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Minor Moves: Stange, White

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Keeping track of the day’s minor moves…

  • The Padres signed right-hander Daniel Stange to a minor league contract, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. Stange, 26, has a 4.34 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in seven minor league seasons. He has MLB experience with the 2010 Diamondbacks.
  • The Angels signed right-hander Sean White to a minor league contract, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. The 31-year-old pitched in 105 games for the Mariners from 2007-10, posting a 4.16 ERA with 4.0 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.

Rays Place Jeff Keppinger On Restricted List

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The Rays placed infielder Jeff Keppinger on the restricted list due to a personal matter following last night’s game, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports. The Rays called up outfielder Brandon Guyer in a corresponding move and indicated that Keppinger’s absence will be a short one.

The Rays signed Keppinger to a one-year, $1.25MM contract in January. The 32-year-old has a .313/.338/.453 batting line in 68 plate appearances as a second and third baseman in Tampa Bay. Players on the restricted list do not count toward a team's 25-man or 40-man roster. They do not accrue service time and they don't always get paid.

Quick Hits: Draft, Sizemore, Royals, CBA, Greinke

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Some links from around MLB…

  • ESPN's Keith Law posted a list of the top 100 prospects in this year's amateur draft. High school outfielder Byron Buxton and high school shortstop Carlos Correa top the list.
  • "I love this game and I don't see myself calling it quits anytime soon," said Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (Twitter link). Sizemore is currently on the DL with a back issue, the latest problem in a long line of injuries in recent years.
  • Royals owner David Glass says he hasn't spoken to anyone about selling his team despite rumors to the contrary, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. "I've not talked to anyone, nor has any of my family talked to anyone," he said.
  • Ben Badler of Baseball America explains how teams and player representatives are working to side-step the international spending restrictions imposed under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement. MLB is aware of the loopholes and would object more strongly to some than others.
  • Recent extensions talks haven’t taken place for Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels or Tim Lincecum, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. Greinke and Hamels are eligible for free agency this offseason, while Lincecum is under team control through 2013.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that Edinson Volquez of the Padres looks like a trade candidate (Twitter link). However, six of the right-hander’s seven starts have been at Petco Park, a generally forgiving environment for pitchers.\

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

2013 Contract Issues: San Francisco Giants

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The Giants are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series:

Eligible For Free Agency (6)

  • Melky Cabrera - Cabrera, still just 27, will present the Giants with a dilemma if he repeats his 2011 success in San Francisco. They'd likely have to offer a multiyear deal or let him walk.
  • Freddy Sanchez - The Giants have learned to cope without Sanchez, who's on the 15-day disabled list recovering from shoulder surgery.
  • Jeremy Affeldt - The Giants evidently value Affeldt's left arm and could offer him another deal in the $4-5MM range if he turns in a typical season.
  • Angel Pagan - Just one year after restructuring their outfield, two of the Giants' starting outfielders will hit free agency. It's too early to predict the Giants' interest in re-signing the 30-year-old center fielder.
  • Ryan Theriot - Off to a slow start at the plate, Theriot's place on the 2013 Giants is anything but secure.
  • Guillermo Mota - Mota has been suspended for 100 games following a positive test for a performance enhancing substance. He'll be eligible to return late this season even if the ruling stands following an appeal. A suspension would reduce Mota's free agent value and may diminish the Giants' interest in retaining the 38-year-old.

Contract Options (1)

  • Aubrey Huff: $10MM club option with a $2MM buyout. The Giants can be expected to buy Huff out, since he's no longer a $10MM player.

Arbitration Eligible (10)

Assuming the Giants tender Wilson a contract, he'll lead the way with a salary that could fall in the $8.5MM range. Posey's 2013 salary can be expected to fall in the $2-3MM range, which would make him the Giants' highest-paid position player going year to year. In total, the team's arbitration eligible players could cost $20MM-plus, with the usual caveat that some of the players above will become non-tender candidates.

2013 Payroll Obligation

The Giants have already committed more than $80MM to next year's payroll, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. The team's payroll has surpassed $115MM in 2011 and 2012, and it's currently hard to envision a substantial payroll drop for 2013. The Giants will likely need to spend on outfielders this winter and if GM Brian Sabean is going to have any flexibility after retaining his arbitration eligible players, the payroll will have to stay above $100MM.

Rangers Continue Working To Extend Hamilton

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The Rangers continue working to sign Josh Hamilton to a long-term contract, GM Jon Daniels told Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio (Twitter link). Daniels didn’t reveal details, but confirmed that talks regarding the Moye Sports Associates client continue. 

