Before we dive into the week that was here at MLBTR, let's take a second to congratulate all of the players and managers who received an award from the BBWAA this past week.
- The Blue Jays reached agreement on a deal with the Marlins that will send right-hander Josh Johnson, left-hander Mark Buehrle, shortstop Jose Reyes, outfielder Emilio Bonifacio, and catcher John Buck to Toronto for shortstop Yunel Escobar, infielder Adeiny Hechavarria, right-hander Henderson Alvarez, left-hander Justin Nicolino, outfielder Jake Marisnick, catcher Jeff Mathis, and right-hander Anthony DeSclafani. The deal, which will also call for the Marlins to send $4MM to the Blue Jays, is awaiting MLB approval.
- The Tigers agreed to sign outfielder Torii Hunter to a two-year, $26MM deal. Hunter posted a .313/.365/.451 batting line with 16 home runs in 584 plate appearances as the Angels' right fielder last year.
- The Blue Jays agreed to sign Melky Cabrera to a two-year, $16MM contract. In 2012, he posted a .346/.390/.516 batting line with 11 home runs, 25 doubles and 10 triples in 501 plate appearances with the Giants.
- The Giants and left-hander Jeremy Affeldt reached an agreement on a three-year deal that will be worth around $18MM. The 33-year-old Affeldt was a critical component to the Giants 2012 World Series title, pitching to a 2.70 ERA, 8.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 with a sky-high 59.9 percent ground-ball rate in 63 1/3 innings.
- Outfielder Juan Pierre found a new home this week after signing a one-year agreement worth $1.6MM with the Marlins. Pierre, 35, hit .307/.351/.371 with 37 steals for the Phillies last season.
- The Padres acquired right-hander Tyson Ross and infielder A.J. Kirby-Jones from the A's for infielder Andy Parrino and left-hander Andrew Werner. None of the four players have enough service time to be arbitration eligible.
- The Cubs signed catcher Dioner Navarro to a one-year, $1.75MM (plus $250K in incentives) contract. Navarro, 28, hit .290/.306/.449 with two homers in 73 plate appearances for the Reds this year.
- The Marlins claimed Scott Maine off of waivers from the Blue Jays. The 27-year-old made 30 relief appearances this year, posting a 6.08 ERA with 10.8 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 26 2/3 innings.
- Right-handers Miguel Socolovich and Brandon Dickson will pitch in Japan next season. Socolovich, who spent last season with the Orioles and Cubs, plans to join the Hiroshima Carp while Dickson will play for the Orix Buffaloes.
- The Cubs agreed to terms with Scott Baker on a one-year contract. The deal includes a $5.5MM base salary with $1.5MM in incentives.
- The Braves agreed to sign Gerald Laird to a two-year contract reportedly worth $3.3MM in total. The 33-year-old catcher hit .282/.337/.374 with two homers in 191 plate appearances for the Tigers last season, his best offensive year since 2008.
- Left-handed reliever Brian Fuentes called it a career this week as he looks to spend more time with his family. He had his most success as a closer with the Rockies several years ago, pitching to a 3.04 ERA with 111 saves with Colorado from 2005-2008.
