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Minor Moves: Tateyama, Severino, Wimberly, Indians

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Baseball America's Matt Eddy has a new Minor League transactions piece posted that is rife with signings and releases. Here are just some of the highlights, but the full, free piece is highly recommended (all info credited to Eddy unless otherwise specified)…

  • The Yankees have re-signed right-hander Yoshinori Tateyama to a minor league deal and inked Bruce Billings to a minor league pact as well. Tateyama, who turned 38 on Dec. 26, had an outstanding 1.70 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 0.9 BB/9 in 42 1/3 innings for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate in 2013. Billings, a 28-year-old right-hander, has spent the past three seasons in Oakland's system and posted a 4.31 ERA in 148 1/3 innings at Triple-A in 2013.
  • Left-hander Atahualpa Severino has inked a minor league deal with the Braves. As Eddy notes, the 29-year-old held opposing left-handers to a .171/.234/.271 batting line while striking out 27.3 percent and walking 6.5 percent of the 77 he faced last year. He split the season between the Triple-A affiliates for the Pirates and Royals, posting a combined 3.60 ERA.
  • The Twins have signed outfielder/second baseman Corey Wimberly to a minor league deal, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. The 30-year-old is a career .274/.351/.347 career hitter in parts of four seasons at the Triple-A level and split 2013 between the Reds and Braves organizations.
  • Cotillo also reports that the Tigers have signed backstop Luis Exposito to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training (Twitter link). Soon to be 27, Exposito slashed .224/.279/.346 in 64 games with Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk last year.
  • The Indians announced on Twitter that they have released six minor leaguers: right-handers Kyle Blair, Owen Dew, Rafael Homblert and Michael Goodnight; infielder Manuel Boscan; and outfielder Victor De Jesus.

Colletti On Tanaka, Guerrero, Kershaw, Hanley

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Earlier today, Dodgers general manager spoke with the Los Angeles media. In addition to confirming manager Don Mattingly's three-year extension, Colletti offered some insight into a number of Dodgers issues…

  • Colletti confirmed to reporters that the Dodgers have spoken with Masahiro Tanaka's agent, Casey Close recently, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. For the time being, Tanaka is in the "feeling out process," Colletti added (Hernandez tweeting).
  • Offseason pickup Alexander Guerrero is the favorite to start at second base while Dee Gordon and Miguel Rojas should also be in the mix, according to Colletti (via Hernandez). It's not a huge surprise to hear that Guerrero is the frontrunner for the job after inking a four-year, $28MM deal that can reach $32MM with incentives. However, the Dodgers still would like to add another utility infielder, Colletti added (via MLB.com's Ken Gurnick on Twitter).
  • Colletti indicated that he's had "a lot of conversations" with Clayton Kershaw on a new contract (Hernandez reporting). He's also checked in with Hanley Ramirez's reps on a new deal (also via Hernandez).
  • Colletti also provided a number of health updates on his injured players. Josh Beckett is expected to be ready by the time Spring Training begins (Hernandez reporting), while Chad Billingsley and Scott Elbert are targeting respective June and July returns to the Majors (via Gurnick). Gurnick also relays that Matt Kemp has begun hitting and is expected to play during Spring Training.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas Elected To Hall Of Fame

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The Baseball Writers Association of America has elected Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas to the Hall of Fame.

Maddux, often referred to as "The Professor," won 355 games with a 3.16 ERA in 5,008 1/3 career innings. He averaged 6.1 K/9 (3,371 career strikeouts) and 1.8 BB/9 (999 career walks) over that time and captured four consecutive NL Cy Young Awards from 1992-95. He also fired 109 complete games, including 35 shutouts, and picked up 18 Gold Glove Awards as well. Baseball-Reference valued his career at 104.6 WAR, while Fangraphs had him at 113.9.

His longtime teammate, Glavine, won two NL Cy Young Awards (and had three other Top 3 finishes) en route to a career 3.54 ERA. Glavine won 305 games, striking out 2607 batters (5.3 K/9) against 1500 walks (3.1 BB/9) in 4,413 1/3 career innings. He completed 56 of his 682 career starts and totaled 25 shutouts along the way. Baseball-Reference pegs him at 74 WAR, while Fangraphs values his career at 64.3 WAR.

Thomas was one of the game's most feared power hitters for the majority of his 19-year career. "The Big Hurt" owns a lifetime .301/.419/.555 batting line with 521 homers and 1,704 RBIs. He won the American League MVP in 1993-94 and had four other Top 4 finishes in that voting. Thomas' OPS+ of 156 is tied with the great Willie Mays for the 19th-highest in Major League history, placing him one point ahead of Hank Aaron. In terms of WAR, Baseball-Reference has Thomas at 73.6 compared to Fangraphs' 72.4.

