five years…. He will get paid. The only question is whether it will be four years or five years."
  • An AL evaluator believes that, "while he's not the force at the plate that he used to be," Rollins is one of the more underrated defensive shortstops in the game.
  • Olney tweets that neither Prince Fielder nor Albert Pujols is an ideal long-term target for the Cubs, noting that Fielder makes the most sense for an AL club that could move him to DH for the back half of a long-term contract.
  • The Red Sox have narrowed their managerial search to two finalists, Bobby Valentine and Gene Lamont. Olney says some of GM Ben Cherington's peers (with other teams) are wondering if Cherington prefers Lamont while his bosses prefer Valentine, and, if so, whether it's worth it for the GM to fight ownership for his choice.

Cafardo On Lowrie, Rodriguez, Gonzalez, Marlins

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe gives a list of suggestions for the Red Sox's offseason.  As they look for a solution in right field, Cafardo feels that the club should go after Michael Cuddyer with Carlos Beltran as a Plan B.  The BoSox are also looking for a pair of affordable starters and two interesting names that could be had in deals are Joe Saunders of the Diamondbacks and Francisco Liriano of the Twins.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • There were many scouts and GMs in the Dominican Republic recently and Jed Lowrie came up often as a possible shortstop/third base candidate.  Teams like his offense and are skeptical about his defense, but are more worried about his mental toughness and his ability to play through injury.  The 27-year-old may become a chip for the Red Sox in a deal.
  • The Astros are getting more and more inquiries about the availability of Wandy Rodriguez.  The Red Sox are one of the teams that have asked.
  • Scouts and GMs believe that the Athletics would deal left-hander Gio Gonzalez for the right price.  An NL talent evaluator noted that the 26-year-old would be at the top of a lot of teams' lists.
  • Baseball people we talked to seem to think that if the Marlins are thinking big, Jose Reyes is the most logical signing for them, with Hanley Ramirez shifting over to third.  Cafardo also wonders if the Brewers would explore signing with the likelihood of losing Prince Fielder.
  • Free agent David Ortiz is still very much in play with the Orioles.  O's GM Dan Duquette met with Ortiz’s agent, Fern Cuza, at the GM meetings.
  • Cafardo could envision Jason Varitek backing up Matt Wieters in Baltimore
  • The BoSox have considered former Mets GM Omar Minaya for a front office role, but nothing is official yet.

Dodgers To Sign Wil Ledezma

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SUNDAY, 8:01am: Morosi clarifies (via Twitter) that Ledezma's deal isn't quite official yet, but that the 30-year-old has told people he intends to sign with the Dodgers.

SATURDAY, 11:25pm: The Dodgers have signed reliever Wil Ledezma to a minor-league deal, according to Venezuelan outlet El Universal (Spanish link).  A source confirmed the signing to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com (via Twitter).

Ledezma was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays in August and finished out the year with the club's Triple-A affiliate.  After the end of the regular season, the left-hander was one of 22 Triple-A players to declare free agency.

In parts of nine big league seasons, Ledezma has a career ERA of 5.40 with 6.4 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9.

Quick Hits: Dodgers, Feliz, Nathan, Rangers, Indians

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On this day fifteen years ago, the Angels traded first baseman J.T. Snow to the Giants for Fausto Macey and Allen Watson.  Snow would go on to play nine seasons with San Francisco with a slash line of .273/.369/.438.  Here are some links for Saturday night..

  • Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has a thing for acquiring journeyman relievers in the offseason and will probably do the same this winter, but he does have a proven arm in Blake Hawksworth, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times.  The 29-year-old is entering his final year under team control.
  • Peter Gammons of MLB.com writes that the Rangers' signing of Joe Nathan puts Neftali Feliz in his rightful place, the starting rotation.  Texas might have overpaid for Nathan, but waiting to get the veteran at a bargain could have resulted in having to turn to a different free agent closer who would require a longer deal.
  • Teams are still trying to digest all the details of the new collective bargaining agreement, writes Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.  The CBA will change the way the Indians do business as they have spent a good amount on the draft and on international free agents in recent years.
  • With the owners and players coming to terms on a five-year labor agreement, it's apparent that the two sides learned some important lessons from the 1994 work stoppage, writes Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports.com.  Ringolsby also weighs in on the changes to the amateur draft and points out that the new agreement takes leverage away from agents and provides a boost for college baseball.

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