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Minor Moves: Tim Wheeler, Noel Arguelles

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Here are today's minor moves from around the league…

  • In addition to Rafael Ortega, who was recently claimed by the Rangers, the Rockies also put outfield prospect Tim Wheeler on waivers, tweets the Denver Post's Troy Renck. Wheeler, however cleared and has been outrighted to the minor leagues, says Renck. Wheeler entered the season as Colorado's No. 11 prospect, per Baseball America, but struggled to the tune of a .262/.330/.355 batting line as a 25-year-old at the Triple-A level. Prior to the season, BA noted the alarming drop in Wheeler's power, and he didn't correct it in 2013. Wheeler blasted 33 homers at Double-A in 2011 but has gone yard just seven times in 855 plate appearances at Triple-A since that time.
  • The Royals have outrighted left-hander Noel Arguelles to Triple-A Omaha after the Cuban hurler cleared waivers, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). That Arguelles, 23, cleared waivers is no surprise given the fact that he is guaranteed nearly $1.4MM in 2014 after signing a five-year, $7MM contract prior to the 2010 season. Shoulder surgery has derailed the once-promising lefty's prospect status, as he's pitched to a 6.14 ERA with more walks than strikeouts over his previous 196 1/3 innings in the minors.

Rangers Claim Rafael Ortega From Rockies

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The Rangers have claimed outfielder Rafael Ortega off waivers from the Rockies, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (on Twitter).

The 22-year-old Ortega made his big league debut with the Rockies in 2012, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a pair of walks in six trips to the plate. However, the Venezuelan native batted just .228/.315/.297 in 42 games at the Double-A level this season before his season ended in June. He entered the 2013 campaign ranked 15th among Rockies prospects, according to Baseball America, who called him a true center fielder with a plus, accurate arm and plus speed. BA noted that he needs to be careful not to fall in love with swinging for the fences after a home run, though he does have surprising pop for someone with a 5'11", 160-pound frame.

AL East Notes: De Jesus Jr., Lavarnway, Infante

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The Orioles are close to a minor league deal with infielder Ivan De Jesus Jr., reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. However, the O's are likely to hold off finalizing the deal in order to avoid having to add De Jesus to the 40-man roster to protect him from being selected in next week's Rule 5 Draft. Baltimore learned their lesson the hard way in that regard back in 2004 when they signed Chris Gomez to a minor league deal on Dec. 8 and saw him selected in the Rule 5 Draft four days later, Kubatko points out. Some more links pertaining to the AL East…

  • Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald writes that the Red Sox have had internal discussions about entering 2014 with Ryan Lavarnway as the team's primary catcher. Boston is more interested in a stopgap option as they await the arrival of Christian Vasquez and Blake Swihart at the big league level and is therefore reluctant to strengthen its existing two-year offer to Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
  • The Yankees remain "very much engaged" with Omar Infante's agent, Gene Mato, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. The Yankees could try to sign Infante even if they retain Robinson Cano, says Marchand, envisioning him as a modern-day Tony Phillips who would play every day but at different positions. Marchand writes that the Yankees like Infante as a backup at third base and shortstop, and he also points out Infante's experience in the outfield.
  • The Yankees paid a good amount to sign Cuban lefthander Omar Luis last year and they'll be making him available in this year's Rule 5 draft, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America.  The Yanks initially signed Luis for a $4MM bonus but when an unexpected issue popped up in his physical, they negotiated that figure down to $2.9MM.  It may be a long shot that any team will draft Luis, however, given how far away he is from contributing.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Reds To Re-Sign Manny Parra

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11:22am: Parra will earn $2MM in 2014 and $3.5MM in 2015, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.

11:04am: The Reds and left-hander Manny Parra have reached an agreement on a two-year, $5.5MM contract, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter links). Parra is represented by agent Joe Urbon of CAA Sports.

Parra, 31, enjoyed a tremendous rebound campaign for the Reds in 2013, posting a 3.33 ERA with 11.0 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 43.8 percent ground-ball rate in 46 innings. Parra demonstrated a significant platoon split, however, holding left-handers to a brilliant .167/.237/.238 batting line but yielding a .310/.370/.524 line to right-handers.

His ideal role appears to be that of a left-handed specialist, though his usage will depend on new manager Bryan Price. Last season, Dusty Baker split Parra's time evenly, allowing him to face 95 right-handers and 93 left-handers. Under Price, who served as the team's pitching coach in 2013, Parra completely abandoned his slider and changeup in favor of a fastball/curveball/splitter mix that appears to have been quite effective. He also saw his average fastball velocity jump to a career-best 93.4 mph.

While Parra's platoon split is more pronounced than that of Javier Lopez, Reds GM Walt Jocketty was able to secure an arm that was similarly effective against left-handed batters for less than half the price of Lopez's three-year, $13MM contract with the Giants. Though Jocketty hasn't made any large splashes yet this offseason, this is the third two-year deal he's agreed to with a free agent. The Reds have also signed utility man Skip Schumaker and backstop Brayan Pena to two-year deals.

Rockies Aggressively Pursuing Justin Morneau

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After hiring Eric Young Sr. as their first base/baserunning coach and Blake Doyle as their hitting coach yesterday, the Rockies have turned their focus to Justin Morneau and are aggressively pursuing the longtime Twin, according to the Denver Post's Troy Renck.

The Rockies have a vacancy at first base following the retirement of franchise icon Todd Helton. Morneau could replace Helton's left-handed bat, and Coors Field would serve as an ideal platform for the former AL MVP to reestablish his reputation as a feared power hitter. The Rockies would also make sense for Morneau given the fact that Michael Cuddyer, his longtime teammate in Minnesota and close friend, will play out the third and final year of his contract with the Rockies in 2014.