Falling painfully shy of enshrinement is Astros great Craig Biggio, who received 74.8 percent of the vote, meaning he was two votes shy of being elected. That should bode well for his future chances, and one would imagine that he is a lock for election in the coming years.

Also of note is Jack Morris, whose 61.5% vote count did not get him elected in his 15th and final time on the BBWAA ballot. Opinions have varied widely on Morris, whose 10-inning shutout in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series against the Braves is considered one of the greatest postseason performances in history. He will now have to wait until at least 2016 for another chance at the Hall of Fame, when the Veteran's Committee can vote on his fate.

Maddux's 97.2 percent vote count is overwhelming, but also means that he was left off of an incredible 16 ballots. It was thought that he could pass Tom Seaver for the greatest total ever, but Tom Terrific's mark of 98.8 percent still remains the top in Hall of Fame voting history. Mike Piazza (62.2 percent), Jeff Bagwell (54.3 percent) and Tim Raines (46.1 percent) were among the other top vote-getters. Click here for the full results, and congratulations from the MLBTR team to Maddux, Glavine and Thomas on the well-deserved elections.

Rangers Interested In Re-Signing Jeff Baker

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The Rangers have interest in re-signing Jeff Baker as a bench bat, reports Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News.

The 32-year-old Baker thrived in his first season with the Rangers in 2013, batting .279/.360/.545 primarily in a platoon role. A thumb injury in June sidelined Baker for more than a month, and his OPS upon returning was nearly 400 points lower than it was prior to the injury, suggesting that he may never have fully recovered.

Baker doesn't hit right-handed pitching much, but the righty swinger absolutely mashes against left-handed pitching. He hit southpaws at a huge .314/.407/.667 clip with 10 of his 11 homers in 2013, and his career line against lefties is a strong .298/.353/.522. He has big league experience at second base, third base, first base and the outfield corners, and while he's not considered an elite defender at any of the positions, his versatility and big numbers against lefties make him a valuable bench piece. Baker has also been connected to the Yankees and the Giants so far this offseason.

Dodgers Extend Don Mattingly

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WEDNESDAY: Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has officially announced Mattingly's extension to reporters, including Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

TUESDAY: The Dodgers and manager Don Mattingly have agreed to an extension that will keep him in the Dodgers' dugout for the next three seasons, according to ESPNLosAngeles.com's Ramona Shelburne.  An official announcement is expected later this week.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) reported yesterday that the two sides were closing in on a deal. 

Mattingly was already under contract through the 2014 season thanks to a $1.4MM option that vested when his Dodgers defeated the Braves in the NLDS.  However, Mattingly made his desire for a multiyear contract known shortly after the season in a surprisingly candid press conference.  Mattingly has led the Dodgers to three straight winning seasons, including an NL West Division Championship and an NLCS berth in 2013.

His job was called into question earlier in the season when the Dodgers were struggling despite the team's gaudy payroll, but Mattingly – thanks to some improved health and the emergence of Yasiel Puig – silenced critics by helping the Dodgers to a 42-8 run that vaulted them to the top of the NL West.  Shelburne reported back in November that the two sides were discussing a multi-year deal and it sounds like they've finally hammered it all out.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Marlins Re-Sign Kevin Slowey

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The Marlins have re-signed right-hander Kevin Slowey to a minor league deal, according to Baseball America's Matt Eddy (on Twitter). Slowey is a client of Relativity Baseball (formerly known as SFX).

The 29-year-old Slowey pitched 92 1/3 innings for the Marlins in 2013, posting a 4.11 ERA with 7.4 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a minuscule 28.7 percent ground-ball rate. Slowey has always been an extreme fly-ball pitcher but has long boasted elite command as well, as evidenced by his career 1.5 BB/9 rate. Last season marked his first big league action in a uniform other than that of the Minnesota Twins, who selected him out of Winthrop University in the second round of the 2005 draft.

Slowey will face an uphill battle to earn another rotation spot in Miami, as Jose Fernandez, Nathan Eovaldi, Henderson Alvarez and Jacob Turner all figure to be locks. He will have competition in the form of Tom Koehler and Brian Flynn, with top prospects such as Andrew Heaney and Justin Nicolino not far behind.