Hamilton, 30, is off to a tremendous start. He has a league-leading 10 home runs with an impressive .376/.435/.703 batting line after 115 plate appearances. He’ll earn $13.75MM in 2012 before hitting free agency this offseason. 

The Rangers recently met with Hamilton’s agent, so there’s some optimism they’ll sign him long-term. Despite an alcohol-related relapse earlier in the offseason and nagging injuries, he remains one of the game’s elite players.

Casey Blake To Retire

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Veteran infielder Casey Blake announced that he will retire from baseball, according to Bryce Miller of the Des Moines Register. The 38-year-old said he considered playing for one more year before deciding to move on. 

“I just decided to shut it down,” he said. “And I’m OK with the decision.”

Blake will retire with 167 home runs and a .264/.336/.442 batting line after a career that included stops in Cleveland, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Baltimore and Toronto. He averaged 22 home runs per season with an .800 OPS in his prime, from 2004-08.

Blake spent considerable time on the disabled list last year as he dealt with a cervical strain. Agent Jim McDowell represents the veteran infielder, who earned more than $32MM over the course of his 13-year career. The Rangers expressed interest in Blake after the Rockies released him this spring, the Register reports.

Nationals Sign Mike Gonzalez

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The Nationals announced that they have signed left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez (Twitter link). Gonzalez, a client of the Boras Corporation, will report to Viera, the team announced. He signed a minor league deal, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post tweets.

Gonzalez posted a 4.39 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 53 1/3 innings for the Orioles and Rangers in 2011. The Indians, White Sox and Athletics had some interest in the 33-year-old, who turned down a minor league offer from the Rangers this spring. Scott Boras has said Gonzalez is returning to health following offseason knee surgery.

The Nationals' bullpen currently includes left-handers Sean Burnett and Tom Gorzelanny. As MLBTR's Agency Database shows, the Boras Corporation represents a considerable number of players on Washington's roster.

Brewers Extend Melvin, Roenicke

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The Brewers announced that they have extended the contracts of their general manager and field manager. Doug Melvin, the club's GM since 2002, receives a promotion to president of baseball operations under his new contract, which runs through 2015. Manager Ron Roenicke obtains an extension runs through 2014 and includes a club option for 2015.

Brewers owner Mark Attanasio explained that the team's recent postseason berths give him confidence in Melvin, "one of the most respected leaders in the industry." Melvin said Roenicke's leadership has also been instrumental to the team's success. “He and his staff have worked tirelessly to put us in a great position to win, and he has been very supportive of everything we are looking to accomplish," Melvin said via press release.

MLBTR's Transaction Tracker offers a look back at the moves Melvin has made since joining the Brewers a decade ago. Melvin, Baseball America's 2011 Executive of the Year, became the Rangers' GM following the 1994 season and has been running teams ever since.

Roenicke led the Brewers to the NLCS last year, his first full season as an MLB manager. The club won 96 games in 2011, but is off to a 12-17 start this year. The club appeared to be nearing extensions with Melvin and Roenicke over the weekend.

Olney On Angels, Penny

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The Cardinals’ bullpen struggled early on in the 2011 season but recovered to help St. Louis win the World Series. This provides hope for teams with early-season bullpen issues such as the Angels, as Buster Olney explained at ESPN.com this morning. Here are some more notes from Olney:

  • Angels GM Jerry Dipoto says the club needs to restore Jordan Walden’s confidence. "We need for Jordan to be good,” he said. “He's going to be an important part of things here."
  • The Angels are struggling for many reasons in Dipoto’s view, but the bullpen remains a clear area of concern, especially with recent injuries to Scott Downs and LaTroy Hawkins. Dipoto acquired Ernesto Frieri from the Padres over the weekend.
  • Brad Penny has offers from MLB teams to start or pitch out of the bullpen, Olney reports. Penny, who recently became a free agent, expects to choose a team soon. He had been dealing with shoulder issues while under contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

Rockies Designate Eliezer Alfonzo For Assignment

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The Rockies designated catcher Eliezer Alfonzo for assignment, according to the team's transactions page. The Rockies appear to have removed the 33-year-old from their 40-man roster to create space for left-hander Christian Friedrich, who will start tomorrow's game.

Alfonzo had an impressive .319/.347/.777 line with 12 homers in 101 plate appearances at Triple-A Colorado Springs last year. He owns a .290/.332/.475 batting line in a minor league career that spans 15 seasons and has experience in six MLB campaigns, most recently with the 2011 Rockies.

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