Morneau, 32, batted .259/.323/.411 with 17 home runs between the Twins and Pirates in 2013. However, save for an August explosion in which he drilled nine home runs in a span of 29 games, his power stroke was rarely on display. Morneau has been seeking to rediscover his peak form since a concussion ended his 2010 season (when he was batting .345/.437/.618 on July 7 of that year). Since that time, he's dealt with severe post-concussion symptoms as well as injuries to his wrist and neck, both of which have required surgery.

Orioles Willing To Listen To Offers For Jim Johnson

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The Orioles are willing to listen to trade offers for closer Jim Johnson, according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Baltimore is facing a massive payroll crunch this offseason, and Johnson's $10.8MM projected salary (per MLBTR's Matt Swartz) would seem to be a definite roadblock in their pursuit of top free agents to whom they've been linked, such as Carlos Beltran.

Johnson, 30, posted a 2.94 ERA this season with 7.2 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 58 percent ground-ball rate. His 50 saves led the American League and tied Atlanta's Craig Kimbrel for the Major League lead. Over the past two seasons, no pitcher has amassed more saves than Johnson's total of 101. That bloated saves total, however, is actually problematic for Baltimore, as it's the chief reason for his projected payday (as Swartz explained in Johnson's arbitration breakdown).

Olney recently profiled the Orioles' budget situation and spoke with other executives who felt that Johnson would be "the most painless cut" the team could make. The Orioles opened 2013 with a $92MM payroll and figure to be around that mark again in 2014. Spending nearly $11MM on their closer would seem to be a questionable allocation of their funds.

While an additional $11MM in 2014 may not cover the salary of a top free agent like Beltran, it would present the opportunity for a slightly backloaded contract, as Nick Markakis and his $15MM annual commitment will be off the books following the 2014 campaign.

Jose Mijares Elects Free Agency

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WEDNESDAY: Mijares has elected free agency, according to the MLB.com transactions page.

TUESDAY: The Giants have outrighted Jose Mijares to Triple-A Fresno, according to Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).  Mijares was arbitration eligible and was due $2.1MM, making him a non-tender possibility.  The re-signing of Javier Lopez, made official earlier this evening, made him expendable.  Rough outings against right-handed hitters gave the 29-year-old a 4.22 ERA, but he still turned in a solid 9.9 K/9 rate (with 3.7 BB/9).

Quick Hits: Peralta, Saltalamacchia, Molina

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The Cardinals' four-year, $53MM deal with Jhonny Peralta has an interesting twist: it's frontloaded.  The shortstop will earn $15.5MM in 2014, $15MM in '15, $12.5MM in '16, and $10MM in '17, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  Here's tonight's look around the majors..

  • Peralta's deal raises the uncomfortable issue of PED usage paying off, writes Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports.  Diamondbacks relief pitcher and team union representative Brad Ziegler took his dissatisfaction with the deal to Twitter, but he's far from the only player who has an issue with players linked to PEDs getting major paydays.
  • Heyman looks at the market for Jarrod Saltalamacchia and wonders if the Blue Jays, Twins, or Rockies could steal him away from the Red Sox.  The Rangers look like another possibility to some, but one person connected with the club says a return for Salty isn't too likely at the moment.  Texas has looked at free agent catchers, but they've also suggested that Geovany Soto will be their fulltime backstop.
  • The Rays' are still waiting on results of Jose Molina's physical and therefore won't have an announcement on his signing until early next week, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  Molina is expected to ink a two-year, $4.5MM pact to stay with Tampa Bay.
  • The opportunity to win attracted Skip Schumaker to the Reds, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.  Schumaker said his decision came down to the Reds and one other unspecified playoff-caliber team.
  • In today's inbox, MLB.com's Corey Brock touches on the possibility of star third baseman Chase Headley being moved and other matters surrounding the Padres.

AL West Notes: Athletics, Cespedes, Mariners, Astros

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A look at the latest out of the AL West..

  • The A’s position player most coveted by other clubs is Yoenis Cespedes, but it’s tough to imagine that they would part with him after a down season, unless they were overwhelmed by an offer that includes a big bat in return, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Slusser adds that Oaklad expects to contend in 2014 and isn’t a team looking to dump payroll.
  • Teams have tried to trade for Mariners left-handed reliever Brian Moran and he's a virtual lock to get picked up in the Rule 5 draft, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB Network.  Moran pitched to a 3.45 ERA with an eye-popping 12.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 48 Triple-A outings last season.
  • The Astros have yet to make a big move this offseason, but they say that the winter is unfolding as they expected it to, writes Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle.  Because the Astros aren’t regarded as a “destination” team, they may well benefit from a waiting game more than most.

Reds Interested In Carlos Beltran

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Carlos Beltran already has plenty of suitors, but it sounds like we can add another to his list.  The outfielder told Noel Piñeiro of Primera Hora (Spanish link) that the Reds have reached out to Beltran’s agent, Dan Lozano. Piñeiro told C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer in an e-mail that Beltran told him he expects to make a decision by mid-December.

While the American League would seem to be a better fit for the 36-year-old, he tells Piñeiro that he would prefer to play in the National League.  Beltran has played mostly right field in each of the last two seasons with the Cardinals, but would likely move to left for the Reds.

Teams that have previously been linked to Beltran include the Tigers, Yankees, Rangers, Orioles, Mariners, and Red Sox.  Some regard the Yanks as the favorites to land the veteran outfielder and see him as the club's No. 1 priority at this stage of the offseason.  The switch-hitter posted a .296/.339/.491 slash line for the Cardinals last season and is a career .283/.359/.496 hitter.

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