Eddy also reports that Miami signed right-hander Craig Westcott and lefty Jose Gonzalez. The 27-year-old Westcott posted a 4.19 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 144 innings for the Giants' Double-A affiliate in 2013. Gonzalez, 23, posted a 5.17 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 54 innings of relief across High-A and Double-A with the Twins last season and yielded a .276/.364/.442 batting line to his opponents.

Andruw Jones Re-Signs With Rakuten Golden Eagles

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Former Major League All-Star Andruw Jones has re-signed a one-year deal with Nippon Professional Baseball's Rakuten Golden Eagles, according to a report from Nikkan Sports (Japanese link). Rakuten has since announced the deal's value at 400 million Yen, or roughly $3.8MM. Jones is represented by agent Scott Boras.

Jones played for the Golden Eagles last season alongside new Marlins third baseman Casey McGehee and the offseason's hottest commodity, Masahiro Tanaka. In 604 plate appearances with Rakuten, Jones batted .243/.391/.454 with 26 home runs. He struck out in more than 27 percent of his plate appearances but also walked at a whopping 17.3 percent clip (in addition to getting hit by 15 pitches).

The 36-year-old last appeared in the Majors with the Yankees in 2011-12. After a strong .247/.356/.495 batting line in his first season with the Bombers, Jones slipped to .197/.294/.408 in 2012, prompting him to sign in NPB the following offseason. In parts of 17 Major League seasons, Jones batted .254/.337/.486 with 434 home runs and won 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards from 1998-2007.

MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo reports that Jones drew interest from two Major League clubs but elected to return to Japan. Jones will play the 2014 season alongside fellow former All-Star Kevin Youkilis, who signed a one-year deal with Rakuten this offseason as well.

Tigers, Iglesias Agree To One-Year Deal

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The Tigers and shortstop Jose Iglesias have agreed to a one-year, $1.65MM contract, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Though Iglesias is not yet arbitration eligible, his salary needed to be determined following completion of his original four-year, $8.25MM Major League contract signed with the Red Sox. Iglesias is represented by Scott Boras.

The 23-year-old Iglesias finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting after batting a combined .303/.349/.386 between the Red Sox and Tigers in 2013, but his offense predictably slipped with the Tigers. Most of damage at the plate with the Sox was the result of a .376 average on balls in play, and that number fell to .320 in Detroit while his strikeout rate jumped by eight percent. Iglesias wasn't acquired for his bat, however, and the Tigers are valuing him based on an elite glove at shortstop that he should have no trouble maintaining for years to come.

Barring a long-term deal, Iglesias will be in for a similar salary next offseason, as he won't be arbitration eligible until the 2015-16 offseason. He is under team control through the 2018 campaign.

NL East Notes: Braves, Mets, Davis

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Tonight's look at the National League East..

  • The Braves aren't finished making moves yet, team president John Schuerholz tells Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (via Twitter).  "I like our team but [General Manager Frank Wren] is not done yet," Schuerholz said.
  • It would be a mistake for the Mets to sell low on Ike Davis, opines Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.  Instead of trading Davis now, it would be best to hang on to him and see if he might be able to get back to his old form and belt 30 homers again.  So far, the Mets have been adamant that they will not simply give him away and it sounds like their price tag has been high in talks with the Orioles, Brewers, and others.
  • Ken Davidoff of the New York Post doesn't agree, arguing that the Mets have to move Davis now.  There's a chance he could turn things around, but one talent evaluator isn't too optimistic about that.  “It’s like running a Mercedes dealership and saying, ‘We’re going to charge you $55,000 for this car, but it’s used and banged up, and you have to figure out how to fix it. Not us, you,'" the agent said.

AL Central Rumors: Twins, Plouffe, Downs, White Sox

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After signing a one-year deal worth $4MM that includes a club option for 2015, Scott Downs says he's on board with the White Sox's plan. “The talks that I had about rebuilding, about going young, about needing some extra veteran leadership in the clubhouse and on the field — it all appealed to me,” Downs said on a conference call, according to Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com. “I want to win and be a part of something special and I think we have that here.”

  • Twins GM Terry Ryan says that even at a projected payroll of about $84MM, the club won't have to unload salary to add another piece, tweets Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link).
  • Ryan also said that as they get ready to take care of their arbitration cases, he's not discussing multi-year deals with Trevor Plouffe, Anthony Swarzak, or Brian Duensing (Twitter links).  “I’m not saying it’s an impossibility,” Ryan said, “but we are not talking to any of the three about a multi-year deal."
  • The White Sox's level of interest in Masahiro Tanaka remains to be seen, but whatever interest is there has certainly been sparked by the level playing field, Hayes writes.

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