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Reds, Bailey Agree To One-Year Deal

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The Reds and Homer Bailey have reached agreement on a one-year deal to avoid arbitration, GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter).  Bailey will earn $5.35MM in 2013, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.

There was speculation that the club was working on a multi-year deal with Bailey given the amount of time they were spending on their deal.  Jocketty tells Fay (Twitter link) that he'll revisit a multi-year deal with the right-hander at some point.

Bailey filed for $5.8MM this winter while the Reds countered with $4.75MM, making the midpoint $5.275MM.  The 26-year-old enjoyed his best season to date in 2012, posting a 3.68 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 across 33 starts.

Central Notes: Inge, Porcello, Tigers, Stewart

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The Pirates inked Brandon Inge to a minor league deal with an invite to big league camp earlier this week.  The third baseman obviously hopes to make the varsity squad but if it doesn't happen by late march, his contract includes an opt-out clause that will allow him to try elsewhere, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Post-Tribune.  Here's more out of the Central divisions..

  • There's been quite a bit of trade talk surrounding Rick Porcello this offseason but the pitcher says that he's not letting the speculation bother him, writes John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.  Some believe that Porcello could be slotted in the bullpen if Drew Smyly beats him out for the fifth rotation spot, but he's not open to that possibility.  "I believe that I'm an established starter, and I believe that I belong in the starting rotation, and that's what I'm thinking about. I'm preparing to start for the Detroit Tigers. I'm not even considering the bullpen as an option," said Porcello.
  • Torii Hunter is on board with the projections that have the reloaded Tigers pegged as the best team in the AL Central despite the upgrades made by Indians and others, writes James Schmehl of the MLive.com.
  • Ian Stewart is ready to reestablish himself after a broken bone in his wrist hampered his play across the last two years, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  The Cubs non-tendered Stewart this offseason before signing him to a non-guaranteed deal.

Out Of Options 2013

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The following 40-man roster players have less than five years service time and are out of minor league options.  That means they must clear waivers before being sent to the minors.  I've included players on multiyear deals.  This list was compiled through MLBTR's sources.

Angels

Bobby Cassevah, Ernesto Frieri, Kevin Jepsen, Brad Mills, Jerome Williams 

Astros

Chris Carter, Tyler Greene, Lucas Harrell, Phil Humber, Fernando Martinez, Justin Maxwell, Wesley Wright 

Athletics

Daric Barton, Travis Blackley, Jerry Blevins, Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, Pat Neshek, Chris Resop, Adam Rosales

Blue Jays

Emilio Bonifacio, Brett Cecil, Jeremy Jeffress, Luis Perez, Esmil Rogers, Sergio Santos

Braves

Juan Francisco, Cristhian Martinez, Ramiro Pena, Jordan Schafer, Anthony Varvaro

Brewers

Jeff Bianchi, Mat Gamel, Chris Narveson, Mark Rogers

Cardinals

None

Cubs

Michael Bowden, Welington Castillo, Jeff Samardzija, Luis Valbuena, Travis Wood

Diamondbacks

None

Dodgers

Scott Elbert, Ronald Belisario, A.J. Ellis

Giants

Conor Gillaspie, Joaquin Arias, Gregor Blanco, Yusmeiro Petit, Jose Mijares

Indians

Ezequiel Carrera, David Huff

Mariners

Josh Kinney, Robert Andino, Casper Wells, Mike Carp (designated for assignment 2-12-13)

Marlins

Mike Dunn, Gorkys Hernandez, Wade LeBlanc, Justin Ruggiano

Mets

Brandon Hicks

Nationals

Roger Bernadina, Tyler Clippard, Ross Detwiler, Henry Rodriguez, Carlos Rivero

Orioles

Chris Davis, Jim Johnson, Troy Patton, Nolan Reimold, Pedro Strop, Taylor Teagarden, Tommy Hunter, Chris Tillman

Padres

Cameron Maybin, Eric Stults, Joe Thatcher, Dale Thayer

Phillies

John Mayberry, Kevin Frandsen

Pirates

Jeanmar Gomez, Chris Leroux, James McDonald, Mark Melancon, Charlie Morton, Garrett Jones, Travis Snider, Jose Tabata

Rangers

Julio Borbon, Michael Kirkman

Rays

Jake McGee, Jeff Niemann, Jose Lobaton, Sam Fuld, Matt Joyce, Cesar Ramos

Red Sox

Felix Doubront, Andrew Miller, Franklin Morales, Clayton Mortensen, Pedro Ciriaco

Reds

Jose Arredondo, Homer Bailey, Jason Donald, Jack Hannahan, Xavier Paul, Alfredo Simon

Rockies

Carlos Gonzalez, Chris Nelson, Eric Young, Edgmer Escalona

Royals

Luke Hochevar, Luis Mendoza, Felipe Paulino, Juan Gutierrez, Guillermo Moscoso, Brett Hayes, George Kottaras, Jarrod Dyson, Elliot Johnson

Tigers

None

Twins

Trevor Plouffe, Josh Roenicke, Anthony Swarzak, Tim Wood

White Sox

Hector Gimenez, Leyson Septimo, Angel Sanchez

Yankees

Francisco Cervelli, Clay Rapada, Chris Stewart

National League Notes: Phillies, Boras, Weiss

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The Phillies have been a playoff contender for the better part of the past half decade, but time and a decline in talent may mean the window of opportunity is quickly closing at Citizens Bank Park, writes Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News. "A lot of it will depend on how people perform, on how the young players perform," Amaro said. "At some point we're going to be filtering some young players onto this club and we need to find out who needs to be those guys to keep us going, to keep us afloat." Here's the latest news from around the National League.

  • Scott Boras believes the market is heating up for his unsigned clients like Kyle Lohse and Jose Valverde thanks to the start of Spring Training, says Adam Berry of MLB.com. "Like most free agents with that kind of ability, I think you get all kinds of calls. Frankly the calls increase during Spring Training rather than decrease because the need level of each club is more evident," Boras said. "These are ownership decisions at this point. The talent is there. 
  • Walt Weiss must put his stamp on every aspect of his squad as he enters the 2013 season as the Rockies first-year manager, writes Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post. Renck points to Todd Helton as the starting point with his declining skills, inability to play a full season and the lingering DUI arrest that must be addressed by the veteran first baseman in front of the team. 
  • John Mozeliak's contract extension from the Cardinals stems from his linear integration model that has paid dividends in the form of victories at the Major League level, says Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I think he’s got a real sense of how to make a decision and a recommendation and not panicking into doing something that is good for the moment,” Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said. 

East Notes: Red Sox, Duquette, Escobar, LaRoche

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John Lackey's new slim physique marks one of the many signs that the Red Sox organization has taken a step toward rebuilding a positive culture within the clubhouse, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub req'd). The team has added new faces on the field (Jonny Gomes, Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, among others) as well as brought familiar staff members home (former pitching coach John Farrell returns to Boston as the squad's manager) for what should be a vastly different season than years past. Here's the rest of the news and stories making headlines in both of the East Divisions.

  • Jair Jurrjens' contract status continues to remain the status quo according to Orioles GM Dan Duquette, writes Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com (on Twitter). "It's time to get it resolved," said Duquette as Jurrjens looks to rebound from a difficult 2012 season where he posted a 6.89 ERA with 3.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 48.1 innings. 
  • Yunel Escobar's arrival with the Rays organization has manager Joe Maddon excited about what the shortstop can provide the team this season, says Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). After a suspension marred his final month with the Blue Jays, Escobar was dealt to the Marlins in the November mega deal before ending up in St. Petersburg.  
  • Adam LaRoche says the new free agent compensation system has hurt players like him and is currently keeping Kyle Lohse from finding an acceptable deal, writes Dan Kolko of MASNSports.com (Twitter links). "It shows how important it is to get rid of that rule," LaRoche said to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. "I don't know if that was something the union granted, or they overlooked and didn't realize it could backfire the way it did, or if they were willing to take that risk. In talking with the union a little bit, I think they would love to take that back." For a more in-depth look, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes examines the system and explains why a qualifying offer can be a hindrance for a high-quality, but not elite, free agent.

Nationals Avoid Arbitration With Jordan Zimmermann

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6:12pm: Zimmermann will receive $5.35MM from the Nationals for the 2013 season, reports Bill Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter). The salary represents a $150K increase over the figure Zimmermann would have received if he met the Nationals at the financial midpoint of both offers.

4:40pm: The Nationals announced that they have avoided arbitration with Jordan Zimmermann by agreeing to a one-year deal.  Terms of the deal are not yet known for the SFX client.

Zimmermann, 26, said earlier this week that he and the Nationals were still far apart on a deal and GM Mike Rizzo had similar comments on Wednesday.  The hurler filed for $5.8MM while the Nats countered with $4.6MM.  Zimmermann posted a 2.94 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 across 32 starts last season for Washington.

With Zimmermann under contract, the Nats have now settled with all of their arbitration eligible players this winter.

Daniel Seco contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Royals Signings

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The latest minor moves from around MLB…

Quick Hits: Stanton, Twins, Harden, Strasburg

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Earlier today, Blue Jays shortstop Jose Reyes reflected on his short time in Miami and told reporters that he feels sorry for former Marlins teammate Giancarlo Stanton.  "What is there to feel sorry for me about?," Stanton told the press, including Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. "I'm in the big leagues. I play a game for a living."  Stanton went on to say that he won't pout about his situation this season, but that won't stop people from speculating about his future in Miami.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • If the Indians decide to trade outfielder Drew Stubbs, Twins general manager Terry Ryan will probably get a nudge from special assistant Wayne Krivsky, writes Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.  During his tenure as Reds general manager, Krivsky had a hand in taking Stubbs eighth overall in the 2006 draft.
  • More from Wolfson, who tweets that Rich Harden will earn a $1MM base salary if he makes the Twins.  Harden inked a minor league deal with a big league spring training invite with Minnesota earlier this offseason.
  • Nationals’ right-hander Stephen Strasburg is eager to prove that he can handle a full 200-plus inning load, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports in a lengthy piece.  Strasburg wants to “be the horse in the rotation” for 2013 and beyond.
  • Recently-acquired Astro Chris Carter told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart that he is looking forward to playing a major role on the rebuilding Houston club.  The 26-year-old Carter is coming off of his first season of consistent playing time on a Major League roster, a 2012 campaign in which he hit 16 home runs for the Athletics over 260 plate appearances.  While Carter was primarily a first-baseman for the A's, McTaggart writes that Carter figures to see a lot of time in the outfield in 2013.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Schumaker, Bourn, Phillies

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On this date in 2003, the Red Sox completed an unusually complicated move when they acquired Kevin Millar from the Marlins.  The then 31-year-old was sold to Japan's Chunichi Dragons and had to first clear waivers in order to finalize the deal.  However, Boston intervened by claiming Millar, who decided that he would rather stay in the states anyway.  Here's this week's look around the blogosphere..

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.  

Marlins Sign Casey Kotchman

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The Marlins announced that they have signed Casey Kotchman to a minor league deal with an invite to big league camp.  Kotchman is represented by Casey Close of Excel Sports Management.

Kotchman, who turns 30 next Friday, hit .229/.280/.333 with 12 homers in 142 games for the Indians last season.  Things have been quiet for Kotchman this offseason but he reportedly drew some interest from the Red Sox earlier this winter.

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